bagUrE

I also use an app called aCar to keep car expenses. An added benefit is it can remind about maintenance tasks like service, wheel alignment etc. What is the most useless thing Crosswind? Climate control ?

Agree with tiv. These are not suitable for regular use. I have been using a cycle pump with guage for couple of years now. Cost was only 550/- as I remember. The guage is not accurate; I am used to it with the experience now. I use it once every two weeks to check air pressure in two cars. Serves as a great emergency tool. Requires some effort to inflate a fully flat tyre, but it is manageable. It is also a Chinese make. However, it has lasted enough to cover the value.

This thread suggests the same place which came to my mind while reading your post... http://forum.autolanka.com/topic/5343-headlight-alignment/

I have used CEAT 13" (155/65/13 I think) tires in a Ford Festiva. At first I was reluctant to switch but several tire merchants said CEATs are now better than they used to be. Another compelling reason was the price; they were the cheapest. So I thought of trying. Used a pair as front tires. As I remember, I got around 10000 on them by the time I sold the vehicle and there were more than 50% thread remaining. I drove on normal roads and hiway during that time and they were OK. I had to run on some bad roads occassionally too. It was just an A to B car, so cannot comment on performance etc. They were quite hard so not that much comfortable.

I have seen 4 garages around Piliyandala; they say they are specialists in brake repairs. I have NO experience with any of them. 2 on the 120 route towards Katuwawala and other 2 along 255 route, not very far from the Miriswatte junction. However, any decent mechanic would be able to solve issues you have mentioned; unless it is something to do with ABS. Have a look here too. You may get an idea: http://forum.autolanka.com/topic/15974-good-mechanics-technicians-workshops/

Very true. This 99% mostly comprises of 3wheelers and motor bikes in my personal experience.

Found this on TripAdvisor. Point number 5 is the most relevant. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293961-i8983-k6782488-Sri_Lankan_Road_Rules_Humour-Sri_Lanka.html\ Traffic in Sri Lanka is a living, organic thing. Accordingly as a tourist about to embark on your first driving experience in the island nation you need to be aware of a few of the more important road rules you may not be familiar with from driving in your own country. 1. Drive at least 3 abreast on 2 lane roads to make maximum use of the carpetted road width. 2. In response to almost any traffic situation you encounter always use the horn first and as a last resort the brakes and collision avoidance techniques. 3. When following behind another vehicle if you are more than 6 inches behind them you are simply not trying. 4. Don't worry about stray dogs on the side of the road and pass them as closely as you can. Natural selection has ensured you won't run one over. 5. If stopped by the police always have a 1000rps note handy. 6. The only other vehicles to be vaguely aware of on the road are the buses. They have right of way in most situations, they are bigger than you and will have no hesitation in proving it. 7. Pedestrian crossings are a point of note on the road. Generally they should be ignored. 8. When overtaking don't worry about oncoming traffic. Keep your foot down and somehow you will survive. This point should be also be applied in the case of overtaking on blind corners, hill crests and on solid white lines. See point 1. 9. If you are prone to road rage don't drive in Sri Lanka. You are likely to suffer a major brain malfunction within the first 1 or 2 kms. 10. Don't let the age or condition of the vehicle put you off. If its survived this long it will probably get you through the next couple of days. 11. If you are driving a manual vehicle be aware that changing gear can improve the way the vehicle performs but don't feel compelled to apply this technique. 12. When entering a main road from a side street ignore any oncoming traffic and proceed at will. See note 8. above. 13. Under no circumstances should you assume that a vehicle in front of you with their right blinker on is actually turning right. To test their intentions it is best to overtake them and see if they turn into the side of your vehicle. If they don't then the blinker is purely for decorative purposes. 14. When backing onto a busy main road it is best to back onto the side that travels in the opposite direction to that which you wish to travel. After stopping that lane you must then proceed slowly across the road ensuring that both lanes (or all 3, refer point 1) come to a complete standstill to allow you to proceed. 15. If there isn't a strange smell in the vehicle then your passenger(s) haven't crapped themselves yet so you haven't been applying yourself and have been driving too defensively. 16. Should your vehicle stall repeatedly you must switch off all additional drains to the battery before restarting. Eg a/con, radio etc. this is the only situation where you should not use your horn as it drains the power too.

The company who first imported Leaf cars is trying to set up their charging stattion network these days. They are planning to install them in the premises of a popular super market chain, mainly in Colombo during the first phase. I don't know how long it'll take. And one more thing, the distance travelled per charge could be as low as 50km or less depending on the driving style; a well-experienced Nissan Leaf owner told me.

Some garages are good for some specific repairs. The make or model does not matter to them. What exactly is your problem with the car? Stating that would help to make a suggestion...

Thanks for your replies. Yes Don, the heater is not that much relevant here, but today morning I used it as the rear glass was foggy due to last night's rain. Only two lines are not working. Thanks for your advice on sticker removal. Rumesh, I was thinking about any conductive paint that I can use here instead of the repair kits found on ebay. No point of going for an expensive solution since this is not a critical issue. Thanks anyway for the info.

Scratched some lines of the rear glass heater while trying to remove a sticker pasted inside. Has anyone purchased and used a solution locally to repair such kind of a damage? This is something available on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Technicqll-Electronic-glue-2g-R-082-Rear-window-defogger-repair-electric-use-/261521748338?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3ce3e93172&vxp=mtr The process is as follows: http://autorepair.about.com/od/fixityourself/ss/How-To-Fix-Your-Rear-Defroster_2.htm#step-heading

http://www.lankadeepa.lk/index.php/articles/266951

Yes, marginally behind. Heard in news toaday, TN people are now asking how a man can punish a goddess...

Don & Watchman, Yes I agree; but I feel there should be a way to at least turn the park lights on. I have a similar experience with a Hyundai Getz. After driving with headlights on, when I stop the engine, head lights get turned off automatically. When I take out the key and open the driver's door, park lights go off automatically. But I can turn park lights on by turning the knob to off position and then to on position, when the engine is not running. However, it is not possible to turn on the head lights this way. The engine has to be running to do so.

Does this happen even if you turn the park lights on when the engine is off? I mean, if you have park lights on while the engine is on, then stop the vehicle, turn the engine off, get off and lock the vehicle, then the parking lights go off. Instead, your turn off parking lights and turn them on again while the engine is off, then lock the car. What happens then?

Made me laughiping crazily in my office cubicle !

Exactly Komi; a creative piece of work. BTW, is your photo clear than this? Then upload it

Sorry about the poor image quality

I agree VVTi. But what happens if it stops working after you enter the expressway? And in your case, I assume both beams were off due to lose connection. If the low beam only is dead, will they allow to run with the high beam ? Just for knowing, is it illegal to run with one headbeam and parking light on the other side in normal roads?

This slightly OT, but pardon me. Last Saturday, I was fined at the Baddegama exit stating one rear stop light was not working. I argued with them, they have a condition that they do not allow vehicles in such conditions (i.e. park/stop/turn signal lights not working etc.) to enter the E01. So I must have been OK when entering and this light must have been burnt on the way, and there are two other working lights! No success. I was fined. It was just 100/-. Since it was a Saturday afternoon, I ws able to pay the fine to the post office nearby and release the ilcense immediately. But if it was a Sunday or a night, I could have Then I called 1969 and asked whether it is fair. They also accepted it is not fair, but declared nothing to do now. Any similar experiences?

Definitely not this: http://www.police.lk/~traffic_game/index.html

What happened to this, which was advertised heavily sometime back? http://www.saturngrip.com/products.php?cat=3&subcat=9&pro=10

Is it the same thing that garage people call as "Water jacket"? If so, it is an easy job once the mathing part is found.

Once I experienced an unusual behavour in speedometer reading due to the cable getting loose. Your problem might be something similar. BTW, it is not a wise idea to test your speedometer on the highway while driving at 120kmh. It just takes a fraction of a second for things to go wrong...

So if you are planning for a wheel alignment job, it is better to change the other wheel bearings before that, as Rumesh advised. And check for other possible front end repairs too (rack ends, tie rods etc.)