Car Maintenance: Safeguard Your Loved Ones, Save Money, and Preserve Your Vehicle

Owning a car is one thing, but being able to maintain your car well is another. The reason is simple, even if your car is brand new, failure to pay attention to your car’s needs, neglecting what needs to be done, can result pouring in a lot of money spent on car repairs. And if that’s not bad enough, it doesn’t stop there, it gets worse.

A disclaimer, I am no expert when it comes to cars. Heck I’ve sent my car for services at the service centre, 80% of the items listed on the bill I have either no idea what they are about, or I couldn’t care less to be even concerned. It has been like this until I came to realization about a month ago, it is time for me to do something about it or else, it will slowly and definitely drain my savings dry.

1. My First Car

My first car was a Perodua Axia, a compact car, with a 1 litre engine. I wasn’t married back then, it was uhhh… about 8-9 years ago, all I had in my mind was to replace my dad’s Toyota Corolla, which was a very old car, and it needed a lot of constant attention on repairs. Good car though, but it was literally drinking money. So, I got myself a Perodua Axia, one that’s within my budget, good for my daily usage (work and what not), and it is very economical to maintain (petrol, servicing, road tax, insurance, etc.).

The Perodua Axia has been serving me well until Thaddeus was born, then I started thinking about car seats, travelling back home (I moved to my Christine’s hometown after we got married), the luggage bags filled with mostly baby stuffs, the pillows, the baby cot, the baby stroller, the baby bath basin, the pail, and the list goes on. “We need a bigger car!”, so I got us a compact crossover SUV, a Honda CR-V.

Can’t help thinking how my parents managed back then. There were 5 of us, my parents, myself, and two younger sisters. My parents were able to pack everything we needed into the Toyota Corolla, and the things they packed lasted us 5 to 7 days. Amazing, and here I am now, today, occassionally thinking the CR-V may not be enough since we got Thea.

2. My Second Car

Among all the available options out there within our budget range, we decided on the Honda CR-V. The CR-V looked and felt more spacious compared to the Mazda CX-5, I don’t know why, but the CR-V seemed to have more leg room, a more spacious trunk, and the ride seemed more comfortable compared to the CX-5. Christine didn’t feel dizzy seated at the back of the CR-V.

Since the CR-V runs on a 1.5 litre turbo engine, road tax for one is significant cheaper than the CX-5 which runs on a 2.0 litre engine, though the CR-V I admit doesn’t look as sharp/sporty compared to the CX-5. Regardless, we were more focused on the maintenance, comfort and utility. We even considered Peugeot’s 3008 and Nissan’s X-Trail.

Another thing that I liked about the CR-V was the fact that, you can open the doors wide up to 90-degrees.

3. The “White Elephant”

I would prefer driving the Axia. Simply because it’s more economical going about places. I drove the CR-V only when the family needed to go somewhere. I could afford to be a wee-bit careless with the Axia, but it wouldn’t feel the same when the CR-V got scratched compared to the Axia. I felt more.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, and being very prudent (we stayed home most of the time), the CR-V was under-utilized; The “White Elephant”.

Context: The CR-V will turn 5 soon (in two months to be exact), and the mileage on it hasn’t even hit 13,000. Since it was under-utilized, I too slacked on it’s maintenance. Only brought the CR-V four times to the service centre, in a span close to 5 years. I thought, since I rarely drove it, it should still be in a very good condition, right? I don’t need to spend about RM800 every time I take it for servicing, which can be 2-3 times a year, amounting to RM2,400 close, that is a month’s salary for most Malaysians.

2023… Dad hasn’t been well, and he has an appointment to get his heart checked through a procedure only available at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

Rather than having my parents, two elderly folks who don’t KL much, or at all, trying to figure out stuffs at the Hospital themselves, not to mention the confusion and chaos, the cost to charter a cab for the whole day, and if the cab driver would be kind enough to wait till the procedure is over, or even if the cab driver would be fit to drive still after the procedure (the plan is to leave home for KL early in the morning so that we have time for breakfast and reach the hospital before 7); I thought, it would be best for me to bring them there, see them through, and back.

CR-V has to be serviced. Not wise to be driving it on a long distance trip with the last service dated 2 years ago.

This was then I sent the CR-V to have it checked by a mechanic, relative of Christine’s family. These I learnt, and I hope my experience will help you too.

4. Lesson #1: Warranty

This only applies to new cars in general. When you purchase your car new from the manufacturer, it usually comes with warranty. Some manufacturers give 3 years, some 5, mine came with 5. If it comes with 5, make full use of the 5, if it comes with 3, make use of the 3.

When your car is still covered by warranty, there are some perks that you would want to take advantage of. For example, servicing, you would get free service (for some) for the first 5,000 km, you would also get free labour, and the thing that you would really want to take advantage of is the “genuine parts” replacement.

While you can always get your car serviced by a family member, relative, or someone you know, parts replacement is something, though rare, but may come by your way. When you have your car fixed at the service centre, you will get “genuine part” replacements, perhaps even free, if you bought your car insurance with them too. But if you were to get it done elsewhere, you could still opt for genuine part replacement, or you can go for something compatible or recon, even though it may cost cheaper, but at the same time would void your warranty.

You might also be served with damage repair(s), just like how I was, a back panel was removed for a rear-dashcam installation on my CR-V, but the guy who put it back in place was inexperienced, hammered the panel in with his fist, and the clips on the panel was damaged. That panel was not fitted properly, I was billed RM200 to have the panel replaced at Honda.

Do note, failure to meet the service milestones voids your car’s warranty too.

So when, and if your car is still covered by the car manufacturer’s warranty, send it in for anything and everything until it the warranty is due.

5. Lesson #2: Lifespan & Under-Utilized

There is a lifespan to everything. Things are only good as they are within a certain period of time – lifespan. Even though my car was under-utilized, the lifespan on the different parts of the CR-V was still ticking whether I like it or not. An example, ever heard of clogged pipes, rusty water or even cracked pipes which is quite common with vacant houses? Similar concept.

Even though I didn’t drive the CR-V much, but the tyres for example, will become brittle and crack over time due to the lack of moisture. Cracked tyres should be replaced immediately because they can explode any time, even if it’s parked stationary, worse when you’re driving, and you have your loved ones with you. I believe I’m very blessed because there are no cracks found on the CR-V’s tyres even though it is almost 5 years old. To have them replaced it costs me RM500 each.

The sun is very unforgiving. Therefore, do not to sunbathe your car if you want them to last longer.

Parts of your car generally lasts 3-5 years.

6. Lesson #3: Service

Get your car serviced regularly. Servicing your car is more than just changing the engine oil, the gear box oil, the brake pads, but it is a good practice to check and ensure that the other counterparts of your car are in good working condition.

You can time your car services like I do, once a year on the very same month I renew my road tax. This helps me to keep my cars in tip top condition, which gives me the confidence driving them, also the assurance that I do not put my family, my loved ones, or my passengers at risk due to my own negligence.

On top of that, servicing your car regularly also helps you save money in the long run and/or getting yourself caught in an inconvinient situation with random breakdowns.

I have been more proactive overseeing the condition of my cars since. It is my responsibility in ensuring that my cars are fit to be driven by anyone who is using them.

When was the last time you serviced your car? Has it been a year, or more? Perhaps it’s time to drop by the service centre or a trustworthy mechanic to have your car looked at.