Van Revival: It Begins

It's been 14 years since we first rode our 12-seater 1994 Toyota Hiace Commuter. And it's been quite a ride with it so far. It has always brought us to our destinations safely. In fact, it is more likely to meet with an accident when it is parked. Sounds funny right? But having driven this workhorse since the time we bought it, I've been witness to most if not all its mishaps on or off the road. Take for example the time when I was buying a pane of glass and parked the van right outside the store, then a closed van's rear door flung open and hit our parked van. Or the time when I was waiting at a stop light and a lady backs her pickup onto the street straight into the side of the van. Fortunately the van's body seem made of sterner stuff and the damages, though they sound awful, leave little but noticeable marks.

I remember driving from Manila to Iloilo (with 2 inter-island ferry rides in between) and at one of the ferry rides, while the van was parked along with others down in the platform of the ship, some jerk thought it would be fun to scrape a bottle cap on the sides of the parked cars... the van included. There were a lot of irate drivers when it was time to disembark the ferry and they found their cars scraped. I myself was a little pissed, but what can I do, but shrug it off? I just thought to myself, karma (not that I believe in it) would avenge us somehow. These are but some of the instances that gave the van its dings and dents. They were all memorable as they happened while the van was at rest.

Apart from these, the usual paint fading and chips from road debris have accumulated through the years resulting in a less than appealing look to an already ageing vehicle. Add to that bubbles that appeared on the rear hatch's window lining and edges. Bubbles in the paint that soon burst and exposed metal that slowly rusted and fell off comically like the rusty car in the Pixar movie.

Well, as the good Lord has always allowed when the right time comes, we've saved enough to have the van restored to its former state. I talked to a tinsmith and painter that my uncle recommended to repair and repaint the van's body. The former charged Php9,000 and the latter Php30,000 (plus another Php1,500 for the wheels). I was told it will take a month and a half to finish, and it was a great time to have this done given that it's the summer months so drying the materials (body filler/paint) won't be difficult. They needed all the upholstery removed, so I worked on them that same afternoon. I brought the van the following Monday after we shook hands, gave a deposit, and began anticipating the van's return.