Past Experience Can Causes Mistake

I learned an interesting lesson few days ago when I got a loaner car from local KIA/Mazda service center for my car issue inspection. I would like to share something with you here.

Well, I have drive a car with the located functions over the past 20 years. I would say I'm very experience in driving a car, including how to switch on a air-con, release break, etc. But, I have to admin I was wrong after this lesson.

The car service center loan a Mazda 929 to me this time, which I have never drive before but I would say it's classic and old. I'm not sure why they treat me so 'good', as previously they have loaned me Optima, Carens, Sorento, etc.

Mazda 929 vs 6
Source: www.vehiclepad.com

When I got the car at service center, I noticed it is the same breaking system with Mercedes. I try to press the break pedal to release the break. But I couldn't and it stuck there. I tried to look around alternative for a couple of minutes, but to no avail. In the end I have walk inside the service center and ask the counter service guy for assistance. He showed to me that there's a break release puller to release the break, which is located at the lower left of the steering.

I have to admit this design is sucks, as it is totally blocked by the steering. The 'break release' label on it also the same color as the puller, how am I suppose to notice it? However, when think back, I have leverage too much on my past experience. And my focus is only on using my past experience driving Mercedes to release the break. I believe that's the point where I didn't notice the puller when I look through the options over the dashboard.

And after driving for a while, I noticed the car air-con is not working! I thought my car would be fixed by the end of the day as I sent in before 8am on Thu. I need to bare with it for just 1 day.  I feel very dizzy in the late noon because the weather is very hot and I need to drive around for working. What make thing worsen is, I didn't get call to collect the car in the late noon.

The next day, I decided to call the service center to complain about the loaner car. How dare they loan me the car to drive without an air-con! I looked for the same guy and asked for my car status, unfortunately they told me they need me to leave it over the weekend to further fix the defects. I asked him about the air-con, and he said that car air-con was modified, I just need to switch it on from the right of the steering (1st switch from left) instead of the central air-con switch:

Modified aircon switch

Source: ekimkee.blogspot.com

I was speechless.

The moral of my story, try not to judge or make final decision based on past experience alone. There's always something we overlook, or beyond what we have know or seen. ;)