Ramadan has begun and in less than four weeks, Hari Raya Aidilfitri will be here. Most Malaysians will make the best of the long break to return to their hometowns to celebrate with relatives and friends, especially this year when fasting ends on the evening of 5 July – a Tuesday. Many will get nine days holiday from just taking three days annual leave. That in itself is something to celebrate.
Permanent Klang Valley residents will rejoice at the sight of clear roads and journey times a fraction of their usual work day commute. Raya is definitely a time of year when everyone looks forward to, and now is the time to ensure that your balik kampung drive, no matter how long the distance, will be pleasantly uneventful.
We don’t mean packing your Raya clothes now so you don’t have the horror of sitting through hours of jams only to realise you left them hanging at the back of the bedroom door. Nor making sure you’re properly rested before setting out. Many are already aware of the need to check tyre pressure, top-up fuel and to make sure there’s plenty of coolant and washer fluid in the tanks. We mean, sending your car for a service.
Why the fuss when there are at least 28 days for Ramadan with four weekends in between to go and the car isn’t due for an oil change for another 1,500km? There’re other more important, fun stuff to do like shopping for clothes, picking up gifts for relatives at home and buka puasa with colleagues, friends and family.
Some of you reading this may even be thinking, where’s the time when people have a full day’s work too, some while still adjusting to the temporary new routine of fragmented sleep because they wake up early to break fast? There are also parents combining this with taking the kids out for the school holidays. Maybe next week or the week after, when things have settled down, would be more convenient?
Here are some reasons why planning ahead and getting your oil change and maintenance done early may not be the worst way to spend two hours this week.
- Everyone thinks there’s plenty of time before they go outstation
- Most people cover 1,200km a month on average so your car will be due for a service just when you’re ready to set out
- Workshop appointment slots will be full closer to your travel date adding to the rush to get things done before they close for the long break.
- If you leave it too late and parts need to be changed, your car might not be ready on time
- Do you really want to take your car on a road trip straight out of the workshop?
- If your car breaks down on the drive home, there may not be workshops open. (After nine days, do you really want to spend another two days, at home, with your parents?)
Murphy’s Law states that anything can go wrong will go wrong especially when you’re caught in heavy traffic in the slow crawl to the farthest ends of the country.
It’s inevitable that that our expenses go up just before the holidays and right now with the rising cost of living, everyone is looking for ways to cut back, maximise their returns or reap better benefits from what we have to spend our money on.
When it comes to car maintenance, Shell has a very nice solution: the Shell Helix Engine Warranty (SHEW) programme. Shell is so confident that their motor oils are so superior in providing lubrication and engine protection that they’re backing up their Shell Helix Ultra and Shell Helix HX7 lubricants with an engine warranty against engine failure for cars up to 12 years old. It’s the world’s first engine warranty programme, the only one in Malaysia and it’s FREE.
How great is that? You have to service your vehicle and change engine oil anyway, and Shell is giving you the peace of mind just for using their award-winning lubricants.
It’s so easy too. All you need to do is use Shell Helix Ultra or Shell Helix HX7. Either have your next scheduled oil change done at a S.H.E.W authorised workshop or buy the lubricant at a Shell petrol station and take it to your regular mechanic. The S.H.E.W authorised workshop will register your warranty for you. You can also do it yourself online or through the S.H.E.W hotline. An SMS will confirm your registration, then that’s it – your car is covered.
It will remain covered by S.H.E.W. as long as Shell Helix Ultra or Shell Helix HX7 is used at every service interval which is either every six months or as recommended by your car manufacturer. Shell will even send you regular service reminders through SMS so your warranty is always up to date.
The warranty covers passenger cars, SUVs or vans less than eight years old or with less than 100,000km on the clock and up to 12 years or 200,000km, whichever comes first. If anything goes wrong with your engine, the warranty will pay up to RM15,000 for Shell Helix Ultra users and RM8,000 for Shell Helix HX7 users to fix it.
There’s no pre-registration inspection required so it’s really added value, at no additional cost, without additional time or effort, just from using Shell Helix engine lubricants. Sounds too good to be true? It’s all here at www.shell.com.my/helixwarranty.
If your car has a five-year warranty that expires in the next few months, just by using Shell lubricants your peace of mind will be extended for seven more years until your car is 12.
Another benefit is that the warranty is transferrable so when you sell your car, the S.H.E.W. passes on to the new owner. Perhaps S.H.E.W. is something potential car buyers should look for when considering used cars?
Shell Helix Ultra is a high performance fully synthetic motor oil with PurePlus Technology. It can withstand extreme temperatures and running conditions so engine power as well as efficiency are maintained. Shell Helix Ultra also has lower evaporation so less topping up is needed.
There’s so much to look forward to doing with your family and friends back home. Don’t let your holidays be marred by an avoidable car breakdown or be the recipient of angry looks from drivers as they drive past you because your car was the cause of a long tailback. That would not be a great way to remember Raya 2016.
All the best, and keep safe on the road over the holidays.
Watch Shell Malaysia’s beautifully shot video of S.H.E.W below!
