I wash my Hyundai Getz Philippines, Gina, myself. That’s right. I have several pieces of chamois, decent car shampoo, Turtle Wax, a dashboard/vinyl polish/protectant, Rain-X windshield protectant, and now, Armor-All Leather Care Gel. I wash Gina at least once a week, usually on Saturday mornings, to start me active on a weekend.

There are days, though, when I want it professionally done. Since I live way up north, my Quezon City car wash of choice is Genki Car Spa, a Quezon City car wash along Maria Clara Street, Banawe, Quezon City. For just PHP100, they’ll wash my Gina, my Hyundai Getz Manila, down pat, with double foam, tire black, and interior cleaning and vacuum. I feel that Gina  is more than presentable when I drive her out after a Genki Car Spa cash wash.

Genki Car Spa, my favorite Quezon City car wash, is located beside the extremely popular Tazza Cafe, where people who go to have their cars washed can eat in air-conditioned comfort. You can even bring a laptop along and work, or surf with WiFi access. (They’ll charge you to plug your laptop in, though.) Tazza Cafe’s Kahluea Walnut Cake is to die for.

If you do decide to have your car washed at Genki Car Spa, be sure to go early. The lines of cars waiting can stretch as long as nine. (There is ample parking if you’d like to wait, and Tazza Cafe can accommodate you for as long as you’d like.)

Genski Car Spa
98 Ma. Clara St., Quezon City

To protect the Hyundai Getz leather seats I installed for Gina, I recently purchased Armor All® Leather Care Gel on discounted sale from Ace Hardware - SM Makati. This leather gel claims:

• Cleaning agents restore leather to its original, natural look.
• Unique conditioners keep leather looking rich and enhance its natural beauty.
• To create a barrier to protect from spills and stains.

“Armor All® Leather Care Gel cleans and conditions for that lasting luxurious look! It contains special UV blockers that scavenge damaging free radicals. The rich, moisturizing cream allows even, mess-free application. It has been specially formulated to be neither sticky nor greasy. Armor All® Leather Care Gel is also recommended for luggage, briefcases, furniture and handbags.”

So how did Armor all Leather Care Gel do on its first run with Gina?

I used a clean, slightly damp cotton cloth to apply the Armor All Leather Care Gel to the leather seats of my Hyundai Getz. Rubbing the Armor All Leather Care Gel into the leather in a circular motion allowed the gel to be absorbed quickly, and I kept a roll of paper towels nearby to soak up excess moisture. I tend to scrimp application portions with my car care items, and I was impressed with how little gel seemed to go a long way. The bottle promised 20 seats, but I think I can get more.

Initial impression: the Armor All Leather Care Gel seemed to react well with the black leather portion of the seats of my Hyundai Getz, leaving it with a slight gloss, and decidedly more supple. The light brown leather, however, seemed to have been stained darker upon initial gel application, something I attributed to the wetness of the gel rather than any possible dirt. A quick dab with my paper towels helped remove visible gel spots, especially around the stitching.

After application: It’s been three days, and my Philippine Hyundai Getz’s leather seats do feel a little softer, especially the brown leather portion. The initial stains are gone, indicating they were just the results of the moisture of the gel. Armor All Leather Care Gel also claims to protect the seats from the heat and the sun’s UV rays, which makes me feel a little more confident with the longevity and quality of the seats.

Would I recommend Armor All Leather Care Gel? It’s probably too soon to tell, but at this point, with maintenance of Hyundai Getz leather seats an important part of my priority car care list, I think it’s relatively safe to say that Armor All Leather Care Gel will probably be my leather care cleaner of choice for the next few months.

Owners of a Hyundai Getz in the Philippines will agree with me when I say the Hyundai Getz horn sucks balls.

It’s the worst horn ever. Blech. Horns are supposed to warn other vehicles, pedestrians, or animals on the road that we’re a-comin’. When I tooted my Hyundai Getz horn, all I got were laughing jeepney drivers and the occasional shocked dog.

So I resolved to change the horn of our Hyundai Getz Philippines. I bought myself a nice loud Bosch disc horn from Ace Hardware Greenbelt (at only Php699.75) and had it installed by the friendly folks at Wheels Inc - Hyundai E. Rodriguez for a service fee of Php500 so it doesn’t ruin the electrical warranty of Gina, our Hyundai Getz Philippines.

The end result: a Hyundai Getz horn I can be proud of!

Last week, I bought some Hyundai Getz rubber car mats to pimp my ride, my Hyundai Getz, Gina. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the standard Hyundai Getz rubber car mats that came with my Hyundai Getz.

These standard Hyundai Getz rubber car mats are the see-through, lightweight rubber car mats that slide easily with every shift of one’s foot. If the purpose, after all, of Hyundai Getz rubber car mats are to protect the car’s natural carpeting, these particular rubber car mats do not work, as they slide under the Hyundai Getz chair, or run haphazard along the car flooring. They were terrible.

So I bought these heavy Looney Tunes rubber car mats from SM Hypermart in North EDSA. I chose the design that featured Taz, the Tasmanian Devil, not because I particularly like that character but more because Taz’s brown-beige color matches the golden beige color of my Hyundai Getz. (Yes, I make decisions that do take color into consideration.) These new Looney Tunes Hyundai Getz rubber car mats are large and heavy, which would make it more difficult to slide or budge out of place. Their color schemes match our Getz, and add a touch of whimsy to the otherwise elegant, almost staid, look that I’m trying to achieve for Gina.

Anyway, I tried these rubber car mats on Day One and found, much to my horror, that there was a heavy chemical smell that permeated my Hyundai Getz. How do I remove the smell or odor of rubber car mats? After researching on the Internet, I learned that one way to remove the smell from rubber car mats is to expose them to the sun for several days. So that’s what I’m doing right now. Hopefully, in about a week’s time, the smell will be gone, I can pop these rubber car mats into my Hyundai Getz, and I can take photos.

I bought awesome leather seats for my Getz at MG Square Upholstery along Araneta Avenue near PureGold.

The manager, Rey, was very professional. He recommended all types of first-class quality synthetic leather, gave me good rates, and delivered in literally three days. I chose black leather seat covers with golden beige center trim and paid Php3,500.00 for front seats and the back seat.

I’m very satisfied.

(You can contact MG Square Upholstery at 411-5442. Look for Rey, tell him Ganns Deen told ya about ‘em.)

Gina, my Hyundai Getz Manila, is going to get leather seats! Woohoo!

(Admittedly, they’re not real leather seats, but I don’t want real leather- wawa naman the baka who dies just so Gina looks good - because it can get boiling hot in the summertime.)

I passed by MG Square along Araneta Avenue in Quezon City today, based on recommendations at this Hyundai Getz Philippines forum. The gentleman who assisted me, a suave, confident salesperson named Rey, ran me through the benefits of purchasing made-to-order (synthetic) leather seats from him. Among them:

• Their Hyundai Getz leather seat covers are double-stitched for greater durability.
• Their Hyundai Getz leather seat covers are tailor-fit for the size and design of Gina’s Hyundai Getz Manila seats.
• Their Hyundai Getz leather seat covers are designed in such a way they look like upholstering, not seat covers. It’ll look like Gina came with them!
• They can have the Hyundai Getz leather seat covers done by Sunday. That’s blazing fast by my standards.

I wanted to haggle, but I’m terrible at haggling. One time, I was so flustered by this shifty vendor in Greenhills that I haggled for a higher price! (The shoes were being offered to me for Php480; I offered Php500!)

I also did a quick pass at the Ace Hardware store beside SM Makati City two nights ago, and they offered me a similar product for Php3,900. I guess I just saved me Php400.

Rey gave me his number, but genius that I am, I left it in the Toyota Revo (which I drove yesterday since I still don’t have license plates, OR and CR). I’ll post it for all you interested Getzers who may want to have Hyundai Getz leather seat covers made.

I have decided to pimp my ride a bit, and buy Gina, my Hyundai Getz Philippines, new seat covers and a new horn, because the factory-installed Philippine Hyundai Getz horn sounds like a soft-spoken Michael Jackson with laryngitis.

Canvassing for Hyundai Getz horns and Hyundai Getz seat covers can get daunting, though. I’ve found a custom-made faux leather seat cover maker along Banawe Avenue in Quezon City, and their material feels absolutely lovely. Horns, I’m thinking of getting those at a bigger place like Concorde, so they can’t just run if the horn shorts on me during warranty.

Of course, I’ll do all this once the next payday comes in.