1235: Preventive Maintenance Service

The Wigo had it's preventive maintenance service (PMS) earlier today. I had to bring it in on the sixth month because I noticed the rear brakes squeaking when slowing down to a full stop at a slow speed. Jon Jon, the service advisor, told me it most likely needed cleaning and checked it out. So far it seems like that was it.

I was also informed that the next PMS would cost a bit more since more maintenance is needed for the car aside from your typical 5000km stuff.

Having the Wigo's PMS done in the dealer (or casa as we call it locally) made me realize we made a few mistakes with how we had our Rav4s serviced. We didn't do it regularly, or every six or so months, and sometimes waited until we did 5000 km which sometimes took a year or so. Another issue I realized was that when we sent the Ravs for PMS was that we never asked them to check or change the transmission fluids.

I've seen some reels/shorts/videos online that while Toyotas used to claim that their transmission fluid was lifetime, this basically meant that it was assumed you'd sell the car before the transmission gave. In reality it was better to have the fluids flushed every so often.

Had I known this information years ago then maybe I would have had those done on the Rav4, and maybe the transmission wouldn't have needed costly repairs. I'll never know though.

Out.

1234: My Bicycle

A few days ago I had a quick bike ride. My dad wanted to ride his folding bike so I opted to accompany him just in case.

It was a quick, less than 2km ride inside the village. My bike was covered in dust and the tires needed inflating. It was fun though, and challenging to ride again after all these months. I should try to ride my bike more often.

Out.

1233: Cars

I've been blogging mostly about cars lately because in about a year I'm planning on having my daughter start her driving lessons. I'm not so sure how great an idea this is since I still feel like she needs a lot more to do with maturity and spatial awareness, but I'd rather have her learn sooner rather than later.

My biggest concern now is what car will she be using to practice her driving? I have a bad feeling it will be our trusty Wigo, and I guess I have hope for the best. I do know one thing, I'll have a hard time riding with her when she drives. I have a hard time with my wife driving even up to now.

So I guess we'll see.

Out.

1232: Dream Second Cars

I've blogged about this a lot of times already and at the moment I have three different options for my ideal second car. Basically I want a bigger, more spacious, yet practical and fuel efficient ride. So here are my top three, depending on budget.

• Toyota Avanza 1.5 G CVT (Silver Metallic 4). This is the most affordable, relatively speaking. Decent fuel economy, decent space, very utilitarian.
• Toyota Veloz 1.5 V CVT (Platinum White Pearl Mica). The Veloz is the mid-range choice for me with better features than the Avanza and having a roof rack installed already. It's more expensive but I feel like the added cost is worth it for what you're getting, which is basically a "Luxury Avanza."
• Toyota Zenix 2.0 Q HEV CVT (Platinum White Pearl Mica). Finally the Zenix hybrid is my high end choice. Yes, the cost of this isn't as high as some of the more expensive hybrids or EVs out there, but as I blogged recently, this is still the most practical choice for what I'm looking for.

Any of these three cars, paired with the Wigo G we have now, would make a good two-car garage stable for us. With one car offering a small, practical daily driver and the other car being a slightly bigger ride that can carry more stuff.

Let's not talk about the fact that my daughter will eventually learn how to drive and may (or may not) need a used car she can use to get used to driving. We shall see.

Out.

1231: Restomod

I think if I do get an opportunity to buy a used, old car I would most likely restomod it no matter what car it is. It could be a VW Super Beetle, a Honda Jazz, or a Toyota Echo Verso. Or something else. I would love to restomod it to my liking.

Everything starts with making sure the car is safe and reliable, so making sure the engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, and electrical are in great condition. Replace the things that need replacing, fix the things that need fixing, and refresh the things that may need eventual fixing or replacing. This would most likely be the restoration part.

Once this is done then bodywork should be next. Fix all rust spots, dings and dents, and then if needed repaint the whole car. This will make it look almost as good as new.

The interior is the last in the restoration part. Refresh the seats, replace or upgrade the foam as needed, and if some interior parts and switches need replacing and you can find the replacements, replace them. Specially the dashboard clear plastic and maybe the dashboard lights.

The modify part is also relatively simple. First and most important is installing a front and rear facing dashcam that hopefully also has a cabin camera. Have this professionally installed so that it hopefully won't drain the battery but will still run as needed.

Second modification is the sound system. It all begins with installing a modern head unit that has Apple Car Play and Android Auto, as well as Bluetooth. This would of course connect to a decent amplifier and at least four co-axial speakers to make sure the car has good audio.

The third modification would be for sound and heat insulation. There are products out there that you can apply to certain parts of the car to help improve sound and heat insulation. So I guess you should apply this to the roof area, the engine firewall, and maybe the floor of the car. Aside from this, some quality window tint would be a great modification as well. I prefer the tint that is almost clear but prevents UV rays and heat from entering the car's cabin.

Fourth modification would be to add decals to the car's exterior. Not crazy or extreme, just some nice stripes that I like. After this you ceramic coat the car to protect the paint and decals.

And that's it.

Out.