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  1. Here's a write up on my Daily Driver - the new Civic 1 Litre Turbo - I've so far done just a bit over 1500 Km's and since the engine was new didn't really push it to the max and I have not yet been able to do a really long trip or a drive uphill to BUT I will continue to update the blog based on the experiences as well as services etc. For a start I will touch the basics as well as all the cosmetic stuff and then get into the overall driving experience and later on the services etc. There is also a dedicated thread in the forum that is quite informative. But I hope this blog will also prove useful to someone. First of all the basics.... In a nutshell the 2017 Civic is the 10th generation in the line up. The particular model I have, and is getting popular in SL goes under the model code FK6 and has a P10A2 engine which has a measly 988cc but is turbocharged. The car is made in the UK (at Honda's Swindon Plant). I have heard that the agents now bring it down as well. (6.2M for the SR) There are 3 grades for the 1L turbocharged civic. SE, SR and the EX. The SE is the most basic model with the EX being the highest (the Tech pack is a further extension of the EX) There is roughly a 5,000 GBP (~ 1 Mil LKR) price difference between the SE and the EX. The SR on the other hand sits comfortably in the middle - it does not have stuff like adaptive damper system that comes on the EX. The Honda UK website lists down the differences of each grade under a section called 'Build your Honda' or something. If you're interested do have a look. There are 7 colors available and the Rallye Red is the standard . Every other color will cost around 500 GBP more . There is also the "Orange Line Pack" - which is basically an accessory kit that adds a touch of orange into everything - I've seen a few such cars in car sales in SL. Though I initially contemplated Sonic Grey, ended up with a Polished Metal Metallic specimen. With the 2017 Budget a new tax structure was introduced and under the engine capacity based taxation you'd be paying 17.5 m in taxes (1,754,976 LKR to be precise) for a brand new car with reasonable creature comforts and a bunch of bells and whistles which costs something between 4-5 mill based on the grade ( see above ) First Impressions For me the new Civic hatch looks like someone started designing and spent too much time doing a good job with the front and then ran out of time to design the posterior and hastily put an end to it. This explains the rather weird looking behind. The Sedan version I have to admit looks better. There's also waay too much plastic in the rear so much so that it looks like a joint venture between Honda and Arpico. There's a bit of aggressive styling at the front. The car is quite wide and it has a solid ground hugging look to it. As for the supposed vents you see at the front and the back - well those are fake. They're simply pieces of plastic made to look like vents. And yes it does have fog lights. I like the factory fitted black 17" alloys. Note the SE comes with 16" Alloys as opposed to the 17" found in the SR. Being a brand new car it came with a humongous bible-like user manual (thankfully in English) - along with the wheel lock nut as well as the tool kit and the tire repair kit (glue and the inflator which by now we are used to) If any of you intend to buy one from a regular car sale make sure they give you your wheel lock nut.
    21 points
  2. Guys, finally I bought 'FD 1', I was seeking a well maintained FD1 or FD 4 for months but was not lucky enough. After many cheatings and hassles, I accidentally found this red beauty. And also after dozens of negotiations, I settled with her. This FD1 is a brand new import under the permit scheme and registered in 31st of December 2007. previous owner is a doctor & he was the first owner and had maintained her with Sfat#d Mot#rs and had all service records from the beginning to up to date. Two Autolankans were helping me with this. Hyaenidae, B@tman and also I thank full to who wrote threads about FD's. I read each & every thread about FD. Thank you all guys. Here are some photos of her.
    19 points
  3. My fellow AL Guys, I have been an avid autolanka member since I got my first car (Mazda demio) back in 2017.One thing that always intrigued me was how much AL members loved their lancers. So I always thought to my self what would it be like to own one. I have read every posts/discussions related to lancers ( AL Famous BRATT tread- that was one hell of a tread and I read all 32 pages of it) and I always questioned myself "is this actually good as members claim it to be? so I decided a give it a try. Long story short, when I saw this advert on autolanka about a month a back my eyes were completely fixated on this beauty. it was one of the most beautiful lancers I have seen. However at that point I had some other personal issues to take care of and my mind was not in a good mood to concentrate on the car. After sometime back I was surprised to see the lancer was still on classifieds. I thought it would be gone. So I contacted the seller, who confirmed me that the car was still available. I was over the moon and 2 days after I went to inspect the car and that was it. Knew she was meant to be mine.I paid an advance after inspecting and reserved the car for myself. ( hats off to the previous owner who is a Known lancer enthusiast for properly taking care of the car) It took another 2 weeks to sort out the finances for myself ( to sell my Demio and arrange the rest of the funds). and Last Friday I brought the lancer to my rural village. couldn't be more happier. I would like to thank AL members specially Davy,Trinity and the rest of the AL Lancer guys who made me a lancer lover and eventually an owner.So without further ado I bring to you " Evangeline" ( I bought this ride for her.Had to name the car after my daughter). More pics and updates to follow.
    18 points
  4. It's been little more than 4 years with my Hiace and it has done around 76,000kms so I thought its time I give you guys an update on it. Let me start the blog with the basics, Mine is a Toyota Hiace KDH206, this variant of Hiace is fitted with a 1KD-FTV turbo engine with an all wheel drive system. The AWD system in the KDH series is pretty much full time, it runs on all four wheels normally and if any of the wheels experience a slippage, the vehicle stops sending power to that specific wheel. There is a noticeable difference between the AWD variant(KDH206) and RWD variant(KDH201). The KDH206 is around 100kg heavier and you could feel that through the steering when you drive one. In addition, the KDH206 feels far more planted at higher speeds and around corners than the RWD variant. However the downside is that the full time AWD system drinks bit more fuel than RWD version. Cost of Maintenance In short the Hiace is not cheap run, I get fuel economy of around 6km/l in kandy and around 9-10km/l outstation, the RWD KDH201 would return around another extra 2km more per litre. Hiace is originally fitted with 195/80R15 8ply tyres and they cost around 22-23.5K per tyre from brands like Continental or Pirelli, while Maxxis tyre could be found for around 16k. The Hiace requires 0W-30 oil and a regular service which needs to be carried out every 5000km costs around 10K using Toyota oil, I was using Toyota oil filter as well, but now I have switched to VIC. ATF oil must be changed around every 40k kms, I change air filter and cabin filter every year. It requires super diesel and this is an absolute must, if you regularly pump auto diesel you will pay more in repairs than what you saved by pumping auto diesel. The most likely issues you would get from pumping auto diesel are DPF, which costs around 70-80k to replace and injectors, which would set you back around 500k for all four. So far I had to change only a bush which costed around 50rs, apart from that I have not had any repairs. Performance The Hiace pulls pretty well for a vehicle which weighs 2 tonnes, the 1KD-FTV with a variable nozzle turbo produces 100kw at 3400RPM and 300nm of torque at 1200-3200rpm and it is connected to a 4 speed conventional automatic gearbox. Overtaking other vehicles with Hiace is pretty easy, you just have to put your foot down, the turbo will come to life and you would be gone. It is always on the right gear, there's no unnecessary downshifts or up shifts, the gearing ratios are perfectly synced with the power band of the engine although it is only a 4 speed gearbox in a world of 6 and 7 speed gearboxes. The Hiace properly comes to life on hill climbs with the help of low end power and variable nozzle turbo. Handling is fairly good for a van, it handles better than large SUVs. The KDH series has much less body roll compared to the previous LH series, but it isn't great as handling of a car. I notice the difference in handling when I drive the Hiace after driving our Bluebird which has front and rear independent suspension. Comfort It doesn't handle large potholes and bumps as good as a car, but it does manage to soften small potholes pretty well. The diesel engine noise is evident compared to a hybrid or petrol vehicle but the noise reduces when the vehicle gets to the third gear or at around 70+ km/h speed. The A/C is epic on the Hiace, it is one of the best cooling A/C I have come across, I rarely have to set the A/C temperature below 26 degree Celsius on auto mode and that is without the dual A/C. There is plenty of space inside, 7 or 8 people could travel on long journeys with their legs stretched out and not crammed. The second row seat is the best place to be in, you get the dual A/C right in front of you, it is acoustic sweet spot and minimal sunlight enters the cabin. Practicality It is quite a practical vehicle if you are using it occasionally or for long journeys as it can seat 8 comfortably yet carry plenty of luggage(you could fit around 4-5 large travelling bag placed horizontally), it has got atleast double the amount of luggage space compared to a Noah/Esquire. However it is bit of waste of money if you are using it on daily basis as fuel bills are gone be crazy and parking these are not that easy within city limits. In addition, maneuvering these around narrow roads requires some skills especially roads with tight bends. Second hand value and parts Selling a KDH isn't difficult at all, if you maintain them right there will always be people willing it to buy it from you. There are plenty of body parts available but 1KD engine parts are bit difficult to find and even if you do find, it will be expensive Some used parts prices are: Pair of tail lights: 15k for older design and 30k for new design Pair of headlight: more than 100k without the HID unit Rear door: around 40k Fog lights: around 20k What I have done with my Hiace The Modellista body kit came with the van from Japan itself and I added the Modellista grill later on Original Toyota spoiler which came painted pearl white I tinted the fog lamps yellow with Nightbreaker bulbs in them I have also replaced the rear seats which are rotatable and come with a table as well I have done some electronic mods as well, Installed a transcend DrivePro 200 Carrozzeria tweeters with crossover and JBL component speakers with crossover(thanks to @TheFlyingFox) https://streamable.com/ujkce I was planning on installing FIAMM horns, but the JDM side of my brain took over and I went with Mitsuba Alpha https://streamable.com/nbipn Note: click on the links to access the videos My dad had the body kit removed for a short period of time and during that time I drove it through some muddy terrain. It did well.
    18 points
  5. have a little spare time this fortnight so i stepped in to say she's almost almost done. man its been quite a journey. so here's a few photos of the end products and the build summary: ENGINE - L 16 block fully rebuilt - High compression flathead pistons - 219 "peanut" competition head - twin hitachi SU side draught carbs - SSS camshaft - comp cams competition coil - comp electronic distributor - NISMO low pressure electric fuel pump - triple core aluminum radiator - crank fan delete - custom extractor and exhaust by KelumWJ projects - battery delete GEARBOX - 5 speed close ratio dogleg 180B gearbox - WRX 4 rear diff with LSD BRAKES - 510 SSS front discs - 510 SSS brake servo - rear discs from S13 silvia WHEELS & TYRES - BBS 15" mesh alloys - 195/55/15's to match the stock rolling radius SUSPENSION - gecko street spec coilvers front and rear - cusco front tower strut LIVERY - BRE DATSUN 68 homage - BRE OEM "spook" font lip LIGHTING - BMW M3 E30 headlight retrofit - 510 SSS rear sequential turn signals with custom build electronic sequencer an logic circuit by @kalinga INTERIOR - 1968 JDM SSS gauge cluster - SSS japanese oak wood gear knob with custom emblem - 610 SSS steering wheel (just fell in love with it) yes, 610 - equus volt, oil pressure and water temp gauges on enter console - AC retrofit, ducted through existing vents, and controlled by blower controls. - two point retractable seatbelts. i'm still working out a few kinks and constantly ironing out little imperfections. but man oh man has she come along way from when i started out. just thought you guys would like to see her now.
    15 points
  6. Well it's almost an year now so a quick update on what has happened. Ive done 12500 kms at this point and the car has had two oil changes as well as a wheel alignment done by now. By this point the civic is as common as the flu now. Fuel Consumption The most asked question still, and at10,000+ kms we are well past engine break in etc and we can have a fair idea on actual fuel figures. The 12,500 Km mostly consists City driving, a bit of expressway, and the once a month outstation trip. Overall fuel consumption is about 10KMPL. If further elaborated on average City fuel consumption stands around 8 -9 Kmpl. In the suburbs and outstations it will do anywhere between 10-12. Anomalies being about 15 (6L/100Km) on expressways and on smooth sailing road trips like Trinco. The Ground Clearance Issue Honestly, I was worried about this at the start but it doesnt seem to be a big issue. One thing I noticed is that the suspension is much firmer on the Civic hence the lowering of the car even with a load is much less. On one instance I took a slightly elevated railway crossing at a bit of speed (my bad) I thought I may have sightly nicked the Muffler but I really could not see any damage at all and I wasnt sure I heard a slight sound. But as @Magnum (who drives a ground huggin' HiAce) says over time you get used to be aware of your cars height and drive accordingly. The Wide wheels also help on pothole ridden roads as they hardly fall into them...The small unpaved road leading to my house is in a horrible condition (due to a combination of Trucks hauling stuff to the neighbours house under construction+ the never-ending rain ) there are deep nasty ruts that my other ride ( EP71 Starlet) with its tiny wheels fall into but is never a problem for the Civic. Are the gizmos giving trouble? The automatic braking might end up being a life saver but on day to day drives it can be bothersome. The whole thing is over dramatic and the braking is sudden and violent. When a biker suddenly moves in and the auto break kicks in its sudden, violent and introduces the risk of Madushani who was tailgating you in her Honda Dio ramming you from behind. Proximity Sensors are actually helpful specially when parking (the car is wider than your Aqua/Fit etc ) there is though a mild annoyance that has happened to me half a dozen times in an entire year. The front proximity sensor goes bonkers and starts beeping in heavy rain even when theres nothing in front. A forum member suggested that a misaligned License plate could be the culprit - I haven't investigated that yet since I've not seen this behaviour lately. The Rain Sensing Wipers tend to over react sometimes working full speed when theres actually not much rain. All these of course can be manually changed. Automatic Stop Start might not be a good idea for our local traffic and some users complain of the 12V battery prematurely dying. Remember this is no hybrid so the entire stop start cycle is handled by the battery alone ... Also it can be frustrating when your engine stops and you get green in heavy city traffic. I usually turn this off. Adaptive Cruise control and Lane Keep Assist work like a charm. The sensors detect vehicles moving into your lane as well. The motion sensor inside the car will detect movement inside the car when its locked and will start to create a racket - the idea behind this is to prevent locking in a kid or a pet. Almost every Civic user has had the surprise of the alarm going off due to a couple of flies getting trapped in the car. This also can be turned off. Performance I've seen some people assume the car to be slow due to the tiny engine and turbo lag but actually I feel the CVT is the biggest disappointment but in reality I'd settle for the slightly lethargic CVT than getting continuous DCT issues down the line. To have some fun turn Eco Mode off and switch to Sports mode - you can use the paddle shifters but to be honest the paddle shifters are more or less a simulation...CVT and paddle shifters are really not an ideal combo. Another thing I usually do on a cold start is to leave the engine running for a bit (2+ minutes) before actually moving. Do not rev too hard initially. The handling is really nice - the car is made for open roads and long road trips. I drive on E03 regularly and enjoy taking the bends - the car feels really solid and planted. Braking is good. I've seen videos of folk test the cars limits by driving 200+ km/h, braking at high speed etc (mostly on E03) its dangerous and illegal. Mods done Nothing much actually all I've done so far : *Alloygators (19K at the Meguiars place ) * Nano coating (45K ) * Transparent protective film on the Door steps Overall Verdict : A year of trouble free happy motoring. Yes this is no hybrid and requires 95Oct. But thats a small trade off for a rather complete car for a sub 6Mill budget(SR). The car is a bit wide for a hatch (probably in Mazda 6 territory) so you are better off avoiding those mysterious little by-roads google maps suggest. This is no Wagon R .The car will not double up as an SUV so if you regularly travel on some remote jungle path this is not the car for you. If you live in a narrow tuk tuk lane and drive 20Km in heavy traffic you are going to appreciate the legroom and seat position but not getting to enjoy the car that much. The car is at home on the open roads and highways. A slightly wide, attention seeking drama queen thats quite easy to live with.
    15 points
  7. http://autolanka.com/forums/topic/15723-lancer-or-axio-update-bought-a-lancer-aka-the-bratt-thread/?do=findComment&comment=254150 Thought to start this with a comment I made back in 2014. "Only thing i can say is that owning a Lancer EX is my dream, if i had the capacity of buying a one, i wouldn't think twice about it." We'll that dream came true last Sunday. I bought a Lancer EX a couple of days back!! . I was lucky enough to find a good specimen imported in 2011 which had all maintenance records with the proof of mileage. The previous owner had done all necessary maintenance at the agents. Car drives great and is in great condition. Without further ado,I bring to you,,,,,, trinity's Lancer EX
    14 points
  8. As wonderful the previous true-life story is…on the 31st of May I applied online for contract negotiations, roughly about 1 month prior to close of applications; and finally signed a contract on the 3rd of July for a GR Yaris RZ High Performance 1st Edition. Delivery day was estimated to be towards the end of March, 2021. It was going to be a grueling 8.5 month wait. I will spare you the general specs of the car as it has been posted all over the internet. However, one thing needs to be made clear...many peope (especialy in export markets..specifically Europe), have gotten the idea that the GR Yaris is a limited edition car with just 25,000 units produced. Not the case at all. Toyota has always claimed that they need to make ATLEAST 25,000 units for WRC homologation rules. The 25,000 is not a cieling limit. So Toyota would make as many as they can and makes sense for them to do so. Now..back on to the specs....The 1st Edition was offered in two trim levels. RZ and RZ High Performance. The RZ is similar to the base variant you get in other markets. Howeverm the Japanese market High Performance has a slightly different spec sheet compared to equivalent grades in export markets (Circuit Pack in Europe and Rallye in Australasia). The High Performance comes with the Torsen LSD, large brakes and stiffer suspension which also comes in the CP and Rallye variants in other markets, but it also comes with a water sprayer for the Inter-Cooler, plus the 8 speaker premium stereo setup with Active Sound Control. The RZ comes with softer suspension, minus the LSD and the premium stereo and has different seats. In other markets other markets if you want the mechanical goodies you need to order the Circuit Pack (no mechanical upgrade package was offered for the RZ) and if you want the stereo and things like seat warmers you need to go for the Comfort Pack (offered for the RZ) but you cannot order both packs. Being the First Edition, the car was offered with a slighlt different set of option selections and finishes than the RZ High Performance you can go out there and buy right now. The most significant of which is the FINISH of the carbon fiber roof. The roof was offered in either a marble finish or in the traditional weave finish. The latter being a wrap and the former being the natural finish of the carbon fiber panel (manufactured by Mitsubishi). The marble finish looked very dull and resembled a mossy black stone with white on it rather than black marble. So I opted out of the 200,000yen marble finish feature. Also for the first edition, the black trim and the 18” BBS forged (18x8J +45) wheels were in matte black (only for the RZ High Performance). The RZ high Performance 1st edition was offered with what is called the Premium Sport Seat with Emotional Package (there was some weird name for this which I cannot remember). However, this is now being offered at a premium for regular High Performance orders as well. With the feature, all the stitching in the interior is red and the perforated holes on the suede of the faux-leather + suede seats has a red effect to it. Right now the only true differing factor between the 1st Editionand the standard edition is Morizo-san’s signature. My specific car was ordered in Emotional Red with the Emotional Sport seat. Other options included visors and carpets. That was it....pretty bare-bone at the time of ordering. I got a test drive 4 months after ordering my car…at which point I decided to add Toyota Safety Sense which is an option on the GR Yaris. The car’s standard safety features include TRC/VSC, ABS and 8 airbags. Two factors changed my mind about not having TSS. First was the fact that I could not see anything out the back and with no reverse camera or sensors; parking in a narrow garage would have been an issue. With the new Toyota DisplayAudio system fixing an after market reverse camera is an absolute pain and Toyota did not offer a reverse cam only option for the Japanese market. Secondly, it has a lot of oomph, and if my wife was to drive it, I felt driver aides would be a good idea. Toyota Safety Sense adds, a reverse camera along with the usual sensors for preemptive braking, accidental acceleration mitigation, rear cross traffic alert, etc.. plus a heads up display. The test drive was a RZ High Performance variant, but not a 1st edition. As you can see the trim is all shiny. The wait went on... First came a key tag… Then came a VR kit for a special event for 1st edition customers on the official launch date for the car, 16th of September. At its official launch, Toyota released two additional grades for the GR Yaris for the Japanese market. RC, a stripped down RZ High performance, with smaller brakes and wheels and minus the intercooler sprayer. Instead of the standard Torsen LSD, it was offered with a mechanical LSD which was more suited for gravel and tarmac racing. The idea of the RC grade was to offer a high performace, low cost version for tose who wish to race the car and customize it at their own will. The second new grade was the RS, locally teased as Really Slow. It had the GR Yaris body with smaller brakes, wheels, softr suspension and the 1.5L NA engine out of the standard Yaris mated to a sport tuned CVT. This was obviously the cheapest GR Yaris starting at just 2.4mil yen. Apparently it is also the least sold grade for the GR Yaris. At thi point it is interesting to note that the RZ 1st Editions along with the RCs and RSs were being delivered around the first week of October along with a very few RZ High Perf. 1st Editions. The latter apparently takes a lot longer to make so delivery of the high spec versions was quite long. The additional grades, especially the RS seemed to be a desperate attempt to make it to the 25,000 minimum production requirement (which was now not needed) as well as to spread out the production cost of the GR Yaris by transferring it across on to a cheaper, mass market variant (Toyota has hinted that they are hardly making any money on the car and that it was done just to meet race participation rules). Then came a special mini car model of the GR Yaris made specially for those who pre-ordered the 1st Edition... Its an amazing casting and the details are extremely good. Then in late November, we received a call from our dealer stating that the car will arrive at the dealership on the 18th of December. Nearly 4 months ahead of schedule !!! Apparently order volumes were not as overwhelming as Toyota had originally aniticipated. Thus delivery dates had moved up quite substantially. As I write this, there are shortages in some markets in Europe and Australia but that mainly seems to stem out of sales quotas that each of these countries had negotiated for. 18th of December came about...coincidentally, the Corolla had some maintenance work scheduled for the 19th so was able to see the car at the dealer...and there she was...tucked away in a corner at the dealership. That is a wide..wide...grill. I definitely do like the matte finish on the trim. Now the whole registration proces had to start. As a foreigner, doing anything and everything that involves a government process in Japan completely and utterly sucks beyond words. So the registration took 2 days as opposed to the usual day (so that puts us on Sunday...this does not include the time that was taken to register and certify parking space for the car and other things which was done before the car was delivered). Now the insurance subscription can take place..that took another 3 days and finally the car was picked up on the 24th of December. The dealer had accidentally charged us for a custom number for the plates...so selected 17.37 as a homage to the very first Toyota our famiy owned, 15 Sri 1737. A metallic blue, 1985, AE80 DX which my dad picked up in Japan when he and my mom came here for some training program in 1987. The thing costed us like 300,000LKR at the time after duty. It was also the first Toyota I drove..in 1987... Some of the JDM-holics will notice the 3 (category) number as opposed to a 5 (categor) number you would expect in a hatchback. Although the car has a 1600cc engine and weighs just 1280kg (which apparently is spot on based on weigh-ins many have done on the internet), the car's width, at a whopping 1805mm, puts it in a standard passenger vehicle category. We finally took delivery of the car on the 24th of December. After dropping the Corolla off at home...it was straight to the local Autobacs store for some rubber mats as snow was expected on Boxing day weekend. So life with a yaris begins....
    14 points
  9. I don't have pictures (I probably do,I'll dig them up) But I have a story about: My 2004/5 Mazda 3. So what>you guys may ask? Its a Mazda-f-three. No big deal, we see them all the time. Yes true, but this car taught me one of the most important life lessons: Living within your means. It all started one fine afternoon when I was zooming off to pick up my wife (then fiancee). She had called and asked if I could pick her up after work and I, eager for any chance to meet-up, had promptly agreed. I grabbed my keys, jumped in my newish Mazda3 and zoom-zoomed off. The weather was great, the car was on point and doing all the zoom-zoom things it was advertised to do. I was on my way to see my love, things were great and I was in a fantastic mood. So naturally, like for most car guys, my exuberance spilled over into my driving and I started to think I could drive better than I really could: My car was not a Mazda! It was a race car, and I was Schumacher! It was great for a little bit, but unfortunately no one had informed the general public that they were on a race-track, and driving along at full tilt, I soon had an upstart: I took a blind corner a little too fast (to the car's credit it whipped around the corner just fine) and bang! I rear ended a white Toyota, that was around the bend pottering along at a leisurely pace...I was already into the corner when I saw the car and I had no chance at any sort of evasive action for my instinct was to slam on the brakes. As soon as I got on the brakes, the car started sliding as it was already pivoting around the corner and I slid right into the back of this poor old Toyota that was just rattling along minding its business, and knocked it forward. Shit. Shit. Shit. I slid to a stop and sheepishly jumped out from behind the wheel to check on the car in front. Thankfully, things weren't as bad as I thought for it had ended up being a relatively low speed collision. The brakes (and the involuntary slide) had done their job and dulled the impact down to a fender bender situation and it was not the full on shit-show that it could have been. I assessed the damage to the car I rear ended, and made my way to front of the car fully expecting an earful of choice words from the driver as the fault was irrevocably mine. Thankfully, the driver was an easy going sort of uncle who was more bemused than angry, and even seemed to think that I had rammed him because my brakes failed or something. Little did he know my brakes were working fine and that it was only because they did such a spectacular job of slowing me down that he wasn't Schumacher-ed from the rear harder! We sorted it all out: I took pictures and quickly agreed to pay for his rear fender that had dented in and then sort of popped out from the sides. I was appropriately apologetic, and the gentleman who was modestly dressed, seemed to take it well. Thinking to reassure him I was a bit expansive, and effusively promised him that I would do what it takes to fix his car for him. Looking at his older car that had a bit of rust and general wear & tear, I promised him it would look better-than-new by the time the paint guys were done with it etc. He seemed relieved, and by the general state of his car, I assumed it was because he would finally have a rear bumper that didn't have multiple dings and scrapes in it. Well the cars got repaired, and while I paid for his repair at the garage of his choice, I also wanted to meet him again so I could apologize and thank him in person for being such a gentleman about the whole affair. So I called and made arrangements to meet him and rolled up as arranged. Pulling up, I was a bit surprised as the bugger lived in a fancy neighborhood. One that was much, nicer than the area I lived in ( I was renting at the time I think too) and I was a bit surprised. I did a double-take but no, it was the right place, for I spotted the old Toyota sitting pretty (sans a bit of rust and looking shiny around the rear-end, but still looking tired around the front). I pulled in, rang the door bell and there was the old boy himself beaming, happy to welcome me into his home etc. So I palmed him the little gift I had for him, expressed regret for my actions and did the whole: "Thank you for being such a Gentleman" bit I had rehearsed. And being the crafty bugger I was; before I left, I worked around to complimenting him on his house and told him (frankly now) how amazingly beautiful it was. And get this: The bugger looks me dead in the eye and tells me: "Yes, Thanks! I live in this house because I have been careful with my money. I've invested most of my money, and putting it into this house, was part of my investments. Look, I bought that car outside AFTER I finished building this house and see, while this house is as beautiful as ever, the car is hardly worth selling in that condition". Feeling a bit bemused, I drove away feeling I had learned a number of lessons that day: Mainly not to judge people by how they are dressed or by the car they drive, as the guy I rear ended was a solid chap - morally as well as financially! But I also reflected on how I drove a nice new car, while living in a rented house, yet this smart bugger did the complete opposite. The lesson hit hard, as I pretty much cleared out my savings account to pay for the repairs on both the cars; yet this chap driving an old Toyota, was obviously much more liquid than I was...It was an interesting day, with lots of little life-lessons for me. The moral of the story: Drive a Mazda. It's totally zoom-zoom. And even if it zoom-zoom's you into rear-ending someone, you'll still end up learning something.
    13 points
  10. Alert : This is not the awe-inspiring blog where a 60-year-old rare car gets restored. This, non-existent ladies, and gentlemen unfortunately is much much more mundane. So bear with me. Everyone needs a beater car - you could come up with many reasons why... but deep down another set of wheels is such an alluring prospect. Time to time it feels so good to keep your daily with all its techie bits aside and just rattle down the lane in a simple box on wheels with just a speedometer. Three years ago me and my father bought a 1972 Datsun (B110) and since I was broke then and had no space in my house which was being built it fell upon my father to fund it and keep it in his garage with his Beetle. I drove it on the weekends for short distance trips and let me tell you that car was fun to drive. However, cars of that vintage need a lot of TLC. It's not a beater car at all and you need to develop a bond with the car to keep it running - you have to know exactly how much gas it needs to stop it from stalling and when and when not to use the choke (yeah choke....remember?) So clearly it's not the type of car that you can throw the keys to a close friend (yeah I'm a little picky when sharing the car keys) OR even the wife (who by the way is quite a competent driver) and expect them to figure out to drive it in case of an emergency. I've always had a soft spot for the boxy little cars from the 1980's - you can read about that infatuation here. Under these circumstances I decided to save up a bit and get myself a beater car from the 80's .Given that I have little parking space under a tree in the garden(the Civic sits in the garage) my choices were limited to hatches. In a sense the 80's was a decade where hatches gained popularity so a 80's hatch was an ideal retro-relic that would double up as a reliable beater car. My budget was quite limited ~500,000 I was ok with a car with a bit of work to do and . The most tempting option was to go for the definitive hot hatch : a Golf and I entertained this idea for quite a while and did a fair bit of research. The other temptation was to go for a Fiat Uno. However, all the research I did gave me doubts. Golf's at that budget were disasters waiting to happen and the Fiat - as much as I loved it (one of my first die casts was a Bburago Fiat Uno and as a result I grew up loving Fiat Uno’s) didn't seem a very practical option unless I was really really into it : I'm talking about "Get on an illegal immigrant boat from Negombo and swim the last 100 miles to Napoli and walk to Turin and steal parts from a Mafioso's uncles Fiat" level dedication - since I can't swim anyway I gave up on that too and shelved these ideas under 'When I grow up'. By now Japanese flags were appearing in my mind and some usual suspects came up - Toyota Starlet EP71, Corolla2/Tercel, Nissan March K10 and Daihatsu Charade G11 .Yes the Honda fanboy in me screamed 'Civic' but Civic hatches are rare and unmolested ones are even rarer. One look at the Civic hatches for that budget with their garish Nilkamal plastic mods and hideous color combinations (that only a guy who smokes too much KG and listens to bus-Ajith can think of ) gives you cholera that screams 'Hondaaa' when it exits your body. So, I eventually narrowed down to basically 4 models and the hunt began. As usual the Toyota’s were overpriced and the only EP71 within my budget was mysterious car that had some work to be done but had the YOM as 1981 (the first EP71 rolled off in 1984) and the Corolla2/Tercels were well beyond budget. At the same time, I’d been floating the idea of an engine swap and having read a few threads on 4EFTE swaps on Charades and March K10’s in Pakistani and British forums I started focusing on them. After many weeks and many futile trips, (and weird encounters - including a persistent and scantily clad lady insisting I wait till her husband comes and make an offer for a car that was on the verge of collapsing into a pile of rust and a small child beating a poor Charade while I was inspecting it with a wooden stick until the flaky paint started coming off ) I realized these once-honest hard working engines were basically gasping for life. Then April 21st happened, and things were put on hold for a few weeks. I continued to do more research on engines, repairing, parts availability as well as engine swapping along with my friend and realized that the easiest 80’s Jap hatch to live with will be from Toyota AND when and if I wanted to do an engine swap it would be relatively painless putting in a Toyota Engine that was easily found. As for the budget well – it was a bit above budget ( dad came to the rescue). In September 2019 I ended up with this – a Toyota Starlet EP71 from 1985 registered in 1989 with a fake Soleil badge. There were various grades for the EP71 and judging by the equipment of this car I'd place it at either XL or DX however the DX had Fender Mounted Mirrors so unless someone installed door mounted Mirros on a DX the car was probably an XL. The A/C worked, there was some minor rust issues, and the suspension apparently needed a bit of attention, The interior while not pristine was acceptable and just like that I had my beater car which was a little bit older than me. So how was the ride? – The car is quite light and for a car without power steering it’s extremely maneuverable. The driving position is low and quite nice. There was a few rattling bits here and there expectedly, and the breaks were rather weak. The 35-year-old 2E was quite tired by now and to be honest when you must keep coaxing it to keep going like asking an asthma patient to keep breathing well it’s not that enjoyable. At the same time the car developed a very specific issue : The car would start without fail every morning – BUT once you drive somewhere and switch off the engine it would not start for an hour. Keep it for an hour then it starts again and runs well for the whole day. Basically, the second start will not happen sooner than one hour after the first start of the day. I had to arrange my timetables accordingly! By December I was running out of patience with the 2E and at the same time I’d been yearning to put in a 4EFTE as it seemed quite straightforward. However, Recon 4EFTE’s from Japan were now going for 250,000 and having spent more than intended already on the car I was already on a very tight budget. Ok that was too long for the first part – I’ll get back with another post on the mechanical mods done on the car to date. Ciao! Here's a few pics of the car from last year:
    13 points
  11. Excellency, I believe I'm not worthy to provide my humble opinion for thy request. I am but no engineer -though I'm aware of issues . I hath but owned one car that falls in your excellency's budget of the proximity of 3 million, which is the Honda Fit GP1 which hath been extensively discussed. Would your excellency care to do a search for that particular car? There are many more models I could suggest to your excellency but sadly I'm not qualified to be worthy to provide input. The current car I own exceeds thy budget hence I'm unqualified to be honored in providing an input for your excellency. Please pardon this humble peasant.
    13 points
  12. I'm babysitting (or is it Car-sitting?) member @milindu's baby this week. Some pics...
    13 points
  13. My Montero Sport Saved my life today. Took a T bone collision to the rear quarter panel, from a lorry, the thing came straight to the drivers door. I accelerated and saved my self, just got discharged from the hospital after a checkup, No matter what new fellas say about crumple zones and what not, this thing is proper weight to weight. Just realise how strong these suvs are. Just a large bump and I drove it home. Amazed realising it took tg awhile weight and was shoved to a side. The lorry was a proper mahiyangana sand lorry, full load, the c**t was driving on a learners permit, couldn't control his reverse into the construction zone, lost control and rolled right onto me down a slope, face first. If I was in my vitz or a smaller car, I'd be in a morque now. Cops took over the lorry momentarily but I deferred them. Repair cost approx 100k, given I need a new wheel arch and tail light. And its pearl white, expensive bitch to paint. Despite my parents and friends deciding to ruin his life legally, the driver is in the hospital after negotiations but I am not pressing charges or taxing him for the repair, as he will loose his livelihood and be in jail. Best part is, if the car rolled over, I would be in the mahaweli river. Dear friends, please give up smaller cars when money permits. Get something large and safe. Due to privacy concerns I am unable to share pictures.
    13 points
  14. Hey that reminds me of my last car selling experience- So I advertised my previous car for sale alright, the first buyer who agreed to pay the asking price was a queer one - he didn't even take a good look at the interior, much less a test drive - he just fell in love with how good the exterior looked- "brand new wage thiyenne mahaththaya!" was what he said. He was right - I know a thing or two about paint protection (wax, people, wax!) - so the very next day we travel to the bank, do the paperwork, he deposits the agreed amount while I fill out MTA forms and stuff - while all this is going on in comes the protagonist of the story. The buyer introduces the newcomer to me as a close relative of his - a professional astrologer. He had calculated the best auspicious time for the new owner to get in the car (or hand the key over- I can't remember which) so anyway, after a wait of more than half an hour we do the deed on the auspicious time - the new owner wanted to take me home, didn't want me to take the bus, bless his kind soul! We were on our merry way when he suddenly remembered he needed a photocopy of some document and we kept an eye for a "communication". You see where this is going now dontcha? Le wild communication appears - driver slams on the brakes - a poor sod who was riding his CD90 too close rear ends the car - gets airborne - lands on the rear trunk and leaves one of his incisors on the trunk lid. We all get out - the very first thing the astrologer told me was "hondha welawata nekathata waahane paarata dhamme, naththan apey passen enne bike ekak nemey tipper ekak!"
    13 points
  15. Finally I received my Ford Focus. It is a generation 3 model and generation 4 will be released in Q3 in Europe but the agent in Sri Lanka import 3rd Generation model in Titanium trim. However it seems this Titanium trim is customized for Sri Lanka or similar markets since some of the options available in UK titanium model cannot be seen. (Examples, leather seats, Auto breaking, B pillar key pad etc.). It has 8'' touch screen Sync 3 infortainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The Carplay works well but have to wait until iOS 12 to use Google maps in it. The model comes with 1.0l ecoboost engine and 6F15, 6 speed automatic transmission (not the dual clutch transmission). The engine has 123 bhp and 170 nm torque. Will update the fuel economy after 1500-2000 km and minimum 95 octane should be used. Yesterday I picked the car and drove to Kandy from Colombo and I did not feel it as a car with 1l engine. The engine is refined and you cannot feel the vibration common to 3 pot engines. The acceleration is also good and you can glide in 70 km/h less than 2k rpm. Did not do any hard accelerations since the engine break-in period is around 1000-1500 km but I had to overtake one 40ft container once and when the turbo kicks in, the the car performs really well. The build quality is great and it is a really nice car to drive. Very comfortable and handles well. My old car was a Honda Fit GP1 and missed the magic seat arrangement in it but Focus too have good rear leg space. Some of the pictures are given below. The color is Blazer Blue. I purchased this for a special discounted price and the current selling price is 5.85 millions.
    13 points
  16. I will provide some basics of the car before I go into a detail review, Model Code: GRS182 Trim: Royal Saloon G Engine: 3GR-FSE Transmission: 6AT Mods: • Buddy Club coilovers • Monza Japan Wheels wrapped with 235/45R18 Goodyear Eagle F1 Directional tyres • V*P Table • Carrozzeria tweeters • Carrozzeria secondary head unit (You cannot replace the head units in these cars as the AC controls and other car settings are built into the head unit) • 6000K low beam and 3000K fog lamps • Aftermarket exhaust until the muffler (It came from Japan with a complete aftermarket exhaust but had to fix an original muffler back in as it was deemed to be too noisy to pass the roadworthy, it also had flaps with a switch to adjust the loudness which is also illegal in Australia) • Every single interior and exterior light had been replaced with LED • Few Junction Produce goodies I recently got myself a Toyota Crown GRS182 Royal Saloon G. The 182 is powered by the 3GR-FSE which churns out 256 horses and 313NM torque, the power is sent to the rear wheels via a 6 speed automatic tranny. The GRS182 was offered in two standard trims, Royal Saloon and Athlete. The Royal Saloon is the luxury comfy trim while the Athlete is the sporty version, sort of like Premio and Allion but in this case you get different suspension tuning as well. Mine being a G trim it gets few extras which the standard Royal Saloon didnt get or was offered as optional only. The Crown has plenty of power and its always eager to get up and go, its very responsive even when you are driving on the standard mode. Switch into power mode and it becomes even more sharp and rev happy. If you launch this hard you’ll notice the traction control kicking in even with 235 thread low profile tyres, of course you can turn off the traction control if you want to do some burnouts. Handling and stability are spot on with coilovers and grippy tyres, it will go through corners without a worry. It’s also well stable and sits happily at freeway speeds, you barely feel the speed even when you are doing 100km/h. It’s a big car with a big heart but it’s still fairly economical, urban driving returns around 7.5km/l while highway driving returns around 14-15km/l, however it strictly requires 98 octane fuel. The seats are very soft and when you sit down you sink into the seats sort of like sitting on a plushy sofa, also there’s plenty of adjustments on the driver seat for the driver to get the perfect driving position. In addition the rear passengers can recline the rear seats like in Premio/Allion but in this its done electronically with the press of a button. Even on coilovers and low-profile tyres the ride doesn’t feel harsh. The car is a complete feature fest, I’ll name a few: Comfort access to unlock the car AFS headlights Dual zone fully automatic climate control system Backup camera with front and rear sensors (You can even adjust the sensitivity of the sensors) Air purifier Rear AC and head unit controls for rear passengers Fridge/Cool box Sun blinds Swinging A/C 10 speakers + centre speaker and subwoofer with an amp. Plus another pair of Carrozzeria tweeter has been added to my car. 10 airbags Front and rear electric seats (The rear seats can be tilted with the press of a button) 3 memory settings for driver seat Electronically adjustable telescopic steering wheel Cruise control Wooden trim steering wheel (optional extra). Tyre pressure monitoring Speed sensitive door locking Crown is an import to Australia so it picks up lot of attention on the road and at car parks, I have had people ask me what kind of car is it or what brand of car is it. Among the JDM community there’s a fair bit of following for the Crown and if you need any help regarding the car there are groups on FB with fellow Crown owners to sought out your problems (Haven’t had any yet though). For parts there are places who stock import car parts, of course prices aren’t cheap as parts for an Australian delivered car. Similarly, there are mechanics also who have an understanding of import cars. However, the problem with owning a JDM vehicle in Australia is that they are very popular among thieves so full insurance is a must and only a handful of companies provide insurance to JDM vehicles. In terms of second hand market and resale value JDM cars are among the top, there’s a prominent fanbase for JDM cars in Australia and they tend to hold their value well. Lately JDM cars have in fact gone up in value during the pandemic. Theres only one common problem with the 180 series Crown, that is dashboard cracks. Toyota used a very soft material for the dashboard which cracks as it ages, this problem was there on the 120 series Mark X and few other Toyota vehicles from this period as well. Only solution for this is to use a dash mat. Some pics for you all
    12 points
  17. Wish you all have a rocking year ahead spent with friends and loved ones!! On behalf of Team Autolanka, I would like to thank our Top Contributors, Senior Members, Moderators and all Members for their contribution and support throughout the year.  2019 Top Ranking Contributors.. @iRage @Hyaenidae @matroska and @Davy 2019 Top Ranking Bloggers are @matroska @tiv @kusumsiri and @alpha17 Wish all Auto Lanka Fans a Very Happy New Year 2020!!
    12 points
  18. The first thing that struck me when i sat down to drive this for the first time was the really low seating position - it did not take a lot of getting used to though. The height is of course adjustable and provides a much comfier driving position. The passengers seat on the other hand though cannot be height adjusted. The rear seats too don't have the fabled "magic seats" functionality where you can fold up the seats to increase space in the rear - but you can fold the seats down to create a humongous amount of boot space - I do not quite remember the exact capacity but it's quite a lot. Due to the shape of the roof , while the rear seats are quite comfortable and have a decent amount of space for your legs you might feel a bit of head room is missing. But it won't really translate into a problem - unless you are from Marhsall Eriksen's family . The SR grade (and the SE) for that matter comes with fabric seats - and the interior is black by default (for all grades) . So no "Baij Interiyal" advertisements on the classifieds for this model then. The materials for the seats are quite "scruffy" and the interior is a dust magnet. The material used on the seats particularly are prone to attract a lot of dust and small particles of whatnot. There are speakers on all four doors - something I noticed in other contemporary Hondas as well - the doors also have the same dust-attractive upholstery. I told you there's only a repair kit - but the good news is there is a bit of space in the rear that can double up as storage space or a spare wheel well - so if you're paranoid about having only a repair kit, you can easily carry around a spare The cockpit is contemporary Honda fare. The steering wheel itself is quite plush and has a nice feel to it - though the steering itself is light which I will talk about when i have an entry regarding handling. The usual controls are all there including the cruise control buttons and beneath the wheel you can find the paddle shifters (again paddle shifters + CVT is something i would talk about later) The control for the lane keep assistant is also in the steering wheel. Mind you the Wiper control stalk is on the right and the headlight control stalk is on the left - takes a bit of getting used to if you've previously driven JDM's only. The "Auto" mode in the Wiper means that it will enable the rain sensing wipers and depending on the amount of rain you get the speed will adjust as well. Nice touch but i personally feel it's a bit too dramatic. If i remember correctly the SE grade does not have rain sensing wipers. This being the SR grade you do not get a push start you need a key - the Push start button is there only on the EX trim. With the honda sensing package you get some features like proximity alerts, automatic breaking and lane departure warning. These can be turned on and off and the switches are located near the ignition on the right hand side along with the headlamp leveling switch. The shifter console includes the parking brake (yes there's no separate lever for that), the brake hold button (so your foot can be taken off the brake in for example color lights) there is also a button to toggle the eco-mode as well as to turn on and off auto-braking. Between these two buttons you would find the adaptive damper button on an EX-trim car. There cubby hole is quite small and disappointing given the fact that this is not an alto- and there are no individual cup holders etc - there is a circular holder that can easily accommodate a bottle in the storage area below the slide-able arm rest. This storage area also has a usb port that can be used with the infotainment system. However it has to be said both the usb outlets in front are not in the most accessible places. The other usb slot is practically invisible and hidden by the armrest console along with the HDMI port and Next to that is the 12V circular power outlet. Mind you there is another 12 V power outlet in the boot as well - handy when it comes to plug in your car vacuum. There is also dual zone climate control - other than the dedicated climate control panel fan speed etc can be set via the touch screen.
    12 points
  19. Hi Guys, Having being an avid reader of the AL forum for years, I thought I'd create an account and contribute as I got a 2018 Civic SR for the wifey a couple of weeks back. (Edit: Looks like I had another account already. May bad. let me kill the new one). Since her N16 was aging (gracefully), we needed an upgrade. The SR had quite alot of features and the interior was quite impressive. With an acceptable amount of crumple zones and weight, it was the right container for the kids to go to school/tuition etc. I got it down through a friend who was kind enough to give the UK registration papers. It clearly states the First Registration date. Even though I trusted the guys, this was like the cherry on top. The Car was shipped in a container arrived in SL in 3 weeks. Put the bad boy on a flat bed and brought it home on the 3rd day after landing in Colombo. First impression of the car all positive. It looks impressive (however I still am not big fan of the back). There's interior is roomy enough for a family of 4. Has enough leg room at the back for an average Sri Lankan. However since the seats are quite low, people with long legs might find it uncomfortable on long journeys. The 3 cylinder engine does sound different.. being very blunt, if a low capacity diesel engine had sex with a land master engine, you would get something that sounds like the civic's engine. But this little turbo charged puppy tend to grow on you so at least for me it's not a deal breaker. From the performance perspective, I'm still breaking in the engine so trying to stay under 100 and 4000 rpm, but you do feel the turbo lag but once it kicks in, you can clearly feel the difference. Handling wise, I'm impressed by how road hugging the car is, quick lane changes are quite enjoyable but I'm sure the 235/45R17s are going to make me pay through the nose come new tire time. Fuel consumption wise, it started at 3km/L the moment after the first tankful and after about 100kms, it's at 6+km/L and still improving. Friends, since this is my first post, if I've violated any rules here, please let me know. More than happy to adjust accordingly.
    12 points
  20. For starters...I do not drive it nearly as much as I would like to (or should). I am barely reaching the 5000km mark now....however, the 5000km that I have put on have been rather exhilarating long drives...so there is that. The car does sound like a tractor on start up For the most part, the car has been a pretty trouble free car. Although the car is not practical, with limited rear passenger and cargo space, we have made it work; and the car has become our long distance cruiser. The car feels very safe and planted than the Corolla, so when ever we hit the highway, its always the Yaris. Using the car for a while has made two things obvious: 1. Toyota has not spent much money on the nicities: For what you pay for it; what you get is almost everything that is mechanical. Apart from the to front premium sports seats, everything else about the interior (including the faux leatehr rear seat) just feels cheap. Its full of black cheap plastics. However, there is a bit of contrast in texture that makes it somewhat acceptable. In fact the high gade (Z ?) standard Yaris and Yaris Cross have much nicer interiors. Heck..the GR Yaris doesn't even come with a reverse camera and standard in Japan and only comes if you get the Safety Sense package which is a 250,000yen extra (but having safety sense reduces some taxes and insurance premiums a bit so what it eventuallly costs you is a little bit less). Heck..sports car right ? 2. Everything that has been done to the car has been done for a reason : When you whip the car around you feel the ho the low weight roof has helped to place most of the weight on the bottom of the car. The wider rear track and the longer suspension travel makes complete sense when you are ripping around a bumpy b-road. Although the car can be a bit jittery around town, at speed it just eats up the bumps like it doesn't exist. Also, the way the car pivots (again courtesy of the different track widths). The car is very playful...as techie as it is, it is also obvious that the car is not as refined as the Evo or the WRX in terms of the AWD (and even power delivery). It is sheer grunt. As a result, the GR Yaris is a car that you have to constantly drive when you are driving at the limit. When you drive an Evo or WRX, even if you shut off your brain for a few seconds, pick a line and stepat the gas; you feel the AWD system working to keep you on track and deliver the optimal power to get you in and out of a corner. The GR Yaris...not so much...you have to listen to the car and you as the driver needs to know what you should do to get you through that corner. So if the Evo/WRX are semi automatic, point and shoot cameras; the GR Yaris is like a completely manual camera from the late 70s. On the topic of constantly driving and listening to the car: the car is very communicative. What gives me the biggest kick is the little twitch it does in the rear when it reaches a point of underseering or oversteering Maintenance wise I have not done anything other than the 1000km check up which was the end of the break in period. The break in was pretty fuss free except for the rear diff having a knock everytime I let go of the clutch. This was fixed after a fluid change (along with every other fluid) at the 1000k check up. Other than that there was a safety inspection after the 1st year and now the next oil change is up (1 year after the 1000km checkup because I do not use the car that much). Being a bespoke car and perhaps not going throughthe rigorous QA of standard Toyota cars, somethings are a bit of a miss. The carbon fibre wrap (that covers the actual carbon fibre roof) doesn't have any treatment on it so it is easy to get dirty (I use a lot of product to keep it clean). As a result many other owners have had their roofs develop a white patch. Then there is a rubber beading that runs along the roof gutter where the carbon roof joins the metal body. The beading has a tendency to shrivel up on the rear-end. So it doesnt neatly fit in the back. Then the trunk mounted battery has a breather valve itha hose running to the floor of the trunk for the gases and any battery fluid to escape. Unfortunately the battery fluid gets splattered on the under carraige and leaves a rust trail. Other than that...the only thing I have about the car is that the plastics scratch easily and the brake pads release a lot of dust (which is a pain to clean). I shall not post any rear-end pics
    11 points
  21. About 3 years later, the car is back on the road. Photos showing the current condition of the car will be included here. Let me first add a few close-ups.
    11 points
  22. DIY Glove boxes When I bought the car there were no original glove boxes. So decided to make by myself as a DIY task in the post corona period. Here are some images of it. Used a thin Aluminum sheet as the base metal. The size for one glove box is 36"x8".
    11 points
  23. Thanks alot iRage! Wholesome stuff, This brought out the inner kid in me...gonna try it out? Also here's a 1:12 scale diorama I made a while back, needs a few more improvements and additions, spider webs & dust maintained for special effects?:
    11 points
  24. Happy new year to all of you as well and wishing everyone an amazing and safe year (and new decade) of motoring
    11 points
  25. Toyota Gorilla Ashkio 141 japan modal (not thaiwan) ,Bajj intariyal ,winkel miraar, pul opshan, baket shit, lady doktar owning, ganuin milaj 69,000 km. Hand 10,00,000 /- pinans 53,000 *48, Susuki avery badi van sexchange conisadared.
    11 points
  26. My old vanettes speedo glass has been faded , bubbled and cracked since I bought the vehicle and it kept getting worse and i've tried to find a suitable replacement for a while with no luck. Recently the glass cracked apart in two in middle and it looked terrible. Vanette C22 dashboards rare to find and one bugger asked 45K for a heavily warn out one. I could not spend that much for the glass and two air vents ( except those , the existing dashboard is fine) . So I decided to make a glass myself and it came out very nice. 25010M is the part I made. total cost : Rs 400/= ,only thing I bought was a piece of transparent plastic board from a number plate making place. here are few pics I took while doing it, only took about and hour for that whole job. I feel like an ass when I think about the time I wasted stopping at every breaker joint I see where ever I went. Sorry for the lack of extra details , but this is too easy for anyone to get wrong. If anyone needs more details please PM . 1. Removed front part of the cluster, and cracked glass is fixed with a piece of duct tape to take measurements for the new one. 2. Lay the glass on the plastic board and draw the outline with a pen 3. Cut the straight lines with a help of a steel ruler and a paper cutter. We dont need those small extrusions around the glass since we are going to duct tape it to the frame and hot glue it. Just cut straight. Cutting the plastic board is bit difficult using the paper cutter, put cuts on both sides before applying gentle pressure to break the glass - just like glass cutting, but put marks on both sides. 4. smooth out the edges with a angle grinder. 5. it has a small curve along two sides, use the angle grinder to grindout the plastic to get the previously marked shape 6. The original glass has a convex shape , no need to worry , we can use the frame around the dashboard to push the glass to the speedo cluster to get that shape, ( I tried to use the hot air gun to bend the plastic glass after warming it up and messed it up once - dont do it) 7. Drill out a small hole for the trip meter reset . 8. keep the glass on the meter frame and duct tape it. dont try to bend and close the gaps on the right and left sides. duct tape the top and bottom only. Use hot glue on places where the clip were before. Use it generously . 9. Fix it to the dashboard , tight in the screws well - and thats it! Looks just like new.
    11 points
  27. The idea behind this document is to create a guide to buying a used car in Sri Lanka. This is just my preliminary draft, and if it's useful I hope the experts here will add/edit it, and create a final detailed guide, which maybe could be posted somewhere in autolanka (if they think its useful) Buying a used vehicle in Sri Lanka (This applies to purchase of a used car regardless of the price/age, and applies to all registered and 'reconditioned' vehicles.) 1. tests you can perform: ================ Engine ==== Before starting: - check the engine oil. Is it at the correct level? Yes: OK/Owner topped up No: Owner does not top up, engine burning oil, etc Color of oil - Light brown/colorless - engine is running reasonably good/recent service - black - engine running bad/never serviced Note: diesels tend to have dark/black engine oil After starting Did it start easily? Yes: OK No: problems in engine/battery/starter motor/tune/etc. does the exhaust show visible smoke (white, black, bluish or grey smoke)? this coud indicate engine problems such as oil burning, worn engine etc. -- note: diesels do occationally smoke a bit, especially under acceleration does it maintain operating temperature? - listen to the engine in idle - do you hear clattering, rattling, or any odd sounds? they could indicate various problems ranging from bent valves to broken mounts? note: diesels are somewhat louder than normal gasoline engines Test drive =========== Lets say you decide to go for a test drive.. .. Step out of the vehicle, and ask the owner to get it out of his driveway/car sale etc. As he does this observe the vehicle, and see if it smokes or struggles during the procedure. Look at the place where the vehicle was parked. If there is visible engine oil/coolant, etc this could indicate problems in the vehicle. (water may be visible from the car's A/C, this is normal). Ask the owner to drive you: 1. Along a rough road (so you can test the suspension) 2. On a good road, ask the owner to drive up to at least 56km/h (or whatever local speed limit) so you can see how the vehicle performs at high speed. Turn OFF the radio and A/C and listen to the car for rattles/hums Tip: a hum from front/rear may indicate need to replace wheel bearings (or what our people refer to as razors) - Stop the car and ask the owner to back up a small hill, and observe the car exhaust for smoke, this is a good test of the clutch/etc. Actual test drive: - First make sure the vehicle has insurance and road licence which are valid. Ask to see them. Then test drive the vehicle very carefully. Make sure you have a good flat road and there is very little traffic. Remember its an unfamiliar vehicle and proceed with caution. First, test the clutch and brakes. The clutch should engage neatly before releasing the pedal fully. If it engages very late, it could mean a blown clutch plate. If there are clutch/brake problems, don't drive any further, and ask the owner to resume driving. And ask yourself whether you are sure you want to buy this car, from someone who couldnt even do basic maintenance. Reviewing the owner How the owner behaves during the test drive can give you a clue of how s/he uses the vehicle in real life. For example: - Does he roll down the window and drive (even though there is an A/C) - this may indicate that the A/C rarely worked. - Does he drive like a rally driver (in which case you can buy the car if you are willing to buy an extra engine, transmission and suspension) How has s/he spent on the car? If he has spent a lot on cosmetics while ignoring real existing mechanical problems, then you should probably consider another car. Is s/he straightforward and honest? Does what the owner says match up to what you see? For example, if the owner said the car had 2 owners in total and the log book copy shows 4 owners, then they could be lying about other things, and you should be cautious. Sometimes owners make mistakes, or simply don't know an answer, but overall if the owner appears to be honest and straightforward, that is a positive sign. [Ask Questions As you review the car, ask questions from the owner. If you see anything odd, ask about it. If the owner is honest and straightforward, its a positive sign. Try to gauge how much of what the owner is telling is the truth. A good way to do this is to pretend you don't know something and ask a question. After the test drive ============ After you return to the owners house/car sale, ask the owner to pop the hood and inspect the engine. - check temperature management. The gauge inside the car should be half or less. Aside from the gage, the engine should be reasonably managing temperature and the fans should be working properly. - Carefully tap the radiator cap with the tip of your finger. If it burns your finger off, the temperature management isnt good. Similarly the engine bay should not be boiling hot (unless it's a Nissan ) Physical inspection of vehicle ===================== 1. Visual inspection: simply look at the car - see if the lines are straight. Look at the paint. Uneven areas could indicate repainting. - look at the wheel arches. Look at the brakes. Look under the car (front/rear) If possible, take the car to a service station and inspect the underneath. If this is not possible, try to look under the car and see what is visible at least - (carry a flashlight with you when you go to see the car). - look for rust, damage, etc. - look at the engine compartment. Are there odd wires and do things look as if they have been messed with? Sometimes legitimate mods (e.g. alarm systems, aftermarket headlamps) require new wiring but if you see a mess inside, it probably means the wiring has been messed up by local mechanics in which case you should think carefully whether you really want this car. - (If the vehicle is cold) carefully open the radiator cap - check if it contains coolant, and if there is any signs of oil (could indicate a head leak) Look at the engine. If it has a slight layer of dust its OK. If it is shiny and has a layer of oil that means it has been washed at a service station. I prefer a car which has a normal slightly dusty engine vs one that has been washed and scrubbed to 'look' new. - look for leaks in radiator pipes. (with the engine off) remove the engine oil cover - if you can see nice clean silver metal with perhaps yellow brown color (engine oil) this is a positive sign. (note: diesels do tend to have dark/black engine interior, this refers to gasoline vehicles only). - Look at the fluid levels of the various fluids (power steering, brake fluid, auto transmission if auto) - if they are not up to level it could indicate leaks or careless owner. - if the vehicle is hot you may be able to open the radiator overflow tank (be careful) and check if he uses coolant. Not using coolant indicates: 1. Owner is an idiot 2. Radiator has leak and owner is topping it up with ordinary water. Either case, don't buy the car. 2. Tap test gently tap the body of the car, with a fingernail (dont rap it loudly) as you walk around. Check the hood, front left and right side and back carefully, also doors (as these are the main accident prone areas). Other general ideas: - Ask the owner what maintenance was performed. If he tells you a list of things replaced/repaired, this is usually a good sign and means the owner took some effort to look after car. - check the mileage? Mileage can be modified - but if it corresponds with the appearance of the vehicle then it could be accurate. - ask for receipts particularly for the timing belt/clutch etc HAS THE VEHICLE BEEN SERVICED/WASHED? If the owner was so cheap that he couldn't service the vehicle before he sold it, then do you really want to buy a car from him/her? *Exception*: Sometimes the owner may be actively using the car in which case it may be a bit dusty but all the same he/she should have washed/serviced/detailed the car within a few days of deciding to sell it. Now Consider the actual condition of the vehicle and make a list of all problems you encountered: Scenario 1: vehicle has major problems which can be fixed ===================================== for example: - Clutch plate gone. - brakes not too good. -minor suspension probs (e.g. weak shocks). - minor engine probs (e.g. poor tune up). Indicates that the seller was a cheap idiot (or typical local) Verdict: Buy with caution, knowing there could be other existing problems, and repair BEFORE YOU DRIVE said vehicle. Scenario 2: Vehicle has minor problems which can be fixed later ========================================= - A/C not running cold enough. - Minor dings, dents, scratches. - Minor cosmetic issues. Verdict: Buy the car, but set aside money to fix those problems later on. Scenario 3: Vehicle has major problems which can't be fixed easily =========================================== - Chassis problems (cracks/bent chassis) - major engine problems (e.g. grey/white/black smoke, burning oil, head gasket leaks) - major suspension/mechanical problems - gearbox problems which would necessitate replacing gear box... so on. Verdict: don't buy the car, unless you own a garage, have a million to spare, or are plain crazy. Other costs Aside from the above, there are a number of things you usually have to do, when purchasing ANY used car. These usually include: - Insurance & road licence. - 4 tires. - full service/oil change/air filter etc. - brake pads/etc - New battery (if existing battery not too good). - Timing belt (if close to 100k km's or multiples of that). Many people will say they replaced the belt, they could be lying. It's easier to spend 10k and replace it than to undergo a broken belt and engine rebuild. If they have replaced the belt, you can get a good garage to visually inspect it. signs of a good vehicle: - Vehicle is clean. (As in, the owner has washed, cleaned, and serviced it.) - is in good mechanical condition (good engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, body) - owner has focused on maintaining the mechanical condition of the vehicle - Vehicle has been maintained properly and scheduled maintenance has been done, e.g. brakes, clutch, timing, etc have been replaced at the proper intervals as necessary. - owner cares about vehicle, services regularly, engine oil is not dirty - owner is upfront and honest about any flaws. - owner uses a good garage for maintenance, and used original/quality components Suggestion 1: To all the experts here, can you please add your comments/suggestions tips on buying a used car. Suggestion 2: Would it be possible for Autolanka readers/Admins to set up a car pricing guide? This could be something updated regularly to show average true market values (like edmunds.com) and be useful to people looking to purchase a car. If any Autolanka readers have suggestions on what they check when buying a used car, please add them here. Update: Top gear have some excellent tips here:
    10 points
  28. Let me summarise the two previous posts in a few sentences A group of guys went to a cheap pettah whore... just because she's cheap and they couldn't afford someone better The cheap pettah whore was pimped by a known pimp in the industry, who found an opportunity The pimp and the whore promised lot of things but didn't deliver - simply because a pettah whore is always a pettah whore, no matter who the pimp is And now the customers are taking sides and arguing with each other about her , forgetting that if they choose someone from pettah, they get what they paid for
    10 points
  29. This is an interesting piece. http://www.ft.lk/opinion/Sustainable-and-broad-minded-solution-for-Colombo-s-traffic/14-674188 Quick Quotes "I didn’t want to explain to him that the traffic is created by drivers who drives recklessly and selfishly to reach their destination as fast as possible. They never follow lane discipline, never bother about pedestrians, and they go wherever they can move their vehicle thinking that this is the way to avoid traffic in Sri Lanka." "An open-minded and well-disciplined public will reduce 50% of self-created traffic jams." I doubt that is a research backed number, but it will definitely help. Some research here. https://www.smartmotorist.com/traffic-jams Now why do I bother posting? I can't reform everyone. But here is the hope. By reading this and learning something, it might cause people to modify their own behaviour. I have done a lot of practicing lane discipline. See the problem is, people in traffic are more reactive, they try to wriggle into whatever tiny space they can (watch the tuks) and then find themselves on the wrong lane. Of course, we can't always follow the recommended practice, have to keep moving out of the left lane due to potholes or idiots who parked cars where cars should be moving. But proactively putting yourself in the correct lane to manage your turns will help ease the traffic tremendously. As a small example take the traffic lights in front of Orion City. There is at least 4 lanes there, but cars that can travel straight through the lights are eternally stuck behind people who want to turn but occupy the wrong lanes coz they think they can get their thing done faster by doing so. In the end, my conclusion is this. When using public property, you do not have a right. You have a duty. This is the mindset I'm gonna have. Hopefully it will inspire others, but at least I'll gonna try it. Can't preach it without practicing it
    10 points
  30. Oooh, thanks for the silver me hearties! Wish you many happy and safe kilometers in 2020! May your engine run like butter; may your brakes stop you in time; may your AC keep you cool; may your paint shine forever and may you reach all your destinations safe, sound and with a smile on your face! Keep revvin'!
    10 points
  31. The Review So it all started when I decided to replace my Suzuki Hustler, Nice little car, thus the little part got to me, needed something bigger Pondered with playing my budget, sell something that I own? Or go new, went behind Merc CLAs, GLB 200s, Nissan Patrol, 150 Prados, CHRs so on, while in the works, a colleague on a visit to my workplace bought one, caught my attention, decided to go see one, then next day that was sold as another colleague took my word for it, saw it and advanced. Well finally after an extended hospital stay due to dengue hemorrhagic fever and its complications, finally made up my mind and imported a new one, fresh off UK. As usual this won’t be the brochure, so please do tolerate, this is going to be long though, Please note as I don’t have a professional cam, I’ll use professional promotional pics to make my point The exterior, In my personal opinion, it has a boxy look, just like an old school SUV, no sloping roofline, coupe looks etc, plenty of headroom and leg room is also tolerable, my family being mostly obese can fit in, It has pretty normal looking wheels 17”, with road tyres, 40psi and cladded wheel arches, giving this mild off roady yet practical look, it has lock nuts from factory, discs all around, One thing you would notice the door sills are huge, about 8 ” wide, My most favorite feature is the ground clearance, the way they’ve protected the undercarriage gives it ample ground clearance for even mild off roading, wheel articulation is not that good though. Tyres float easily, cross axling is certain Being the SZT trim, headlights are halogen, same with the fogs, it does have a very appealing set of drls, again it has a practical appearance, nothing fancy, almost a dinosaur when you look at newer pugs and the chr, hence why I love it, I went with the complete white, rather than the fancy 2 tone colours. The rear door handle is In the right place, in line with the front! The doors and the clamshell hood close with a very reassuring thump, this model does not have the panoramic sunroof or the safety / autobrake radar guidance kit. The rear is very simple, huge hatch, button operated, manual pull up and down. Led lights large and simple, I do like the fact the blinkers are hidden in the red taillight It has a large single reverse light, with an integrated red rear fog light, UK stuff! Its got large mirrors, power but they don’t fold, no winker lights, just fender indicators Folks in UK have heaps of good reviews all over as well. One reason I went ahead with it as they abuse their cars mostly. The interior, The SZT trim comes with Key start, which again I prefer Honestly love the interior, very plain, simple lines, the gauge cluster is very pretty functional, old school needles, pleased with the led display in the middle, shiny plastics easily scratched though Seats are hard but comfortable enough, they are very stingy on carpeting though, but gone ninja on soundproofing, door cards are wide but very plasticky, the upper half of the dash is padded, Paddle shifters move with the wheel – not a fan, well the steering is telescoping and adjustable and a very nice bit of kit, got all the multifunction luxuries, all lit in a nice red I feel the interior is extremely well insulated, being UK spec, as It tends to hold a temp for upto 6 hours in the cabin. There are very recognizable deep footwells, allowing dirt to collect, a vacuum is a must, rear being a bit small but can easily accommodate, Rear headroom is like in a van, zero issues, and you can easily look out the window unlike the CHR and vezel, or go all german shepherd with it down The glovebox is nice, the movement is damped, its lit, door cards have some storage, Rear seats do fold to give a slanted surface and does come in line with the boot, this model doesn’t have a spare wheel, hence the rear load tray can be placed at 3 levels, in one level you can hide the parcel shelf in the floor! Plenty of space in the boot, more than enough for 4 sri Lankan(s) luggage, again very stingy on the carpet, plenty of storage pockets, the repair kit is also rather small and tiny, It has a normal headliner, light colour, but very thick door seals, Overall rear and door trim feels plasticky yet, I mean not even comparable to a euro, but definitely better than a typical new jap, trim parts are firmly fixed, zero play Geek stuff Well its got TPMS, fancy MID, nice graphics there, torque power graphs, stuff of swifts! And IDLE stop, which can be delayed permenantly, Programmable lights, warnings, footwell lights, various blinks on rear lights, wiper timing, aircon levels, Infact there is a geek fest hidden menu in the MID, many settings to play with, including thank god! UNITs, it has the metric option on demand, and the clock has gps mode and manual mode! Its got 6 airbags, and fancy seatbelts, and a fest of isofix mounts THE SOUND SYSTEM? This is where the interior shines, the head unit is bosch, with Suzuki software, speakers I’m yet to confirm myself but my sales contact in UK, the sudda said they are sourced off JBL. The sound quality speaks for itself, go test one, don’t believe me. Zero distortion! This will be my first car where I have not replaced the door speakers or head unit, no need for a sub either, the factory software is epic, I had a leaf with BOSE gear, yet I did some changes but this, let it rest Nothing fancy, no graphics, fancy bits, but loaded with everything, within 4 squares, its even got carplay and android auto, I’m yet to find a way to install a local map to the gps, BT SD cameras, USB, etc it has all Call integration on this is better than a high end pioneer unit, has a separate steering control pad as well ENGINE and DRIVETRAIN The engine well, all 1000cc’s of underpowered goodness? Well no, actually I can’t thrash it as its still run a few km and need a break in, doesn’t feel slow, turbo is very responsive, but tiny in person, fits on your palm tiny! With a cute little BOV that whispers Being a 3 cyl. The engine ain’t noisy, no vibrations either, very impressive, I mean its enough for an SUV, I live up a almost 30 degree incline and it does climb up in 2nd or 3rd gear, the all grip system, is a poor excuse for 4wd, honestly other than auto whatever the mod, its like a dog on skates, sends too much of torque to wheels, everything starts to slip, yet I’ve never got the requirement to run it in 4wd under normal circumstances! Being FWD it just crawls on, just tested it The gearbox, this thing is like its on meth, constantly playing with the gears, revs the nuts off the engine, its not cvt, conventional, and noticeably jerky, moves gears too fast, very rev happy, loves to kick down and hold a low gear, bad recipe for breaking in I’m yet to get in sync with it, it loves to run the engine on high revs 2000 and up, which I don’t, it has enough gut to go in low revs, the best part is the paddles respond even when on D, allowing me to go in higher gears at will. Fuel economy- its got a PPF, so specced at 95 OC , lot of horror stories to come. 10kmpl that’s it for me, near far wherever you are Brakes, 4 moderately sized discs? What more do I say THE DRIVE Well this is where things change, most people like this, but was a let down for me, It handles like a car, suspension is not very soft, extremely comfortable, null body roll, very tight on corners, a very fast steering rack, I expected the whole boat bubbly SUV feel which this doesn’t have, probably shares something with the swift, brakes are superb, the engine has a nice little hum, can’t say roar, hell no Aircon, really good, no drop in power when its on, basic climate control system, simple display works well, no rear vents though but no complaints. Yet to try in Colombo Very good grip on 2wd mode, putting it on Auto is ok but on other modes is like sticking it in 2nd gear forever, doesn’t freewheel WHAT I HATE The horn, sounds like an orgasming cat, Carpets, it’s an SUV? Why the bloody kei car carpets Those wide door sills, will break an ankle shortly Yellowish halogen lamps, many telepathic communications regarding the mom of the guy who decided to put em. Wheel size, I prefer a chunkier tyre, smaller rim, Rear seats, can’t slide front and back, hence they’ve permanently left a large boot That center reverse light, I like a bit of symmetry! UK things, Bit of padding on the upper part of the doors? The antenna, of course its got GPS Glonass and all that, but a sharkfin? No option now The center arm rest flips up to reveal a small bin, where you can’t even shove a wallet in Overall, Again honestly I’m very pleased with it, finding every excuse to put a few km in to ease the break in mileage, it was a win-win for me, as I got it during the GBP dip, I’m hoping to keep this for a long time, probably a decade, and its got bucketloads of accessories online from UK, hence will manage keeping me broke for a long time, and yea I pissed the wife, she liked the small car, buying this I had to leave ‘her vitz’ in the rain as my garage got too crowded, after much torment ended up making a DIY cantilever extension, which managed to hold in this torrential weather and ended me falling of a 8ft ladder, cheers!
    10 points
  32. Dear @Roshan321, Before reading further, I suggest making a supermarket run quickly and getting yourself a large pack of diapers, because the excrement that's about to unfold for you won't be pleasant. But I'm sorry, I have to do this on behalf of all the members of the forum. AutoLanka forums has always been a place for sharing knowledge and personal experience about cars. A lot of senior members (including myself) joined over a decade ago and have slowly grown as members and gained so much knowledge. This is because most members are genuine, helpful gentlemen. On top of that, genuine members always try to learn from others without trying so hard to prove a point. My last two posts on this thread was saying exactly that. I was trying to get you to not try so hard (while getting members here also to give you a chance). Moderators including myself have been totally impartial. But you went ahead and made a mess of the situation. I'm sure you know what I am trying to bring up here so you better put on one of those diapers now. When I first read that post by @Saranga_S, I thought that it is too much of a coincidence for a new member to pop out of nowhere all of a sudden and say good about the vehicle in question. Then I read the full post and my suspicion was doubled. Then I read @iRage's response and I thought we maybe onto something here. So I had to dig in and everything started to make sense... I'm not going to tell you how I found out, but we know. In fact, we knew from the first post made by you using the @Saranga_Saccount, but I requested the moderator team (and other members who posted) to wait silently. As expected, you took the bait and responded as @Roshan321. So my question is... what do you have to say for yourself? How desperate are you to create fake profiles, post as a genuine owner, and to respond to your own fake profile thanking yourself for doing so. Maybe change that diaper before answering. Or pretend that you didn't see this - but rest assured we'll know when you read this. Finally, thanks to the moderator team (especially @iRage) for staying silent and helping me carry out this sting operation. Also special thanks to @Hyaenidae for the corporation and helping me hide one of his posts to keep things undercover until we were completely sure. --- Moderators, I'm not sure how we should proceed. We'll have a discussion separately I guess.
    10 points
  33. Mileage is 127,000km now. Some repair work done at agents. (1) Brake Pads replaced. Mitsubishi Part No. MZ690563 , Rs.16,144/= (2) Brake Rotor Disks resurfaced for the first time. - Cost: Rs.2300 (3) Caliper rubber kit replaced for the first time after 11 .5 years. Mitsubishi Part No.: 4605B861 , Rs.2,184/= , Labour cost for (1) & (2) ; Rs.2,221/= (4) Radiator coolant replaced. Mitsubishi No.: MZ341015EX , 4 liter = Rs.3,284/= , I had to buy two 4L packs but ¾ remained. Labour cost: Rs.1150/= (5) Power Steering belt started to make noise. Power Steering belt is already done 81,000km and Alternator Belt already done 50,000km. Replaced both. Power Steering Belt –MD375935 ; Rs.9345 , Alternator Belt – 4451A098 : Rs.4928.00 Labout cost= Rs. 1,437/= (6) My number plates are almost new as they changed CP to WP in 2014. After cut and polished car appearance is almost new. Number plated holders were faded. Hence replaced both number plate holders. Now appearance is nice. One unit cost Rs.511/= and Rs.1,022/= for 2 units.
    10 points
  34. Its like taking a grandma to midn*ght div@s
    10 points
  35. It's been about 3 weeks since I received my 2018 Civic EX (Tech package) from the UK. Paid a bit of a premium for it at 7mn total, however I was keen on the Tech Pack upgrade as I detested the standard Halogen headlights that came with the normal EX. My typical route is from Dehiwala to Dematagoda through Elvitigala Mw into Baseline Road and sometimes via Thimbirigasyaya. I go to work at 8am (horrible traffic) and get back after 7pm (moderate traffic). Fuel consumption: Started at 12L/100km on average and is now hovering around 11L/100km with daily city driving. I've got one of the trip gauges to reset with each power off and can see my daytime commute averages around 14L/100km while the night travel comes in around 8L/100km. Mind you I'm still at 900km and the engine is being broken in so I'm keeping rpm's below 4000 and I have Econ mode on along with Stop/Start. As I started using it though, I set the AC to Auto with temps around 23C and 25C (dual zone). That got me an average economy of 19L/100km, which was horrible on average. So I decided to experiment and set the blower to Low with the same temperatures and kept the AC on - I immediately found the economy figures improving to around 12L/100km and stabilized at 11L/100km on average now. Comfort: Switched off the dynamic suspension system as that gave me a headache with all the bumps along my route. It's useless unless you're trying to race the car around IMO and since I'm not doing that, I've kept it turned off. There's ample leg-room in front and the rear, however the seats are quite low. Coming from an Axio 2007, it took me some getting used to, however I do enjoy the lumbar support as I have a chronic lower spine ache. The bumps are for the most part absorbed quite well and it is far quieter than the Axio. It is quite wide though so be prepared for that. I have one minor gripe about the driver's leg arrangement though: when I rest my left leg (it is a CVT transmission so I do not have to use a clutch), it rests on the center divider, which is hard plastic. As the seat is low, it causes the side of my knee to rest on this and over time, it tends to become a nuisance, requiring me to reset my left leg position. I haven't taken the car for a long drive though, so I'm not sure how much of a bother it'll be. Apart from this, it is a pleasure to drive and the seats feel amazing with lots of room to rest your arms in traffic! Oh and it does have the Auto-Braking feature so when you're in traffic, you don't need to keep your foot on the brake pedal while idle. Steering is not so light as the Axio and gives you good feedback while driving. Performance: I certainly can feel the weight of the car when driving. It is quite heavy and if you watch some of the CarWow videos, it pulls much slower than some of its rivals in the same capacity and class. Even though the turbo-lag is a little annoying, it does engage relatively well and then it just flies. I thought I'd miss my 1.5L naturally aspirated engine from the Axio, but this little 1L turbo pleasantly surprised me. I've had a few bouts of aggressive overtaking (thank you tuk-tuk and hybrid drivers!) and I'm able to do this with ease. It gets significantly better with Econ switched off, however I've turned it back on. Note that the Econ mode actually starts kicking in when you're around the mid-RPM levels and it doesn't slow down your initial pick-up from 0. The engine noise isn't as unpleasant as the Axio's and gives you a good feel, however may be a little excessive when starting off from a full stop - then again, I've learnt to ignore it. Miscellaneous: I've got a Sonic Grey car and I must say it looks dirty pretty quick even after a wash every weekend. Then again, I've got to apply the wax myself as I don't think K***nP**k did a decent enough job last time - thinking of Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax after a good claying - has anyone used this and if so, how has it been for you? If you try to clean your rear wheel wells, you'll be surprised that there is a carpet-like layer there? It seemed weird to me and was a pain to get rid of mud. The rear-view is reduced from the driver's position thanks to the spoiler on the hatch and it will take a little getting used to. There is no hard cover for the moon-roof and this causes some sunlight to sneak in while driving (not so much of a problem though). The dashboard padding is foam so I have no idea whether I'll have the same cracking problem as I did with my Axio when left in the sun over time. I'm going to keep using dashboard protectant in any case. There is no spare tire and I've been advised to buy a space-saver kit along with the jack instead of the repair kit. I have no idea if that will fit into the slot at the rear though, however this isn't a problem since the boot is cavernous! Also, when refuelling, always ensure they do not top-up when the pump cuts off if you're going for a full tank as that will mess up your gauge. Secondly, do not pull the fuel hose out until 10 seconds after the pump cuts off otherwise you'll see some fuel spilling out. The car is wider so uses 17" wheels, so you'll have a wider turning radius - I'm still getting used to this as I cannot maneuver as freely as I could with my previous car. The sensors go crazy in Colombo traffic by the way, so be warned when tuks creep in front of you - still, this has saved me from a few near misses with walls and I'm happy to leave them on (low volume though!). Conclusion: I am happy with my purchase and feel it has grown on me within this short duration. I have heard only good things about this car from my other friends apart from the initial fuel economy and am on par with that. The LED headlights are certainly worth the upgrade as they offer much better visibility and make the car look meaner. In short, even though I've posted most of the negatives (I don't like sugar-coating reviews), I just love my car and know it will serve me well in the years ahead.
    10 points
  36. Alright guys, so on request of few forum members, I'm herewith posting pics of my Mark II, 30th Anniversary model if you see me on the road shout at me saying "HEY ASS****... ITS ME FORUM MEMBER XXXXXX"
    9 points
  37. Talk about it! The Sri Lankan version of car ownership summarized: 1. Find the car that would make the neighbors' jealous, ticks all the boxes as per your drinking buddies and allows the wife to brag to her friends. 2. Pay unnecessarily high amount for afore mentioned car. But do NOT transfer it to your name. 3. Find out the previous owner has sold you a lemon at the first service - hate the service guy for mentioning that the car has met with a massive accident never go to that service station again. 4. Dress it up - but give zero sh*ts about it's drive train. Do the cheap stuff like waxing and washing so much so it looks like Cher with all the make up in the world. Skip services, use the cheapest replacement parts but make sure you have a cover for your remote key so that it does not have a single scratch. Invest in the most nasally devastating air freshener. Keep rolling back your odo at each service. 5. Brag about fuel figures - make your co workers jealous. Brag how you went from Malabe to Kataragama and your car did 34 KMPL over a bottle of Gal Arrack. Make sure your conversation precedes any discussions about Kusal Mendis's batting average. 6. When the car starts giving the first signs of trouble - get it shown to a makabass ideally someone who is recommended by Roshan who is in the tuk-stand closest to your house. 7. Ask the makabass to patch it up. No expensive fixes. 'Malli just make the error go away'. Malli will reset the errors. Patch up any existing issues. Thank god you did not transfer the car to your name. 8. Do a nice wax up job - post an ad : tell them the previous owner is your brother in law and you never bothered to transfer. Wait for Jayantha who is a buy-and-sell-guy from Kohuwala to haggle for a few hours and buy it from you and make the problem someone else's. The process repeats.
    9 points
  38. Hi Guys, just to let you know that we have upgraded our forum software for the latest version. Along with over 260 bug fixes, this new release contains some great new functionality. More details can be found here - https://invisioncommunity.com/news/company/whats-new-in-460-r1229/ Cheers, -MADZ-
    9 points
  39. Now..moving on to the interior.... The car has frameless doors...huge frameless doors. The dashboard is straight out of the standard Yaris. Stepping in, you are greeted with a pretty old fashioned mechanical cluster. Some people do not like it and wants it to be a fancy digital one similar to what is found in the high spec standard Yaris. I like it...it is simple, straight forward...has a very functional feel to it. Took a while for me to figure out how to adjust its brightness as there is no scroll switch... A little tag that only few cars can actually claim it and stand behind it as well.. Then there is the Button of Joy with a chucky gear lever... The dashboard being straight out of the standard Yaris does not work out too well at times. The location of the USB port makes sense in the standard Yaris as there is a huge cubby hole to leave your phone and other connected devices. Obviously this isn't possible in the GR Yaris, which leads to the phone getting kept on a storage deck under the TV screen with the USB cable running in front of the AC controls and the phone sliding off at times. Alternative is toput the device behind the cup holders behind the hand brake, which leads to the cable running across the gear lever. Its nice to see a manual hand brake in cars these days. This particular one has been setup for cornering by setting up the GR Four AWD's coupling system to fully open when the hand brake has been pulled. No...I have not tried it yet Premium Sports seats which comes only with the RZ High Performance (and equivelant grades) with the red stiching and perforated dots. The rear seat is not the most practical for passengers. My wife who is about 160cm easiy fits in the back with me driving. Its hard to expect an adult anything taller than 165cm to be able to comfortably sit back there on long journies. A child seat can be fitted in the back but harnessing a baby or toddler in there would not be that easy. It works for my kids as they can buckle them up themselves I hate the fact that only the front passenger side seat has a seat pull-out leaver to pull the seat forward in one go for the rear passengers to get out. The speaker for the Active Sound Control..comes standard in the High Performance variant or with the upgraded audio system. There are two on top, one on top of each front passenger seat. It is to pipe in pseudo-fake engine noise. I say pseudo fake as the actual sound is induction noise that has been filtered and then piped in to the car. So it is not fully natural...nor is it fully fake. The exhaust tone is quite appaling so at least this keeps things interesting. The trunk is good for week's grocey or a medium sized suitcase and a backpack.
    9 points
  40. This quote really hit me in the feels. AL forums have given me lifelong friendships along with great sound advice from an amazing group of members. And I'd hate for it to be another generic thel higanna forum. So here's my bit to harken back 'the good old days' Basically I'm painting my car red. Most older members here will remember my MG 2 sri 355. The car has been with us for almost half a century. It has been in many of late Lester James Peiris movies most notably 'Delowak Athara' where its basically a main actor alongside Tony Ranasinghe.(The plot is based around a hit and run accident caused by my car). I inherited this car, So I didn't buy it...And I'm paying other people to do it up. So I sure am not building it either. If you want more hands on, DIY projects done by me, please search for my older threads posted around 2008-2012. I know it looks good in black, but I want it in original red which is the colour on reg book.
    9 points
  41. A concerned citizen reminds you to stay focused on road
    9 points
  42. Its been a while....its been 6 years since we have had her in the family and we have put 23,000km during that time. She has been extremely trouble free and have never missed a beat. Toyota sure does not make cars like this anymore Just yesterday took a pic of my little beauty next to the new Corolla Touring Wagon. The old girl looks cuter and more slender... Car during last year's cherry blossom season After a coating of Soft99 Fusso Mirror Shine Random pics through-out the years...
    9 points
  43. First of all apologies for opening a new thread to show my new ride. This might be a regular car for autolankans. But thought of writing on it as it is slightly different from ones you see day-to day. First of all I would like to say that I'm typical car buyer who buy japanese cars though I love to ride a beemer or six cylinder jap car due to financial reasons. My last drive was a toyota vitz (2007) which became a pain due to very low fuel consumption (I drive about 70-90km daily), and vibration issue. It cost significant fraction of my salary for fuel. I was thinking about buying used F10 520D, but I dropped that idea due to the reason that spending 7-8 mil in 8 year old car was useless. Then I started hunting an aqua(2015 or up) mainly due to fuel economy. While on hunting suddenly I noticed this car which was in a sale at Kalutara n had a look. Other thing was I wanted to exchange car with my Vitz. (I couldn't go through that pain of selling a car with lot of time wasting). Finaly they agreed to exchange those two. So here I present my new Toyota Aqua Gs (2015)... This car had been imported by the same car sale in 2017. First owner of the car had been used it carefully. I got service records for the past 2 years as well and clocked at 46000km. Had original tyres on it, but threads were worn out. So I had to change tyres at 1st. Due to the cost factor I went for Chinese set. Will see how it goes.. Car had been modified in Japan by these guys http://www.autoworld-custom.com/. Headlights came with angle eyes and all the other lights had been changed. Side mirror glasses had been changed to ones with light blue tinge and signal LED arrow. Mirrors also have welcome lights. When I bought this right side mirror glass had been shattered due to some reason and I had to replace it with normal aqua glass. Indicator is still visible at dark but not visible with bright sun light. If any of you guys has an idea where to find this glass (right side) please let me know. She came with dual exhausts which are functional with nice beat. I dont have undercarriage photo at the moment. Bonnet is supported by gas struts/hood dampers on both sides This has stock 17 inch alloys with caliper covers in red. Caliper cover letters glow in white in the dark and inner side of all wheels glow in yellow (LED). That's about exterior. How is the interior? A pillars have tweeters and on right side there is RPM meter. Usually tweeters are on the doors in aqua. Steering has been replaced with modified version. Start/stop button covered with a sticker. Pedals had been customized. Seat covers has been applied. this is the gear shifter.. color changed to red when on reverse. This is the reading light on the hood which has something else as well. ? Air purifier? I have no idea. But it has a fan or some thing. Came with a throttle controller which has 3 modes. Eco, normal and sports. Yet to check sports mode... So that's it for now.. will update on new things..
    9 points
  44. I' don't know about your family dynamics and it's not my place to advise you, but I can tell you that arguing with a partner over an accident is not worth it. Cars, no matter how precious they are to us, are replaceable. People that are close to you may not be. Just my two cents. Did you by any chance check if VTEC had changed the cars number plate covers to those that have their branding? They did this to me without asking (both front and back and the existing ones were perfectly fine) and I wasn't fond of it. I only noticed it after a couple of days after taking the car home. One disadvantage of having these plates is that VTEC motors brand is somewhat associated with accident repairs. So people might assume your car went through a massive accident even when it didn't.
    9 points
  45. Now I've heard it all... a Honda with an insect fetish. This proves your car is a female though. No male car would ever be able to have a second full-blown orgasm within 5 minutes of the first one.
    9 points
  46. Finally she’s here?Thanking all the members who helped me in various ways?
    9 points
  47. pissuda Ewa thel suwandatath yanawa. Wine red(Marun ) with Beige interior (baaj intariyal) is the most fuel efficient. Doctor owned nam thawath hondai . Doctor Owned Marun Pramio with baaj intariyal does 23.956 KMPL in heavy traffic.
    9 points
  48. well Chamara - sadly many Sri Lankans tried VERY VERY hard to appreciate the Panda but it was simply impossible to do so. A very good friend of mine bought one and did his best to appreciate his Micro Panda but eventually he realized it was an exercise in futility - he bought a Kia Picanto recently. wow that's impressive hybrid-grade mileage. Better than Gp1, Wagon R and Vezel. Almost on par with Aqua when it comes to city fuel consumption. Are you sure you're not driving the hybrid version of the panda? what is the ccp? Central Committee of Pandas?
    9 points
  49. Thanks , this part help us to judge the validity of your whole comment.
    9 points
  50. My sincere advice to you is to stay away from baic x25 i own one and it comes with so many issues from day one 1) fuel efficiency within city is 5.5 km per liter ( not exaggerating) micro is not bothered to rectify this for me 2) no warrenty even manufacturer warranty for cheap tyres which went flat twice and micro never bothered to replace for me 3) there was a deep scratch in the body on the day I bought it but gt it painted free 4) so much rattling noises from dash board and back . Addressed this issue 3 times but not resolved 5) no spare parts for steering 6) very slow pickup for a 1500 l engine and not easy to overtake 7) wheel disc were all rusted and got them all painted for free 8)as a member in this group said if you don't know much about mechanics of car then they try to fool you by sayin 5 km perlitre is normal until the warrenty and free service period ends 9)I spoke to another owner whose AC was not working 10) vehicle is not sound Proof and not air tight either as foul smell from outside enters the vehicle as you pass by any fountain or carbage areas All in all stay away from baic x25 42.5 lake would go down the drain if you spend in this vehicle as the second hand market is also low even though it looks good in appearance do not buy baic x25
    9 points
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