volvo4life

I have used two pre-facelift S40s in the past (both 2.0L non turbo). Both cars had over 100K miles on the clock with absolutely no engine issues. Both did about 12 to 14Km per Ltr depending on driving style & traffic conditions. I've driven a 2003 (facelift) S40 1.9 turbo diesel (Renault engine) which did 21Km per Ltr. The S40's Issues were mainly suspension related. I.e. shocks, bushes, rack ends etc. However most of the smaller roads in Colombo were not rubberized (not carpeted as some would say) at the time. Volvo leather seats in that generation of cars tend to crack in our climate, so try to find one that has been less frequently exposed to the sun. One of my S40's had velvet seats and I prefered that because there was no sliding on the seat while cornering. I used to have a contact at the Volvo service centre. PM me if you still need it and I will try to get back in touch with him.

Sent you a PM.

I've had one some years ago. The frame-less windows start leaking after a while if the large rubber beading on top of the door frame decays. A/C vents warp if parked in the sun regularly over a period of time. Not sure if the R10 came with an EFI option, but mine was a carb engine and didn't do great on petrol (but was not bad for a non-EFI). You just can't compare with the efficiency of modern engines. Comfort and handling was quite decent for the price. Some B13 (sunny) mechanical parts are compatible with the R10, so finding spares was not that much of a hassle. As a cheap runabout, it's value for money.

I've had a similar experience in the past while exiting a highway. The car behaved almost exactly the same way before hitting the barrier. Traction control was on. I later realised that the problem was that my instinct was to try and straighten up the car while the traction control was also doing it's stuff.

Shock - If you decide to take the Udawalewa > Thanamalwila route, please note that the Udawalawa dam section of the road is closed every night from 6:00PM to 6:00AM (not sure if the closing times have changed).

Interesting.... usually they just detain the parcel and open it in front of you. Thanks for sharing this. I agree with you about not trying to assert civil rights inside the post office. The last time I went there I had a friendly chat with the customs officer about his 4DR5 and he charged me only a small amount. Later I found out that the item I collected was not subject to duty nor VAT. So I though I'll share the links anyway.

I read somewhere that it is mandatory for all vehicles entering the highway to carry a warning triangle. I'm not sure to what extent this rule can be enforced. Some vehicles come with a warning triangle fitted to the bottom of the boot lid, but most don't. I guess they can be bought separately. On tyres - What is generally considered good condition or good enough condition in Sri Lanka is adequate only for our ordinary roads. I learnt this the hard way when I was in the UK by using a tyre for too long after it barely managed to get through the MOT. I think the minimum tread depth recommended for passenger vehicles in most countries is 1.6mm. We also need to take the speed rating of tyres in to account, which is indicated by a letter on the tyre wall. I think anything above 'L' is rated safe for over 100KM/ph. Could anyone share more accurate info on tyre speed ratings? Another item for the checklist - Wipers. As SeanD says it is best to avoid a situation where you need to use the emergency lane / hard shoulder. However if it is necessary to get off the vehicle (for example In the unlikely event of a fire), we must immediately stand behind the safety of the steel barrier.

Hi All, The President officially opened the Southern Expressway, moments ago by unveiling the main plaque.

For anyone who hasn't already read this https://parcel.upu.o...m_LK_LKA_EN.pdf http://www.customs.gov.lk/tariff/chapter852011.pdf Do not let officers exploit our lack of knowledge on what items are subject to duty and what percentage. After all they have published this information on the web, so we can't blame them if we are still not 'in the know'.

I've been using it only for about a month. So far no incidents. Judging by the positive response from cops to mobile phone photos after accidents, I believe they'd be really happy to see footage of the incident moments prior, during and after it occurred.

Hi SeanD, It doesn't keep recording over itself every 20 mins. It records and saves multiple clips and when the memory is full, it overwrites the oldest clips. I use mine with a 4GB SD card, so I have clips from about the past 4 hrs of driving at any given time. However we usually need only the last few minutes of driving. There is no need to hit record or pause manually, I record every bit of driving (day or night). It starts recording when the ignition switch is on and stops a few seconds after the engine is switched off. There is also a motion sensor option which can be used while the vehicle is parked, but I don't use it. I have to admit that the video quality is lower than a 5MP video recorder, but it's more than enough to prove what happened and I don't have to manually start and stop recording. There was a bill that was passed in 2007 (I think) making all digital media evidence accepted in courts.

I already use a car black-box (video camera). It records in 5, 10 or 20min clips depending on my settings. Although there's a built in battery, I always keep it plugged in to the cigarette lighter socket because it then starts and stops recording automatically depending on the ignition switch. It's not high quality video but more than enough to prove that I didn't cut the line or what colour the traffic lights were, etc. If any of you guys want one, please PM me and I can bring one for you since I travel out of the country frequently for conferences etc.

Sylvi, Thank you for mentioning the Consumer Protection Authority. Improvement of customer service is the result of 'us' demanding a better service. In addition to product related issues, there are service related issues that are not always serious enough to report to the authorities but is frustrating to customers. Eg: taking too long to complete a job. In such cases, (I've found that) expressing our displeasure in front of other customers really drives the message to the people behind the counter / desk.

Membership can be obtained from Unit#d Mot#rs, Hyde park service center (1st floor). Alternatively you can talk to one of the workshop supervisors (in the servicing area) and they will do the needful. Members get a 5%-7% discount on all spare parts, provided you get it fitted by them. Therefore it makes sense only when replacing high cost parts. Sometimes the discount sets off the cost of labour. There aren't much benefits other than that. They used to send a news letter to members which wasn't of much use and was discontinued. Once in a while they invite members to Mitsubishi events (I've never been to any).

Alright I admit, I could have arranged the list better (or not advised any particular order). No need to be that harsh, dismissing it as a 'dump piece of advice'. Instead your suggestion on re-arranging the list in a more logical way would have been more useful to the readers.