How would you feel when your car needs work? Angry? Frustrated? Dejected? I feel purely heartache as the sight of my beloved going through any kind of "surgery" is a very painful sight to behold. Nevertheless, a man got to do what a car, err I mean a man, got to do. And the usual car doctor I go to is one of the more under-rated, unsung hero of the auto repair business, who goes about his business no fuss, no frills, no tricks, just so that you get back your beloved. That about sums up all I want from a relationship with my car doctor.
Now cool dude Rahman hails from Merlimau, Melaka and has been in this business for more than 20 years. He first started out as an apprentice in a workshop in Jalan Ipoh. As with any trade, your early years are your formative years, be it a violinist or a gymnast. This 6 year exposure forms the base of which he later scaled greater heights.
A job offer from Tata (yes, the lorry company) sees Rahman spending the subsequent 5 years in the company's workshop in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Over there, of course, a clientele of TATA lorries and other company vehicles. The experience gained gave him enough confidence to start off on his own. Operating from your home, being your own boss, working on your own schedule, what more can a man ask for? Contented, married, settled down, the next 10 years sees Rahman servicing all sorts of clients, with all kinds of cars.
A Peninsular bird always return to its nest right? Rahman then based himself in Kajang till today, doing what he does best.
I got to know him from a friend of mine. Publicity through peer recommendation beats the hell out of any advertising I know of. Very soon, seeing how has done up one guy's Mini to top notch specs, I decided to give him a try... And the rest, as they say, is history.
Okay, enough on the intro.
Rahman very quickly gained my trust with his good pair of hands and reasonable rates. A basically do-everything kind of person, my Mini was in good hands. Every time I see him, he tries to make it a point to check my wheel bearings as, according to him, that's the Mini's Achilles heel. Most of the time a simple retightening of the bearing clip does it. And most of the time, this extra measure at no extra cost. Rates? Reasonable, reasonable, reasonable. Of all the mechanics I have been to (that means I have been ripped off far too often), I have never for once doubted his charges. Sometimes if a fix is minor, he has on many occassions done it for me free of charge! Just goes to show how much he values his regular customers. In this age of shopping complexes, isn't it nice to be appreciated? Says a lot about building a relationship with your client heh? But this article is not about my Mini, it's to highlight Rahman's favourite "patient" --- the Volkswagon.
In Rahman's opinion, the Volks are great feats of engineering. Easy to repair. Simple engine, simple maintenance, simple solution. No frills, no fuss. Heck, even no radiator. Hans, Otto and Gottfried will be proud of our man.
Over my 3 years of knowing Rahman, I have seen some rarer Volks there. That can only mean his "intimacy" with Volks is no secret. Once, I had the pleasure of seeing with my own eyes, The Thing. Originally designed as the Nazi's answer to the American Jeep, you could almost see Hitler hailing his men in it. But the Volkswagon trademark is unmistakable --- open up the booth and you see the engine. I also had the pleasure of seeing Rahman restore a Volkswagon Combi van. Originally in pretty bad shape, the 'loaf of bread' was given a new lease of life in the able hands of Rahman --- slowly and surely.
I missed the the part where he restored the engine as my first few visits saw him scrapping off cement, cleaning it up, smoothing the surfaces. Another trip sees all the nice rubber weather seals in place and pretty soon, all welded up nicely and given a nice coat of paint! It's now back to life! A couple of visits later, I hear him telling me how many trips he has made to Johor Bahru in that 'loaf of bread'! Yes, DIY rules!
However, if you visit Rahman today, you won't get to see his pride and joy, which is most unfortunate. A friend borrowed his Combi and for God knows what reason, the Combi caught fire and has now been reduced to a pile of scrap iron. You could see this piece of scrap iron behind his workshop, spending the remnants of its life, having enjoyed a short rebirth. That said, you can't keep a good man down. In his workshop, there's another Combi! And work has already started to restore it back to its pristine state.
Medical doctors have the Hippocrates Oath where integrity of the practice is reminded time and again. There has to be one in the auto repair business where conmen take so much of the highlight that good guys like Rahman are overshadowed. That said, if you have a Volks sitting somewhere reminiscing its past glory days, don't be afraid to give Rahman a call. Tell him yours truly recommended you. It's the least I could do for him. We need some good publicity to balance out the bad, otherwise the balance of yin and yang is disturbed.
That said, this is my ultimate dream of restoring my 'loaf of bread'. Paint it yellow with lots of flower motifs, keep the interior spartan, wear torn jearns, torn pagoda T-shirts, go without shaving for weeks, hang a picture of Hare Krishna and there you have it: the ultimate hippie. And you can trust me who I will send my combi to. :)
A much much edited version, devoid of any "Yeo-ism", appeared in the October 14, 2001 issue of New Sunday Times, Car Bikes Trucks section. Will update photos later...