Beware of Jeepney Drivers!!!

I’ve ranted so many times before about some of the drivers attitude towards driving. And most of those ’some’ drivers are PUV drivers.

Every morning I drive myself to work, struggling with jeepneys obstructing the roads, as I’ve mentioned before, traffic laws here in the Philippines are merely suggestions. Most of the PUV (or even non-pro) drivers obtain their drivers licenses through other means. When you get caught by the police, try to “settle” things - thus, people don’t really care about the rules of the law.

Last Tuesday, I got a call from my b/f that he’s already out from work and he could drive me to work. I was so happy because as much as possible, I want to spare myself from morning chaos on the road. But just as when I thought I was spared from morning stress, one jeepney hit us while crossing the intersection of Pasong Tamo and V. Cruz (near Shopwise).

We signalled before we changed lane - and there was this fast jeepney and hit the side part of the car. I was shocked.

What pisses me off:
1. The driver said he didn’t do anything wrong (ok, due process, innocent until proven otherwise)
2. He won’t pay for the damages
3. He said he saw us signalling but it he didnt slow down because according to him, malapit na sya sa amin. (which, all the more, dapat nag-slow down sya)

It all happened in a split second, the jeepney was still far behind us when my b/f manuevered to the other side (he changed lane because there was this Ford who cut us off and just stopped there).

5. The police officer in the traffic bureau wasn’t much of a help.

It it weren’t for my b/f, I would have had filed a case against the driver. Pity was the last thing on my mind. I am a person with soft spot to everyone but there’s just something WRONG with letting an irresponsible person go just because he said he’s ‘poor’ and he thought we are rich - because we’re driving a car and he’s driving a PUV. The driver was even smiling while we were in the traffic bureau. I don’t know if he thought everything was funny - or that he knows we can’t ask him to pay for the damages.

It cost us 4,500.

Why do I want to file a case against him? Okay, I am not being inconsiderate or mean - but I just want to fight for my rights and teach him a lesson. People often waive their rights because it’s ‘expensive‘ (court fees, lawyers and stuffs) or impractical (court hearings, etc) to fight for our rights. I don’t have money to hire a lawyer. I don’t have anything. But I just want to let him know that what he did was wrong, that he can’t always get away from his obligations. One more thing that aggravated the situation was that the driver doesn’t have a license - ok, he has - but it was a traffic ticket because he was recently apprehended for another traffic violation.

We all have our rights - inherent to us and even protected by the Constitution. But there are times when we can’t even assert ourselves. I guess, I should try to live with it. BUT, come to think of it - if we try to adapt to this sub-par kind of society and standards, then, no wonder we are still a third world country. It’s a loop. I don’t know where to start. Defensive driving are mostly for those who really got into driving schools - for others, it’s NOTHING. They don’t even care.

If you come across this post - I just want to ask you that please, be a responsible driver. If we can’t change even this system, then how can we grow as a nation?

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Tags: Chaos, Traffic, Manila Life, Manila Traffic

What’s your color? :)

I want to have my car repainted (washover) to remove the tiny scratches. Been thinking of a nice color but I am leaning towards keeping the original color instead - which is uh, I forgot, but it’s ‘Maroon’ for normal people like me. But when I saw this site, everything somehow changed, I am now considering having its color changed from maroon to, yes, PINK!

Photo credit: Image from www.clifford-bodykits.com

It’s sooo, Elle.

Non-sense update and what have you

Finally got my non-pro license! Yey! Now I can legally drive because for the past month that I’ve been driving alone around Taft Avenue (Manila) I didn’t have a license. I even refuse to drive to Makati in broad daylight and when the cops are around. Now I can drive alone - I just have to say it again because I cannot believe it :p No more waiting for someone with a license to accompany me when I have to go somewhere.

My best friend is back, though we haven’t had he time to go out and really talk because she needs to look after her mom. I wish I could be with her 24 hours but I just can’t because of parking fee issues and all other commitments, i.e. my life. I may be driving but I am so broke recently.

The other week I got to save PhP2500 from all the allowance and stuffs (starving myself to save enough). I was sorta saving up for gas and I was also thinking about getting a new pair of Havs or maybe a new bag - or just something that can lighten me up. Then, tadah - the power steering hose broke down. Had it repaired for about 2300++ So much for my shopping fantasy.

And also last week, I chanced upon a gorgeous sleeve for my MacBook. THAT sleeve that I’ve been wanting to have ever since time immemorial - I had the money at that time, but because I want to keep my ’savings’ for something more important - aka car maintenance, I had to let it go.

Oh, is Leopard out yet? I am so out of the loop that I don’t know what’s in or out. I got to see (by chance) the new Nano’s but right now, I don’t have any appetite for those kinda gadgets. All I’m thinking about right now is are car maintenance. And oh add-ons.

Car stereo (second hand, slightly used will do) - 3,000
Car antenna - 3,000
Washover - 30,000
Gear shift and boots - 3,500 (Momo) or 1500 (for generic)
Headlights and some more add-ons - 5,000
and the list goes on.

I am not saying that I am going to spend as much as (insert amount here) for the car right now, because honestly, I don’t have the means to come up with such amount. But it’s just a wishlist. Or maybe I should just scratch that list and replace with: “Ford Focus” instead! Now that’s really wishful thinking.

Then, there’s a really long story about my LTO visit earlier but I’ll write about that later.

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Tags: Blah, Car, Manila Life, Manila, City Life, Urban Jungle

Burnin’ Holes in the Pocket…

and the list continues… gawd. It’s like having a baby that you have to feed every single minute and ALWAYS have to look after for. For the past week I’ve added a pretty good number of scratches - and it doesnt hurt me that much anymore.

All I am thinking right now is to have it repainted. Well maybe on Saturday, hopefully I can have it repainted - touch up paint, that is. I dont have the money to burn to have it repainted. And I figured, if I save up PhP300 everyday, for 100 days, then I can have it repainted by January ‘08. Do the math. The figure’s making me dizzy. Ohgawdness.

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Tags: cars, manila life, urban living, manila

Ding! There’s a dent!

Before I continue with the Part II of my latest adventure in driving and owning a car here’s another update on those list of expenses.

Be prepared for the unexpected - dings. DENTS.

I am always careful and cautious on the road but when it comes to parking in our own tiny garage, I’ve been always challenged in parking and maneuvering. What aggravated the situation is when you ask someone for help (hiring someone to be of help when you need one) but ended up disappointing you. I was trying to park in our garage - and there was that one person who’s supposed to be looking after (or just be of help) while I was parking. All I was asking from her was to do her job efficiently but she didn’t. She was trying to finish everything she needs to do in haste. WHY? Because she’s watching TV. Actually there are two of them hired to be of help - but they just can’t do their job efficiently because it’s Teleserye, Telenovela time!!!

I am not blaming her because I am partly at fault too - but the damage could have been minimized, if not avoided, if only she did her part. I was so worried that having that tiny dent repaired would need some major repainting.

Being a new forumer in here, I sought for help - and I found this thread as an answer to my problem. There’s a thing called Paintless Dent Repair and per the forumers recommendation, there’s Autocamp in Ortigas Avenue who could do the job! I am so happy!!!! They charge around PhP 200-500 per dent. You can also try KatokMagic if you’re from the south.

If you want something DIY, you can try THIS LINK, or this:

Remove Car Dent With Airduster - Funny video clips are a click away

But I am really thankful that it happened to me when I was already in our house. :) 

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Tags: DIYDent, Dents, Car, Driving, Urban Life

I am back with lots of stories to tell. Part I

Ooooookay, I’ve been awaaaaay, for a whiiiiile. I know. I am sorry

Finally got a car last Saturday (a second hand one from a friend). I often hear from people that owning a car is expensive, I thought it was just all about GAS, the car itself and the maintenance. Then I figured it out recently here are the things that make owning a car “expensive”

1. 1. Okay, again getting the car. Whether it’s a second hand one or a brand new unit, it’s still not that cheap. Well, unless of course, you were born filthy rich (well for me, the cost of my car is already my presumptive legitime, hehe)
2. Then there’s GAS. Whether it’s diesel or gasoline, it’s still expensive especially for larger vehicles/vehicles with large engines which goggles up gas FAST.
3. Tips. For manong guard, or the kind peeps in the parking* lot which helps me figure out maneuvering in tight spaces. And also, for looking after my car while I am away.
4. Maintenance. At first, I thought it was just all about maintenance. You know, just “maintaining” the car such as change oil and tune up. BUT man, I WAS wrong.

• Change oil for every 5,000 kilometers;
• Tune up for every 10,000 kilometers;
• Auto-detailing*** unless you got a sparkly brand new car (which still needs some detailing) you have to shell out PhP3,500. That’s all-in already (exterior, interior and engine) with a promise that they will restore it to it’s almost-new look. For this one, you have to leave the car for at least whole day or overnight, because they have to remove everything to clean it and let it dry.
• Lights. This one, I have a rather long story**
• Car wash***

5. Tickets and parking tickets****
6. Add-ons and some more stuffs** to make the car rather ‘cool’, whatever.
7. Tools. Such as:

• spare tire
• early warning device
• spare tire
• Etc….

*Parking is never easy for me. I hope I improve my parking skills soon enough.

**Lights, add-ons and some more stuffs.
Okay, I got the car last Saturday with my friend with a promise that he’ll give me the stereo sometime this week. He gave me the (rather old) car stereo and he said it’s working fine. So off I went last Monday to an autoshop somewhere in Pasong Tamo, Makati City. I supposed it’s a great shop after some reads in this and this forums. I’ve never been to an autoshop before and I was really impressed with the sight. It’s like a garage filled with cars somewhat like those in 2 Fast 2 Furious, okay, that’s quite an exaggeration but you get the picture. People are there to pimp their cars and such with stereos and speakers blasting. I was really impressed, I felt like my car was just a little speck of dust parked beside those cars. Okay, I was just a little envious that they could SPEND THAT MUCH for pimpin the cars, while I was just handing over the little stereo filled with molds to the technician. The technician told me “Is this working?” I told him yes. My friend assured me that it’s working. It doesn’t mean that if it’s not new it’s not working! However, the technician tried to convince me to check out some of their stereos in display. The “newer” ones. I told him I could live with that stereo for now.

The next issue was this: He told me the power antennaes are not working and that there’s no line from the stereo connected to the antennae and that he needs to fix *caching, that would have added cost to the repair* I immediately sent a text message to my friend (I was already kinda pissed off) asking why it’s not working. My friend told me there are two wires connected to the stereo and I should tell the technician to locate that wire instead. True enough, it worked.
Next issue: Speakers and statics. Again he tried to upsell speakers to me. But since the ones installed are relatively new, I opted not to get a new one. I can live with that since there’s only static whenever I turn up the volume to 10000000 decibels. I was never a fan of those people who blasts their speakers for all people (and pedestrians, kids sleepin in the crib) to hear.

Then of course, there’s a SHOP in the autoshop. A shop with goodies… Goodies such as add-ons. I was thinking of having my car’s shift root (not sure if it’s the right term) replaced. It’s torn, that’s why I transfered it from my ‘wants’ to ‘needs’ to ’super duper needs’. I was expecting to get it for like less than PhP1,000. Yes, that’s for the generic ones but they don’t have it. And that’s when I learned that there’s an expensive brand for car stuffs - Momo. I’ve only known Miu Miu (expensive clothing brand, I think) for the last 24 years of my existence. But surprise! There’s Momo. The shift root costs PhP1,800. And the gearshift knob costs PhP1,600. Yes, that’s just “The Knob” I decided to pass up on it. I don’t have enough money to splurge on that. Besides, we’re trying to save up for the car detailing.

Okay, so I left the autoshop with just my stereo installed went to school right after. I left my school around 9 in the evening and I noticed that my dashboard (gauge thingy) wasn’t lit up. I thought I just can’t find the switch (I twisted and pulled all possible bar, knobs just to turn it on but to no avail) I reached home without looking on my gauge. Though I know that I was just driving slow, was just on the first gear. Better be safe. Lolz.

Then yesterday, I again left my school around 9 in the evening and I made it sure to ask my friend how to turn that darn dashboard light on. He told me that once I turned on my headlights, the dashboard should be automaticall lit up. I only got to read that message from him when I was already at home. I sorta freaked out because I was thinking that he sold me a lemon when he told me it’s a perfect catch because the car was very well taken care of. I immediately checked my lights because I know there is something wrong. Surprise! SURPRISE! I found out that for the past two nights - I was driving without tail lights, parking lights and reverse lights. I was really thankful that I wasn’t apprehended! And of course I was so thankful to God that he took care of me during those nights.

My friend claimed that it was all working when he handed the car over to me, I know he’s telling the truth because we’ve used the car over the weekend with all the lights working. It should be working. I then realized that there must be something wrong with the installation of the stereo though I wasn’t sure because I don’t know anything about cars and electronics. I asked around and my cousin (who’s so into cars) told me that I should bring the car back to the shop where I had my stereo installed. I was hesitant thinking that such a reputable shop might not own up to it - that the person who installed it might have done that. I wasn’t even sure if the stereo and lights wirings were interconnected or something.

I brought the car to another shop this afternoon to have the lights checked. And it confirmed the suspicion, the wiring of the stereo was connected to the wiring of the lights which caused the fuse to err *am lost for the right word* to defuse? It’s busted that’s why.

***Auto-detailing. My car is somewhat untidy and I need it to be serviced ASAP. And I’ve been scouting for nicer shops where I can have it serviced. I am thinking about having it serviced in BigBerts or maybe just Denjo’s in Makati.

Car wash. The night I got my car, I was so excited to wash and wax it. I was so eager I thought it was just that simple. Wrong. I even applied the wax thick. Super thick thinking I can just wipe it off the next day. I was so wrong - I couldn’t wipe off the wax the next day. And until now, there are dried marks of wax on it’s body. I can have it waxed soon, maybe, in a car wash shop. I do not want to do it again. It’s hard.

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Tags: Driving, Manila Traffic, Car, Car and Maintenance, Auto-detailing, Autoshops