AUTOMOTIVE
FEATURE
AUTO SERVIC E
Service, service, service!
“Y
ou know,
it makes
no sense
to service that car of
yours so frequently!’’
the conversation
went.”On my car, we
service once a year
and the engine is still
By Joseph Kitui standard! And it’s even
Joseph Kitui
cheaper and easier
has been in the
to change the engine
transport and
when the rings wear
logistics sector for out.. the engine on the
close to 20 years new Toyota model is
so common you can
buy one on the far side of the moon…well if
you can drive there!.. I don’t know why you
worry so much about Service! Service! Service!
... it’s far too costly, ” the heavy set man seemed
very comfortable with the plastic bottle in his
hand as his very plastic statement.
Unfortunately, this is a common fallacy to
most of us drivers. If you stopped ten drivers
on the side of the of the road and asked them
when the next service for their vehicle is,
you’ll be lucky to get 3 out of those to answer
correctly…and am not just referring to women
drivers here! … the thing is most of us know
that the vehicle is due for service when either
it losses power or starts overheating or most
commonly when we are planning to travel
out of town on that yearly cruise to the white
sands.
The fact of the matter is that most vehicles,
save for some really cheap models coming
out nowadays, are quite durable when well
looked after. If you doubt this, take a walk
on the western part of our beautiful city and
you’ll see pretty old yellow Datsun 120Ys and
small 323s on the road many years after the
designers have passed on.
A local logistics company runs a really
old prime mover fleet and yet the old KVQs
and KSRs arrive in Mombasa at almost near
perfect timing leaving many “truck-of-theyear” trucks in their wake.
I know it is hard to imagine that certain Far
East vehicles have the same durability with
the competition from the shores of the River
20
Service and regular
service at that is the
fountain of youth to
any engine just like
regular exercise is to
the heart
Rhine but the fact is most vehicles are built
quite well (I said most not all) and regular
service with good quality oil from reputable
lubricant suppliers will keep the vehicle on
the road for a long, long time. Service and
regular service at that, is the fountain of youth
to any engine just like regular exercise is to
the heart.
The words of a notable speaker “if you don’t
make time for exercise, you’ll make time for
illness” have a huge meaning here. All cars
need regular service and when given this
regular service they shall give back in savings
of time and peace of mind that cannot be
imagined nor taken for granted.
Lubezine Magazine | January-March 2012