Casa Maintained (Newspaper Article)

[theveed]

OK na sana yung article until he mentioned Rapide hehehe.

Casa, kahit anong country, they're a rip-off in rates sa simple jobs. I understand that their employees, equipment etc are more costly than outside shops, but charging that much for simple oil changes and "required" tune-ups is just preying on the customer's ignorance.

What's with the wait-for-2-to-4-hours-for-an-oil-change-PMS bullcrap?

Parang yung dalawang friend ko dati sa US... The girl drives a 318is while the guy drives a 3000GT (Mitsu)... both brand new.

The guy brings the car to a quick lube every-single-time since the purchase, cost - $20.

The girl always asks me to bring it to the dealer, cost - $150.

Gaguhan eh hehe.

In addition, sa mga uninitiated, major maintenance parts are not in the owner's manual.

Things like timing belt (and corresponding bearings/seals), clutch parts, wheel bearings, etc. are not listed in the manual. So kung wala kang alam, gamit ka lang ng gamit.

[number001]

We once had a '95 Civic which we always brought to Makati for the regular PMS for the ten plus years of the car's ownership with us. Everything went well and the casa would print its diagnosis on the billings like "replace brake pads", etc... From there we have those kinds of repairs done outside the CASA bec. parts and labor are cheaper outside. As for regular oil change and etc. the casa does it for us.

Casas are overpriced but what other choices do I have? I dont trust bringing the vehicle to any neighborhood talyer bec. they dont have the proper diagnosis tools, and insider knowledge regarding a certain make of vehicle esp when its new. I rather take my chances with the CASA. If you are unhappy with their work, you can always complain to their superiors. Whether or not, the issue will be properly addressed is another thing, though.

[Bogeyman]

Huwag naman sa neighborhood talyer, lalo na kung duda ka. If you're wary about bringing your car to the dealer, dalhin mo na lang sa mga establishments na kahit papano eh may "K" galawin ang oto mo i.e. gas stations (Shell, Petron, Caltex), specialty shops (Goodyear Servitek, Zee Cruven, Speedyfix, Betan, etc.)

Just search for shops with the tsikot.com seal of approval -- they're the next best thing to casa service.

[OTEP]

Huwag niyo lang ako tatanungin. Puro neighborhood talyer lang ang alam ko. A lot of them don't even have names for their businesses. Pangalan ng tao ibibigay ko sa inyo. :lol: Nung nasira ang aircon na kay Mang Mario, ngayon naman may overheating in traffic kay Mang Rudy naman pinadala.

Cars are not as complex as people perceive them to be. I have a Volvo 850 service manual and even the methods detailed are still mostly basic automotive repair skills (bleeding brakes, changing fluids, etc.). Even checking what an error code means does not need a scan tool. Only a piece of wire so you can 'short' the system into telling you what's wrong (it tells you by the number of flashes on a dash lamp).

As per wiretap_md, a Suzuki Vitara can also speak to you in its own morse code. As long as you have the manual, you can understand what the vehicle is 'saying'.

But the casa is a 'safe' choice for those who are not really into cars and just use them as appliances. And are more than willing to pay for anything the dealer bills them for. Yung iba nga parang security blanket nila yung malaking bill. They feel that the bigger the bill the more reliable the car will be. Ok, whatever floats your boat.

[GasJunkie]

It doesn't matter where you bring your car, just make sure you can afford the bill.








:fly:



Edit... to each his own.....except on being stupid :spider:

[cocoy]

it does matter were you bring your car.. i took my starex to Rapide, they did a free estimate,, and to change the strut busings, the rubber seal for the rear brakes, it came out to P10,500. i bought the parts myself and it cost less than 2000..can u see the price difference? i installed the part myself with a little help from my very experenced mechanic friend, so lets say the labour was 1000.. the price difference still kills... ok now if i could i aford it at rapide i wouldnt be able to live with myself knowing that i got ripped off big time, all because of taking my car to well known shop...but then this me the concious car owner...

[BlueJazz]

having the 'casa maintained' car does not guarantee a higher resale value.. nasa pilipinas tayo.. mahilig ang tao tumawad.. they will still follow the current market value.. 'casa maintained' or not..

[badsekktor]

first and last time ako nagpagawa sa casa nabwisit lang ako. nagpapalit ako ng brake pads saka belts. ok na sana pero they charged 24 k (mitsu malolos) ang nakakabwisit pa nito eh yun cover ng timing belt eh may sunog... di iningatan nung mekaniko... tsk... tsk... simula nun lagi ko na binabantayan pag nagpapagawa ako, saka pinag-aaralan ko rin bago ko ipagawa. it really helps kung may kaibigan ka mahusay na mekaniko

[vinj]

OK na sana yung article until he mentioned Rapide hehehe.

Haha... i had exactly the same thoughts.

[oldblue]

yup. pag expired na, pwede na....
pero imho, not all people can afford to have their cars sold after 3 years.

true pero adopting that frame of mind, sigurado may ma-achieve ka naman. after 3 years, siguro part ng objective, na-accomplish mo. for example, a brand new car costs 600k after 3 years. you aim for 800k, but you only got 300k in 3 years, achievement pa din. and with all the financing stuff available every corner sa car buyers. 300k + the resale value of your old car, meron ka ulit pambili + extra money pa. if you dont want to spend the money on a new car, then extend the use of your old car for 3 years more. you need not worry on maintaining an expired warranty car anymore, kasi may ready 300k naman hehehe

ako kasi I stopped being mr. fixit. noon college ako ambuting-ting ko. gumagawa ako ng home-made home theatre, inaaral ko iba-iba gadgets. it's now 2006, all that knowledge gone down the drain. ni hindi ko magamit para kumita ng pera.

[April_Ryan]

hey! nice read. natamaan pa ako, because i take my car to the casa everytime. hahaha!

anyway, my 3-years warranty will expire by february next year. so i will consider getting it serviced elsewhere. is there a thread for recommended shops here?

[orly_andico]

*oldblue,

i understand what you're saying. it's just a matter of priorities. example: bumigay na naman yung starter ng car ko (na dapat i-retiro na..) i tested the starter, removed the airbox and MAF, then walked to a neighborhood shop. turns out the brushes need replacement. since walang brushes for this car in the usual neighborhood auto supply, bumili sila ng pang-jeepney tapos they thinned it down on a bench grinder para kumasya dun sa starter motor.

long story short, after 4 hours and 800 petot all is well. ghetto talaga diba? but considering that a brand-new starter is 12000 pesos and the brush assembly (there is no mazda OEM brush, you buy the entire brush holder) is God-knows-how much, i consider it time well spent. pero nakain yung kalahati ng Saturday ko.

at some point, having the time (to work, or to share time with your loved ones) becomes more valuable than saving money by going to the neighborhood talyer. at that point, the casa makes sense already.

but for most of us *cough cough* financially challenged types, the pinoy neighborhood talyer will always be the viable choice.

[OTEP]

Some of us here actually take to fixing cars [as well as other things] as a hobby so whatever losses incurred can just be part of the cost of the hobby.

Wala naman akong bisyo, hindi naman ako nag-yoyosi, nagdo-droga o nag-susugal. I just like to wrench. Third generation na kong DIYer. Kung hindi ako matuto, baka mapukol ako ng martilyo ng tatay ko o baka multuhin pa ko ng nasira kong lolo. Of course, this makes wrenching fun because the whole family gets in on the act. When I replaced the Vitara's rear shocks, pareho kaming nasa ilalim ng sasakyan ni commander. It may not be your idea of a romantic date but that's how we spend quality time together. Natuto pa siya magpalit ng shock.

Kani-kanina lang, inalis ko yung thermostat ng Vitara (assistant ko ulit si commander). Pero wala ako sa Monday kaya si Mang Ferdie (pinsan ni afrasay) na lang ang magkakabit nung bagong part when it arrives.

If you know how things work and have actually worked on them, saka mo pa lang mare-realize na hindi talaga ganun kagaling ang casa. Madalas overrated lang and riding on the 'brand name' of being 'casa'. Wala pa kong nakitang 'exceptional' na casa. Though the Kia dealer I go to is quite good. Wala masyadong paperwork, wala masyadong BS. Wanna watch them work on your car? Go ahead lang.

[seonadancing]

hey! nice read. natamaan pa ako, because i take my car to the casa everytime. hahaha!

anyway, my 3-years warranty will expire by february next year. so i will consider getting it serviced elsewhere. is there a thread for recommended shops here?

Yeah meron tayong list dito ng recommended shops based on location. Ang gusto ko malaman is saan yun talyer na nabangit sa mandaluyong. Once lang ako pumunta ng CASA and that's bec you cannot mess with the BMW alarm, walang outside car shop na kaya magtangal o magpalit nito. Well even BMW can't take it off, pwede lang daw nila ayusin yun sensors, which will cost me a Kidney. Ang ginawa ko tinangal ko na lang yun horn ng alarm, the lights still blink but namamatay naman after a few minutes.

[OTEP]

seon,
AFAIK, pwede i-disable iyan. Kasi yung sa Volvo pinalitan namin yung VOLVO GARD anti-theft system ng Autopage. Hindi naman nagkaproblema.

[jrln]

hey! nice read. natamaan pa ako, because i take my car to the casa everytime. hahaha!

anyway, my 3-years warranty will expire by february next year. so i will consider getting it serviced elsewhere. is there a thread for recommended shops here?

is there an answer to the question above? am interested to know too.
thanks for any reply.

[e2fee]

Cars are not as complex as people perceive them to be. I have a Volvo 850 service manual...

As per wiretap_md, a Suzuki Vitara can also speak to you in its own morse code. As long as you have the manual...

But how do you get the factory service/repair manual? In US, it is easy -- it just another part that you can buy from the parts department.

In Philippines, it seems dealers for some reason have a policy of not selling the service manual, no?

They don't want you to know how to fix your car (after the warranty period), so that you will be forced to go to them, is that why?

Or they don't want repair shops to get the information, is that it?

[Reich]

very informative article :cool01:

[ian_rex]

ako din e. ang pinaka-recent kong horror story ay yung sa DMax namin, nung PMS nya nang 20K, ang sabi sa Job Order, chi-neck yug valve clearance, pero nung tinignan namin yung mga bolts sa valve cover, ni hindi ginalaw e. tapos nung warranty claim namin sa window riser, di pinalitan, ni-repair lang. pero nakalagay, pinalitan. yung sa cover nang steering column, kasi may pinatignan kami dun, aba e, bara-bara ang gawa.

saan ito? sa Isuzu Makati.

(sorry can't help it)

[1D4LV]

is there an answer to the question above? am interested to know too.
thanks for any reply.

the search facility can help you bro.... there are specialized shops discussed here depending on the vehicle trouble (e.g. Zee/Cruven for suspensions, Jaycee/Mang Mario for aircon, Minerva for tires and suspensions, etc....)