Duncan

Hey everyone After the hard work and success of AutoLanka, MADZ & I have taken the concept of providing a common plat-form for motoring enthusiasts in general and gone autoBotswana.com Whilst the two sites will concentrate on their respective target markets, it is hoped that members of the two sites could exchange ideas & experiences and mutually benefit. MADZ and I would like to thank all of you faithful members for having given us the opportunity to realise this dream which started out five years ago. Cheers everyone!! Duncan & Madhawa

...seems it's not just the road going Tuaregs that are unreliable.

Damn!!!.....I am dying with envy!!! Wish I could have been there Well done guys. any pics please??

Hi there What is the manufacturer recommended oil rating? Determine this first. The rating of the oil you put in your engine plays a key role in how a lot of the internal components of the engine performs their duties. Especially when the engine is still relatively new. So sticking to manufacturer specs is quite important. Since your car is still pretty new (25,000km) stay with the manufacturer's suggestion. Caltex or Mobile? This does not matter all that much as long as you are using a well known brand. However, do not mix different brands. Even when using the same brand of oil stick to the product you have been using. Also don't mix synthetic with non synthetic. Your car seems to average around 8,500km per year. The recommended service interval might be over this milage. But do not wait for the said milage to reach. As a norm I go by "manufacturer suggested milage for oil service or six months. Which ever comes first". Also keep away from recycled engine oils. Some may argue with me on on the grounds that recycling technology has vastly improved over the years. But I am yet to be convinced. Cheers

Mitus does not seem to have an answer for the DIESEL VWs. My wish coming true??

There are other issues apart from the war that is giving SL a bad name. In a recent prog. on the Travel Channel all they could show was garbage on the roads and the poor services. Whilst I felt the prog. was biased, I also have to agree with some of the stuff they showed. When ever I visit SL, I do a lot of travelling around the country and I have seen these eye sores along with fake tour guides, very poor service, etc. Frankly speaking for a tourist looking for value, SL has no chance of competeting with countries such as Thailand. Our country and its people needs a complete overhaul!

Hi guys Compared to many years ago, I find motoring journalists (with the exception of a few like Clarkson) these days not so critical when carrying out test reports on new cars. This makes reading these reports quite worthless and a waste of time. In my opinion, in this age of commercialisation, one bad report and thats the last time that magazine would get another new car to test. Pitty! Some testers tend to throw in a few bad remarks, but I find these to be rather pathetic excuses then anything quite tangible. Here are few such comments from various local and foreign magazines........ Toyota Hilux D/Cab.........."central locking makes noise" (does this matter???) Honda Civic............" looks a bit like a frog" (shouldn't it be the buyer that should make this conclusion?) 350Z.........."not much boot space" (it's a sports car for crying out loud!!) Nissan Murano........."not so much an off-roader" (Nissan does not clain this to be an off-roader. So tell us something new!) Cheers

It's a bit like F1 when Ferrari was dominating. Boring!! Would love to see VW kick ass

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the nicest reasons to look forward to the start of the new year Robby might be good Baja and the like, but he has a lot of learning to do before he becomes best in the world. My money on Mitsubishi as well, but looking to see a good fight from VW. Nissan does not have an official works team, do they? Thought they pulled out after two Dakars.

Damn!! Now I am going to have to make it up. Sorry bro.....happy B/Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Black smoke is generally related to unburnet diesel being pushed out of the system. This will certainly result in loss of power as there in no optimum combustion in the engine. I would suspect the problem to be fuel injection related. Only a process of elimination will determine this. My advice is that you get your diesel pump checked and then the injector timing. At the sametime do a compression test. These tests should not cost that much. Any reputed garage should be able to do this. Keep me posted. Cheers

On behalf of TeamAutoLanka - Welcome to our site!

Hi Before you conclude that you have a cooling problem, have your temperature gague and the temperature pick up switch/sensor tested. during operation, rubber hoses forming the cooling circuit can get very soft (thus feeling like they are melting). When an engine has a cooling problem and reaches the levels you describe the coolent should be at boiling point. Was the coolent boiling? Get your cooling system tested before you jump into any conclusions. This I advice you get done asap, cause if it does really have a cooling problem, then you need to attend to it quickly before further damage can be caused. Cheers

Hi there What colour is the smoke? Black, blue or white? Before you go the whole length and pull the engine out, get a compression test done. Also have your injectors, and injector pump tested. Diesel engines need injector pump recalibration every 100,000km. At this time the injectors need checking also. Has this ever been done? It amazes me that the dealer is inconclusive! Cheers

Statistics actually prove that with the introduction of more and more driver aids, the number of accidents have also increased. Simply because drivers think that they are in some kind of an intelegent moving machine which is invincible. This is why I said technology breeds idiots. I can remember reporting on this forum how a guy in a new Range Rover fliped it in the rain whilst doing 150km/h+ and then blamed the traction control for his mishap. Whilst not everyone is an enthusiast, there used to be a time when every driver took pride in being good drivers. Perfecting their civic right to own a car and share the roads with others. But the problem today is...no body gives a damn and expects everything to be done for them. What I also don't understand is, if the manufacturers know very well that the majority of the drivers are not enthusiasts and simply want a vehicle for transportation purposes, then why in the world turn out cars with the manufacturer claiming mind blowing 0 - 100 times and unpractical top ends?! I think it should be made mandatory that every manufacturer offer a driver training session across the entire range produced. Not just for the top end models. Another thing that gets to me are SUVs. Manufacturers claim that in today's market place 85% of buyers don't really go off road, that is why most SUVs are more road biased than off-road. Then why install 4WD trannys in the first place? Surely they can reduce costs by keeping in 2WD format with 4WD as an option! Then some of this 80% decides to go off road and be Mr.Muscle and destroy the environment. Who loses.......we the enthusiasts! In my opinion it is all marketting and bean counters these days, and they don't really give a damn as long as they are surviving in the cut throat world of commerce. By the way.....I know of lots of people who have crashed EVOs. And they weren't even racing.

I guess the more dependant we become on machines the more evolved we are. Hhmmmm I still think it's more to do with the marketing guys and the bean counters deciding on what cars should be like than true enthusiasts building master pieces. But I do have to agree on the fact that, it is the way things are going to be (sadly).

Hi guys Call me old fashioned if you want, but cars of today are becoming more and more automated with very little driver involvement. All this in the name of technological advancements and safety. In the old days a good driver would know much more about driving and about the car they were driving. However, today we are more and more used to some bell or whistle reminding us to shut the doors properly, not to leave the keys in the car, etc. To me this only breeds idiots for drivers. Manufacturers (especially Honda and M/Benz) claim to be in the forefront of developing self drive cars of the future. They claim that the technology could be out in a matter of a few years. Sounds amazing what technology they have in store for us, but in my opinion cars of the future are going to be a load of boring boxes on wheels with very little involvement from the user (I intentionaly did not use the word "Driver"). Whats your take on this guys? Cheers

Hi there The Indian cars are still quite new to competeting with other established brands producing the same type of models. I don't live in SL, so will not attempt at commenting on how the vehicle is doing in the SL market place. However, what I can say is that engine refinement, fit and finish still needs improvment and the Indians are trailing behind the Koreans. Having said that, when making your choice what you should do is compare the condition of the TATAs that you may look at, it's reported fuel economy, cost of servicing, resale value etc to those of similar cars from established rivals. If the cost advantage is considerable then the TATA could be your choice. Cheers

Sadly the SL traffic situation ( and a lot of other things for that matter) is a classic example of how little foresight and planning our leaders have had thoughout the years since independance. SL should ideally have a separate traffic and public transport management ministry.

Happy New Year everyone!!! It was quite a pleasure being amongst the company of you fine fellow enthusiasts during 2006 and here is looking forward to many more in 2007. Thanks everyone for keeping the passion alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers

To all our members Thanks to you we have seen Autolanka grow from strength to strength over the past years. Not only promoting the love we have for motoring, but also enabling us to find like minded friends. It is you the members that has made all this possible, and to you (our valued friends/supporters) I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a prosperous and peaceful 2007. On behalf of TeamAutoLanka Duncan Udawatta

Hey everyone Thought we could exchange some ideas as to how we polish, glaze and protect our beloved steeds' paint work as well as interior. I generally go with a local brand polish that has worked well for me over the years. Glazing I try to do once in six months or so depending on time of year (winter/summer/rain). For the interior I have tried various dash board polishes, but just hate the oily film they leave behind. So I simply wipe only with a wet cloth. As for the seats, I get a complete clean done depending on useage of the vehicle. Here in Botswana dust is all over the place. So more regular cleans are essential. What do others do? It would be nice to know what you guys do and learn some tips. cheers

Hi I afraid I can't help you with that info as I don't live in SL. Infact haven't lived in SL since small. Only visits. Mine is a '67 GT350. But it's in pieces still. Haven't had the time to make any serious effort in this project. May be I will get some work done during these holidays. Good luck with your search for a Mustang....they are wonderful cars! Cheers

The Vette never came through. Another guy beat me to it. But my Mustang is still work-in-progress. Very slow I must say. Will keep the forum posted on developments.