How well do you know your car?

One of my pet peeves is being at the mercy of a car mechanic. If you have a trusted car mechanic who thinks big picture, you are one of the lucky ones.

Wouldn’t it be great to listen to your car or look under the hood to determine what might be wrong? There is a minority of people who can do just that but for many of us, this is not the case. We usually need a mechanic. And in most instances, we go to one only when things go wrong. But what if this wasn’t so?

As you may have gathered by now, one of the many mantras that I live by is ‘prevention is better than cure’. This applies to my car too. But this wasn’t the case until I met Markus (my husband). A little context might help at this stage.

We live in Malaysia and Malaysians (I am one) are not big on maintenance. I generalise here but it is reality. It is a well-known fact that we are good at building but not maintaining. We build beautiful new buildings but do not place the same effort on maintaining them. 

And this can be extrapolated to cars too especially once the warranty from the manufacturer has expired. We are lucky that our labour costs are comparatively affordable making the mechanic a viable option. But that can sometimes be when the freedom of choice ends unless you have a trusted mechanic. Because what can happen is that the mechanic works on the symptoms of your car’s problem and not the source. If you are not well versed in the workings of your car’s engine and your mechanic knows it, you end up surrendering more money than you anticipated. Usually through the subsequent visits to address the source of the problem.

My friends, family, and I have all experienced this to various degrees. And, in case you are wondering, this does not happen to female owners only. It affects male car owners equally. I had always wondered how this could be changed. And I found a way. Through Markus.

My immediate family and friends now consult with Markus before doing work on their cars. Markus has a passion for anything mechanical and engines and has a knack for discerning the problem by listening in. Through Markus, I have learned to listen to my car (engine and structure) to discern potential concerns. I am more aware now that I can at least alert him to something that is of concern to me. In the past, I would have missed it. Not because I did not care but because I did not know how to discern various subtleties.  

And as part of this new learning, I have realised the importance of maintaining and changing parts BEFORE they fail. It not only keeps me safer, but it has SAVED me money. Prevention is cheaper than cure. Of course, nothing is fail-proof, but much can be done to keep failure at bay. Cars are also now becoming more electronically controlled with engine parts becoming less accessible making prevention a tougher task. Nevertheless, I believe the basic principles of prevention still apply.

There are many parallels between the work I do and that of a car mechanic. The difference is that I am passionate about the brain and the mechanic is passionate about the engine (and structure). And my aim with future-proofing you is for you to become your brain’s mechanic.

Our brain is much like a car engine. The subtleties keep us functioning at our optimal level. But there are times when this is not the case and listening in to your thoughts, emotions, and body can often give you clues to re-establish optimal function. Like a car, you don’t have to wait for your functionality to dip to act. You can run diagnostics every day to check in on yourself and make necessary tweaks to your settings proactively. Here’s a diagnostic tool you can use.

So, how well do you know your car? With lockdown, most of our cars have been underutilised. It is not ideal for cars to remain unused for long periods. Especially if you live in tropical climates as we do in Malaysia.

If you haven’t already, do check in on your car and listen in. And don’t forget to check in on yourself too. You can do the latter anytime, anywhere!

As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com. If you have a question for Markus, let me know.😉