Car Care Pages Vol. 3: Keep that shine.

In our small little tropical country, we all have to pay a premium to own a car. Before you even incur the much dreaded ERP charges and hefty petrol bills, you are already paying a good $10,000 or so on a piece of paper called the Certificate of Entitlement (COE). Hence, it is not hard to see why most people treat their cars as their pride and joy, giving it lots of TLC (in some cases, more than what is given to the missus, which isn't exactly a good idea).

Since you already have sold your soul to the finance company for a good 5-10 years, depending on the tenure of your loan, it is worth the extra bit of effort to keep your ride in pristine condition. A well maintained vehicle not only makes you feel and look good, but it also reflects a fair bit on your character. For those of you who beg to differ, please look away now.

Short of spending hundreds of dollars on regular trips to the groomers, here are some basic tips that will help preserve the shine and aesthetics of your ride:

1. We live in a tropical country that sees the weather fluctuate more than recent oil prices. It could rain one minute and become sunny the next. When this happens, do dry your car if it is parked outdoors. Raindrops left on the surface act as a magnifying glass for the sun rays, wearing down the paintwork at an alarming rate.

2. If you are going away and intend to leave your car in the open for an extended period of time, don't. Try to find a sheltered area to park in. If not available, get a car cover. These are ready available at hardware stores, automotive specialty stores and even hypermarts. The best thing about it? It doesn't costs much, compared to a full respray.

3. We all hate birds, especially when they use our cars as their common lavatory. Do clean off all bird poo as they are highly acidic and can corrode the first few layers of clear coat and paint even before you realise it. Bird poo + strong rays of the sun = a visit to the paint shop soon.

4. When washing your car, use the proper type of cloth. Normal fabric will leave minor scratches and what is known as 'swirl marks' in the long run. A chamois leather towel may not be cheap, but it is extremely good and definitely recommended for DIY washing.

5. Use only proper detergents specially formulated for washing of cars. Using household dishwashing agents or body foam is NOT recommended!

6. Of course, dry your car thoroughly after washing so as not to leave water stains and ruin all your effort!

7. Surface abrasions can be easily removed by rubbing off. Do so as soon as you discover them so as to prevent them from mannifesting into a permanent mark.

and last but not least:

8. Wash your car weekly (yourself if possible) so as to prevent the build up of dirt and grime from the daily commute on our roads. There are so many elements present when you are on the roads (thanks to pollution; tar, soot, oil, acid..) that it may damage your paintwork faster.

Basic Theory Driving Test

Hun was taking her basic theory test (which she passed, by the way) and I was thumbing through her "300 Questions & Answers" book and was rather amused by some of the questions.

Obviously when taking your test you have to always select the safest way to drive. However, as we drivers know there are indeed too many muppets on the roads these days, so much so that the safest way isn't necessary the most effective way.

To prove my case, please allow me to highlight some questions and their answers (and what I would do in such a situation too). A word of warning though; if you have not taken your test and happen to read this, please erase it from your memory so that it doesn't influence your preparations! (A reason why I only posted this after hun passed... hehehe)

Here goes:

1. Giving correct signals to indicate your intention is not enough, you should also
(A) allow time for other drivers to cooperate.
(B) sound your horn as well.
(C) use hand actions.

Please la. You think other drivers will cooperate? I think a mix of (B) and (C) is necessary...

2. When approaching a puddle of water
(A) speed up so that the splashing water can clean the car tyres.
(B) continue at your current speed so that the water can clean the undercarriage of your vehicle.
(C) slow down to avoid splashing water onto pedestrians or cyclists.

(B) because its free anyway...

3. What is the safe interval between the vehicle in front of you moving off and your vehicle before you drive on?
(A) An interval of 2 seconds.
(B) An interval of 5 seconds.
(C) There is no need for a safe interval. There is already a safe distance when the vehicles stopped.

If you go by the correct answer (A), you will cause a delay. Just imagine, if every vehicle takes 2 seconds to move off and there are 10 vehicles in the line. By the time the last vehicle moves off, more than 20 seconds have elapsed. This will cause more congestions and more excuses to build ERP gantries.

4. Your view is blocked when you are about to reverse, you should
(A) stop and wait for help.
(B) stop and ask for help from anyone who is able to.
(C) stop, wait and then proceed cautiously.

It mystifies me that the correct answer is (B) because, YOU THINK PEOPLE VERY FREE AH. Just go for goodness sake, and be cautious too.

And my favourite has to be this:

5. The vehicle in front of you speeds up when you are about to overtake it. You should:
(A) speed up more since you are committed to overtake it.
(B) slow down and pull back into lane and not overtake it.
(C) sound your horn and warn him you are overtaking.

Of course its (A) la... If you go by the correct answer (B) you will never get past anybody...