vishkid

How can the government target particular brands? The duty structure is based on the engine capacity, and whether the vehicle is carbon fuel driven, hybrid or electric. There's room for improvement but for me it sounds like a uniform policy.

@Jor-el thanks. I will wait for your update on the new attachment to see if it's worthwhile investing in the innovex or bite the bullet and go for something like the k2.

What is the problem you're having with the Innovex washer when the detergent bottle is used? I mean what exactly happens when it cannot regulate pressure, does it become unusable or just erratic in the flow?

No offense bro - I use the road everyday in the morning rush hour. And there is NEVER a third lane. The only 3rd lane (so to speak) is to turn right to Ishwari lane. Thereafter none and it's regular operation with double line. There shouldn't be any doubts about that if you're driving that way in the mornings

Actually the real question here is what OP raised. Only iRage gave a somewhat reasonable answer to that I think. These are the things I've been able to fathom; - the manufacturer recommends not changing the ATF or not to even bother checking the ATF for the lifetime of the vehicle under normal operating conditions - the manufacturer recommends changing ATF for the severe conditions at 100,000km for severe conditions which is laid out in black and white and highlighted in Jor-el's post. We can all safely assume this applies to Sri Lanka (on a personal note I can tell you that this is the same recommendation from almost all KIA service agents in the US, specifically from CA; that is to follow the severe conditions schedule. But KIA US themselves suggest sticking to normal conditions schedule if that's what applies and they will uphold the warranty) - nowhere in there is a recommendation for a 40,000km ATF change - service agents in Sri Lanka suggest a 40,000km change, to which they cannot cite any basis nor any anecdotal evidence. - there is NO local record of transmission failure because someone did not change ATF at 40k. OTOH, I found anecdotal evidence of cars functioning properly with ATF changes at 70k+ - there are transmission failures in vehicles due to improper maintenance, granted. But most failures cannot be attributed to ATF and will fail whether you change ATF at 20k or 75k - CVT tranny's are not comparable to this discussion - ATF change for a Sportage/Sorento would be around 20-25k LKR only (correct me if I'm wrong) So 40k snake oil? Or a prudent decision to buy yourself (relatively cheap) peace of mind?

Or rather we're just plain idiots lining our bets on the altruism of service agents, because we know better than the manufacturer!

I do agree that you err on the side of caution and an ATF change is only about 20k LKR at the max. But in the same breath I'm just wondering what sort of data you have on the transmission failures because someone did not change ATF at 40k km? I'm also wondering whether people tend to classify driving in Colombo (or SL in general) as specially severe than - say - driving in California? I actually quizzed a bunch of friends and family with older vehicles (sample size =9) and figured that people change ATF at mileages from 40k to 90k intervals with zero tranny issues. The oldest car was at 174k with 2 ATF changes at ~70k and ~150k. I guess "some" would say that if the ATF was changed at 20k it would be also so much better because of the so called severe conditions, as if other countries do not have the temperature variability (we don't have anything to compare to a inter-seasonal 80 degree drop), traffic jams, stop-start, dust etc. Extreme conditions are defined in Jor-el's post above and it's very similar conditions I drive in SF bay area as in Colombo .... well, apart from the attitude of the drivers. I'm not too sure if any of you have used and serviced a KIA but I have, both here and in the US, and I know for a fact that Car plan (KIA motors SL?) recommended a 70k severe condition ATF change for Sorento in 2010 and now seems to have dropped it to 40k. KIA USA advises to stick by the service manual and NOT to change ATF unless there is a leakage, severe discoloration or a drop of level while the service agents urge the customers to stick to severe schedule (irrespective of where they drive), which is to change at 40k miles (65k kilometers). If you search the KIA forums, you will find that the outliers who follow the manufacturer advice rather than the service agent advice have not faced issues on the transmission. Of course, KIA US will NOT invalidate the warranty if the manufacturer advise is followed (i.e. inspect rather than change), whereas the service agents continually try to blindside the customers. Some marquees have gone to the length of requiring special tools to do an ATF change and charging dearly ($450+) to get that done at service agent. At the same time they have dropped the severe service interval to 65k from 105k (Mercedes) for an improved sealed transmission! You can easily work out who's milking whom Anyhow, it's your toy - your money. And as I said what is 20k LKR in today's terms?

Seriously? This is the advise from a forum of "up-to-date" car enthusiasts?? FML!

My Sorento manual includes passenger (p-metric) tires as specification. You should be fine (I use NFERA U5 myself but the vehicle came with Roadian 581's - from Kia Motors - which are termed as passenger/SUV tires)

Well, according to these calculations, the excise duty (alone) of a Sorento would be 13-14million. I can see the guys advertising 2nd hand cars already bumping up the prices.

So in almost all cases tax on FOB will be different to tax on engine capacity - which applies? Is it the higher of the two or the lower of the two?

OnePlus slashed prices of all their phones last night; stock clearance for OnePlus 3. https://oneplus.net/

As per the article the affected Suzuki's were only sold in Japan. The Japs are not so honorouble as you'd imagine.

I'm just happy that Fernando and Button scored points at this stage. FWIW, I have a guy in my office who broke his ribs almost on the same weekend of Fernando's horrific shunt in Melbourne. That guy is struggling to come to work, sit on a chair and type on a laptop for 3 days a week (he's still on Medical leave), and Fernando is manhandling yet another underperforming car to (almost) AlonsothTM position at the finish line. Amazing!

Korean Automart? They have not been picking up their phone as of recent

Rain-x is known to cause some wipers (or wiper+windscreen combo's) to skip. Maybe the wurth/rain-x combo is causing the rain-x coating to apply thick and this reduces the friction on the blade, making it hop and skip. You can take off rain-x with a glass cleaner and try not mixing the two or just try the rain-x (or any other brand) glass treatment (wipe-on) and not the washer fluid.

Technically, by the letter of the law, the insurer is bound to address all claims brought to notice during the period of insurance, whether the insurance lapsed later or not. IBSL does not mention any timelines for the motor claims to be settled although the timelines need to be reasonable for either party. You sure can pursue the claims, although depending on who the insurer is, they may make you jump through many different hoops. I have personally claimed for repairs (a couple of days) after the insurance lapsed and well over 10 months after the incident.

I have a xiaomi yi which I use mostly to capture stuff which involve water; rafting, abseiling, canyoning and general fooling about in beaches and pools. Sometimes I attach it to the car for type of footage Tharinda captured. It's cheap enough for you to not worry about losing it or damaging it. I love it for the value (the camera and the waterproof casing cost me less than $70) but the video quality (even at 1080/60P) is not the same as a Hero 3+ or a 4. You can use almost all the the std gopro accessories with yi.

I too have a vehicle in the same context. I think I got the deletion letter from the bank in 2014 but didn't go to RMV. No plans to sell either. I heard somewhere there's a penalty involved but am not too sure. May be we'll just hv to go to RMV and find out. When I bought my first vehicle, the 1st owner of that vehicle just gave me the book, the deletion letter from his finance company which was a few months old and the MTA6 forms, I had no issues in getting the transfer done, even if the AO deletion letter was an older one. This was in 2008.

Just saw that MKBHD has come up with his version of smartphone awards 2015. LG and Samsung still has a relatively strong hold in the premium smartphone market in terms of tech and features, with Moto still playing their part (at least in the US).

Those pictures are awesome! I think the camera they use in the Note 5, S6 and Edge plus is the best there is right now. Coupled with the screen. N6P camera is supposed to be really close, with the screen being virtually the same. It should be in the same league but I don't think it can trump the samsung flagship camera I will post some pics by end of next week.

Just wanted to note that Nexus 6P and 5X are at a $50 discount at google store right now and with free overnight shipping. After two months of deliberation, this finally prompted me to action and I just bought a 6P; sending it to my friend who's in US on business and will get in SL next Wednesday. Since I was shipping to California the discounts and free shipping saved me almost $75 (including taxes) and in the current exchange rate, that's considerable. I think $449 is not too bad for what is probably the flagship android (locked with Note 5) right now. Not too sure how I will get used to the size though. If you have friends/family coming down from US for christmas/new year, might be an option to consider.

Great! Another drama for us to watch. Don't expect the same leniency as the last time from RK though. 1. His back is against the wall to find the moolah 2. He gave a fair warning.

No need to get our knickers in a twist. There are so many deserving workers on both govt and private sectors for privileges and benefits. I can also cite my work ethic and hours and I'm sure none of you gives a flying funk. It's a free country (and a free world) and how we work and how we earn are up to us. If you want to depend on the govt for a special privilege which somehow you deserve because you think you work harder than the rest or somehow entitled to it otherwise, you're a special kind of moron. Earn your privileges.