Tales of repair and despair
By Tessa R. Salazar
The woeful story of businessman and car enthusiast “EA” (name withheld upon request) started four years ago.
The woeful story of businessman and car enthusiast “EA” (name withheld upon request) started four years ago.
In an ideal world, every car would forever run perfectly, without maintenance or breakdowns. All car owners would just jump in, drive or ride, and hop off. But, like that popular ’80s song says, “It’s just a fantasy. It’s not the real thing.”
After moving out of my parents’ home and living in with my wife in our own new home, I felt a sense of empowerment. I clean the house (thankfully it’s a small townhouse with less than 150 sqm of living space), vacuum, sweep and mop the floors, do the dishes, prepare meals, take out the trash, etc., while my wife goes to work earlier than I and usually comes homes a wee bit later. My wife spent a significant portion of her life in Toronto, Canada, and my folks always said I was a neat freak so we both thought we would try living without household help, American-style so to speak. Every day I end up very tired because I tend to clean the house twice: first in the morning, fixing our bedroom, getting our things for the day ready, and the cleaning part itself. Our place is unusually dusty due to its proximity to construction sites in the area; dust, cement and sand will always find their way into our home. Hence, I have to clean it up again in the evening, before I prepare for dinner. You are probably thinking: What the hell does cleaning the house have to do with cars?!
There is that formal Spanish greeting that warmly says, “Mi casa es su casa,” which translates to English as “My house is your house.” Filipino car owners certainly feel that way when they buy a brand-new car from their friendly neighborhood dealership. They feel welcomed. And as long as the warranties are effective, the car owners regularly bring in their cars for routine checkups, top-ups, tune-ups and repairs.
Week after week, month after month, I’ve been writing about car care maintenance tips, and at some point it does become repetitive. Why is this?
Once again floods brought about by Typhoon “Gener” wrought havoc in Metro Manila and a fairly large number of cars were affected. Here’s a simple to-do list to make your car road-worthy again. Please note that regardless of your car’s condition, do not try starting/cranking your engine if you are in doubt. You might cause a short circuit, which at the very least can fry your car’s electronics, or worse, start a fire. Safety is always paramount.
It’s boomtime for the Philippines. Analysts recently proclaimed the country as already an emerged economy, no longer the “Sick Man of Asia,” an archipelago with a sweet spot for investors.
While the car market has grown immensely over the past five years, the vast majority of motorists still own, drive or maintain an older car, usually 5-7 years old, if not more. Common knowledge says that five-year-old cars tend to manifest most of the serious problems in car ownership. I hope to help you become more proactive and identify common problems, which can lead to more serious and costly ones down the road if left unattended.
More than a great way to save money, knowing how to change your vehicle’s engine oil may be regarded as a rite of passage. Vehicle manufacturers typically recommend an oil change every 5,000 kilometers or whenever the oil in the dipstick already has sludgy deposits or grainy particles of dirt.
I love tinkering with my cars. I spend an inordinately large amount of time tinkering, poking, probing and seemingly improving stuff. I also look forward to maintenance time because it gives me the opportunity to fix, improve or repair things which I deem necessary. A well-maintained car is a better, safer, faster and more enjoyable [...]
