Poor 小红, My Toyota Corolla Altis

Thanks to my own negligence, 小红 needs a full engine overhaul.

Brought her in to the service centre this morning to fix this weird noise coming from the engine for the last two weeks.

The moment the guy heard my description, he said, "think engine got serious problem!", and wanted to take a look at it right away.

He only needed to take one look and twist of the engine oil cap and it confirmed both our worst fears. The engine oil had solidified and hardened around the engine walls. This means the engine would konk off anytime soon.

I think he was trying to break the bad news as best as he could as he saw my face turn grimm and sad.

But there was no hiding of the solution: a full engine overhaul. The budget set for this is 10K and one month on the sidelines. So hard to stomach.

Then we talked about cheaper options like being it to a private workshop. Sure I could save us a couple of thousands, but it wouldn't be as reliable as Borneo Motors' workmanship.

Then we talked about rental to tide through the one month. We'll wait and see if we can cope without one first.

Finally we talked about the possibility of buying a new car. At current COE prices, an Altis retails for 130K. A VW Golf retails for 140K. Payment has to be 50% up front. Paying 10K for a brand new engine with 3+ more years of survivability seems the better option.

So for now, I can only wait and mope.

I miss 小红 already!