Dee Jay

Yes.. Agree with what @Kavvz has mentioned. On a separate note here goes my personal experience with the inbuilt battery indicator.. During April curfew period my auxiliary battery died on me even after starting the car every two days and moving it around for a few minutes At that time the battery was about 5 months off its warranty period. So decided to replace it with a new one and got the regional battery mobile to come to my place and switch batteries. I had an Exide battery on and replaced with the same brand this time as well. Then the guy swapping the old battery showed me the indicator that had turned white and the low voltage it had at the time of replacing. The new one showed up green colour in its indicator after the swap. I continued with the starting and driving about routine (this time though drove a bit more within the lane) and after about a week or so upon checking the engine bay to see if there were any leaks or rat damages etc. I noticed that the battery indicator was now white and not green like it used to be when swapping. I called the battery guy and he asked me to just a give a tap on the indicator and see if it fixed the issue, but I didn't want to try it out. Luckily, enough he was in the neighborhood at the time I called replacing the batteries of another car and I asked him to come over and measure the voltages. He came and straight away tapped on the battery with a tool he had in his hand and wola the indicator turned back green He then went onto show me the voltage readings of the battery measured through the meter. It was all good. So you need not purchase a new one. You can tap on it and see as well whether it changes colour if the voltages are all good. Bottom line, don't just go by this indicator. Measure the voltages!

ohh boy Toyota seems to be in a roll when it comes to crossovers It looks good both inside and out!! The modern Toyota exteriors and interiors are really nice when compared with the older models! Sadly don't know if it will ever make it to Sri Lanka with the current tax structure unless they mate it to the 1.2T engine you get with the other Corollas and CHRs..

Well out of the two models you have mentioned the Audi A1 would not meet any of the requirements above except for the ability to reverse like @kush mentioned above. However, if you are looking at a maximum 5 million budget I don't think you'd be able to get hold of a 2020 Yaris (the Vitz is no more as mentioned in the above comments from 2020 on) as the prices of Vitz model years 2018-2019 goes close to the 5 million mark. The new Yaris looks good and premium both in the inside and the outside (the rear design might not be everyone's cup of tea though) than the outgoing model and like @iRage mentioned it could be more livelier to drive due to Toyota's new global architecture chassis design. All things said 4 to 5 million is a pretty good budget to buy a car and if it was my money I wouldn't settle with a hatchback for this price point. There are many decent hatchbacks, sedans and even some SUVs, CUVs that would be falling within this price bracket which would offer many options, comfort and other advantages than the models being compared at the moment. However, its your money and its your call so you can choose the best option that would suit your needs

That might be possible, no idea how the importer got it down..

Yes, in fact the 2015 Axio Hybrid G models that came with the safety sense option (not the latest one; there's safety sense C and P I guess) from factory had cruise control option. A friend from office had a 2015 G car brought down via a factory order and it came with cruise control (not the adaptive cruise control with low speed follow, lane keep assist etc. but, just cruise control).. The latest adaptive cruise control systems with proper lane keep assist systems and low speed following options would take away the fatigue out of long distance highway driving I guess while improving the fuel efficiency. However, the drivers should be vigilant always as we can not put our lives at the hands of the car 100% (at least under prevailing technology levels ) Ooops! bad luck I guess that incident though is a good indication that we should not solely rely on technology to take of things completely!

Is he referring to what Ideal is assembling here?? ?

@HaeylM well, I don't know about Toyota hybrids but, the servicing cost of a petrol and a hybrid is the same at the Honda agents and they don't do any fancy scans as you mentioned during the service. And the full service cost is around 13,000 LKR without including wheel alignment (around 2k) or air filter change (which costs 10k at the agents). I know that Toyota hybrids need some attention to their battery cooling system cause of dust blocking the air vents sort of thing and that TL charge an additional 2,500 LKR over the normal service cost if cleaning is required. Apart from that there can be some oxidization in the battery terminals as well but would not need attention at every service I guess. Hybrids usually do indicate if anything is wrong in the system and Honda hybrids give the usable battery capacity as a percentage when scanned via the correct software tool unlike Toyota hybrids. So, I don't think it is necessary to scan your system each and every service. Some service stations tend to take the owners for a ride as well highlighting the complexity of this and that. If you really fear about any errors you can get a OBD scanner and do some regular scanning to make sure there are no errors. Tyres cost the same irrespective of being a hybrid or a petrol. The cost will depend on the brand and the size profile and the fuel filter, spark plugs and each and every other routine maintenance applies irrespective of being a petrol or a hybrid. However, I do agree that second hand market prices and battery replacement costs would make hybrids unattractive to a typical car buyer. However, the maintenance is not as high as you mentioned above cause I've owned a 2nd hand hybrid for over 4 years and that's my experience (this might vary with the brand and the model). But, the reality is the world is moving towards electrification of vehicles and the hybrids are an inter state till EVs are perfected. Even petrol engines are being down sized and turbo charged as a consequence of this trend.

Is there anymore issues other than the famous AC condenser issue for the Civic X?? Yes, country of origin (UK) could be a contributory factor.. but, sadly we don't get to see the JDM Civic X that much here in SL due to the absurd tax structure otherwise, that 1.5 Turbo unit would've been a pleasure to drive among the boring Toyota models we find at the moment..

Yes, if the cabin temperature increases beyond a certain limit the engine will kick in for the compressor to work and to cool down the cabin.. But, what got me interested was your start stop system working again after the AC repair.. to see if there is a connection like the AC or blowers running via the power from the auxiliary battery..

@Eagle Eye is the AC working when the Civic is in Idle Stop mode? Is it only the blower or blower plus cooling as well? Yes, this can be expected and attributed to efficient cooling from the AC system with less strain on the auxiliary battery after your repair. @misnadThat might be cause of the brake pad wear indicators but for it to be triggered when coasting means it might have had a brake bind as well? Did this low battery warning pop-up during the curfew period when the car was stationary or prior to that when the car was running as usual? On a separate note, hope your battery is at a good level cause the battery died on a friend's 2017 Civic EX at the office parking lot without an early warning! I was surprised with this cause this car usually throws in even the service reminders and other notifications when it senses them..

This video explains the Leaf's story in detail and why Nissan is not offering brand new batteries without the depleted old batteries as @Hyaenidae and @iRage explained. I didn't know about this before, thanks @Hyaenidae for bringing up that point! So is it the same when it comes to other EVs like the BMW i3s, MG ZS EV etc.?? ?

Yes indeed! Even I saw a crazily modified Bolero to mimic the Defender design in FB

A locally modified Mahindra??

Just near the Wijerama bus halt going towards Maharagama as I have mentioned in my previous post.. here's the location: Roshan Auto Enterprises

As you might have read in the forums the Lancer CS3 and the (CS series in fact) is highly recommended by the owners. A friend of mine bought a CS3 last year and it came with a good maintenance history with the work performed by the agents. He verified the maintenance history at the agents and got the car inspected by the popular car check place around Nugegoda. All in all his comments on the driving pleasure and comfort of the car has been very positive and he is a satisfied buyer. I suggest you get the car inspected well and verify the maintenance history of the car. Usually when you buy a 2nd hand car you need to keep a couple of hundred thousand as spare cash for routine (or other) maintenance that come up with the car. Since, this is reaching the ceiling of your budget and since it has been with a seller for sometime, you need to get a very thorough inspection done on the car and to know the correct status of the vehicle and any potential repairs that are coming up. If the condition is sound and you are satisfied with the car as it is, I don't think it will disappoint you. It will be worth it If the condition is not that good you can try bargaining or can always move on to a better example PS: Cheaper cars might have certain repairs that need immediate attention, hence the lower asking price.

@Kavvz I haven't performed the job myself but, I have watched some good video tutorials on brake jobs.. I suggest you watch the detailed videos by ChrisFix.. there are multiple videos on brake jobs and this is on replacing the calipers which might come in handy for you.

Yeah that being priced around 9 million and the Accord being around 1.2 million would have set them back a great deal in the revenue front with majority of the other Hondas sold in the yester years being grey imports (Vezels, Graces and FITs).. Most agents must be facing similar circumstances in Sri Lanka I guess..

Mugen have already done some modifications for the new FIT range but sadly seems to be limited to cosmetic ones at the moment..

Yes, I also feel the same..!! And new Toyota designs seem sporty and aggressive. At the same time, Toyota interior designs have also become interesting..

can't really tell anything since I've not been in one of these new hybrids yet they call it the "SPORT HYBRID i-MMD" though and promises 3L like acceleration Btw, just curious to know has the new CRV hybrid made its way here to Sri Lanka? I have never seen one here yet though, there were a few new Insights roaming around.. but, you never know as I haven't been out in a couple of months now lol

Honda's new i-MMD hybrid system has ditched the DCT.. So, all new hybrid models (including JDM) like the new generation FIT, Insight, CRV all have that new system

That seems to be the going price range at the moment (closer to plus or minus 4 million).. saw a few ads in the popular lk quick sale site advertised with a similar price tag.. Most probably the hybrid battery and ABS related stuff might be giving worries. Thorough inspection at the Agent or a reputable Car Checks place would be mandatory I would say..

@Kavvz I don't know much about the Tesla Roadster's or the Vega's credibility but those issues you highlighted regarding the heat management and the ability to do high acceleration runs back to back seems to have been solved with the advancements in technology. The already launched Porsche Taycan Turbo S seems to have those worries ironed out.. Don't know the reliability aspect of those advancements and how long those batteries and components will hold up but things seem to be getting interesting in the EV field with the Germans also joining into the party

Yes, same here! Maybe @Akhila-Galle didn't turn the mechanical key firm enough..

Even though the car battery is dead you should be able to open the car doors with the mechanical key provided within the key fob. Did you check it thoroughly? Are you sure that the key fob is the original one and that the mechanical key matches the key barrel within the door? I don't see why the mechanical key would fail to unlock the car's doors unless the door was changed without changing the key barrel due to an accident etc??