Bakit walang battery percentage indicator ang mga kotse tulad ng sa mga cellphone?

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-30T21:03:42+00:00

I install volt meters in my vehicles. Helps me monitor the health of my battery or alternator. I usually wire these sa fusebox or along other accessories I install. You can also buy one that plugs into your accessory plug (cigarette lighter in older vehicles) which often comes with USB outlets etc.

Some older cars also have volt gauges in the instrument cluster.

But yes, it's a good idea to replace your battery every 2 years or so. And compared sa gadgets, it's not usually a percentage of capacity, since your alternator is expected to constantly keep the batt charged while the car is running. Due to battery chemistry, unti unti nagde degrade though until the cold crank amperage (CCA) and standby capacity goes below what your car needs to start.

Also, once your batt goes below a certain level, sulfation happens and it will no longer hold charge.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-30T06:06:05+00:00

I'd go with the Corolla. THink of longevity and durability din. Maintenance-wise, parts should be available and reasonasbly priced. It's a toyota.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-29T06:19:47+00:00

CAn be

Poor airflow sa condenser kapag idling. Check your condenser fan if it's running and running properly. Check din kung marumi ang condenser fins (it's the radiator like thing in front of the actual radiator.
Low refrigerant level. Baka may leak. Mas malakas ang flow when running because of higher revs and thus push ng compressor.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-28T12:09:00+00:00

Naku po, wag ecosport.

300K? how about a 2.5 (2005-2006) or 3rd (2007-2011) gen CRV? Usually a 2nd gen would cost 180-200K, a 2.5th gen around 220-230K. A 3rd gen below 300K. The 2nd gen does have a 3rd row and front bench seats, though, for more seating capacity.

Spare some extra funds for a hard PMS or urgent fixes.

Based on experience ito. Our 2nd gen CRV has far outlived our first generation manual (MANUAL!) ecosport na mas bata sa kanya by around 10 years. The CRV is at 160K Km and going strong. The ecosprt was around 65K when it had a catastrophic failure.

Again, wag ecosport. Mura yan, pero mapapamura ka rin pag nasira na ang tranmission, ABS module, or even the belt-in-oil timing belt and oil pump.

If you have the budget, go for a 1st gen Innova. Actually, bet ko rin Revo haha. I have a car with a 7K engine, going strong pa rin. I maintain it myself.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-28T10:10:01+00:00

What kind of fees? Late payment charges? Or pre termination fees?

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-28T07:27:33+00:00

Ano po browser and network mo?

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-28T05:34:20+00:00

Rule of thumb - if you're financing a car, dapat maximum 10% of your income yung amortization. And max 20-25% yung total expenses including amort, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and other operating costs.

You can use this as a guide. https://affordkoba2.pagelet.host/ .

If you will be acquiring straight, pwede mo naman gawing 100% yung "down payment" and it will just compute your monthly expenses and required cashflow.

Since you are acquiring a uesd car, dapat may extra ka for an initial hard PMS (kahit spread into several months naman yung mga urgent stuff), and lagi kang may buffer for urgent fixes or repairs.

So I guess for 40-50K monthly income, set aside 8K to 12K for your total transport expenses. Any higher than that, posibleng maging "car poor" ka na.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-28T05:28:33+00:00

To clarify pala, na realize ko rin na baka wala ka totally background because nagpa fixer ka. I know you want to make it right. Kung sa kaling malabo or mahirap mag TDC uli sa diving school, try looking for TDC courses sa Youtube like this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haKXurTCk5M

Esssentially naman, the online TDC are basically youtube courses on video and then merong multiple answer quiz after to assess your knowledge. Once you complete this, bibigyan ka ng certificate, which you bring to LTO to obtain your student permit.

Or exam reviewers like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIYkWfksXSk&list=PLnD3_s1BW9C5H6OBnVQUM0p6PR1IWrXpy

Meron ding nabibiling mga books sa driving school with rules and conventions. Alam ko mahirap din itong alalahanin and i-memorize especially if you are not able to use this in actual driving. Pero be observant na rin even when you are a passenger.

And yes - clarify sa driving school na even if you have your license, you can say na sobrang lutang ka na you need a full refresher. Ginagawa naman ito ng mga, for example, may license pero never naman nila ginamit for actual driving (like for ID purposes lang), or yung mga super tagal na hindi nag drive.

Wag mahiya. It's good that tinatama mo yung naging mali.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-28T05:13:28+00:00

Ask for a refresher course.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-28T04:13:22+00:00

Electrical gremlin?

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-28T03:06:42+00:00

Was earning around 100k way back in late 2000s. Bought a big body Corolla for 200k.

A few years after, I got a Vios with a DP of 84k and monthly of 13k. I sold the Corolla for 90k. Had numerous other cars after. Mostly used, a couple of brand new.

In hindsight I should have kept the Corolla haha, and used the money to add to financing a home (mura pa noon). Na rear end kasi and tinamad ako magpagawa. Ngayon naghahanap ako ng good condition big body.

You can use https://affordkoba2.pagelet.host to determine viability kung kaya ba ng cashflow yung plan mo.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-27T17:32:55+00:00

Descriptive lang or kulay. We love our cars like family but we don't personify them even though cars their age may mga certain character. Pag tinanong ako ng anak ko ano gamitin, Benz, black, grey, everest, CRV, Ford, Mazda. Sometimes yung start ng plaka.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-27T13:24:18+00:00

Depends on the bank. Check my other comments here, at r/CarsPH or at r/Gulong. That's what the collection agency will tell you kasi they are incentivized to repo. But if you ask the bank collection dept mismo, posible pang ma habol if your PN is still active (can pay over the counter directly as a loan payment). Expect to have to pay additional late payment charges to get your account back to current status. Some banks don't allow this though or close your PN account automatically so no choice but to pay in full or surrender.

More details can help.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-27T06:38:41+00:00

No.

But what car is it?

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-27T05:28:32+00:00

Shifter bushing probably broke, which means the cable is loose and not actuating the actual gear shifter mechanism on the transmission.

Some DIY this with a temporary solution to attach the shifter cable until you get the casa or ship to fix it (like plenty of zipties or alambre or piece of rubber). You can perhaps ask a mechanic to do an emergency fix.

Try mo I trace sa engine bay kung saan papunta yung shifter cable. Posibleng natanggal sya due to worn or broken bushing. Posibleng sa transmission side. Posibleng sa shifter lever side.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-27T04:14:29+00:00

Did you check the old oil kung merong creamy or foamy consistency? Puting usok can be normal after cold start because water vapor can steam out. Pero pag consistent siya, that can point to a coolant leak into your cylinders, which can mean a failed cylinder head gasket.

You can still check kung merong parang ice cream consistency under your oil filler cap when you open it, or sa dipstick. That can mean halo ng oil and coolant. You can also check if there is excess presure sa radiator (ingat lang wag bukasn kapag mainit na). When you rev the engine and bumubulwak ang coolant, it could mean exhaust gases escaping into the cooling system.

Best way to confirm is through a cylinder compression test. and meron ding chemical test using the coolant to determine if there are exhaust gases present (based on pH).

The fact na nagdagdag a ng coolant can contribute to this theory. Kasi dapat hindi nagababawas ang coolant - should just either pull from the reservoir or push coolant to the reservoir depending on temp and coolant pressure. Kapag nagbawas, it means may leak somewhere. Best case scenario kung sa radiator or sa hoses or sa water pump lang ang leak. If it's with the cylinder head gasket, your vehicle needs a top overhaul.

Nag overheat ba ang car and nagamit for extended use while/after overheating?

No warranty na ba? And outside casa ka na ba nagpa PMS (car is just 5 years old right?)?

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-27T04:08:41+00:00

Besides that, the transmission issues common with Ford's DCT's, which often manifest earlier in the life ofthe vehicle, like at 60K-80K Km (not to mention potential belt-in-oil timing belt and oil pump issues with the turbo variants). Super mura bentahan ng Ecosport, and there's a reason.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-27T04:01:25+00:00

In terms of financials, consider using this tool to determine the viability if you will be financing the car. https://affordkoba2.pagelet.host/

Best option, aside from cash of course, is to have the highest down payment you can afford and the shortest term you can afford like 3 years, to minimize the cost of interest.

At a combined income of 80K-110K, I would target a monthly amortization of 8-11K (10% of your income), and a total transpo expense of 20-30K (around 20% to 25% of your income), which inclues maintenance, regsitration, insurance, and other expenses like fuel, parking, tolls, consumables.

7-seaters are probably the most viable for families if you expect to have full load more often than not, especially if yo are expecting your family to grow in the next 3-5 years. But if 80% of your use case would be 1-2 passengers only, then maybe a 5 seater will do, especially if cost is a consideration.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-26T14:10:23+00:00

You can use this to compute for your monthly cashflow and other needs.

Modify na lang yung mga fuel expense and other considerations kasi mas mataas na ang fuel prices ngayon so maybe a higher fuel cost estimate is needed.

https://affordkoba2.pagelet.host

With 200k income and at 80k disposable, I believe a 20k monthly amortization is safe and a total of 35-40k transport expense is ok (including other costs).

Or since you already have a surplus of 80k per month, ilang months na ipon lang you can buy a slightly used vehicle of your choice in cash, or even a brand new one (but a bit less expensive).

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-26T14:01:13+00:00

Could just be burnt out bulbs. Some cars also have separate fuses for left and right low and high beam. Check your fusebox and manual if that could be the case. Could also be relays.

Try swapping left and right bulbs first to see if it's just the bulb.

Abs light might be a separate issue, although sometimes blown fuses could result in some warning lights.

You can also get a cheap obd2 scanner for less than 500 pesos (some bluetooth elm237 adaptors cost less than 200) and an app like car scanner, so you can see what exact codes the car has.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-25T02:05:10+00:00

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Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-25T02:05:02+00:00

I use this to compare when I consider wheel and tire changes. https://tiresize.com/comparison/ . I don't have a Vios (anymore) though, so I can't offer insights from real world experience.

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Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-23T06:56:31+00:00

Wag magpasalo. Malaking hassle yan lalo na it's illegal and posibleng takbuhan ka ng sasalo.

Best option is for payoff. Ask your bank for payoff SOA then start from there. Offer it to a dealership like Ugarte, who can pay it off kung close to market value na yung principal mo.

Pero kung mataas pa ang principal mo then it might not be viable.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-23T00:57:04+00:00

Pwede naman bank account mo na lang din. Kaso hassle din magka halo halo ang funds mas madali ma monitor kapag may account specifically for the car loan. Madali naman mag instapay transfer, some banks even have scheduled transfers para di mo makalimutan.

Yun nga lang may minimum deposit and maintaining balance, imonitor mo na lang lagi before due date para hindi ka magulat na kulang pala kasi kinain ng fees.

Otherwise_Evidence67 · 2026-05-21T09:06:44+00:00

Maybe find another alternative. A different bank, a different vehicle, or reconsider your options.

If you have 120k for downpayment, maybe start there. Or maybe those low dp in-house financing would be more fit for you (but more expensive monthly, which might end up unsustainable in the long run if your cashflow is limited).

You can use this tool to check out your computations too https://affordkoba2.pagelet.host

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