u/Ayushymechanic

been seeing a ton of posts in here lately about guys getting ripped off by shops throwing expensive parts at a problem, or lazy foremen just saying a clunking noise is "biasa je" and to ignore it.

9 times out of 10, that mystery vibration or ngong ngong sound isn't a massive overhaul, it's just a cheap worn-out bushing, a dry pin, or a collapsed engine mount. workshops just don't like fixing them because pressing bushings is tedious work.

i'm a mechanic with some downtime today. if u guys have a mystery squeak, rattle, or vibration that a shop couldn't fix—or if u are holding a crazy expensive quote right now—drop your car model and symptoms below or just shoot me a dm. i'll tell u exactly what to check so u don't get chopped. drive safe 🛠️

Just need to vent. I recently saw a workshop try to tell a guy he needed a whole new AC compressor ($1,500+) when literally all his car needed was a $40 magnetic clutch relay.

Because of insane COE prices, everyone is trying to keep their older cars alive, but some of these shops in Ubi and Sin Ming are taking full advantage of drivers who don't know the mechanical side of things. They love telling people "need to replace the whole steering rack" when it's just a dried-out rubber bush making a knocking sound over speedbumps.

What’s the most ridiculous quote you guys have gotten? Or has a workshop given you a quote recently that you are highly suspicious about? Let’s hear the worst "chop carrot" stories so we know who to avoid.

As a mobile mechanic bouncing around KL and Selangor every day, the number one complaint I hear from drivers is that their regular workshop dismissed a weird noise as "normal wear and tear" just because they were too lazy to trace it.

Let's be real: No, your steering wheel shouldn't vibrate every time you hit 80km/h. No, that annoying "clunk" over speedbumps isn't just "because it's an old Proton/Perodua."

90% of the time, that annoying sound is just a RM30 worn-out stabilizer bushing, a dry caliper pin, or a sagging engine mount that is actually super easy to replace. Workshops just prefer to ignore it so they can focus on big, expensive overhauls instead.

If you have a mystery squeak, rattle, clunk, or vibration that you've just learned to live with, drop your car model, year, and exactly when the sound happens below.

I’ve got some downtime between jobs today, let’s see if we can diagnose the actual problem so you know exactly what to look for!

Hi r/kereta ,

I spend my days operating a mobile mechanic van, fixing cars directly in condo visitor parking bays and office basements around KL and Selangor.

Since hybrid work and WFH became the norm, I've noticed a huge spike in specific car issues. People are driving less, which is great for mileage, but cars are meant to be driven. Sitting idle in hot basement parking for 5-6 days a week is silently killing batteries (parasitic drain) and causing AC compressor seals to dry out.

When people finally do drive, their AC takes 20 minutes to cool down, or the car struggles to crank. Many just ignore it because taking a half-day off work to sit at a workshop ruins their WFH schedule.

If your car has been sitting idle a lot lately and is making a weird noise, or your AC is acting up, drop your car model and the symptoms below. I’m hanging around for a bit and will try to help you diagnose it right here!

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