What do you know or don’t about your car?
Paul Kaganzi, Daily Monitor’s resident mechanic (Ask the mechanic) explains the importance of lubricants in routine car servicing. This was at Shell Ntinda at the recently held car clinic that specifically dewlt on proper maintenance. More of such car clinics will be held in due course as requested by the participants. PHOTOS BY ISMAIL KEZAALA
What you need to know:
It was the first car clinic this year in partnership with Vivo Energy (Shell) and the fourth with Shell since the car clinics started last year. During last Saturday’s clinic at Shell Ntinda, Esther Oluka asked some of the participants how much they know or do not know about their vehicles and below are their responses.
“I am so familiar with the Land Cruiser Prado. The only thing that I was not conversant with but learned from the car clinic was the ideal purpose of the fuel tank cover. I got to know that this cover regulates the air flow into the tank which replaces the vacuum refill by the fuel consumed.” Richard Kyampasha, accountant
“I drive a Toyota Ipsum that was given to me by my parents in 2011. I hardly know anything about the car especially the components that make up its internal system. I just enjoy driving it and whenever it gets any sort of mechanical fault, I let my parents know and they help out.” John Paul Kibirige, student
“I am familiar with many things about my car. In fact whenever I visit the garage, I always tend to fight with the mechanics who keep saying that my car has a certain problem and yet I am sure that it is okay. At times they even recommend servicing and yet I know that it does not need it at all. So whenever my car has a problem, I personally know what needs to be done. Robert Kanya, businessman
“I own a 1998 Toyota Corsa. It is my first car, that I have had for only a month. My knowledge of cars is quite shallow. I managed to learn many things during the clinic such as soot and sludge build up as well as dust ingestion which causes thickening of oil. I also learnt the important functions of lubricants.” James Mbogga, graphics designer
“I know just the basic things about my current car. For instance, I know how to check the engine oil status and which parts require servicing the most whenever I visit the garage. On the other hand, I do not know the deeper mechanical features that make up my car.” Ivan Ssemadaali, engineer
“Every time my car makes a funny squeaking noise, I always find trouble finding out the cause until I visit a mechanic. Otherwise I know what kind of things to check before starting to drive such as the water and oil levels.”
Catherine Mwandha, retired teacher
“I drive a Honda whose engine I am not yet well conversant with. In fact, whenever the car gets a problem in the engine, I just call up a mechanic. Otherwise, I know when to change the brake fluid, go for wheel alignment and do other kinds of servicing for it.”
Dennis Bwire, accountant
“I do not have a car yet but I am planning on getting one very soon. This is why I came to attend the car clinic. I wanted to be equipped with knowledge and skills so that by the time I get the car, I know exactly what to do.”
Herbert Mwesigwa, clinical officer
“I know everything about my car because I look after it as if it is my own child. For instance, I know that it was manufactured in 2010 and it uses diesel. It also uses a high specification lubricant, Rimula which is made out of plants.”
Blaze Kintu, retails sales manager at Vivo Energy
“I drive a Toyota Gaia and I hardly know about its engine components. I am well-versed though with some of the basics of the car such as when it requires servicing, the fuel consumption and the tyre size.” Henry Kayemba, businessman
“I drive a company car whose details I hardly know. I believe that it is the limited knowledge that I have about this car that makes mechanics charge me highly whenever I go to the garage. But I am determined to put a stop to what those mechanics do to me. This is why I decided to attend the car clinic so that I know more about cars and indeed I learnt a lot from Paul Kaganzi’s presentation.” Francis Teresa, executive assistant at Britannia
“I did a lot of research before buying my current car whose type I will not disclose. I researched about its engine performance and type, the manufacturer and the year, the body parts, interior comfort, weight, carrying capacity, fuel consumption, transmission and its make. So, the details of the car are on my fingertips.” Datta Osman, sales executive
“I drive a Vitz and I am just familiar with the routine of checking a few things like the oil and water levels before driving. One thing that I always took for granted is the fuel tank cover. Paul Kaganzi, the mechanic emphasised that we need to always have this tightly covered at the tip otherwise loose covers tend to distort the fuel in the tank. From now, I will always ensure that my fuel cover is tight at the tip before I start driving.” Suphra Musa, businesswoman
“Before the car clinic, I knew things such as how to check the water and oil levels, and when to do servicing. Now, I know quite a lot of things because of the clinic. I now know about the suspension, the pressure in the tyres and the tightness of the ball joints. I also got to know three places in and around town where to go for good service.” Apollo Omoding, senior commercial Officer , NWSC
“I do not know the time frame of replacing the cylinder head, time frame of replacing the cooling thermostat and I have no clue as well on what tends to cause the funny sound on the left hand side of the car’s suspension system at the back.” Micheal Nsobya, medical laboratory technician
