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alpha17

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Everything posted by alpha17

  1. alpha17

    Recently, got the opportunity to see and get inside of The one and only Japanese V12, Toyota Century(a.k.a Japanese Rolls Royce). Is it really upto Rolls Royce standards? Nope, I don't think so. Items like Switches and mirror housings are in plastic. But, we can be assured that the dashboard will not light up like Christmas and would run forever....

    1. iRage

      iRage

      This is a very touchy feely subejct for many of us here in Japan. The Century is opulent in Japanese standards. It is supposed to be understated. Yes the switches are plastic but the weight and the feel is not typical Corolla-ish either. It is not a Rolls Royce. It is supposed to be exclusive. Not mass produced. Now Toyota is going ahead and turning it into something it is not by pitting it against a Rolls. Here is the thing. The person buying a RR does not buy it for its reliability (which it is for what it is). They are buying it for the brand value. Brand value that is completely different from what the Century ideologically has always offered. So therefore they are completely diluting the value of the Century.
      The SUV..well...it is not the big seller Toyota claimed it would be. The sedan still outsells the SUV and most are bought buy cheaeffer services. The new coupe..way too nuovo rich and gimmicky.

       

  2. alpha17
    I have not personally owned any Euro car but a few of my close people do, so I could give some pointers generally which would be useful for YOU. Just make sure to stay away from Euros which are more than 10 years old. But, if you can manage to source out one which is less than 5 years old, better. Always go for a one which has proper service records (preferably agent maintained) with low mileage. Will be better if the car has been imported through agent Interior parts will wear out faster in most of the Euros and you will hear more creeks and rattles when the car is older. Go for entry level models such as Audi A3, Audi Q2; since they would not have very complex components. At all costs avoid air suspension (will only come with the top spec E classes and full size cars such as 7 series, A8 and S class) Based on my friends' experiences, stay away from BMWs. They tend to have more reliability issues than other 2 brands. Among the big 3, BMW, Merc and Audi, it is considered that 2011+ Mercs are more reliable, specifically the 2011-2016 E class (W212), but there will be some engine versions to avoid. So, based on your requirements, I would highly recommend you a Lexus or a high end Toyota, since reliability is a priority. Else keep an Euro as your secondary vehicle to ride on the weekends and for special trips. Hope this help. Cheers!
  3. alpha17

    Did anyone notice the weird advertising campaign done for the JAC double cab? Cringe stuff😂

    1. Hyaenidae

      Hyaenidae

      Got some eye (and ear) bleach for ya

       

    2. alpha17

      alpha17

      Thanks @Hyaenidae for the bleach! Nice to see such advert away from SL

  4. alpha17
    I was in the same dilemma like 6 years ago. By all means, stay away from the Hybrid. But i think you have already figured out all the pros and cons by yourself, so it's upto you
  5. alpha17
    Just stick with a higher capacity car. The 1000cc's gonna be freakingly noisy in those roads
  6. alpha17
    Hi. Just point out your requirements and budget. Otherwise no one can advice on any car.
  7. alpha17
    It's a turbocharged Toyota mate. So expect a little bit more wear and tear on the engine side than your regular n/a Toyota. Fuel economy should be good unless you keep the engine under the turbo spooling rpm range (lesser rpm levels). But, it highly depends on how you drive and the locations the vehicle is driven. Just expect it to be a cut above WagonR in comfort and space.
  8. alpha17
    Dear 10th gen Civic owners...I smell a problem coming😷 TBH, It's not just the cost of the part, but the labour intensive process.
  9. alpha17
    Simply I would say, keep a good amount of money aside for suspension components replacements, here and there minor part replacements, oil changes etc...but this applies only if the car has been well taken care of doing the routine maintenance. But if it had been hacked to death, it will be a money pit. For FB15 I haven't heard much complaints except for front suspension related issues.
  10. alpha17
    Stick with your Premio, else get the Crown keeping aside money for any battery replacements and running repairs like suspension components.
  11. alpha17
    Hi Maintaining a Cefiro would be a bit harder than your regular Nissan. Parts will be there, but you have to do a lil bit of search. AFAIK, Excimo version is the japanese import(JDM) and 2.0G is the japanese made import from Singapore (Correct me if I'm wrong). My friend used to own one around 10-12 years ago. The car is comfortable and very silent, but he had some issues with engine coils and injectors. He sold it after sometime, but now I've completely forgotten about the car. Usually people say the NEO engine is better on fuel. Hope this helps
  12. alpha17

    Hi Guys!

    Returning to AL after a long time...what's up everyone?

    1. Show previous comments  4 more
    2. Hyaenidae

      Hyaenidae

      @alpha17 No more Premio?

    3. alpha17

      alpha17

      @Hyaenidae actually it was the Allion I have. yeah it's sitting there at home. But I left SL

    4. Hyaenidae

      Hyaenidae

      @alpha17 giphy.gif.1ebac5617631c68ad15cd2bfceb52e96.gif

       

  13. alpha17
    A chap who lives in our street has one . He never takes care of the vehicle. Park it under direct sunlight for all 7 days of the week. I think the car has been around 2 years now but still it seems ok for me when passing by. He is a kind of a "loku line" person, so never went to check the car and have a chat. The engine is a 3 cylinder one, so it sounds very coarse when passing by. Other than that, the car is still new in Sri Lankan environment and only a few people have gone for it. So hope there will be only a handful of people with the experience here in SL. But people from other countries have praised for it's comfort, performance and design. Anyway, maintenance would be an issue if you live far away from Colombo. Sourcing parts could be an issue and at the same time will be a bit expensive to maintain than japanese vehicle. Even the 406 in our area has to bring down oil filters, airfilters from Colombo for each service. Since the car is new, you won't be getting any major issues, so better give it a shot!
  14. alpha17
    You have to do it again and again, even in a Bimmer f10. Just make it a habbit anyway. I have noticed that compared to a hybrid engine startup, 1NZ-FE engine(premio, allion) auto-start stop startup is similar to a normal startup, with ignition noise.
  15. alpha17
    Mine does not have one, since it's from 2013. But I've heard even the option was introduced for fuel saving, it pretty much wears out the engine and battery fast. So better to leave it off. At the same time, if you can get a 2015+ Premio, hope the fuel saving of Rs.100 for a week with auto start stop is not a great saving. Hope this helps!
  16. alpha17
    Check with sterling. One of my friend replaced a whole battery from them. Dunno about their service though.
  17. alpha17
    I'm afraid to say that you are out of luck. None of these japanese Toyota radios can be fully translated into English. Only models which can be translated are the systems in Mitsubishi vehicles, with models sold internationally, such as Outlander, Eclipse cross.
  18. alpha17

    Returning after nearly 2 years! What's goin' on guys?

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. Hyaenidae

      Hyaenidae

      No on both counts I'm afraid, maybe you saw @K.o.N.o.S? Mine's a Rally Red

      fpb6lbN.png

      Was this the car you saw?

      18.jpg.553eab6be763fdb8bd30495de9263b6a.

       

    3. alpha17

      alpha17

      Ah then it was @K.o.N.o.S I saw a few days ago😅

    4. K.o.N.o.S

      K.o.N.o.S

      @alpha17 Welcome back. Yes I was in the area a few days ago. Didn't know that I was being watched. 😃

  19. alpha17

    !!Urgent!!Any thoughts on the Dunlop LM705 tire? It was introduced during the end of the last year, so no reviews can be found.Any user? How was the earlier model, the LM704? Specifically says that these are much more comfier and less noisy.

  20. alpha17

    Is Crooober.com a reliable way to bring down parts from Japan? Anyone who used it, please enlighten me...

    1. AVANTE

      AVANTE

      They are reliable..but they don't ship to srilanka. Do they? Because I tried to order parts & accessories for my car & moped yet they say shipment isn't possible ?

    2. Ruslan

      Ruslan

      Never used it, i'm using amayama.com, partsouq or megazip (Last resort) to get down things. amayama is pretty much reliable. using partsouq to trace the part numbers. Ordered set of Brake Hoses for Vitara (Sieken and Miyaco for rear) reasonably priced (8k Rs for all 4) waiting for the shipment ?

  21. alpha17
    I also shut the AC after noticing the malfunctioning of the cooling system. So better to get the AC checked my friend?
  22. alpha17
    I don’t recommend using reconditioned mounts. There are two ways a mount can loose it’s intended functionality. One is the mileage and we all know that more kms you drive, more wear and tear happens. Then, the time. We all know that when a car is not used for a long time or do only a very few kms for about 5-6 years, tires are loosing there elasticity, due to being sitting without any movement. So do the mounts, as their rubber compounds starts to harden by the being of time, when they are not being used. When I change the four engine mounts, one seemed completely fine. When I checked it with a new one, there is a noticeable difference between the two. Old one was hardened. Another experience was when a person I know bought a 2010 January Premio on October 2019, the mounts were in bad condition, even though the car has done only 47,000kms. Mileage was proved by all the service records and emission test reports. When the car was started, you could easily feel the vibration. As a fact, those recon mounts have been sitting on yard floors while being exposed to various weather conditions and it even worsens the condition. Best thing is to get them brand new. I also got a 2013 Toyota, but had to pay 70k for mounts and 140k to be set aside for suspension plus another 70k for tires?.
  23. alpha17
    The same thing was experienced with a Swift by myself. When I was driving the car from Athurugiriya to Kadawatha throught the Expressway, I noticed a considerable amount of heat waves are catching my feet. Same story...The A/C cooling was very poor. So noticed after some time the compressor doesn’t work at all. Replaced the compressor and everything became normal. This heat starts to feel when you drive for a few kilometers. Am I correct? Better to get the AC system checked...I might be wrong, but I guess it’s due to we people are being used for air conditioning while driving and the heat feels so unfamiliar and embarrassing when the AC fails to function.
  24. alpha17
    I ended up with a Huawei Watch GT after hunting for a few Seiko and CK models. Certainly not a piece of art, but thanks to it I started working out and walking more to get step count goals. Ended up loosing over 11kg and getting a lower hearbeat. It’s really a fitness tracker without smart features with a classy look. Geek-wise, it’s still a basic watch; something like a mi band with a colourful display. Will not buy a Huawei watch again, but certainly I’d go for a smart watch without even thinking twice...
  25. alpha17
    I’m looking at you Mazda?...Do some turbocharging and we could afford 6s?
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