I thought I'll talk about what it's like to visit a garage In Sri Lanka. Interestingly, like most experiences here, there's a way things are done.
The test drive
Where the owner of the garage identifies what problems exist, and how to mask them while maximizing his earnings.
Pole position
Depending on how screwed you are, you'll be asked to sandwich your car in a corner of a garage. Between the wrecked insurance write-offs usually. If it's a serious issue, you are parked deep inside so you can't escape.
Kota uda phase
Here, they disable the car. It is symbolic to remove a tire and or a part of the engine. Ostensibly to remove the part to be fixed or find spares, but mostly to prevent the customer from escaping.
Spares
You'll be given a few unidentified components and asked to go find them. If the owner feels charitable, he will take the spares on his morning drive.
The other work phase
Here, everyone forgets your car, and works on other things. Your engine remains open. Crows defecate on your cam shaft, thereby ensuring better lubrication.
4:45pm
If your vehicle is a day job, at 4:45 PM, the tired staff will suddenly remember it. Grease monkeys will put everything together at warp speed.
What's an extra nut between friends? Something old, something new broken
When everything is put together, you will discover one extra nut. You know your engine needs that nut. You'll discover what that nut did, 3 months later, on the highway at 7:54PM
It is tradition at this late stage to break something. Cynical people say it's so you return to the garage, but it's actually to remind you of how everything is impermanent (and so you can drive home with a broken AC) and remind yourself to feel gratitude.
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