About two weeks ago, the front right tire of my Hyundai Getz started to squeak really loudly when I fetched my wife from work. We’re not talking the kind of bicycle-tire iki! iki! iki! sounds. We’re talking the kind of loud EEEEEEEEEEEEK! sound that attracts attention because it’s so darn loud and painful to the ears.

After driving a few hundred meters, I pulled over to the side and examined the tire. It looked okay, but when the car moved forward – even at snail’s pace – the front right tire made that horrible shrieking sound. So I decided to replace the tire with the spare tire, thinking maybe the sound would go away with a different tire. Big mistake. I managed to replace one nut. When I worked on the second one, the nut wouldn’t budge. After stepping on the ratchet – or whatever you call that thing you pop into the nut to loosen it – the head of the nut suddenly broke off, leaving the rest of the bolt’s screw inside the hole.

Well, we’re screwed now, aren’t we?, I thought to myself. The squeaking sound wouldn’t go away, we were miles and miles away from Hyundai Global City, and I didn’t want to travel any further than we should because at that point I thought our tire might just fall off! My options were Hyundai Manila Bay along Macapagal and Hyundai Otis, so we proceeded to Hyundai Otis.

It was there that we found out the extent of Gina’s sickness. Two of the nuts on the front right tire had fused into the metal plate behind the tire. To remove these would require sawing through the metal and basically breaking the plate. Replacement and labor: somewhere near Php2,000. Wait, it gets worse. As they went to check the driveshaft, they discovered that one of the central points of the mechanism was broken. The entire pipe would need to be replaced. With labor and parts, total cost was somewhere near Php9,000.00 total, despite a discount given by the service department of Hyundai Otis.

No choice, diba? So I gave the go-signal and basically lived without Gina for two days. This was the first time ever that I’d been separated from my Hyundai Getz overnight. For two nights. The separation anxiety was ridiculous. I commuted to work for the first time ever, and found that it wasn’t as bad as I would’ve thought. (And once the MRT line is complete along EDSA, stretching down past A. Bonifacio, I’ll definitely find it easier to commute.)

When I picked Gina up from Hyundai Otis, she was obviously in much better shape. All parts original, all service original, all bayad original (hahaha). I’m glad she’s okay.

How are your Hyundai Getzes? Any major surgery like Gina’s?

Today, after I fetched my wife from work along Taft Avenue, the front right tire of my Hyundai Getz started making noise. Not the kind of whoosh whoosh that one would expect from a flat tire, but a shrill, piercing noise that can only come from metal on metal. It was extremely painful to the ears, and very, very loud. Naturally, we were very concerned, and I couldn’t imagine bringing my car all the way from Taft Avenue to Fort Bonifacio to have it checked up at our usual casa, Hyundai Global City.

I then had the brilliant – I say this sarcastically – idea of replacing the front right tire. Maybe it’s the tire, I told my wife. So after lowering our tire down and getting all sweaty and stuff, I succeeded in breaking off a nut and bolt from the front right tire.

!#@$*^*%!!!! (Buti na lang, kinalm-down ako ni Lord at ni Misis. hehehe.)

So Cathy and I weighed our options – get it towed to Hyundai Global City, or bring it to a different Hyundai service center. We could choose between either Hyundai Otis, pretty close to DLS-Manila, with it being along United Nations Avenue,  or Hyundai Manila Bay, not so far either from Taft Avenue, but further away from our home in Caloocan. So Hyundai Otis it was!

Upon our arrival there, we were immediately met by the service adviser Eric. He told me that another technician, Dek, would conduct a road test with my Hyundai Getz. So I hopped in the car to show Dek what I was talking about. And wouldn’t you know it? The noise stopped! Kainis!

I insisted they check it out though, so for the first time in my entire life with Gina, I had to leave her overnight. So Dek and Eric worked out a repair order for me and everything, and helped me settle Gina in for the night. (While waiting, I took a couple of pictures of the Hyundai Otis showroom because I’d never been there before. Sorry about the quality; it was just my camera phone.) A lady named Rowena gave me some information on the Hyundai Tucson. My God, what a beautiful, sleek piece of metal!! If I weren’t so afraid of driving such a large car…! Tuloy laway. Ganda!)

I’m having separation anxiety. I can’t sleep! lol

I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes, what was wrong with Gina, and how much it’s going to cost me so if you ever encounter a problem like this, you may know what to do.

Yngat sa kalye, mga tsong!