Put sense into mechanism

H. Kishie Singh

After being shunted out a couple of years ago, the sidewalk mechanics are back in full force in sectors 27 and 28 of Chandigarh. Going about their nefarious activities, they are occupying the parking space, sidewalks, even the main roads. Sweetly, silently but surely ripping off the unsuspecting car owner. “If he did not want them sheared, he should not have made them sheep!” This is the credo of the sidewalk mechanic.

The municipal corporation is asleep with eyes wide open. This is no smart city. It has degenerated into any other dirty Indian city. My friend called me to say he was going to the neighbourhood carwash and then would stop by to say a hello. 

It was a balmy morning and we sat in the garden for a cup of coffee. He told me he had oil and filter changed and the mechanic had left greasy marks all over the car. So it needed a wash. “Didn’t the dealer wash the car?” I asked.

“The dealer is very expensive and time consuming. I found Bantoo in Sector 28. He is really good and took only half an hour to do the job.”

There you have it! A taste for champagne and a beer budget. He drives a car worth Rs 30 lakhs and finds the dealer expensive. Let’s make one point very clear. A car that expensive is a marvel of the latest technology, electronic wizardry with gadgets and gizmos that boggle the imagination. 

The service manual has a new word SST, Special Service Tool. No roadside mechanic will have this tool, ergo he cannot work on the car!

I saw my friend off. After he drove off, I noticed two oil patches on the tarmac. Oil leak, a sure sign of danger. I called him back and showed him the danger signs.

“What should be done?” he enquired in a troubled voice.

“Go back and check with Bantoo.” I said

We went to Bantoo.  “What did you do?” I asked him.

“Drained oil. Cleaned oil filter and refitted it.” He said in pigeon English.

In 60 years of changing oils, I have never heard of cleaning and refitting an oil filter. Always fit a new one.

“What about the drain plug?”

“Refitted that too!”

“What about the washer?”

“Refitted!”

So I knew where the leaks were from — Oil and drain plug.

A washer costs about Rs 5 and Bantoo had not changed it.

With two oil leaks and on a consistent high-speed drive, like to Delhi and back, the engine would lose enough oil to seize the engine. On his fancy hi-tech German car, an engine job could cost about Rs 8-10 lakh.

If the old oil filter and drain plug had been reused, it was anyone’s guess about the quality of oil.

I checked the dip-stick. It showed full. It was safe to drive. 

 “Please drop me back home and go straight to the dealer and have an oil change. A proper oil change!”

On the way home, I explained to my friend what Bantoo had done, shortchanged on everything. This could have killed the engine. 

Unethical practices, untrained mechanics should be avoided at all costs. The cost can be high.

Happy motoring!