Proton Wira upgrade - progress update May 2016

A number of guys have been asking me how my Proton Wira upgrade is getting along and my answer is sadly, "Not much".

Since my last update: Proton Wira modifications under RM1K project: Part 2
I have made very few upgrades to my Dad's old Proton Wira which has in fact become my car - to drive to Work, fetch the kids from school, etc. The main reason behind the delay is probably because of my stubborn insistence on doing most of the work myself - DIY, and various other reasons - too busy with work and the kids, lack of a proper garage at home to work in, lack of tools, blah blah but I realise most of them are excuses I make to myself.

The thing is that I have a conflict in my head/ heart going on deciding whether it is worth it to spend so much money on an old car when I could just put it down for installment on a brand new car which comes with no headaches for at least 3 years. Maybe it had to do with the numerous people telling me to get a new car, including my parents and even my daughter.

There were a few incidents as well - the car air conditioning started having problems and then I noticed engine heating up. Later I found out that the fan was not working and had to get it changed. Then a lady reversed her car onto mine - fortunately the damage was not that bad and I it took just half a day to get the bump repaired and repainted at the paint shop near my house. Finally, the dreaded power window failure happened. Now the right hand window can't go up or down. Just made me realise how Proton's lack of quality control, especially with regards to the power window, totally destroyed customer loyalty and lead to the troubles it is currently facing now. However, the fact that I have no debts makes me really reluctant to get a new car - I will be paying off debts to the banks for at least 6 years.

If I do eventually buy a car, it will be paid for in cash and I plan to buy a Mercedes A class, or maybe a BMW 1 series. I prefer a small zippy car. However, it is definitely going to take some time to accumulate the amount of money needed and who knows, by then we would all probably be using driverless cars by then.

 I did have some work done.

 1. I changed the emblem in the front from the green - golden one to the new silver-black one. I got it cheap at Brothers. Definitely looks better.

 2. I also changed the old worn out gear stick cover to new ones. Bought the new cover online on Lelong.com.my. Installation was fairly easy.

 3. I then had my steering wheel changed as well to a Fake Momo from Brothers. I have no idea how they can get away with selling fake items. Fitting it was also a pain as their workers (new staff) took ages to fit it on my car.

I hate fake stuff and ended up regretting buying the steering almost immediately. I tried removing the Momo logo sticker on the middle of the steering wheel and it now looks terrible. This is something I have got to change soon to a genuine Momo steering or maybe a Nardi, but spending about RM 500+ on a brand new steering wheel is something not on top of my priorities right now.

4. One thing I knew I could do myself quite fast were the pedals. So I bought Ralliart pedals from the Maxaudio site and installed them myself. The easy part were the clutch and brake pedals. However, to install the accelerator pedals, I found out that I would have to drill holes in them. In the end I ended up super-gluing them on - using super strong Araldite glue.

5. Finally I had Ultra Racing strut bar installed in the front. I thought I would do myself but I could not shift the crews even a few mm and finally had to go to my favorite garage where Paul and his team installed. The car handing dos feel better with less body roll after the installation but I may be imagining it.

I have a list of things I plan to do on my car, so wait for my next update.

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Proton Wira modifications under RM1K project: Part 2

This is a very long overdue update on my Proton Wira modifications under RM1K project.

Picking up from what I last posted, the Proton badge (meant for Proton Iswara) finally arrived but there was a problem. The original was a screw-on badge while the new one was a stick on and somehow I could not find a way to get it to stick properly on the original place. So I came up with an idea. Was not sure whether it would work but fortunately it did. I peeled off the plastic logo and super glued it on to the original screw-on base.

I also bought a new Proton Manual Car Leather Gear Knob Carbon With R3 stitching on the sides for RM50/, also from a seller on Lelong.

Definitely a great improvement on the original rounded plastic knobs which were worn out. This brought me to a new total of RM363.90.

Thinking of what to do next, I thought about the faulty reverse sensor. I have been meaning to change it for a long time but kept putting it off. So one day I drove down to the Brother's outlet near my house in PJ. However, the place was packed and I could not get any parking. I was impatient and decided to go to another car accessories place - Elegance Audio Sdn Bhd. in Kelana Jaya.

I was delighted because there were not that many customers around. Their manager Oliver Lim, came out and told me that it would cost me around RM200+ to install new reverse sensors. This was much costlier than what it would normally cost me at Brothers but I assumed that at that price their product would be of a better quality than at Brothers, which was where I had installed my old reverse sensors.

Since the shop was specialised in audio equipment and I was still under budget, I decided to install front speakers in the car. Previously it only had 2 rear Clarion speakers. The cheapest speakers was the Powerbass S-4002 4-Inch Coaxial speakers (105 W), at around RM260 a pair. A little bit steep but he assured me that the sound quality would be really great. This would nicely bring me just below my budget of a Thousand dollars and I decided to go ahead.

However, this is where it all went wrong. I was waiting inside their office with my son when the manager came in and showed me the old speakers - it was completely torn. I knew it was old but I am sure it was definitely not that bad. I now had no choice but to replace the rear speakers as well. I went along with what the manager recommended and installed a pair of EFX 6x9" rear speakers (RM480).

I was dismayed when I learnt that as the new speakers would not fit into the original speaker enclosure and they would have to cut into the rear speaker board. I wished the manager had explained that to me before I said yes.

The final damage - a whooping RM1020 in total, including the installation charges. These three items alone would have blown my small budget of RM1K at one go.

In hindsight, I could have said "No!" and this would have left me with a total budget of RM903.9. I could have then gone to Brothers and have cheaper speakers installed. But that is what you call "buyer's remorse" and I am trying hard not to have any regrets. However, I hope other people reading this would learn from my experience and make an informed choice.

I am sure that some of you are wondering "what's the difference"?

Now, I do notice that I don't have to crank up the volume and sound quality has definitely improved but no once else - neither my family members nor my friends seems to have realised the difference. The only guy who noticed is my son who went along with me and tries to put peanuts and other stuff into the holes in the speaker covers - a clear design flaw if you have hyperactive kids with itchy hands.

So my budget is blown and I have failed in my project. It was stupid anyway as an old car needs constant attention and replacement of parts. In conclusion, RM1000 goes a bit but is but a drop in the ocean if you decide to hold on to an old car and decide to "pimp it". However, on the other hand, well maintained cars can go a long way and is considerably cheaper than getting a brand new car - specially if you live in Malaysia.

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Dash Cams to the Rescue: HP Car Camcorder f200 review

An increasing number of motorists in the UK are installing in-car dashboard cameras or dash cams, as they are more popularly known. The mini video cams are fixed discretely on the windscreen of your vehicle. The main reason is the rise of the so-called "crash-for-cash" scams.

There are gangs who stage fake accidents in order to make fraudulent insurance claims. Their modus-operandi is to slam on their brakes suddenly and causing the vehicle behind to crash into them. The Insurance Fraud Bureau estimates that the annual cost of these fraud cases amount to around £392 million (1). This highlights the importance of this issue and it is no wonder that many van owners and operators have also started to install dash cams in their fleet of vehicles. In the event of an accident, the accurate recordings of the events can prove useful in legal proceedings and insurance claims.

Another possible benefit of installing these cams is that the drivers would probably drive more responsibly as they are aware that the cams are running and recording their entire journey as well. Thus, they can encourage safer driving.

On the other hand, you may want to just record the beautiful landscape on a trip. I wish I had one during our amazing driving trip to the Scottish highlands and the Isle of Skye last Easter.

There are a range of dash cams out there with prices ranging from around £10 to over £100. Their quality and features vary widely as well. Anyway, I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to review the HP Car Camcorder f200. The camera is quite small and discreetly fits behind the mirror. However, the power cord dangling down was quite annoying and I may have to run it along the top of the windscreen.

The camera supports micro SDHC cards up to 32GB. However, the spare card I had at home was only 8GBs. It has a 2.4" LCD Color TFT screen at the back which helps to position the camera and is surprisingly clear. I plugged the power cord in and started playing around with the menu which was quite easy to navigate.

First of all I changed the dates and time and then formatted the memory card. I then realised that it had started recording. The camera allows for total hands free operation as you can set the camera to start recording as soon as it detects motion. It can also be set to start recording automatically when it detects a collision or sudden braking situation. You can select the sensitivity but I think that it defeats the whole purpose as you would want to see the events leading up to an accident as well - before the collision actually happens. Fortunately, I did not get the chance to test the automatic collision recording feature and I hope it remains that way.

I recorded a recent trip to my son's school. The camera has a wide angle fixed focus lens F2.4 and records in full HD (1920 x 1080) including voice recording. It also has a built in 3-Axis gyro force sensor which keeps the images steady even on bumpy Coventry side roads.

On playing back the video on our TV, we found that the quality of the video was really good. I could easily read the car number plates and the distant landmarks we passed on the road were really clear. Check out the short video which I uploaded on YouTube.

I definitely recommend this camera. Prices of the cam varies widely depending on the online retailer, from £85.50 to £114.54.

This review was sponsored by Tesco Compare van insurance

Related Link: Insurance Fraud Bureau

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Mantis Fast Glass review

Here is a review I wrote sometime back but forgot to post up. I have been trying out the new glass cleaner from the Mantis Car Care range called Fast Glass. 

This new product from JML promises a "crystal clear, smear-free finish on glass and plastic windows”. As a marketer, I am aware of all the unsubstantiated claims that companies make about their products and I was sceptical. However, it did just what it claims - just sprayed the windscreen and wiped it off. See the result below. 

I also wanted to test the claims that it creates a "rain-resistant shield".  

It was the Easter break and we were driving to the Scottish highlands. As some of you might recall, the weather was really strange and we had light rain and sleet most of the way. Perfect way to test out the claim. On the motorway I did not even have to use the wiper as the rain drops just slid away from the glass. I have to point out that we did not have heavy rain then but it does work even under very wet conditions, though I did have to use the wipers as well. I am definitely going to keep using this windshield glass cleaner/ water repellent. 

I only have one complaint. It is with regards to the quality of their spray mechanism. I am not sure why but the liquid kept leaking out when I sprayed and in the end, I  transferred it to an empty Dettol cleanser spray bottle I had at home. 

Mantis Fast Glass is available here in the UK for £9.99

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Replacing door speakers on the Volvo S40

While giving one of my friends a lift to the railway station on my old trusty Volvo S40, he somehow punched a hole through the speaker on the passenger side. I took it to the garage and they told me that it would take about £100 to replace the speakers and cover, plus the service. That was several months ago. I tried some DIY repair work on the speakers by putting super glue but that was a bad idea and it did not turn out well. The sound was terrible. In the end , I used the balancing knob on the music system to shut off the left speakers. It was irritating but I was not going to shell out almost £100 for one speaker. 

Anyway, one day while surfing eBay I chanced upon someone selling used speakers and covers from a S40 and without thinking much, I just bought them - all for £17.50.

I then went to YouTube looking for a tutorial video, I was sure there was bound to be at least one and I was right. 

It took me less than 10 minutes to replace the speakers with the new (old) ones and save myself around £80. 

New speaker in

Pop the cover on

The old speakers and cover

It is so great to finally listen to music with all the speakers on. 

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Looking for car wash supplies

As I was driving to work today I realised that the inside of my car is looking a bit scruffy. I have a stock of car and wheel cleaners but none for the inside of my car. Moreover, now that winter is finally here, I also need to stock up on car accessories including ice scrappers and like all parents with kids, a good carpet cleaner.

There are a range of car wash products out there and I usually buy the good quality brands because you do not want to skimp when it comes to your car care products. To save on money, I usually buy them in bulk or in larger packs. I do not want to be running down to the supermarket every few weeks. A good tip is to look for wholesale dealers on the net.

Anyway, quite recently I got to know about a wholesale car wash supplier on the net - Pronto Sales. The site carries an amazing range of car care products and car accessories ranging from paper air fresheners to even snacks and candies. I also noticed that they have a Winter Windshield Shade which is something I am definitely going to buy. Saves a lot of time and effort - I hate scrapping ice of the glass in winter.

They are now offering free shipping on orders over $100. So if you are looking for wholesale car wash accessories, check out the Pronto sales site.

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Aftermarket car and truck Accessories

One of my favourite TV shows used to be the American version of MTV's Pimp My Ride. I loved the way they would take a run down rusted death trap into an amazing dream ride. One of my friends back in Malaysia is a huge fan of the series as well and you should see the way he modified his old Proton 1.8 Wira. Nothing as drastic as in the TV series but he's done a great job - with whole body kit, spoilers, new rims, new wheels and a shiny metallic paint job - the car looks fantastic. I will try to persuade him to send me some pictures.

And it does not stop there. The interiors have also gone through a complete makeover with racing seats, new gear knobs and all kids of gauges on the dashboard. However, he drew the line of coloured LEDs underneath the car ("too fancy")and any modifications to the engine. All he did was change the exhaust and new air intake systems.

Through him, I discovered the world of the car tuning and modified cars. Some guys spend thousands of dollars on aftermarket accessories doing up their cars - sometimes immediately after they get it out of the showrooms. Some see this as an art form while others feel that they are expressing their personality using their cars.

If you are one of those guys - check out the amazing range of new after market car accessories available.

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Must-Have New Car Features

You may think the only important car features are GPS and a good insurance quote. While a functioning satellite navigation system and cheap coverage are certainly sought after they are far from the only automotive accessories that can greatly enhance your life as a driver. The last decade has seen a startling number of technological improvements that have made cars much safer and significantly better at performing under stressful road conditions. Equipping your car with the following features will change the way you think about driving:

Anti-lock brakes
Anti-lock brakes are a great example of a popular technology that has evolved exponentially since its inception. While still ensuring that your vehicle will be able to stop on slippery or gravel-covered surfaces, newer prototypes allow your car to electronically control front-to-rear brake balance, known as electronic brake-force distribution or traction control system.

OnStar system
You may know it mainly from their prolific radio commercials but the popular General Motors funded road-side assistance service also offers hands-free calling, turn-by-turn navigation and a number of diagnostic and communication systems that make the premiere in-vehicle security service, with over 6 million customers (though they have recently seen a number of competitors).

Kinetic dynamic suspension
KDSS is an interconnected hydraulic technology that is available in a number of new models, including the Toyota 4-runner and several other sports utility vehicles. Very popular among off-road drivers.

Electronic Stability Control
This computerized system monitors your car's steering and reduces skidding, automatically correcting for poor turns. Your rear tires can compensate for over-turning among your front tires and vice versa. The quickly growing market for ESC should lead to lower prices and continued upgrades.

Side curtain airbags
Transportation officials claim that the inclusion of side curtain airbags could save nearly a thousand lives per year. Designed specifically to protect the head from the side window in the case of a collision, family-friendly side airbags drastically reduce the risk of brain injury.

Remote keyless entry
This technology is pretty common now (it's technically been around since the 80's) but recent improvements and upgrades have made RKS (remote keyless system) a wonderful way to get in and out of your car without dropping groceries or locking yourself out. How it works is the fob sends out a radio signal with a special identity code that only your car recognizes.

It seems there are as many car features out there right now as there are grains of sand on the beach, but many of them are superfluous. The best features are ones that will protect you and your family in the event of collision and assist your vehicle to avoid collisions in the first place.

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