Unique repair shop will fix your broken shock absorbers

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP): Does your car rock wildly on rough roads? Or does it tilt crazily each time you make a quick turn? If it does, maybe it's time to replace the shock absorbers.

The potholes and the bumps in our roads are merciless when it comes to punishing you and your cars. Depending on your driving style, whether you always try to swallow the bumps with high speeds or ride over them slowly and gracefully, you may need a new set of shock absorbers every year in order to maintain a smooth and enjoyable ride.

But, during a time when the prices of imported car parts have gone through the roof, replacing all four shocks can easily cost as much as a month's salary of one of our ministers. So, what alternative is there?

If you're not a minister, take your car to one of the city's many repair shops that offer services to fix shock absorbers. If you don't know of any good place, go to Mrs. Aike.

You'll find Mrs. Aike's modest shop on Jl. Matraman, East Jakarta. The best way to get there is to go through Manggarai and Jl. Tambak, and turn right onto Jl. Matraman in the direction of Jl. Pramuka. Slow down after you pass the bridge and keep looking to your left. It's a two story shop with a straightforward Isi shock breaker sign on it.

This remarkable grandma will first shake each corner of your car to assess the condition of your shocks. Fragile may she look, but you'll realize how strong she is when you see how deep your car nods under the pressure from her hands. She will then squat very low to check whether any of your shocks is already bleeding oil.

"If the shock is already leaking, I don't want to fix it. It's no use," she explained.

Then one of her three men will start working on your car. He'll jack up the car, take off the wheels and remove the shocks. If Mrs. Aike decides that they can still be fixed, the shocks will be taken upstairs.

"My technician is upstairs. He works there alone." But if you wish to know their recipe for smooth car rides, you're out of luck. It's their company secret.

And, it doesn't take her technician very long to inject fresh life into the shocks. In less than five minutes, one of the men will bring down your shocks, ready for reinstallation and another year of service. Indeed, it takes longer to take out and replace the shocks than for the technician to perform his magic on them.

Each car has a different personality, but don't worry, Mrs. Aike and her technician are quite familiar with the majority of the cars on the street.

"My technician upstairs knows exactly how hard or how soft the shocks should be for a Mitsubishi Eterna, or a Honda Accord, or a Kijang."

She also keeps a sizable inventory of reconditioned shocks for different car makes, models and years. If you come with a leaking shock, she'll be able to offer you a replacement for a fraction of the price of a new one.

Where did they learn their trade? "We just experimented. With trial and error, we learned how each car should be fixed. For example, we have found out that the best rear shocks for the TwinCam Corolla are actually the ones made for the Great Corolla. We do need to make some modification, though," she said, obviously share a trick of the trade.

Mrs. Aike has been in the business of injecting oil into ailing shock absorbers since 1982. In that very same place in Matraman.

The next big surprise you'll have is when you pay for the work done.

While no brand-new shock absorber you buy at Atrium Senen or Sawah Besar will come with a warranty, Mrs. Aike confidently gives you a generous one. "The warranty is for six months," she'll tell you.

But, never try to cheat her by telling her you were in her shop only five months ago because this tough lady keeps a record of each car that leaves her shop.

Taxicab only get three months warranty, though, because they normally go over all sorts of terrain, covering about 300 kms per day. Mrs. Aike maintains a separate record book for taxis, as many of her repeat customers are cab drivers.

Indeed, at only Rp 90,000 for having two pairs of shocks refilled, one shouldn't even think of cheating Mrs. Aike. Out of that amount, Rp 8,000 will go to the man who helps take off the wheels.

Is her lone technician upstairs training an heir apparent? Unfortunately, the answer is no. "He's not interested in sharing the arts of injecting the shocks with anybody. If something happens to him, I'll just have to close this business. Well, we're both already old anyway," she confessed, smiling.