Make sure he packs in the grease

I had the opportunity to thoroughly give the Iswara Aeroback a running check when my daughter came home during the Christmas holidays.  Call that an annual inspection.  When I drove it out for degreasing service there appeared to be another engine running independently under the chassis at a consistent RPM.  So after the wash I took it to Kim’s workshop.  The senior mechanic said the wheel bearings are making the noise.  I told him to change them and check for other irregularities.  He found that the engine couldn’t go to higher RPM without faltering.  In the end he installed a standby EDI (distributor) and found what was the cause; a faulty EDI.  A re-conditioned part costs RM200 but there's no guarantee.  I opted for a change to an original part.  That cost RM430.

If you get your mechanic to change your wheel bearings, make sure he packs in the grease.  I made the mistake of not watching this one while he changed the bearings on the 2 rear wheels.  Our Iswara only made it as far as Ipoh (about 200km away) when my daughter called home and said the left rear wheel was making a continuous thumping noise at normal speed.  She took it to a mechanic and upon stripping the bearings, found the insides blackened.  There was no grease in them.  I told her to get a receipt for the replacement and pack the old set carefully and bring it back on the next trip home.  I want to go back to my local repair shop and get my money back.  Besides, that apprentice mechanic needs a lesson in wheel bearing assembly.  His boss has to pay for it of course.

It was a lucky thing that she stopped by at Ipoh to drop off a friend.  Getting stuck in the middle of nowhere can be costly or even extremely hazardous, considering some drivers who like over-taking on the emergency lane...