Isuzu Dmax Owners [ARCHIVED]

[Djerms]

Okay lang naman magpagawa sa labas ng casa as long as trusted na ang mechanics.

As for the casa service, it really depends on the casa branch. Aside from the high price, hindi mo alam kung ano ang ginagawa nila sa rig mo. The last time I had my shock absorber replaced (under warranty) sa Isuzu Pasig it took me 3 hours and sa tagal ay sinugod ko na sa service bay. And to my surprise ibang shock absorber ang pinapalitan at hindi yung may leak. Good thing nasita ko sila.

My friends who work in some Isuzu branches here in manila also recommended that I just do my regular PMS and repairs outside since most of these works (change oil, suspension repairs, fluid replacements, tuppet adjustments) are the usual ones..nothing special.

The only thing different in our rigs from the fuego's is the ecu controlled fuel pump, which is basically EFI present in past corollas, sentras, and mitsubishi's that most owners bring to the suking mekaniko for servicing.

If ever there is a problem with the ECU (check engine lights up) thats the time I consult nalang daw Isuzu Casa since they have the diagnostic tools daw for this and check engine problems are usually repaired easily naman (usually resetting lang...)unless mabasa nga.

They also informed me na marami talagang kalokohan sa services ng casa from their experience (well I think it really depends on the branch...but at least these problems exist in the branches they are working in). May mga cases na top up lang daw ang ginagawa nila sa fluid replacements (except engine oil). And kung minsan madalian talaga ang gawa coz they are pressed for time).

Ayoko sana maniwala but hey they are working for the company...hehe..kakatakot lang for an owner like me.

Birdnipol (haha nice name),
Welcome to the club!

Jason,
30psi on all wheels. You can even bring it down to 28psi for more comfort if you are not hauling that much.

Jerb,
Nice clean install.

MR,
Okay naman ang flat black. I also prefer this color rather than chrome but as what Jason said, nakakapanghinayang i-alter ang orig parts coz bababa ang value.

As for the chrome altering. Chrome is just a paint color just like any other color. The base material is still plastic and its easy to change to say flat black if you want to. Just have it prepped good.

[x_jason_x]

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!

[Djerms]

Jason,

Hahaha. Ikaw naman kasi mahilig ka sa mabato. Lokong agent yun ah. Mabuti't hindi mo hintataw ng bato. From my experiences and based on other tsikoteer offroader's experiences, hindi basta basta masisira ang shocks kahit idaan mo sa maraming bato. It will take a lot of beating before you are able to brake those.

Wala pa akong experience sa Isuzu Manila but upon asking them how much the 20tkms checkup is, I was quite surprised nung sabi sakin na 8k lang compared sa iba na 12k.

Anyway, okay talaga yang si Ryan sa Isuzu pasig. Problem is, hindi naman sila ang mismong gumagawa ng sasakyan and hindi nila naiinspect mabuti. They are more on the PR side in their department.

Anyway, kung under warranty pa ang sasakyan mo, sa casa ka na muna just to be on the safe side. But after that, you have a choice to have it done outside. Autotechnika for example is a good shop. Speedyfix is another, and our suking Servitek stations (this is where I and Kurt have our Dmax's serviced). Autotechnika even have the AT Transtech device which can suck out all of your old ATF fluid. Sa casa kasi the usual drain lang which brings out only 30% of your old ATF fluid (the rest is in the torque converter). This means that the ATF replacement isn't a complete replacement after all kung sa casa.

[x_jason_x]

jerms may fax number ka ba? gusto mo fax ko nalang sayo yun mga OR and Job request sa 20t kms check up ko? Kasi pwede ko naman utos sa office.

[jerb321]

jerb321,

may contact ka ba from thailand na nagpaparating ng accessories dito??

wala eh..... nagkataon lang na yung bro in law my convention dun last month then bumili sya ng accessories ng fortuner nag pasabay na ako

[jerb321]

Neat! 2,000bht is very cheap. I noticed na single digit lang siya. Does it time itself or is it programmable?

programmable lang, very basic na turbo timer. what do expect sa price nya ganyan as my bro in law commented.

[OTEP]

sorry to tell you this pre, but old school technicians cant be a good technician sa dmax natin kc new generation diesel engines yan.... hinid lang kahit sino maka ayos niyan like the old diesel engines... yup mahal nga ang casa but the technicians there has been trained regularly by IPC... hindi na basta2x and mga engine ngayon.... you could request naman cgruro sa casa mo just to do a plain change oil but never miss the every 20k kilometer general check-up.... thats the most important PMS(Preventive maintainance service) sa dmax natin... meron nag pa ayos d2 ng dmax sa iba pinga gawa.. ngayon maraming prob... sayang....

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.

[x_jason_x]

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.

[Djerms]

Pag natapos na ang 20tkms checkup ko kay autotechnika, balitaan ko kayo kung okay. I think they also have the software na to diagnose the ecu of our dmax.

[jarhead]

jarhead -- galing ka pala sa thailand kaya pala natahimik ka sandali, welcome back bro, anong nabili mong burloloy para sa dmax mo?

wala nga eh.. wala akong nakitang shop sa bangkok na meron tlagang shop or store para sa accessories... and didnt have the time also to go around....

[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.