Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by stuckincarbonite

2 Cars for a Family

stuckincarbonite — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 22:44:38 +0800

Both of our cars are getting old and it's time to replace both of them.

I'm thinking we probably don't need two big cars. We could get one SUV for the family and one smaller fun car. As far as SUVs go, there are lots of choices but small fun cars in the Malaysian market seem a bit limited. I'd get an MX5 if it had back seats. I know the BRZ/GT86 has some things that look like seats behind the driver but I don't think anyone can fit back there. The fun car still needs to fit 4 people. Is owning a Swift difficult in Malaysia? Is there some car that I'm overlooking?

Find the details of previous transactions

stuckincarbonite — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 22:06:56 +0800

I'm looking at buying a unit in a condo. I'm trying to figure out the market price so that I don't pay too much. Iproperty has a very basic list of the previous transactions but there is a big discrepancy between the transacted prices.

Where can I find the details of the transactions so that I can see what is causing the discrepancy in prices?

Package held in customs

stuckincarbonite — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 10:56:08 +0800

I've ordered some golf clubs from Japan. I've just seen that the package is held by customs. What should I do?

Corolla Cross Vs HRV Vs X50 Vs XV

stuckincarbonite — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 23:45:48 +0800

I'm shopping around for a smallish crossover. The priorities are comfort, reliability and low running costs.

Has anyone done this shopping already?

Any thoughts on these 4 models?

255/40 R19

stuckincarbonite — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 08:08:20 +0800

I need some new front tyres. 255/40 R19.

I guess there aren't a whole lot of options in this size.

What's the best option (price Vs quality)?

Headlight repair

stuckincarbonite — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 09:40:45 +0800

The left headlight on my wife's car isn't working properly. It's a MY16 Forester with steering responsive headlights. The problem is with the steering response mechanism. Subaru said they can't fix it and want RM7k for a new one.

Is there somewhere in KL that can fix this?

UK13 Loafers

stuckincarbonite — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 18:15:06 +0800

Is there anywhere in can a pair of loafers in my size (UK13)?

I used to get my shoes from M&S but they have a very limited selection.

Rockport in Bangsar was good too but they closed down a while ago.

Paint Touch Up

stuckincarbonite — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 18:31:27 +0800

I'm buying a used car for the first time. There is a very small chip out of the paint on the bonnet. I want to get it fixed but I don't know what my options are.

Is paint correction the way to go or does the bonnet need a respray or is there something else I should do.

Texchem

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 07:30:00 +0800

Texchem

stuckincarbonite — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 13:33:15 +0800

I had a quick look at Texchem shares. The PE is 7.7 and the dividend yield is 5.3%. It seems like a solid, well diversified business.

Why don't the markets like it?

Cheapest Autonomous Driving Car

stuckincarbonite — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 17:10:33 +0800

I'm thinking of getting a new car. I have a few options but one is to get something cheap and reliable and save money.

One feature I want in my next car is that lane centering/adaptive cruise control so that it will drive itself on the highway. Volvo call it Pilot Assist but each brand has their own name for it.

What is the cheapest new car that has that feature?

Leasing Cars

stuckincarbonite — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 16:06:04 +0800

So my Ranger shit the bed again. The gearbox which was replaced under warranty less than two years ago failed. It's currently on its way to Ford but it's not coming back.

I've booked a car for delivery in 2023 so I need something to get me through the next six months or so.

I know Renault have a leasing program where you can rent the car off them for six months. Are there any other manufacturers with similar schemes? Or any other good options?

2023 Ford Ranger

stuckincarbonite — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 23:28:44 +0800

I see Ford just launched their "new" Ranger. The top of the line Wildtrak is RM169k.

I can't wait to see if they can sell it.

They seemed to invent the premium pick-up truck market with the Wildtrak in 2011. The first version was RM12Xk, if I remember rightly.

I wanted one but the waiting list was more than a year so I took an XLT for RM96k.

I bought a 2019 Wildtrak for RM142k. I thought it was a lot for a truck but the extra features and 2.0 biturbo engine made it worth the money for me.

I think my time with trucks is coming to an end but I can't wait to see what happens to sales of the Wildtrak. Will Malaysia truck buys keep paying ever higher prices for their trucks or is RM170k already too high for the market to bear.

Touch Up Pen

stuckincarbonite — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 22:08:21 +0800

My wife's cars has some bird poop marks on the bonnet. I recently got the car detailed but they couldn't do anything about it. There are two and one of them is pretty bad, the paint has been eaten away. I want to get it fixed. Do those paint touch up pens work and if so, is there a particular brand I should buy or will any of them do the job?

The detailers told me it needed a respray but I'd rather avoid spending a few hundred on it if I can.

S90 VS 530e VS ES250 VS Arteon

stuckincarbonite — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 19:52:46 +0800

I'm thinking about buying a new car. I love the S90's interior. I'm impressed by the ventilated seats in the ES250. I guess the 530e is the best for sportier driving but I need to test drive it. I haven't seen the Arteon yet, I'll probably go to VW tomorrow. I'm discounting the E class. It doesn't float my boat and I didn't like the experience at Mercedes.

If you were shopping for one of these cars, which one would you pick and why?

Android Auto Headunit

stuckincarbonite — Mon, 30 May 2022 18:23:58 +0800

I have an MY16 Forester. The Headunit is crappy. I want to upgrade it to something that I can plug my phone into for Android Auto. I went to Brothers today but the ones they have require you to connect a hotspot and then sign in to Google/Spotify etc. This will be a pain in the butt for me since my wife drives the Forester most of the time. I also have a Ranger which has Android Auto built in, I want the one in the Subaru to work like that.

Is there a Headunit like that on the market? What's the cheapest unit I can get that will meet my requirements? Can anyone recommend a good shop?

Cayenne 957

stuckincarbonite — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 10:21:59 +0800

I'm thinking about getting a 957 Cayenne. They seem to be going for RM35k to RM50k. Even if I have to spend RM10-20k to fix it up, it still seems like a bargain to me.

Is anyone running a 957? What's the maintenance and servicing like? Are there good unofficial Porsche service centres?