My trustworthy red Proton Iswara Aeroback 1.3 is currently being used by my wife. I never drove the Mercedes when my father was around. Being the eldest son and the named driver based on the insurance policy of the Mercedes 230E, I was the most eligible person to take care of the car after my father’s passing. The car cannot be sold yet because it needs a trust handler’s authority to issue an authorization letter before changing changing ownership and being sold off. Because of that, I’ll be driving around with the car until all of the other stuff relating to my father’s death has been cleared.

Front view of the Mercedes 230E

Rear view of the Mercedes 230E

Some good review about this Mercedes Benz 230E, apart from being huge, it’s much more comfortable from the cars I’ve ever own. Since the car’s front hood is so long, I am guessing the Mercedes logo in front of the car is a good indicator about the length of the car’s front end, if not you’ll be kissing the bumper the car in front of you. The interior is roomy however, I seem to have trouble with the air conditioning being too cold. This car is has automatic transmission so driving short or long distance is a breeze to drive. Other than that, the raw engine power and the driving experience better than the Proton I’ve been so used to.

Interior view of the Mercedes 230E

The downside of having such a big car is the always, the fuel consumption and more money for both parts and car services. My Proton Iswara only consume around 15 – 17 cent a kilometer of fuel while the Mercedes would be using 20 – 24 cent a kilometer of fuel. That would translate to an extra RM15 – RM25 of fuel in a week since I drive to work almost 500km per week. If fuel consumption is not a problem, I would definitely keep this car for it continental driving experience. It reminded me of the old Volvo 240GL my father handed over to me when I was studying my Diploma in Mechanical (Automotive) Engineering.

I’m not a big fan of old cars anymore, therefore I would settle for a new car once I’ve finished off my car loan 2 more years to come.

Behold!

Mercedes Benz E-Class Little Brother

Check out what it says at the rear end of the car:

Don’t you think this is amusing? Well I do.

K-Kompak Magazine

My cousin’s car doesn’t look like the above picture. Flipping through the magazine a little bit more, I found this article.

Kelisa Club.com 2nd Anniversary

The magazine is already a year old but look who I found:

LadyAzurt and her friend

LadyAzurt is a blogger friend of mine (I’ve never met her in person yet). She was actively blogging before her lately seldom posting on her blog. A lot of her recent blog posting is more towards channeling her frustration from my opinion. Not that I’m criticizing her writings. I think she needs some cheering up and stop focusing on bad things in her line of work. Maybe what she can do is to cherish her fun moment by looking at fun and exciting activities she has done.

Anyway, I would buy a compact car if I could trade-in my red Iswara for a less monthly installment of what I am paying right now. Enjoy this piece of video review of the Perodua Kelisa done by Top Gear:

Anyway, last weekend I went to Kepong where I used to go and service my car. I had noticed one of Fasfik’s service workshop in Sri Serdang had been closed for quite some time. I would have never thought Fasfik Kepong would have gone to the same process.

Fasfik Kepong Closed (August 2008)

It’s a pity that such a nice location and a nice facility needed to be closed down. I suspect Fasfik is having a scaling issues whereby they tried to go big very quickly but find out that they are incapable of supplying enough resources. In businesses, there is always risk to be taken therefore I guess Fasfik would really have to make a decision whether to move forward and overcome their obstacles or just sell off their business like what Projet (Now being bought over by Shell) did.

I am quite sad to see them closed down however, my car needs to be serviced one way or the other. A few meters away from where Fasfik is located, is another service workshop. They’re currently having a promotion but it is only for old cars. Their normal package for my car starts at RM98 but I ended up paying RM178 because of other parts of my car that is slowly deteriorating. I should have brought my laptop because there’s free Wi-Fi while waiting in the customer’s waiting lounge.

AutoCare & Tyre (ACT) with Free Wi-Fi Available

This ACT Workshop is Very Clean

The service was quite fast. In less than an hour, my car was serviced and running smoothly again. Now isn’t that money well spent? So much of me being so thrifty.

Unlike my previous two visits to the same branch before, there was only one guy attending me for my car’s service job. Then I saw this:

Taking a closer look at the screen:

Ashrufzz Reality Adventure Snapshot at Fasfik Kepong Branch

It’s my picture featured on the main computer inside the workshop. I was overjoyed, at least my blog name is visible. One of the Fasfik owners commented on one of my Fasfik review recently. I guess I must have made a good impression to them..hehe..

My Car Third Service Pit Stop @ Fasfik Kepong

I had a chat with the one and only mechanic at that time, he revealed some surprising and appalling information. All the other Fasfik crew of Kepong branch had left. He himself was from another neighbor Fasfik branch being assigned there to bring the service shop branch back to life. From a management point of view, I can understand why they only give basic salary to the crew. I can also understand how a life of mechanic is since I was a car mechanic trainee during my years of studying automotive engineering. I guess you need to love your job in order to stay long in your career. Even I myself has job hopped so many times before landing to something I really love doing.

During my last visit, the branch ran out of Fasfik engine oil so I had to resort to the expensive Shell Helix engine oil. This time, I guess there was an oversupply of Fasfik engine oil. Basically, it’s just a basic engine oil being labeled.

Fasfik Engine Oil Product

I don’t know why, but I just love packaged product. It makes me feel as I’m buying a bargain deal rather than the expensive customized service.

Fasfik Line of Packaged Products

This visit cost me RM50 for an engine oil change job along with a free engine oil filter and regular check of my car.

Last week, I sent my car to the workshop. I have this thing whenever I’ve chosen a workshop, I’ll stick to it. Since Fasfik doesn’t cover air-cond and accessories repair, I went to my regular workshop located at Batu 4, Jalan Ipoh, KL. It has been over a month my car’s air conditioner couldn’t provide cool air especially when driving through the city traffic of KL. Car air-conditioning has been a regular issue I’ve been facing since I got my first car 8 years ago. My current Proton Iswara just got it air-conditioning back working after more than a year being without air-conditioning. Upon arriving at the workshop and popping the hood, the mechanic immediately pin-pointed the main problem my car is having. The cooling fan doesn’t work.

This had happened to me on my previous Daihatsu Charade car where I bypass the electrical wiring to save money on repairs. I don’t encourage you to do so because it will affect your car’s morning start. Anyway, back to my story, the mechanic then remove the fan and replace the motor with a new one. Apart from that, I’ve also replaced my broken odometer ever since it got changed after my car’s seat theft 2 years ago. Enjoy the picture below:

My Air-Conditioning and Accessories Repair Shop

My broken Air-Conditioning Fan Cooler

The repair workfloor

My dashboard being removed

My Broken Odometer

My total bill came in at RM305 altogether. RM185 for the new odometer, while RM110 for the motor fan repair. Hopefully this time, my car’s air-conditioner will last long.

This morning, on my way to my workplace, there was a massive traffic jam at Jalan Kuching heading towards Jalan Duta ramp. KL traffic is unpredictable and one of the main cause is always traffic accidents. Check this one out which I took a snapshot this morning:

Overturned Toyota Vios at Jln Duta Ramp

I have no idea how on earth this car could have overturned in a traffic jam crawl. Well, stranger accidents have happened when you are on the road.

One of the disadvantage of owning a second hand car is most of the important working parts of the car is used and requires replacement. This time, it was my car’s front shock absorber. I’ve heard of stories where people normally gets ripped off when they send their car to the workshop. I never encountered any of that problem simply because I know what parts are needed to be replaced (putting my diploma in automotive engineering practice of course). Apart from that, since I only use a stock standard car and the location of where I live, there will always be replacement parts available for me to shop around.

Here’s one tip if you want to slash your car maintenance’s cost, buy your car replacement parts at a local shop. Avoid asking your car’s workshop to buy it for unless it is really necessary. Also avoid buying parts at a well known accessories shop, their price are 10 to 25 percent higher than the local shop. I’ve been practicing this for years. One area famous of automotive replacement parts which apparently where I live is Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur. In my area alone, there are 4 – 6 shops selling automotive replacement parts.

Rows of Shop at Batu 5 Jln Ipoh

Because of the good experience at Fasfik Kepong last time, I went there again today for their excellent services.

Fasfik Kepong Branch

Before handing over my car keys to Fasfik personnel, an agreement is first made between the car owner and Fasfik about the price quoted. Once that is established, then the time of job is estimated and then executed:

My Proton Iswara being scrutinized

Replacing my old shock absorber

Installing my new car’s shock absorber

Job’s Done

Replacing the car’s shock absorber involves the removal of the wheel. Because of that, a re-alignment is needed:

My Proton Iswara on the Alignment Job

While doing the alignment, the mechanic noticed that my wheel camber alignment on my left side of the wheel is out of tune. He then suggested for me to install a camber nut for RM25 a piece. A new quotation was made and I agreed to it. The best part of Fasfik is they have a central online management system built using open source architecture called Fasfik Intelligent Management System. Check out their portal here.

Fasfik Intelligent Management System

Here’s the summary cost of my entire car service this time:

Tell me what do you think of the price above. Find out if Fasfik is available in your area here.

After asking the personnel and bargaining the price for a full set of tyres for my car, I managed to secure a standard Dunlop SP 490 TL 175/60/R13 tyre for RM104 a piece which include a free balancing and wheel alignment services. I then added a brake fluid change since they’ve offered a 50% discount on all services. My budget back then was below RM500. After agreeing on the price and services, I gave my car keys to the mechanics and hang around taking photos of my car being serviced:

My Stock Standard Proton Iswara Aeroback 1.3L

The Car Service Job Begins
My Proton Iswara Aeroback floating above the ground..

The Mechanic sucking my old brake fluid out

The suction tank that stores bad oil

My New Dunlop 175/70/R13 Tyre Set

The Fasfik boys doing their jobs..

My car undergoing wheel alignment tuning

The wheel alignment pit

My invoice and a free wheel alignment and balancing service coupon

My total cost for the car service was RM465 and I paid cash. I think Fasfik gave me a really good price. I recommend them if you want a fast, good and cheap service for your car.

Although I once become a member of a car club, I don’t think I am qualified to be a petrol head. I heard that a man’s first wife is their car, that’s not necessarily true. For me, a car is just a car. It’s a mode of transportation. You’ll know about how his car personality just by looking at his or her car or how much they spend on their car. Thanks to Fasfik mechanic (they spotted that my car is tilted on the driver’s side), my next car service would be changing my shock absorber. That would require my car to undergo a wheel re-alignment. Lucky for me, they gave a transferable coupon for a free wheel alignment service. I’ll definitely drop by their place again once I hunted down a pair of shock absorbers (again, a cheap and good one of course).

Being a bootstrapper, I hunted for several shops to get the best deal for my repair. I was tempted to do it on my own but of course I was short on tools plus my car mechanic skillset has been rusted for so many years. The only thing I have is the knowledge on how to minimize costs and repairs. So, in order to prolong your car’s CV joint this what I am going to share:

1. Avoid making very sharp U-turn so often; this is because you’ll make your CV joint rubber boot to stretch in and out excessively and will make it torn off quickly.
2. Try and avoid small and tight parking spaces where you need to turn your wheel from end to end.
3. Check your undercar at least once a month and take into consideration every smudge of grease on your wheel.

Here’s a snapshot of how my mechanic removed my car’s broken CV joint. If I’m not mistaken, this is my fourth CV joint that I’ve replaced eversince I’ve been driving my own car.

The cost of the repair was RM130 for a brand new CV joint. It’s not an original part but hey, original parts doesn’t mean that it is really original. A car manufacturer have thousands of vendors working for them, they just kind of assemble them together and for aftermarket products, they just make the packaging use their own brand. As long as it works, I don’t see the trouble of using some other brand but of course don’t get a cheap imitation product or you’ll just endangering yourself.

I haven’t made my wheel alignment yet after replacing the new CV joint. I guess I’ll wait for my tyres to worn out and then proceed with a tyre alignment. Oh no…more procrastination..

By the way, check out this girl mechanic who got trouble removing her car’s CV joint. I stumbled upon this trouble with my former car and my mechanic had to cut his way through using a grinder. It’s not an easy job but somebody has to do it.