The Don

No, but Nissan along with Toyota and Mitsubishi were always popular in this sector (in fact they are the best selling vehicles). The new Navara is more spacious and better looking than the other offerings so a lot were bought initially in the early days. The problems started cropping up a few years after and mind you these vehicles do a lot of miles as they are often used by tradesmen. Now sales have slowed down considerably. To add to this VW has come up with its own offering which is proving popular, and Isuzu has had a bit of a relaunch. So its not easy.

There is no point continuing this conversation as it is just going around in circles. Service your car at whatever mileage you like.

Well a 2012 car cannot be unregistered can it. Also I'll be weary of buying cars which has stood stagnant at car sales for a while.

You have only one option. The Wagon R hybrid. If you negotiate, you might be able to get one for 2.5M. I saw a few on Auto Lanka classifieds just above this price. The new Perouda Axia should be a good option as well around the same price bracket.

Sadly in SL even this doesn't quite apply. Funny enough when they started they started talking about 20,000km first, then went down to 15,000 and then down to 10,000. On most occasions the reccomendation is, if the car manufacturer has not reccomended synthetic oil, and the correct grade is available semi synthetic or mineral, to save the money, and do oil changes more frequently instead. In SL you cannot rely on manufacturer claims when it comes to motor oils. For evidence, if you go to the Toyota Lanka yard, I'm sure they will be able to point you to a few vehicles that have been bought in due to sludge issues. Somebody even posted a pic once of what the head looked like when removed. It was just blocked full of a black hard tar like substance. This was an extreme case of course.

The United States does not have the same ambient heat that Sri Lanka has. Most parts of the US are subject to seasons and the servicing adjusted accordingly. The roads are heavily congested particularly in Colombo and there is a lot of stop start traffic. The United States have open roads and free flowing traffic. In modern cars which have intelligent servicing schedules, you will notice the service interval come forward if this is the type of driving you do even in the US or the UK. The humidity is quite high and you have to add the dust into this as well. The same conditions exist in some parts of the US but guidance is given in general. The quality of fuel in Sri Lanka is quite poor. This leaves residue and sediment which interact with engine oil and cause chemical break down of oil The engine oil we get in SL is not the same quality as the ones sold in the United States even if it is the same brand as its sourced from different manufacturing points A lot of the cars in Sri Lanka were not designed to work in Sri Lanka for prolonged periods. Some vehicles have experienced fairly adverse problems like cracked heads and leaking head gaskets due to the ambient heat coupled with standard operating temperatures. Many were imported from milder climates and while most on the surface run ok they need to be carefully managed to avoid issues in the long run. And finally and most importantly, we have very many recorded instances of the sludge issue manifesting itself in many vehicles. In modern cars a lot of things are based on oil pressure and this this changing has serious consequences. And most importantly this is local knowledge, and knowledge obtained at the expese of other people who have had to pay for the repairs. These facts are actually acknowledged by the importers of Engine oils as well. You might think its in their best interest if people change engine oil all the time. 15 years ago when synthetic oils became widely available, they sold synthetic and semi synthetic oils exactly on that premise. Long service intervals. But the negative publicity generated by sludge issues have caused most to retract those claims. I really have better things to do than argue with you over and over. Do whatever you want man. Its your money after all.

Look we have just about had enough of you. This is general practice in Sri Lanka. This is what all the authorised dealers reccomend. About 5 years ago there were a number of serious incidents involving the new generation VVTi power plants from Toyota. A number of them needed total rebuilds due to sludge build up which could not be removed before dismantling the entire engine (and before you say it, yes they did try the chemical method). On investigation it was found that the oil had suffered serious chemical break down under normal operation in our weather. And in Sri Lanka even sythentic oils are not imune to this problem. A certain manufacturer was implicated in a number of instances and literally temporally pulled their fully synthetic products out of the market. Even now this is the least reccomended brand though they claim the issues are resolved. What you have to understand is engine oil is a chemical, and while its generally stable it is not completely so. It interacts with various impurities in fuel and carbon in the engine and transforms over its usable life. This process is accelorated when the car is not used much or due to harsh running (I'm sure you would have read the definition in the last thread). Thus it turns to sludge and start to settle along oil lines, sump and in other places sometimes interfering with engine operations. It also loses its lubricating properties leading to premature engine wear. Also engine oil is cheap. For around 2500 you can buy 4L and that is all you need for a standard car. This is all about preventative maintenance and avoiding costly repairs, and thats why this reccomendation is in place. It doesn't have to be expensive engine oil, just the correct grade from Lanka Super will do, but its is the changing of oil which is important. If the car is not used much (less than 5000 km a year) you can switch to anual oil changes. Manufacturers have extended these service intervals in recent decades, but this has been attributed to premature engine and wear of items like turbos in European cars as well. If you read BMW forums for example you will note that most users do an interim oil change in between manufacturer reccomended ones. This is because an oil change is £50 and DIY while a replacement turbo is £1300 + labour. We do not go on about this because we are a bunch of idiots or because we work for oil companies. In fact none of us do. We care about cars and we care about saving people money on the short run. In the good old days, people change oil every 2000km but the quality of oil has improved and thus the 5000km mark. We do not care about what you do with your own car. But please do not quote European or American articles, or articles from the oil manufacturers and make claims in Sri Lanka and mislead people. Our opinions are based on real events and actual experience.

Yes, we shall wait and see what they will do with the Datsun brand. The above type of examples of Renault using Nissan engines are very rare and The Clio V6 is not a mainstream car. Its ironic how Renault became the saviour of Nissan, because the 1990s was a golden age for Nissan product wise, with their products on part with any of their competitors though comercially they were in trouble. Comparatively the Renault product line was pure rubbish (you should try driving a Megane from the 1990s which continued all the way to the early 2000s) and they were badly engineered unreliable rubbish, but due to low cost and popularity in the continent (Renaults are cheap to repair, and in France they religously buy French cars because their local garage can maintain them) so they were still a commercial success. Right now, Nissan in Europe is kept competitive by products and designs coming out of their Sunderland plant. They do not have a full product offering. http://www.nissan.co.uk/ The above will tell you the story. Incidentally I'm yet to see a single one of those Pulsars on the road yet. And that compares to this. https://www.renault.co.uk/vehicles/new-vehicles.html Why do I have an issue with this...? There wasn't as many market segments in the past. But at the volume end with the Micra and the Almera they had super hits and the Navara and X Trail did pretty well too. You can't compete the same with the Note and Qashqai because the volumes are not the same in that segment of the market (and margins are probably the same as before). Plus a brand need to have an identity. When Jags became badge engineered Mondeos people stopped buying them. The same is happening to Volvo now which have become badge engineered Focuses. Nissan still has products which are very much of their own design and making. I hope this is allowed to continue rather than further integration with Renault. And quite frnakly, I'll happily buy a Nissan based on previous experience. The same can't be said for Renault.

What was the price after duty was paid, as in the full cleared price. There was another guy looking for an unreg Jap car under 3 million, hence the question. Interestingly the Alto sold in the UK has a 1L engine, not a 600cc.

As far as I know the only unregistered Japanese vehicles falling into the price bracket, which are not hybrids are Kei vans, I noticed a few Suzuki Every Join vans advertised for around 2.5m on the autolanka classifieds. The Perouds Axia is also about to hit the market and that has a lot of Japanese components, but built in Malaysia. Call up A*W and see if the Japanese Suzuki Alto is available for sale for that price bracket.

Try this link. You need a VIN from the chassis plate or registration document. http://www.suzuki.co.uk/cars/owners/my-useful-info/owners-handbooks

This could be worn bushes or lack of lubrication. Lubricate the points that need to be lubricated and check things like tie rod ends, rack ends etc. The bushes might have got to a point, they have hardened due to use and old age. Like MV-5 has said, tighten the power steering belt

Arguing with the DMT might be akin to talking to a brick wall, but that does not mean you shouldn't. When you go, you should take the afore mentioned circular and all the relevant documentation, and present your case on facts alone. In Sri Lanka there is rarely consistent policy. Most policy is conjured up on a whim by politicians, many of whom have failed to clear O/Ls. So this is to be expected. They say one of the reasons behind the success of China is that the vetting process to become a political leader is so stringent, the popular idiots fall by the wayside. Anyway thats beside the point. What you have to check if the circular you have is current and has not been withdrawn or over ruled by another circular. You do have legal remedies, but it might not be worthwhile if the amounts in question are small, and also cause a delay in obtaining insurance so you can run the car. You might be able to get an injunction from a judge suspending the tax due until the case is over and instructing the insurance company to issue the insurance certificate. Then you are stuck with the car until the case is over, so its a bit messy. The comissioner and deputy comissioners in the past have been reasonable people. You have to approach the issue carefully and reasonably and see if you can come to a settlement.

The expansion valve is usually integrated into the evaporator.

Please use the discussion thread for any requests and discussions. Please only use this thread for feedback of your experiences. http://forum.autolanka.com/topic/16973-request-information-on-a-good-mechanic-workshop-and-discussion/

Yes, for the moment. The problem I see is Nissan has adopted Renault technology but not quite the other way round. While its cheaper and more efficient, this makes it more difficult for Nissan to survive on its own. I'm just thinking about all the great brands General Motors have managed to kill off, and Ford nearly did, but Tata and surprisingly Geely managed to save Jaguar/ Land Rover and Volvo. The automotive industry is a very long term business. It takes a long time for you to build up the expertise to be able to build cars on your own. Technology sharing is great, but I'm not so sure about platform sharing in the long run. Renault has allowed Nissan to flourish in market sectors it does not have much of a precense or has failed to make an impact (the cross over market for example) and there seems to be an effort to push the Infinit brand. While as these make money, its not enough to survive as a volume car manufacturer. You need to have viable products in the small city car to medium sedan segment, areas which Nissan used to dominate, but now don't have much presence in. This is my concern. Its all good and well they make nice sports cars like the GTR and have bolstered its presece in motor sport, but the margins on those cars are low to non existent, their premium offerings aren't really popular outside the US, the once great 4x4s now have an iffy reputation, haven't had a hit in the small to medium car segments for about 15 years so, I think you understand what I'm getting at. Mitsubishi is engaged in a similar battle, but its trying to fight it by itself. Thankfully the last few years have been financially good for the company though the future outlook is uncertain. Similar issues are faced by Suzuki. Mazda on the other hand has lost quite a bit of its DNA as well, as there is a lot of badge engineering on their core products and platform sharing with Ford. I don't want Nissan, Mazda to be jsut brands. I liked what they used to offer and competition in the market is good for the consumer. I don't want the Japanese auto industry to become Toyota and everybody else.........

True, but the question is are they Nissan. I open up a Nissan these days and I see Renault parts, Renaullt technology. I'm glad the company has survived and their product offering has improved and its got a presence in motor sport, but my question is what is specific to Nissan about it... The problem Nissan and Renault has is that in a lot of markets they directly compete with each other. Renault has tried to position itself as the more "Euro" option but what we have got from Nissan with a few exceptions in their core market segments aren't great of late. In the UK they scored with the Note, the Qasqai and the Juke and the Xtrail but the cars which came out in this era wasn't well received. The Juke and Qashqai (sold as Dualis in Japan) were both products developed by Nissan UK, not Nissan Japan. At the same time the last two version of March/Micra weren't that great and the same has to be said of the Sunny/Almera, Sylphy and Primera. The new Diesel engines are all Renault units, while usually ok, they do not have the rugged reliablity people came to expect from Nissan Diesels. I haven't looked into the latest petrol engines. Perhaps I'm looking at things the wrong way. In the age of badge engineering and global collaboration, perhaps its too much to expect for brands to carve out their own identity.

What you need to do is the standard air conditioning system service. This will normally comprise of the following. 1. Removal of all gas in the system 2. Removal of evaporator and clean. This is important as dust and debris tend to settle and cause corrosion which will ultimately cause leaks 3. Clean the drainage line and any other accessible components. 4. Re assemble the system and pressure test, replace any leaky seals 5. vaccume the entire system, replace gas and compressor lubricant You really should replace the cabin filter and the AC filter as well at the same time, but I've rarely seen AC filters replaced in SL. The filter which is connected to the gas line will absorb any humidity mixed in wiith the gas.

A competent service station should have a check list on hand anyway. But usually for the 5000km service it would be. 1. Change oil and oil filter 2. Check air filter and if necessary replace 3. Remove tyres, inspect rotate (as a cross to facilitate even wear) 4. Check brakes, suspension bushes, inspect under body, inspect all rubber boots 5. Grease any grease points (modern cars don't really have these) 6. Pressure wash car and underbody. If you like they can spray the underbody with oil, probably a good idea in a Maruti but not necessary 7. Clean interior 8. Wipe the engine and engine bay with Diesel. Do not wash the engine with water under any circumstances Separately you should get your local mechanic to check your spark plugs and replace if necessary.

Madmax, Toyots is a very boring brand, but it is also one of the most profitable. Mitsubishi is not in the best place at the moment. The Evo was popular, but it didn't really make a lot of money. They have sold their truck division to Daimler AG and they are probably reliant on their light trucks and 4WD vehicles for revenue. I think the Evo will be back in time, probably as a performance oriented hybrid. I just hope the brand survives as an independent, rather than be gobbled up like Nissan was by Renault. They are doing a lot better financially, but Nissan seems to have lost its DNA......

That is the Maruti and Suzuki workshop. To be honest the two operations are fairly well integrated. If they don't have capacity, they will point at the direction of PitStop.

To be honest Davy, over here, if the discs are scraped, they are just replaced, hence I've never seen this done at workshops here. A pair of brake discs only cost about £25 and compared to an hour of labour its peanuts. Also there is this issue of how much to take off and still be within manufacturer tolerances. Sounds like a good piece of kit. But in SL, labour is cheap, when you take off the calipers, the sliders will be re lubricated before installation, the caliper rubbers inspected and all in all you will get more value for money. And most machine shops have old fasioned brake lathes. This technique was developed to make re facing brake discs cheaper. But in the above case it is more expensive. I don't see the point of paying more and getting less.

Any competent service station can service your car. It does not require special treatment. A*W has a service center called Pit Stop which does an excellent job. Costs are a little high but reasonable. But you don't have to go there.

Thanks MAS. I will visit Saman next time I'm in Sri Lanka. The wiring in the cooling circuit is a bit messed up, due to a modification done when one of the original relays failed. And since then I've uncovered various signs of Maka bass activity with regards to headlight wiring. The loom to the ECU has been modified due to a slightly different ECU being fitted (correct for the engine but not for the loom). I have an original replacement so the modifications need to be undone. And to top it off a lot of the interior lights no longer work after the recent round of body work So quite a bit of work.

Nawala, not Nawala? Well if you don't turn off, keep going on Baseline Road, cross High Level Road, go into Balapokuna Road, Fall into Horna Road and then there is a short cut that takes you close to Kalubowila Hospital. Think Saman is not too far from there. 10 minutes