Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by amdxp

China Top U vs Singapore public U

amdxp — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 10:56:44 +0800

My son's UEC results has been pretty closed to top notch. He had applied to these 4 top Universities in Asia. That being Tsinghua U, Peking U (the top 2 best uni in China) and also Singapore's public NUS and NTU.

Fortunately for him, both Tsinghua U and Peking U had given him provisional admission, but currently the central government of China does not issue student visa to overseas students in their own combat with Covid.

As for the 2 Uni in Singapore, we will know it in Mar/Apr. My son's ex-teacher said he stands a good chance as the top science student from the high school.

Personally I ( and my side of family) feel China will give him bigger potential in future, but wife (and her side) thinks Singapore gives better "Stability". What do you guys think is the better ones ?

Peugeot Allnew 5008 vs Kia Sorento 2.2 HS

amdxp — Tue, 15 May 2018 12:14:53 +0800

My current company car tenure is coming to 5 full years, so it's time to choose a new car

Am now driving a large German sedan, but as I am coming to mid 40s, I feel that it's time to move to SUV. Beside I still have my little hobby SLK230 on occasional drive.

The key issue I have with my current car is that my kids actually prefer to sit on wife's old Estima during weekend, almost wherever we go. Well, though my German sedan is nicer to drive, the good-old-Estima ACR30 is surprisingly good to drive as well (with proper torque converter g/b, and hydraulic power steering). And to try to sense if there is anything need my attention on the old car, I do like to drive the old Estima during weekend.

So my thought, to get a 7 seat SUV (actually 6 seats will do) then probably I can retire wife Estima in due time. That car is good, but FC is quite scary by today's standard. I am too used to 12km/L and seeing 7.8-8.5km/L is not good for my heart

Being a company car, resale value is not a key concern. No finance requirement, in fact no petrol bill concern too but I want to be responsible for the earth by choosing something frugal. Was waiting for Sorento 2.2 facelift to come in but there is no information at the moment. So the 3 main features I really really want to have is not possible (1) ACC (2) 360 camera (3) aircond seats

Tested Fortuner 2.4 VRZ, did not like the truck feel of the car plus it really got no power, just decent enough to move the car that's all. Some more the 3rd row seat is way too tight for my 2 kids who are already passed 1.6 meters.

CX-8 is yet to launch so I can't shortlist it at the moment.

I still have about 2 mths time to decide, but at the moment only 2 that I have in my mind, MPV is out too.

So what say you guys ? << Peugeot 5008 vs Sorento 2.2 CRDI >> Resale value no concern so long as the car does not break down often then I am fine. Even if the car needs service and stuck in SC my company has a spare Proton (new) to use in between.

Question on Hyundai Matrix 1.8 CBU (2004)

amdxp — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 16:15:56 +0800

Hi, I am given a chance to buy a Hyundai Matrix 1.8 CBU, year 2004 car. Current mileage is 199k km. Full service records since 2004, fully serviced by Hyundai authorised SC in JB since 2004. Full petrol records since 2004. Transmission overhaul done in DEc 2015. Aircond full set (compressor, condensor, cooling coil) changed in 2011, at 115k km.

Asking price 4.5k. OTR probably less than 5.5k.

Can buy ? Any hidden issue ?

Safe and Cheap little old car

amdxp — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 15:33:34 +0800

Hey all, just to throw in a question for tinker. I & wife have 1 big car each (4.8m and longer) , I reckon those are just too big and not the right choice to train my girl on how to drive as she is going to hit 17.

Her school is 10km away from home and I intend to let her drive (with her younger brother) to school once she get her driving license.

My rationale is like this - it is getting harder for freshies to drive in this country due to the ever increasing traffic. In order to get her trained up to face "normal" traffic in future when she goes to college, which is easily 30km away from my resident palce, I think probably it's a good idea to let her drive an old and safe and cheap used car. The traffic from home to their school is "light" and many students in that school do drive too (probably their parents think the same).

I have in mind to buy some cheap car which is easy to maintain, but this usually does not equal to safe car.
Choice 1 : Perodua Kenari - wife used to own 1, very pleasant experience, nice to drive, avg FC, cheap to maintain, no air bags yr 2005 car going for RM15k +-
Choice 2 : Kembara DVVT CT elegance - highest spec Kembara, 4WD should be safer than Kenari, highest spec and last batch CT elegance should hv 2 airbags, yr 2005 car also going for RM15-17k
Choice 3 added : Suzuki SX4 Hatchback, post facelift 2011. But cost double my budget

I can afford for maintenance of say RM3k (1st yr), RM3k (2nd yr, say most items sorted in 1st yr, but 2nd yr need to budget for tyres replacement), then RM2k each year for the next 3 yrs. Reasonable assumptions ?

Just share your view ok Good decision start from wild thinking

Parking question - KLIA2

amdxp — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 17:29:12 +0800

Hi, I and family (4 of us) will be going on holidays via KLIA2. Thinking of driving up to KL/Sepang (from JB) and park the cars there for 5+ days. Read around and found that the car park fee is quite prohibitive.

Since I will be back late at night after 5 days abroad, I am thinking a crooked method as below :

- On day 1 upon arriving KLIA2, just park the car at Tune hotel, take the parking ticket
- Book Tune hotel for 1 night on the day of getting back to Malaysia RM300+- a night
- On return flight, head over to Tune hotel, check in hotel room.
- The next day morning, check out early from Tune hotel, pay flat rate for room guest

This way I get a good rest on my return, plus cheap cheap parking fee. In fact my hotel stay is almost 50% free if I compare the parking rate at KLIA2 or LTCP rate. Is that workable ?

Restore windows rubber trim

amdxp — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 17:10:40 +0800

Dear sifu,

My old estima's windows rubber trim is looking bad, having spots and stains all over it. Was told my accessories shop that those rubber trim, once decolorised, cannot be restored with any restoration cream etc at all.

Anyone has any idea how I can do it ? Only looking for some cream or lotion where I can rub off those spots and stains and restore the rubber color.

Disable call forwarding

amdxp — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 09:51:24 +0800

Dear Maxis,

I am having the a/c no # 1861056743. I have never used the CFP all these while and would like to disable it and save the RM3.00. Please help me.

Thanks.

Pang

316i vs CLA200 vs A3 1.8T

amdxp — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 11:47:05 +0800

Haha, a heated battle that I have longed for

Driven web series #7

What's your take ?

Polish our Glass Fog lights possible ?

amdxp — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 11:58:20 +0800

Hi all,

Wanna ask this question, wondering anyone knows whether it is possible to polish a conventional glass surface front fog lights into crystal surface ?

I have a set of those in my cars and over the year it looks dirty and old. To buy new ones from ebay cost quite a lot so I am wondering if I can approach glass / windows workshop to do a polish job for me

Latest report on Preve / Suprima

amdxp — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 09:33:20 +0800

Founded in 1983 under the direction of government, Proton was supposed to be the pride of Malaysia. Initially it built rebadged Mitsubishis, then it acquired Lotus, established its own R&D capability and introduced its own vehicles since 2001. Unfortunately, the more local content the lower its sales became. Back in 2002, it sold 215,000 cars and accounted for 50 percent market share of Malaysia. Those numbers dropped to 141,000 units and 22 percent in 2012. Now it lags a long way behind Perodua (30%) and is being chased by Toyota (17%) in its home market. Overseas business was equally disappointing. Having withdrawn from the UK market many years ago, its presence is limited to a few ASEAN countries and Australia with a total sales volume of only 20,000 cars. The root causes of its poor performance? Poor management, no doubt. If you read its annual reports (I do this every year to gather its sales statistics), you will find this company talks about only the good news and hides all the bad numbers. Lack of transparency means lack of accountability. Last year, it talked about some "exciting" new plans again, such as aiming to regain the number one status in 2 years and raising its worldwide sales to 500,000 units in 5 years. Don't take it too seriously. I think it would forget these bold claims by the time the 2015 and 2018 annual reports are released, just as if they had never existed!

The Preve and its hatchback version Surprima S are supposed to be the main factors to drive its sales growth. They are the successors to Persona and Gen.2 respectively (by the way, Persona is the saloon version of Gen.2 and it will remain in sales in short term as a low budget alternative). Naturally, they continue to fall in the C-segment where competitors include VW Golf, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Hyundai i30, Kia K3 / Forte / Cerato etc. How can the Malaysian car lure buyers from the strong competitors?

At first glance, it looks quite promising in many ways. The styling was penned by Italdesign Giugiaro. It is a modern design, if not especially memorable by the standard of Italdesign. The front end looks neat enough and the overall shape is inoffensive. It is not as stylish as the latest Korea cars by Peter Schreyer, but it doesn't feel cheap either. The only strange thing is the large piece of black plastic located at the trailing edge of rear side window. It seems to be designed for the fitment of a "hidden" door handle (like Alfa Romeo Giulietta), but probably deleted in favour of a cheaper, conventional arrangement. Measuring 4543 mm in length and 2650 mm in wheelbase, the Preve is on the larger side of the segment. In addition, its roof is set very tall at 1524 mm, no wonder the cabin offers generous space for both rows. Rear head and legroom are remarkable. Ditto the trunk space of 508 liters. Hatchback offers less, but it has a fold-flat split rear seat to expand luggage space.

Unfortunately, the cabin still feels low-rent. Yes, it might be a vast improvement from Gen.2, but that comparison is pointless. Not only the plastics used throughout the cabin are hard, the silver plastic and fake wood trim look cheap, the assembly gaps are large and varying, the switchgears look cheap and feel hard to touch… The aftermarket-style multimedia system is unintuitive to use, and both its image and sound quality are simply awful. The driving position is equally compromised. Even in the lowest position you still sit too high, whereas the steering wheel cannot be adjusted high enough to suit. Moreover, there is no reach adjustment for the steering wheel, something should not have happened in this class. You might blame the component suppliers of Proton for all these problems, but establishing a quality supplier base is its responsibility.

Comparatively, the chassis looks far more promising. Proton stresses that it employs hot-formed steel to achieve a very high torsional rigidity of 19,000 Nm/degree. In addition to modern safety equipment (ABS, ESP, TC, EBD, BA and up to 6 air bags) it achieves very good safety rating. The multi-link rear suspension, a development from the Gen.2, is also worth the jealous of some rivals. Moreover, the handling and ride was tuned by Lotus.

On the road, although it doesn't match Ford Focus or VW Golf for ride and handling, it is still good enough to inspire driving confidence. The suspension is quite firm, but on normal roads the ride is compliant. The roadholding is good and the handling is predictable. On the downside, the outdated hydraulic power steering (without speed sensitive assistance) it employs is poor on communication and slow to respond. It also transmits a lot of kickback to your hands. On bumpy roads, the ride could get quite bouncy, lacking the composure of Focus or Golf.

Proton's Campro engines, again developed by Lotus, have some fancy labels but they are actually quite technologically outdated by global standards. The base Campro IAFM+ engine is a 1.6-liter DOHC 16V with a vacuum-driven variable length intake manifold. It is not even provided with variable-valve timing. While 108 horsepower sounds not bad, on the road it feels breathless, lacking low-down torque to haul the car, which is admittedly quite heavy by the class standard. The progress is further hampered by the notchy gearshift of the 5-speed manual box. 0-60 mph takes more than 11 seconds to accomplish.

Slightly better is the Campro CFE engine. It is a 1.6-liter light-pressure turbo offering 140 horsepower accompanied with a more usable torque of 151 lbft. Lacking both VVT and direct injection, it is not going to match Ford 1.6 Ecoboost or Volkswagen 1.4 TSI for power and fuel efficiency, but at least it compensates the performance weakness of the base engine. Unluckily, Proton decided it has to mate with a compulsory CVT. The latter is supplied by Dutch CVT expert Punch Powertrain (whose history could be traced back to DAF, the modern pioneer of CVTs). It is not a great CVT, still having the bad habit of rubberband effect. This mean in acceleration it revs the engine hardly while varying its transmission ratio, causing a lot of noise yet without delivering the necessary acceleration. Consequently, the car never feels as responsive to accelerate as it should be, whereas aural refinement is poor. Besides, the car still drinks fuel in a thirsty manner. There is really no benefits it brings, with the exception of probably a lower cost than a conventional automatic. The Japanese build much better CVTs.

So the Preve and Surprima S duo leaves many things to be desired. While its design looks fresh, its cabin feels spacious and its handling and ride is competent, poor powertrains, cheap interior and low build quality are more than enough to offset its merits. As a result, it is not going to be the savior of Proton.

Verdict : lowly 2 Stars

Link : http://www.autozine.org/Archive/Proton/new/Preve_2012.html

no NAP announcement @ 15 Jan 14 ?

amdxp — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 08:48:26 +0800

Angry with those buggers ! For how long should the AP cronies be protected ?! We rakyat need to claim our rights back but not being robbed

And be fooled about Kangkong !!

Opinion on "sharing" hobby car

amdxp — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 11:07:00 +0800

I recently got approached by 2 good friends to the wild idea of sharing a hobby car Basically all 3 of us has got a daily car to use, but want something different once in a while.

So the idea of buying a first generation Mercedes SLK came out, the rationale are :

1. This is normally a collector car, low mileage with proper maintenance but cost RM70-80k still
2. RV will hold up somehow
3. Since all of us are a bit cautious about the maintenance cost, we can share it
4. One person use it per week, or per 2 weeks or per month, that is fine for all of us
5. No one actually need it on daily basis, just once in a while for some cool drive
6. Even if to let go in the future, the loss are to be divided by 3 ppl
7. Maybe one ppl pay about 10-15k as downpayment, then loan installment about RM300/mth per person

Only worry, hidden sickness of the car + scrap policy in force

Merc A250 vs BMW 125i , what you think ?

amdxp — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 09:44:26 +0800

Recently the premium hatch market is really heated up, now we have a good choices of performance hatches to choose from.

Premium segment
---------------------

Mercedes A250 AMG vs BMW 125i M-sport

Sub-Premium segment
--------------------------

VW Golf GTI vs Volvo V40 T5

Mazda 6 2.0 cbu vs VW Passat 1.8T ckd

amdxp — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 10:14:42 +0800

Hi, my good friend who is a noob, is changing his old camry to either one of these cars. Butget 160k, only sedan, don't want French cars, no to Ford. He will use the car no more than 10 year, but definitely more than 5 years, so I would say about 7-8 years.

He asked my advise, which one is the better of the two ?

I myself drive a Passat B6 2.0T, which is quite good in power and running on 6AT, so I don't experience all the DSG shity problem. But 2 things that might become hurdle are (1) poorer resale value (2) wear & tear parts price still higher than Jap cars [I don't mean consumables here, those are ok].

So I dare not tell him Passat is better than M6, even the turbo + DSG combo do guarantee a better drive.

On the other hand, I know M6 is the best of all Jap D segment cars at the moment, too bad 2.5 version is not in his radar. Resale value in future should be better than Passat but probably not as good as T&H. A bit less power since no turbo.

I am more inclined to tell him to pick up the M6, since he is not so much into fast driving like I do, and he does not really takes care of car, and he cares more about the total ownerhip cost etc.

Any cons of picking Mazda 6 in this comparo ?

Oh, RON91 may replace RON95

amdxp — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 17:25:45 +0800

Read the paper this morning, that study is currently being carried out on the possibility. Much like OZ, where they have RON91 & 98 but nothing in between.

They claim to reduce burden for rakyak, but don't think they will make petrol cheaper. They will pocket the savings instead.

Most if not all cars will see some slight increase in fuel consumption. And as for Peugeot, Honda, Mazda, VW, BMW, some Toyota cars will be forced to pump RON97. This time we are in trouble.

Proton & Perodua will laugh. Merc may be smiling though since their cars can use RON91.

What say you ?