Aris' posts with tag: cars
|  | May 22 - stayed at Chicago/Niles, IL
May 24 - drove to Bloomington, IN
May 25 - toured Indiana University, IN
May 26 - saw the Benedictine monastery at St. Meinrad, IN
May 27 - visited Terre Haute, IN
May 28 - attended mass at St. Paul Catholic Center
May 29 - drove more than 400 miles in 7 hours (including gas and rest stops) back to Iowa |
| | Zen's still in the process of changing her last name to her married name. One of the documents that needed ammendments was her passport, and so we went to the nearest Philippine Consulate General in the midwest -- in Chicago, Illinois!
Using Google Maps, we estimated a 226-mile trip in four hours to downtown Chicago. We left Coralville before 6:00AM to reach the consulate upon opening.
The trip was exciting as it was our first time to drive across different states. Cruise control helped a lot in the long freeway stretches, especially in maintaing the legal speed. Everything seemed to be easy, until we reached the highways of metropolitan Chicago. The traffic began to tighten. Other cars were zipping past us and approaching our rear fast. I tried to stay in the limit but decided it was safer to just speed up with the general flow of traffic. Driving like there's-no-speed-limit reminded me of similar conditions in the Metro Manila hiways. No wonder some people are "allergic" to freeways. Consequently, we arrived at the consulate early.
At the consulate, we were asked if we would like to wait for the processing of Zen's passport until 3:00PM. We decided to return to the consulate in the afternoon, and waiting turned out to be a blessing as we were able to tour some of the attractions in downtown Chicago . . . |
| | For car enthusiasts:
The gasoline we use with Cori is the 89 octane unleaded plus with ethanol. It's not only cleaner, it's also cheaper in Iowa. The car does only 26.4 miles per gallon (11.1 kilometers per liter) as we use it mostly for very short trips in the city. It even drops to a low 19 mpg during winter. It does so much better when driven in the hiways in cool but not freezing weather.
Our best record for gasoline mileage was our trip to and from Chicago. I always reset the trip odometer after filling up the tank, and I was able to drive the car for 485.5 miles (776.8 kms) before refueling, which translates to 37.4 mpg (15.7 kms/L) on 90% hiways. Not too bad with the high price of gas!
Click here to know more about Cori. |
For four winter-spring months, we were able to survive Iowa often taking the bus, riding our mountain bikes, and occasionally hitching with friends. We searched and waited patiently for the right car. A fuel-efficient compact four-door sedan preferrably manufactured by Toyota, Mitsubishi, or Honda was on our mind. Alas, an MBA student from the University of Iowa was graduating and selling his car. He got it as a certified vehicle from Toyota dealership in 2003 and only used it for 20,000 additional miles in two years. This was how we got hold of Cori.
Cori's our 2000 Toyota Corolla CE. We bought it with the engine and chassis in excellent condition. Our only rant was that the previous owner seemed to have no time to clean the car. I had to vacuum, wash, detail, and wax the car inside-out the next day. Hard work paid off, and the car deserved the new look.
As with other Filipino customs, we brought the car to the Newman Catholic Student Center to be blessed by a priest friend Fr. John Stecher. Car blessing's uncommon here in Iowa, and the event drew a couple of spectators from the center.
Cori was generally stock when we got her :
All-aluminum 1ZZ-FE 1.8L 4-cylinder In-line 16-valve DOHC Engine with VVT-i Technology
EPA-certified Low Emission Vehicle (LEV)
125 hp @ 5800 RPM
125 lb-ft @ 4000 RPM
4-speed Automatic Overdrive Transmission
Fuel Type/System: Gas/SEFI
Hercules Ultra Plus IV 175/65R14 81S Street Radial Tires
Color: Silver Stream Opalescent
ZZE110 Chassis
Air Conditioning
Radio/Cassette Player
Power Windows
Power Door Locks
Manual Remote Exterior Mirrors
Driver and Passenger Side Airbags
Child Safety Door Locks
Split-folding Rear Seats
Cruise Control
Tilt Steering Wheel
Automatic Headlights
Daytime Running Lights
Splash/Mud Guards
Interval Windshield Wipers
Rear Window Defroster
Click here to see what has happened to Cori since we had her.  
 Reception, service advisory, and billing are well organized in Toyota Marikina. However, some advisors and mechanics are not proficient.
On January 2004, I had my 1993 Corolla checked because of clanging sounds under the chassis. They suggested replacement of a lot of parts which amounted to over Php40,000. I bought Japan parts outside (because they're cheaper) and had them mounted in Toyota Marikina. The clanging persisted, and what's worse more sounds developed in the area worked at, and I had to return the car. Not happy, I had the car serviced in an underchassis specialist in Quezon City. They quickly identified specific parts (not mentioned in Toyota) which caused the unwanted sounds and replaced it with Japan parts which cost me only a few hundred pesos. This happened in the first quarter of 2004, and I have no underchassis complaints up to now.
Just last week, I had the car serviced for its 160,000-km maintenance! Since I was having problems with the idling RPM, I also had it checked. In addition to the maintenance, they suggested that I buy a carburetor kit worth over Php3,000 plus labor. Again, I thought it over and had the car checked in a carburetor specialist in Kamuning. They cleaned the carburetor and adjusted the timing for only Php600.
RECOMMENDATION: Bring your car to the dealership only for maintenance, and let them suggest what parts to replace or procedures to do. Don't have everything done at the casa. Once they give you an estimate, ask the opinion of other auto experts. It may take some time and patience to find a reputable shop, but it's worth it.
This review applies only to the specific advisor and mechanic at that particular time at Toyota Marikina, not for the Toyota dealerships in general.
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