How AAP saved the day.

My plans for Voxy has always been to make her a reliable and presentable ride. So far I believe I was able to accomplish the latter. The challenge for me right now is to make her a VERY reliable car.  I can’t help but compare her to my Lancer and to my scooter (you’d meet both of them soon) – both of which are very reliable rides. I hate it when I do that and I’m sure she doesn’t appreciate it either – I’m sorry Voxy. However, our relationship has just begun and I’m sure that the future holds many exciting adventures for both of us.  Not that I don’t trust Voxy but part of becoming a reliable car is to be able to survive the expressway J Sustaining a speed of 80kph at high RPMs is something that an old engine might have difficulty achieving and having problems inside SLEX is a big hassle not to mention very costly.

Nobody's perfect even Voxy..

I've seen an old VW ad in VWCP just a couple of days ago and it made me remember all the time Voxy had let me down.  To be honest with everyone –Voxy has already failed me 3 times since I got her – first was when I took her out for a spin a couple of days after I got her – read about it here. Second time was after she was repainted (see the start of the voxy project here) – the culprit that time was a faulty ignition coil. After everything was checked and the mechanic assured me that everything was as it should be – I didn’t expect anything to go wrong. The feeling of security that your bug won’t let you down no matter what is a nice one to have. Fortunately, I experienced that for several months and man was it great! We went to places and I was so proud of her. The smiles and stares we get from the people we pass by are priceless. But nothing lasts forever….

How Voxy introduced herself

May 2011.The first time Voxy and I went out – the experience was a roller coaster ride of emotions. The excitement of driving your childhood dream car was surreal. The throaty roar of the engine and the nostalgic feel of the car are things you don’t find in newer cars. I was in cloud nine – unfortunately, after several kilometers – reality hit me hard. She was an old car(with an attitude) and I was new to her. Turns out she wanted to introduce herself with a bang -we stalled ! I was feeling down – losing my bearings and was quite shocked with what happened. I was surprised when a minivan pulled over - turns out that the driver also owns a VW bug and wanted to help out. He assisted me in pushing Voxy to a nearby gasoline station. Before he left, we unsuccessfully tried to start Voxy up as he shared his own VW stories,  I was amazed with the bond that VW owners have and the urge to help out a fallen VW bug and his owner  in times of need.  When I bought Voxy, I did not just become a VW owner, I became a part of a community.  

When the mechanic (Tirso) finally came, he was able to start Voxy up by just cleaning the contact points and adjusting the timing. We were all happy thinking the ordeal was over and we can all finally go home.  Turns out that Voxy was just starting – after several meters – she stalled again! 

Fixing my Lancer's Horn

Finally, A DIY for my lancer!

I’ve been having problems with my lancer’s horn button for quite some time now. The wire from the horn button to the steering wheel’s horn adapter keeps on getting pulled out I’ve repeatedly tried to solder it back in place, even to the extent of using a thicker gauge wire and some heavy duty terminals, but the story is the same after a couple of weeks. I got fed up of fixing it on a regular basis and decided to analyze the cause of the problem once and for all. TIP: Understand how the system works will definitely help you fix the problem.

How to Make Your Own Jumper Cables

s a rule of thumb – it is advisable to fire up your car’s engine and use it once a week – if you can’t take it for a long drive, a run around the block will do. At the very least let it run idling for around 10-15 minutes. This allows the oil to flow around your engine, the gears to turn and more importantly, your battery to recharge.  It took me almost 2 months to finish Voxy’s paint job and I was not able to start her up after I have masked off everything (which is about 3 to 4 weeks). As expected, the battery was dead when I tried to start her up again.  Right then , I decided to  get myself one of those jumper cables you see at the malls. TIP: Anything that is not used for a long time breaks down! I mean anything.. a gadget, appliance, your bike, even your mind hehe.

Cleaning the Water Dispenser

Most of the times, the most rewarding DIY projects are the simple ones. Doing easy chores like cleaning the bathroom or waxing and buffing the floor are things that your loved ones will surely appreciate.  Today’s project is one of those things – what I’m going to do is something very simple but most of us are too lazy to do. 

Extending the Last Supper!

My family loves to eat.  We’ve have always had big appetites and Mama always made it a point that there is always something to eat at the dinner table. Because of this, the dining table has witnessed numerous family bonding sessions. Being a religious family, Mama and Papa hung a Last Supper wall décor  a couple of years ago. Recently, I have noticed that there were cracks along in its edges that’s starting to spread . I decided that I better do something to prevent further damage to this wall décor.  Restoring this will not only add years to it and but will bring an impact to the way our dining room looks.

Camera DIY

I used to have a Nokia N82 - a gadget with an excellent camera that I oftentimes call it  a digicam with a phone feature. :) It is suprising that most of the pictures in my earlier posts were taken using a camera phone. A couple of weeks ago - I sold my N82 and found myself looking for a decent camera to capture my projects.