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Over the weekend, I brought the family on a road trip out of town to check out a piece of land we were planning to develop. I was able to find the place on Google Maps, and I’ve been checking out possible routes. I planned to use the mobile Google Maps application with my Smartphone’s GPS, since I’ve already tried it within the city and it worked like a charm.

I learned that traveling outside of Manila, Google Maps worked like a charm, too. When I first got to know Google Maps about four or five years back, it only had some satellite imagery of the Metro areas. Now it has street data, establishments, and even user-inputted information.

If your phone is GPS-enabled, Google Maps will track your direction and movement, as long as you have GPS satellites within line of sight.

What’s great is that some network providers (like Smart) have unlimited 3G plans even on prepaid. So traveling all day shouldn’t be a problem. You would just need to be sure you have a decent signal (both GPS and 3G), and enough battery charge (or that you can plug in your mobile phone with a car charger).

We only missed one turn, because I was having connection problems at that time. We also encountered a one-way street. If only Google Maps had traffic information, life would’ve been easier. But still, we were able to navigate through the place without having to ask for directions. One of my kids had fun watching the blue blip travel through the lines representing the roads, and approach the star (since I previously starred the exact point we were supposed to visit). The application even knows the direction you’re traveling toward, since the blip is actually an arrow!

So the PROs of this are:

- It’s cheap
- It’s fast if you’re traveling in 3G-enabled locations
- It’s handheld (you can use it while walking)
- It’s pretty accurate!

As for CONs, I could think of a few:

- Small screen (would depend on your Smartphone)
- You need to set up your phone before your trip, to make sure it works
- No traffic data
- No directions

Perhaps if Google were to add more layers of information, particularly traffic and directions, Google Maps would be a viable alternative to those expensive navigation systems offered by auto dealerships.

One thing I learned in my years of driving and being a car owner is that dealing with the Land Transportation Office can be a pain. This is especially so during those times in the year you have to renew your driver’s license and your motor vehicle registration. It’s not too difficult to determine the schedule for registration (which is usually based on the last two digits of your plate number). However, sometimes you find the need to check for vehicle registration, especially in times of emergency.

For instance, when I got into an accident sometime last year, I used my mobile phone to check the registration details of both my car and the other vehicle involved. This helped determine if the plate matched with the vehicle, if the registration was valid, and if there was no LTO alarm (such as carnapping) on the vehicle. This technique for checking registration is also helpful, to some extent, when checking used cars before buying. Although the registered name does not appear, you can at least check if there are any LTO “alarms.”

The procedure is fairly straightforward. You just send an SMS to 2600 with the following keywords:

LTO VEHICLE ABC123

where ABC123 is the plate number. You will then get a response detailing the car’s brand, make, year, color, and date of last registration. Now this won’t necessarily tell you whether the registration is still current or expired, but based on the plate’s endings, you can at least estimate if it is valid for the current year.

You can also check license details by texting this to 2600:

LTO LICENSE XXXXXXXXXX

where XXXXXXXXX is the license number. This can be pretty useful when checking for the driver’s identity and validity of the license.

To get motor vehicle transactions and keywords, send “LTO MV” to 2600. For other permit and transactions, send “LTO DL” to 2600. Each message costs PhP 2.50.

And there goes the Formula One season. Hamilton sucked. The FIA was bollocks. Massa nearly died. Schumi nearly made a comeback. Button won. I guess that’s pretty much it.

For all our talent of making “sawsaw” to just about everything, I think motorsports is one area we haven’t really made any efforts in associating ourselves to. Formula One is just the largest motorsport in the whole world. We’ve been fielding athletes in the Olympics, so why aren’t we doing the same for F1? Malaysia is fielding a Formula One team next season and they’re practically in the same time zone as us.

Well, it’s easy to tell why we can’t.

One easy reason is that we really don’t have an automaking industry to speak of. Sure we make a hell of a lot of jeepneys and I know many people abroad envy that we have areas like Banawe and Evangelista to cater to tuners. But a homegrown automaker that invests on world-class research and development, production, and sales and marketing? None that I can think of. (Anyone knows if FMC is back on its feet or if A-Toys has finally got a crack at it?)

One of the biggest motivations for automakers to field teams is to make it a proving ground for car technology. Some would settle for the publicity the sport brings to the brand. Even with those perks, big names like Honda and BMW have quit F1. Toyota has been mulling quitting too. And these are established automakers that surely have enjoyed such perks. Unless we can find ways to slap on aerodynamics and KERS on owner-type jeeps to sell more of them…

So what about Malaysia? Well, even though Malaysia is part of the ASEAN (of which we are also part), the country is home to Proton which happens to own British sports car maker Lotus. Lotus currently makes few of the best-handling cars in the world (the Elise, Exige and Evora). Oh and they have Petronas too.

It requires a lot of resources to field an F1 team and Malaysia’s got the balls, the funds, the technical know-how, and the driving talent to support Lotus’ participation. Too bad, as Pinoys, we sure have bigger balls than any other nation and I’m sure we can find talent out there (given the number of un-Christian motorists out there), but not too much on the other stuff.

Given our economic outlook, spending at least $65 million on developing speedy cars for just one year is just plain indecent. And there’s other expenses like for travel, publicity, and the team. Mind you that the better F1 drivers get nearly as much as Manny Pacquiao’s net worth (which took him years to build) in just a year.

And the list can go on.

Sure we’ve got fellow Pinoys who are participating in other forms of motorsport in the region but nothing that comes close to something big as F1. And I’m positive we haven’t even participated in WRC, GT races, or even Le Mans.

I just hope to see a Filipino in F1 in my lifetime.

I’ve done some pretty wicked things in my younger driving days like driving (quite) fast and in few occasions, even forcibly powersliding a four-door family saloon going downhill from Antipolo or Baguio to poor effect.

These days, I just don’t feel the need for speed whenever I’m out on public roads any more. I feel it’s just too unsafe and too immature to do those things on congested metro roads. I now follow a driving philosophy that I share with Top Gear’s James May – Christian motoring.

It’s simple really – try to be generally pleasant on the road. And no, I’m not trying to be a Jesus freak here. It doesn’t really include having a rosary draped on your rear-view mirror or having a Sto. Nino statue glued on your dash. More of the ethics than the organized religion.

Anyway, a few pros for being a Christian motorist is that you’re generally safer since following rules means you’re driving at prescribed safe speeds and yielding to people means less accidents. And pedestrians appreciate you.

The thing is, even with a population of 80% Catholic, we have the most un-Christian motorists in the whole world. Let me point out some of the un-Christian motoring habits by our fellow Pinoys. (Feel free to add some more in the comments.)

• Speeding and driving recklessly
• Overtaking aggressively (even in yellow or double yellow lanes)
• Not yielding to drivers’ and pedestrians’ with right of way
• Not letting other drivers change lanes even if given proper signals
• Swerving and excessively changing lanes (singit nang singit)
• Asserting right of way (complete with flashing headlamps)
• Convoys (Yes, this applies to you, politicos!)
• Stealing parking spaces or one-upping people for one
• Parking at reserved spaces
• Double-parking
• Blocking people’s driveways
• Honking at pedestrians
• Honking at law-abiding motorists
• Spraying pedestrians with rain water driving over puddles
• Revving their siento-bente (tunog siento, takbo bente) tailpipes even in quiet neighborhoods
• Turning their souped-up sound systems all the way up
• Catching up with drivers and threatening them

Too bad for us, Christian motorists since not doing all of these things make us doormats to those who do. And this basically is the con to being a virtuous driver. And it doesn’t really help if “Christian” also implies turning the other cheek. But who ever does? The philosphy only calls for being generally pleasant and not be a driving martyr. Now, if only I can find a way to send these un-Christian motorists to driving hell.

MMDA deploys an army of blue-clad so-called traffic enforcers all over the metro and I hate them as much as I hate their “MMDA Labs You” tarpaulin banners which is a lot.

Motorists like me have learned to steer clear of these boys in blue. They seem to serve absolutely no other purpose than to hand out tickets to motorists erring or not. And they only seem to be around when the number coding scheme is in effect or during merienda time, otherwise they magically disappear.

Given our history of red tape, one of the most irritating things that a driver can experience on the road is to be apprehended by traffic cops and enforcers. For one, some of their charges are oftentimes absurd interpretations of traffic laws. As for MMDA traffic enforcers, I had more than one nasty encounter with them.

Here’s one instance. I was driving in one of the crazier areas of Quezon City (somewhere in the south triangle) and since I am not too familiar with the area and forgot my city atlas (a must-have for motorists) so I decided to pull over (carefully, signal lights and all) and ask one of them. I haven’t even rolled down my window when he whipped out his ticket book and started writing stuff on it. With my window down, I was then greeted with a smug, “Ser, lisensya niyo.”

It already took great humility in part as a manly man to ask for directions and the fellow returns my courtesy with a traffic ticket. In the days of old, I would have contented myself slapping that person’s face with my gloves and challenge him to a duel. But then again, those were the days of horse and buggy and traffic enforcers would’ve been more than pointless.

It’s a good thing that these MMDA boys get more than befuddled by a stream of polysyllabic words in English that he simply waved me off. And I never even got directions. Had I not been lucky that day, I would’ve gotten a juicy ticket. Rather than incovenience myself with contesting tickets with their so-called Traffic Adjudication Board, I would’ve paid. Because here’s what you have to go through to contest a citation:

1. File a written complaint with the TAB
2. Secure verification and clearance from data division to clear you from existing tickets
3. Hearing officer schedules hearing and both motorist and enforcer are summoned
4. Both parties are heard in the hearing
5. Protest to be decided through resolution
6. Head of TAB reviews and approves the resolution
7. If citation is upheld, motorist deals with the fine/sanction

Here’s a video to boot.

It’s nice to see that there’s a venue to contest such charges but easily that’s at least a couple of workdays lost if you decide to go through with it. And time is more than a luxury for the working Filipino. I have yet to meet someone who has gone through the process and succeeded.

On another instance, I got a ticket for “illegal parking.” Know that pink line along sidewalks? Apparently, they’d slap you with a violation even if only an inch of your bumper encroaches the pretty pink line. That time, there was no reasoning with the enforcer since the ticket was just left pinned under my windshield wiper. I just dropped by a Metrobank branch and paid the ticket. I just kept the payment stub and a photocopy for future reference.

Anyway, my point is, if there’s one thing that these enforcers should do is to direct traffic first, watch out for violators second. But I guess that’s why Mr. Fernando elected to call them “enforcers” and not “aides”.

Tough lab.

Image credit: MMDA

The recent onslaught of typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana), which left majority of Metro Manila and outlying cities flooded has resulted in the loss of many lives, homes and property. Part of this is the flooding of automobiles. Some had been fully submerged. Some partially submerged. And many others had to pass through floodwaters, probably stuck in traffic or just to get to higher parts of the city, to avoid further damage.

What should a car owner do in the event that his or her vehicle is submerged in flood waters?

How to wade through flood

The best way to deal with flooding is to avoid travelling at all. But if you really have to brave the floodwaters, then here are a few tips, mostly based on an article I wrote for Study Driving some time back.

• Turn off your air conditioning–both the thermostat and the fan. In the event flood waters reach your aircon system while it’s running, it will be costly to clean and repair.
• Use other cars as a reference when checking for depth. If the flood waters are up to halfway of the wheels, then it’s probably still safe to pass through. If it’s already reaching past the wheels, then there’s a high likelihood that the waters will enter the cabin and also the engine bay.
• Check for possible obstacles and changes in depth. With floodwaters, you won’t be able to see the sidewalk or any open manholes.
• It’s easier to wade through flood if you’re driving a manual transmission vehicle, since you can “play” with the engine revolution by adjusting the clutch and accelerator pedals while moving forward. You need to make sure your engine is revving enough such that water will not enter through the tailpipe. So stick to first gear and keep the engine revved to at least 2,000 RPM until you are sure you’ve exited the waters.
• If you’re driving an automatic transmission vehicle, be sure to stick to first gear, too. Do this by selecting “1″ or “L” on your gear selector. You can probably “play” with engine revolution by clicking the gear selector button such that the clutch will disengage and let you rev up the engine without moving forward, in the even you need to stop while in the middle of the flooded street.
• Make sure the water will not reach up to your engine’s air intake. Once water gets in, your engine will choke as it will no longer be able to combust fuel. Some diesel 4×4 vehicles have snorkels that act as air intakes. Since these are located up high, you can theoretically submerge the car in roof-deep waters, for as long as the snorkel is above-water. But of course, most of us drive regular cars, and not flood-proof 4×4s.
• Be sure to check or dry out your brakes right afterward by tapping and pumping to check if they “bite” properly.

After a flood

Based on discussion threads on Vios Club Philippines and Tsikot, here are a few things you should keep in mind if your car gets submerged under flood water while running or while parked.

• Don’t attempt to start the car. You have to make sure the engine is not waterlogged.
• Disconnect both terminals of the battery.
• If water has reached your car’s computer box (ECU), it’s best to have your car towed to the casa or service center without delay. You will probably not be able to do any DIY fixing here.
• Uninstall the air filter, and dry out. You may also replace this is replacement is due anyway.
• Dry out all electricals, especially the relays, plugs and other switches before plugging the battery back in.
• Check your oil dipstick. If it’s coffee-colored (with cream!), then it means water has entered your engine’s cylinders. Oil will have to be changed several times, for this to be flushed out.
• Have all fluids replaced.
• Have all joints and bearings re-greased.
• Have spark plugs dried or replaced.
• Look for drain plugs underneath the car’s carpeting, and also the trunk (usually under the spare tire well).
• Be sure to dry out the car in the sun, weather permitting.
• Have your car’s interior detailed, as the flood will most likely leave mud and other stains inside. Worse than this is the musty, murky smell that water ill leave inside the car.
• If in doubt, have the car towed to the nearest service center or casa.

Repairs for flooded vehicles would usually involve replacement of electrical parts, replacement of spark plugs and fluids, cleaning of the interiors, and additional rustproofing or undercoating (as flooding would be one reason for early corrosion).

Flood insurance

Most insurance policies do not automatically cover “acts of God” or “force majeure,” so be sure to check with your insurance provider if you can file claims for repair or replacement of a flooded vehicle. Most would cover for AOG with a premium, but some would include this as free in the policy. I’m pretty sure insurance companies will be deluged with calls from car owners as an aftermath of the storms.

Has your car been flooded by the recent typhoon? The staff of Pinoy Auto Blog extend our sympathies, especially for families who have lost lives, homes and properties. We will be joining online relief and rehabilitation efforts soon.

Image source: flickr/floriebassingbourn

Latest news from the Philippine Land Transportation Office (LTO) lately is that they plan to implement RFID (radio frequency ID) tagging on all motor vehicles soon. According to LTO Chief, Assistant Secretary Arturo Lomibao, this move is “a great first step in putting order in our streets,” in that it will help fight carnapping, and will also aid in motor vehicle registration, as well as apprehension (or ticketing) of traffic violators.

Some sectors are up in arms against this development, though, because they view it as an invasion of privacy. Party list Representative Liza Maza said that “[t]his technology raises fears that it might be used to violate the right to privacy of individuals. The LTO’s microchips might, in turn, be used as “spychips” for the government’s surveillance operations on those critical of the current administration.”

Critics also cite the PhP 350 fee for an RFID tag sticker to be another burdensome cost that motorists would have to shoulder, aside from the regular motor vehicle registration fees.

However, Yugatech cites some potential advantages of this scheme, which includes ease of paying fines for traffic violations, faster registration renewal, and as a crime deterrent. Some other possible applications were raised, too, such as integration of e-Pass and even parking passes, which could be a great convenience to those who line up every day at the tollways.

RFID is a short-range wireless communications technology that lets a tagged device emit a weak signal that can be read by a scanner. The tag contains a pre-set amount of information that can be useful in several applications, from inventory management, staff/student identification, asset tracking, mobile payments and the like. An RFID chip usually has a lifespan of several years, and is often inexpensive to produce and acquire (particualrly if en masse).

RFID tags are commonplace in bookstores and libraries, for tracking inventory and preventing theft. These are also used in the logistics industry, for tracking shipments and deliveries.

RFID could be the solution to the Philippines’ traffic and carnapping woes, especially in the Metro areas. Yes, it might be used as a spying device, but if you don’t really have anything to hide, then you shouldn’t be afraid, right? (I wonder if they will also apprehend you for going out during color-coding days.)

But perhaps political harassment might be a different scenario altogether. And then there are those that say it’s tantamount to being the “sign” of the “beast,” in biblical terms (recall that Cain, in Genesis, was “tagged” in the forehead with a symbol so that everywhere he will be recognized; this sybmolism also appears in Revelations).

Also, if RFID were to be a deterrent from carnapping, what’s to stop the often ingenious carnappers from just removing the tag as they speed away with your car?

Now the question here is how welcome this move will be with the Filipino motoring public. It’s a question of acceptance. In my opinion, our traffic problems go deeper than any technology, innovation or even traffic scheme. It’s an issue rooted in discipline and driving attitude. If everyone were an educated and courteous driver, then all our traffic problems would disappear or at least be easier to manage.

image source: flickr/midnightcomm

In this day and age of economic difficulty, you can’t help but be practical with just about everything. You try to minimize costs, and you try to stretch each and every Peso as much as you can. The same idea trickles down to just about anything from grocery shopping, eating out, buying clothes, and even buying cars.

If you’re on a tight budget, going for a second hand auto might be one option, with a lot of five to ten year old cars going for PhP 200 thousand to PhP 350 thousand and so forth. But when you think of maintenance costs, nothing beats a brand new car. You might be better off putting that money into the down payment. Paying the monthly dues would probably be better (and sometimes cheaper) than monthly repair and maintenance expenses you would be shelling out regularly with an older car.

In terms of practicality, there are three things you would usually look for: utility, ease of maintenance and fuel consumption. In the local market, there are usually two main competitors, which are the Honda City and the Toyota Vios. They are in the same price range (although the City retails a bit higher), have similar fuel consumption ranges, and similar carrying capacity. Both are offered in 1.3 and 1.5 liter displacement engines: VTEC engine for the City and VVT-i engine for the Vios. What’s great is that both brands carry high resale value in the local market.

The past few weeks, I’ve been able to review the E variant Toyota Vios. Featured in review photos is the “Azure” Blue variant. The E variant in the Philippine market is basically similar to the entry-level J variant in that they both run on a 2NZ-FE 1.3 liter engine, but unlike its spartan sibling, the E variant has the following features:

• power windows,
• central door locks,
• 14″ alloy wheels,
• Anti-lock braking system,
• protective side mouldings,
• driver’s-side airbag,
• Toyota Vehicle Security System,
• a different stereo head-unit.

The higher-end G variant gives you 15″ alloy wheels, foglamps, side-mirror turn signal lamps, rear disc brakes, and leather-bound steering-wheel with stereo remote-control. And of course, the G variant comes in manual and automatic transmission. You also have a choice of leather vs. fabric seats in the A/T variant. The Vios also comes in the S variant, which comes stock with sporty body kits, ten-spoke 17″ wheels and HID headlamps.

Continue reading …

The family has been looking into a car upgrade, especially with the kids growing fast, and our most recent addition. We recently had the chance to test drive the Nissan Grand Livina, which was delivered right at my doorstep by the folks from Nissan Mantrade.

What catches one’s attention most is the Livina’s tagline:

Drives like a sedan, you’ll forget it’s an MPV.

If you’re used to riding or driving MPVs like the Toyota Innova, Mitsubishi Adventure or the Isuzu Crosswind, you’ll be familiar with the less-than-soft ride, due to the body-on-frame construction. These MPVs are meant more for utility rather than comfort. And so, given the high center of gravity, and the fact that construction is body-on-frame, you would expect a harsher ride and a higher than usual level of body roll when riding an MPV. Not with the Grand Livina, though. As advertised, the ride is as car-like as you can get.

That’s the advantage of passenger sedans over most MPVs. The ride is comfortable, so even after extended rides (which is common with traffic in the metro areas today) you won’t feel too stressed and shaken. But the disadvantage with a passenger sedan is most definitely the limited seating and cargo space.

Enter the Nissan Grand Livina. It’s not your usual MPV. Because of its monocoque (or unibody) construction, road vibrations are not as pronounced as with MPVs with body-on-frame construction. Because of the low center of gravity, there’s less body roll. And unlike your usual passenger sedan, it can seat seven people comfortably.

Paultan.org has a lengthier review here, but here are some notes from my experience driving the Livina.

Car-like ride and comfort. From my experience with the family in test driving the 1.8 Liter XL “Luxury” model with automatic transmission, the ride is most definitely car-like. The Grand Livina’s suspension absorbed bumps and humps as if these were non-existent. The air conditioning system was also arctic-cold as with most Nissan cars–the Grand Livina has air-conditioning vents at the second row, and not just the front.

Third row and cargo space. Two folks from Nissan accompanied us during the test drive, so our early grade-school-aged kids had to be relegated to the third row. They were most comfortably seated, and they definitely enjoyed having their own space at the back. I doubt, though, if two adult-sized individuals would enjoy being seated at the back for extended periods of time due to the limited legroom, which is a bit short, but still serviceable. The width of the third row is a bit narrower than the second row, owing to the fact that the sides contain humps where the rear wheel wells are.

I would think, though, that there is a tradeoff between the third row and cargo space. The “trunk” space is a bit limited if you’re using the third row. With the third row folded down, you have ample space for your golf bags, strollers, luggage or groceries. But with the seats in use, you’d have to stack your cargo on top of each other (as recommended by the Nissan sales manager who demoed the unit to us). However, it’s still good to have the option of space vs. seating capacity.

Driveability. The Grand Livina feels light and nimble. You don’t feel as if you’re driving a truck, as with SUVs and some MPVs. The electric power steering is feather-light, and excellent for city driving. What worries me, though, is if one intends to use the Grand Livina for hauling light cargo, or for wading through flooded streets (another common occurrence in many areas in Metro Manila). You don’t have the ground clearance like the Crosswind, Adventure or even the Innova. And you don’t get a diesel option, which can stand flooding better.

Value for money. The Nissan Grand Livina defintely offers value for money. It offers a comfortable ride, and flexibility just when you need it. My only concern would be resale value five years down the road. In this country, only Honda and Toyota cars (as far as I know) enjoy high resale values, mostly because of reliability, ease of maintenance and low cost of parts (with a lot of aftermarket parts available).

I’m not so sure if the Nissan Grand Livina will enjoy this, as well. But if you’re going to enjoy your ride every day for the next few years, then I don’t think “resale” should be a concern at point of purchase.

At the end of our test drive, my kids and wife missed the ride. Even my four-month-old sonwas squealing in delight, seated with the wife at the second row. The Nissan Grand Livina is a good fit for a growing family that needs space, space and more space.

Prices for the Grand Livina are almost at direct competition with most of its MPV counterparts from other brands:

• PhP 858,000 for the 1.8L XL M/T ELITE
• PhP 908,000 for the 1.8L XR A/T LUXURY
• PhP 978,000 for the 1.8L XV A/T ELEGANCE

For inquiries or test-drive requests, you may get in touch with Mr. Elmar Malabriga of Nissan Mantrade at (632) 843-3316 to 23, or email at nissan_mantrade at yahoo.com.

Image credit: Wikipedia

I’ve been on the hunt for great car deals lately, and when I saw and ad on the newspapers for the Ford Buy One, Drive One, Win One promo, I thought this would be a good opportunity to check out Ford’s offerings. The family had been eyeing a bigger car for a few years now (we’re ever growing!) and one of the nicer options we’ve been looking into is the Ford Everest.

And so the family headed over to Ford EDSA to test drive the Everest. Of course a test drive wouldn’t be complete without the whole family. We needed to see if we’d all fit! Sure, it’s just the wife, the two grade-schoolers, the baby and myself. But you never know how much space you need.

We test drove the 4×2 AT variant. I’ve never actually tried driving an automatic-transmission diesel-powered vehicle before, so this surely is a big change for me, coming from one used to a manual-transmission VVTi powered compact.

Perhaps we can leave the full review to the experts. My take: it’s a comfortable ride, especially given the supposed tuning/upgrade the Ford engineers did with this edition. The previous Everest models were said to have stiff suspensions, but this one is more car-like. Folks used to driving cars would definitely need time adjusting to the high driving position. It makes one feel more confident, especially when driving alongside those darned city buses and trucks. In a few words, it’s tough, it’s stylish, and it’s spacious.

The Everest costs about PhP 1.35 M for the entry-level manual variant and about PhP 1.44 M for the automatic variant. The quote given to me was for PhP 220,000 down payment, which is inclusive of LTO registration, one-year comprehensive insurance and chattel mortgage. This also includes a further PhP 60,000 discount, since 20% of the sticker price amounts to about PhP 280,000. Not bad!

Now I do hope I win that Ford Focus!