I sent my car to the workshop over the weekend coz it was behaving rather strangely β it kept making quick and sudden swerves to the right on it’s own (!!!). Either the car was possessed by a vengeful and malicious spirit intent on causing me grievous bodily harm or there was something very wrong with the car.
Being a relatively pragmatic person, I thought the latter was more likely.
My initial suspicion was that my right front tyre is running flat and so I leaned out for a quick peek during a traffic light stop (and nearly got my head taken off by a speeding bike). It looked nice and inflated.
Puzzled, I drove on, hoping that the problem would resolve itself when the next uninitiated swerve took me by surprise and I went *entirely* into next lane. I could see the steering wheel move. After my heart resumed beating again I decided to ground the car and send it off to get checked.
I knew what happened too β a long time ago, when I was a functioning alcoholic, I decided to impulsively drift through a wet corner on my way home. It’s just one of the things you do when you’re shit faced drunk and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I ended up in the storm drain, with the rear of the car stuck inside the crevice. I gave permission to the tow truck to attach itself to the drive shaft (or suspension, I can’t remember) so I could get home quicker and without a trip to the workshop.
It turned out that the drive shafts were worn and the suspension was pretty much gone in the following 8 years, so the repairs on that alone cost me RM 3,043. I also fixed my long-running problems with the car air conditioning, which set me back a further RM 1,280 for a total of RM 4,323.
I know, I’m still recovering from the price too. I guess I’ll have to eat bread for the time being while I save up to go to Japan next year. I’m glad I was alone when the problem manifested though, and I managed to fix it, coz that was very dangerous indeed and I have people I love and commitments in my life now.
Money well-spent for personal safety’s sake…if it’s a job well done and you will not need to go back again for a long long time. Used to go to one…and I kept spending on unending car repairs, and the guy kept saying, “Old car like that lah!!!” – thank goodness I’ve one very good and very reliable one now. Just need to go for the regular servicing every 5,000 km.
Oh, when you mentioned the car just moved to the right on it’s own, I immediately thought of a punctured tyre.. It happened to me a few times.. The steering will automatically turn to the right, and the car will go to the right too, and true enough, the right front tyre punctured.. But if it happens to the tyres at the back, your car won’t feel a thing.. Anyway, you said your tyres were nice and inflated, so your problem is bigger than that, nevermind lah, RM4k to buy safety+a peace of mind, yes? π
Sigh…car problems are always so vexing. Luckily no one was hurt!
ouch! Even eat bread also expensive nowadays. plain porridge cheaper.
Yesterday my car also was “kissed” by a motorbike while trying to avoid a dumb arse who simply speed out from the junction near your dear house.
Hey….that plate number very similar to my boss num…his was 4118
Ok la….cars do wear and tear though it could be past reckless self who might causes it. It’s ok as long as it is safe. On the other hand , consider changing to a new car and sell this one off if it’s give too much problems. I did that with my waja last year. Tired of repairing !
I super love your last sentence!
Our vios is 10 years old and also have just changed 2 drive shafts. You changed all 4?