Phew, I have a reader (Wango) in Singapore! It amazed me that an unknown person actually reads my blog! His question to me was where do I send my Sera for servicing, so I thought that, instead of just answering him (one person) I might as well put it up here, so that anyone else who is interested can also go there.
My little Sera, when we bought her, needed a lot of fixing up and we had her majorly repaired and overhauled at TOM'S TOYOTA AND LEXUS SPECIALISTS in Bangsar. Their address is 80, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar Baru, 59100 KL. Telephone numbers: +603-22822939/4899.
We have been going to them for the last couple of years - starting from when we bought our Lexus LX470 at the beginning of 2005. We had a strange problem with the Lexus where, if you were driving very slow, ONCE IN A WHILE the engine would just cut out. We sent it back to where we purchased it, and they had it for 3 days and claimed to have fixed it, but the same thing happened again! So, we had seen TOM'S when driving in Bangsar so we figured, what the heck, let's give them a try - and, YES, they DID find out what was wrong and they DID fix it - within ONE day! Since then, we have been taking our Lexus there for regular service and, of course, when we got my little Sera and it needed a lot of work, we did not even consider sending her anywhere else and, yes, we will also be sending her there for regular servicing.
They are also reasonably priced and I like the fact that they do not try and push all new parts at you. To give you an example... the entire power steering rack on my Sera was in bad shape. To put a NEW one in would have cost more than RM4K... they went and sourced a place that specialises in FIXING power steering racks and that cost less than RM800!
Of course, for cars like the Sera, bear in mind that a lot of the specialist parts (eg, windscreen, hydraulic door supports, etc) have to come from Japan... and that can take up to 3 months. I am still waiting for my windscreen and hydraulics to come in - probably by mid Feb... so as long as you are prepared for that, there is no issue.
Of course for any Singaporean thinking of bringing their cars here to get it serviced.. YES, IT IS A LOT CHEAPER than in Singapore. Even when we were in Singapore and driving a Lexus ES300 there, we used to come back to KL to get it serviced at Toyota as it was SO MUCH cheaper in terms of PARTS AND SERVICE. In fact, the Sera that we had in Singapore ALSO was serviced regularly in KL - even if you dont know where to go you can always go to Toyota themselves, and they do give excellent service.
So, Wango, and anyone else reading this who wants a good service centre, you can go to Tom's (they do ALL cars, not just Toyota and Lexus) and, of course if you have a Toyota or Lexus you can go to Toyota themselves (good big centre in PJ). Either way you will get excellent service.... though maybe Tom's is just a little bit more personal. Good luck!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Getting better... slowly but steadily
Went back to work yesterday and by noon my back and hip were sore and it was painful to sit or stand. Had to leave the office by 2.30pm and drive myself back home - luckily husband was waiting for me so he could help me out of the car! Lay down for 2 hours before the pain went down a bit.
Today was much better though. It was more like 4.00pm before my back and hip started acting up! Left the office at 4.40pm as I didn't want to run the risk of sitting in a traffic jam while feeling so sore! At this rate, it looks like life should be almost back to normal for me by tomorrow... but tonight I am missing a departmental get together at the Shangri-La... sigh... but I knew I would not be able to sit for dinner and then try and drive myself home!
Thursday should be interesting - as we are driving to SG in the afternoon, and that will require me to stay seated for 4 hours... ouch! Ah well, at least it is a comfortable car, and at least when driving we CAN stop and stretch every so often.
Well folks, that's the latest for now. Hope you are all having a better start to the new year than I had! If not, here's wishing you all a great rest of the year. :-)
Today was much better though. It was more like 4.00pm before my back and hip started acting up! Left the office at 4.40pm as I didn't want to run the risk of sitting in a traffic jam while feeling so sore! At this rate, it looks like life should be almost back to normal for me by tomorrow... but tonight I am missing a departmental get together at the Shangri-La... sigh... but I knew I would not be able to sit for dinner and then try and drive myself home!
Thursday should be interesting - as we are driving to SG in the afternoon, and that will require me to stay seated for 4 hours... ouch! Ah well, at least it is a comfortable car, and at least when driving we CAN stop and stretch every so often.
Well folks, that's the latest for now. Hope you are all having a better start to the new year than I had! If not, here's wishing you all a great rest of the year. :-)
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Honesty is NOT dead after all.
Yesterday, a very good friend of mine, who is currently in Singapore, came to KL with her sister for a short weekend break. They flew in and, on my advice, took a KLIA Airport Taxi to come to our place. They arrived at our doorstep at 10.35pm in a state of some panic - as my friend stepped out of the cab, it seemed that her wallet had fallen out of her handbag, and she had not noticed it until they were in the lift coming up to our apartment. The money in the wallet wasn't the issue - it was her 2 credit cards (one expiring in 2 months, and the replacement for it), her ATM card AND (worst of all) her Singapore PR card.
Luckily, she still had the little Taxi Stub on which they write the taxi number and which gave a 1-300 number to call.... so I called the number and they immediately told me to call their Lost and Found dept at +603-87873678, which I did. It took several attempts to get through and 20 minutes had passed by the time I got through and spoke to a lady called Linda and explained the situation to her and gave her the taxi number. She promised to call me back as soon as possible... so I hung up and we waited with bated breath.
Five minutes later I spoke to her again (yes, I called HER - my impatience rearing up!), and she said that she had spoken to the driver and he had said that since he was already on the highway, where you cant simply pull up at the side of the road, he had to find somewhere safe to stop before he could check. She was just waiting for him to call her as soon as he could do that. So... back to waiting again.
Would you believe, in another FIVE minutes, she called back to say YES, the wallet was in his car and he had it with him. She also explained that if he turned around and came back immediately, it was company policy that we must pay for another ticket (ie, another RM66.60 which was the the cost of the ride from KLIA to Mont'Kiara). Of course, as you can imagine, we were more than ready to pay that and more!!!
So, to cut the rest of the story short, by 11.40pm (just over one hour after they had arrived at our apartment in the first place) my friend was once again in possession of her wallet - with EVERYTHING intact. She happily paid up the ticket fare and more, as she was just so happy and relieved.
So, folks, this is a Thank you to GOD, for answering our prayers, to LINDA of KLIA Taxi Lost and Found, and to the Malay gentleman who was the driver of Airport Taxi 1940. My faith in human nature has been somewhat restored ......
Luckily, she still had the little Taxi Stub on which they write the taxi number and which gave a 1-300 number to call.... so I called the number and they immediately told me to call their Lost and Found dept at +603-87873678, which I did. It took several attempts to get through and 20 minutes had passed by the time I got through and spoke to a lady called Linda and explained the situation to her and gave her the taxi number. She promised to call me back as soon as possible... so I hung up and we waited with bated breath.
Five minutes later I spoke to her again (yes, I called HER - my impatience rearing up!), and she said that she had spoken to the driver and he had said that since he was already on the highway, where you cant simply pull up at the side of the road, he had to find somewhere safe to stop before he could check. She was just waiting for him to call her as soon as he could do that. So... back to waiting again.
Would you believe, in another FIVE minutes, she called back to say YES, the wallet was in his car and he had it with him. She also explained that if he turned around and came back immediately, it was company policy that we must pay for another ticket (ie, another RM66.60 which was the the cost of the ride from KLIA to Mont'Kiara). Of course, as you can imagine, we were more than ready to pay that and more!!!
So, to cut the rest of the story short, by 11.40pm (just over one hour after they had arrived at our apartment in the first place) my friend was once again in possession of her wallet - with EVERYTHING intact. She happily paid up the ticket fare and more, as she was just so happy and relieved.
So, folks, this is a Thank you to GOD, for answering our prayers, to LINDA of KLIA Taxi Lost and Found, and to the Malay gentleman who was the driver of Airport Taxi 1940. My faith in human nature has been somewhat restored ......
Friday, January 12, 2007
It's been a weird (and painful) week for me
This is the first time this week that I have been able to sit for long enough that I can actually update my blog. Why? Well, on Monday 8th Jan, I left my office in Menara Citibank, and walked to the next-door building (MCA) where I park my car. In between the two buildings is this lovely and TYPICAL piece of Malaysian workmanship - a steeply sloped pavement with slippery tiles. It had been raining that day, so the tiles were even more slippery than usual so, yes, I went slip-sliding, landed up on my left hip and bum - VERY VERY painful! I got myself up, hobbled to my car, practically fell into it, and drove myself home. THANK GOD for automatic gear shift. I could not have done it with a manual gear shift.
Got myself home and parked the car, then had to call Husband to come and get me OUT of the car, as I just could not manage. He had to come out with a pair of flat sandals for me, open my car door (my little car's door opens upwards, and I just could not open it as my back would not allow me to do so), hold my handbag, wait while I used arm strength to lift my legs out of the car, put on the flat sandals, and then he had to pull me into a standing position and let me lean on him to walk to our apartment. MAN, talk about PAINFUL!!!!!
Went to the doctor on Tuesday morning - it is actually only a 7 minute walk, but we had to drive as I could barely hobble for 1 minute, let alone 7! Luckily the doctor has an x-ray machine, so she was able to confirm that there were no fractures, and that I had NOT landed on my spine. My left pelvic bone and the muscles from above the waist down to the hip had taken the brunt of the fall and the muscles had gone into a spasm and locked up. So, dosed up on an anti-inflammatory muscle relaxant and pain-killers I headed home.
Husband has been spoiling me absolutely ROTTEN since then. 3 home cooked meals a day and anytime I need anything he will get it for me. I am SO lucky! My sister and her two boys came to visit on Tuesday evening, by which time I could move around, very very slowly, a couple of minutes at a time, and my parents came on Wednesday (with some lovely flowers). Husband had cooked dinner for all of us, and it was, as usual, delicious and we all ate too much.
Ironically, the most painful thing to do is to SIT! Lying down takes all the pressure off the inflamed muscles, so it is not painful (though I can't turn over once I have lain down and getting up is quite nerve racking). Walking slowly for a minute or so seems to be tolerable pain. But SITTING DOWN - phew. That hurts.... and that is why I said above, today at 4.00pm is the first time I have been able to sit without hurting too badly! I tell you, it is a HUGE relief. Hopefully by Sunday evening I will have fully recovered, as there is work to do.. and I hate it when work just piles up!
Apart from that, this week has been quite a sad one. A friend of my parents just passed away on Tuesday, and then the mother of a good friend of mine passed away on Wednesday, after a long hard battle with cancer. I am glad for her that her pain and suffering is over, but it is still hard to lose anyone, let alone a PARENT! And, another friends mother just passed away today! G & L - our prayers are with you both and your respective families at this time.
Well, on that sad note, I shall close for now. I hope that wherever you are, you are safe, healthy, and happy. Till next time....
Got myself home and parked the car, then had to call Husband to come and get me OUT of the car, as I just could not manage. He had to come out with a pair of flat sandals for me, open my car door (my little car's door opens upwards, and I just could not open it as my back would not allow me to do so), hold my handbag, wait while I used arm strength to lift my legs out of the car, put on the flat sandals, and then he had to pull me into a standing position and let me lean on him to walk to our apartment. MAN, talk about PAINFUL!!!!!
Went to the doctor on Tuesday morning - it is actually only a 7 minute walk, but we had to drive as I could barely hobble for 1 minute, let alone 7! Luckily the doctor has an x-ray machine, so she was able to confirm that there were no fractures, and that I had NOT landed on my spine. My left pelvic bone and the muscles from above the waist down to the hip had taken the brunt of the fall and the muscles had gone into a spasm and locked up. So, dosed up on an anti-inflammatory muscle relaxant and pain-killers I headed home.
Husband has been spoiling me absolutely ROTTEN since then. 3 home cooked meals a day and anytime I need anything he will get it for me. I am SO lucky! My sister and her two boys came to visit on Tuesday evening, by which time I could move around, very very slowly, a couple of minutes at a time, and my parents came on Wednesday (with some lovely flowers). Husband had cooked dinner for all of us, and it was, as usual, delicious and we all ate too much.
Ironically, the most painful thing to do is to SIT! Lying down takes all the pressure off the inflamed muscles, so it is not painful (though I can't turn over once I have lain down and getting up is quite nerve racking). Walking slowly for a minute or so seems to be tolerable pain. But SITTING DOWN - phew. That hurts.... and that is why I said above, today at 4.00pm is the first time I have been able to sit without hurting too badly! I tell you, it is a HUGE relief. Hopefully by Sunday evening I will have fully recovered, as there is work to do.. and I hate it when work just piles up!
Apart from that, this week has been quite a sad one. A friend of my parents just passed away on Tuesday, and then the mother of a good friend of mine passed away on Wednesday, after a long hard battle with cancer. I am glad for her that her pain and suffering is over, but it is still hard to lose anyone, let alone a PARENT! And, another friends mother just passed away today! G & L - our prayers are with you both and your respective families at this time.
Well, on that sad note, I shall close for now. I hope that wherever you are, you are safe, healthy, and happy. Till next time....
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL
Yep, 2006 is well and truly over and we are already coming to the end of the second day of 2007. I'm sure you have all noticed that, as you get older, the years go faster and faster. The best explanation I have ever heard for that is that, when you are young, say 5 years old, a year is TWENTY PERCENT of your life! That is a HUGE chunk..... and then, each year, that percentage goes down and down and down... till it is such a tiny, tiny part of your life, and it just zooms by!
We have all had a lovely loooooooong weekend here in Malaysia and Singapore - from Saturday 30th Dec to Tuesday 2nd Jan inclusive - and I'm sure a lot of you, like me, are groaning about the fact we have to go to work tomorrow! Ah well, all good things do come to a close, but don't forget that there are lots of things to appreciate and look forward to as well - the fact that we have family, friends, a JOB, more public holidays, etc, etc, etc...
My next thing to look forward to is that Husband and I are going to go and see Il Divo (my absolute favourite bunch of singers) in Singapore on 18th Jan evening. Why Singapore, when I could see them in KL two days earlier? Well, for one thing, the cheapest tickets in KL and the most expensive tickets in SG cost pretty much the same, and, since it IS Il Divo we are talking about, I want the most expensive tickets and I am NOT willing to pay RM1500 per person (so RM3000 by the time I get tickets for my husband AND myself).... ergo, go see them in SG, where the cost of the best tickets, travel (we are driving there and back) and hotel is STILL cheaper than the cost of just the best tickets in KL!! And we get the chance to have a short break as well as meet up with our friends in SG too.
Anyway... to all my friends out there, may 2007 be a truly fantastic year for all, filled with joy, love, blessings, and great good fortune. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
We have all had a lovely loooooooong weekend here in Malaysia and Singapore - from Saturday 30th Dec to Tuesday 2nd Jan inclusive - and I'm sure a lot of you, like me, are groaning about the fact we have to go to work tomorrow! Ah well, all good things do come to a close, but don't forget that there are lots of things to appreciate and look forward to as well - the fact that we have family, friends, a JOB, more public holidays, etc, etc, etc...
My next thing to look forward to is that Husband and I are going to go and see Il Divo (my absolute favourite bunch of singers) in Singapore on 18th Jan evening. Why Singapore, when I could see them in KL two days earlier? Well, for one thing, the cheapest tickets in KL and the most expensive tickets in SG cost pretty much the same, and, since it IS Il Divo we are talking about, I want the most expensive tickets and I am NOT willing to pay RM1500 per person (so RM3000 by the time I get tickets for my husband AND myself).... ergo, go see them in SG, where the cost of the best tickets, travel (we are driving there and back) and hotel is STILL cheaper than the cost of just the best tickets in KL!! And we get the chance to have a short break as well as meet up with our friends in SG too.
Anyway... to all my friends out there, may 2007 be a truly fantastic year for all, filled with joy, love, blessings, and great good fortune. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
