The Don

Kanishka, you are facing the sad reality of parking in public places in Colombo. There are thieves everywhere. All the suggestions above are good. They are: 1. Fitting a security system which activates on motion detection and 2 way alerts (you will get an alert on your remote when something happens) 2. Covering the car with a car cover after parking 3. Parking close to a home or office with CCTV 4. You can try to cables etc, but while as they will make it difficult to get the mirror off the car, they would probably damage it trying and that would mean replacement anyway. But anything that makes yours less easy to steal would hopefully encourage the thieves to go elsewhere 5. Use a dash cam with motion detection which will record anything that happens around the car even when parked. The slight problem here is when parked near a busy road you will run out of space quickly And finally consider public transport options / taxis when working in offices which do not provide secure parking for their staff.

The repair liquids are all the same and pumps from different brands are very similar as well. The only difference I have noted is in how the pump connects to the repair liquid bottle. The replacement repair kit bottles have come down quite a lot from what they were. You can buy a generic one and keep and they work the same. The tyre place will just scrape the foam off and repair the puncture properly afterwards, though it is a bit of a mess. Good to keep a spare if there is space but most cars with repair kits no longer has a spare wheel bay to keep them.

If you are new to cars, I think its best to stay away from the GP5/ Vezel just for the moment. They are not bad cars, but dual clutch transmissions need to be driven in a particular way to reduce wear and tear on the gearbox and both have had various software issues that have mostly been fixed via recalls. The dual clutch units are bit on the expensive side for replacement though as a technology they are superior to fluid torque converter traditional automatic transmissions. Both the Swift RS with the 1.0 turbo and the Vitz 1.0 are excellent cars. Out of these I would pick the Swift for better interior, more power and more add on's on the top end versions (the so called safety). The Vitz feels a little less premium compared and we are considering buying one for ourselves (having done a bit of research at this price point). The GP3 is also a pretty good car. My wife owns one and it has been trouble free apart from regular maintenance and a new 12V battery. Do note the Hybrid batteries will need replacement soon as these are all now beyond the 5 year mark. They aren't as expensive as the Toyota ones because they don't have as much capacity and the system isn't as reliant on them as the Toyota Aquas/Prisus/Axios are. Just my 2 cents.

I think there is a market for these car's so you won't be stuck with it forever. The key thing is to get it inspected by Prestige or a reliable inspection company to get an idea of faults you need to rectify. Known issues include premature engine wear due to low quality diesel used (these engines need low sulphur diesel, which is marketed as Euro 4 diesel), suspension and steering problems due to being used in rough roads. Also check if the cars have run flats and how much of the tyre is left as run flats are fairly expensive to buy in SL. Some cars didn't come with run flats but the repair kit and tyre inflater.

In time friends when there is something to talk about. Since this post was written @Komisiripala has become a father and a home owner, so priorities have changed. But would definitely like to share the ups and downs of our own journeys in car restoration so our mistakes and successes will serve as learning for others at some point.

Waking this topic up had sent a few people on old nostalgia trips. One dropped me a line

You are waking up a dormant topic I don't believe the OP is on the forum anymore.

Let me say this categorically. Nobody can possibly offer a manufacturer warranty other than an authorised dealer. They keep a hefty premium for this which is reflected in the price. You can get one faster if you look at stock brought down from the UK. Please note if you want to buy new from the UK the wait time will be the same. The ones immediately available are pre registered stock or approved used vehicles held by the agents.

It is indeed rather sad that proper medical professionals are not present immediately to attend to the injured. No one knows how much this lack of attention and training affected his chances of recovery...

In the US front number plates are not always required in some states.

Not sure if there is a straight forward answer to this. First and foremost the Rexton is a class ahead of the X Trail which is a smaller car. Second the XTrain in question is Japanese while the Rexton is probably Korean assembled in Sri Lanka One is hybrid the other is Diesel One will be brand new, the other one second hand I think you will get the gist of where I'm going here. Most of the above will be personal preference. The Rexton and Kyron are used by a number of tour companies and the drivers tell me they do not do anything other than regular maintenance until the cars get to about 120K Kms and are then sold off. I'm sure the Xtrail will at least as reliable. The is brand prestige but personally I'm not sure if driving a Ssang Yong makes you any more hip than driving a Nissan and vice versa. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Sri Lankan law dictates that one will lose their Sri Lankan Citizenship while applying for the Citizenship of another country unless you apply for retention beforehand, in which case you will obtain dual nationality. But this is not possible if the country you are applying for nationality does not recognise dual nationality and demands you show allegiance to that country alone. Germany is the EU country that comes to mind with this regards, though it does recognise Dual Nationality as long as the other nationality is of a EU nation. The only option in this respect is for that person to gain Nationality of the first EU country first, then move to another EU country which recognises Dual Nationality and then gain Nationality of that country after the qualifying period and then apply for Dual Nationality in Sri Lanka. If you need to retain Sri Lankan nationality you will have to maintain your permanent residence status and not apply for Nationality of that particular country. It is possible for you to gain a residence via to live in Sri Lanka as an Ex Sri Lankan even if you lose Sri Lankan nationality but this residence visa does not entitle you to work in Sri Lanka as far as I know. It also forbids your ownership of certain types of property etc, but I am no expert.

The coolant resovoir tank under normal circumstances should be fairly empty. It is really an overflow tank. When fluid expands in the heat it goes into the resovoir and then back after the fluid cools down. I think you should empty the resovoir a little. Also check the radiator cap. They aren't expensive and I suggest you buy a new one from the agent. It could be letting fluid into the resovoir prematurely. I had over heating issues in our car as well. The causes were the fan (which was failing for a long time and suddenly the fin came off from the motor head) and water pump belt which keeps failing. Replacing the fan solved the first issue though we have had to keep an eye on the belt. This fan is a known weak point in this car. Due to space constraints only one fan is used and it has to take a lot of strain. It was the air conditioning shop which noticed the fan issue in our case.

The HT51s has only one radiator fan. It operates at 2 speeds. Low with no AC and High with AC. The fan motor and fins are notorious for failure. One of the first things to check is to see if the dual speed operation performs as should and the fan moves freely without any interference. If there is a problem replace with used unit. This is a very typical failure unfortunately. Used to cost about 15k Second issue to check is the water pump. If the water pump hasn't been changed recently that is something to check. But most importantly check if it moved properly without slipping on the belt. This is another HT51s problem. Last check if the radiator is clean and get it cleaned if you suspect anything. It doesn't cost much and get it done by a radiator repair shop. And as others have suggested replace the missing thermostatic valve with an original replacement. It's there for a reason.

Please guys. This is a feedback thread not an ask advice thread. If you need help on something specific please create your own. Else it will be impossible to find any details you want

Have a trip around the engine Watte in Panchikawatte. The engine should be there. Full engine kits which is the wiring loom ECU included do some up but rare. I expect to pay around 250k but there is an element of supply and demand here.

Sampath you are most welcome, and it's my pleasure. After all as car guys I think it's always a great to see cars get revived and live! I'm waiting eagerly for it to start as until it does never sure of the state of an old engine. Diesels do a lot of miles so really hard to find an engine under 100k miles. The Renault F9k engine used here is very common and used in a lot of vehicles, not just Renault. But as it's got an aluminium block it's sensitive to the sulphur content in Diesel which is probably what has messed the original engines up. Hopefully the Euro III low sulphur Diesel we have here might allow the latest installation to live a bit longer.

I Twin Turbo has bought into the idea the mechanics at dealerships know what they are doing as they have had official training. This is what all dealerships like you to believe. But sadly it's more a case of monkeys with the official kit. I'm sure there are knowledgeable guys, but they earn very little money and the good guys go and set up shop on their own after a while. Usually their electronic diagnosis systems are the best though the other popular specialist has similar equipment. What is however not under debate is European cars are best handled by specialists. Frankly this is due to European cars not being as obvious to dismantle as the Japs and the specialists can do a job in 1/2 the time safely. I'd you want to take it to the dealer every time it's up to you. But I can assure you most jobs on a BMW can bhandleded by any competent mechanic. I don't take mine to the dealership anymore in the UK after twice they tried to scam me with repairs that did not need to be done. I have found a well respected specialists who has done an excellent job and on the side the charges are also cheaper. That wasn't why I switched.

A*W has the original oil. But as far as I know Suzuki auto boxes take Dextron III standard oil. A*W sells BP Autotran oils as a cheaper alternative. In fact they will change your ATF using BP Autotran for around 7000 rs. I had it done on our swift last week.

Hybrids are used by people who want to reduce daily running costs. They are generally more efficient than pure internal combustion vehicles. But to get an advantage you need to do a lot of miles per day. Hybrids are not cheap to maintain as they need specialists with the correct know how and some parts are only available through dealerships. At over 5 years old the condition of the battery will be of concern but I have heard there are some cost effective solutions available now, though long term viability of these solutions is unknown.

Are you connected with this company in any way? I might be cynical but the post sounds like an attempt at introducing this service centre rather than a genuine query. There are many many service centres. Why would you be interested in whether a particular branch has opened? If it's in any way connected to Sterling auto warranty and how poor the service has been via that, I think it's fair to say best to avoid the place

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="W.F. Fernando Motors" data-cid="291057" data-time="1460365477"><p> For clean fast work there is a garage hidden in colombo 12 on Maithri Bodhiraja Mawatha right off armor street behind St.Anthonys hardware. The garage is called Iron Horse Motors. They diagnose your car and you simply bring the part from Panchikawatta. They do running repairs, Accident repairs, insurance claims and all paint jobs. Its open from 6AM to 9PM 7 days a week.</p></blockquote> Are you recommending yourself? I noticed you have motors on your name. If you need to advertise please purchase advertising from the admin.

Threads merged. Please refrain from opening multiple threads on the same topic.

What is an individual spec? A car you have gone to the main dealer, selected your combination of options and waited for delivery? Isn't that how most cars are sold in SL (as in few dealers seem to have vehicles to sell ex stock)

Whats the point of buying a BMW if you want to take the engine out. Its an integral part of the engine. A Toyota Corolla with a 2C engine would be a lot cheaper to buy and to maintain. To be quite honest, if you are concerned about cost of maintenance and running then European cars are probably not for you. In Sri Lanka people buy cars simply for brand prestige. Whatever rocks their boat I guess. But to understand why the BMW 3 series outsells every other car in its class in the UK, you need to drive one and understand. If you don't well then its not the car for you. And it sounds a bit like you are on the wrong forum too I know you think you are being sensible and being honest, but this an automotive enthusiast forum and what you have suggested above is akin to somebody taking a pis on the great bho tree in Anuradhapura.