I will be the first to admit it: I have never been a car person. My friends and family could tell you that. If they had an issue with their car, be it squeaky windshield wipers or weak car air conditioning, I was not the person they would turn to.
From the way I saw it, cars get you from point A to B. If they are doing their job and their tyres haven’t fallen off yet, then they are good to go. Unfortunately, this lack of care meant I had some costly repairs looming in my future.
The thing is, cars will undergo regular wear and tear even if parked in a garage. An annual service is a necessity, not a guideline. I had to learn that the hard way. I really should have found a mechanic to perform a log book service near Lockleys way before the car gave out.
Turns out, having low coolant levels for a long time was really, really bad for the engine. It gave up on me, disgruntled, in the heat of summer. There was a local professional who could help me that day. Still, after years of neglect, the car repair was going to take more than a couple of days. Whilst I understood why, it meant that I would be without a car for an extended period of time.
That was when I realised my ignorance. I hadn’t even realised that my car wasn’t ‘typical’ until there was a problem with it, having bought it secondhand half a decade before. I had never learnt that I would require a hybrid car mechanic.
It finally helped me realise just how much I used the thing. For something that was always getting me from point A to point B, I had never paid it the gratitude it deserved. I finally realised the value my car brought me.
From then on, I swore that I would do better for my car. After all, it had been with me for nearly half a decade. If some regular checks, a bit of learning and a general service would do it (and me) some good, then why not?
Now I am proud to say that, after years of studying, all of my friends and family come to me when their car acts up.