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Singapore drivers love complaining about petrol prices. In fairness, who can blame us? Between COE, ERP, parking, insurance and maintenance, every trip to the pump feels like another reminder that owning a car in Singapore isn't exactly cheap. Which is why I've always found one particular behaviour rather amusing: many of us will happily drive past one petrol station just to visit another. Think about that for a second. We're literally burning fuel on the way to buy fuel. If a non-driver observed this behaviour, they would probably assume there was some major difference between stations. Perhaps one sold a special premium petrol capable of transforming a Toyota Altis into a Porsche 911. Of course, that's not the case. Yet countless drivers do it anyway. It was supposed to be about saving money Ask someone why they prefer a particular petrol station and the answer usually sounds perfectly rational. They'll talk about discounts, rebates, loyalty programmes or convenience. Maybe the station is on the way home from work. Maybe entering and exiting the station is easier. Maybe queues move a little faster during peak hours. At first, the preference is usually practical. But after a while, something else happens. The station stops being just another place to refuel and somehow becomes your station. You know exactly which entrance to use. You know which lanes tend to clog up and which pumps are usually available. You know where the tyre pump is, and you may even have a preferred pump despite all the pumps performing exactly the same task. Without realising it, you've developed a routine around the place. And Singaporeans love routines. We have our favourite hawker stalls, favourite cai fan combinations and favourite supermarket checkout counters. Some people even have favourite parking lots. Once we've found a system that works, we stick to it with remarkable loyalty, and petrol stations are no different. Somewhere along the way, it became your station What makes it even more interesting are the people you encounter along the way. If you've been visiting the same station for years, chances are you'll recognise some of the staff. You may not know their names, and they probably don't know yours either, but a certain familiarity develops over time. The attendant gives you a quick nod as you pull in. The cashier asks whether you want the usual receipt. Someone jokes about petrol prices going up again. The conversation lasts all of ten seconds before everybody goes about their day, yet those tiny interactions become part of the experience. In a city where most people are perpetually rushing from one appointment to another, these small moments of familiarity are oddly comforting. We may not admit it, but sometimes we're returning for more than just the petrol. The loyalty programme isn't on the app. It's the uncle behind the counter The things we get irrationally attached to The funny thing is that the reasons people become loyal to a station can be wonderfully irrational. One driver likes a station because there's always parking nearby. Another swears the convenience store is better stocked. Someone else insists the queues are shorter, despite having conducted absolutely no scientific study whatsoever, yet defends the theory with the confidence of a traffic analyst presenting data to the Land Transport Authority. I've even met drivers whose loyalty stems from the simple fact that "the uncle there very friendly." When you hear these reasons individually, they sound trivial. Together, however, they become powerful enough to influence where we spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year on fuel. No scientific evidence. Just unwavering belief Perhaps that's what this is really about. The longer I drive, the more I realise that many of our motoring decisions aren't purely logical. We like to think they are, especially in Singapore where we're constantly calculating costs and hunting for value. But beneath all that practicality lies something much simpler: people enjoy familiarity. We like places we recognise. We like routines that reduce effort. We like feeling that we've figured out our own little corner of an otherwise chaotic world. Tomorrow, thousands of drivers across the island will glance at a fuel gauge edging towards empty. Along the way, they'll pass one petrol station. Maybe even two. Neither will do. Instead, they'll continue on to the station they've been visiting for years. The one where they know the layout, recognise a few faces and somehow feel more comfortable. For a nation obsessed with efficiency, it's a wonderfully inefficient habit. Yet ask many drivers to switch petrol stations tomorrow and you'll probably be met with the same reaction: "Why?" After all, the petrol may be the same. But the station? That's their station.

Sent my jaguar for first servicing, Told the service consultant it was jerking at low speed. A fellow jaguar owner experienced the same thing but he said his mechanic in England told him it could be rectified with tuning, he owns the same model in England. However the service consultant said Jaguar Singapore has no similar computer software. I suppose he expects us to live with the shortcoming of the car at low speed. I was puzzled: if it is available in UK how could it not be available to Jaguar Singapore!!! I emailed Wearnes to suggest that they bring in the software for the benefit of their customers in Singapore. Guess what, the consultant called to say he would update my car software but he is not sure if it would rectify the issue of jerkiness at low speed. He also explained that the software update has nothing to do with tuning as tuning involves taking apart the car engine and Jaguar Singapore would not do it. I still don't comprehend the service consultant's explanation. But I left it at that as the car is now more pleasant to drive at low speed. There is a further surprise. The consultant charged me for the software update!!! I wrote to Wearnes the next day that I should not be charged for the update, anyway it should be covered under the warranty. The service consultant called to say he had wrongly charged me and would refund me the money. The service consultant nearly drove me nut. It is suppose to be a routine servicing but so much time had been wasted in making clarification. What do you make of such a service consultant?

Just wondering if you guys would leave your car overnight at service center? Have a rather bad experience previously as my car clocked more than 120km in 2 days time with the service center, and bad rattling sound all over after collected my car. Base on on board computer fuel mileage record, about 20L of petrol was burning off during these 120km (that's 6km/L overall). They claiming that they have to test drive my vehicle after servicing, but at a distance of 120km????? A more likelyhood that the car was being used personally by the mechanic... blasted the service center soon after I collected my car, and get so many freebies after that (free suspension parts upgrade which improve the car handling , free filters, free servicing, free EO, free loan car, etc...), guess they felt guilty..... anyone got similar experience?

Since most people are busy, how do you formulate your exercise/training routine? Also, what kind of exercise do you do?

Got 11-mth old pearl white Civic. Like most, did following routine weekly, but as time goes on, it is becoming fortnightly. 1. Wash (and clay once a blue moon) 2. AIO (Jeffs Werkstatt) 3. Sealant (Jeffs Werkstatt) (My aim is not to shine (hence didn't do wax LSP), but for water beading, protection, smooth. If got shine, it is just a by-product.) Always, this is a more than 3-hr job. By the time step #2 is done, my back is already breaking. End of the day, the result is satisfying, but the cost (time n effort) is on the high side. (read SIONG!) Being 11-mth old, I've minimal swirls marks, etc. and in my mind, machine polisher, etc is for removing swirls marks and other heavy-duty wax job. Where I'm coming from, it's to reduce my manual labor in the weekly wash/clean/sealant routine. I am thinking, can I invest in some polisher/buffer machine, or something (sorry maybe wrong technical term but I'm noob in this area) to reduce some of the "eat-strength" work? There is a thread discussing AC (220V) polisher but can someone put it in some kind of layman's start-up guide from pure manual labor?

i'm on my second white car now. white is a colour where regular detailing helps keep its whiteness very obviously. i'm on jeff werkstat prime acrylic and jett. quite long lasting and smooth. helps keep the dirt off. also using auto wet tissues to take care 'spot problems'... weekly wash, monthly detailing session seems to be a good routine. tried waxes but some turn sticky in days and collects dust faster. for those with white cars - what are your products/detailing routine ?

Hi to all the experts here. I wonder should I send my ride for my 2nd maintenance because of the 3-months deadline is reached? If based on the recommended mileage, my ride is only half-way there. This senario happens because I didn't use my ride for 3 months while I am working overseas. Thanks for any advices.