iRage

Try changing the cable on your existing antenna. Sometimes if it has shaved (and touching something) or broken it might be bad....is there an "antenna" "drawn" on the windscreen ? If so it might be damaged as well...since you do not have an external protruding antenna fixing one neatly can be tricky....even if you get a pasting type fin antenna (or a conventional rod type) you will have to drill the body at some place to pass the cable in or you will just have to pass it in through a door crack or something. To remove the stereo you will have to take off the surrounding bezel. Os of the time they are clip ons. Be careful when you pull it out because if you break the snapping clips it will never fit properly and will be vibrating. Once you remove the bezel you will see screws...you will have fogure out which screws to remove as it is different from car to car (in some cars you can just remove the stereo in some rare occasions you might actually have to remove another panel to remove the stereo). There are plastic prying tools designed to remove these bezels....try those or you can use a butter knife of something. Try not to use a screwdriver to pull it out as the screwdrivers are thick it will leave marks...(one of those micro screwdrivers would also be okay I suppose)

From your list the CR-V would offer the most luxurious and refined ride and features. You are looking at the RM series....until 2014 the RM was assembled in Japan for the Japanese market and those had a bit more refinement in available trim levels. So getting a JDM import would give you a better bang for the buck. There is nothing wrong with the rest of the range...after 2014 the Japanese assembled ones were available only for the export market and that was slowly phased out with production being exclusively outside of Japan. Vehicles assembled outside of Japan have nothing wrong with them and are on par with Japanese assembled vehicles in terms of quality. Only difference is that these were for developing and other export markets, thus, the trim levels were different and the type of materials used for upholstery, accessories/features, etc were more suited for local conditions than the JDM variants. If you do not mind something slightly older....you can look in to something like a Harrier or the JDM RAV4 (the A30 series was available in Japan till 2015 and there are quite a few permit imports in SL). Out of these three the RAV4 would probably be the most SUV feeling with a more utilitarian interior and feel. That also means the RAV4 has a less luxurious feel. However, the RAV4 feels more nimble and lighter and peppier than the CR-V and Harrier (granted we have owned only the CR-V and the RAV4 and the Harrier use has been limited to short term loaned vehicles). The Zezel gasoline will not have the DCT issue as the gasoline variant did not come with it. Not sure if you find any of those in SL though. and even if you did it probably might not be worth it. The Vezel and the Vitara feel more like a cross over coupe. The X-Trail....well I have the suspension..the gear box sucks...the gasoline variant is under powered and the hybrid is barely sufficient to pull itself around. No comments about the MG.

Also....there were S and Z and all kinds of other letters in the coding...so he above is by no means a comprehensive and authoritative explanation of the coding..

Yes...L048 was the model designation for the LWB 2.3TD. I think 46,47,48,141,146 were long wheel base versions. Typically there is a G at the end if it is a SUV variant; if not it was usually a van which was a (V)/special vehicle variant. Now...the following is just me spilling out what I remember. The combinations were endless and with so many markets there were quite a few codes....but generally in the Japanese market and a few other general export markets: The segment after the "-" indicated the body and spec variations.... If the first letter was a W it meant it was a Super Wagon, V at the first position signified a Van (...in the japanese market which was referred to as a wagon in export markets...not to be confused with the V at the end of LxxxV), the G at the second or after position was designated for Wide body/fender. A "R" (not at the end) signified 4A/T, F a 4M/T and N a 5 M/T. A standard V at the beginning implied a Metal top which is either a flat roof in case of a 3 door/SWB or a high roof in a LWB. A M indicated a mid-roof (which you are referring to as flat roof). T at some position for Turbo. L or R at the end signified a LHD or a RHD. In the Japanese market they had a J, X or a D to indicate a grade. For some models J referred to GL and in some JX and the X indicated a XL and D indicated DX. I have no idea what your VGJ code is....the Japanese market unit did not have a VGJ code. If one was to use the Japanese coding scheme it would mean your vehicle was N/A, was in a market that had only one type of transmission, was a Wagon (or in Japan a Van), came in a wide body configuration (in some markets this also meant that it had the wide track but not necessarily the wide body) and was a GL grade. Since the M is not there it might suggest it is not a mid-roof. Again..the permutations were endless depending on the market....so yeah.... Budding and swapping bodies is illegal (in all parts of the world) for safety and security reasons. If a body has been swapped LEGALLY, there should be letters from the RMV authorizing it and the issuance of a body permit for importing the body (or something of the sort; not entirely sure of all the documents). Basically,the only thing you can swap without prior approval are the body panels (inner frame/chassis needs to be untouched). Even then the body panels have to be a one to one replacement and not change the original design of the vehicle. In SL, people get away without any of these formalities because our guys are too lazy to check the legality of all these and even if they did check they turn a blind eye if "gratitude" is shown.

and more profitable

both almost the same noh ?

Granted..I would settle for any of the cars that are housed/hosted here..

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new purchase. For starters...if and when you buy a car from a local car sale; do NOT trust what they say or the mileage you see on the odometer. 99% of car salesmen in Sri Lanka are lying crooks and they turn back the meter. 1. Look at the sticker on your door pillar. There is a white sticker with air pressure to be used. It will be in Japanese. Use google translate to translate it in to english, but the numbers are pretty straight forward. Page 8-3 on your User manual suggests your tire pressure should be 2.4 bars or 240kPa (~34psi). This tire pressure recommendation is for the Japanese market. With harsh/uneven roads this might be too much for Sri Lankan roads. So you might want to put a little bit less (say around 30psi which over time ahs become kind of like a norm for every tom dick and harry to blindly pump without much thought). First try at 34...then try a little bit less if the car is too bouncy and buoyant with 34 2. Engine oil & Filter : All Cars in SL are used under severe conditions so your change interval will be anything between 3000/5000-10000km depending on the type of oil you use (mineral, synthetic, semi synthetic) and the quality of the oil used. Coolant and Brake fluid : For Japanese market models the road inspection check mandates it be changed every 2 years or 20,000km (whichever comes first) so it is not in the user manual but it needs to be done Gearbox oil (I do not know what type your car has) but expect to change the fluid at an average of 40,000km based on severe usage conditions. 3. For your turbo car the user manual (page 8-1) recommends the use of 5W-30 oil. If your engine is in good condition 30 oil would be fine. However as your engine wears out or if you drive in in extreme heat conditions you might have to go up to a heavier oil later on as the car gets old. As for the brand, unfortunately, the range of high quality oils are limited and for an average cars like your's you really don't need a high performance oil. Do some research on the popular brands (Mobil, Castrol, Pensoil, etc...even manufacturer branded oils like Toyota, Honda, etc... ) **Note : Car manufacturers do not manufacture engine oils. They get other actual oil manufacturers to brand it with the car manufacturers name. 4. Depends on your definition of service. For most people servicing means changing oil, filter, etc...so that service interval would be the oil change interval which is dependent on the type of oils you use. In addition, you need to conduct manufacture recommended periodic/scheduled preemptive maintenance servicing at intervals such as 20,000, 25,000, etc....this interval and what needs to be done depends on the manufacturer and the car.You will have to go online and do some research on workshop manuals, etc...for the car (or ask the local Suzuki agent..who to be honest would be stabbing in the dark a bit as this is not a model they carry). Ideally things like swapping brake/coolant/gearbox fluids would be included in these maintenance recommendations. Plus, every 5000km or so you would need to rotate your tires... 5. Do a visual check on an almost daily basis...check if the tires are not flat, lights are working, doors properly close, listen for any wierd noises that come up. Every week or every other week I check the tire pressure (buy a pressure gauge and do it yourself). Also, I am in the habit of every month or so cleaning the cabin air filter, engine air filter checking and pumping air to the tires, etc... Wash the car frequently with a good wash and wax shampoo and do it properly with the proper sponges and wipe clothes. (when dust/mug builds up it will leave scratch marks on the body..so wash it off) 6. I cannot recommend any....when I am in SL I usually send it to Platinum or the agents (for some what model specific work) because it works for me. Agent in your case would be A*W. Most agents in SL charge more than most other service stations (I am not saying you shold go for the cheapest..do not go for the cheapest they will mess your car up) 7. Your car is rated at 25.6kmpl in a JC08 mode (JC08 mode = 50% city and 50% highway in Japan). In reality in Japan you would get up to 70% (or above of that) so in reality that would be around 17kmpl...in SL with more (>50%) use in city traffic expect to get lower than that. 8. Drive the car ! Like drive it normally. Use it ! Do not leave it parked to keep the mileage low...Do not crawl like the fuel misers do....keep the battery vents clean...at the services do a diagnostic done...if any issues prop up..get them fixed PROPERLY ! 9. Your user manual (page 8-1) says Regular Gasoline. In Japan regular gasoline can range anything between 90 - 95 octane (although these days most regular gasolines are closer to 95 and sometimes more). I would suggest 95 but going by the user manual your car should not explode even if you use 92.

Doesn't the ID plate on the Car say Suzuki Motor Corporation (or some corp) - <Some country> ?

No it wasn't.... Well..the Super Custom is not needed in Japan because that spawned off to vehicles like the Vellfire/Alphard.

Because of the Vellfire/Alphard it is believed that the higher spec versions of this will not be for sale in Japan, and that the base commuter variant might be offered as a replacement for the 200 series wide commuter vans (mini buses) which are commonly used by hotels and kindergartens....

Well...if you ahve all the documentation showing the last few days' dates you will be able to reason with the policemen (if they stop you) that you just bought the car and finished the reigstration process and that you are going to your hometown for the revenue license

1. On paper your car is a USED car, even if it was used in Japan for a day or less. Even in Japan your car is classified as a used car even if it has been used in Japan for less than a day 2. Can't you register your car in the central province ? You can get it online and drive with the receipt...even if you don't as long as you can show that you just registered your car and taking it back to your residing area

Uhh...about this statement....you need to understand certain things. "G Superior" PACKAGE was an actual/official thing Toyota dealers offered as a DEALER PACKAGE. It was offered on the highest grade of the 1.5 or 1.8L variant. So it isn't that Sri Lankans call the F-EX package or whatever the G Superior. So when Toyota dealers sell an F-EX or what ever with the G Superior PACKAGE they would have gotten the highest grade with all the logical manufacturer options and then attached the original accessories. In SL, in order to save money on import (both in purchase and taxes which compound the cost), they just got the standard highest grades of the 1.5L (usually without the spec'd manufacture options) and stuck the locally purchased accessories. No..this is the oxymoronic way (sorry). Through-out the time of the model, the manufacturer releases special/limited editions. When they do that they typically mix and match options/accessories. So saying that grade CDE will have a certain type of LED bulb'd lamp and speedometer and grade ABC will only have a lesser type is not accurate. Also, these parts can be changed and our car sales people do change them because doing so increases their profit margins. the ONLY way to figure out what the actual grade for Toyotas is the frame code/type. Nothing else...that is it (unfortunately this does not work with some brands). Unfortunately, you still will not know whether the package/edition is legit or not. If the package/edition is a manufacturer (or special dealer) variant then there will be a notation at the end of the the frame code/type. Example ACA31 RAV4 X Limited package would have the code AXA31-AW....-X (<-- the last -X shows the special variant) The Allion comes as A15, A18 and A20 grades A15 = NZT26x-CEXEK A18 = ZRT26x - CEXEK (with 2ZR-FE engine) ZRT26x - CEXEP (for 2ZR-FAE engine) A20 = ZRT261 - CEXGP Then each grade has variants/editions. Within the 2007 - 2010 model year G and S packages were offered. Thus the above codes had a -G and uhh...I think a -S at the end of the code. In 2008 they released a trimmed down variant called the standard package for the A15 and A18 (primarily as a business/fleet model) and those had the -U at the end. The Premio has the same frame codes as the above for each of its grades 1.5F, 1.8X, 2.0G (replace the C in the code with A). then the L packages and L packages came with -F and -L and other letters depending on what Toyota fancied on calling its grade range. The above works for MANUFACTURER packages/editions. For normal dealer packages/editions that were available, like the G Superior DEALER package for the 1.5L or 1.8L variants would have no coded identification.

The G Superior came only in the 2L variant and that too was abolished a little bit before the facelift. So for a little while the 2L only came as G grade and now it has G and G EX Package. As for the 1.5L G Superior....there is a legitimate G Superior PACKAGE offered by the dealers. i.e. Toyota dealerships offered a dealer option package for the highest grade 1.5L variant. It basically included the cosmetic dealer options the dealers would put on the 2L G Superior grade. So there are somewhat legitimate 1.5l G Suprior packages but they go as F grade something, something. The G Superior package adds about 200,000yen (on average) to the standard 1.5L F grade. So when importing to SL with tax the package costs nearly 500,000yen more (~700,000LKR). So to make more money what the local car dealers did were they just got cheap chinese parts (or used parts from Japan) and then added them on themselves to 1.5L F grade vehicles and still sold them at a 700-1mil extra.

You are comparing bananas with apples. The Corolla is an econo sedan designed to give A to BE transportation economically and in fair comfort. The Cefiro is a luxury barge focused on moderate luxury travel from A to B (the performance variants hardly made it to SL). If fuel economy is a high concern the Cefiro is not for you. If you want a luxurious/cozy ride then the Corolla is not for you. True, the Cefiro has been prone to issues due to local conditions, but taken care of there really isn't anything catastrophically wrong with the car. Remebmer every car has on the planet has little design niggles. The Corolla E110 might have lesser of those design niggles but that is because the E110 brings in a lot of the old tech from the E100 series Corolla and other Toyotas that are older (so Toyota had plenty of time to fix those because the tech was old). No matter which car you buy the biggest concern ou should have is if you will be able to find a unit that is honest and in decent condition. Plenty of these cars (both models) are fixed up to look shiny for a quick sale after having lived harsh lives at two different ends of the spectrum.

No rumour. Its stated as such as the Corolla gets larger. The Allion/Premio filled the same size segment thus far

Uhhh. How badly is it damaged ? Can't the old one be fixed? If the inner skeletal web frame is damaged it gets tricky but still doable.

Toyota Lanka imports will be a bit hire in price than other third party importers. If Toyota actually imports from Toyota U-Car shops in Japan then the cars are guaranteed to be road-worthy in Japan, thus you know it is in good condition (first you need to check if the car is an actual Toyota U-Car stock). Also, if I am not mistaken Toyota Lanka might give a warranty that is backed by Toyota (i.e. Toyota's U-Car warranty probably applies). So you need to check. Also, even if the car is not a Toyota UCar stock, it is hard to imagine that the Toyota agent would actually go to the extent of tampering with mileages, etc...so the probability of what you get is what you see is rather high (i.e. the car would be more honest). The other car sales are NOT agents...so do not call them agents. They are just third arty car importers and car sales....you really can't rust these guys. For every 10 cars they import 9.5 of them are junk cars that are fixed up (on the cheap) and then shipped over here.

Hmmm...if fuel efficiency is a concern..then this is not the car for you 9which in the Sl market is probably one of the factors the thing is cheap). Had a the joy of using a few of these as long term rentals and work assigned cars in SL and a few other places (4th & 5th generation). The 2.4L variant was pretty damn quick. You feel a bit scared in those things on bendy roads because considering how fast these things accelerate and fast it can go you feel like the car will not turn and just launch itself off the road (not that handling is bad). The 2.0L variant was ok....I would reckon the 1.8L variants would be a bit under powered. In SL there were quite a few of these brought in so you will find support through the agents, but do not expect to pop in to any parts shop in Panchi and find parts (like for a Doctor Sunny) These tend to show its age, but I have seen quite a few well maintained examples in SL. The ones I had in SL (5th gens) one had dashboard cracks and the other had a sticky dashboard surface (which probably was leading to cracks). Not sure if it is there in the 4th gen. They are nice and heavy cars that are quite comfy with plush seats and the usual bells and whistles.

No. No. No. I was just joking

what I am curious is what is the ABS unit ? The modulator ? The sensors ? or the entire system ?

What do you mean 3rd Gen but not 30 ? The 3rd generation is the 30 series...there is no other series number designation for the 3rd generation. If it is W40 then it is from a Prius Alpha, if its W35 then its from a Prius PHEV and the parts shop just tagged it as Prius (the Prius alpha does not have 3 generations, its just that most of the car is based on the 3rd gen Prius). In case it is the Prius Alpha/PHEV then the system is pretty much the same as the Prius W30. So it would just be a matter of calibration (?). If it is a 20 series system (the 2nd gen 20 series was sold along with the 3rd gen 30 series as fleet/business models for a few years) then it might not work or would require some "bypass" work by our homegrown geniuses to make it work (where the success might be really good and long term or hokey and very short lived). The 3rd gen had ABS with EBD and VSC/TRC integrated. EBD distributed brake force to the wheels depending on vehicle weight, momentum, vehicle yaw, etc...in order to brake effectively (and has ECB built in). The system was also integrated/built-in with the VSC/TRC, as these were made available in the entire Prius range. The 2nd generation had a different and a system with less features. The 2nd generation only came with ABS with ECB and optional VSC. So you got the ABS with ECB braking system and then a separate VSC system that were linked to each other. This was because VSC was available only in some grades. ECB is not the same as EBD. What ECB does is depending on the vehicle speed and pedal pressure in regulates the braking intensity to stop optimally (note there isn't a brake force distribution). So if you step on the pedal with pressure X at speed A the brake force applied will be different than pedal pressure X applied at speed B (ECB is just a fancy abbreviation for what every brake-by-wire/electronic braking system does). Because of the two separate system the W20 Prius has a whole lot more sensors and regulators that the 30 series does NOT have..and the 30 series requires inputs from vectors that the 20 series does not necessarily have. So..yeah....to get the older system to work with the newer car would mean playing a bit of a bypass game.

So the the engine vibrates like its going to come to a stall ? 300 is quite low (especially if the AC is on). Just for curiosity...is your fuel system (tank, lines, filter, etc...) clean ? I have come across a few cars (including a Soluna I owned) where the fuel tank had sediments in the bottom which got itself in to the fuel lines clogging everything up and retarding fuel supply. Then there was one car I had where one of the rubber seals closing up the tank had worn out and water was seeping in to the tank (yes..the car started acting up only during rainy seasons...took almost three years to sort it out). So needless to say the fuel was mixed with water and then subsequently dirty/rust. Fuel pressure was fine because the seal just had a very slight break.

at the time of first release of this video a bunch of Subaru and Toyota engineers had jumped off the rainbow bridge in an attempt to take their own lives