Isuzu Dmax Owners [ARCHIVED]

[jarhead]

nakakainis kasi na mavovoid pa ang warranty kung nag pa service sa labas.

basta sa lahat ng isuzu casa... isuzu manila sucks big time. doon ko binili unit ko pero mas mafriendly pa yun mga tao ng isuzu pasig saakin. Ito pa yun nakakatawa, dati nasiraan ako ng shocks with only 2,000kms on my odo. Dinala ko sa isuzu manila tapos parang wala sila initiative palitan. Ang kapal ng muka ng sales agent sa isuzu manila sinabi pa sakin "Sir baka naman sinampa niyo yun dmax sa bato bato tapos tumama sa shock absorber kaya nasira". So pumupunta ako sa isuzu pasig kay ryan, siya pa mismo nagsabi sakin "sir palitan na natin yan kaagad, kasama sa warranty yan".

bwct na isuzu manila yan!

hahahaha.. ok rin na rison yun sa agent jason ah......... hahahahaha...... wat a stupid answer.... bobo naman ng agent na yun.... hindi dapat maging agent ang tao na yun, walang alam sa kotse.. but honestly lang ganyan halos lahat ng agent ng dealers sa mga kotse.... sales lang ang after nila.... nakakabwisit nga eh...

[jarhead]

guys, if i may suggest lang.. try niyo isuzu alabang for services.... iv heard na maganda sila sa service but not in all cases naman db... meron pa rin lapses but still reliable daw....

[jarhead]

Remember that technology always trickles down. In the early 90's, no one would dare touch a Nissan Sentra ECCS because it had a computer. Nowadays, almost everyone can work on it. And that includes repairs. PMS is even easier than repairs as it is designed to be done on a regular basis.

The DMax is not exactly space shuttle technology. Even in Australia (where it is sold as a Holden Rodeo), lots of owners can work on their own units (try looking into outerlimits4x4). There are aspects of the engine that require specialized equipment but the rest of the vehicle is pretty much conventional. You still unscrew the oil filter, screw in a new one, and fill using a fill hole on top.

Even our S-Class Mercedes, once the paragon of automotive technology, can be repaired roadside by our suking mechanic.

In the end, it boils down to personal preference. I'm not compelling anyone not to go the dealer, I'm just saying that the dealer is not the be all and end all when it comes to automotive servicing. Even most guys at the dealer are just there for experience with their ultimate ambition to be able to save enough and open a shop of their own and be their own boss.

meron nga naka alam pano ayusin yun sentra but those technician are from the casa b4 nagretire or meron mekanik sa labas kilala isang technician sa casa and nagtanong and natuto narin.... as per experience namin d2... meron na rin kami probs sa dmax d2 na nagpaservice sa labas and mejo malubha ang prob ng iba... sayang kc dapat waranty pa yun iba... ang maganda sa dealer is that you get a WARRANTY sa jobs they perfrom sa unit mo as long as its related to the job order being issued.... meron nga alam ang techincian sa diesel but not all have the knowledge talaga.... hindi nga space shuttle tech and dmax but it very different from the old diesel engines that runs b4.... disel engines b4 could run kahit wlang battery hindi na tula ngayon.... yup na service nga ang mercedes namin na 2 sa hinid casa but the guy who owns the shop came from mercedes.... meorn din ganyan na technician but he cant be fully knowledgable if your gonna bring him the newer models ng mercedes kc wala na siya training dun....

[jarhead]

usually gusto lang naman ng mga tao sa casa is para hindi mavoid yun warranty nila. Pero once na natapos na yun warranty, pwede mo na dalihin sa reputable shop.

pwede rin ganyan jason but maganda rin kc yun casa maintained na ride db? mejo mataas ang value pag ganun or madali ibenta.. we have experinced that already here samin.. meron naghanap ng isuzu 2nd hand and mag refer samin.. mas nabenta and parati napa maintain samin d2 kesa hindi.... hehehe... but its up to you naman pre.. and mind you meron pa tune up yan kaya hindi lang kahit sino makagawa niyan kc meorn specs tlaga kung pano gawin and the bearings too, meron designated tension ang pagtighten ng ng bearing sa harapan.... change oils could be done sa labas naman but i suggest sa casa kuing general check-up like 20k kms... ganyan naman ginagawa namin sa mga nagpaservice namin d2 para naman makamura sila but meorn din iba gusto sundin ang PMS ng isuzu evry 5k kilometers....

hindi kita diniscourage pre but im just sighting some examples based sa aming experience d2.... ako kc in charge sa service d2 samin....

by the way, wer not rily "casa" delear but kami ang authorize outlet and service center ng isuzu d2 and trained isuzu mechanic and technician namin...

[OTEP]

I do bring in brand new units to the dealer for the duration of the warranty (e.g. the Kia). However on off-warranty vehicles (e.g. the Volvo), there are other alternatives. Again, it's just a matter of personal preference and finding a competent tech to do the job within reasonable cost and reasonable time.

As for having a warranty, yes meron ang dealer for the works they do (aside from the warranty the manufacturer provides for the vehicle itself). But having to go through the red tape, paper trail, etc. of claiming a warranty, the process isn't really that pretty. The vehicle will be gone for at least a day again (nakaupo lang dun) for 'observation' daw, turns into the personal stereo/ipod of the technician. Turns into his bedroom from 10-10:30am and 12-1pm. mbt's Chevy was even gone for the whole Christmas season just for warranty work.

The last time I had to make a 'warranty claim' with my neighborhood tech, the vehicle was worked on, on the spot. No more signing this and that, no more checklist, no more number and getting in line. Nung inabutan ako ng lunch break, pinakain na din nila ko ng lunch.

There are really aspects of the vehicle that are better handled by the dealer (e.g. busting open the injection system or tracing a fault code). But for the other more conventional aspects, there are alternatives.

[Djerms]

Hehe, even our old vehicles: Trooper, Pajero, and L200, have recommended tension sa bawat bolts and nuts. I doubt kung sinusunod ito ng mga casas sa Manila. Kasi nung sinilip ko sila while working on my rig, yung isa inaapakan pa yung cross wrench sa paghigpit ng gulong (which is a big no no). Besides, they don't really have an aparatus to measure tension.

Anyway, Kung may personal friend ako sa casa service (like fafa Jarhead), I wouldn't mind. Pero based on experience, Casas here in Manila will really lure you with their PR skills pero pagdating sa service medyo palpak.

If your vehicle is within warranty, casa is the way to go. But for out of warranty vehicles, there are cheaper alternatives out there specially for conventional works as Otep mentioned.

[Djerms]

Besides, the Dmax has been around for sometime now. Even servitek already has a program for wheel alignment.

As for the ECU and the fuel system of the vehicle, I won't gamble on this. Casa service pa rin.

[OTEP]

OT:

Balitaan mo naman ako sa transtech. Baka idaan ko din yung Starex kapag di ko natutunan yung DIY way of ATF flushing.

[Memphis Raines]

This car owners dilema of the right place for maintenance service on their prized rides has never gone away as far as I could remember. I hear this everytime I go to a casa's garage bay or waiting room, same goes at my friendly neighborhood talyer.

I have even coined a moniker for it: "Casa or Asa?" meaning you can go to the casa or i-asa mo nalang sa iba

In my humble experience from the different casas, I have learned that if you really want to be sure of the service to be done on your baby then you really gotta be there beside the car.

I know its a pain in the as# to be stuck in the place the whole day but my suggestion is that you really have to plan this in advance, just like how you plan for a vacation. This way I get to spent quality time with my car and learn tidbits that will become DIY later. When the scope of work is greater (say your ride has to stay for more than a day or two) then I ask for a thorough description of the work to be done so that I can inspect/follow-up that as I return everyday.

My attitude has always been that with a ride comes great responsibility, in health and most importantly, in sickness .

[OTEP]

Yup, never leave the car. That's why I love the shops in my area. Because when I come in, they're gonna start working pronto.

Sa Casa umaabot ng apat na oras ang simpleng oil change. Kina GlennSter, wala pang 1 hour kasama na lahat nung 'inspections' at 'adjust' na nakadetalye sa owner's manual.