Car troubles pile up in ‘Ondoy’ aftermath

For many car owners, September was the cruelest month. Tropical storm ‘Ondoy’ brought forth a deluge that trashed and swept away their vehicles as if they were toys. Old or new—it didn’t matter. The flood took them all. Most of the time, this happened right in front of the horrified owners’ eyes. Caught by surprise

On Saturday morning, September 26, University of Santo Tomas (UST) student Neil Deona was attending a class when the rain began to pour. As soon as class was dismissed, Neil hurried to get into his car—a reliable 1992 Toyota Corolla that had once belonged to his dad. He had parked the vehicle on Asturias Street. The UST area has long been flood-prone, so Neil was initially unfazed by the fact that the water had already started to rise. He got into his car, bracing himself for the long, difficult drive home. But, four hours later, Neil was still stuck in the UST area. The flood, he had to admit, was unlike any other he and his classmates had experienced. Worse, Neil’s trusty ride had lost the fight with the rising floodwaters. When murky water started streaming into the Corolla, Neil knew he had to get out and leave it behind. It was that or he would drown with it. He went to nearby higher ground so he could still keep an eye on his car. He watched the vehicle go under. It would be two days before the Corolla could be towed back to Neil’s home. No choice On Monday, September 28, the same day that Neil was taking stock of the damage ‘Ondoy’ had wrought to his Corolla, Mindy Santiago and her family got the shock of their lives. Mindy was supposed to leave for work two days earlier, but she had decided to stay home as ‘Ondoy’ relentlessly pounded Metro Manila. Their area had experienced flooding in the past, with the water only reaching knee-level, so they thought nothing of it when water started to rise on their street. Anticipating the same scenario, Mindy and her father moved their cars to higher ground. But, to their shock, the water continued to rise. That was when the whole family began moving their furniture to the second floor of the house. They didn’t have time to save everything. before having to retreat to the attic. They would be stuck there with very little food and water until they were rescued the next day. Aside from their appliances and furniture, the flood also wrecked the family’s three cars.

Costly repairs Compared to many displaced families who lost everything, Neil and Mindy are lucky. But that doesn’t mean their car troubles aren't painful. The recovery and repair of a drowned vehicle does not come cheap. A car owner could spend as much as P300,000 (or more) to have the damaged vehicle up and running again. Even then, as Neil’s father said, “A car never really is the same again." To date, the Corolla that the family had taken great care of for the past 17 years has broken down for the nth time. ‘Ondoy’ was its undoing. ‘Ondoy’ showrooms The repair costs may be “a little easier" to take for those whose cars are insured—but with so many other flood-wrecked vehicles lined up at service centers, the car rehab doesn’t get done as fast as they would like. In fact, many car owners have been advised to line up at out-of-town service centers if they simply can’t stand the long wait. Car service centers in Metro Manila have turned into makeshift showrooms for flood-damaged vehicles. Indeed, the process of fixing up a flood-wrecked car is painful and tedious. But, at the end of the day, car owners can just take their cue from Mindy, who writes in her blog, “Our clothes can be washed, our furniture and appliances replaced, our cars can be repaired. Let us pray for the others who lost their entire homes, and especially for those who lost their loved ones." - FVI/YDA,GMANews.TV Several car companies have offered promotional discounts and come up with advisories for their clients. Click on the following links for helpful tips: Honda promo Toyota discounts Mitsubishi advisory Hyundai advisory