Chalieh

I have a vitz ILL 1.3 since 2010. Reliable car. Two years ago my HID headlamps were troubling me and I replaced with new units meant for the equiv Yaris. The new headlamps were for Halogen bulbs. I changed the wiring slightly without cutting wires to suit the halogens. Now, two years later I find that I cant adjust the level of the lamp units. Looks like the units come with auto headlamp levellers. Now the options open to me are to buy two new levellers or switch back to the original expensive HIDs. What would you recommend? Is there a place in Colombo where I can buy used headlamps ie with HID bulbs, levellers and ballasts?

The Vitz I bought appears to be a good car. Fuel consumption may be over 12 km/L. I used it only for a couple of days before I had to leave for my job. Since it was a used car, I changed all the oils with Toyota oils, the oil and fuel filters. I didnt know that the CVT oil cost Rs 12,000. Next time Im in SL i'll change the plugs, balance and align the wheels, replace the clean the interior clean air filter etc. The car has leather seats, auto climate control ( heated seats), alloys, side mirrors that can be retracted from inside, push start, keyless entry, toyota alloys, bluetooth, navi, 60/40 rear seat split, slideable rear seats, fog lights, halogen bulbs etc So far so good. I hope I dont have any problems in future..

Thanks Guys for all the advice. I finally bought a 2008 Vitz 1300 cc with 27k on the meter,leather interior, alloys etc. does 10 km per litre in city. Its called an ILL version with CVT gear box. Anyone else has any comments on this please let me know.

What do you think of an X Trail? A 2002 or the Gt Turbo??

Thanks guys for all your comments. I gather that used BMW 320s are less reliable as they have more electronics. I am told that the 318i is a better option. Why is the X trail troublesome? I see a lot of X Trails in the country where I live and the models have been in production for almost 10 years. As for Carinas, i am seeing some positive comments in this forum. The Nissan Sunnys are a common sight in SL. I see no problems on spares etc with this model. As suggested by the ES5 may be a good option. Finally, are brand new SWIFTS or A Stars available as automatics and over the counter? I'm told that there is a 3 month waiting period. Appreciate all your advice.

I work overseas and plan to be in Sri Lanka 1st week July. I want to buy a car for about 2 - 3 million. Its for a daily use to take my wife and child to univ / school. I myself would drive it only once a month when im in Sri Lanka when i also take trips outstation. What would be a reliable car ? I need an automatic as my wife doesnt like to drive manuals. What new car can i buy over the counter? I have been thinking BMW 320d, X trail, Carina, Primera, N17 or any new compact automatic. Im not looking for the most fuel efficient car nor a fuel guzzler. Cost of maintenance is also not much of an issue. Reliability is a must as my wife cannot be running up and down to garages regularly.

I work in UAE but I finally manged to get through to Abans on email and narrated all my bad experiences at their Service Centre. Their Director wrote to promise that the part would be got down and the machine fixed. I will keep this forum updated. If it is not repaired I will certainly write to LG Korea and to the Consumer Protection Authority. Incidentally, I too had a Candy Drier which I used for 10 years. Shermans repaired it twice during that period. They collected the machine repaired and returned. The Shermans people were very polite and helpful.

Can you believe the latest happening ?? The Abans service guys at Dehiwela say that they will try to get down the new part from Korea, and if they cant they will return the money I paid and close their files. Which means..... I buy a LG's supposed to be state of the art Direct Drive washing machine in Nov 2009..and in 13 months I have to throw it away, as local agents can neither repair the machine nor can they get down a replacement part after pre payment although its one of the latest models. Can anyone suggest a remedy for me ? For me ..it seems like Good Bye LG..Good Bye Abans... for life

I fully agree with all the comments about Abans bad service. I bought from Abans, a Direct Drive Washing Machine WDC 12330 for over 100,000 in November 2009 and it stopped working in the 13th month, just after the warranty ended. The service guys came and removed a part and said they will let me know within 2 days as to the cost of repairs. They kept the part with them with no advice on the fate of the part. When I called over at their Dehiwela Centre they were annoyed saying its busy times. The receptionist was rude and refused to give me the telephone no of their Head office or their Service Director. Finally when I phoned the Service Director, someone called All** Raf**, only his secretary answered on every occasion. The director was too busy to talk to a customer who spent 100,000 to buy his product. Finally I opted to ask for a new part which they said would cost 24,000 and they will get it down from Korea and fix in 3 weeks. I paid the money on 17 Dec and left for my job overseas. Thereafter I got a threatening letter that they are unable to repair the part and they will dispose of the part if no action is taken to remove it. My father had to call them and tell them that we have already paid for replacement of the part and awaiting installation of the new part. Despite this advice I got more of the same type of letters asking me to remove the part. Whenever they are called and told about the payment made to replace the part, they indicate that they were NOT told by their accounts unit that money was paid for replacement and that is hwy they sent the threatening letter. It is now a month since I paid and I dont see any signs that the machine would be fixed. LG is a good brand but Abans have lost their sense of direction. They DONT care for their customers. I have experienced a superior level of service at Siedles (TV), Softlogic (airconditioners),Sinhagiri (MicroWave) and Singer(refrigerator)-despite some of these being purchased overseas. I will NEVER again buy ANYTHING from Abans.