2016 Suzuki Ciaz 1.4 GLX A/T Part 8: PMS and Registration

We neglected to bring our 2016 Suzuki Ciaz 1.4 GLX A/T to the service workshop of a Suzuki Automobile dealership for its 30,000-kilometer periodic maintenance service (PMS). The odometer on our long-term test unit recently reached the 35,000-kilometer mark so we decided that it’s time to have the PMS performed at the Suzuki Auto Kalookan dealer, located along EDSA, Caloocan City.

Upon arrival at Suzuki Kalookan, the service reception informed us that aside from the usual oil change, tune-up, or engine diagnostics that is required during the 35,000-km PMS, they also need to check and replace some parts that were recommended during the neglected 30,000-km maintenance service. They began with the requisite oil change, and then proceeded with the diagnosis of the engine performance.

The mechanic then turned his attention to the front disc brakes, which require the replacement of the brake pads during the 30,000-km PMS. He had our Ciaz lifted, had the front wheels removed, and had the old disc pads replaced with the new ones in no time. It really pays when the mechanic is well-trained and the parts counter is well-stocked when working on specific car models. If we were to do it ourselves, it would take us some time to source the parts for our Ciaz, find a suitable lifter, remove the wheels and the disc brakes with our hand tools, and take perhaps an entire afternoon just to replace the pads of the front disc brakes. The Suzuki Auto Kalookan mechanic did that in a far shorter time and even got to inspect the rear drum brake shoes.

We paid a little over P8,000 for the combined 30,000- and 35,000-kilometer PMS and we were satisfied with the service of Suzuki Auto Kalookan. Perhaps, in our haste to take photos and, in turn, get the service personnel a bit conscious of our, ehem… “media” presence, we neglected to have the handbrake lever adjusted, which is also part of the 30,000-km maintenance. Oh, well. It’s not big deal since the good people at Suzuki Auto Kalookan have graciously invited us back to their service department to have the handbrake adjusted accordingly. Thank God for honest service!

While we were at the dealership, we were also fortunate to finally get the overdue official license plates of our long term test car. The LTO liason officer of Suzuki Philippines, Inc. (SPH) was finally able to secure the plates from the LTO office in Batangas (Region 4), where, we guess, that’s where SPH registers most of their company vehicles. We were expecting our plate number to be ACP-1436, as indicated in the LTO Certificate of Registration (CR) and Official Receipt (OR) handed to us back in 2016 when we got the car. We were a bit surprised that we were issued DCP-1436 instead, with a hand-written correction and matching initialized signature on our LTO documents. No matter. At least, our Ciaz finally has its license plates, and just in the nick of time, because its three-year LTO registration (2016-2018) needed to be renewed in June! Thank God for small favors!

On a lighter note, according to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) regulations, our brown Suzuki is banned on the road every Wednesday because of the number 6 ending of its license plate. Quite by coincidence, our 2016 Suzuki Ciaz 1.4 GLX A/T now joins our meager fleet of five vehicles with four project cars – 1971 Chevrolet Camaro RS, 1974 Volkswagen Beetle 1303 S, 1986 Mercedes-Benz 500 SE, and 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe LS – all of which have license plate endings that ban each vehicle one day for everyday of the week! Life’s really funny (and fun) that way!