Thursday, August 21, 2008

Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep ...

This is going to be a short post cos I'm not really in the best of moods.

'Yeah Nick, like as if we believe you about this being a short post!'

No really, I'm in such a terrible mood right now. This will be a short post. I don't think I have the will to write so long. It didn't start off that way though. The morning was pretty good.

It only started when I headed home for lunch. I got into my car as usual and drove home seeing as how I work very near my house and besides both wifey and me had some banking to do as well.

Somewhere along the way I start to hear sounds of birds chirping. Huh? Don't tell me there are birds in my car? I mean, I'm environmentally friendly and all that but I don't recall renting my car out as a tree for birds to nest in.

So I do what any normal (well for me it's normal anyway) person would do when they hear weird sounds coming from their car. I try to troubleshoot just where and what those sounds are.

My car has broken down on me so many times and I've changed just about every part in my car that 90% of the time I can figure out the problem myself.

I start fiddling around trying to figure out where those little birdies are hiding. Maybe it's just some loose fitting in the car or something. I whack this and push that and nope, the sound is still intermittently there.

It keeps going on and off and now sounds like some rats decided to join the little birds cos a cacophony of squeaks just joined the intermittent chirping.

And I can't seem to isolate the sound. I turn down the radio and listen more intently. Eventually I sort of pinpoint that the chirping and squeaking sounds are coming from somewhere around the front right wheel section.

Thinking that it's probably the fan belts cos I had some little minor annoyance with it about a week back, I called wifey and tell her that I'll be a little late and drove straight to my mechanic to have it checked.

As always, the moment I reach my mechanic the sound disappears completely and I'm left with having to explain to my mechanic just what exactly the sounds were by making my own sounds effects and all kinds of hand gestures.

Seeing as how he's pretty busy, he just gives the car a cursory check and tells me based on the really good sound effects I made for him, It has probably has something to do with the absorbers and not the belts as I first suspect.

Okay, now that can't be good news. But then he's too busy to really get down to checking it and tell me to leave the car and come back later.

Geez Mr. Mechanic, I got things to do, places to go, policies to implement, worlds to conquer, planets to save. I can't possibly leave my car there all day.

So I ask him if the car is safe to drive for now and he says no worries, as long as I don't go doing no Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Loeb driving stunts, the car won't fall be falling apart on me just yet. So I head home, pick up wifey and we go do our banking stuff and grab a quick bite for lunch.

After sending wifey home, I decide that I'll take the car to the other mechanic I know. I have two of them that I use alternately. This guy is much freer and gives my car a more thorough check. His prognosis is the same as the other mechanic, that it's something to do with the absorber.

After a detail check he discovers that it's the bearing of the right absorber and the first words he said when I asked him how much it would cost was:

'Aiyoo, ini absorber bearing manyak mahal oooo ...' ('This absorber bearings are pretty expensive).

Well, after the initial shock of finding out the cost of getting it fixed has passed (and probably having to forgo buying those acne creams I need), I pick my flagging spirits off the workshop floor and tell him I'll send it in to get fixed early tomorrow morning since he says the car is safe to drive. Besides I don't think there's enough time to get it fixed right now.

Sigh, that car is probably going to make me a pauper one fine day (I'm already half way there anyway). And it can sense when I have a little extra money. I just withdrew some paypal funds only yesterday and today it acts up. It never fails to sniff out when I have cash with me.

Why oh why can't it give me a little break in life for a change. And please don't ask me to buy a new car cos for one thing, this car is fully paid up, so no worries about monthly car installments and secondly I can't afford a new car.

This car has served me well and I suppose it's the price to pay for all the driving I put the fellow through (yes, my car is a guy car) all these years. And also for all the times I've failed to take it in for service when it was way past overdue. I only have myself to blame.

But that doesn't make me feel any better. I'm still pissed that I'm going to be parting with some much needed hard cash tomorrow. I suppose I could drive around and let the car chirp and squeak away but I don't think I could stand the stares people give me when I pass them with my chirpy car.

Oh and did I say this post was going to be short? Well, I really thought it would. Honest, cross my heart and hope to die, urmm, well maybe not hope to die la, that's a bit too extreme ... LOL! Who'd have guessed that I can write such long winded posts even when I'm mad.
.

38 comments:

  1. i understand your feeling nick..My car is like yours too..acting up when it smells cash in my purse..
    Since you are not going to buy a new car, getting it fixed is much cheaper solution then..what to do..just say bye..bye to ur $$$!

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  2. Hi,
    Aiyoo! Your car acting up again.

    For awhile there, i actually thought there are birds making nest in your car! I was wondering, the total of repairs add up, wont that almost equal to a new car? Just wondering okie, dun be mad at me :P

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  3. What car are you driving? I hate it when that happens, I mean, you have a problem with the car, but by the time the mechanic sees it, it does a houdini!

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  4. Just sent in my car to the workshop a few days ago and one over-heating problem led to others. The damage done in the end: over RM700!

    Ouch!

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  5. oh we used to have a car like that; it was like having our very own ah long. Never failing to collect "debt" & "interest", & it always seem to come around when we need the cash the most!

    Perhaps you should get a cat for your car to get rid of the birds ;) (oh wat a lame attempt to cheer you up! *sigh*)

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  6. Kadus Mama - My car can smell money a mile away ... I wish it would make me some money for a change instead of taking all my money ... siggghhh ...

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  7. Jen - To be honest, I think the amount of times I fixed that car could have bought me a whole fleet of new cars ... LOL! But what to do, overall that car is pretty decent and really economical but it's just the every now and then breakdowns that irks me like hell!

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  8. Gallivanter - Hey there, first of all welcome to my blog :D

    I drive a Nissan. And yeah, it never fails, the sounds can be so loud as to wake the dead but the moment it reaches the mechanic, it's humming like baby ... amazing the way it does that ... LOL!

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  9. Perry - I had days like that before. I send my car in for a simple minor job and it ends up with having to fix this and that cos if you don't the tyre will drop off or the doors wont open or something and just like you, I'll end up paying a whole load more than expected ...

    Ouch is the right word!

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  10. Perky - LOL! Yeah, that's a very apt word for my car - my own personal ah long!

    My car can 'smell' money a mile away la. How it does that amazes me to this very day ...

    Thanks for the attempt to cheer me up but I'm okay now that I've accepted the fact that money is to be parted from me today ...

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  11. Nick, got a tag for you. Come over n see :)

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  12. Nevermind lah. Let it chirp and cheep. Just turn up the radio!

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  13. U lie! this post is long LOL! XD hahaha anyways, omg ur car is a man car? i never thought of my car being male or female hahahah omg..hmm so how's ur car now? hope it's in gewd condition. i really hate it when car break down. kluar duit kluar duit..macam mo vacation if like dat. @_@ antar service lagi oh man..i serviced my car the other day, it's rm300 urgh~ but on top of all that. Thank gawd it's friday..have a pleasant weekend nick!

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  14. Janice - It's been a while since you last tagged me ... hehehe ... I'll come check it out soon :D

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  15. Maslight - LOL! Ok, ok, I lied :D

    Yeah, my car is a guy car or atleast I think it is ... hehehe ...

    The car is fixed and thankfully it's didn't cost me 3 arms and 4 legs like it always does ...

    Woohoo, weekend besok! :D A pleasant weekend to you too ...

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  16. Hi Nick! yeah, thank GOD it didn't cost you 3 arms and 4 legs!!! hahaha.. Enjoy your weekend ;-)

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  17. Turn up the radio as loud as it will go so you don't hear the chirping...don't worry about everyone else.

    My little car "Daisy" has finally given up the ghost. She will go but you can't get out of 2nd gear. You think chirping is embarrassing...try driving at 25km per hour down a road where the speed limit is 110km per hour. Yep, it's rather tragic so we have let her retire gracefully or as gracefully as 2nd gear will allow :)

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  18. Oh man!! I hate car issues, and troubles. At least I have a friend who has a mechanic for a husband so I dont have to worry about getting ripped off.

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  19. It sounds like we both could use some good luck!

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  20. I'm sorry to hear about your bad day... and car. :-(
    Hope things get better soon. :-)

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  21. Nick you and short posts are as common as pigs flying lah! Hehehehe

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  22. I feel the same way. Just when I have money coming in, my health acts up and I have to blow it all on my meds and the docs. Bummer!! :(

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  23. It really a bad day for you right Nick? I understand bcos my car broke down within 3 days last week! Sigh!! How dependable we are on our cars! ;p

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  24. Monica - LOL! I think it's going cost me a little more that 3 arms and 4 legs cos I got to take it back to the mechanic on Monday. It's still not fixed properly yet ... siggghhh ... I'll try to enjoy my weekend as best as I can :D

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  25. Gypsy - That just might be a darned good idea :D

    Awww, poor Daisy. Isn't there anything you can do for her to get her running again? I hate to see a good car go down.

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  26. Meleah - Lucky you. I'm always wary of mechanics ripping me off, which they normally do anyway!

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  27. Hmm...yeah, i remembered an older post of yours about your car, or was it about that bad second mechanic that served you??

    Hope your car is all okay by now..take care and have a lovely sunday tomorrow with your love ones...

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  28. KM - Yeah, I've got quite a few posts complaining about my car in the past. The car really isn't okay yet, it's going back to the shop on Monday again ... siggghhh ...

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  29. Tammy - Yup, luck is what I'm in short supply at the moment.

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  30. Corrina - These things just happen. The day improved tremendously tough :D

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  31. Shemah - Yeah, somehow these things can just smell money from a mile away la ... The harder I work, the more I spend la and even then it's not by choice.

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  32. Rozella - What? You mean there are flying pigs? LOL!

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  33. Rose - You got that absolutely right. I am so depended on my car that I'd go crazy without it. Would you believe I don't even know how to take a bus? Or even a taxi?

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  34. Short post? Coming from you? This is impossible!!! :o)

    I don't have a car, but I know what happens to my friends and relatives that have one.

    Take it easy, man!!!

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  35. Cidao - Hahaha ... You have a point there. I don't know the meaning of a short post!

    You're one of the lucky ones. Don't bother getting a car cos it can be depressing half the time ...

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  36. If only I was a millionaire, for sure u'll be getting a new car for Christmas ho ho ho!! ;)

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  37. Marzie - God, please make Marzie a millionaire so I can get a new car for Christmas. Better yet, make me a millionaire ... LOL!

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