Tire age does not matter. Tyre maintenance does

When you buy tires for your vehicle, do you look at the manufacture date and buy the tire with the latest DOT (tire’s fabrication date) because you think newer is better?

Chances are, you do. Used to reading food and medicine labels, we look for the manufacture or Best Before date because we have been conditioned to think there is an expiry date on everything.

Not so with tires. Unlike food, or medicine, or that fruit, the banana, that easily shows when it’s time to toss it, you do not need to look for the newest tires to ensure your safety on the road.

In fact the most important date to remember for your car tires is not its fabrication date, but the date they were installed on your vehicle. That’s when its aging process starts. A tire starts to age once it is installed and operates on a vehicle. Here’s why.

When the tires are already part of the vehicle, they are subjected to high stresses of stop and go, high speeds, sudden breaking, friction, contact with sharp objects, exposure to extreme temperatures, damage from the elements, heavy loads or simply, under inflation. Even when the vehicle is stored, the wheels may suffer. Tire pressure is affected, that is why correct tire pressure should be checked regularly.

Before car tires are installed on the vehicle, they are uninflated, do not carry any load, and deal only with minor temperature fluctuations in their storage facility, so they do not deteriorate. Tires are designed to provide good, reliable service on vehicles for many years, no matter their manufacture date.

Michelin has launched its Tires Are Not Bananas campaign to correct the misunderstanding about tires and their manufacture date. Michael Nunag, Michelin’s Chief Representative to the Philippines says the misunderstanding can be dangerous because consumers wrongly focus on the DOT instead of on correct safety maintenance after a tire is installed. Consumers may also wrongly  select tire dealers based on new stocks instead of looking for quality of service.

Three studies were conducted in Korea, Germany and Saudi Arabia that showed no difference in performance between newly manufactured tires and tires that have been in storage for 3 years, said Nunag. “The Saudi Arabia study showed that a tire used on a vehicle for one year had equivalent aging to a tire in storage for 10 years. In terms of the characteristics of the tread rubber, it took 20 years in storage at 40C to reach the same characteristics as the tires used at 40,000 Km showing that tires do age more rapidly when used than when stored.”

In South Korea, the Department of Customer Protection performed a safety test on new and un-used 3-year old tires. Both tires were subjected to high-speed tests and stepped-speed tests. No difference was detected between the two tires, Nunag shared.

In Germany, the German motorist organization, IADAC compared newly made tires to tires with three years storage in terms of rolling resistance. The study found identical rolling resistance (the ability to stop) on the old and new tires.

Nunag said Michelin recommends that Michelin tires older than 10 years on cars should be retired. “The recommendation is precautionary and not technically based, “ he said. “Tires endure lots of different stresses during their life on a vehicle. Sometimes the vehicle may be out of alignment, or the tire may be under inflated. Road obstacles, potholes, floods, extreme heat in the summer all take their toll on the tires.”

It is not on tyre age, but on correct tyre maintenance that vehicle owners should be meticulous about, Nunag said.. “Maintaining correct tire pressure, proper alignment, inspection for damages and tread depth measurements is important.”

Nunag said this is why Michelin continues to conduct its Michelin: Safe on the Road campaign, a Michelin global initiative that promotes road safety and mobility by increasing public consciousness about correct tire pressure and other safety concerns. Nunag said Michelin has a full six years warranty for replacement passenger and light truck tires that begins on the date of tire installation.

Alsa Ozamiz - What was That?!

This has been one of the most interesting travel that I had as a blogger, this my sound a little political but I guess it is still appropriate. The place that I went to was under a bad image for so long and I got amazed of the turn around that the local government together with its police authorities.

It all started off with the Press Conference in Ozamiz City Hall with Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog. They all discuss the current situation of Ozamiz together with the existing and upcoming projects of the city. Press were advised that the city had been fighting not only illegal drugs but anything else illegal in the city. We were advised that even Mayor Aldong goes to the raids personally and had video proof being in front of those raids. 3 thick books about the size of yellow pages were shown to us which is compose of all the reports that their administrations achievements, and improvements they have made in the city and they said that they are still trying to submit those books to our President Rody Duterte up until this date.

As we go out of the presscon we then proceeded with the next activity to witness which was the destruction of the surrendered fruit games and video karera machines which is roughtly around 560 illegal gambling machines, all were crushed by the payloader.



In the afternoon was the main event of the day which is Alsa Ozamiz, which was last done a generation ago. In the place that is called Cotta, near Ozamiz Port held the gathering of 51 Baranggay representatives covered the whole area inspite of the pouring rain. Nothing to worry as well because the place is completely secured by the local PNP. I've witnessed the unity of the people that both Mayor Aldong Parojinog and Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog instilled in every Ozamiznon. Even got me teary eyed from all the speaches of the local barangay and religious leaders gave during the program. Ozamiz and Ozamiznons would like to clear out the stigma that their place is full of voilence and illegal activities they wanted to tell our President and the whole nation that it is a peaceful city full of friendly people and they are against anything or anyone that would like to destroy the image of their hometown.

Aster Clinic is first outpatient clinic in the Philippines awarded with an ISO 9001:2015 by TUV Rheinland

Aster Clinic marks a milestone as the first outpatient clinic in the country to receive an ISO 9001:2015 certification from the reputable German company TUV Rheinland. Coincidentally awarded at the turn of 30th global anniversary of its parent company, Aster DM Healthcare LLC based in UAE, Joyce Alumno, Country Manager of Aster DM Healthcare Philippines, identified the company’s unwavering core values, world-class standards, excellent patient experience, and technological advances in patient care as the advantages that awarded them the newest quality management system certification. The ISO 9001:2015 is the most difficult certification process so far and TUV Rheinland is one of the most reputable certification firms that awards such. The newest certification requires a holistic, rigid procedure as it looks into how a company manages potential risks, aside from conforming to international standards and other crucial criteria for assessment. “It was not easy to pass the 9001:2015 commendations. We had to go through a tough process, which required us to document everything. However, with our existing international standards, we were given the TUV Rheinland approval after six months. Usually, assessments can go up to two years,” Alumno said. World-class standards as guiding principles for superiority Alumno said that Aster Clinic is guided by standards that have been around for 30 years. “Aster DM Healthcare established a certain level of quality as benchmarks for about 300 Aster units located around the globe. We are guided by six core values, including integrity, passion, respect, compassion, excellence and unity that we have ingrained in our system and culture since we started operating.” Although Aster Clinic is just one year old in the country, its foundation is based on the standards set by their international counterparts in different parts in the world. Excellence and as a core value of the trusted brand Among Aster Clinic’s core values, excellence is given emphasis as it highlights the quality and superiority of the company in patient care. “Excellence is our most important norm. As we aim to give the best service to our customers, we continue to improve our standards. We set the benchmarks and we further raise it. Our goal is to continuously develop as a global company and that Quality is a culture in Aster and the company puts a premium on service as this is what Aster DM Healthcare is known for. Technological advances in patient care “We’ll treat you well.” This is the proposition of Aster Clinic in the Philippines. But, more than just a marketing tagline, Aster Clinic has added more value to its goal of treating its patients well by introducing best practices that uses technology. The Clinic Information System (CIS) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are technological breakthroughs in the company that have been recognized for its efficiency to patient care. The CIS and EMR are systems for recording and keeping patients’ health information like laboratory results, medical check-up appointments, and even x-ray images. The information can be tracked by patients through the internet or their smartphones, which saves time, effort and costs on the part of the patients. The doctors can quickly refer to the patients’ records. “We have top-of-the-line machines and equipment to back this modern system. The technology is created by the Aster group and is unique to the company. These technologies help eliminate errors and the switching of results. It is proven and tested to be efficient and effective,” Alumno said. Aster Philippines looks into more opportunities “The ISO 9001:2015 certification is not just a marketing strategy for Aster Clinic. The company wants to make sure that they are setting the bar for international standards for outpatient clinics, thus we deemed it necessary to be certified by none less than TUV Rheinland. Our greatest goal is to gain customer satisfaction through our excellent services. Through the ISO certification, we are confident that we will deliver the best satisfaction that our patients would like to experience,” Alumno emphasized. Meanwhile, the company is planning to expand in the country and will open three more branches in February next year. “We want to become a chain of outpatient clinics while we look for opportunities of building hospitals and pharmacies because that’s what we have within our network. If the market is good, we are planning to do this in Metro Manila and in some key cities in the country” Alumno said. Alumno added that the company will continue to promote its services, especially among the young adults as they recognize the increase of chronic or lifestyle diseases among this age group. With an ISO 9001:2015 certification on its company wall, Aster Clinic in the Philippines is hopeful that these plans will be part of the future.