Letters from Cyberspace

Mr. Christian Garcia wrote sometime back about his Toyota Revo, which he brought to Toyota Pasong Tamo for its 1000 kilometer oil change, that supposedly registered an unexplained additional 193 kilometers in its odometer when he got it back.

Well Mr. Garcia let me just tell you that I have referred your letter to Toyota Motor Philippines a long time ago and I suppose that it has already been acted upon. Thanks for writing.

Mr. Virgilio Patricio also wrote about his Honda LXI 2000 model, which registered high HC emission despite regular maintenance being done by Honda Cars Kalookan. He’s worried about not hurdling the required emission tests prior to registration.

I have referred your letter immediately upon our receipt to Honda Cars Philippines and also to Honda Cars Kalookan through its GM, Mr. Johnny Fetalvero. I just hope that you have already registered your car by this time. I hope you keep on reading.

Mr. Willy Receda has offered a suggestion to help in maintaining discipline among PUV drivers and that is to have more motorcycle policemen with high pay in order to resist the temptation of receiving bribes and higher fines for all traffic violations. The main task of these motorcycle cops is just to apprehend and apprehend traffic violators, nothing else.

That’s what I call "specialization", Mr. Raceda. It may sound odd to some at first but if you really think about it, the reason why motorists have been very disciplined in Subic (Are they still now?) is the thought that they would be apprehended regardless of religion or creed.

Mr. Rafael E. Aquino writes to ask if I could recommend a shop that offers "real" auto detailing considering that he is the type that really spoils his car.

Very soon we shall have a complete "Motoring Today" website that shall contain, among many others, a list of shops offering various auto services that we have tried and would be willing to recommend. Just watch for it.

We received an inquiry sometime back from Mr. Tony S. Castillo of Healthway Medical Clinics regarding additional information on outreach programs similar to what Toyota Motor Philippines did in Sta. Rosa through its foundation, which we wrote about in our column.

The gentlemen you can try to contact are Retired Gen. Angel Kanapi of Toyota Foundation and Engineer Serafin Pantaleon of Toyota Motor Philippines and I am sure they shall be more than glad to work together with you in pursuing your efforts to engage in outreach programs for our country’s poorest of the poor.

Mr. Sonny Basa was desperate when he wrote to say that his cable provider gives them the Formula One races in Chinese instead of Steve Slater. There was a time during a controversy marred race that they didn’t even know who won due to the language problem.

There was a time when I had to apologize to the owner of my cable TV provider who was even my personal friend for switching when his firm lost the rights to air Formula One. I guess it’s about time you switch yourself. Believe me, I know how it feels Mr. Basa. It can be very frustrating. However, if for some reason you can’t, you can still regularly catch the highlights of all the F1 legs on Race Weekend, which is a segment of the TV show Motoring Today (11:30 AM Sundays, Channel 4 Manila and nationwide on the National Broadcasting Network).

Mr. Alvin Avendano writes to ask about the pending legislation that would alter the present excise tax system. He wants to know how the new law would affect the prices of automobiles.

If the new excise tax bill, which has successfully passed its second reading when the senate had its recess, would be finally signed into law, the basis for taxation would no longer be on engine displacement nor on the number of people a vehicle would seat. The excise tax would henceforth be based on value of the vehicle as it comes out of the manufacturer or distributor’s premises. As such, it is generally expected that prices of SUVs and AUVs, which enjoy some kind of tax incentives based on engine displacement or seating capacity, would become higher than they are now. On the other hand, prices of passenger cars would go down compared to present levels.

Mr. Roberto Simon wrote to ask for possible alternative routes to take in traveling to the North considering the traffic hassles caused by the rehabilitation of the North Expressway.

So sorry Mr. Simon but I guess this is a most tardy response, as you wanted the information prior to a camping trip that you were planning as early as last Holy Week. But for whatever it’s worth, I found out myself when I last traveled to the North on a trip to Manoag, Pangasinan that there is a window or time frame when you can travel to have less of the traffic aggravation that many suffer from when traveling during the peak hours. In my experience traveling towards and up to past lunchtime may give a motorist a little letup as many drivers get out of the road to have their meals. It’s no guarantee but logic and my actual experience can support this theory.

Mr. A.M. Guerrero wrote about his displeasure about some car owners who modify their cars up to the point of making them unsafe for everyday driving in city streets. He makes particular mention of the practice of replacing one headlight with an intake scoop.

To begin with, Mr. Guerrero, doing what you just mentioned is against the law and if our law enforcers were alert enough, a vehicle like that can be stopped dead on its tracks for being unfit or not roadworthy. There are laws that prohibit the alteration of rear lights and even headlights. The Philippines is a signatory to an international agreement that dictates what’s acceptable to be driven on the road.

Pit Lane Notes

If Michael Schumacher’s amazing run in the past races was enough to make even the most loyal McLaren fan’s face droop with disappointment, Kimi Raikkonen and the folks at McLaren-Mercedes remain hopeful. With Schumi’s first place finish last week, he zoomed 4 points ahead of Kimi in the Driver’s Championship. Since Kimi only finished 6th and David Coulthard did not manage to finish the race at all, they only scored a measly 3 points that weekend. Aside from Michael’s 10 points, Rubens Barrichello picked up 4 and this enabled Ferrari to take a 9 point lead in the Constructor’s Championship. McLaren still has a lot to be thankful for, however, as they are in a much better position now than at about the same time last year.

Eddie Jordan is trying to rain on Ferrari’s parade. He has accused them of trying to blackmail him to drop his compensation claim against Vodafone. The said company was supposed to sign a deal with his team last season but opted to sign with Ferrari instead. According to Eddie, Jean Todt of Ferrari himself was the one who threatened him to drop the case.

Despite some of the controversies, many racing aficionados are pretty much contented with the way the season is going. The rule changes have definitely made the season more exciting. Do not hesitate to share your thoughts with us with regards to the numerous changes that have been made this year.

Happy Motoring!!!

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