Anti-Carjacking 101

Here's a guide made by GMA News TV and was sent to me by a friend. Always stay alert!

First Car Accessories

The first two things I bought for my car are:

(1) Wheel lock

My husband advised that before I should prioritize getting a wheel lock for my car. A few days before my Hyundai Getz was delivered I went to Blade and Handyman to check what they had. Blade had cheaper wheel locks, but they were only good for wheel-to-pedal locking. I decided to get the one at Handyman which cost about PhP500, but was good for several locking features -- wheel to pedal, wheel lock, wheel to clutch, and clutch to break. I read though in an Inquirer.net article that the best way to protect your car is to place the lock on the wheel, so that's what I've been doing.

(2) Car shade

It could get really hot in Manila, so I got a car shade at Blade. I had a hard time choosing. I was torn between Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty! I decided to get the one with Mickey Mouse because I felt it had the least "kiddie-look".

Cost:

Wheel lock - PhP500 (Handy Man)
Car shade - PhP250 (Blade)

Hyundai Getz TV Ad

There's a number of Hyundai Getz TV ads on Youtube, but here's two cute ads featuring a red Hyundai Getz -

Our First "Long" Drive

My driving "boundary" in the last decade is Paranaque. My Dad did not want me to learn how to drive. I was stubborn though and enrolled myself at the A1 driving school when I was 21 years old. My Mom encouraged me to learn and my skills were further honed by our drivers, haha. Eventually my Mom would get me to do some tasks that required driving and I became an expert at ducking away from crazy tricycle drivers. My Dad gave up and eventually let me drive around, but only around Paranaque.

Anyway, I had the chance to test my driving skills last Sunday. We were scheduled to have lunch with my in-laws and I wanted to show them Minnie, so off we went to McKinley Hill after hearing mass and the blessing. I chose the route that I was most comfortable with.

My nerves were frazzled. I even had to ask the boys to be quiet so I can concentrate on driving. After awhile though I got comfortable and started chatting with them. I think hubby though was tense all the way to and from McKinley Hill. Haha! Minnie is easy to drive. I love how the it turns easily at the slightest touch of the steering wheel and its easy to make siksik in traffic too because it's small.

I drove a total of 25 kilometers on that day (no traffic! Whew!) and barely made a dent on the gas. Compared to my past driving experiences driving a Hyundai Getz is a walk in the park (provided there's no heavy traffic, buses and jeepneys!).

Driving Minnie at Night

It's been almost a year since I've last driven a car. Driving a brand new car without much practice is nerve wracking especially when all your "practice plans" never pan out. I had planned to take Minnie for a spin around our village and then the nearby mall last Saturday afternoon. Afternoon. I wanted to build my driving skills again minus the stress.

But things have so far not played to my cards. When I got out of our village to buy some cake for my aunt I was greeted by bumper to bumper traffic! My knees started to get wobbly, but good thing hubby's a good driver and he helped me get around. My second dilemma was parking Minnie. I wanted to buy at the mall because it was easier to park there, but we didn't have enough time so we just went to the nearby Red Ribbon. Rolling down the window helped a lot because drivers usually give way to female drivers. Haha.


And then we ended up going to the mall to get some groceries after my aunt's party. Getting there was easy even though it was evening. I thought it would be the same going home. I was wrong because when we got out traffic was bumper to bumper again and nobody wanted to give way. Hubby had to coach me all the way home. Haha. Take note though that I've been driving the same route for more than ten years now. It's just really scary when you're driving a new car.

Anyway, it's a huge milestone for me and Minnie and she played along beautifully. It was my first time to check out the headlights and all the little nice lights inside the car. Call me old-style, but I wish the radio lights weren't red.

Next up, my first "long" drive with Minnie.

Minnie's Blessing

In our country one's new car (whether it be brand new or second hand) it is a must to have it blessed. All you need to do is ask your parish church where you should park the car so that the priest can bless it after mass. He'd usually bless several cars at the same time and would bless its drivers.

I got Minnie on a Wednesday so when Sunday came we went to church 15 minutes early so we could park it at the spot where the priest usually holds car blessings. I had a bit of a fright during mass because we saw three men peering inside Minnie. Good thing one of my friends (he was outside for a parish activity) approached the men and they immediately left. Whew!

I ran after Fr. Luis after mass to request him to bless Minnie. After doing some chikka with other parishioners he was soon in front of Minnie. Hubby opened all the doors, engine hood and trunk so Fr. Luis can also bless the interior of the car.

After blessing the car, Fr. Luis blessed us and also said a prayer that we may be safe and for others to be safe too.

Happy Christening Minnie! May we and others always be safe!

Ways to Keep Your Car Safe from Carnappers

Thought I'd make a running list of references for this one. Here are some links:

8 Ways to Keep Your Vehicle Safe from Carnappers (article from Inquirer.net) - essentially says it's imperative to put  a wheel lock

*will update as I encounter some references

Minnie's First Day Out

Gio advised that I should work on completing my first 1,000 kilometers as soon as I can since that would determine the car's health for the rest of its life. I had meetings the day after Minnie was delivered so I thought it would be a good chance to break her in a bit. I couldn't imagine myself driving Minnie to Quezon City so I enlisted the help of my Mom's driver.

As I learned from my husband when he got his car I made sure I had the documents on hand in the car in case we get flagged down by a policeman since Minnie doesn't have a plate number yet. The vehicle invoice and purchase agreement is good to go only for a week, so I'll have to get an extension letter from Hyundai to be safe.

Anyway, we were lucky on our first day out. We got some gas from Shell and a full tank cost around PhP1,830 (meep!). We had to travel from south to north for my meeting, so we took the Skyway up to Magallanes.

And then traversed EDSA then N. Domingo to get to Quezon City.

On the way home we were supposed to go the same way, but got confused with the turns and ended up in EDSA. The buses were quite horrifying, good thing I had someone drive for me hehe. Anyway, Minnie got home safe and sound and covered around 40 kilometers the whole day. Not bad at all.

And the whole trip didn't make a dent on the gas. Hooray!

My First Drive on Minnie (Hyundai Getz)

When Minnie, my Hyundai Getz, was delivered Gio, the hand-over specialist asked me to do a test drive. So I got behind the wheel and started the car. My legs started quivering because I belatedly realized that it's been a year since I've done any driving! My hubby has spoiled me and has been doing all the driving (I also don't want to drive his automatic car).

I've gotten used to driving an old car. A car with heavy steering wheel. I've been driving it for more than a decade now and have gotten used to its quirks. Minnie was a totally different driving experience. I easily adjusted to its pedals and my drive was smooth sailing after a hundred or so feet. We had a stopover at my parents' home since my Mom was outside tending to her garden. After a short chat I drove back to my house, so my first drive was over in less than ten minutes.

I did another round when my son arrived. We just went around some streets in our village. I was driving a bit slow since I was still getting used to Minnie, the little mice on my chest were soon leaving and I can say that I had fun driving around. Changing gears was easy and didn't require any effort compared to the old jalopy I used to drive (but I still love that car mind you!). I didn't even break a sweat turning the steering wheel. Minnie was also so quiet, so unlike what I've gotten used to - no clanging, hissing sounds at all. It was like driving in stealth mode! Haha.

Anyway, I'm sure I'm going to go a long way with Minnie and I hope to be be able to journal everything here.

Minnie's Birthday, my Hyundai Getz Day 1

I was giddy with excitement when Chris, my Hyundai Sales Agent, said that they will be able to deliver the car by Wednesday. It was a Thursday then, February 10, when I made my downpayment. I paid by using a check because I thought that would be more safe (lugging around a huge amount of money is like biting a knife). Anyway, so we had to wait for the check to clear and for my tint choice to be available. I then worked on completing all the document requirements.

I was afraid that the delivery date was going to be pushed because I was so busy with work. Good thing Chris, being good-natured and a great sales agent, was flexible and allowed me to just submit some of my documents via email. I just signed them in person when he dropped by to get some documents signed by my hubby. By mid-Wednesday morning the documents were complete, check cleared and an hour before sunset Minnie, my Hyundai Getz was delivered.

My Mom dropped by my home to check on me -- well actually not really me, but the car! Haha. She was just about to leave when Minnie arrived. I ran inside the house to get my camera and when I got out my Mom was already in the driver's seat! She was really excited too since she said that she was my age when she got her red Opel.

After signing some additional documents, Chris explained to me about the 1K, 5K etc. check ups and the 5-year warranty. Turned over the extra key and pointed out that the keychain had Hyundai Sucat's number on it. After that Gio, the Hyundai hand-over specialist, did a short demo for me. He showed me how work the trunk in case I need a bigger space for my stuff.

He then showed me how the windows and locks worked.

And the engine. He also mentioned that I should break-in the car soon because that's going to determine the health of the car. Subic, he said, would be perfect. He also explained about the water and cautioned me against getting water refills from gas stations and encouraged me to use distilled water. Also to break in the car slowly by not pushing the RPM to 100 (have to research more about that).

Anyway, so Minnie, my Hyundai Getz was turned over smoothly. Thank you to Chris and Gio for the great experience!

Up next, my first drive.

Getting a Hyundai Getz

Deciding on getting a Hyundai Getz was fairly easy. Deciding to finally invest on a car took four years to do since I kept procrastinating and convincing myself that commuting was fairly easy anyway. I started saving up for a car in 2007 and just tucked away the money. The clincher happened last holiday season when I missed getting to two meetings because I couldn't get a cab. I also had the misfortune of riding cabs with sinister drivers. So I gave up and decided to finally invest in a car.

By 2011 I'm going to graduate myself from commuting.

That was my target so I started doing some research online to compare several car brands. I just wanted a small, easy to drive, inexpensive, but safe car. My Mom warned me against buying a tiny car because it would be dangerous to drive out on the highway. "Baka matangay ka ng hangin at malalaking truck," she said. So I made sure I'd find a car which wasn't tiny and had an engine that would last. I'm not that techie when it comes with cars, so I also got the advise of some friends.

I chose to get a manual Hyundai Getz  (upgraded) because it fit my needs. It's small, but surprisingly spacious inside. The price wasn't so bad and I read quite a number of testimonials about it being reliable and safe. The car dealer where I got it also maintains a car service station and is just 15 minutes away from home. So by late December 2010 I shimmied over to Hyundai Sucat to check out the Getz. I admit that I found the i10 much more cute, but I had to stick to my "requirements".

I was really bent on getting a car so after checking it out and doing some last minute comparisons I filled out an application form and waited. Applying for a loan in late December isn't a good time to do it, so we ended up working on it early in January. Several banks called me up and I was eventually informed by my agent, Chris Lee, that my loan was approved.

It was only in the week of February 7th that I managed to work on my documents and finally make a downpayment for my car, but in less than a week my shiny new Hyundai Getz was delivered!

Hyundai Sucat (map) - it's near the Skyway ramp
No. 8406 Dr. A. Santos Avenue, Brgy. BF
Sucat, Parañaque City
hyundaisucat@ymail.com
Telephone: (02) 829-6290 to 92
Fax: (02) 826-8160
Sales: (02) 829-6290 to 92
Parts & Service: (02) 829-0434 / (02) 829-0572
CRD: (02) 826-8130