RWD

The maintainance minder is these cars are pretty advanced and adapt according to our driving and traffic conditions. If it says to change it then do so. 40000 kms must be the specified intervals for UK.

I would endorse what everyone has said here- go with the mazda3. I agree with iRage that the Civic 1.0 is a compromised variant - but then again so is the Mazda3 which we get here to a certain extent. Remember the standard car comes with the 2.0 Sky-activ and you get the Sky-active X variants. What you are getting here is the previous generation 1.5 Sky-active which powers the Mazda2. Its not the most engaging engine. Also you will be missing a few options on the 3 like the I- Activesense, leather, sunroof. push button start, Bose stereo if those are important for you. Go check the car out the agents-I believe they have a got a new shipment recently. Saw one on the road recently and it looks stunning especially from the front.

Lol! I was telling @Klord's story to my wife who has a license but is a horrible driver and can't get behind the wheel to save her soul. She epitomizes everything that is wrong with this system and the way driving licenses are issued in Sri Lanka. She's been talking about wanting to drive more often now that the kids are about to start school and this story freaked her out! Not going to happen for a while.

I am baffled by the cost of the gas. R1234yf costs 60K + for a full refill. Was there a leak in the condenser? Also nose cut panel- I assume that's the left fender. It didn't look damaged in the first pic and could have easily have been repaired if so?

From my experience I have never been happy with any collision repairs done locally either.

why would you want to change the original gas? Was there a leak? Audio- yes there have been a few glitches but nothing too glaring. Screen went dark but was fixed after a reset and Bluetooth doesn't always connect. Pairing/unpairing fixed the issue. If you are having audio issues do a reset.

I've seen brand new agent imported cars looking tired after 50,000 kms in local conditions because of owner neglect and abuse. No matter how robust these vehicles are any vehicle will suffer after a few years on our roads if preventive maintenances and timely servicing is not done.

As someone who has been sending my cars to the aforementioned garage since 2003 I will say this. They are not cheap. But their mechanical work is excellent and they have very knowledgeable mechanics. I have maintained a bunch of my Japanese cars there from my Nissan Primera, V35 skyline, Mark X, Civic, Vezel etc. Their prices are on par with the agents but they have very good mechanics and Sajaad has a wealth of experience with his knowledge on racing and performance cars. Also they have a service package and they are the only garage I know who believes in preventive maintenance for local conditions. For example eveytime they service your car they remove and clean and de-grease the break pads and discs. Because of our dust and rain and traffic makes it very hard on the brakes. They also strongly recommend the 6 month mark for synthetic oil changes. De-carbonizing if you have a Direct injection engine every 2-3 years because of our fuel and driving habits. I know this is important because the Mark X really needed it. And of course conservative changes of stuff like ATF before manufacturer recommended intervals. Compare this to the agents who give your car a glorified car wash when you service and only change the oil. Or a bass who doesn't know any better at your local garage. I really don't know the prices of all the stuff you replaced. It seems on the high side. But if you have done your research and its on par with the agents and you are satisfied with the job done I wouldn't worry about it.

Nice to hear you got your issue sorted out. And +1 for a*to f****e. I have been getting my cars fixed by them for years and have always been satisfied with their mechanical work.

Props to your writing skills Oh year, the car isn't half bad either!

the car is bullet proof. Its got the previous generation 1.6 mzr and the 4 speed automatic - this is a tried and tested engine and gearbox combo. Does not have fancy active sensing options and too much of tech so it can be easily serviced and maintained. So long as you find one that hasn't been abused you will have peace of mind for a very long time. I used one for 5 years (but I bought it brand new). Search the forum- have detailed my experiences many times.

ummm..are you sure you just don't need a new vehicle?

On this note my office has one of those electronic garages for parking complete with the lift and conveyer belt which moves the car into slots. Quite a few times the alarm goes off because the car thinks someone is trying to steal it when the conveyer platform starts moving! Have to say this is the only car which behaves this way and there are some very high end Euros at my office that don't have this issue! Not a big deal though. I don't bother locking it while its inside.

I can vouch for meguires ultimate quick wax. My weekly ritual is using meguires gold class car wash on my ride and once every month or two I use UQW to boost the shine. Does a great job of keeping the paint looking good and water breading. Once a year and I do a proper detailing and this routine is more than enough to keep the car in top shape. Below shot is after applying UQW this weekend. Not the best of shots because the weather was pretty gloomy outside.

can see this becoming very popular in SL with the 1.0 litre

I've seen one manual complete with the orange package. But I would never want a daily drive manual in colombo especially on traffic days like today. The 7 speed cvt box isn't bad. A lot more responsive than the current boxes of the Nissan and Toyotas. And it should prove more robust that the DCT's in our conditions.

Well at the end of the day Mazda3 and Honda Accord are 2 different classes of cars. Despite the fact that these cars are all growing bigger than the previous generations the Mazda3 is a compact and Accord is a large family saloon. Test drive them both and see what suits your requirements. I love the look of the new 3 and as usual it punches well above its weight, but the back seat has always been cramped. Not the best if you have a growing family. The 1.5 skyactiv is offered in a few other Asian Markets as well- like Malaysia- and some reviewers say it feels slow- won't be an issue in our traffic I guess. Agreed that the ground clearance of the Mazda3 makes it better suited for our crappy roads but 140mm on the Accord is about the same as the new Civic and at 8000 kms I have never once scraped the ground- touchwood. Of course I am careful how I drive but the Accord has loads of space and has all the toys and should prove as reliable in the long run since you are buying brand new.

Phew those accords are loaded to the hilt. But considering Stafford is clueless about servicing and maintenance of the UK spec honda civics that have many of the similar features I'd do a bit more research. I have always found colonial to be a better agent and easier to work with.

What are the specs that colonial is offering on the 3? Remember the new 3's come with the previous gen skyactiv 1.5 which powered the mazda2. Hardly the best engine for this car considering the 2.0 skyactiv is the base engine for other markets and the new skyactiv x has just been released.

Seems normal - I use the same brand. Changed in February and done a little over 4000 kms but in heavy traffic and Colombo running only. The indicator came on a few weeks ago and the countdown has begun. It says around 2000 kms left and dropping very rapidly. Remember the maintenance minder looks at other factors such as engine start stop cycles as well. I would still stick with synthetic because that's what the book recommends.

you have to watch out on for cracked dashboards for mark x's in Sri Lanka. Common problem on the GRX 120's possibly because of our climate- not sure about the 130's. That 130 on the quick site looks a beaut- if only it was an S package rather than the premium and I had some spare change lying around I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

@misnad The first time I got my car serviced at Stafford they used Wurth for a top up. A few months ago I picked up the original Coolant but didn't want to top up the reservoir tank because the book specifically says to drain and refill with the original. Now my reservoir is approaching the minimum level so I was going to take it to Stafford Maradana and ask them to drain and replace. I take it they are not following the manufacturer recommendation?

congratulations! that soul red paint is beautiful! please share the driving experience and more details...

Yes- for cheaper Chinese options there is a road just before the big R*cell showroom down Nawala Road. Go down about 100 meters and on the right hand side is a tile shop. They have good value. Cannoot remember the name of the shop. They had a small showroom and a warehouse.

+1 on homogeneous tiles. Its not too pricey. If you buy during Avurudhu and Christmas there are lot of sales. Had the same decision last year and went for them. If you really can't afford it buy some Chinese tiles. Still better than the other options.