2012 Starex TCI Variant

**ACMC** · April 18th, 2012 11:15 PM

I am planning to get a 2012 TCI 10 seater Manual Starex NEXT WEEK. I wanted to get the CRDi but the cost is just too prohibitive. I am aware that this is the base unit but I do have some concerns on what I have been seeing on reviews and blogs. I hope you guys could help me make the right decision and give me some inputs. My apologies sa dami ng tanong.

1. TCI being under powered - I have been hearing and seeing that the TCI variant is under powered at full load (people and baggage) especially going up to Baguio (Kennon) and even certain places in Tagaytay and even overtaking. Bitin daw ang power. I don't mind if it isn't a powerhouse but am concerned that I might have a hard time going up and overtaking. I just want to get up Baguio with no hassle of feeling "bitin" going up steep inclines and be able to overtake with some reserve power when needed on the hiways. Any of you guys have any experience on this? How good/bad and reliable is this engine?

2. Warraty Claims - I was told that warranty claims become void when one doesn't follow the 3, 6, 9, etc. months PMS IRREGARDLESS OF ACTUAL KILOMETERS RAN. I plan to use this van as a weekend and family outing vehicle. So I am disheartened to hear that if I don't bring the unit for PMS every 3 months, the warranty is void. Is there a way around this? I feel this is a rip-off.

3. Resale Value - is it true that the Resale value of the TCI is very poor compared to its CRDi counterpart? What are we talking about here, 20% difference, 30%? 40%?

4. Basic changes - looking at some of your posts, I noticed that there are a few (or a lot) of basic changes that need to be made because the stock accessories are just so POOR. Accessories like the horn, which is perfect for a VW Beetle and not a huge Van; The tail light, which I understand to be inadequate due to single and double contact (I don't really understand the issue since I just browsed through the posts); Speakers, Stereo, headlight bulbs, etc. Should there be a real need to replace all of these?

5. Cost of PMS - I was told that the cost of the PMS costs an arm and even a leg. Sobrang mahal daw. Comments please.

6. Diesel Exhaust - I have never used a diesel engine run vehicle. I am concerned about the "usok boys" stopping Diesel ran vehicles for constantly emission testing. I was told that one must just make sure that the PMS are done religiously and on time. However, someone told me that even following the PMS schedule didn't help him. during one test, bagsak daw siya. He said he later learned that the muffler itself is the culprit since there are build-ups of (I forgot what it was). How true is this? Any tips on how to avoid this hassle? One dealer told me that this engine is Euro 3 compliant while another said that it is Euro 4. Ano ba talaga? It isn't mentioned in the brochure.

7. Non warranty parts - what are the parts that are not covered by warranty aside from consumables like lights bulb & tires?

8. Inter-dealer service - are PMS or warranty claims accepted by all dealers of HARI? In case I am in another city upon reaching 5k, 10k, etc. If the PMS is done by different dealers, does this affect the warranty of the vehicle, or should the PMS be done by just one dealer?

Once again, I apologize for the numerous questions. I hope you guys could help me.

Thanks.

ACMC

**mda** · April 18th, 2012 11:33 PM

Try ko sagutin isa isa, as an owner of the CRDi AT nonGold variant:

1. This will be difficult for me to answer as we have a different variant. But fully loaded, you can't help but feel like the car's engine is a little strained. Pero since M/T and siguro less yung power loss, it may suffice. (You may have to request a test drive, or wait for people with an MT TCi to reply). What you should take into consideration though is that the TCi engine saw duty on the older Starex, which was probably much lighter. So you really shouldn't expect a powerhouse (like you said).

2. Depends. For items that are checked on the 3-month interval warranty such as oil levels, brakes, etc. - the warranty will be void *daw* kung hindi mo sinundan. For items totally irrelevant, such as busted electricals (ASSUMING you did not do any outside modification), this will continue to be valid.

One thing to note dun sa 3 month PMS schedule. The life of fully synthetic oil is 6 months or 10K. If by 3 months, di ka pa umaabot ng 5K, they will only change the oil on the 2nd, 6 month PMS.

3. The resale value will naturally be lower, because the base price is lower. But what really kills the deal for me is the lack of ABS+EBD and the Airbag. Better to have it and not need it, rather than the reverse (lalo sa highway drives).

4. Real need to replace all of these? NO.
My list of modifications done to our GS (all except the last done sa Casa for the 5 year warranty) -
- Rear tailgate spoiler (primarily done for the third brake light)
- Rear exterior mirror
- Horn
- Leatherette Seat cover

Granted, the stock audio system is garbage. It's a family van and it will play music with USB/aux in. No need to have this changed unless you're a real audio junkie. I find no issue with the headlights. Wag ka lang magpatint ng madilim. I had my windshield tinted with reflective tint to preserve visibility inside the car.

5. Can be pretty expensive. But then again, you're maintaining a VAN, not a Vios. Take note malakas yata kumain ng brake pads yung GS. 10K palang, palit na yung sa amin. Ang bigat ata kasi ng GS, so stopping it will really stress the brake pads a lot.

6. Nasa brochure yan. The TCi is Euro3 compliant; the CRDi is Euro4 compliant. Usually yung mga hinihinto ng mga kotong cops yung mga Crosswind, Adventure, L300. Napara na dati yung 1999 HiAce namin, but passed the test. Out of all our diesel cars, hindi pa naman umuusok itong GS namin.

7. Non-warranty parts - brake pads, suspension (springs/shocks, unless sure na may manufacturing defect), modified parts, etc.

8. Your service history is indicated in the booklet they'll be giving you as well as in their system (I *THINK*). You can do a Casa hop for all your PMSs for all they care. And your warranty should still be in effect.

Hope this helps.

**ACMC** · April 19th, 2012 10:24 AM

Thanks for the response mda. Some clarifications below in blue:

Originally Posted by mda

Try ko sagutin isa isa, as an owner of the CRDi AT nonGold variant:

1. This will be difficult for me to answer as we have a different variant. But fully loaded, you can't help but feel like the car's engine is a little strained. Pero since M/T and siguro less yung power loss, it may suffice. (You may have to request a test drive, or wait for people with an MT TCi to reply). What you should take into consideration though is that the TCi engine saw duty on the older Starex, which was probably much lighter. So you really shouldn't expect a powerhouse (like you said).
Tried test driving it but I couldn't really get a feel for it since limited ang area of the test drive so I couldn't test its power at higher gears plus there was no serious inclines to test it out. I do hope some of the TCI users can give me some feedback on their vehicle.

2. Depends. For items that are checked on the 3-month interval warranty such as oil levels, brakes, etc. - the warranty will be void *daw* kung hindi mo sinundan. For items totally irrelevant, such as busted electricals (ASSUMING you did not do any outside modification), this will continue to be valid.

One thing to note dun sa 3 month PMS schedule. The life of fully synthetic oil is 6 months or 10K. If by 3 months, di ka pa umaabot ng 5K, they will only change the oil on the 2nd, 6 month PMS.
Thanks for this advise.

3. The resale value will naturally be lower, because the base price is lower. But what really kills the deal for me is the lack of ABS+EBD and the Airbag. Better to have it and not need it, rather than the reverse (lalo sa highway drives).

4. Real need to replace all of these? NO.
My list of modifications done to our GS (all except the last done sa Casa for the 5 year warranty) -
- Rear tailgate spoiler (primarily done for the third brake light)
- Rear exterior mirror
- Horn
- Leatherette Seat cover

Granted, the stock audio system is garbage. It's a family van and it will play music with USB/aux in. No need to have this changed unless you're a real audio junkie. I find no issue with the headlights. Wag ka lang magpatint ng madilim. I had my windshield tinted with reflective tint to preserve visibility inside the car.

5. Can be pretty expensive. But then again, you're maintaining a VAN, not a Vios. Take note malakas yata kumain ng brake pads yung GS. 10K palang, palit na yung sa amin. Ang bigat ata kasi ng GS, so stopping it will really stress the brake pads a lot.

6. Nasa brochure yan. The TCi is Euro3 compliant; the CRDi is Euro4 compliant. Usually yung mga hinihinto ng mga kotong cops yung mga Crosswind, Adventure, L300. Napara na dati yung 1999 HiAce namin, but passed the test. Out of all our diesel cars, hindi pa naman umuusok itong GS namin.

7. Non-warranty parts - brake pads, suspension (springs/shocks, unless sure na may manufacturing defect), modified parts, etc.
Suspension is not covered? This is a major component of the vehicle. I think this should be covered. This is not a consumable, right?

8. Your service history is indicated in the booklet they'll be giving you as well as in their system (I *THINK*). You can do a Casa hop for all your PMSs for all they care. And your warranty should still be in effect.

Hope this helps.

**mda** · April 19th, 2012 10:44 AM

Hmm. Now that I think about it, warranty-able part nga dapat yung suspension. Okay, scratch that bit.

Basically consumables, wear-and-tear parts are not covered.

I think what the TCi MT has going for it is that you can always shift to a lower gear if you need the power.

**CVT** · April 19th, 2012 11:19 AM

Bro. I will just respond to your item on the power of the TCi engine.

I used to own an Oct2004 TCi A/T Starex (bug-eyed Gen3) and now I own an Oct2009 TCi A/T Grand Starex (GS).

I normally drive up to Baguio twice a year. I drove both vehicles, fully loaded on separate occasions. The GS offers a lot more in terms of power and handling (very minimal body roll), and to my opinion, is not wanting in any of these.

Back in Jan, 2005, I drove the Oct2004 TCi A/T Starex to Baguio around 5:30AM, and I overtook all of the vehicles I encountered along Marcos Hiway. Now, I have not done that on the GS. However, I can tell for certain that its response to power push is more car-like than the Gen3. (Actually, and I admit that it is a far comparison,- our Oct2009 TCi A/T GS's response to power push is way way better than our 2008 Innova Gas G A/T)...

15.4K:cosmo:

**niky** · April 19th, 2012 11:38 AM

To add... we've taken the TCi MT on long trips. While it's not as punchy as the CRDi, it's not terribly underpowered. the only nit is it's not as quick to accelerate past 80 km/h on the highway... but going up to Baguio is not a problem.

**IMm29** · April 19th, 2012 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by CVT

(Actually, and I admit that it is a far comparison,- our Oct2009 TCi A/T GS's response to power push is way way better than our 2008 Innova Gas G A/T)...

15.4K:cosmo:

Hehehe! Torque playing a factor on this as well. The gas Innova feels pretty linear. The diesel GS will probably have more kick.

**IMm29** · April 19th, 2012 03:56 PM

I'll chime in on Warranty Claims and Basic Changes.

I've not encountered a dealer that has required me to abide by the number of months. They have honored the option to go by mileage. Dealers I've gone to are Hyundai Alabang/Las Pinas, Pasig (Bonifacio Motors) and Greenhills. The only warranty I've claimed, and that was on our older Gen 3, was on brakes. Otherwise, none so far (for both the Gen 3 and the current GS).

Basic Changes is a matter of taste, and personal requirements. Our unit is a Gold CRDi, but despite the higher price compared to a TCi, I still changed the head unit and front speakers, and added an amp and a sub. I am mainly the driver, so I haven't replaced the rear speakers, nor have optimized them for rear passengers watching the rear overhead tv that came as standard. I drive the GS on an almost daily basis in heavy metro traffic, which is why I opted for an upgraded A/V system.

As to the stock system, it will probably not stand up to the one I spent my hard earned cash on, but depending on the requirement, it might make do. Use it, play it to your heart's content, and then upgrade kapag basag na

The horn has got to be the first thing to go.