20090627: Continental Test Drives

Phew, my First Aid test finished earlier than I thought! That leaves my Saturday afternoon free for something pressing in my TO DO LIST!

AUDI 1.8 T (RM 250k) | UK: 24,200

Finally get to visit the Audi showroom in Glenmarie.

Was met by this 4-eyed salesgirl, who kinda made the entire Audi experience totally embarrassing to say the least. Virtually every answer to my question was "I don't know?" Did she just "graduate" from government departments?

And to make matters worse, her name card had "liquid paper" over another person's name! Sheesh, talk about LOW QUALITY!

Anyway the Audi A4 was under the spotlight here. Nothing much to shout about. Just a 1.8 litre car, OVER RM 200k! I think my brain is overheating and my IQ is faltering here! Yeah, so it's turbocharged. Big deal! Isn't the Lancer GT also FULLY IMPORTED and is cheaper too? And if you are thinking TRANSPORTER 3, forget it! Not an A8 in sight. Just a basic A6 in the front of the showroom, with a new TT in the rear. There wasn't even a Q5 for show! Unbelievable!

Pros: Rear arm rest with cup holders, radio indicator in dash LCD, stereo kit with bluetooth support (Exora also got!).

Cons: Rear seats cannot fold. No Ski hole. LCD has NO GPS function! You are paying about RM 100k in taxes! Yeah!

Only good news is that the 2.0 Turbo variant will be later this year!

ALFA ROMEO 159 2.2 litre "GUILIA" (RM 188k) | UK: 24,650

Popped over to another Sime Darby outlet, this time to the new Alfa showroom in Section 14.

Very good service here. Young chap knows his stuff. Twin injector pumps vs single pumps!

Tested the Alfa 159, which is FULLY imported (CBU) from Italy, and CHEAPER than a LOCALLY ASSEMBLED (CKD) BMW 3 series! Sorry, I almost failed my Economics, thus I really can't explain this phenomenon!

Pros: Sunroof! Yeah! Skihole in rear centre seat, folding wing mirrors, auto anti-glare, non eed for separate engine start/stop button. Just press the ignition key! Unlimited mileage warranty

Cons: First to 2nd gear shift a bit jerky. Have to get used to this! Only 2 year warranty. Low headroom for rear passengers. No centre LCD

The sales dude did mention that a forthcoming promotion is underway, with the inclusion of a Bluetooth enabled GPS with Wide screen LCD and a wireless reverse camera support

20090521: HONDA MALAYSIA Quality issues on Wheel Hub Bearing

I've driven a few cars in Malaysia: These are paid with hard earned salary though.

1983 Honda Quintet, Japan, CBU MANUAL - SOLD, STOLEN

1990 BMW 318i, E30, Germany, CKD MANUAL - SOLD, TRADE-IN

1995 Nissan X-trail 2.0, Japan, CKD AUTO - SOLD, TRADE-IN

2004 Hyundai Accent, Korea, CKD AUTO - ACTIVE

So far, touch wood, none of them have had any major problems.

I did change a fuel pump for the Beemer which was thrashed for over 200,000km over it's 10 years life span, and that cost me just under RM 1k!

Apart from that, it's just the basic oil change and servicing.

Then comes along good old HONDA CITY.

Yeah, this belongs to da missus.

2004 HONDA CITY, Japan, CKD, ACTIVE

So far it's clocked just over 65,000km and noises started appearing.

Upon inspection at the service centre, they first diagnosed it as something "from the engine".

So they proceeded to "fix" the problem.

Of course with their "educated" guess, all was NOT WELL!

So the second round, they put their ears to the floor and then found out it was the WHEEL BEARINGS?

WHEEL BEARINGS? Made of what? High Density plastic? Just after 65,000km and you have SEVERE wear and tear? Unbelievable!

After some checks on line, our INDIAN counterparts have suffered similar problems, even at LOWER mileage, around 30-35,000 km as attested here!

In fact, a quick check with my regular mechanic showed that he's even changed some with just about 25,000km on the clock!

So much for quality control. But the worst part is the PRICE: About RM 500 each. Quite close to the 6,000 rupees in India! (Actual price was RM 569.39 less 15% = 483.98!)

The part number changed was 42200-SAA G51.

More expensinve in EUROPE @ 190 Euros! Can buy from here or here too!

(An alternative site had similar ones bearing the number 42200-R3-A06, no pun intended!)

So for you NEW Honda City fellas who are paying about RM 40,000 PREMIUM for the car, please be beware!

New BMW Z4 - E89

The new Beemer Z4.

Explore the American dream here if u have a spare USD$ 50k and above!

Production has been moved back to Germany from USA!

Blend automotive pleasure with divine expressionism in art here.

You can download the App from the iTunes Store for your iPhone or iPod Touch too!

Posted with LifeCast

20090226: Lotus Elise spin

Tested the Lotus Elise this evening.
With the Malaysian alliance with Lotus, we are privileged to obtain the CBU (Completely Built-Up), or FULLY IMPORTED from the UK (United Kingdom) at CKD (Completely Knocked Down) rates!

However, at the current economic turmoil, certain parties are unhappy over this situation (I wonder if Kak Pidah is involved), and as a result, some units are apparently stuck at the customs in Port Kelang (Westport of Northport, unsure).
If you know someone in the JABATAN KASTAM, you could verify this claim.

Neverthess the heart was pounding hard as this baby accelerated from 0-100km/h in a mere 5.1 seconds from its 190 bhp 1.8 litre engine! Check out the performance here!

The super light 800+ kg aluminum chassis sported a cockpit that was super-duper cramped for my body size.
I think I'm gonna settle for the EVORA (not Exora!) since the Esprit is not sold anymore!
Saving my RM10 daily now! (Is that enough, with Kak Pidah still around?)
Well, perhaps enough to get a second hand Elise, which is as cheap as a new Proton Saga!
Remember it's only a 2 seater (like Smart car, and most other sports cars!)
All local dudes can join the club here!

20090213 - HYBRID CARs Status - Honda Civic

Finally, after 6 months, the Japanese have agreed with their local counterparts to continue squeezing us with high taxes (no thanks to KAK PIDAH and her ministry)

Click on the title for the article written last September 2008 for some historical review.

The price for the 1.3 litre Civic Hybrid has been revealed at a staggering RM 126k (almost!)
I don't think they'd go for a 0 % interest promotion like Chevrolet (or would they?)

I still can't get the MATH to work out.
The following calculation reveals the OLD price WITH TAXES at almost RM 160k. You can test this in your favourite spreadsheet:
ACTUAL Value: (A) = 63,205.12
100% import duty: (B = A*100%) = 63,205.12
50% excise duty: (C = A*50%) = 31,602.56
Selling price: (D = A+B+C) = 158,012.80

So how does one get 126k? Somehow I think either I flunked my MATHS class for Engineering or the calculation is done by someone whose IQ is less than my waistline.

The ONLY logical equation I can see here, is that the price is ACTUALLY RM63k, but there's this ECONOMIC element called PROFIT.
So just add RM 63k profit to original price of RM 63k, and voila, you get 126k! Now that sort of calculation, I am sure someone with an IQ below my waistline could definitely pull off!!!

Just to jog our memory regarding the tax issue on Hybrids in Malaysia from our very "transparent" Budget 2008, no more taxes for Hybrid cars! Check item # 102. The keyword is EXEMPTION! (But can still add profit mah!) I dare anyone from Honda to REVEAL their calculation!

Get the OBI Index for transparency in PDF format here. Else just view the rankings here!

Thanks to my good buddy Paul, who's got a full write up here.

Obviously you can audit this claim by checking Honda's own site here.

20080908: More Hybrid Headaches

Unless I failed my Standard ONE Mathematics, I can't really arrive at a figure that tallies with the purported "target price" by high end analysts from OSK in today's Star newspaper which anticipates that the Civic Hybrid will be about RM 120k down from the current 160k!

Here's my MATH:
ACTUAL Value: (A) = 63,205.12
100% import duty: (B = A*100%) = 63,205.12
50% excise duty: (C = A*50%) = 31,602.56
Selling price: (D = A+B+C) = 158,012.80

So, how on earth did they come up with 120k? If that were the ACTUAL value, then the Selling price would have been = RM 300k!

Even fellas like Premier Hybrid Cars Sdn Bhd "feel" that it would be about only 5% less than the CONVENTIONAL 1.8l model at RM 113k!

I don't mind booking one for about RM 65-70k. But if the profit margin is going to be about 100% then it's going to be ridiculous.
From further analysis, there are no more than a dozen HYBRID car manufacturers in the world as can be seen here.
From this "clean" dozen, only a third has the potential to make its inroads into our shores.
All these are from the Japanese camp, being: Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota.
The rest are mostly Americans and I strongly doubt they will create Right-Hand drive versions.
Since the government is only providing concessions to vehicles with 2 litres and below, the Lexus 400rh doesn't make the cut due to its gargantuan 4 litre engine. So much for luxury 4WD.

The USD pricing for the "4 heavenly gods" can be seen from the following links:
Honda Civic, Mazda Tribute, Nissan Altima and Toyota Prius.

I would strongly invite any person who can use a calculator to prove my calculation wrong!

20080502: Naza Group founder dies at 54 in Long Beach, California, USA

Tan Sri S.M. Nasimuddin S.M. Amin, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of the Naza Group, passed away of lung cancer in California at 1.15am (Malaysian time).

More info here. So this ends the fate of a star result of the NEP!
Is this fated? Earning billions, but not healthy enough to enjoy it into the evergreen years?
Is this because of ONE person given the chance by ANOTHER to get more profits PER car than the original car manufacturer?
THINK about it!

So from an AP related timeline perspective, for 2008:

March - Kak Pidah (Aunty Raffy) is out

May - Nasimuddin is out

Sometime in the near future: REALISTIC prices for cars in Malaysia? Look east perhaps? Middle East?

Can my Honda Hybrid finally be a realistic RM 58,000 rather than RM 158,000? (OK, Langkawian's get to enjoy and save the environment at RM 100k!) I doubt Honda Japan gets RM 100,000 for each 1.3 litre car they sell. f they do, then US / UK MBA programmes can "terbang layang-layang!"NOt
Note: US SRP = US$ 22,600 (or RM 72,320 at 3.20)

My final word of advice to young budding entrepreneurs. Profit all you can in this world of material wealth. But never forget to give back to mother nature and your community.

Pain is felt more intensely via silent curses as compared to physical hurt.

20080419: Cars in Malaysia are cheap!

Just spotted these UNREGISTERED CAR Ads in the S**R newspaper today: All currency in RM thousands

( US Approx Equivalent @ RM 3.20 )

Aston Martin VIZ?? (v12 I think) 6.0l, 6 speed, paddle shift - 2005 / 6: 1,400 (438) [012-268-6337 / 019-222 9886]

Bentley Flying Spur Twin Turbo, 552hp, Black / Beige - 2006: 1,550 (485) [012-268-6337 / 012-207 6229]

Ferrari 360 Modena V8, Red / beige leather interior - 2001: 999 (312) [012-297-5538 / 019-270-1513]

Lamborghini Gallardo 5.0l, V10, 500hp - 2005: 1,490 (466) [012-207-6229 / 019 270-1513]

Porsche C2S UK Spec dark blue / beige interior - 2005: 750 (234) [012-285-7205 / 019-320-7207]

TOTAL Cost = RM 6,189,000 (USD 1,934,000 / UK 986,103)

Noticed any similarities in the mobile phone numbers?

Sad thing is that if got money now, still can't get my Lancer GT with Paddle shifts!

Current UK prices for the above (NEW) are: (GBP '000) Exchange rate at: RM 6.27622 to the pound.

Aston Martin DB9 V12 5.9l: 114

Bentley Continental Flying Spur: 118

Ferrari 360 Modena 2001: (Out of production). Cheapest is now a 2 door 430 coupe at 139

Lamborghini Gallardo: 126 (Spyder at 136)

Porsche (997 or 911?) C2S: 132

TOTAL 629K pounds. The Unregistered ones above at 986k means the difference is 357k GBP!

SO, our Government makes LOADS of money from transportation!