Crosswind

Looks like the advertiser meant to say late-2003

Between FZ and Cibbie, I would suggest to go for a Cibbie, simply because Indian bikes in any form are pretty unstable on the road. They also consider fuel efficiency, not just performance even when they design sports bikes for India. One way they do it is by reducing weight and keeping the tires as thin as possible. Good for fuel I guess but really bad for stability. If you are new to bikes, you need to take a couple of days and keep riding it on an unpopulated place and ride slow slow slow at the beginning. Learn the basics like gear shifting (Cibbies have 6 speed transmission, unlike many bikes in Sri Lanka so u need to get used to that). U will be fine as u learn. Please wear a good helmet (not the cheap Thai ones in the market. UPCO helmets have saved my life in the past. If you can get a Original Shoei or an Arai - much better). Also wear elbow and knee guards at the beginning. I ain't joking here. Looking like a clown is better than looking dead. There are thousands of cibbies which are hacked beyond repair in Sri Lanka so u need to inspect thoroughly before buying one. Cibbies which are less than 200k are defa hacked. U also need to know that unlike most of the bikes in SL, cibbies are liquid cooled (FZ-Sh*t is air cooled, single disc. They call that a performance bike????). U need use a good coolant as well as a good engine oil with a cibbie. Not sure if they are 2-stroke or 4-stroke (My Yamaha was a 2-stroke). If the cibbie is 2-stroke, u need to add 2-T as well. On the other hand, if this is your first bike, I share Pericles's sentiments. See if you can find a good 125CC bike before going for a cibbie. If u can get hold of a good condition jap Suzuki GS or a GN, that would be the ideal option for you, but I hardly see them on the road these days. Hope this helps.

Front half made in Gondwanaland

I got my interior cleaning done (not a Honda) at a new joint in Marine Drive recently. They are cheaper than KL*** Park but still rather expensive. Pros: The guy who does the interior work knows what he's doing. He is somewhat careful with the car (although a crow took a shit on one of the seats - hardly his fault). Marine drive gets good sunlight so the seats dry better, although a bit dusty. They got the necessary tools and they use 3M products for most of the work, although I noticed some Dash products as well. You can guide him and he takes your advice. Cons: They are expensive (6500/-). Only one guy can do interior. They use the same cleaning liquid for hood and seats. They get a lot of work (not as much as KP though). Bottom line: Wherever you give the car, stay there all the time and inspect the work every so often.

Just because these cars are assembled in Sri Lanka (There's no local value addition btw, except for the Micro sticker) and it has 'Volvo Technology' tag on it, I wouldn't go and buy one right now. Simply because these cars are very new to the market and nobody knows the design issues, assembling problems and the second hand value. Call me unpatriotic (I'm pretty sure there will be many who will do so) but I am very unimpressed by Micro's after sales service. In the past, one Rexton owner posted in AL that he was asked to change the engine after running like 50k and I personally know one Trend owner who was asked to change the gearbox after running like 40k and one Micro MPV owner who cannot get spare parts from Micro because Micro no longer gets spares for the very first van (they called it Sri Lankan made but they were imported from Hafei). Apart from the fact that Geely bought Volvo, I wonder exactly what is the 'Volvo Technology' in these cars. If Micro flaunts the term 'Volvo Technology' in all their ads, they should also mention what exactly in the car is designed/developed or made by Volvo. On a positive note, I do applaud the safety rating of Panda and hope that we have some good competition for the cheap Indian death traps we see on the market, from Chinese and Malaysian manufacturers.

1. Agent is either A*W or Transmec (Micro). Not sure if either of the companies import Renaults any more. Try Imperial in Hyde Park Corner. They bring down recon French vehicles. 2. Some were petrol some were diesel 3. France 4. Available in France 5. I doubt if anyone can answer this question. Try contacting A*W/Transmec/Imperial

I definitely understand your concern and I would be a bit worried too, if someone tells me to try something like this. But the fact is all standard cards have their unique designs and notches to ensure that people dont try to poke the wrong type of card in to a slot. That's why u cant fit in a Micro SD memory card to a sim card slot even if u desperately wanted to burn your phone Or another example is that you cannot poke an M2 card (from a Sony Ericcson phone) to a Micro SD slot (of a Nokia phone) despite them having the same size cards. If a card fits in to a slot, it will happen effortlessly, with just a gentle push. If not, forget it. So the chances of damaging the equipment are a bit rare, especially with no power supplied to the unit. Having said all this, IT IS a Jap product and it may have a unique type of card which is only available in Japan, which may, by some freaky design, have a pin configuration coinciding with TF cards or sims. This will definitely cause problems, especially if power is ON. So there maybe a risk involved (although the chances are very low). You are actually right in that sense. That's also the reason for my disclaimer.

Obviously from the 80s. There were quite a few of these on Sri Lankan roads but the body of these cars were notorious for getting corroded.

1. Your car might be having an Assisted GPS (A-GPS) unit, which is similar to what is found in mobile phones. If you insert a sim card with a data package, it might start working. Try to see if a sim card fits in to the slot. Although each type of card has its unique shape so that people dont accidentally poke one type of card to another type of slot, keep the unit off, just in case. 2. It could be a slot for a GPS data card (most likely scenario), such as the Garmin data cards found in this link http://www.gpsnow.com/gmdc.htm These cards contain maps but these are in proprietary formats, so you won't be able to get it from any random store. There may be pirated ones around though. The slot looks like a TF card slot to me (AKA Micro SD card). Try to see if a Micro SD card fits in, with the unit off. If that is the case, then you may need a Micro SD card with GPS maps in them (Garmin or tomtom or whatever). Although the scenario of damaging your equipment is highly unlikely, if you try these, it will be at your own risk.

Ah another Mini fan - wonderful! Speaking of Kelisa and Mini, once I came across a Kelisa which was painted in a way to resemble the new Mini - white roof, racing stripes and Mini alloywheels. For a moment I was pretty confused and thought it was really a new Mini. Anyways, the advantage of Viva is that its got the DVVT engine (which is another name for Toyota's VVTi technology). Therefore it should do better on fuel, if that's your primary requirement. I also test drove a Kelisa once and the driving experience was a bit better than the Viva (personal opinion). Having said that, if you are used to a Mini, I really doubt whether you will enjoy Kelisa or Viva, because the handling of these cars are pretty bad compared to Minis.

Top Speed:181Km/h Machine: 2010 Holden Epica 2.5L V6 Mods:None Road: Aussie What prevented you from going further: Fear of getting a helicopter chase and ending up on evening news Top Speed:120Km/h (approx) Machine: 1981 Austin Mini MkV Mods:None but the car itself had a dished piston engine Road: Ambatale-Kaduwela stretch What prevented you from going further: FEAR

2002 Swift for 1.3 mill???? I've been looking for cars recently and I never came across a Swift for less than 1.55 and that was also a 2000 model (Ignis). Let me know if ur selling a Swift for 1.3 @Dinu - sorry about d bro/sis confusion

800 kilometers a litre Kidding bro. Don't forget that Starlets are at least 12+ years old now and fuel economy will also depend on the way the car has been abused. Few Starlet owners claim that their cars do anything between 11-14kilometers per litre of fuel. It also depends on how you drive. Some also claim 16,17,18 etc. but I personally think that's BS. Try the EP91 Reflet models advertised in Autolanka. They got options like power mirrors and shutters and also retractable mirrors. They should be within your budget (on the high end of it) but U wont get English numbers. If you are happy with a 2-door car, it would be a bit cheaper. On a side note, for that budget, if you want a highly fuel efficient car, you should also take a look at Perodua Viva. It's butt ugly and uncomfortable but has a VVTI engine that is pretty good on fuel.

Yeah and they add knowledge to everyone

Interesting. But it's the first time I came across this. Does the spring need any lubrication or anything?

Very recently, I've noticed a 'klung' sound (sounds like hitting a guitar chord) when releasing the brake pedal on the Chevy Cruze (auto). Not when hitting the pedal but after hitting it and releasing it. Before taking it to a makabass, could someone make a guess and tell me what it could be? It doesn't happen all the time and the brakes seem to work fine, even at high speeds. Cheers

You must be kidding bro Of all cars, a 4WD FB14? I was thinking of something exotic, like the 1980s Tercel 4WD.

theoretically possible but most likely it will cost you more than the 50k that you save. It's really not worth the effort unless you have some kind of a romance with that particular model. Please check the following thread: Afaik, they consume more fuel than the 2WD versions. You may have problems finding spares for the rear differential and the other parts if they break down. Lower market value. Many makabasses may not know how to repair them and so on... On another thread, I asked about a car (Swift 4WD), which is giving all kinds of noises. I suspect that the 4WD mechanism is also responsible for some of the problems. Out of curiosity, what's the car?

The one with 'penfold' decal is an Audi R8 Driven by Mark Eddy. I have a few close ups of it after last year's Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. Wanna see? There was also a Gallardo last year.

Recently I checked out a friend's 2003 Suzuki Swift 4WD (groan!) to give a bit of a blind-leading-the-blind style automotive advice Anyways I noticed that there are plenty of things wrong with the car - starting from a constant jada-jada sound from the front left side wheel area, even on a carpeted road. Sounded like suspension bushes? or maybe even the shocks. Also the steering wheel is kinda easier to handle than usual, which I feel, could be a problem with the steering rack or rack ends. The steering wheel got stuck for a wee bit when i made a full left turn. The point is, the car seems to need the attention of a good mechanic who can identify the problems and rectify them. Probably needs attention for things like the steering rack, suspension maybe even CV joints and stuff. Can anyone recommend a good garage, preferably in peliyagoda-wattala area who can do the repairs, keeping in mind that its a 4WD. Any advice on the above problems would be appreciated. PS. I also noted that when I tried to check the engine oil level, the fluid that appeared on the dipstick was PINK. Was I checking the ATF fluid by mistake? PPS. JDNET are u still running your garage? Wanna take up this challenge?

Use the tax tables released by Inland Revenue. It's much easier and more accurate that way. I have already posted the 2011/12 Tax table (new rates) in the first post. Here is the 2010/11 tax table (using old rates). http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.lk/publications/TaxTables/paye0910/Table%201-%20Monthly%20Deductions.pdf

the above figures are wrong!! Yup u are right. The tax free limit is 600,000 not 500,000. All other numbers are fine. Tax Slab (Rs.) Rate (%) First Rs. 600,000 Nil Next Rs. 500,000 4% Next Rs. 500,000 8% Next Rs. 500,000 12% Next Rs. 500,000 16% Next Rs. 1,000,000 20% Balance @ 24%

I believe this topic has been discussed quite a few times in the forum. A search on the forum will give you all the information necessary. Let me just say this - about 25 years ago, the influx of front wheel drive cars came to Sri Lanka. People said the same kinda things. And then in early 90s, when Auto transmission vehicles started coming in by the hordes, people said the same things about Auto vehicles. At first, things will be expensive and expertise will be low. But eventually, parts will become cheaper and expertise will build up. I don't know if anyone in Sri Lanka has equipment to test hybrid batteries and stuff (Toyota and Honda agents surely don't). Personally I wouldn't jump in to the hybrid bandwagon right now but I will probably do it in a couple of years' time.

The old process of opening a tax file and then filing returns for loan interests and life insurance is removed (for single income employees). But as far as I know there's a separate allowance introduced to mitigate this(which wasn't there until now). I have asked a tax consultant and I am waiting for his response. I'll confirm once I get it.

PAYE tax (income tax) rates are changing from tomorrow onwards and it's a bit of a relief for the current PAYE payers. CURRENT RATES: Tax Slab (Rs.) Rate (%) First Rs. 300,000 Nil Next Rs. 400,000 5% Next Rs. 400,000 10% Next Rs. 400,000 15% Next Rs. 500,000 20% Next Rs. 500,000 25% Next Rs. 500,000 30% Balance @ 35% NEW RATES: Tax Slab (Rs.) Rate (%) First Rs. 500,000 Nil Next Rs. 500,000 4% Next Rs. 500,000 8% Next Rs. 500,000 12% Next Rs. 500,000 16% Next Rs. 1,000,000 20% Balance @ 24% For example, at the current rate, someone who earns 100,000 a month had to pay Rs 5,314 as income tax but from April onwards, it is Rs. 2,333 Inland Revenue website has the new tax tables online: http://inlandrevenue.gov.lk/publications/TaxTables/paye1112/PAYE1112_E.pdf Also the bloody annoying DEBIT TAX on withdrawals from bank accounts, is no more from tomorrow.