I clocked in roughly 12:40pm. I left at approximately 3:45pm. That’s supposed to be faster? Please! *roll eyes*

Many of my friends said I should’ve gotten it done at the mall. Now that I think about it, I should have. It’s just frustrating that we can’t get the same level of service at all LTO branches. Plus, quite frankly, while the whole biometrics thing was cool, I dislike peeing with the door open. (Apparently a new policy.) The angle ensured the lady manning the computer might actually be able to see me peeing, and while my wedding ring is an effective deterrent to the exhibitionist in me, I really am not fond of using public toilets to do my business.

So there. I have three years to be bitter with the wasted three hours of my birthday life as well as this goshawful picture that makes me look so fat. Plus when I got back into my Hyundai Getz, sobrang init!

What are your license renewal or car registration stories?

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?

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!

The folks at Blade have christened their new baby the Blade Electron. How different is that from Hyundai Getz? Other than the fact that it’s electric and has a different name, not much, apparently. The Electron has passed Australian safety standards on its two-speed automatic transmission. According to the article, “the great thing about this car is apart from the drivetrain, everything else is just Getz. The air-conditioner and power steering are driven by an auxiliary motor, so most of the driving experience remains constant and the Getz retains its character. The batteries take up little space and the luggage area is almost unaffected. Only 10cm of this space is taken up by the batteries and related electronics.”

Right now, the Electric Getz Blade Electron sells in India, and apparently, Australia, for our equivalent of – are you ready? – Php2,000,000!! Ouchies! I mean, I love the concept, and it’s terrific that we’re doing something to promote sustainable technology, but greenergy shouldn’t be this expensive. What do you think?

Anyway, the point is, the car feels terrific now. The greatest improvement by far is the air-conditioner. It’s strong and cool again; #1 lang, malakas na. Can’t wait to see how my Hyundai Getz will perform at high noon; my gut says it’ll be better than before. I spent more money than I usually do – the price range is normally somewhere between Php9,000 and Php16,000, depending on the parts to be replaced – but it’s totally worth it.

Before going home, I had a conversation with a new friend who also has a Getz. (Shout-out to Randy, woot!) He has his car tuned-up at a different mechanic, which is certainly his right and call. Me, I prefer having mine done at the original casa. I just feel it’s better in the long-term, when people see that no one else’s hands touched the car expect those authorized by Hyundai, and our service passport shows we faithfully had tuneups done at Hyundai, it may be better for the resale value. Randy said, correctly, though, that’s so much more expensive. So pros and cons all around.

Kayo? For tuneups, do you go “original” or “casa/mekaniko/talyer?”

Have a great holiday!

I went to Ace Hardware and found a pair of Bosch H-4 All-Weather 12V 100/90W headlight bulbs for Php759.75. While that is more expensive than the PHP590 I was charged, it isn’t the stock bulb which offers only 60/55W light. (That’s ridiculous, but then again, can we expect any better from a car company that offers us a donut for a spare tire? Pweh!)

Our company driver, Buboi – thanks, pare! – helped me install the bulbs into Gina’s eye sockets, and before I knew it, my Hyundai Getz was prepped up and ready to go with spanking new headlights that promise almost twice the strength and clarity. Plus, since it’s an all-weather bulb, I shouldn’t experience too much visibility problems even in the strongest of rainstorms. (For those of us whose cars survived the wrath of Typhoon Ondoy, I’m sure y’all know what I’m talking about, right, boys?)

A side note: deciding to replace your headlight bulbs on your own will most likely invalidate your warranties for certain parts of the car, including the electric connections there. I did it without much fear, though, because I’d already invalidated those warranties when I had Gina’s eyes smoked. If you ever decide to save yourself time and money, know what you’re getting into from a warranty perspective.