petrolHead1

Thanks Tiv. Will try to do some mods during the coming months.

Thanks a lot Yohan for the comments. :-)

I wanted to add some blog entries to this forum for a long time as it had helped me a lot to make informed decisions. To start things with, I thought of writing about a small car which exceeded my expectations. That is the humble "Daihatsu Mira". It was in the mid 2018 when I started to look for a second (small) car to use for urban commuting with a budget around 2.8 million. Back then, I had a Vezel RS hybrid as the main car. So the unregistered options were clear. It was either the Japan Alto mild-hydrid, WagonR FX or Daihtasu Mira. Test drove the Alto and felt that it was not comfortable and the interior quality was not good. WagonR seemed to be more comfortable but the "battery-risk-factor" drove me off of it. Therefore, I was left with the Daihatsu Mira LA350 and LA300 models. I didn't have a big issue with the brand Daihatsu since the loyal Toyota DNA was on-board with it. The decision between picking the LA350 and LA300 model was simple. LA350 was the latest, had superior acceleration and higher efficiency. However, the back door and front side panels were made of Resin (instead of metal). I was worried about the safety of the new model and decided to compromise efficiency and power to resort into the old model. After a hunt of nearly 1 month, I found a dealer (ironically the same guy who imported my Vezel) who had an imported X grade 2017, LA300 with all documents. This had the following options added compared to the base model. Full two-tone dashboard. Retractable mirrors. Rear head-rests. Factory fitted alloys. Multi-color meter display (base model has an orange display) It had 5000 km on the clock with very minor scratches on the body. Negotiated with him and bought for a fair price. Since then I've been using it for more than 1 and half years and had run more than 20k kms (the total is around 26k km). There had been no issues with the car up-to now. Since it came with Kobe warranty, I had to service it with A*to Miraj. Generally, they did a good job with the car. External appearance The car has a very cute (non-aggressive) appearance. To me, the front-end and side looks okay but the back-end looks a bit odd. If you want to make a statement, this is not the car for you. The 155/65/R14 tyres looks skinny and doesn't add well to the appearance (most common with small 660 cc cars). Overall, I guess it's alright for the price you pay. The silver body paint looks good on the car and needs little maintenance to keep it shiny. Interior appearance Diahatsu Mira has a lot of leg space available for both front and rear passengers. For me, its identical to the Vezel RS. The seats are made of fabric (forgot to take a picture) and feels comfortable opposed to the Japan Alto. The dashboard looks okay with very basic controls. This minimalist feel extends to the steering wheel as well. I had it wrapped for better grip and protection. The gear leaver in the middle looks a bit odd and would have preferred it to be between the seats. Unfortunately, Mira doesn't have a lot of rear boot space. Sometimes the weekly groceries alone completely consumes the entire boot space. Therefore, you cannot use this car for outings with friends. The rear headrests comes in handy and IMHO, its the best thing (apart from the factory alloys) about buying a X grade car. The drive This is the best thing about the Mira. It feels surprisingly comfortable for a car of this category. This is due to the perfect suspension balance setting. Even the steering feel is acceptable compared to typical Toyota cars with numb feeling. This is perfect for daily city commuting. However, taking bends with a bit of soul and moderate speed seems to unsettle the car. Moreover, it feels unstable after 90+ kmph. Therefore, be extra careful and responsible when using the car. The 660cc power-house is alright for driving leisurely in the city. It feels nippy and feels excellent for driving in traffic. However, things starts to go south when you are in a hurry or a sudden need to accelerate arises. Overtaking at speeds over 50 kmph needs to be done with a bit of planning. IMHO the engine feels a bit more powerful and refined than a WagonR of the same year. The Mira also managed to pull effortlessly on a steep hill upwards (even I had second thoughts before attempting the climb). The car is at its best in the 30 to 50 kmph range. I have accelerated till 110 kmph and progress after 90 kmph is very minimal. The idle-stop is alright but you feel the car while starting (not refined compared to hybrids). I usually turn it off during traffic. The brakes seems very progressive and linear. They do a good job to stop the car up-to moderate speeds. Braking during high speeds makes the car a bit unstable (maybe because I'm used to driving the Vezel which had way bigger tyres and all disk brakes) . Fuel efficiency The guy who sold me the car claimed 20 kmpl which I was hilarious about. However, to my surprise the car did 16 kmpl on the very first run. Unsure about the results I topped it again and found out that it did the above amount continuously. After getting familiar with the car, I'm currently getting 17.5 to 18.5 (even though the car says 19.5+) kmpl during ordinary work days. This went up-to 23 kmpl during morning school holidays (and when I regularly came home during night with no traffic). To give a bit of context, during most days I drive 60+ kms daily via the Galle road with little traffic on mornings and moderate traffic (except the notorious Wellawatta block) on evenings. To compare with please find my previous vehicle's calculated efficiency below. 1997 Toyota Corolla 110 Diesel 2.0 Auto - 8.5 kmpl (had 200+ kms on the clock) 2003 Toyota Vios 1.5 Auto - 9 kmpl 2007 Toyota Belta 1.3 CVT - 10 ~ 10.5 kmpl 2002 Suzuki Alto Japan 0.66 Auto - 11 ~ 12 kmpl 2016 Vezel RS hybrid DCT - 13 - 14 kmpl Therefore, the car was very easy on the wallet for me. One thing I must say that, I'm not a very aggressive driver. I try to stick to the indicators and drive (most of the time). Maybe its the reason I'm getting good efficiency. Maintenance This car had required only the routine maintenance up-to now. Since the car came with free services, I had to pay about 12 000 rupees per service (average). Please refer the image below (yes, I maintain all records of the car). Tyres and brake pads are still in good condition after 26k kms of driving. The insurance is a bit expensive. I guess its common for all the new cars. With C*linco V*P, I parted 80 000 rupees for a valuation of 2.9 million with all covers and 2 years of no claim bonus. Guess it's worth their service. Overall verdict Buy the car if... You need to buy your first car/ needs a second small car. You need a comfortable A-to-B car. You need a car with less repairs. You need a car with good fuel efficiency, You need a car with plenty of interior space. You need a car to tackle the daily traffic. You enjoy the low engine vibration during idle (Opposed to cars such as 3-pot Vitz) Do not buy the car if... You drive aggressively (My friend does this and he claims his LA350 does 13 kmpl). You need to make a statement with the car. You need ground clearance. You regularly drive up-hill. You need a big boot. You expect all fancy tech. There you go! My honest review regarding the Diahatsu Mira LA300. Hope this will help people for making informed decisions. Cheers!!! ?

I used a Japanese Alto 2002 model for a period of one year. It was a pretty good car. Mind you this car had dual airbags but not ABS. Very easy to maneuver within Colombo due to the light steering. It did around 11 kmpl during heavy traffic. A Japanese alto is ideal for a lady if performance is not a concern. However, try to find a good sample with ABS if you are interested. Happy hunting!

Hi, I did this test few months ago when I bought a Vezel. The SOC is somewhat irrelevant as it is just an indication of the current battery charged percentage. However, battery usable capacity is very important. I was advised by an engineer from St@fford that an average functioning battery should have a minimum usable capacity of 30%. My Vezel which was bought brand new had a score of 50%. Therefore, my opinion is that the battery is nearing to replacement. I also asked this question from the forum. The link is pasted below. Cheers

I would buy a slightly used Mazda 3 for the same amount of money. However, I would still buy a Vezel RS if I absolutely want an unregistered car with 0 millage. :-)

I can shed some light as I've been using a 2017 Vezel RS for the last 5 months. It was bought brand new and has done 6000 km up to now. First of all, the car feels solid, well built and is packed with good features. My one has the Sensing package where you get adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist etc. Pulling power is a little bit low in the Eco mode. However, you can use the sports mode along with paddle shifters for better performance. It really does make a difference and is fast enough to have a bit of fun (by sacrificing the fuel efficiency figures.). The car also feel planted around 140 - 160 kmph (tested on the expressway). Suspension is on the stiff side and feels sporty. You can feel the bumps and uneven surfaces on the road. By using the exact manufacturer recommended tire pressures (33 psi and 29 psi), this stiffness effect can be reduced to a certain extent. The vehicle is comfortable enough for long distance cruising but not in heavy traffic conditions. You can feel the clutch engaging during the launch which becomes somewhat of a mild headache.This is due to its Dual Clutch Transmission setup. It was quite weird as I used to drive a CVT equipped car (a Belta) earlier. I guess this setup is more stable when compared to the 2014 models as one of my relatives uses a 2015 vezel with 60K on the clock. The only issue he got was with the remote key battery. Fuel efficiency gets dropped to 12.5 - 13 kmpl in heavy traffic while you could achieve 14 - 15 kmpl easily in low traffic conditions. I averaged 19 - 20 kmpl in the southern highway using cruise control at 90 kmph. However if you could really drive it efficiently and patiently, achieving 22 kmpl is possible. All in all, its a good vehicle with loads of goodies. It is not the most efficient car nor the most powerful hybrid. But it gets the job done with good adaptive technology and ground clearance. However make sure that you take care of the transmission and it will take care of you. Good luck!!

Thanks for the reply Rumesh88

I see. Thanks for the reply.

That's what I was thinking. Cannot trust service advisers these days.

Hi guys, Today I went and did a full inspection of a Honda Vezel (which I intended of buying) from St@ff#rd motors. This vehicle is a 2017, 0 millage unregistered one. The summary of the status report is as below. SOC - 35% HV Battery total voltage - 168.75 HV Battery usable capacity - 50% HV Battery cell votage range - 3516.00 mV to 3519.00 mV The supervising official said that the car was in excellent condition after the report. However my issue is why is the "Usable capacity" only 50%. I did a google search and found out that vehicles have around 70% usable capacity. Therefore, my question to you is whether these values are normal for a Vezel/Fit? Thanks in advance.

Hi guys, I am curious about buying this vehicle. Most of the users were having the vibrating issue and high fuel consumption. Did these get fixed after driving for some time? Hows the vehicle holding up since it's release in 2015? When I inquired the price from Un#mo, they said that a new model (2017 version) is available with a VVT-i engine plus some cosmetic upgrades for 80k more from the base price (31,95k). Have any of you guys experienced the new model? What do you guys recommend out of the two? Thanks for reading my long question. :-)

The same thing happened to me with my Alto. I went to get the brake pads replaced and the brake disks faced but ended up with this scenario. After long hours of waiting in garages and A*W I figured that the problem was with the drive shafts. Some how the brake makabaas has damaged them. I replaced them with recondition parts from Jap*n La*ka for 8000 per axel (CV inner + outer + shaft) . Hope that you will not experience this. Check for brake disk failure and then try to jack the car up and look for play in the tires. Good luck!!!

Hi guys, do you know the approx. price of the front disk rotors (both sides)? Since this vehicle has an Indian version, will I be able to use them?

Hi, one of my best friends owns a BJ5P which we used to travel a lot. So I'm pretty familiar with it. And currently I'm owning a 1.3cc Toyota Belta (2007). Pros of Belta over BJ5P - 1) Newer car - 2) Better fuel efficiency (Does about 11 in the city and 17+ on the highway) - 3) Excellent resale value -4) Less repairs and parts are ample -5) Smooth gear shifts (due to the CVT transmission) Pros of BJ5P over Belta -1) Excellent ride comfort. (Belta can be a little bit bumpy at times) -2) Excellent pick-up -3) Good looking (Both the interior and the exterior) If I were in your shoes, I'd definitely keep the Mazda and go for the land. This is assuming that your car's body is in top nick. Belta is a pretty decent car. But the BJ5P is a little bit better despite the age. Changing a timing belt is a simple task. Do the routine maintenance on schedule. Drive trains of Mazda are pretty solid. So just take care of the body and you will be good. All the best!!!

Yes I replaced both shock mounts along with shocks.

Hi all, My Japanese alto gave a slight clicking sound when turning the steering wheel (to the left) and accelerating. This sound was diagnosed as a CV joint failure by my mechanic. Therefore, we replaced the entire left side shaft along with the inner and outer CV joints. Brand new CV joints were not available and had to settle with second hand Japanese parts from Delkanda. However the sound was not sorted out. After another trip to the garage, the right shaft , joints and rack boots were replaced. This also resulted with no improvement of the sound. Now the odd part is that the mechanic is now suspecting a bush of the AT gear box as the cause. He is saying that I have to replace the entire gearbox in the worst-case-scenario. Have you guys experienced this type of an issue? If so, how do you diagnose this?

After driving sometime with the new braking system I feel a little bit of a difference. It feels more harder and progressive. The skidding is also reduced (Tested at around 50 kmph and skid about 2 feet). I guess as most you guys said, driving safety is the only option. Thanks a lot guys for your awsome replies!!! Cheers!!!

Apparently its not equipped. Can I install an ABS system to the car??

No it doesn't.

I checked with my local mechanic. He says that this car is not equipped with ABS . I find it hard to believe since the vehicle came even with dual airbags. During the weekend I changed some parts in the braking system including brake shoes and brake pads and faced the front disks. However the problem remains.

Hi all, I bought a 2002 Japanese Alto 1 month back. This car was alright until yesterday night when I had to panic break to avoid a collision. I was travelling at around 40 kmph and the vehicle skid when I applied break. It felt like all the wheels locked up and the vehicle slid about 2 meters. The steering didn't work at this time. However, the car performs okay during slow breaking. Did any of you guys face this problem?? If so, how do you solve this. FYI, the ABS light doesn't come on in the dashboard.

Model : Toyota Belta Manufactured year : 2007 Engine Capacity : 1300 CC Fuel type : 92 Octain Transmission Type : CVT Economy : (kmpl) city limits 11 kmpl (10 in Heavy traffic and 12 in light traffic) Economy : (kmpl) Out stations 16 - 18 kmpl (Best achieved -> 19.2 on the Southern Highway while cruising at 80-90 kmph)

Any of you guys have experience with Japanese alto's in the forum?

Thanks for the reply Twin Turbo.