Mundane Life | When Cars Break Down - Overcoming Unexpected Challenges

We all wish for a life where only good things happen, but reality often has other plans. Regardless of our status, we all face challenges. For me, one of those challenges occurred about three weeks ago in June, when my husband's car broke down and needed a major repair.

It all started when he couldn't shift his car into reverse. This wasn't the first time we encountered such an issue, as we experienced something similar years ago with our manual transmission car. However, my husband's current car has an automatic transmission. If you know a bit about cars, you'll understand that repairs for an automatic transmission can cost thousands of dollars, significantly more than for a manual transmission.

When he mentioned having issues with his gear, I knew it was bad news. He consulted a couple of car workshops to gauge the repair costs. The mechanics informed him that if the repair required changing part of the gear system, it would cost up to MYR 4,000 (USD 850). However, if the entire gear system was faulty and needed replacing, the cost could exceed MYR 10,000 (USD 2,000+).

I was speechless. There was no point in fault-finding or arguing about the situation. He needed his car for work, and I couldn't let him use mine every day because the kids needed transportation to school, and I had errands to run.

After consulting with the mechanic and having an initial check done, he mentioned that the entire gear system didn't need to be replaced—only the faulty part. This would cost no more than MYR 4,000.

We're not wealthy, so with heavy hearts, we dipped into our savings to cover the repairs. The mechanic needed several days to fix the car, so while his car was in the workshop, he used mine to go to work, and the kids had to take a day off from school.

My husband's car at the workshop...

Our challenges didn't end there. While my husband's car was in the workshop, I started having issues with my car when turning the ignition. Suspecting the battery needed replacing, I wasted no time and drove to the mechanic to get it checked.

After conducting a thorough inspection, we discovered that the battery was still in excellent condition, but the battery connectors were loose.

This red beauty is my car...

My husband's car during repair work.

I've never seen an automatic transmission system before this issue. I don't know much about cars, but the mechanic was kind enough to explain how the system works.

This is the part that needed replacement.

The exact faulty parts were the reverse shift and the first gear shift. Honestly, with my untrained eyes, I couldn't see any difference, but according to the mechanic, these parts were faulty and caused the gear to get stuck.

The mechanic fixed the loose battery connectors on my car. It took him 15 minutes, and he was kind enough not to charge for the service.

In addition to repairing our cars, the mechanic offered valuable tips on car maintenance. He explained that pinpointing the exact cause of the gear issue was difficult, but it was likely influenced by several factors, including our driving habits, such as not shifting the gear to neutral when stationary.

The total cost of repairs was MYR 3,600 (USD 765), which was less than we had anticipated. I'm grateful we managed to get the cars fixed and we have vowed to be more mindful of our driving habits to keep our cars in top condition for years to come.

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Note: All images used belong to me unless stated otherwise.

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