Thirsty

Over the weekend, my mom, my sister and I went out to pick up some groceries and do a bit of shopping. We decided to use my dad’s car. Before we left home, I noticed that the fuel gauge reads it still has about ¼ tank of gas in it. We first dropped by the nearest Mitsubishi Dealership, Citimotors Alabang to submit the documents needed for the car we would like to buy for my sister. After which, we went to Alabang Town Center, which is just about a kilometer from the dealership. We parted ways and proceeded to our preferred shops to buy. I went to True Value to buy the car shampoo I prefer, Zymol. I’ve been to three stores namely, Ace Hardware at SM Mall of Asia, Handyman at Robinson’s Place Manila and SM Southmall Ace Hardware, still no dice. Luckily, True Value has Zymol in stock. My brother and I prefer this shampoo because not only it smells great, it’s also gentle on your car’s finish since it won’t strip your wax. Plus, it always has this large can of degreaser named Mechanix. It works like WD-40, as an all purpose mechanic spray. Only, mechanix smells better. I have this thing about aromatic automotive chemicals. After grabbing a bottle of Zymol carwash with the free mechanix, I scanned the rest of the aisles loaded with car stuff and lo and behold, they have the California Car Duster on sale. With an original price of P899, they provide a 30% discount. I immediately picked the one in best condition. I got it for only P629. To think I bought my first Cali Duster for P1,500 at Han’s Tools in Shangrila Edsa a couple of years ago when I was still in law school. It has served it’s purpose well. It was 1,500 well spent. It has also saved a hundred liters of water or more for car wash. I just hope that the one I bought will be as sturdy as my first one. If you have a dark colored car, I suggest you get one for yourself. It effectively picks up dust because this car duster is specially formulated with paraffin wax. Lately, Microtex came out with a similar car duster with supposedly same result since their product is also formulated with wax. My brother bought one for his car. He preferred Microtex since the head of the duster can be replaced unlike the Cali Duster’s. While waiting for them to finish their shopping, I just sat at an empty bench at the Activity Center Area. I noticed that Conti’s has just opened a new branch at ATC. When I met up with them, I asked if they’d like to drop by Conti’s for merienda, but my sister declined because she’s planning on cooking spaghetti at home. I guess that Mango Bravo will have to wait. So when then decided to go to S&R for pizza. We just love pizza and pasta for merienda. When we left the ATC parking area, I noticed that the car’s fuel gauge is a few millimeters away from empty. Since most of the time I can get it away with our sedans, I decided to just forego gassing up and wait for a few hours till the sun sets since cooler ambient temperature is more desirable in order to get your money’s worth on gas. From ATC to S&R, the trip is only a few hundred meters. We immediately went in to buy pizza and Bavarian -filled Churros. ( My girlfriend’s favorite) When we were about to leave the parking area of S&R, the car wouldn’t start. I ask them to just wait for me inside the store, while I go Caltex, which is luckily a few meters right across the street. I asked them if I could buy some sort of container for gas. Luckily, they have this container meant for gasoline, which you can pay P400 for and is refundable when you return the container within 24 hours. I guess, such incident happens occasionally. I then loaded up the container with 200 worth of silver. After a few turns of the ignition, right after pouring the contents, the car is back to life. I called them up that we can now finally go home. I learned that what I can usually do in smaller displacement cars cannot be done to bigger cars like my dad’s SUV, a 3.0 V6 A/T Montero. I like the comfort and ease of driving when using it. I just hate it’s gas consumption. But then again, it’s good practice for prudence once in awhile, to help one get rid of that lead foot in driving.

Protecting your car paint during the rainy season

The rainy season poses many problems and inconveniences for the motorists and commuters. Traffic in the metro turns from terrible to horrendous. This season also makes motorists a bit more religious everyday. We tend to recite prayers everytime we wade through flood in certain parts of our usual thoroughfare. Torrential pouring or just the occasional drizzle, rain makes any car enthusiasts most especially those detailing nuts (like me) work double time just to maintain the pristine condition of the car’s paint and interior.

Here’s my weekly car cleaning regimen during the rainy season:

I start off with cleaning the car with my usual car shampoo, Zymol. It not only smells good (banana scent), but from my personal observation, its formulation is mild enough not to strip off your wax.

Then I proceed to use claybar. I prefer mother’s clay bar. It may be more expensive than other clay bar in the market but the package includes two medium sized bars, plus a bottle of spray on quick detailer. It also comes with a microfiber cloth. ( By the way, you need not perform claying every weekend. To test if it’s time to clay, just run your fingers through the paint surface after a car wash. If you can feel grit and surface imperfections embedded like sand particles, then your car’s due for claying.)

Tips when claying: Do not scrimp on applying the QD (quick detailer) when you glide the clay across the surface. Sufficient lubricant will prevent the contaminants (the debris/ particles picked up by the clay in scratching your car. Never use a clay bar accidentally dropped on the floor.

After claying, I just rinse off the car with just water and dry it off with a waterblade then finally with a microfiber towel. The next phase is waxing. In waxing, I proceed to apply Mother’s Step 2 a.k.a. Sealer and Glaze. This product works great for dark colored cars like my black car. Sealer and glaze substantially improves the over all depth and shine of dark colored cars. I just apply a very light layer over the whole car and buff it afterwards by hand using microfiber towel.

During the summer, after Step 2, I use Mothers Reflections Top Coat. Aside from smelling really great, it is also easier to work with especially if you do your waxing by hand. I prefer Reflection over Mothers Step 3, which is a carnauba based wax. Though Step 3 is much durable, Reflections is a synthetic wax, which makes it easier to buff off than regular carnauba based waxes. But the downside is that durability- wise, carnauba based waxes last longer than synthetic waxes. But it’s really not an issue for me since I get to pamper my car almost every weekend..

Since summer is over, I switch from Reflections to Soft 99’s Rain Hop. From its name itself, it really is outstanding in terms of durability. Water beading on the surface is best I have seen among the myriad of products I have tested. But be careful though in applying it, avoid getting on your car’s plastic trims. It whitens plastic trims instantly. Also, spread the wax thinly. Otherwise, you’d have a hard time removing the residue when buffing it out by hand afterwards.

With regular application, I’m not worried about my car getting really trashed during the rainy season.

P.S.

Ill be posting pictures of the products soon.

Rainy Season

Thank God the rainy season has started. The general public will finally be spared from the heat stroke- inducing scorch of the sun. Cars’ cooling and air conditioning system will not be pushed to the limit. But this will not be guaranteed though. Because as we all know, rainy season also means that traffic condition will be worse. Much worse. No thanks to irresponsible people who do not know nay better when it comes to disposing their trash. Be it small items like candy wrappers, plastic cups, or even their household garbage.

Honestly, I’m not really sure if we’re better off now that we experience rain almost on a daily basis. After what we have been through with typhoon Ondoy, i myself am not comfortable traveling whenever rain pours so hard for a considerable length of time. The wet season also means that road accidents happen more often. This is due to the decrease in visibility of the motorists. My car has super black tint all around, including the windshield. Even though I have upgraded my headlights to a higher wattage all weather bulbs, coupled with relay, there are times that I can hardly see clearly when it starts to rain heavily. I’m about to consider upgrading to 3000k HID kits. But after much consultation and research, I’ve decided that unless I can afford to retrofit my headlight housing, I will not go the HID route. Why so, you may ask. Retrofitting your housing will maximize the light thrown off by the HID lamps. It will work better and will not cause any glare on the part of incoming vehicles. During rainy season, the road condition also worsens. No thanks to the sub standard quality of the materials being used for the construction and maintenance of our main thoroughfare, potholes emerge all of a sudden. What’s worse is that when a certain part of the street is flooded, you really have no chance of knowing where a pothole the size of a moon crater is located. One thing that also gets on my nerves during rainy season is the way those pedicab drivers zip through the road whenver there’s flood. It’s as if they have been privileged with the authority to counterflow, cut and even use the sidewalk in order for them to reach their destination.

The rainy season provides new set of challenges for commuters, motorists and the general public. It is best to be prepared and anticipate. Despite the problems rainy season brings, I love rain.

Stretch Your Fuel Mileage

Below are some of my personal tips on how to maximize every peso spent on every liter of fuel on your car.

1. Plan your trips. Traffic is heaviest during the rush hour period, 8-10AM and 4-6 PM most especially during Monday and Friday. If you intend to go somewhere using your car, try to avoid being on the road during the aforementioned time.
2. Check your tires. It is a good habit to check the tire pressure of your car once a week. You need not shell out a considerable amount for Nitrogen, which is the rave nowadays. Though Nitrogen tends to minimize air pressure drop better than the usual oxygen and provides a slightly improved riding comfort for you and your passengers, I really think it doesn't justify its steep price of P50.00 per tire. Just have your car properly inflated once a week at the gas station nearest your place and you're good to go. Under inflated tires increases resistance and requires the engine to work harder. Over inflating meanwhile decreases resistance at the expense of riding comfort. Just check your car's manual for the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle.
3. Mind your check up interval. Following the recommended interval for oil change does wonder for the efficient running of your engine hence resulting in better fuel mileage. If you can afford to switch from mineral to fully synthetic oil, I suggest you go for it. The improved engine performance justifies the slightly higher price tag, plus the interval between oil change is longer. From the usual 5,000 km interval when using mineral oil, you get to use a set of fully synthetic for 10,000km before the required oil change. Also, it is important to have your sparkplugs changed/ cleaned everytime you have your oil changed.
4. Clean your airfilter. Corollary to the principle of the Otto Cycle, also known as the principle of internal combustion, air is a primordial ingredient in keeping the engine running. When you have a dirty air filter, less air goes into the engine. Less air means less power. So you tend to step on the gas pedal harder in order for you to accelerate. I usually clean (because mine is an aftermarket not OEM) my air filter every 10,000km. When you are using OEM or stock air filter, I suggest you change the paper air filter every 20,000km. It is advisable to get the trusted aftermarket ones though. They provide excellent filtration and are reusable. You don't need to throw out air filters again. I personally use and recommend KNN. But there are some brands out there that are also reliable like AEM and HKS.
5. Check out your trunk. Remove unnecessary stuff from your trunk. Added weight requires the engine to work harder than usual.
6. Anticipate. When you are about to approach an intersection or a traffic sign, lift your foot from the gas pedal and practice coasting. If your car is fuel injected, it would be best to keep the transmission engaged in the highest gear when coasting and not putting in into neutral and go free wheeling. Various tests have shown that that coasting while on the highest gear cuts off fuel injection just as you lift on the gas pedal. Meanwhile, coasting on neutral is similar to putting your car on idle. It still injects fuel even though you're not stepping on the gas pedal. Regularly exercising this would improve your fuel mileage.
7. Unload the engine during hard acceleration. In cases wherein you need harder acceleration than usual, it is wise to turn off your air con meantime. When you have reached the desired speed, then you can turn on your air con again. This is because the air con runs on the the belt attached to the engine's flywheel. It causes parasitic drag on your car hence you have to put down your foot on the throttle to squeeze the desired power when the air con is also in operation. Try it some time, you can instantaneously feel the increase in power when accelerating when you turn the the air con off.
8. Stay on the sweet spot. The average speed when on a highway is 60- 80 KPH. If you want to save on fuel, just keep your speed within that range.

I hope you have learned something from the list I have given. Happy motoring.

Time for (oil) Change

Over the weekend, I got the chance to finally get down and perform my long overdue promise to my brother that I would tune up his car. From the sound of his car, you could tell that the engine is already begging for a change in his most vital fluid, the oil, the life blood of the car. His corolla sounded like it was way older for her year model, 2003. Since my brother tends to neglect the intended interval for oil change, I decided it would be best to fill his car up with synthetic engine oil. It would be more expensive than regular mineral oil but the longer interval between oil change justifies the slightly more expensive price. I managed to find the fully synthetic oil used in Toyota Service Centers at a slightly cheaper. P1,250 only for 4 liters. Anyway, here's a simple step by step procedure on how to DIY changing your engine oil.
1.It's best to take the car out for a spin, a few minutes of high- spirited driving( aka as italian tune up). It helps in flushing out the carbon out of your exhaust, and the oil about to be drained will include gunks that might be lodged in in hard to reach areas of the engine.
2. After performing italian tune- up, open the hood and let the engine cool down a bit. It would be impossible to remove the old oil filter when the engine's hot.
3. Remove first the drain plug under the engine with a rachet or a socket wrench. Be sure to have an empty container(good for at least 4 liters) at hand for the old oil to be drained.
4. After you have draining the used oil, carefully reinstall the drain plug with a new washer. (i change drain plug washer every 20,000km.)
5. Locate the oil filter of the car. It's a good thing that toyota engines' oil filter can be removed from the top. It's located near the aircon condenser. Remove the old filter. And before installing the new one, apply a bit of the new oil on the rubber seal of the new oil filter. (This will actually help you in removing the filter next time around.
6. Open the oil cap on the cylinder head of the engine and carefully pour the new oil. Do not pour all the contents of the 4 liter container, leave about 1/6 of the content.
7. Start the engine for a 2-3 minutes. Enough for the oil to go around the various internal parts of the engine.Then turn off the ignition.
8.Pull out the dipstick of your car. It's the one with a plastic handle, usually bright colored, near the cylinder head. Wipe the oil off on its tip with a clean cloth. Then insert it again. Pull it out again to check the oil level. Check if it has already reached the F level, meaning, full. Add accordingly.

It is also advisable to check check and clean your spark plugs every 5,000 km interval and replacing them after every 10,000kms. Cleaning the tip with a sandpaper will improve mileage of your car. (Inspection of spark plugs will determine your engine's general condition, but more on that on another post)

After switching to fully synthetic oil, my brother and I have immediately noticed the considerable difference in the way his car sounds at idle. Not I'm thinking of switching also to fully synthetic engine oil next time.

Changing oil in the comfort of your own garage is easier than it seems. Not only will you learn more about your car in the process, you can also save money from doing so.

Seaoil Extreme 97

Lately, I noticed that gas pumps all over the metro have this yellow sticker posted on it which states that the petrol has been blended with 10% ethanol. As most of us know, ethanol blended gasoline tends to suffer a very minimal loss on power. Hence, from being a regular Petron XCS customer, I tried out Seaoil's Extreme 97. It's a good thing that there's a Seaoil brach near our place in Manila. XCS has an octane rating of 95 while extreme on the otherhand, as its name states, has 97, similar to that of Shell's Velocity. Based on such facts, you can get the performance of Velocity, at a price lower than that of XCS. I filled up P800 and based on initial impression, I found the engine idle sound more quiet. Maybe partly because I performed oil change, cleaned the spark plugs and the air filter. The car feels a bit more responsive according to butt dyno. But fuel consumption suffers. Maybe it's because of the feeling I get that the car is more responsive and peppy. So I tend to step on the pedal harder. If you ever happen to pass by one of the Seaoil branches, try their Extreme 97. It might be perfect for your wallet and your car.

Ajustment Period part II

The following day:

Josh, Regie, Fred and I was excited to time the ignition of my car. Karl, our new classmate decided to hang out with us. Regie also fixed his blinker because the driver side failed to light up when he tried to check his car alarm.
After fixing it, we fixed the timing of my car asking our prof, who happened to be just pulling out from the driveway, the right amount. He said 10 deg before top dead center. And so we set it to 10. After adjusting and checking the idle rpm with aircon, Regie wanted to give it a couple of sprint to check. We all decided to tag along with me riding shot gun on the passenger side. He gave it a go on the stretch of Chino Roces to Magallanes underpass. Whoa, I never thought my car could go that fast. Karl even shouted, “Bat parang mamamatay na tayo?!” Regie, a regular racer and a co- owner of a performance shop in Bicutan was pleased with the way my car ran. He maximized all the forward gears and powershifted only on the redline. My car is more than ok for a daily driver, he said. I should compliment my k&n intake with a freeflowing muffler to really maximize the power, he added. My plan of having my car turbocharged before this year ends will go as planned. But between that time and now, I'll be more contended with my almost stock car. The tuning made my car better. In terms of power and fuel efficiency, my car drove like it juts got out of the showroom.