Posts in category: car servicing

In the heart of Morayfield, a suburb veiled in a mist of nostalgia, Finn, a young mechanic with a penchant for vintage automobiles, owned a humble garage passed down through generations. Renowned for his meticulous service, Finn found himself immersed in the world of classic cars, each possessing its own story waiting to be told.

One fog-laden morning, while Finn indulged in his routine ritual of sipping coffee and perusing the local newspaper, he stumbled upon an intriguing advertisement. Placed discreetly within the pages, it beckoned to those seeking automotive salvation: ‘Hoping to book a transmission service near Morayfield. Discretion is a must.’ Signed simply as “S.R.”, it piqued Finn’s curiosity, igniting a spark of adventure within him.

Driven by his insatiable curiosity, Finn set out to uncover the mystery behind the cryptic advertisement. Following the provided address, he found himself standing before an imposing mansion shrouded in the shadows of time.

As Finn approached, the heavy doors groaned open, revealing a dimly lit interior. Within, he was greeted by Sarah Reynolds, the elusive owner of the mansion.

Sarah led Finn through corridors adorned with relics of the past until they reached a hidden garage. There, beneath layers of dust and neglect, lay a collection of vintage cars, each whispering tales of bygone eras. Among them stood a pristine 1957 Charolette Bel Hair, its once-glorious façade marred by the passage of time.

With a solemn nod, Sarah revealed the true purpose behind Finn’s visit – to breathe life back into her late father’s cherished collection. The Bel Hair, in particular, languished in disrepair. With a determined resolve, he pledged to restore the Bel Hair to its former glory.

Days turned into weeks as Finn delved into the intricate workings of the transmission. Amidst his labour, Finn stumbled upon a revelation – an opportunity to offer more than just mechanical expertise. Remembering Sarah’s concerns about the condition of her cherished vehicles, he suggested starting a Morayfield workshop offering vehicle inspections, providing a comprehensive service to ensure the preservation of her father’s legacy.

In the end, Finn’s dedication bore fruit as the Bel Hair roared back to life, its engine singing with newfound vitality. For Sarah, it was more than a mere restoration – it was a testament to the enduring power of passion.

The blistering heat did little to cool Fae down as she walked outside. Tiny distorted waves rose off the street outside, reminding her of a glistening lake. She would have loved to visit the beach for a quick dip, but there was a mystery to solve.

She jumped between the shady patches of her yard, avoiding the sizzling pavement, until she could slip onto a narrow sliver of shadow made by the overhanging garage. In a couple of minutes, the sun would dip low enough to completely swallow her shady path. She pondered her current mystery. 

Ever since Fae had started driving, the engine warning light had turned on. She had topped up the coolant multiple times and was afraid that it could have been a damaged water pump. 

It didn’t make sense why her car needed repairs. She had taken it for a general service recently but finally had to take it in again the week before. The mechanic had told her it required a professional clogged radiator fix. That solved the problem, but only for a short time. 

Pulling the garage open, she felt the rush of cool air greet her. She saw Alex pressed under the hood of her car and finally realised the culprit.

“Why are you messing with my car?” she cried out, waving him away from the engine before he could instigate another session of car repair. Adelaide was due for another heat wave and she didn’t fancy getting stuck in the heat without a car again. 

“Well,” Alex began sheepishly, tucking their hands behind their back, “you know the receptionist at the workshop?”

“I do,” she replied cautiously.

Alex shrugged. They seemed to know that whatever they were about to say would do little to help Fae cool off. “I think he’s really cute! And I never have a reason to see him…”

Fae squeezed her eyes shut, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You are so paying me back for all of my services.”

I recently decided to go on a road trip, exploring the rugged terrains of Queensland. Having recently bought a used 4×4, I was eager to take it out on the trails. The first few days were amazing, driving through the mud, crossing streams, and climbing rocky paths. The vehicle handled it all brilliantly. But, as with all adventures, there was an unexpected turn.

While I was in Toowoomba, enjoying a quiet afternoon, I noticed something alarming. My tyres, which seemed fine at the start of the trip, were now showing signs of wear. Realising that it could be risky to continue my journey with them in that state, I started asking locals for a recommendation. One name came up again and again when I inquired about a tyre service close to Toowoomba.

Driving to the recommended garage, I was greeted by Lara, a seasoned mechanic with a strong reputation among the 4×4 community. She took one look at my vehicle and nodded, “You’ve been having quite the adventure, haven’t you?” After sharing my journey details with her, I asked about the tyres. “It’s a good thing you stopped by,” she began, “These tyres have seen some intense off-roading. We need to change them.”

While working on the tyres, Lara noticed some other minor issues that could become problematic on challenging terrains. She asked, “Have you ever thought of consulting a 4×4 mechanic before such trips?” Embarrassed, I confessed that the idea hadn’t crossed my mind. Lara gave me a friendly smile, “Well, you’ve found one now. Let me give this a quick once-over.”

By the time Lara finished, not only did I have new tyres, but I felt more confident about the rest of my journey, knowing a specialist had ensured the vehicle was in top condition.

Driving away, I realised the importance of timely checks and the difference a specialised mechanic can make. While adventures are all about the unexpected, when it comes to vehicle safety, it’s always best to be prepared.

Hold onto your hats, racing fans, as we cross the state border and dive into the next thrilling chapter of The Amazing Car Race. Our destination? Ringwood, Victoria. Now, our beloved racer Brian hasn’t exactly had the smoothest ride. The punishing NSW roads have taken a toll on his poor vehicle, resulting in dodgy brakes. It’s time for another pit stop.

With quick thinking and even quicker gear shifting, Brian manages to safely steer his vehicle into a workshop offering urgent Ringwood automotive services. His entrance, as always, is grand, but the smoking brakes definitely add a touch of drama this time around. The professional mechanics on duty barely bat an eyelid, having seen their fair share of race-induced car catastrophes.

Without wasting a moment, Brian explains the situation to the head mechanic. The problem is clear: the brakes are worn down to almost nothing. Brian’s hunk of metal is about as safe as a skateboard on a greased bowling lane. The mechanic gets to work, replacing the brake pads and giving the entire system a thorough inspection.

As the mechanic works, he shares tips and tricks to prevent such brake issues in the future. Proper maintenance, timely checks, and not pushing the vehicle too hard are all on the agenda. Brian, with his undying thirst for knowledge, soaks in every piece of advice like a sponge. He leaves with not just a functional vehicle but also a wealth of information that might help him tackle future hurdles.

Back on the road, Brian tests out his freshly repaired brakes. The vehicle responds smoothly, ready to face the next stretch of the journey. He couldn’t be more thankful for the brake service near Ringwood and the professional advice he received.

So, buckle up, race fans! Our favourite underdog is back in the game. Despite the hiccups and pit stops, Brian continues to race and learn, embodying the spirit of The Amazing Car Race. What new challenges await our intrepid racer? Only the open road knows. Next stop, Frankston! Onwards, we go!

I’m so done with this year, and beyond keen to get down to the coast for summer. The internship with the agricultural accountancy firm has been worthwhile, but I’m not used to this in-land life. Time to whack my surfboard on top of the station wagon and hit the road.

At least, it would be if my car was in working order. As if there wasn’t enough already putting my cortisol levels into overdrive, something has gone awry with my brake pads. I really need recommendations for where to take the old junk-bucket for an emergency car servicing close to Brighton. The local mechanic has a few options, but I need somewhere that can do the job fast – I need to get out of here and cop that sea breeze, stat.

So there’s that, along with the fact that most of the best motor mechanics Brighton has to offer seem to have clocked off for the holidays. Fair enough, too. But we need mechanics around these parts much more than anyone needs an agricultural accountancy intern slash frustrated surfer. There’s demand for their services, dang it!

At least, there is from me, and I’m sure I can’t be the only one in this position. ‘Tis the season for busted car air conditioners, after all. Not to mention family holidays in stuffy sedans, and back seats full of cranky teenagers unable to charge their devices. Think of them, mechanics, when you close up shop for Christmas a few days early. Those kids need a cool down! They didn’t ask to come on the family trip, did they?

Okay, maybe I’m transferring my youth onto everyone in this town. It’s a coping mechanism, alright? I just want to go surfing, and I can’t do that until I get my car serviced. I suppose I could catch a train or something, but it’s too hot to figure it out. At least my car aircon is working. As soon as I can get those brake pads fixed, I’m out of here.

My brother Jimmy has always been a bit on the extreme side, and I can’t help but feel like it’s becoming worse as he approaches his forties. In particular, he seems to have developed a habit of getting on the highway purely for purposes of riding the speed limit while listening to really loud deep house music. If he doesn’t get a chance to do this almost every day, he starts getting snappy and fidgety. No joke.

Look, it’s not such a bad habit, provided that he drives safely and complies with the road rules. But in all honesty, his car is not up to it. All it’s really good for these days is putting around Brighton. Tyre and auto upkeep be damned – Jimmy refuses to take the old junk bucket for a service, and it’s not getting any more roadworthy.

It’s weird because he seems to be mates with heaps of local car mechanics. Brighton isn’t exactly the big smoke, so I can’t quite figure out where they all fit into the town’s business landscape. Regardless, you’d think they’d keep Jimmy in check about having his car routinely serviced, or at least patched up around the edges, but I can’t see much evidence of that. It’s certainly apparent in the plastic bin bags sticky-taped over one of the rear windows, or the temperamental tail light that occasionally opts to not work.

All that aside, I just don’t know that it’s healthy for Jimmy to be relying so heavily on this one particular method of letting off steam. Couldn’t he go for a walk instead? That’d be so much less dangerous, not to mention carbon neutral. Or he could get himself a hobby – something active and wholesome, like gardening or mountain bike mechanics. Surely, all this high-speed driving must increase his cortisol levels, not lower them. Each to their own, though.

Sometimes I have this weird dream where I’m driving along the ocean floor, and it’s wonderful. I roll down the window and say hello to all the fish, and sometimes I stop at the drive-through to get myself a delicious smoothie, made from seaweed. It’s a seaweed smoothie. I call it a seawoothie.

Now, that dream can be a reality, maybe. Still might be more efficient to get around underwater with flippers and very small submarines, but I like to think that the current car mechanics Bentleigh has on offer will branch out a little. Like, you’ll have your local auto workshop, you’ll have another one right by the docks, and you’ll have a third underneath the ocean, for the really hands-on jobs that need them to be right there, in the ocean, where everyone is doing their driving.

Or maybe it’ll just be the traditionalists like myself. Obviously, keeping yourself on the ground, even on roads, will be seen as old-fashioned, and ‘what the land folks do with their commutes and tyre repairs and hopscotch and dungarees’, but I just don’t like the thought of not being able to drive. Driving is great fun, and ever since I got over the idea of the clutch and working it so the car doesn’t bunny hop down the road, I’ve had a great time. Just don’t think it’d be the same with some sort of…ocean conversion that can propel itself in three dimensions. I like the feeling of the rubber beneath the road, and the wind in my face when it’s weather-appropriate.

Maybe the ocean isn’t for me. I mean, imagine the difficulties of all things auto electrical. Bentleigh is great for getting that sort of work done, but it’d be a nightmare with a few thousand tons of water pressing down on you. Electrical and water do not mix. And the rust…SO much rust. Cars are meant to be above ground. Maybe I am as well.

-Suni

 

Her-Bla has gone too far this time. I’m not even someone who’s massively into cars, and even I thought that the Her-Bla Christmas special was way off the rails. Well, I call it a Christmas special, but they never used the words in the show. Not PC enough…no, it was a ‘Special Time Happy Episode’, which makes me slightly ill. I’m sticking with the story that even my young daughter thought it was ridiculous, although I’d be lying if I said I was 100% on that. 

Anyway, Her-Bla and all her friends took some time off saving the universe- something they never really seem to do anyway- to go on a trip to the Gluten-Free No-Added-Sugar Mountain of Sweet Treats, but as soon as the cutesy tiger cub character suggested that they all take the Her-Bla-Car-Mobile, he was given a harsh lecture on why cars are pure evil.

Get the news out to your go-to mechanic  workshop, Preston locals: Her-Bla says they need to shut down, now. 

Alright, hang on… I just had my annual car service. Coburg was a nightmare on the traffic front, sure, but evil? I don’t know. None of the mechanics advised me that cars are evil now. You’d think it would’ve been on the news: All mechanics now out of business, cars declared evil, government offering rebates for anyone offering up their vehicles to be cast into the nearest volcano.

Nope. I won’t have it. Cars are fine, especially now that they’re making electrical ones and hydro-powered ones and goodness knows what else. The automotive industry provides hundreds of millions of jobs worldwide, millions more have cars as their greatest passion and hobby, and they basically mean that the modern world that allows us to watch preachy cartoons runs smoothly. But no, lecture the tiger until he cries, tell the audience directly that they should always walk in all weathers, and then go on your stupid adventure, Her-Bla, you smug little hypocrite.

-Angela

So, my first mistake was buying a car without any wheels. It’ll be a nice little fixer-upper project, the first big ‘thing’ I ever do in my retirement, that’s what I told myself. Everyone is going to be so impressed when they hear that after a single weekend I’m already straight into embracing the retired life. No loitering around in an armchair for me, no sir.

But I don’t have the capacity for transporting a car that doesn’t have wheels, so that was an expensive call to some mechanics who could help me out. I’ve done the rest of my research, or so I thought. I’ve lived here for all my life, and there’s not a single auto repair garage based in Hawthorn that can sprout up without my knowledge, even though I’ve never actually worked in the automotive industry. So I have a support network, but I didn’t just want to go running to the garage every single time I needed something during my little project. I want to be able to figure things out for myself.

That lasted…four minutes, or so? Got the car home, did an inspection (it felt like the right thing to do) and found that I was missing a few fairly important parts. Like a steering wheel. How did I MISS that? Just kinda assumed that it would have one, but that’s what I get for buying online and then being distracted by the whole wheel business. The hood also just fell off while I was looking at the engine. Just rusted right off, and I don’t have the tools to put it back on. Maybe I started too hard. Should’ve gone for a broken down but still whole car, instead of a literal giant piece of scrap metal. I suppose the auto repair garages open in the my area are getting my custom after all. Although they might take one look and tell me to sell this one to the scrapyard

Buying your very first new car is a fabulous way to start a new year. But I’ve such a lot to learn- having a new car comes with a lot of new rules and I’m not 100% that I understand them all just yet. Luckily I found out I can use my preferred Ringwood mechanic, because I’d be lost without him!

To begin with, I thought I had to get the manufacturer to do all the servicing up to a certain point. Apparently having someone work on your car who isn’t registered to repair it can void your warranty and you need someone who is licensed, to fit the very extremely particular standards that the very serious manufacturer insists upon.

I’m assured that this is a good thing.

My mechanic has serviced both my rides since I first started driving, and I was worried that I’d have to find a new mechanic to provide a quality car service. Ringwood has some good choices but I had to find someone I could trust. All it took was one bad experience with a dodgy mechanic who charged me for a load of repairs that were never carried out. So after doing some groundwork, I found a place that have like, a huge promise to consumers, that they won’t repair anything until you sign off on it. They’re total professionals, and I’m telling you, I’d be the last to know the difference in the way my car runs until it is way too late, so that trust is really really important.

Apparently my new car is a great choice too.

I feel chuffed to have that pat on the back from the experts, even though I spent more than I was going to. Right now, I’m planning out my first long distance trip- something I could never have done with confidence with my old wheels…I’m headed to Robe, South Australia for a week and a half away.