Getting extra mileage and save fuel cost with Fuel Saver

Ever since the petrol price in Malaysia skyrocketed by 40% from RM1.92 to the historical high of RM2.70 on 5 June 2008, I had been looking for effective fuel saving product to help in saving some fuel expenses. I heard and read that many fuel saving products are in fact non-effective, until I decided to try out this product called Fuel Saver.

The reason I gave Fuel Saver a try was that it is inexpensive at the price of only RM99 including installation. To date, I have installed this Fuel Saver in my car for more than 3 months, and so far it performs pretty well.

Before the installation, I put it near my Ultra Racing Stabilizer Bar and it shown its magnetic nature by sticking onto the steel bar. You might want to visit to Fuel Saver's website to learn more about the theory of how it works, and read about its emission test result and Dynamometers test results to show it really works.

Here are some of my observations after installation:

• I feel that the engine run smoother and a little bit more powerful than before.
• I notice that when the engine is started after resting for quite a while, water will be dripping from the exhaust pipe. This is a sign of complete combustion which produces only carbon dioxide and water. The water will be vapourized when the engine turns hot. In fact, the sign of water dripping already shown after I installed the Zaptor performance voltage stabilizer, but the amount was not as much as now.
• I can get the most extra mileage when travelling long distance (>100 km) at high speed, compared with the same travelling distance and style before installation. This Toyota Avanza 1.5G auto 7-seater (using semi-synthetic engine oil) can run more than 60km further with the same amount of fuel for such a long distance journey, challenging the 600km target before the fuel tank warning light up.
• If the car is frequently travelling in short distance with some traffic lights at speed not more than 90 km/h most of the time, the extra mileage is minimal and there is not much fuel saving. The extra distance could be merely 10km only.

I find this fuel saving gadget a good investment, even though the petrol price in Malaysia has been gradually reduced to RM2.30 now since 15 October 2008 and could be further reduced again in the near future.

WD-40 can help in removing road tax sticker

Our road tax sticker is pretty sticky, with a layer of adhesive that glue it firmly onto the windscreen. When it is time to renew the road tax, many find it difficult to peel off the existing sticker without leaving stain of glue and/or small pieces of the sticker.

I found that WD-40 is pretty useful in helping us to peel off the existing road tax sticker from the windscreen cleanly, without leaving any stain or residue. Just gently peel off the sticker as usual, and don't worry about the adhesive and residue that is hard to remove. Then, spray some WD-40 onto a piece of dry cloth, and wipe them off from the windscreen. Now, you will have a clean space to put on your new road tax sticker.

Besides, I have V-Kool tinted on my windscreen, and I found that this WD-40 (sprayed on cloth) will not harm the tinted film, and hence this method is safe to use on tinted windscreen too.

About car engine oil

Whenever we bring our car to workshop for periodic maintenance service, the engine oil will be changed. Here are some of the essential knowledge about car engine oil that is practical to be known by every car owner.

The main function of the engine oil is to lubricate the piston movement, reduce direct contact between moving parts in the engine, and hence decrease the friction, wear & tear and heat produced. Some of its other functions are to clean up the engine, prevent oxidation and corrosion, etc.

There are 3 types of car engine oil available in the market:

• Mineral oil: is the natural oil refined from petroleum. It needs to be changed every 5,000km.
  
• Full-synthetic oil: is artificially synthesized (man-made) and consist of chemical compounds which were not originally present in natural petroleum. It has higher viscosity index than mineral oil, more expensive to produce and hence has a higher price tag too. It provides good protection to engine, able to enhances engine performance and power, and can help in fuel economy savings. It needs to be changed every 10,000km.
  
• Semi-synthetic oil (synthetic formulation / synthetic blends): blends of mineral oil with no more than 30% of synthetic oil, to get some of the benefit from synthetic oil with a lower price tag. It provides better engine protection than mineral oil and performs better in reducing wear and tear. It needs to be changed every 7,500km.

The kinematic viscosity of car engine oil is graded with the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) gradings. The kinematic viscosity is measured at a reference temperature of 100°C. The higher the viscosity, the higher the SAE grade number is.

Nowadays a multi-grade SAE designation is normally used, which carries 2 numbers separated by a "W" in between. For example, here are the SAE gradings of engine oil used by the Toyota service centres in Malaysia:

• Full-synthetic: 5W-40
• Synthetic formulation: 10W-40
• Premium mineral: 15W-50

The letter "W" denotes "Winter". The number before "W" indicates its cold crank performance. Lower number indicates the oil can be pumped by your engine even at a lower temperature. A 0W oil is well tested at -35°C, a 5W at -30°C, a 10W is tested at -25°C and a 15W is tested at -15°C. The number after "W" is the kinematic viscosity of the oil at high temperature. Oil with lower viscosity number is thiner.

It is advisable that you use the engine oil with the SAE rating as recommended by the car manufacturer. You can find this information in the car manual.

Bear in mind that the SAE grading does not state the quality of the oil. The quality of oil is determined by its API (American Petroleum Institute) rating.

For petrol engine using spark-plug ignition, the API listings start with letter "S" (meaning Service category), and for diesel engine using compression ignition, the API listings start with letter "C" (meaning Commercial category). Higher alphabet position of the 2nd letter denotes a better quality. For example, the SM rating has a better quality than SL. CJ-4 is better than CI-4.

Currently Toyota service centres in Malaysia use SM grade full synthetic oil, and SL grade for both synthetic formulation and premium mineral oil. Their diesel engine oil is CF grade.

Petronas Win Free Petrol for 3 Years Contest

The Petronas "Win Free Petrol for 3 Years" Contest run from 18 August 2008 until 17 November 2008. It is opened to Malaysian citizen aged 18 and above who spend a minimum of RM30 in one transaction at any Petronas service stations with any Petronas affiliated Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card, ATM Bankcard, SmartPay or cash with Kad Mesra.

Cardholders who spend a minimum of RM30 in one transaction at any Petronas service stations during the Contest Period are automatically eligible for one entry. Any additional RM30 spent in a single receipt shall be treated as another entry. For example, a transaction of RM60 will entitle the Cardholder to two entries.

During each month of the Contest Period, 1 winner will be selected to win the Grand Prize and 799 winners will be selected to win the Consolation Prizes. In addition, for every month, an additional 88 lucky Petronas Maybankard Visa winners will be selected to win the special consolation prize.

The prizes are as follow:

• Grand Prize - Free fuel for 3 years for 1 winner per calendar month valued at RM28,800.
• Consolation Prizes - 3X refill of value purchased at Petronas Service Station for 799 winners per month. The maximum 3X refill of value purchased is RM600 only.
• Special Consolation Prizes - 8X refill of value purchased at Petronas Service Station for 88 Petronas Maybankard Visa winners per month. The maximum 8X refill of value purchased is RM1,600 only.

Potential winners will be notified via telephone calls for verification and the potential winners are required to answer one simple question to get the prize.

3% petrol rebate for Petronas CIMB Mastercard

Today when I pump petrol in the Petronas station, I noticed their advertisement of providing 3% rebate for Petronas CIMB Mastercard. Currently, petrol expenditure with Petronas CIMB Mastercard at Petronas stations will get 2% rebate only.

However, I noticed that this 3% rebate is a promotion, valid from 18 September 2008 until 17 November 2008 only. This will make Petronas CIMB Mastercard to be one of the credit cards providing the highest amount of petrol rebate, competitive to the Shell Citibank Gold Credit Card.

Beside that, the 5X TreatsPoints promotion of Petronas Maybankard Visa which just ended by 31 July 2008 is also extended from 1 August 2008 until 31 December 2008.

Can you survive in the urban jungle?

Crimes against civilians, especially women, are on the rise today whether in the city or on the road. Therefore Tribe Toyota, the online community for Toyota car owners in Malaysia, is conducting workshops to equip ourself with knowledge on self protection.

This Urban Survival Skills workshops are for individuals aged 12 years and above. 2 type of courses are available.

1. City Survival - for females only

Focuses on the prevention of criminal acts against women like bag snatching, sexual harassment, domestic violence, kidnapping, rape, car theft and mugging.

Date: 16 August 2008 (Saturday)
Time: 8.30am - 2.00pm
Venue: Sheraton Subang Hotel & Towers
Cost: RM40 per person


2. Road Survival - for both males and females

Focuses on dealing with road bullying, car-jacking and car accidents.

Date: 9 August 2008 (Saturday)
Time: 9.00am - 1.00pm
Venue: Sheraton Subang Hotel & Towers
Cost: RM40 per person


Click here for more information about the Urban Survival Skills workshops.

Static electric shocks when getting out of car

Many people experience shocks when they get out of their car. That is caused by static electric discharged from the person's body or clothes to the metallic car body.

When sitting in the car, electrostatic charges are generated on the car seat and the person's body due to contact and movement between the clothes and the seat. The charges is accumulated if the person is wearing a good insulating shoe. It is observed that fabric and true leather seats normally generate more static charges than PU leather seats. If you wear synthetic fibre clothing, you also have more chance to accumulate higher level of static.

Having the air-conditioner blowing directly at you will also accumulate more static, as the air blown out from the air-conditioner is full of charged particles. If your car is full of dust and dirt, static will also be generated as a result of such particles "rubbing" with the air flow as you drive.

An ionizer can help to neutralize some of the static charges in the car. If you still experience the shocks when getting out of the car, you can hold the car key and let the key contact with the metallic car body first before you touch the door. This will discharge the static through the keys instead of your fingers, and you could hardly feel it, therefore avoiding the shocks.

Fact about maintenance-free battery of car

Nowadays, most car battery is a lead-acid storage electrochemical device that can converts chemical energy into electrical energy. A standard 12-volt, lead-acid battery is made up of 6 cells connected in series. Each electrolyte filled cell produces approximately 2 volts. The charge of this 12-volt battery is actually at 12.6 volts, and can vary slightly depending on the concentration of the electrolyte in its acidic solution.

The "maintenance-free" battery, similar in design to its conventional counterparts that need to refill with distilled water from time to time to maintain the fluid level, is actually just a heavier-duty version of the same arrangement. Many of the components in the maintenance-free battery have thicker construction. Different, more durable materials are typically used. For example, the plate grids often contain calcium, cadmium or strontium, to reduce gassing (which causes water loss) and self-discharge. This design is called a lead-calcium battery. The heavier-duty parts ensure that fluid loss is kept to a minimum and that components have a much longer life, making it a closed system.

The advantages of maintenance-free battery are: less preventative maintenance, theoretically longer life, faster recharging, greater overcharge resistance, reduced terminal corrosion and longer shelf life. However, they are more prone to deep discharge (dead battery) failures due to increased shedding of active plate material.

Grounding cables for car

Everything involving the electrical systems in your car requires a free flow of electrons from -ve to +ve terminal of the battery (note that the conventional current flow from +ve to -ve used in most circuit diagram is opposite to the actual electron flow).

Good electrical performance requires a grounding system that is capable to carry a lot of current with minimal resistance. Your car's engine control unit (ECU), spark plugs, lights, in-car entertainment (ICE) components, air conditioner, fans, power windows, cigarette lighter, etc. are all working on a complicated electrical network that includes fuses, relays, and electrical cabling, and they all share a common ground. Almost everything that is powered electrically in your car is grounded to the frame or the metallic body of the car. The negative battery terminal is also grounded to the frame, which causes the frame to serve as a gigantic piece of wire in the circuit.

Usually, the stock grounding system of the car consists of just a few non-braided cables that connect the chassis, engine and firewall to the -ve terminal of the battery. The cables are of normal quality only. In addition, as these connections oxidize or come loose over time, the amount of conductive material decreases, and the electrical devices have to work much harder to overcome the increased resistance.

By installing additional grounding cables connecting the various grounding point or point closest to the various components of the electrical system, and link it directly back to the -ve terminal of the battery, the result is: an alternative path is provided for better flow of the electrical current, via the lower resistance paths. The grounded electrical components are expected to work more effectively with better performance.

The current flow will always take the path of least resistance. Therefore, adding grounding cables to your car can only make the different if the additional cables are of higher quality and lower resistance than the stock grounding system.

Characteristic of grounding cable is determined by American Wire Gauge (AWG) specification. The larger the AWG number, the smaller diameter of the wire. For example, 4-AWG cables are better than 8-AWG cables, because they have thicker diameter, lower resistance and higher current carrying capacity.

Grounding cables are good companion to voltage stabilizer, and usually they are installed together to obtain the best performance.

ePetrol system - possible solution for fuel subsidy?

ePetrol Holdings Sdn Bhd is proposing to the government of Malaysia to make use of their ePetrol system as solution to implement fuel subsidy scheme for citizen with MyKad. This company is established in 2003. Their founding directors include RHB Group founder Tan Sri Rashid Hussain and Dialog Group Bhd chairman and group managing director Ngau Boon Keat. They've showcased the ePetrol system during the World Congress on Information Technology 2008 (WCIT 2008).

User of the system will need to register and activate his MyKad at a registration kiosk to be eligible for the fuel subsidy. The user can link the MyKad to his bank account so payment can be debited from the account each time a fuel purchase is made. Otherwise, payment can be made via credit card or cash. The user is then identified with his MyKad at the petrol pump terminal, and his subsidy amount will be deducted during the fuel pumping transaction.

Will this solution be rolled out by the government? Let's wait and see...

Compulsory rear seatbelt usage from June 2008 onwards

Ever since Germany made compulsory the usage of rear seatbelt from 1984 onwards, more and more countries ruling the same, and Malaysia will have this enforced from 1 June 2008 onwards. A 3 months "grace period" will be given whereby passengers found breaking this rule will be warned, and from 1 September 2008 onwards, they will be summoned.

The function of seatbelt is to reduce injuries by stopping the wearer from hitting hard interior elements of the vehicle or other passengers during collision or emergency break. Passengers with seatbelt buckled up will have better chance to survive from accident, and researches have concluded that car drivers and/or front-seat passengers are 5 times more likely to die in a crash if their back-seat passengers are unrestrained.

However, by the moment this ruling in Malaysia only applies to cars manufactured from 1 January 1995 onwards. It is temporary waived for a 3 years period to those vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1995, after which the ruling will apply for them too. This is because most vehibles registered after 1 January 1995 are equipped with rear seatbelts, and those without are urged to fit in as soon as possible. Perodua Kancil and Kenari cars manufactured between 1998 until mid-2004 will also be exempted from the ruling until 2011 (3 years later).

This ruling is expected to impact on the total amount of passengers that can be carried in the car. A 5-seater can then carry up to 5 persons including the driver, all fasten with seatbelts respectively, and a 7-seater can carry 7 persons. So far, the Road Safety Department does not indicate whether seatbelt usage will also be compulsory for 3rd row seats or not.

Anyhow, the original Toyota Avanza already equipped with 7 seatbelts for all 3 rows of passengers, and has no problem for its passengers to comply with this ruling.

Hidden card holder clip in Perodua Myvi

Since inception in 2005, Perodua Myvi has been one of the best selling car in Malaysia, and there is one in my household too. If you drive Perodua Myvi, probably you are aware of a small drawer to the lower right of the car ignition key hole, as shown below:



Do you notice something in the drawer? Yes, there is a hidden clip on top of the drawer, and many Myvi drivers probably don't aware of its existance or usage. It is "hidden" because you won't see the clip if the drawer is not viewed upward at this angle.

This is actually a card holder clip that you can "hide" your Touch 'n Go card, petrol station loyalty card, autogate access card, etc. on it, just like this:



Pretty cool isn't it?

Toyota Rush and Perodua Nautica

In January this year, UMW Toyota launched the Toyota Rush in Malaysia, and now in May, Perodua launched the Perodua Nautica in Malaysia too. Both of them are actually the rebadge of the 2nd generation of Daihatsu Terios, which is co-developed by Daihatsu and Toyota in Japan.

Let's look at their similarities and differences:

Toyota Rush:

• Type: 7 seater SUV, RWD
• Import: CBU from Indonesia
  
• Comes with 3 specs: 1.5G M/T, 1.5G A/T and 1.5S A/T
• Overall dimension (LxWxH in mm): 4410 x 1695 x 1745
• Interior dimension (LxWxH in mm): 2580 x 1445 x 1240
  
• Wheelbase: 2685 mm
• Kerb weight: 1250 kg
  
• Minimum road clearance: 200 mm
• Minimum turning radius: 5.2 m
• Fuel tank: 50 litre
• Engine: 3SZ-VE
• Front suspension: MacPherson Strut with Coil Spring and Stabiliser Bar
• Rear suspension: 4-Link with Coil Spring and Lateral Rod
• Tyres: 215/65R16
• Door visor: with
• Projector headlamps: only with 1.5S A/T
  
• Fog lamps: only with 1.5S A/T
• Sterling wheel: 4 spoke
• Sunglasses holder with spot lamp: with
• 2nd air-cond blower: with
  
• Colours: blue, black, silver, champagne
  
• Peninsular OTR price: 1.5G M/T: RM85,888 1.5G A/T: RM88,888 1.5S A/Y: RM94,888
  

Perodua Nautica:

• Type: 5 seater SUV, 4WD
  
• Import: CBU from Japan
  
• Only comes with 1 spec: 1.5 A/T
• Overall dimension (LxWxH in mm): 4115 x 1695 x 1740
• Interior dimension (LxWxH in mm): 1800 x 1385 x 1240
  
• Wheelbase: 2580 mm
• Kerb weight: 1200 kg
• Minimum road clearance: 190 mm
• Minimum turning radius: 4.9 m
• Fuel tank: 50 litre
• Engine: 3SZ-VE
• Front suspension: MacPherson Strut with Coil Spring
• Rear suspension: 5-Link with Coil Spring
• Tyres: 215/65R16
• Door visor: without
  
• Projector headlamps: with
  
• Fog lamps: with
  
• Sterling wheel: 3 spoke
  
• Sunglasses holder with spot lamp: with
  
• 2nd air-cond blower: without
• Colours: black, grey
  
• Peninsular OTR price: RM89,900

Asian Festival of Speed car club gathering at Sepang International Circuit on 18 May 2008

The Asian Festival Of Speed (AFOS) organized by Motorsport Asia Ltd. is recognised regionally and internationally as the premier Asian Motorsport Series. This 4-day race meeting at Sepang International Circuit begins on Thursday, 15th May, with a qualifying session, and the first two 10-lap races run the following day on the full 5.54km Grand Prix circuit. Saturday will see another qualifying session for the three further rounds which will be held over 20-laps each of the tight 2.72km North track.

Motorsport Asia Ltd. has invited all the car clubs in Malaysia to participate in the biggest car club gathering of the year during this biggest Asian Festival of Speed 2008 event on the 18th May at Sepang International Circuit.

Participating car club members are also invited to witness 6 power packed races, i.e. Asian Touring Car Series, ATCS 1500Max Challenge, Asia Supercar Challenge, Formula V6 Asia, Formula BMW Pacific and Formula Asia 2.0. There will also be a photo session with Race Queens from projectracequeens.com.

Toyota Owners Journal

Recently, UMW Toyota has split out the Toyota Owner's Journal from their Tribe Toyota portal and added more features to it.

Toyota Owner's Journal is a web portal for car owners who have purchased a Toyota vehicle from UMW Toyota or their dealers. It enables you to view and/or update your personal and contact details in their system. You can also view the purchase details and specification of your Toyota vehicle, its insurance details, and your 24SEVEN Road Assist membership details.

If you serviced your car with Toyota service centre, you can also view your service history, including date of service, mileage when serviced, service centre location, invoice amount, served by who, service type and parts changed. Information for your next scheduled service is also displayed on the screen.

Other than that, you can also view the eVouchers that you've earned, their value, issued date, expiry date, and rebate status.

There is also a reminders section that you can opt to receive reminder email for your next scheduled service, renewal of road tax and insurance, renewal of 24SEVEN Road Assist membership, etc.

Zaptor performance voltage stabilizer Acoustic Gold III v.2008

I heard a lot about this Zaptor performance voltage stabilizer from AOCM, and have seen it installed in the Toyota Avanza of most AOCM members. It is a proven product which able to boost the performance of Toyota Avanza, and I have it installed today during the AOCM TT session. It comes with double sided tape and I sticked it on one of the leg of my Ultra Racing strut bar near the battery.



Today's car is functioned by many electrical and electronic components, the most important being the Engine Control Unit (ECU) which is a computer controlling the engine operations of the car. The ECU is highly dependent on all the sensors that provide accurate data and signals to coordinate various parts in different places of the car. This ECU can give the best judgement if and only if the signal received is accurate, which is affected by the electrical flow of the system. Therefore, a stable and powerful electrical system in the car will ensure best torque and response at all times.

The function of the voltage stabilizer is to stabilized the electrical current generated by the alternator, by storing some electrical energy in capacitors so that stable and constant electrical energy can be maintained all times even if there is voltage drop or surge across the car electrical system. It can also filter out electrical noise and eliminate irregular current flow in the car electrical system. Its working concept is similar to the Power Saver unit in my home.

Zaptor performance voltage stabilizer is developed by a member of Volvo Owners' Club of Malaysia (VOCM). The Acoustic Gold III version is waterproof, fuse protected, has voltage tolerance of up to 25 volts and operating temperature up to 105 degree Celcius. It has a compact size with a 7-colour battery status LED indicator. Most importantly, it functions in par with the branded voltage stabilizer made in Japan, and is distributed in AOCM at a much more affordable price. It is probably the lowest price voltage stabilizer product in Malaysia that can function effectively.

My feelings to the car after installation:

• engine starts immediately when ignited, there is no delay.
• engine respond faster and the fuel pedal is felt a little bit lighter. Probably this will improve in fuel economy.
• car accelerate smoother with increased torque as ECU works better.
  
• the RPM is very stable during idling, not so affected by air-cond condenser kick-in.
• cabin lights and headlights seems to be brighter.
• car audio sounds better.

I was told that the car battery water level will drop faster after the installation of this voltage stabilizer due to the charging effect. As such, using maintenance free battery is more convenient when voltage stabilizer is installed, to eliminate the need of frequent checking and top up of battery water.

Naza Group founder and CEO passed away

Tan Sri S.M. Nasimuddin S.M. Amin, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of the Naza Group, passed away of lung cancer in California at 1.15am (Malaysian time). He was 54 years old and had been receiving treatment for cancer at a private hospital in Long Beach since January this year.

When he was 21, he had RM80,000 in his bank account which he saved from his remunerations from helping out his contractor father. A year later, he made his first million. It was 1975 and he did it by applying for government-issued Approved Permits (AP) to import cars for resell in the country. He was dubbed the "AP King" in the AP controversy event of 2005.

Naza Group, formed in 1974, has been famous for its automobile business. The group currently holds the Malaysian vehicles franchise for Ferrari, Kia, Peugeot, Brabus, Hamann and Ducati. It also holds the import permits for Mercedes Benz and Mazda vehicles.

Tan Sri Nasimuddin was quoted as saying: “I have always loved cars since my teenage years. That is why I am in this business. My father’s construction business was not my cup of tea.”

Medklinn Mobile ionizer

I purchased this Medklinn Mobile ionizer for RM299 at their Jusco counter during promotion period last year.

The unit comes with 14 days money-back guarantee and 1 year defect warranty. It operates by plugging directly into the cigarette lighter socket of the car and bend it upwards. This ionizer requires no maintenance since it does not operate with filter, and I was told that it can last for at least 6 years.

The function of this MedKlinn Mobile ionizer is to deodourize and detoxify the air in the car. It floods the car's interior with massive amounts of negative ions. Large amount of negative ions (at least 2 million ions emission per second) can effectively remove offensive odours and pollutants such as pollen, dust particles, cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes effectively, thus reducing the risk to our health.

I have tested it with durian, and it's deodourize function works very well. It is a better substitute for car fragrance that most people use in their car, because those fragrance are made out of synthetic chemicals that might be harmful to our respiratory system.

There are many other ionizers available, but might not be as effective due to much lesser amount of ions produced. Some can even be harmful to our health due to too much ozone produced.

They've sent a postcard to me, informing that they'll be exhibiting in this HOMEDEC 2008.

Boneless wiper

Have you ever heard or seen a boneless wiper? Recently I changed the ordinary wiper blades of my car to this boneless type. The cost is double to the price of ordinary rubber wiper.

These boneless wiper blades fit directly to the hook of the original wiper arm, and installation is pretty easy. The blades fit nicely and firmly to the slope of the windscreen, providing effective wiping to covered area. They operate quietly and will not lift away even when used during high speed driving. The blades form an even pressure onto the windscreen, and the rubber contact is less likely to deform over time.

The manufacturer of this kind of boneless wiper claims that they are durable, have longer lifespan than ordinary rubber wipers, and can be used for years. There are also boneless wiper with silicon blades, which cost even higher, but is even more durable.

PU car seat cover

The original beige colour fabric of Toyota Avanza 1.5 makes any dirty spot or stain on the car seats to be quite visible and difficult to clean up. As a result, I've covered the car seats with a layer of beige colour PU (polyurethane) car seat cover. This colour of car seat cover perfectly match with the car interior, and is very close to the original colour of the underneath fabric.

I purchased this PU car seat cover from Brothers at the price of RM380, and additional RM40 for installation. The product consists of PU covers that match with all the 3 rows of Toyota Avanza seat and also PU covers for all the headrests.

Dirty stains on this PU car seat cover can easily be cleaned, and it is also water resistant. However, the car seats will feel a little bit hotter under the sun, and need about 3 minutes to cool down after the air-cond is turned on. This is not too bad since I already have the tint film installed which eliminates heat from building up in the car due to sunlight.

Leather seat cover would be better than PU material, but the price is also much more higher. Beside this seat cover, AOCM also recommends another nice looking CarPro brand PU seat cover, which is almost the same price, available in JE Automart.

Jump start the flat battery of a car

It is always a good idea to keep a set of jump start cables in your car, in case somebody in the car park with flat battery need your help, or in case you are the unfortunate one. Try to get a thicker jump start cables which supports 400 cold crank Amps or above.

Here are the procedure to jump start a car with flat battery that I've learned.

Before jump starting:

1. Check the dead battery. Does it suffered from loose connection to alternator? Does it need to top up with distilled water? Fix the possible problem that has caused the battery to be flat. Sometimes you might find that replacing the dead battery directly is a better and/or safer solution than jump starting.
2. If there is white/green residue developed around the battery terminal, clean them out first. Don't touch it with your bare hand, wearing glove is a good idea.
   
3. Bring the car with charged battery to the front of the car that need jump starting, position so that both the batteries as close as possible.
4. Ensure the engine of both the cars are off. All the lamps, radio, air-conds, etc. should also be off.
5. Ensure that the hand brake of both cars are engaged.
   

Performing the jump start:

1. Clamp one end of the red-handled/positive jumper cable to the positive terminal (the one marked with the [+] sign) of the charged battery.
2. Clamp the other end of the red-handled cable to the positive terminal of the dead battery.
3. Clamp one end of the black-handled/negative cable to the negative terminal (the one marked with the [-] sign) of the charged battery.
   
4. Clamp the other end of the black-handled/negative cable to the metal part of the car with the dead battery. Clamp it somewhere where the current can ground out, such as unpainted bolt or bracket in the chassis. Caution: do not attach the black-handled/negative cable to the dead battery itself.
5. Start the car with the charged battery. Wait for a while.
   
6. Start the car with the dead battery. If it still doesn't start after several attempts, the jump start has failed, and it is time to call a tow truck or bring a new battery to the car for replacement.
7. Keep the engine of both the cars on.

After the jump start:

1. Remove the clamp of the black-handled/negative cable from the grounding point.
2. Remove the other end of the black-handled/negative cable from the negative terminal of the charged battery.
3. Remove the clamp of the red-handled/positive cable from the jump started battery.
4. Remove the other end of the red-handled/positive cable from the charged battery.
5. Put back the jump start cables into the car.
6. The car with dead battery should be immediately driven to workshop for checking. Do not turn off its engine before it reaches the destination. If the battery is still usable, it needs at least half an hour for recharging. Try driving the car at higher RPM for faster charging.
   

Toyota Avanza enhancement - Ultra Racing bars

This is a major modification I've done to my Toyota Avanza. It is significant in term of cost, which is RM1xxx for 4 state-of-the-art powder coated steel bars from Ultra Racing (M) S/B. It is even more significant in term of enhancement in safety, handling, comfort and performance of the car. Driver and passengers of the car will feel a completely different ride experience after the installation.

The original Toyota Avanza already comes with a front anti roll bar to tie together the 2 front wheels suspensions. The 4 bars I've installed are:

1. 4-points strut bar (stabilizer bar): provides better handling and control by tremendously improves in stability and road traction, especially during cornering or driving with high speed. Strengthening the chassis to reduce chassis flex and improve reaction to sterling movement.

2. rear anti roll bar (anti-sway bar): tie the lower suspension components together across the 2 wheels. It keeps the car flat in turnings instead of leaning over to one side, and keeps the traction by preventing understeer or oversteer. Also makes the suspension feel stiffer, therefore effectively reduce in bounciness.

3. front lower arm bar: increases overall rigidity and reduces body flexing of the car's front body. Improves suspension effectiveness and eliminates unwanted car rolling movements.

4. rear lower arm bar: increases overall rigidity and reduces body flexing of the car's rear body. Improves suspension effectiveness and eliminates unwanted car rolling movements.




Ultra Racing bars work together as a system, therefore it is recommended to have all of them installed to the car, although they can also work individually with lesser effect. These products are widely used by AOCM members and proven to be effective in transforming the Toyota Avanza ride to a totally new experience. The Toyota Avanza will feel like other sedan cars, and you'll notice the bounciness and body roll has been greatly reduced.

Kindly be reminded that there are many similar products in the market, some even imitate the Ultra Racing products. Not all of them can produce the same result and performance. Only the original Ultra Racing bars are highly recommended by AOCM. These bars come with at least 3 years warranty and guaranteed trade-in value.

My feelings to the car after installation:

• bounciness reduced substantially.
• body rolls eliminated.
• great improvement to handling and response.
• feeling like driving sedan car, and still maintain the high clearance view.
• driving at the speed of 110km/h has the same feeling as driving at the speed of 50km/h. The handling is the same, and you won't feel the car is "floating" at high speed.
• driving on curvy road has almost the same feeling as driving on straight road. The handling is superb. There is not much body roll, and you don't need to press on the break as much as before.
• cornering (eg. going down highway) can be made at the speed of around 80km/h and the car is still stable.

Suspension system - of bumpy or bouncy ride

If any of your friends are complaining about the ride comfort problem they experienced with Toyota Avanza, please refer them to this article.

It is a known issue that the suspension system of Toyota Avanza does not give a promising ride, although improvement has been made for the 1.5 version from the earlier 1.3 version to minimize the effect.

Some people says it is "bumpy", while some other says it is "bouncy". For my experience, it is not bumpy but bouncy.

A vehicle is bumpy if its suspension is stiff. Stiffer suspension makes the car feel more responsive and more direct to the road condition. When the suspension encounters a bump, you will feel the car is "jumping", and in severe case, you will feel your buttock lifts up from the seat a bit whenever a bump is encountered. Normally, cars designed for performance ride (eg. sports cars), those designed for off-road driving (eg. 4WD), and those designed to carry heavy loads (eg. trucks), have stiffer suspension and might bring you a bumpy ride experience. This is not true for Toyota Avanza.

A vehicle is bouncy if its suspension is soft. When the suspension encounters a bump or running on uneven road, you will feel the car is bouncing up and down. The ideal condition for a car to cross a bump is to rebounce once, but a bouncy car will rebounce more than one time before the suspension stabilized again. This is exactly what happen to the Toyota Avanza.

To overcome the bounciness problem of Toyota Avanza, one can modify the original suspension system with the right combination of coil springs and shock absorbers. Several options can be found in AOCM, which vary in different pricing and level of comfortableness.

In addition, you can also enhance the ride comfort, increase stability and reduce the bounciness of Toyota Avanza by installing Ultra Racing bars, which is highly recommended by AOCM members. These bars can really make a big difference to the ride comfort and drive handling of Toyota Avanza. I'll share about my experience on installing and using the Ultra Racing bars in the next article.

Information on the tyre wall

The car tyre is marked with various information on its wall, including the tyre size, load rating, speed limit, place of manufacture, time of manufacture, etc.

For example, the tyres originally come with Toyota Avanza 1.5 has the designation of 185/65R15 88S. This denotes the tire has:

• section width of 185mm
• aspect ratio of 65, which is calculated by its (height/width)
• "R" for radial construction
• rim diameter of 15 inches
• load rating of 88, which can carry maximum weight of 560kg
• speed rating "S", which the maximum safe speed is 180km/h

There is also a 4-digit batch number, or a code longer than 4-digit and the last 4 digits are numeric. The first two digits are the week of manufacture, and the last two digits are the year of manufacture. For example, a batch number of "1007" indicates the tyre was manufactured on the 10th week of year 2007.

The rubber of the tyre will degrade over time no matter it is being used or not. It is recommended to change tyres at most 6 years from their manufacture time. When you purchase new tyres, ensure that the tyres are manufactured less than 1 year so that you can use them for a longer time.

Toyota Avanza enhancement - cargo net

The boot space of Toyota Avanza is flexible. It could be just enough to store small things when the 3rd row seat is locked in place, and it could be very spacious when the 3rd row seat is folded forward.

To prevent things from falling out of the boot space when the door is opened, you can install a cargo net like this.



This cargo net is made with extensible Nylon ropes, and is slung to 4 hooks attached at each corner. It is easily detachable when not in use. The hooks can be attached to the car body with 3M double-sided tape, or optionally can be firmly secured with screw.

I could hardly find this cargo net in most car accessories shops, and finally found and purchased it with Eneos at 1-Utama.

Toyota Avanza enhancement - wing mirrors with LED signal lamp

The original wing mirrors of Toyota Avanza does not come with LED signal lamp. Recently, this wing mirrors with LED signal lamp is made available as an optional accessory by UMW Toyota.



Similar products are also available in car accessories shops such as Brothers, JE Automart, etc.

Car compass on dashboard

I sticked this car compass on the dashboard of my car as a useful tool for navigating the direction, especially when driving in a new area.



Its liquid filled compass ball will rotate automatically to indicate the facing direction. It is a handy poor-man's navigator when GPS system is not available.

I rely to it quite a lot of time when driving inside housing area which I've never been before. By remembering the direction of the main road, I can always return back to the main road from the housing area later.

Toyota Avanza enhancement - rear bumper step guard

The rear bumper step guard for Toyota Avanza is an essential shield against unseemly scratches and scuffs from frequent loading and unloading. This blackie step guard also enhances the overall outlook of the car's rear view.



You can get this rear bumper step guard from most car accessories shops, including Brothers, JE Automart, etc. Now, it is also available in UMW Toyota under the item named as "rear bumper protector".

Toyota Avanza enhancement - D-pillar reflector

To further accentuated the rear profile of your Toyota Avanza, you can install reflector onto its D-pillars.



This will make the car's high body become even more visible, especially at night or in the rain. It will make the rear view of the car looks even nicer, as well as able to increase the safety factor from being accidentally "kissed" by the car behind.

You can get these D-pillar reflectors from car accessories shops, such as Brothers, JE Automart, etc. Now, it is available in UMW Toyota too.

Toyota Avanza enhancement - seat locking system

The Toyota Avanza 1.5 provides versatile seat configuration. Both its 2nd row seats are foldable, and of course, its 3rd row seat is also foldable.

It is found that once you fold down the seat, you need to slam it pretty hard to lock the seat back in place. If the seat is not locked back to the car floor properly, it might flip up when you step on the break of the car later.

A simple modification to the seat lock position can enable the car seat to hook back easily to its place. Now, instead of slamming the car seat to lock it in place, you just need to gentlely push it downwards, and it will hook back firmly with a "click" sound.

The trick is to lift the rod of the locking system a little bit higher with washers. You'll need 2 washers to lift each side of the rod. As there are altogether 3 foldable seats, you'll need a total of 6 washers for this modification.



Just unlock and remove the rod from the car floor, put the washer in, put back the rod, and fasten the nut. Then, test the position by locking the car seat.

Toyota Avanza enhancement - rubber door seals

If you ever sit in a Toyota Avanza with original specs, you might have noticed that its noise insulation is very poor. Noise from outside is pretty loud, especially when motocycles pass by. The feeling is as if the car window is not closed, although it is.

This problem is due to a gap of about 10 mm found between the door and the car body when the door is closed. All Toyota Avanza doors with the original grey colour seal will suffer with this problem, because that grey door seal does not have a ring part to fill up the 10 mm gap when the door is closed.

It is found that all the 4 doors of Toyota Avanza 1.3 model are using that grey door seal; whereas the 2 front doors of the 1.5 model are using another black colour rubber door seal which comes with the ring, while its 2 rear doors are still using the grey door seal. This means the 1.5 model already addressed and fixed half of the problem.

The solution:

• For 1.3 model, replace all the 4 grey door seals with the black rubber door seal with ring.


• For 1.5 model, replace the 2 grey door seals with the black rubber door seal with ring.

You can get the solution from AOCM at the cost of less than RM50 only (for 4 doors). The rubber door seals are also available in most car accessories shops. Once the rubber door seals are installed, the noise level in the Avanza cabin will be about the same as in other car makes.



You can get even better noise insulation by applying special insulating material inside the doors, but that will be another story.

Toyota Avanza enhancement - lights on alert

Have you ever experienced draining out your car battery due to forgetting to switch off your car headlights?

Today, many newer car models already come with a light on alert buzzer, which will sound and alert you whenever you turn off your car engine and trying to get out of the car with the headlights still turned on. With this, you will never forget to switch off the headlights and later having trouble to start the car engine with drained battery again.

Unfortunately, this light on alert is not found in the original factory make of both Toyota Avanza 1.3 and 1.5 models. Owners of Toyota Avanza need not be worried, because the solution can be found in AOCM and the total installation cost is less than RM50 only.

This light on alert modification requires a 12v DC 2-pole Type-A relay, a buzzer, some flat cable lugs, some wire cables, and PVC tape, and the same way of installation is applicable to both the Toyota Avanza 1.3 and 1.5 models. For the schematic diagram and more details, please refer to the AOCM forum.

Please beware that any modification done to the car has the tendency to void certain parts of the 3-years warranty from UMW Toyota.

Your camera handphone is handy in the car park

Most handphone comes with camera feature nowadays. You can make use of it to snap a picture of the location where you've parked your car in the car park, like these:



This will help you to remember the parking bay location of your car in the car park, especially in those big shopping malls. Now, you don't have to memorize the pillar number anymore, and shouldn't have trouble finding for your car in those big car parks again.

Check your driving license expiry date online

The Malaysian Road Transport Department aka Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) provides an online service for us to check for our driving license expiry date with their web portal.

To my surprise, that website has a domain name of portal.jpj.gov.my but it doesn't work, so we have to access it using its IP address of 202.190.64.96. Pretty weird.

Here is the complete URL for you to check for your driving license expiry online:
http://202.190.64.96/v5/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=74

It is pretty simple and straightforward to use. Most importantly, its data is pretty up-to-date.

Check for blacklist status with PDRM and JPJ

If you haven't settled the fines in traffic offence summons issued by Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM) after a specific period of time, you might not be able to renew the road tax of your vehicle until you removed yourself from the blacklist by settling the fines.

Here is the website that you can check for the blacklist status of yourself or your vehicle with PDRM or JPJ:

http://www.jpj.gov.my/blacklist/

Click on the PDRM crest to check in the PDRM's blacklist system, and click on the JPJ crest to check in JPJ's system. They should be linked up, so the result should be the same.

Tint film with safety and security features

Most people in Malaysia has installed tint film for their car to battle against the hot sun. My car is installed with Armorcoat security tint film for RM1xxx by the Tint Shop.



This tint film is comparable to V-Kool standard in terms of heat repellent, also comes with 5 years warranty, and is quite transparent to also meets the JPJ's light penetration requirement.

If you are considering tinting your car, it is wise to consider for the additional safety and security feature too. With the security tint film, people can only break the window in certain way using certain type of device. Your windows will be pretty robust and unbreakable by helmet, hammer, throwing stone, etc. And with its safety feature, even if the window glass is broken, the pieces will remain sticking on the film, instead of scattering all over and might injure people sitting in the car.

The minimum acceptable robustness of car security film is 4 mil (100 micron). An 8 mil (200 micron) security film can withstand most kind of impacts. If it is 20 mil and above, your windows can be bulletproof.

How you disconnect and reconnect car battery terminals?

Have you ever bother about the right sequence to disconnect and reconnect the battery in your car? We need to do this when changing battery, installing gadgets such as voltage stabilizer, grounding cables, etc.

The right sequence to disconnect the cable from the battery terminals is:
1. Disconnect the -ve terminal first
2. Disconnect the +ve terminal then

To reconnect the cable to the battery terminals:
3. Reconnect the +ve terminal first
4. Reconnect the -ve terminal last

If it is done in wrong sequence, there is a chance of short circuit when the disconnected terminal accidentally touches the metal part of the car body, and there is possibility that sensitive electronic equipments in the car could be damaged.

There exist something called a "memory keeper" to be plugged into lighter socket, which will help you to keep the setting of radio, clock, etc. for a short period of time, while the battery is temporary disconnected.

Tracking your Touch 'n Go usage online

Using the Touch 'n Go card is convenient when passing the tolls, you don't have to prepare for the cash, and it supposed to be faster than manual transaction too. But using Touch 'n Go does not produce receipt at the toll.

In fact, you can track for your Touch 'n Go usage online. From the online statement, you can know about the transactions and amount you have paid to the tolls, location of the tolls you passed through, the reload transactions, and your balance in the card.

If your company accepts the print-out from this Touch 'n Go online statement as alternative to toll receipts for you to claim for travelling reimbursement, you can then use the Touch 'n Go lane of the tolls even while travelling for business.

You can click here to go to Touch 'n Go e-Statement page.

AOCM - A friendly and resourceful automotive club for Toyota Avanza owners

Before I made the booking and then purchased my Toyota Avanza 1.5G last year, I did quite a lot of researches about the goods and bads of the car. It is this Avanza Owners' Club Malaysia or AOCM which helped me made up my mind for the final decision.

For the price of around RM70k, which is close to RM10k cheaper than Toyota Vios 1.5 and Honda City 1.5, this car has a lot of impressive features. So far the Toyota Avanza assembled in Perodua's plant is still the cheapest 7-seater MPV in Malaysia. Its seating position gives a good clearance view of the road. It has versatile seat configuration. It's 3SZ-VE DOHC VVT-i engine performs well when carrying 7 adults with luggages. Its 3rd row seat can really sit in 2 adults or 3 children pretty comfortably. It has dedicated air-cond blowers for 2nd and 3rd row seats. During my time of purchase, it come with a free Sony 32" LCD TV or free Aerokit too. In short, it is valued for money.

However, we all aware that this car has some shortcomings too. People find it bouncy, noise insulation is poor, etc. For all those shortcomings, AOCM always has good workaround solution.

If you plan to buy an Avanza, or you are already Avanza owner, and you are not AOCM member yet, do pay a visit to http://www.avanzamalaysia.com/. You can join in free of charge. We have regular technical talks (TT) meetup session every month. This club is really resourceful with knowledgeable sifu, and the members are always ready to help up each other.

I'll tell you what I have learned from the sifu in AOCM and the practical improvements made to my Avanza in the upcoming posts.