bart simpson

Thanks Rumesh88, I have a isolator for a dual battery setup purchased from a friend. It allows the vehicle to charge the second battery and has some protection to ensure the main battery is not discharged etc. Thanks for the info on the size of the solar panel, 20W would be out of budget so I will need to get the isolator and the dual battery wired rather than go solar, if I could find a deep cycle. Thanks for your help.

Thanks MrCat. Your logic seems fine. My fridge says 'Variable from 0.5 to 4.2 AMPS Maximum' which is a bit of a worry. Imagine arrive at a camp site at 5.00pm and heading out around 10am next morning. Add some LED camp lights and charging of mobile gadgets for the mix and the situation is not so good. We recently camped 2 nights in Kalpitiya and the fridge was sorely missed. I might look at a 5W solar to keep the battery charging at least somewhat if I can't find a good deep cycle.

Hi All, I am not sure if it is against forum rules, but does anyone know where I might be able to buy a deep cycle battery similar to the optima yellow tops available overseas for use as a second battery in a 4x4 (to power a fridge). I have tried the usual battery shops without any luck. An sealed AGM type is what I am after. Thanks,

I suppose everyone who needs the permit for parking purposes just needs to laminate, keep it in the glove box and bring it out when needed. I know it is a hassle, but should not be too bad.

I got a full interior clean done on my vehicle 2 days ago from a reputed place. The interior looks brand new but the stuff they used to clean has caused such a lot of issues. The the indicator/headlight switch, the wiper switches, most of the power window switches are all not working! I obviously took it back to them the next morning but they are speechless. Except for 'hulan allanawa' and letting it dry, they have no idea what to do. I am sure it will come good on its own if we had a hot sunny day (which we haven't in the last 2 days), but this can't be good for the metal contacts in these switches. I explicitly told them not to spray the inside with that shiny thing and to just use a damp cloth. This is just my experience and it is the first time it has happened, not that I usually get the interior cleaned. I usually do it but decided to give it out this time since there was a lot of mud/sand inside the car after a recent trip.

Prius Porsche

Hi Zarkeez, From my personal experience (I am not a mechanic or an expert), adding spacers results in wheel bearing issues over the long term since the pressures on the bearing changes as you move the wheels out. Are you running the original wheels? I am surprised they are brushing against the brake callipers if you are running originals. Maybe try a larger rim with lower profile tires? Cheers, Bart

Hi Guys, We recently bought a 2004 Kia Piccanto (1086cc, auto, 45000km, one owner) for my wife. However, this car has now developed a gear box issue where it revs up in gear without actually moving. The car feels like it is in neutral even though it is in gear. I think it is something to do with the torque converter or the electrical unit that controls the torque converter. I contacted Kia Motors (Car Plan) but they have been little help and are unable to have a look at the car as they are fully booked out for quite a while to come. I will also need to tow it there as the car cannot be driven. As a result I have handed it over to the local mechanic who has come up with various theories and has sent the gearbox over to a 'friend' for repair. I have little faith that the issue will be resolved by this guy. Does anyone know of where I could buy or import a used gear box for a Kia Piccanto? I guess I should have just bought a vitz or a march, where parts would have been easier to source, but we decided to leave the herd and are now paying the price. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Bart

Thanks for your replies guys. I guess I just have to keep looking until I find one for sale or approach the owner if I see one parked. It is good to know they are available here. Cheers,

Hi Guys, Has any one seen a Peugeot 205 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_205) in Sri Lanka? It was our very first car (purchased used while overseas) and I would love to get my hands on one again. I have been scanning the papers, magazines and the Auto Lanka classifieds for over 2 years but have not seen any for sale. I have not even seen one on the road in Lanka. I am not worried about the condition of it as restoring it will be great fun. Cheers

Hi Isuru... based on the specs posed by you the 3 has 5nm of torque more than the Axela. More torque does make the car 'feel' faster IMHO.

Hey Guys, I have been a long time visitor, but this is the first time posting. The full John Keells Stock Brokers (Pvt) Limited article is below in case you are interested. https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B1GvZS...yNTE2&hl=en Cheers

Thanks Peri, that explains it... and yes the bend doesn't look that sharp from space but its obviously all relative to speed and the road condition. About lift off oversteer.. has anyone got experience in actually performing a lift-off oversteer. We tried it in my friends integra (in a huge empty carpark in Aus) but did not manage to make it do anything close to the oversteer you get when you put the power down mid corner in even a standard RWD car. Is there any secret to it, except going hard in to corner and suddenly lifting off mid corner? I suppose you could go with big fat front tires and bald tiny rear tires to simulate it. But what is the point in that! And BTW this was NOT an Integra Type R, so we could not get above 70-80 range even though the car park was pretty huge (its a carpark after all) so we might not have been carrying enough speed, or the drivers may be incompetent (No racing experience for either of us) Ofcourse not oversteering is not a bad thing, but its fun if you could get it to do it at least a bit.

Hi Guys... I am not trying to be smart ass but simply asking as I am a bit confused. The back stepping out mid corner usually happens in RWD drive cars, and the honda's in question are all FWD. So unless its lift off oversteer how do you get the back to step out mid corner? Isn't the natural bias of FWD cars to under steer? Cheers.

Hey Guys, the permit is official! Check it out. This is the official document given to the govt employees http://www.gigasize.com/get.php/1109900/Im...otarvehical.pdf'>Import Permit Cheers!

Hi S_N, First of all, congrads on the Cherokee. But I think your 0-60 figure is misinformed. 170KW(230hp) is not a lot for a vehicle that is around 2.2 tons!. The 240KW 5.7 l version is only good for 7.4seconds 0-100 (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,16741120-13232,00.html) When Motortrend magazine tested it the 5.7l commander (slightly bigger) it was only good for 7.9s (http://autos.yahoo.com/2006_jeep_commander_limited_4x4-performance/) Anyways, hope you have fun with it.

Thanks Fuzzo, I am now in Lanka and managed to talk my friend down to 3.7mil. Test drove it and all seems ok. Is there a place to get a full checkup done before sealing the deal. BTW, he mentioned about carbon deposits in the throttle body, which he has had to clean. Is this normal? or is it a result of the poor fuel?

I think the new CRV is ugly (ofcourse a matter of personal taste, my wife thinks its lovely). I personally don’t like most of the new Hondas... I think even the new civic looks ugly. But I must admit I love the interior. It looks like it will have to be an Xtrail. There is a family friend who is willing to sell his 2.5 lt Manual Xtrail for 4mil. Bought brand new in 2003. It has 38,000km on the odo. Do you guys think this it a fair price?... It is champagne colour. I might be making the purchase next week while I am in Lanka for a holiday. 1.3l for a 7 seater!... that would be way underpowered... even the three wheelers might be faster.

Check out this old Apina.... http://www.bmwm5.com/articles/tripbiturbo/alptrip_6.htm The meters look the same. "Producing 360 HP from double turbochargers with a top speed over 290 km/h......." even this old one is certainly capable of the speed. I don't recall seeing any BWM Alpina's on the road... they probably look like a M unless you notice the badge anyway.

I agree with GTAm about the Xtrail looking a bit old. It has been around since 2001 and it surely due to be replaced with a new model soon. Anyways, I currently work in Aus but will be returning to lanka for good in about a year's time but thought of buying one now cos the market only seems to be headed in one way! I cant believe the prices! I also checked out the Exchange Earned Abroad program to try and import a vehicle from here, but it is not worth it for a new vehicle. Though I would be able to import a 5yr old Prado or something.... I am not very keen on this and also don’t like the stereotyping that comes with a prado/montero in lanka. I was then looking at a RAV4, but the RAV4 here and the US is bigger than the RAV4 in Asia, even though they look the same. And the engines are different too.... I love my country, which is the reason why I am coming back for good... but man!... its hard to own a decent vehicle there....I don't even like SUVs, but I think its the best option for SL roads.

Thanks for the replies, so do you think it is a better deal over the other SUVs. RAV4, Xtrail etc. Since it's brand new price is relatively cheap (still way too expensive cos of the stupid duty), it will be possible to get a manual!. Whereas if I settle for a re-con RAV4/Xtrail it will be hard to find a manual... right? Plus it has a low range transfer case, which will be hardly used.. but good to have.

Hi Guys, What do you think of the new Grand Vitara? in terms of - Performance (2.0l version. 2.7 V6 will just consume too much fuel) - Reliability - Agents Service - Looks - Economy - Resale value - Spare parts We have never owned a Suzuki before, but the Vitara looks like good value for money...

Thanks for the interest guys. If there are only 2 or 3 of them around, I suppose the chances of finding a car to work on as a project would be pretty slim... and there is no chance in hell of importing such an old car to Lanka. I give up . What would be a good car to take up as project in Lanka? It will not be my daily driver so economy, reliability etc is not that important. What it needs to be, is a bit unique and not cost the sun and earth to do up. It should also have some heritage and shout NOT be a ricer. Are there any AE86s with the 4A-GE engine in Lanka? I don’t really recall seeing any on the road. Once again, thanks for all your replies and support for a first time poster

Thanks harshansenadhir. I have never seen one in Lanka so thought they might not exist there. Good to hear they do. I am looking forward to buying one and doing it up as a project car, with a GTI engine swap.

Hi Guys, Does any one know if there are any Peugeot 205 hatches in Sri Lanka? I currently live in Aus and am a big Peugeot fan. True, Peugeots are not the best-built cars out there, but they have unique style to them and are usually fun to drive. The 205 hatch was produced from 1983-1994 (later in some countries). The GTi version was arguably the best hatch of its time. I simply want to find a body shell, as I am willing to get all the mechanical parts down from Aus and spend the time to work on it. Thanks