PerfMad

@isuru003 yours is looking mint. best i've seen so far..

@isuru003great congratz. Can I offer you a brand new gear indicator strip for your bj5? I do these spares. DM me if you want

@PreseaLover Thanks for the offer but I already got one from Bjautoparts. Someone from walisara do this part in our 323/mazda fb club. I think he does that for several cars as well. Could it be you I wonder 😂   

@Magnum i was told that FD4 is not the JDM version as well. i drove a fd4 today and compared to my City manual vtec car it has a bit of low pulling power. but i think i can live with it. but the case is having low fuel consumption. Now im kinda into gp 1 as well  

@PerfMad How many km a month do you usually run? Decision between FD3 and FD1/FD4 is a lot dependent on that. @Dee Jay has explained the basics about FD3 above. And I have to say it surely does a lot more than 9kmpl in long drives. My experience with it over 125000km, it did 9-12kmpl in colombo traffic, 13-18 long distance depending on traffic flow, and 22kmpl on highway. The car has no issues with power as long as the hybrid battery is good. Its 1300cc engine outputs 90hp and the electric motor 20. So altogether 110 hp which I would say is on par with Allion/Premio/Corolla segment. Except you have a lot of torque and initial pick up thanks to the electric motor.

That being said, you should only get the FD3 if you run 1500km+ a month, to really profit from it being a hybrid if thats your aim. If you dont run as much, just go for FD4 or a well maintained FD1. FD3 is the worst car to have parked around - primary cause of battery failure. It's a good work horse and a high mile runner. I didnt have issues selling it but I sold it for less than I brought it from. If you are getting one, you need to either get one with a good hybrid battery, or buy one with a drained battery for less and replace it with a good battery. Running the car on a new hybrid battery hasa day night difference in performance. 

@ramishkad thanks for your input. Im currently doing around 1000-1500 per month (not more than that) as of now. 

If I break it down, i would roughly do around 400-500km in city and rest is mostly highway runs.

Well...adjustable dampers are pretty good....so don't discount one with a TEIN or..damn..what is the brand assorciated with a lizard ?...upgrade. See if you can adjust the dampening levels and see what it feels like. I think the adjustable dampers would be more versatiley...you can set yourself a parent-friendly setting...kid friendly setting...friend friendly setting....I am all alone and want to go bonkers setting...just think of all the possibilities ! Typically 8-10 different adjustment levels !!! Lets not even get in to the damber and height adjustment possibilities and the # of permutations of setting that offers you ! OMG !!!

@iRage thanks for the explanation. Now the hardest part is to source a stock manual evo or sti. Most of them are heavily modified and i don't want stage 2 clutch on a daily  

Well..look on the bright side...you won't have to work on your glutes and quads at the gym  

uhh...well...at least those on your left...

@iRage yep yep that makes sense, what I meant was that our vios was higher specced in comparison to our 121. Obviously a luxel would be better specced than a vios.

I still prefer leather over cloth seats, cloth seats tend to retain more dust in my experience and needs to be vaccumed out whereas leather can be wiped

Both have pros and cons....the nice fabric feels a lot better than the fake leather than all the cars like Vios/Corolla/etc..come with as well...the only nice alcantara leather comes only in the high spec models like Harrier, Crown, etc... (even the Camry does not have any actual leather...it is mostly synthetic..especially those in the SEA market). But then, leather does heat up and cool a lot as well so it is difficult to keep it tempreture managed unless it comes with heated seats, etc...and leather needs to be treated as well. So where up keep is concerned I would say both are more or less the same in terms of effort. It is just that the effort has to be put in different ways.

yeah im someone who always prefer fabric over leather. cz the fabric is more comfortable than the leather. However i like the leather seats which comes in W124s. those are genuine leather as i feel and its so comfortable and soft. 

exactly. My father-in-law always says that mercs which were built after 90's are crap. because that's where all the electronics came into action, things got complicated and expensive to repair and a nightmare for the owners. and unlike the w123, this is suitable for every generation as by doing a simple alloywheel swap it could give a look of a teenager car to a old person car. its that easy.

Electronics are vital for modern cars but merc just does it wrong..Carthrottle did a video on an early 2000's S-class they got for £1000 & while it's a dream, the mechanic himself deemed it's "uneconomical to repair"..who wants a merc than you can't keep for a long time? W115 & W123s broke records for crying out loud.

Same has happened to Alfa romeo, Peugeot, BMW which were 90's legends and sadly now the time for modern Hondas is up & is time to join that list.

true that.. now adays all car manufacturers focus is not on vehicle selling market but the parts market. So i believe mercs stood in that line before the others may be.?

Yah i have upto 8000, red line starts from 7  but never tried going above 5500 ?

My redline starts from 6500... hit that 7k sometime, don't you want to feel her running on her limit

I treat her like i treat a new born baby  unless someone pisses me off on the road. But true that once in a while should do it (carbon tikawath kadenna ) haha 

Unless you have worn out shocks, if the ride height is a real concern then best to change the car than changing the ride height(if not done properly it might impact the handling characteristics of the car or worse make it unsafe). I did the same coz the roads I had to travel, even the Allion couldn't make it. If you only need just a couple of mms more then it might be ok to modify the current ride.

Thanks all for your inputs. Im also considering another vehicle. but these days are not suitable to go for a newer one. So let's see how it goes. need to do further R&D on this. 

reasons for not recommending strut spacers are that, I lost the comfort the car earliest had after the spacers were put in and it started making a loud thud sound from the rear whenever I went over the road bump so had to extra slow when going bumps. I put 2 inch spacers which made a noticeable gap between the wheel and wheel wells which, to be me was, ugly AF. During sharp bends/ beds with upward or downward slopes it started making a "kiri kiri" sound from the front suspension. Now I have an Axio but I still won't get it done to it due to those issues. I will happily let it bottom out or would ask the rear passengers to get down if I sense its get the bottom scraped. Gotta live with it until I can afford to drive a crossover/SUV..sigh

@Dee Jay true that FDs are way more comfy than other civics i must say. Having a better suspension should ideally help steering. How come its tighter than its used to be ?

Yes @PerfMad suspension helps steering and stability of the vehicle! 

But, I have heard the same from others who have had their steering racks repaired. Maybe once they refurbish all the bushings and electric motors of the rack, it cannot be restored to factory spec. The garage that did the repair said it is normal for it to be tighter and that it will get normal once it gets used. However, even after a year the steering is not as it was prior to the repair and still tight. This stiffness can be felt straight away when I drive another car!

When it comes to steering rack maybe replacing with a recon or brand new one might be the best thing. However, suspension noise wise repairing works. Don't know for how long though..

@PerfMad As I’ve heard, the refurbishment of the steering rack is not a solution. I also had my rack repaired by a well known place, which they did the bushing and necessary adjustments to the rack but the same steering rack sound was heard after 3-4 months. Most people said that repairing is not the solution but replacement is. Sold the car as it was.

@PerfMad Your Honda is singing!

Light of his life, fire of his loins
Keep me forever, tell me you want me
Light of your life, fire of your loins
Tell me you want me, gimme them coins

And I'm off to the races, cases
Of Bacardi chasers
Chasing me all over town
'Cause he knows I'm wasted, facing
Time again at Riker's
Island and I won't get out

Because I'm crazy, baby
I need you to come here and save me
I'm your little scarlet starlet
Singing in the garden
Kiss me on my open mouth

Now I'm off to the races, laces
Leather on my waist is
Tight and I am falling down
I can see your faces, shameless
Cipriani's basement
Love you, but I'm going down

God I'm so crazy, baby
I'm sorry that I'm misbehaving
I'm your little harlot starlet
Queen of Coney Island
Raising hell all over town
Sorry 'bout it

@Hyaenidae adooooooo im a huge lana del rey fan  once i paid 10k to just buy a lana del rey tshirt  

@PreseaLover #MeToo

@PerfMad AFAIK both piston and piston ring have been redesigned - Honda wouldn't replace all four pistons along with the rings otherwise...

@Hyaenidae i thought the piston ring groove has a redesign and the ring as well.

@PerfMad Not sure what the exact redesign is but I'm really not sure a "modified" piston could be as viable as a redesigned piston that has been manufactured from the scratch. I wouldn't risk it if I were you - apart from the issue resurfacing patchwork repairs like these have a tendency to create whole new issues - like a damaged engine block

Maybe you can send a signal wire to the Start Stop button then?

@MaleCortana im not that fluent with wiring so need to check with a person who does these kinda things. If we can get it done for Start/Stop that would be ideal.

Check the manual, most japanese cars have the function hidden. The manual usually tells how to activate it.

@PerfMad..a taped spoiler is not going to be that strong is it ?

@iRage i guess .. it depends on the quality of the tape and weight of the spoiler isn't it? I do highway runs frequently so it should hold upto 100kmph atleast  

That is the thing...you will never know until it comes off  

@MaleCortana i know the feeling. we owned a 4 door for almost 8 years. good car with low maintenance cost. Only issue was leg space and ground clearance issue. Now my brother has increased his budget upto 4.5mil  

Well...in that case...

You do get 

- Lancer CS

- Corolla (export variant)..yes..it is a Corolla...but the thing is the cheapos stayed away from it because it did not do 23.567 kmpl. 

and both you might find one with a decent agent's service history.

I beleive a Swift (Beetle model) might also be there...

A somewhat newer option might be a Hustler if a kei car that is somewhat larger is on the table...

@iRage thanks man. Unfortunately he sold his swift beetle like 2 years ago. that was in topping condition 1 owner low millage car. Now he doesn't want the same one. so looking for other options. Corrolla is also in his list. but most are hacked  

Ok now you are making me scared. my relation own a W124 E200 which has a 5 cylinder diesel engine (not the 4, i guess its swapped with a 5 cylinder engine) and the engine is really smooth like a petrol (have done around 200k KMs) and it has a decent amount of power too. I really didn't realize any of those handbrake or steering issues when i drove it for like 30-40km one day. as per him it does around 12 in city limits (not quite sure how true it is though, and no he isn't doing any marketing and he has no intention in selling it either otherwise il be buying it since i know how its been used and treated for all these years ) 

My only concern is my current honda city vtec (manual) does around 10 in city with heavy traffic and it does around 15 outside. And so far it havent stranded me anywhere eventhough i have clocked 203k KM's on it its still reliable and serves me well.. 
Do you think a W124 will be that reliable knowing that car is pretty old compared to mine, am i waving at trouble?  

And as far as I know, apart from the engine other components are far cheaper than a Honda... is it true ?

And what are the YOM I should look for depending on the features ?

Handbrake is not an issue. It is where it is placed , different to other cars more like a lorry. You will get more or less what you will get with the Honda in terms of mileage. but a 2.5 5 cylinder doing 12 in traffic is kinda hard to believe. A merc maintained properly wont strand you anywhere lol. I have been all over around the country in my ancient 190E petrol and never did it give me any sort of trouble other than a fuel pump fuse once. Diesel mercs in that era is even better in terms of reliability, provided they were maintained properly. YOM I really don't know, condition matters in these old cars. 

Yah true that. What is your opinion about going for a E300 6 cylinder automatic car ? How reliable is these gearboxes and 6 cylinder engines ?

Note that i really don't have any issue with driving manual daily cz i already does and i love driving manuals as well.. Therefore, i would like to know about the AUTO version of this era as well..

@Dee Jay - It was not mentioned in their site but some sheds have a 'Euro 4' sticker on the pump. Few years back they officially stated that they meet Euro 4 standards. 

P.S : I found the news item 

https://www.ft.lk/Energy/Lanka-IOC-s-XtraPremium-95-Petrol-Lanka-Super-Diesel-now-Euro-4-standard/10509-658246

@matroska Great! 

At least now we know that both Ceypetco and IOC 95 octane petrol in the country are conforming to Euro 4 standards. 

Either way spec wise both IOC and Ceypetco euro 4 petrol carry the same values so maybe its a government standard or Ceypetco is supplying fuel to IOC too  

mmmm.. i might be too early but apparently I have consumed like 1/4 of the tank and it has done close to 200km as of now in city limits. And ETA shows i can do another 550km (roughly) but i doubt it. Will update you'll probably on monday. 

Seems like next time i should try 93 and see.

@Hyaenidae how the hell did you come up with that story  I don't have any elder brothers FYI #rofl 

Quote

I was in a hurry to buy a merc sometime back and then gave up the idea since i couldn't buy a good vehicle for my budget

That's nowhere as exciting as my story ?

@Hyaenidae i second it  

Thanks Davy for the clarification. What should be the sand paper (grit) i must use to remove "orange peel" incase i get it?

1200 grit wet sandpaper. Then use a good cut and polish on top of that. 

Thanks Davy

@hrm true that. mine also does roughly 8.5-9 if i have a soft foot throughout. But its difficult  so always ended up getting somewhere around 7-8

And Diesel costs more than Petrol now 🤓

@Hyaenidae unfortunately yes. When we owned petrols it was the other way around. The moment I bought a Diesel SHIT happened  unlucky me..

Yah . Now that's the plan. I just wanted to check the next step just incase he doesn't have it  Will see how it goes..

After checking almost 5-10 cars i gave up the idea of selling my precious and keeping it for another 2 years atleast and then found this ? 

Anyways, thanks for your input. WIll have a chat with the owner and see

Although the previous owner (seller) is legally required to submit a copy of the transfer form to DMV, it's rarely done. Most sellers sign the form and give it to the buyer who will or will not register the transfer of ownership. Just see if all the pages of the transfer form are signed and intact. If one copy - copy to be sent to DMV by the seller, is missing, it's reasonable to assume it was submitted.

(I may have misunderstood the question. It looks like such a simple question)

@varotone you are correct. I will get in touch with him and see.

About somethings that the other have said...yes..I suppose sometimes additives can help muffle out some knocks and vibrations. As for the viscosity of oil...in SL we have a higher ambient temperature so our engines run hotter than normal, especially considering the traffic we have to sit through.  The issue with a light oil like the 20 is that although it helps with engine efficiency in terms of lowering component friction in the car it is not that good in thermal absorption...thus in extreme heat as the engine runs for long periods of time or in high heat..the oil thins out and then you start hearing valve knocks and clinks....when you put a thicker oil the thermal absorption is a bit better and the oi does not "thin" out as much....in fact if you are a heavy footed driver and you push the engine to the max..even the 30 will start making noise and you would want to put 40...I know a few 4age owners in SL who use 40 because they like to red line their engines a lot

assuming the velocity is same, only difference it could have is based on the addictive's used by each brand. Is Castrol mineral better than mobile? how about helix do they also have mineral?

I have no idea....are the addictive types printed in the packaging ? (highly unlikely when you think about it and jsut refer to it as secret technology) I suppose different manufacturers use different percentages of zinc, detergents, etc which can help (or harm) the engine in different ways....

@Dee Jay any idea how much they charge to inspect a car at stafford? may be the hybrid system and electrical system only? atleast i can get the other things checked from car checks may be.

One of my friend's got a Vezel RS inspected at Stafford last year and the cost was 7,500 as I remember..

An electrical scan only would cost you something between 2,500 to 3,000 I guess.. 

Yes, you can get that done from car checks and the electrical system scan at Stafford and still save some ? 

Thanks I hope the owner would be ok with it  

Before and after pics  highly satisfied with the outcome. Though 2 full days of effort was put onto the work.

Nicely done, clean! Will be better visible with some alloys

@AVANTE yes broo. Car is fully stock. previous user haven't done any change to the car. So im still in hunt for a genuine 15" wheel set. Till then this would do i guess hehe.

Not interested in changing the wheel size or tyre size as it will have adverse effects on the car fuel economy and other calculation. 

@matroska well my first car had a carbi. But it had issues with eco tests  I had to do a tuneup every year to get it passed. Then moved on to an EFI where I never had any issues with ECO test no fuel economy as both were better than the Lancer carbi I had. But what u mentioned is correct. less electronics means less problems.

Wish I can buy another lancer again someday atleast i can enjoy the 3rd paddle again. I don't think we will get any manual trannies in future 😢 

hey what was the lancer car you had? Was it a CB series? Yeah carbs and eco tests don't go too well - that's the downside.  I kind of miss dad's beetle and the datto B110 we had - it's nice to chug along in a manual on weekends. In fact I've been even contemplating getting a cheap little manual just to cure the itch - but everything out there is overpriced and not worth it. 

@matroska agreed. Yup my first car was a Lancer CB1. That was one good car had no issues during my ownership apart from annual tuneup  and 6kmpl which I managed to increase with carb tuneup along with a rebuild kit.

@Dee Jay yes it does. But even 95 isn't upto standards right. Ane manda still trying to figure out what to do

@PerfMad Ceypetco claims that their 95 octane is of euro 4 standard. As long as they meet the specification we are good to go with that.. I think IOC is distributing the same 95 octane petrol sourced from Ceypetco, however they don't mention any euro standards with it when marketing..

The other option would be the 92 octane extra premium euro 3 available at IOC which should also be good for the catalytic converter if they meet the specifications.

@Dee Jay true that. But the is a BIG "IF" in every statement  

@MrCat how to determine whether its over filled or not? however, now the AC cool is great (just like brandnew).

An A/C technician should be able to find if the high pressure switch is triggering. There is also a known pressure/gas volume which should be set based on car model and refrigerant type. Search here for example:   https://www.hella.com/techworld/au/Technical/Car-air-conditioning/Car-refrigerant-oil-filling-quantities-2114/# 

@MrCat thanks for sharing this. I need to get this checked as there seems so be no leak so far and car gets cool as expected after refilling.