High expenditure on car maintenance for trip back to hometown this Aidilfitri

SHAH ALAM - People acknowledge having spent high amounts of money to pay for maintenance of their vehicles which are their primary mode of transportation for them to return to their hometowns for Aidilfitri.

This occurred after a recent two per cent increase in service tax.

A private sector worker who only wanted to be known as Rizal, 35, said he had spent RM700 compared to RM300 last year for this purpose.

"Every year, before returning to celebrate raya in my hometown in Terengganu, I would service my car first.

"The journey from Kuala Lumpur was far and the car needed to be in good condition. So, I had already saved some money. But this year it felt a bit tight because the service prices had gone up," said the car owner.

Meanwhile, another private sector worker who only wanted to be known as Mustafa, 37, from Perak said he spent almost RM1,000 for car maintenance.

He said he had his car serviced earlier to ensure he could plan his expenses for this year's Aidilfitri as he had planned to take his family on vacation afterwards.

"This time I've already spent nearly RM1,000 (maintenance costs), not including the costs for returning to the East Coast.

"Although the costs had increased, I felt more confident and safe driving after the car had been serviced," he said.

Meanwhile, car owner Azman, 40, who will be returning to his hometown in Melaka for Aidilfitri said he had bought vehicle parts himself before taking them to the workshop to reduce the costs for maintanence.

"When you buy the parts yourself and paid for the labour costs, it didn't feel as much," he said.