Every car's unspoken fundamental rights: To be driven & looked after

We can discuss whether we do justice to our cars and bikes by obeying its unspoken words that are not codified, but happen to be their most important, unwritten fundamental rights.

BHPian anjan_c2007 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Humans and living beings including trees and animals have codified laws that have been enacted for their safety and well being. We have our sacred Constitution of India that guarantees us our fundamental rights. It also enumerates directive principles for ensuring a better quality of life.

But in respect of automobiles, there are no codified laws guaranteeing these entities on wheels, a good quality of lifespan. But the word "life" is repeatedly used in phrases as lingos in automobile vocabulary when it comes to "lifetime road tax", "lifetime third party insurance " ( once in vogue for 2 wheelers in the 1990's), "end of life" and so on.

Every respective automobile owned by us if allowed to speak and voice its life's first priorities, would assert its two most important fundamental rights as:-

• Right to good maintenance
• Right to be driven regularly but safely

We can discuss whether we do justice to our cars and bikes by obeying its unspoken words that are not codified, but happen to be their most important, unwritten fundamental rights.

To start with myself, I would say that I am doing justice to our three cars (incl the Tata Nano of my Mrs) that go out on the roads regularly. The fourth one i.e. my prized 1987 Maruti 800, moves out too less these days. Its started and its engine is warmed up twice a week. The once much used car's present predicament made me start this thread and now I will vow to drive it at least twice a month.

Among my two wheelers, the Lambretta and TVS-50, aged 41 and 60 respectively are parked since months. I also hope to get both functional and drive these from time to time. The Activa and RX 100 are regularly used and their fundamental rights are duly taken care of and obeyed.

I regularly undertake adequate maintenance and care of all my four and two wheelers on a regular basis.

Please share your own experiences about doing justice to your car/s and bike/s.

Here's what BHPian Sbisht24 had to say on the matter:

Both My Cars, BMW X6 & Verna Are Driven Regularly, Verna Daily For The GYM Or Weekend Long drive by my brother, BMW x6 I Use daily for the office

I take good care of both of them, monthly wash & weekly or bi-weekly deep cleaning with proper products

Here's what BHPian saket77 had to say on the matter:

'Right to be maintained' of the vehicle. 'Duty to maintain' for the owner. This is wonderful in theory but to bring out another aspect- when Govt is hell bent on blanket banning cars over a 10 year and 15 year period, I wonder what incentive is available to owners for devoting time, money and energy for the same. Scrapping a car which is in great shape and condition due to efforts and money invested by the owner during all these years of ownership is rather painful thing to watch compared to a battered car which happens to toe the 15 year life on it's last breath. Agree that this ban is not across the entire country but if someone buys a car in 2024, they cannot be sure that Govt will allow renewal of registration in 2039 or not. So, apart from basic maintenance, an owner may not be interested in going deep down into it.

We have to pay a hefty registration fee in JH for renewing registration for 5 years which is at par the fee paid for a new car. The rate is calculated on the invoice value + green taxes/ renewal regn charges etc. Mind you, this is only for 5 years against a new car which can be registered for the same fee for 15 years. This is to discourage old cars being re-registered and 'penalise' owners for not buying a new car. Someone thought at the helm that everyone with a car has stashed bundles of currency note under their beds. More than saving the environment, this is the automobile lobbying in effect, sadly in a state which is even remotely not at the forefront in the country economically.

Here's what BHPian GForceEnjoyer had to say on the matter:

"Right to good maintenance" is a right I'm proud to say both our cars (Ford Fiesta and Skoda Superb) enjoy to the fullest. In fact, we are currently in the process of locating a good FNG for our Fiesta due to unsatisfactory aftersales service experiences.

The "right to be driven regularly" is also enjoyed by both cars, with us regularly taking them on highway runs, especially after prolonged periods of city driving.

However, there is something I've noticed. In some places the legal threat to vehicles' "right to exist" seems to be throwing a spanner in the works. Just a month ago, I was in Delhi, and the condition of taxis (Ola and Uber, mostly new-ish DZires run between 60,000-1,00,000 km) was just appalling. Engines that seemed like they were struggling to breathe, suspensions that were clearly busted, quite a few warning lights on the dashboard, wheels so out of balance that 60 km/h felt like 160 km/h... you get the idea. The interiors were often filthy, and the heater would pump in unpleasant fumes regardless of whether outside air or recirculated air was selected.

When an owner knows that their car will be illegal to run in 10/15 years, there is clearly little to no incentive to go beyond the bare minimum on maintenance, unless you're an enthusiast. Meanwhile, the taxi home from Hyderabad airport was worlds apart. It was an old diesel Mahindra Verito that had run 3.8 lakh kilometres and was in pristine condition barring some dents and scratches. Clean interiors, smooth engine and an actually working suspension. It seemed ready for another 3.8 lakh kilometres!

Perhaps a "fundamental right to exist provided the car is in good health" should be added to the list. And unfortunately, not all cars can enjoy this today.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

Indeed. The fundamental Right to Live, should be accorded to all cars. Provided they have not reached a point where their health is seriously challenged or where their decrepitude is beyond redemption.

Rather than these Draconian NGT rules, there should be a system of mandatory Motor vehicle Health checks once every year and if the vehicle is in good health then it should be allowed to ply.

Of course this requires a massive level of voluntary compliance and ruthless enforcement which are both very hard to achieve in a country which has such a vast and indisciplined populace, as ours does.

Here's what BHPian arnav17 had to say on the matter:

• 2023 TVS Jupiter 125 - Used mercilessly for all commutes within the city, I wash it once in two weeks.
• 2016 MS Ritz - Used regularly for commutes in the city with 2+ people. Washed every 3-4 days,
• 2008 Tata Safari Dicor - Used sparingly only for long drives, probably once or twice a month. A grave injustice to this beast.
• 2000 HH Street Smart - Not used, but still enjoys full care from my side, a wash every 2 weeks and daily checks. Still shines and starts up on the first kick.
• 1991 Yamaha RX100 - Same as the street, not used but a beauty to look at. Still starts up on the first kick every time & regularly maintained.

That said, even if a small issue crops up with any of the above vehicles, they are taken straight to the FNG and fixed ASAP (the Street and RX on my insistence  )

Here's what BHPian Night_Raven had to say on the matter:

I strongly believe that for cars to be in good health they need to be running regularly. Just like we humans need to be physically active to remain fit. This is probably more important when it comes to cars with more complex systems. I have owned two cars which aren’t famous for being niggle free or reliable. Drove a Fiat Punto for 1 lakh kms and replaced it with a Jeep compass which now has crossed 35000kms. My profession is one which doesn’t have an option to WFH, and I drive my cars 7 days a week almost always. I believe this regular running and preventive maintenance has kept them in good shape and they both have never given me any trouble during the ownership.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.