I have a minivan bought from Subic. It came straight from Japan and it's way cheaper than the exact…read moresame model sold at automaker dealerships. The only downside is that when said vehicle breaks down, I cannot bring it to the casa or any of the automaker's service centers for genuine parts and services. Good thing a cousin recommended Gr8 Car, an auto center in Makati that services Subic-bought or out-of-warranty vehicles. At first, I imagined the service center to be just like the usual mom-and-pop mechanic or talyer. But when I finally brought my minivan for a preventive maintenance, I was surprised that GR8 has all the bells and whistles of a full-fledged auto service center that it may as well be called a casa in its own right. They have uniformed professional service staff who are courteous and very accommodating. And no, they do not accept tips. Do not try to tip the guys because you will only embarrass yourself. They treat customers equally. I also love their clean air-conditioned waiting area, where an impressive number of awards and plaques given to the company are displayed. The best part about GR8 is that they really do their best to find the solution to fix a defective vehicle. Sometimes even resorting to having parts manufactured, this particularly applies to old car models with rare or unavailable parts. And don't you worry, GR8's services cost cheaper than the casa and they provide warranty for their work. When you bring your car for servicing, there's a big chance that the friendly Sir Javier will be the one to fill up the job order and take in your vehicle. In my experience, Sir Mario and Sir Eric are the meticulous guys that check and fix my minivan's needs. If you are up for a good chat, Sir Tony in the office is a good source of information for all things about vehicles.

They definitely live up to their name! If you're desiring to learn how to drive, with limited…read morebudget and time, Socialites Driving School is the school for you! They offer both automatic and manual driving lessons, with clean, efficient and functional practice cars, wherein you'll be comfortable to practice driving. For less than 4,000 Pesos and in approximately 5 hours, you'll learn how to drive from their friendly and strict (you'll learn from them, I promise) instructors. You can also opt to go straight for 3 hour-lessons in a day, if you have limited day-offs in a week. There is an additional fee but it's low and wouldn't hurt that much. They also offer free lectures in 8 driving lessons, wherein you'll learn about defensive driving, troubleshooting, etc. After your lesson, they will evaluate your performance and tell you whether you passed, needs to extend or needs practice. Socialities Driving School is efficient and friendly both to you and your budget!

I thoroughly appreciate the service I experience here at the Paco branch of Union Motor Corp. When…read moreMiranda, my 2013 Mitsubishi Mirage, needs an oil change, or any preventive maintenance tune-ups, I would bring her here. Their staff is friendly, and easy to talk to when you need to make a service appointment. Even if you don't make a prior appointment, the guards at the gate are accommodating to walk-ins, and will direct you accordingly. There was one time when I got Miranda back from a repair job, and I didn't notice that they switched the wiring of my front and back wipers until I needed to use it (a week after I got the car). When I called to complain, they told me to just bring it in whenever I was available, and they'd take care of it, no problem. When I brought Miranda in, they took around 20 minutes after taking her inside the service area, and they fixed the problem, and released the car, with no charge to me. I am quite happy with the kind of service that they give to their customers. Their preventive maintenance prices are relatively cheap, and they even have a bullet service available (I think they charge a premium for this), which will get you and your car in and out of service within an hour.

I'm looking for a new car to buy and since Toyota has a reputation of being safe and cheap this is…read morethe first place to start. Actually, over the last few years they did have a lot of recalls so I am considering other brands now. Also my dad drives a vios up to tagaytay every once in a while and he's super unhappy with it. Sure, doesn't drink a lot of gas but the beast has difficulties climbing up the hill. The dealer was very open and honest and took his time to understand our needs. He made everything seem straightforward and gave us some brochures to think things and payment options over. Just unprofessional that you are buying a car but the brochure is a black and white photo copy...obviously this is not how mercedes does it, but ok.

I wonder how many days Rapidé has made. They have truly saved countless motorists from going insane…read moreon the road, or from having a heart attack due to some car part malfunctioning. My friends and I took a trip to Enchanted Kingdom last week and we panicked as we realized that the AC was no longer blowing out cool air. It was now blowing out warm air... everyone was on edge because of the intense heat that day so we made the decision to head to Rapidé. Thankfully, when we started gaining speed, the AC returned to its normal self so no longer did we have to come here. However, my barkada can nevertheless vouch for their reliability and professionalism from prior experiences.

Everyone who owns a vehicle knows that regular maintenance is a must unless you want your car…read morebreaking down in the middle of Edsa and having your photo taken by angry motorists. One of the most reliable auto service shops is Rapide and they have countless branches all over the city. It isn't hard to spot them with their huge Yellow and Black logo around any area you're in. I'm glad that they put up a branch just right outside my village so I don' mind leaving my car there for maintenance. They have expert mechanics to orient you with what needs to be fixed or replaced with your vehicle. They also have vehicle parts available within just a few minutes. I also love their customer lounge where they offer coffee or juice with their comfy sofas and a movie while you're waiting for your vehicle to be fixed. If you're looking for a reliable auto expert shop with good customer service, Rapide is worth a shot.

You may have seen an immediately curious large yellow gate near the PNR tracks at the end of Arnaiz…read more(formerly Pasay) Road. Or not, depending on how often you venture into this side if Makati. Either way, Tower of David - longstanding purveyors of car aircon and electrical repairs - is unmistakeable in its perch of over 20 years. The aforementioned yellow gate is adorned with a satisfaction guarantee that looks so believable, I wished my aircon would fall apart the first time I saw it just so i could feel that level of satisfaction. So the moment a light bulb blew its tiny, blessed heart out burning for my brightness needs at night, there was no other place in my mind to turn to (quite literally, I might add) that the Tower of David. Which, by the way, is a pretty epic name for what basically was a damp, rusty driveway. Despite the disheartening visual register and unfortunately degrading environment, however, the fantastically-accessorized (you'll see what I mean), knowledgeable crew at Tower of David did a thorough, cheap, and quick job replacing the broken bulb and even offering wisdom as to the next steps to take and what to expect following the operation. Haven't had the opportunity to test out their mettle in the aircon arena, but based on my experience with that bulb and a subsequent visit (not to mention that really quite attractive written guarantee), Tower of David may prove a safe, affordable, and reliable choice for aircon and electrical repairs in the Makati area.

So the day before Labor Day, when I was on my way to Makati with my Dad (we were in his car), we…read morewere surprised to see the battery charge warning light flicker. This was our car's way of telling us that the average lifespan of a car's alternator is about 6 years. Yes, it's been that long since we had that changed or checked, so kudos to that part's durability. Before I go any further, understand that the alternator is what takes care of all your car's electric-powered functions like lights, horn, turn signals, airconditioning, and radio. When you turn the key or press the start button on your car, that's when the battery works, then after the engine is on, the alternator takes over. I won't go into detail as to how all this really works, but the important thing to remember is that the alternator is the thingamabob that takes over the job of powering your car's electrical stuff, and keeps your battery from draining itself, something our particular car's alternator stopped doing. To think the other day, we changed the battery itself, since the car wouldn't start, so apparently, the alternator was indeed the problem all along. We hopped on over to Motolite on Pasong Tamo, and they did determine that the alternator was the problem. They were nice enough to point us to a good auto repair shop nearby, called "Tower of David" With a quick jumpstart to our battery, we drove on over to Tower of David, and were told to look for "Ariel". "Ariel" was their resident expert on all things electrical. He was a jolly, unassuming fellow who I must say was quite the professional. And, thank goodness, he had a shirt on and he wasn't your typical "grease monkey" who was covered in, uh, grease and reeked of gasoline and gin. Ariel was polite, soft-spoken and jolly the entire time. A quick check with his electrical battery-output-checking thingamagig confirmed that the alternator wasn't working and needed replacing. Ariel politely suggested we replace it, and it would cost a hefty P22,000. The amount was difficult to believe, for such a small part, but he noted that it was original, brand new, and made in Japan (thank goodness). "Pero sir, pwede din naman 'yung "replacement", was his quip. I can't quite tell you what he meant by that, maybe "refurbished" is what he meant, but Ariel assured us that it was just as good, didn't use ball bearings, came with a 6-month warranty, and only cost P13,500. P8500 less, presumably more hi-tech, with labor costs included, and comes with a warranty? Eh di wow! So what did we do? DUH naturally we took that option, and we were glad Ariel brought it up. We gave Ariel the go-ahead and he told us we could just leave our number with their Secretary to tell us when it's ok to pick up the car. I went into their cramped little office and put Dad's cellphone number in a logbook... at first I thought their Secretary was the skinny Siamese cat that was sleeping on their counter, but alas, their Secretary was this friendly lady instead. And the funny thing about that cat was, it was named "Pangit", which I found unfair kasi hindi naman pangit yung pusa. Dang, that would've been cool, "Tower of David" for a business name, with a feline Secretary that took down customer's names. We came back after about four hours to get the car, and it works fine. I give this little Auto Supply & repair shop flying colors as of now, for as long as the new alternator they supplied and installed works. Three days on, and the car purrs like "Pangit", and handles like it was brand-new. Head on to "Tower of David" if you need your car fixed.

Speedlab is one of the more popular garages that can make your stock commuter sedan into a vehicle…read moreworthy of a cameo in the Fast and the Furious series. I had to deal with Speedlab regarding my office projects, and I never realized, until that point, how much these "racers" were really spending on their cars for an upgrade and a tune-up. Their dynamometer system is topnotch, and I don't think there is anything else in the Philippines like it. The usual dyno system has the car run on a big roller, but their system actually attaches to the car at the wheels. This eliminates any calculation for losses in tire pressure and misalignment on the rollers. Their garage also does a lot of customizable upgrades, depending on the client and the type of car they have. After a few weeks of spending more time at the garage, we started about talking about working on my new car. He suggested that I upgrade the intake and exhaust system, and add their special "Unichip" computer system. When we discussed price, my jaw dropped. I told the owner to give me sometime after I fully pay for Miranda, and then I'll come back and treat her to something nice.

Not sure why I considered Isuzu for buying a new car. Never heard of this brand back in Europe and…read moreall the cars look ugly. Japanese cars used to be the shizzle in the 90's, and so did everything else that came from Japan. But then the economy stagnated and the innovation stopped. Not sure which one came first actually. Meaning to say, Isuzu cars look like they come straight from the 90s. But they are new they say! Put a few pictures of Isuzu cars before and after next to each other on google and really nothing has changed. I give them 3 stars because the price you pay seems pretty ok for the engine you get. The staff was not pushy.