GTAm

Yes sounds nicer than expected.

I am very convinced that there are many sheds with tampered meters. I have had experience with one at Pelawatte where whenever I had filled up from there I got slightly less mileage. Not a lot but 20-25kms less from 50L fill-up. I initially thought that it's just my driving that varies. So I alternated between this one and another and every time got slightly lower mileage from this particular place. These guys probably rob the most as I guess they do it across the board in small, usually not very noticeable quantities. The sad thing is there is no independent body policing these places. I know that there officially is a regulator who should be monitoring and policing but don't. Given the current mood in the country it is unlikely to be rectified. Therefore it's good that this topic has been brought up. It's unlikely to stop them but it's at least something.

Looks like the Hamster wants to buy one. http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/richard-hammond-on-the-alfa-romeo-4c-2013-11-28

1. Japanese Swift. 2. Mazda Demio 3. Honda ES

I have heard that excise duty has gone up by 6%. This is according to a clearing agent. I'm awaiting confirmation this week.

Saddening to see another tax hike when we already spend ridiculous money on vehicles.

It's for the minerals in Africa (just one example is "rare-earth" required for batteries in Hybrid and electric cars. I have read that China controls about 90% of the global output with their links in Africa. Last year they had a row with Japan who is large consumer regarding pricing) Just like they've done here, they've "bought over" those governments. SL offers a lot in terms of a transit point for all those minerals and other produce that is shipped to China to feed their billion people. Also I'm guessing that they'd like to have our fertile soil to cultivate and a pure water to quench their thirst. Look at their strategies. They give loans for seemingly nonviable projects with a hidden viable agenda (their own). Then the country in question builds and starts operating but cannot repay. Then they come up with the solution of converting the debt into shares = ownership! It has already happened with a part of the Colombo port. I can't recall the exact location but I recall reading it in a newspaper. The expressways are probably earning some reasonable income even if their costs have been inflated. But the port and airport will probably be white elephants until they get total control.......

Looks like it's made from a banana leaf.

Yes. Everyone seems to be confused with this situation. I really thought that Ferrari should have signed him up instead of the unpredictable Ice man.....

Yes it will be interesting to see where he ends up. My wish is if he replaces Domenicali. But that's unlikely to happen.

Check for parts at Panchikawatte. There are 3 shops at least specializing in Mazda parts.

Did you replace just the clutch plate of the entire clutch kit? If not it could be that your pressure plate is worn too. The "creak" you hear could be a worn release bearing. If you replaced the whole kit it could mean that they have not been aligned and installed properly - a common mistake that many make.

Yes MD there were many. I have no idea about the exact number but definitely should be in the teens. There was supposed to be only 2 or 3 Super Charged ones, one of which I owned (and Supra gave me the sad news that it was written off - Not surprising). The black one owned by Shirendra L who raced it is in stunning shape I must say.

The A/C problem seems like a malfunctioning clutch on the compressor - When stationary it's worse.... Let's hope you will not require a new compressor. It seems like your car has a lot of work required. Unfortunately there are no short cuts if you want a proper job done. If he is sure of the bearing, why replace the rings? Is the engine burning oil? If it's worn a lot then rings alone may not help. Get it checked before you just spend on a set of rings. Worst case - I would say buying an imported used engine will be cheaper than rebuilding the existing one. Rebuilding is likely to be very costly and there are no short cuts. Good luck and keep us posted.

Highlight of the race for me was Grojean finishing on the podium after starting at 17. What a shame that Lotus threw away a certain win for him in the last race with a stupid pit stop strategy.

If you are certain that it comes from ALL four tyres it is unlikely that it is to do with faulty tyres although not impossible. What is the car and what are the tyres? Different suspension designs react differently on same road surfaces. Is the noise similar to what you get when driving over "cats eyes"? If so I would suspect it's normal for that car. If not I would say such a noise usually comes from a weak shocks. Not sure what the Bush test is, but if the car feels "nervous" when cornering it's a good indicator that the dampers are gone. I would suggest that if you seriously suspect it to be a fault in the sus, get one side removed and check if the dampers have pressure. Before that you can hoist it up and check all the bushing.

Yes really looking forward to the last 2 MotoGP races. Let's hope that next year that at least a few teams in F1 will have similar pace to one another.

Any idea where the TR7 is? I recall regularly seeing a white one in the mid 90s.

From a Z to a diesel Audi to a Merc. Devinda you are aging very fast man

Daimler-Benz is like a whale shark and JLR is like a Saalaya in terms of size. So JLR has to pick and choose their fights unlike the fat German boys. That said I believe they can move the entire plant (if financially feasible) to India and continue to supply markets that do not require them to adhrere to strict pedestrian safety regulations.

That's brave of you mate. Even I would avoid a Selespeed unless very it's a late model....

Ah that makes sense. Most Sri Lankans must have it on City mode permanantly! And yes many will miserly replace the battery with a lower voltage cheaper one.... Anyway we've had quite a fe Jap cars (Tiida, Hybrids from both brands) with premature EPS failure and the Jap population at our place is very low.

Yeah sorry. I meant EPS. Wasn't even drunk

That is such a pleasent surprise! I mean to have less work than expected. Lucky you.

Hi. Both petrol and the M-jet diesel have some gearbox issues. Not all cars have been affected. However with the petrol one the cost is quite lower than the diesel one if they do get these gear box problems. The diesel pump is expensive too I was told.That's a shame because the Diesel is much nicer to drive. And the added torque masks the gearchange "step". With these cars nearing 6-7 years now and six figure mileage it should not be such a big surprise that some cars have some problems. The other large outlay is if the IPS packs up. Has happened on 2 cars we know of only. Everything is a relatively easy fix especially the petrol cars. So far no diesel (or petrol) engine repairs have come in and there are cars nudging 130- 140k kms. All other service and wear and tear parts are priced sub-Japanese if you discount the fake Chinese market out there (for Jap parts). Very comfy and feels like a bigger car. Still looks great too. They are hovering around 2m and I think it's an absolute bargain when compared to the opposition.