Faridi Motors

Faridi Motors A Review by Hassan Hawash Oh no! Not those lights again! Why couldn’t I be looking at patio lantern lights, or listening to Blinding Lights, Light My Fire or even Blinded by the Light, but not this! Not those dashboard lights including my function indicator lamp light in orange, the charging system warning light in red, the engine oil pressure warning light in red and the electronic power steering (EPS) warning light in red. My car was starting to light up like a veritable Christmas tree. Fortunately, these concerning lights were not flashing making what would have made an already uncomfortable sinking feeling even worse, but still my KIA Forte indicated it needed immediate attention. Thank God, I was able to make it to a mechanic. Unfortunately, turning into a franchise automobile repair shop employing young twenty somethings with only a superficial grasp of mechanic skills, I was not left feeling very confident, very doubtful was how I felt, in fact. I gathered, such as place would be alright for getting an oil change or changing your tires. With a stroke of luck, I was very grateful when a long-standing Cambridge resident pointed me in the direction of Akbar at Faridi Motors. Akbar oozes confidence. Just to look him, he is what you would picture in a mechanic. He has the requisite tell tale signs of someone who has been in the trenches getting his hands dirty and his work shirt the same covered in grime. I left my car in with him during which time he did an assessment and treated the problem I spoke to him of. By early afternoon, after leaving the car in at 10 am, Akbar rang me stating, very matter of factly, that my car was ready to be collected. He explained the alternator needed to be replaced and was able to justifiably point out why such was the case. True to form in providing great customer service, Akbar was very accommodating when I again had to make a return visit days later because those dashboard lights lit up. Believe me, nothing can ruin your day and immediately pull up anxiety like a lit-up dashboard. So, once more my KIA Forte spent some time in Akbar’s care, at no extra charge I must mention. He ran an assortment of tests on his electronic device at the end of which he confidently declared that according to his reading, my KIA was once again ready for the road. The real test will be once I hit the 401 heading into Toronto. It was there when I would slow down to speeds of 5, 10, 15 and 20 kilometres an hour in heavy traffic that the dashboard would appear and ultimately the engine would stop. I did have a great test run here in Cambridge where the traffic slowed down to a trickle, due to an accident, and, to my chagrin, the dashboard lights did not appear and as such the engine kept purring smoothly. What a relief!