How much fuel cost can electric vehicle (EV) save compared with petrol car?

Electric vehicle (EV) has been steadily trending in the automotive talk-about nowadays.

The key selling points of EV cars being:

• Environmental friendly
• Fuel cost saving
• No need to periodically change engine oil

While the "environmental friendly" argument is widely debatable, as the generation of electricity at power plant, and the production as well as the disposal of rechargeable batteries, might not be as "clean" as you think, the statements of cost-saving in fuel and engine oil are no doubt for EV cars.

Let's do some calculations on how much driving an EV car can save compared with driving a petrol car.

City driving of a typical 1.5cc~1.6cc petrol car consumes 1 litre of petrol for a journey distance around 12km. That will be 8.33 litres per 100km.

With this assumption, we can come out with the petrol car's fuel expenses on both RON 95 and RON 97 respectively.

A typical EV car will use up 16~17 kWh of battery power per 100km. During charging, there will be around 10% of energy lost. Let's take 18 kWh/100km for our calculation.

The electricity cost in the calculation above is based on the current residential rate. If you charge your EV car with charging station or using commercial/industrial electricity, you will need to work out your own calculation.

As the TNB tariff is accumulative based on electricity consumption bands, and charging of EV car is considered as additional electricity consumption to the household, we take the TNB rate at the highest consumption band. For example, if your household electricity consumption including charging of EV car falls under the band of 301~600 kWh, your EV car charging cost will be 51.6 sen/kWh.

From the 2 tables above, we can further calculate the amount of fuel savings of EV car compared with car using RON 95 petrol and RON 97 petrol respectively:

From here, we can observe that the fuel cost savings of EV car to RON 95 is not much. You can probably save around RM10~20 for each 1000km.

If you compare with those cars that pump RON 97 petrol, the savings is a little bit more, at RM80~90 for each 1000km.

Anyhow, there are still additional savings from fewer maintenance needed, and no cost for engine oil replacement.

However, there are also additional considerations on:

• Depreciation and lost of second-hand value
• Battery replacement cost when the time has come

Which models of car can you afford with your monthly fixed income?

Have you ever made a simple evaluation on which models of car can you afford with your monthly fixed income?

Or, in other words, if you already have a car model that you want to buy, how much salary do you need to earn so that you can pay for its monthly loan instalment without too much financial stress?

I recently shared a simple evaluation result in the Little Red Book (a.k.a. Xiao Hong Shu) and have received overwhelming likes and discussions on that article.

Now, I've decided to share the same piece of information here, in English, with my fellow readers on this blog.

The formula is pretty simple: your monthly car instalment should not exceed 1/3 (one-third) of your net monthly fixed income. 33.33% should be the maximum level you can go, which is also a level that you can most probably secure a hire purchase loan from the bank without much problem. Of course, if you can lower this proportion to 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, or even 5%, you will be even more healthy in your monthly cash flow.

With that, with can then calculate the corresponding car price. From the car price, we will know which models of car can you afford.

Here is the result:

Assumptions and conditions:

• Net income = Salary - EPF contribution - SOCSO - EIS - income tax PCB
• Employee's portion of EPF contribution = 11%. Although currently the employee can opt to contribute only 9% monthly to EPF, we use the normal rate at 11% for this budgeting purpose.
• Car loan instalment upper limit = 1/3 of net income
• Car loan assumption: taking 90% loan, at interest rate of 3.5%, 7 years instalment plan.
• Car price (the 4th column in the table) is calculated based on the assumptions and conditions above.
• Car model is the lowest specs new car model with current market price near to the car price in the 4th column. In other words, you are affordable to buy the models in the same row and also those in all the rows above it.

It is quite impossible to list out all the car models, so the more popular models are listed here. Base on the information in the tables above, you should be able to easily match with those non-listed car models as well.

Note that most financial institutions in Malaysia have a policy to only approve car loan with monthly instalment of RM500 and above. You are unlikely to get a car loan with monthly instalment that is less than RM500.

As such, it is very difficult for those with salary below RM2,000 to buy a car without a loan guarantor.

Also note that, if you are targeting the car model listed in the same row with your salary range, you are pushing your monthly cash flow to a limit. You might be more financially comfortable to target for car model that is 2 to 3 rows above your salary range in the tables above.

You might probably be interested to also read about:

• How much housing loan can you afford with your monthly fixed income?
• Which handphone can you buy with your monthly fixed income?

My Hericaine Twister R-6053 rechargeable portable dry and wet vacuum cleaner

It seems that vacuum cleaners nowadays have become more and more portable, light-weight, and more importantly affordable.

My Hericaine Twister R-6053 rechargeable portable dry and wet vacuum cleaner just cost me slightly above RM50 only, with full set of necessary components, and even with a 30cm x 30cm microfibre mopping cloth as free gift (not in the photo).

I like its carrying bag, which can store all of its components, making it very easy to store and to carry along. Everything in the photo above just has a total weight of less than 1kg.

I use this to vacuum my car, as well as tabletops, cupboards, cabinets, keyboards, desktop rig (outside and inside), printer, screens, corners, air-cond outlets, etc.

It is pretty small in size, and it operates with its own rechargeable battery without any power cord, making it easy to reach out to any place and any corner that you want to vacuum.

Upon full charge, it can operate up to 30 minutes. Its recharging time is quite long though, taking about 3 hours for a full recharge.

It has a pretty decent suction power of 3200kpa, able to suck in items such as paper clips and even small coins without much problem.

I like its wet vacuuming capability, enabling you to suck away spilled water on cushion, for example.

Its HEPA filter is washable and reusable. This HEPA filter is also sold as replacement item at the cost of around RM13.

Caltex RM5 cashback with CaltexGO pump-and-go mobile app

As you might have been aware, Caltex Malaysia has recently introduced the CaltexGO pump-and-go mobile app, available in Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Apparently, it is the same CaltexGO mobile app already in used in Caltex Singapore and Caltex Thailand for the same purpose of enabling contactless and cashless petrol refueling at their petrol station.

This is an enhancement to the existing Caltax tap, pump and go system, which you need to slot in your JOURNEY card to collect BPoints, then tap your credit card or debit card at the petrol pump terminal to refuel your vehicle.

Now, with the CaltexGO mobile app, you can bind your JOURNEY card and your credit/debit card with your user account, and you can refuel your vehicle at Caltex petrol station even without bringing those cards along with you.

CaltexGO will auto-detect the Caltex petrol station you are located at with your mobile phone GPS location detection service. You just need to enter your petrol pump terminal number into the app, then lift the petrol pump and start refueling. When you put back the pump to the terminal, your bill will be instantly generated, and you just tap a confirm button to pay for it. Your JOURNEY card loyalty points will be automatically credited too.

Currently CaltexGO in Malaysia only support VISA or Mastercard credit card or debit card. Hopefully e-wallets will be included too in the future.

As a welcome offer to encourage usage of CaltexGO mobile app, Caltex Malaysia is currently giving out RM5 cashback for petrol refueling of RM30 and above, until 31st December 2021.

Your RM5 cashback will be automatically used during your next petrol refueling of RM30 and above at Caltex station using CaltexGO. You will see it as "promotion discount" in your bill, as shown above. Your bills are paperless and stored in your app, so you can always track back your historical petrol refueling transactions in Caltex station.

This means that you will not immediately get the RM5 cashback during your first time using CaltexGO to pump petrol of RM30 and above. The next time and all subsequent times you do the same, you will get the RM5 cashback automatically, until the end of promotion period on 31st December 2021.

RM5 is equivalent to 16.67% of RM30, which is a pretty good offer, isn't it?

Repaired scratch on touchscreen HVAC surface with Polywatch scratch remover cream

Having a touchscreen HVAC control panel in your car might look cool, but the touchscreen is vulnerable to accidental scratches too.

One day after a car wash, I found an obstructive scratch on my car's touchscreen HVAC control panel.

How to remove the scratch line and restore the touchscreen surface to be as smooth as before? I found the German-made Polywatch scratch remover cream to be a good solution.

The Polywatch cream looks like toothpaste, and comes in tiny 5 grams volume. But that amount of cream is enough for it to be applied multiple times.

I think it is named as Polywatch because it is originally formulated to polish and remove scratches on watch surface. In fact, it can be used to remove fine line scratches on smooth glass, acrylic and plastic surfaces. It works especially well with plastic surface.

It can magically eliminate tiny scratches and restore the surface to be as smooth as before. However, it might not work too well for deep scratches.

Polywatch works by slightly dissolving and grinding down the target surface to smooth the edges of the scratch and fill the gaps with the dissolved material, therefore restoring it to unscratch condition.

Using Polywatch is pretty easy. Just clean the target surface, make it dry and dust free, apply some Polywatch cream on the scratch, and polish it with a piece of microfibre cloth or cotton wool.

If you are facing similar problem of having obstructive scratches on glass, acrylic or plastic surfaces, you might give Polywatch a try.

Online check your car current market value and NCD information for free

When it is able the time to renew your car insurance and road tax, you might want to check for the latest market value of your car, and also confirm its entitled No Claims Discount (NCD) percentage for the upcoming car insurance policy.

MyCarInfo website provides a reliable source for you to check for such information, for free.

You can click here to check for the current market value of a car in Malaysia, by providing the following information to do the search at the website:

• Year manufactured
• Make / brand
• Model
• Engine CC
• Transmission type
• Variant-series

The result shown includes:

• National Vehicle Identification Code (NVIC)
• Vehicle description
• Market value
• Valuation date

And you can click here to check for the next NCD percentage entitled to your car insurance policy, by providing the following information to do the search at the website:

• Vehicle registration number
• The owner's NRIC number

The result shown includes:

• Next NCD percentage
• Next NCD effective date
• Current policy period of cover
• Current NCD percentage
• Current NCD effective date

You can also click here to check for the name of your current car insurer company.

The result shown includes:

• Insurer
• Type of cover
• Policy status

With the information acquired above, you can now visit to another website called CarBase.my to estimate for your next car insurance premium amount need to be paid.

Click here to go to the online car insurance calculator webpage.

Renting a Medklinn air ionizer instead of buying it

Among the many air and surface sterilizing products in the market, Medklinn ionizer has been proven effective in sterilizing the air and surface around it by killing the bacteria and viruses,  as well as eliminating allergens, bad odours, smoke, dust, moulds and pollution.

Recently, Medklinn has started to provide renting as an option to use their air ionizer, other than buying it.

Benefits of renting instead of buying:

• You can terminate the rental after a minimum 3 months period. This enables you to try out the product with small cost, after that, you may opt to continue or terminate the renting. Upon termination, you can opt to buy a brand new product, or just discontinue using the product.
• You will get 1-to-1 replacement for faulty, malfunction or damaged unit, provided it is not intentionally damaged.
• You will get free cartridge replacement every year, until the end of rental period after 3 years.

Disbenefit of renting instead of buying:

• After 3 years, when the rental period is completed, you need to return the unit to Medklinn.
• The total cost of using the unit with renting for 3 years is higher than buying the product and buying new replacement cartridge every year.

Other considerations:

• The warranty period of Medklinn product is 15 months, after you register your bought product in their website. By renting, you effectively extend the warranty period of your product to 36 months.
• Normally, Medklinn will come out with new model every 2-3 years. By renting, you can always use the latest model of the product. Even if you buy and keep the product, being an electronic product, it will still have a lifespan and will degrade from year to year.
• If you buy the product, certain credit card allows you to split the cost to 12 months installment. If you rent the product, your credit card will be charged at a relatively smaller amount every month for 36 months.

For the case of Medklinn Asens+20 indoor ionizer:

If you opt for buying, the cost is:

• Medklinn Asens+20 = RM560
• 2x cartridge = 2 x RM139 = RM278

Total cost (3 years) = RM838

If you opt for renting, the cost is:

• 1st year = 12 x RM36 = RM432
• 2nd year = 12 x RM25 = RM300
• 3rd year = 12 x RM16 = RM192
• 2x cartridge = RM0

Total cost (3 years) = RM924

Different between renting and buying = RM86

For the case of Medklinn Autoplus car ionizer:

If you opt for buying, the cost is:

• Medklinn Autoplus = RM439
• 2x cartridge = 2 x RM90 = RM180

Total cost (3 years) = RM619

If you opt for renting, the cost is:

• 1st year = 12 x RM26 = RM312
• 2nd year = 12 x RM19 = RM228
• 3rd year = 12 x RM13 = RM156
• 2x cartridge = RM0

Total cost (3 years) = RM696

Different between renting and buying = RM77

So, which option is better for you? You decide yourself.

Huawei/Honor car charger comparison - AP31 vs CP31 vs AP38 vs AP38C vs CP37 vs CP39S

Huawei produces several models of car charger under its own Huawei or Honor brand. Different model of the car charger looks about the same, but their maximum charging output is different, and their price is different too.

Let's take a look on their differences, so that if you want to buy one, you could buy the correct model at the right price tag.

Huawei CP39S

Technology: SuperCharge wireless
Maximum power output: 27W
15-layers safety protection
You won't get this wrong, as this model is a wireless charger which looks different from the other models. It can only charge handphones that support wireless charging, such as Huawei P20 Pro, P30 Pro, Mate 20 Pro, Mate 30 Pro 5G, Mate RS, Mate 20 RS, Mate 20 X, etc.


Huawei CP37

Technology: SuperCharge 2.0
Maximum power output: 40W
12-layers safety protection
Charging USB #1: 5V2A
Charging USB #2: 10V4A max


Huawei AP38

Technology: SuperCharge
Maximum power output: 27.5W
Charging USB #1: 5V1A
Charging USB #2: 4.5V5A / 9V2A
5-layers safety protection
This is the same as Honor AP38C, but under Huawei brand.


Honor AP38C

Technology: SuperCharge
Maximum power output: 27.5W
Charging USB #1: 5V1A
Charging USB #2: 4.5V5A / 9V2A
5-layers safety protection
This is the same as Huawei AP38, but under Honor brand.


Huawei CP31

Technology: QuickCharge
Power output: 18W + 5W
Charging USB #1: 9V2A
Charging USB #2: 5V1A
5-layers safety protection
This is the same as Honor AP31, but under Huawei brand.


Honor AP31

Technology: QuickCharge
Power output: 18W + 5W
Charging USB #1: 9V2A
Charging USB #2: 5V1A
5-layers safety protection
This is the same as Huawei CP31, but under Honor brand.

Upgraded Honda City stock Goodyear Excellence 185/55R16 tyres to Michelin Energy XM2 Plus

The stock Goodyear Excellence 185/55R16 tyres of my Honda City had worn out by 70%, and I had shortlisted the following 3 models as their replacement:

• Michelin Energy XM2 Plus
• Goodyear Assurance Triplemax 2
• Continental UltraContact UC6

Before I was able to made up my mind, one of my tyres was found to have a nail poked in it, so I was forced to replace them a little bit earlier than my planned date.

The tyre shop informed me that they didn't have stock that fit with the wheel size of my car for some of the brands, and I ended up taking Michelin Energy XM2 Plus to be the replacement.

When looking for new tyre, I look for the following 4 criteria: cost, comfort, performance and lifespan.

Cost

This Michelin Energy XM2 Plus costed me RM200 each (including installation), which is within my budget.

There are of course better tyres with higher cost, which are beyond my selection.

Comfort

This Michelin Energy XM2 Plus is apparently softer than the stock Goodyear Excellent. The car is now less stiff when crossing road bumps, and also less road noise produced when running on the road, especially on cemented road.

Performance

Handling and traction is pretty good. Braking is very responsive. I haven't tried braking on water surface yet, as there is still no raining since I changed the tyres.

Lifespan

This tyre is made with full silica thread compound, which is said to have longer lifespan than rubber tyres. It is advertised to be able to last for over 100,000km mileage. Michelin provides a 6 years manufacturer warranty to it.

This means that as long as it is not poked by nail or damaged by accident, I can expect to use it for many years.

All in all, I am pretty satisfied with this Michelin Energy XM2 Plus tyre. It is value for money and performing up to expectation.

Can you park at reserved roadside parking bay after business hours?

Vacant roadside parking is very difficult to be found nowadays. Sometimes when you are able to find a vacant one, the parking bay is marked in red paint instead of yellow or white, indicating that it is a rented as reserved parking space by the city council to possibly the shop right in front of the bay.

If you arrived there after business hours (early in the morning or late at night), or during weekends or public holidays, you might wonder can you park your car at that "reserved" parking bay as legally allowed by the city council?

The answer is YES because the reserved parking bays are rented during specific working hours only, and is free for any car parking outside the rental hours.

The reserved parking time slot of those parking bays marked in red paint is usually following the same time slot which the city council is collecting parking fee for the other roadside parking bays.

For Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the reserved time is from 7.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Saturday, except public holidays.

For Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), the reserved time is from 8.00am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

For Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ), the reserved time is from 8.00am to 10.00pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays. However, MBSJ is also renting out a kind of reserved parking at higher rental price, which include reserved time during weekends and public holidays.

Normally, when you see the shop in front of the reserved parking bay is closed, and the time is outside the reserved hours, it is safe for you to park at that parking lot.

Anybody who illegally blocking a public parking bay, including those "reserved" parking bays outside their rental hours, is an act against the law and can be fined for penalty by the city council.

Anyhow, if there is any argument, normal citizens should not take the law into your own hands, and should report the case to the city council instead.

Using handphone to pay Selangor & KL street parking and parking compound with Smart Selangor Parking mobile app

The traditional ways of paying street parking to municipal council is no doubt inconvenient, be it using the parking meter or parking coupon.

Using parking meter means you need to get ready some shillings, park your car, find and walk to the parking meter, feed the parking meter, print out the receipt, walk back to your car and display the receipt on your car's dashboard.

If you need extra time, you have to wait until the parking period on the receipt is about to expire, then rush to the parking meter, feed it and print out another receipt to be displayed on your car's dashboard.

Using parking coupon means you need to buy the coupon from its sales agent, estimate your parking time, scratch the parking coupon(s) after you parked your car, and display the coupon(s) on your car's dashboard.

If you need extra time, you have to walk back to your car, scratch additional coupon(s) and display them on your car's dashboard.

With the initiative from Smart Selangor Delivery Unit (SSDU), now you can pay for street parking in Selangor state as well as in Kuala Lumpur area by using their Smart Selangor Parking mobile app, available for download in Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

In addition, you can also pay for parking summon compound in Selangor state and Kuala Lumpur area using the same mobile app.

Although the user interface of this Smart Selangor Parking app is quite ugly looking, it is indeed a very handy app for you to pay street parking and parking compound in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. You can use it to monitor the remaining time before your parking period expire, and use it to extend your parking period with ease too!

This app supports payment to multiple councils in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, and it is able to detect your location and automatically decide which council you should pay your parking to.

The supported councils are:

• Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ)
• Majlis Perbandaran Kajang (MPKJ)
• Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK, newly added recently)
• Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ)
• Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor (MDKS)
• Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS)
• Majlis Perbandaran Sepang (MPSepang)
• Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA)
• Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ)
• Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL)

Before using the app to make payment, you need to reload it in a similar way you reload other e-wallets in your phone. Note that the money you loaded into the Smart Selangor Parking app cannot be withdrawn at this moment, so it is not recommended to load too much money into it.

Then you need to register your car number plate in the app. You can in fact register up to 10 number plates under one user account in this app, and select which car number plate to pay for the parking when you use it to make parking payment.

Despite there are still many rooms for improvement in this app, I still strongly recommend it to car owners in Klang Valley area, as it is really very convenient to pay for the parking.

Car seat gap filler pad

Have you ever dropped small items such as coins, payment card, handphone, power bank, key, pen, paper, snacks, etc. through the gap between your front car seats and the center console?

Searching and retrieving for such small items underneath your car seat is a mess. What if you are still driving?

The car seat gap filler pad is a brilliant innovation to use soft material padding to fill up the gap, therefore preventing such small items from falling into the gap again.

It is pretty simple in design, very easy and straightforward to install.

When you purchase the car seat gap filler pad, choose the longer one (48cm or more) with elegant PU leather surface. It costs around RM10 each. Normally you need two, one for the driver side, and another for the front passenger side.

This is how they looks like after installation in my car.

Comparing Amaron Go / Hi-Life / Pro car batteries of NS40 NS60 NS70

We learnt about how to choose a better maintenance free car battery earlier on, and understood the various terms such as:

• Size
• Performance rating
• Amp Hour (AH) value
• Reserve Capacity (RC) value
• Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)

With the above knowledge, now we can compare the Amaron brand car batteries, with additional information such as their respective warranty period and indicative price.

Amaron batteries sold in Malaysia are divided into 3 series: Go (economy), Hi-Life (world-renowned) and Hi-Life Pro (ultimate).

Their differences in terms of AH, RC, CCA, weight, warranty period and price are shown in the tables below.

Amaron NS40 batteries:

Amaron NS60 batteries:

Amaron NS70 batteries:

The 3 tables above are courtesy from Big Battery.my.

In general, if there is sufficient space in the battery compartment of your car, and your car is using an NS40 battery, it can be upgraded to NS60 battery. The same goes for cars that are using NS60 battery to upgrade to NS70 battery.

Normally, upgrading to a larger size battery will give you better AH, RC and CCA values, in exchange for heavier weight and more expensive price.

However, for the case of Amaron brand of battery, you need to also look into the different series of the battery as well. For example, the Amaron NS40 Hi-Life series is comparable to the Amaron NS60 Go series, with identical RC value and much better CCA value.

Anyhow, upgrading from Amaron NS40 to NS60, or from Amaron NS60 to NS70, of the same series (eg. NS40 Hi-Life to NS-60 Hi-Life) will give you improvement in all the AH, RC and CCA values, and the price difference between NS40 and NS60 of the same series is not much.

Hope that this piece of information is able to help you to make up your mind with which model specs of battery you want to choose the next time you want to change your car battery, and you've decided to go after the Amaron brand.

How to choose a better maintenance free car battery

Car battery is a consumable product that will eventually fail over time. When we say a better car battery, the most important point is that it can last longer and degrade slower.

Below are some of the criteria to look for in selecting a better car battery.

1. Brand

The lifespan of battery is affected by high temperature. Certain brand of battery is manufactured for use in hot equatorial areas, such as Amaron, Exide, etc.

 

2. Size

The battery for normal passenger car is normally of NS40, NS60 or NS70. NS60 is more powerful than NS40, and NS70 is more powerful than NS60.

However, choosing the right size of battery that match with your car's alternator is important. If you car's alternator is generating smaller current and designed to work with NS40 type of battery, it is better for you to stick to NS40 or at most upgrade to NS60 but not beyond.

This is because if the charge supplied from alternator is not sufficient to make the battery fully charged, the battery will suffer premature death and therefore has a shorter life span.

In addition, bigger battery will cause heavier workload to the alternator, which might also reduce the life span of the alternator.

Regardless of the size of the battery, if the charging system is unstable, the battery will die fast.


3. Performance Rating

A battery number looks like this: 46B24L

The first 2 digit is its overall performance rating. The higher the better.

The alphabet after the first 2 digit is an indicator of the battery's width and height. This alphabet can be from A to H. Smaller alphabet indicates smaller width and height.

The number after the alphabet is its length in centimeter. For the battery number 46B24L, its length is 24cm.

The final alphabet indicates the position of its positive terminal. L means it is on the left, and R means it is on the right.



4. Amp Hour (AH)

Amp Hour is an indicator of how much energy is stored in a battery.

It is the energy a 12 volts battery can deliver continuously for 20 hours (C20) at 80°F (26.7°C) without falling below 10.5 volts.

The state when the battery's energy fall below 1.75 volts per cell (or 10.5 volts in a 6-cells 12 volts battery) is considered as "fully discharged".

There are several C-rating given to the batteries in relation to its AH, by giving the battery a specific load to discharge:

• C3 means the battery will be fully discharged over a period of 3 hours.
• C5 means the battery will be fully discharged over a period of 5 hours.
• C8 means the battery will be fully discharged over a period of 8 hours.
• C10 means the battery will be fully discharged over a period of 10 hours.
• C20 means the battery will be fully discharged over a period of 20 hours.
• C100 means the battery will be fully discharged over a period of 100 hours.

In normal practice, C20 is used to measure the AH of vehicle batteries.

The AH value among batteries with same size varies, and you should look for the one with higher AH value.


5. Reserve Capacity (RC)

RC is a general indicator of how long a fully charged new battery can continue to operate the vehicle's essential accessories when the alternator or fan belt fails.

It identifies how many minutes the battery can deliver a constant current of 25 amps at 80°F (26.7°C) without falling below the minimum voltage of 1.75 volts per cell in order to keep the vehicle running.

The higher the RC rating, the longer your vehicle can operate in the event your alternator or fan belt is faulty.


6. Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)

CCA is a rating used to define the battery's ability to start an engine in cold temperatures. It refers to the number of amps a 12-volt battery can deliver at 0°F (-17.8°C) for 30 seconds while maintaining a voltage of at least 7.2 volts.

The higher the CCA rating, the greater the starting power of the battery.

Battery starting power deteriorates as the battery ages. Therefore, a battery with higher starting power should give you more confidence over time.

Replacing a battery with one that has a lower CCA than the original may result in poor performance.


7. Price

Normally, the branded battery that suit with your car's alternator, with high performance rating, high AH, high RC and high CCA, will also come with a high price tag.

As such, you might want to strike a balance between the battery's price and its performance. Choose the above average battery, and it can probably last for at least 2 years.

My UGREEN LP144 gravity handphone holder for car CD/DVD slot

Handphone holder (a.k.a. phone cradle) is a very handy and useful gadget when we want to hold our phone in our car at eye level.

One of the common use case is when we use our handphone for navigation on Google Map, or Waze, or some other similar navigation apps.

There are generally 5 types of handphone holders available in the market:

• CD/DVD player slot holding type
• Air-cond vent fin clipping type
• Suction mount type which attached onto the windscreen
• Standing type putting on top of the car front panel
• Rearview mirror attaching type

I would recommend the first 2 types, because they can take advantage of your car aircond blowing to cool down your phone. If you attach your phone onto the windscreen or put it on top of the car front panel, the sunlight will heat it up to a high temperature, which is unfavourable to the phone and its Li-ion battery.

Depends on the design of your car front panel, you can choose the more popular air-cond vent fin clipping type, or the CD/DVD player slot holding type.

My UGREEN LP144  gravity handphone holder of car CD/DVD slot holding type costs at RM20++ and has a simple packaging.

This is how it looks like (front and back).

 

As you can see from the picture, it has 3 rubber pads to be inserted into the car CD/DVD slot to hold it firmly. The big button at the back of the center rubber pad is used to align the rubber pads for insertion and removal.

This handphone holder can still be used even when there is CD/DVD inside the player. It would not affect the CD/DVD playing.

I have chosen it because of its special 3 arms design, whereby when the lower arm is pulled down, the left and right arms will contract. When you slot in your phone, the weight of the phone will pull down the lower arm, forming a strong grip by the side arms.

As such, it can hold your phone firmly, and you don't need to be worried about the phone fall off the holder when you are driving on bumpy road.

This holder can fit for handphones with width up to about 8.3cm. If the phone is too large (for example, the Huawei Mate 20 X with width of 8.54cm), then might not be able to fit in.

For my car, the phone is sitting at the position just nice to be cooled by the air-cond behind it.

The only thing I dislike about this product is that, it will produce rattling sound when you are driving on uneven road, and there is no phone put on it. This is caused by its plastic arms knocking onto the center part and producing the noise. Anyhow, this problem does not exist when there is a phone put on it.

If the manufacturer can enhance its design by putting a layer of thin soft sponge at the knocking points which produces the noise, then it will be a perfect product.

Register to get Touch n Go RFID tag for free with RM8/RM10 e-Wallet value and also 20% toll fee rebate

Have you become a Touch n Go RFID tag pilot user? The free registration is opened now with limited slots available.

By following the method below, you will be able to get all these for free:

• Touch n Go RFID tag affixed to your car
• RM8/RM10 e-Wallet value through free reload PIN code
• 20% toll fee rebate when using the RFID at participating tolls

In order to participate in this campaign, it is compulsory for you to be:

• A smartphone (either Android or iPhone) user with non-rooted / not jail-broken phone.
• A private car owner with the car ownership registered in Malaysia under your name.

The steps are as follow:


Step 1: Download and install Touch n Go e-Wallet app into your phone.

If you are reading this article with your smartphone, just tap here to download and install the Touch n Go e-Wallet app into your phone.

Else way, proceed to search for Touch n Go e-Wallet app in the app store and install it. During initial setup of the app, using this as referral code: m4sxxm

It is very important for you to use a valid referral code (either use mine, or any valid referral code from your friend or family member) to get 5 times of 20% toll fee rebate later. If you don't specify any referral code, you will miss this goodie.


Step 2: Register online for your interest to be a Touch n Go RFID pilot user

You can click here to register for your interest to be a Touch n Go RFID pilot user. This link is only active while the allocated slots are still available.

It is most advisable for you to fill in the online form with your phone number which is the same with the phone that you have installed the Touch n Go e-Wallet app in Step 1 above.


Step 3: Wait for 2-3 days

After completed Step 2 above, you will probably receive an invitation email as below for you to proceed to register as Touch n Go RFID pilot user.

If you didn't receive any such email, you can still proceed to Step 4 and try your luck. As long as you can enter the online registration form with your phone number, then everything is OK. If you are unable to enter the online registration form with your phone number after 3 days from Step 2, you can contact with Touch n Go to check for the status.


Step 4: Submit the online registration form and make appointment for RFID tag installation

Click here or go to the webpage below to submit your online registration:

https://rfidregister.touchngo.com.my/#/woheader/login

Make sure all the information you provide is correct, particularly your car plate number.

At the end of the process, you can choose your nearest or most convenient RFID fitment center and make appointment by specifying a date and timeslot (morning or afternoon) for your RFID tag installation.

Click here for the updated list of fitment centers, including their address, Google Map / Waze location and opening hours.


Step 5: Bring your car to install the RFID tag at fitment center

During the appointment timeslot, bring your car and the following documents to your selected fitment center:

• Photocopy of your MyKAD or valid driving license (or valid passport - for foreigners only)
• Photocopy of your car registration card or valid car insurance cover notes

You'll need to submit the 2 documents above to the technician at the fitment center. He will need to login to an online system to complete your registration, as well as allocate an RFID tag for you that will link to your account in the system.

The RFID tag is in the form of a sticker.

The technician will first try to test for its signal reception with a device by putting the sticker on the left hand side of your car's windscreen. Then he will try a second location, which is on your car's left headlamp.

Based on the test result, the technician will then decide whether to attach the RFID tag on your windscreen or on your headlamp. It is very likely to get a stronger signal by installing the RFID tag on your headlamp.

The entire installation time, including the signal testing time, should be less than 5 minutes. If including the document submission and system key-in time, the whole process should be less than 30 minutes.


Step 6: Wait 1-2 days for RFID tag activation

You need to wait again for your RFID tag activation before it can be used. Normally it will take 1-2 working days.

Upon successful activation, you will be notified by SMS.

Don't worry if you don't receive any SMS notification after waited for 2 days. You can also check in the RFID section in your Touch n Go e-Wallet mobile app. If your RFID tag has been successfully activated, you will be able to see your car plate number there. Otherwise, you might want to contact with Touch n Go to check for the status.


Step 7: Get the RM8/RM10 reload pin and load the value into your e-Wallet

Before you complete this step, it is very important for you NOT to reload your e-Wallet with any credit card, debit card, or any other ways.

This is because your e-Wallet need to be virgin with zero transaction in order for you to successfully load this free RM8/RM10 reload into your e-Wallet.

There are plenty of places to get this free reload pin. If you get it from an agent, it probably carries a value of RM8. If you get it directly from Touch n Go, it probably carries a value of RM10.

Here are a few ways to get this free reload pin:

• Search the Internet to locate for agents who giving out the pin for free. You can find some inside Shopee online mall.
• If you are a registered Touch n Go card user, you probably have received a marketing email from Touch n Go with an RM10 e-Wallet reload pin code in the email.
• Visit to Touch n Go RFID kiosk, roadshow, etc. and you will have chance to be given an RM10 reload pin voucher for free.
• Visit to one of the Touch n Go participating merchants (the shops that accept Touch n Go e-Wallet as payment method) and you will have chance to be given an RM10 reload pin voucher for free.

Step 8: Reload your e-Wallet

Before you can use your Touch n Go RFID for toll payment, your linked e-Wallet need to have sufficient balance in it.

You can reload your e-Wallet with the free reload pin obtained from Step 7 above.

After that, you can also reload your e-Wallet using credit card, debit card, or purchase new reload pin from participating outlet.


Step 9: Use your RFID tag at participating tolls and get the 20% rebate instantly

Your RFID tag works in a way similar to Smart Tag. You just need to go through the RFID lane at the toll plaza. The toll fee will be deducted from your e-Wallet. If the highway is participating in the 20% rebate campaign, your e-Wallet will be receiving the 20% rebate in 1-2 minutes right after the toll payment.

Below are 2 of my usages at LDP. Notice that within 1 minute, I got the rebate in the form of cashback, so my effective LDP toll fee was RM2.10 - RM0.42 = RM1.68.

Step 10: Get more times of 20% toll fee rebate

Note that you will get 5 times usage of the 20% toll fee rebate at participating toll plaza if you have created your e-Wallet account using a referral code as stated in Step 1 above.

To get more times of the rebate, you can:

• Link your physical Touch n Go card with your e-Wallet account. I got additional 10 times with this.
• Invite your family members and friends to join this campaign with your own referral code, which you can find inside your e-Wallet app. You will receive additional 5 times at the same time when they received theirs for account activation.

No doubt that this is quite a tedious process, with many steps and requires some waiting days in-between the process. However, it worth a try to get the free RM8/RM10 reload and the 20% toll fee rebate.

Note: you can email this article or print it out for your easy reference with the corresponding AddThis button below. (Click the "View web version" link below if you can't see the AddThis buttons in mobile view)

Converting video files to be playable from USB drive in Toyota PX-3834A-I display audio head unit

The Toyota PX-3834A-I display audio is the stock DVD-AVX head unit of Toyota Vios 1.5L E/G variants.

It is able to play the following multimedia files in a USB thumb drive:

• Audio music in MP3 (*.mp3), WMA (*.wma) or AAC (*.m4a) format
• Video in XVID (*.avi or *.mp4) or MPEG (*.mpg) format
• Picture in JPEG (*.jpg) format

For audio files to be playable, they need to have a sample rate between 8,000 Hz to 48,000 Hz and bit rate between 16 kbps to 320 kbps.

For video files to be playable, they need to have a frame size of either 720x480 (4:3 NTSC) or 720x576 (5:4 PAL).

When the car parking handbrake is engaged, the video will display on the screen, otherwise, there will be a statement on screen saying that the video will not be displayed while driving, while the music in the video still continue playing. This is a safety feature so that the driver will focus on driving instead of watching video on the screen.

In order for any video to be playable in this Toyota PX-3834A-I head unit, the easiest way is to convert it into MPG format with the following custom settings:

 

 

Conversion can be done using a free software called Freemake Video Converter. Alternatively, you can also use another free software called Format Factory to do the conversion.

 

Benefits of Honda Insurance Plus (HIP) package compared with other insurers

Malaysia Honda car owners have the option to renew their car insurance with authorized Honda dealer under Honda Insurance Plus (HIP) package , or to renew it themselves with general insurance company.

The price of HIP is generally higher than other insurers. In addition, most general insurance company will give a 10% discount if you renew your car insurance with them online, using their website without going through any insurance agent.

Anyhow, below are the benefits of HIP compared with other insurers:

Underwriting Terms:

No excess clause up to 10 years. The insurance policy covers 100% of the cost of any accident repair to your Honda car.

Other insurers may impose excess or even decline based on age of vehicle, vehicle model, age of insured and/or claims history.


Agreed Value:

100% sum insured up to 10 years. The sum insured is based on purchase price for 1st year, and subsequently based on recommended Insurance Service Malaysia (ISM) valuation price.

100% pay-out for theft or total loss.

Other insurers' agreed value might be unconditional based on market value.


Betterment Charges:

HIP betterment charges for old car repairs up to 10 years:

• 1st to 10th year = 0%

Other insurers betterment charges for old car repairs:

• 1st to 4th year = 0%
• 5th year = 15%
• 6th year = 20%
• 7th year = 25%
• 8th year = 30%
• 9th year = 35%
• 10th year and above = 40%

Body & Parts Replacements:

Honda genuine body and parts replacements with 6 months warranty or 10,000km service warranty.


Road Assistance:

Round-trip free towing service up to 450km. Free labour for roadside repair service up to RM200 per event.

HIP 24/7 emergency assistance contact: 1800-18-1177.

Free towing service and/or roadside repair service varies among other insurers. Some may not be available.


Claim Approval:

Speedy claim approval for value under RM20,000 for the vehicle repaired at Honda Authorized Body & Paint Centre.

Other insurers follow standard claim procedure which may take up longer time.


Other Services:

• One stop centre
• Road tax renewal
• NCD withdrawal
• Policy cancellation to transfer NCD
• Issue cover note for change of engine / chasis / vehicle number
• Assist in issue cover note for the extension of period of cover
• Advice on the insurance rules & regulations

Which the insured might need to carry out the tasks by themselves if insured with other insurers.


However, HIP policy excludes the following:

• Own death or bodily injury
• Liability against claim from your passengers
• Theft of non-factory fitted vehicle accessories unless otherwise declared
• Consequential losses, depreciation, wear & tear, mechanical or technical breakdown failures
• Loss/damage arising from an act of nature

Also, when your vehicle is driven by an unnamed driver or a person who is under the age of 21 or a holder of a Provisional/Probation Driving License, the compulsory excess of RM400 is applicable in the event of claim.

High endurance microSD card suitable for use in car dashcam

If you have a car dashcam, you will need to install a microSD card in it to store its video recording and emergency photo taking.

Even though certain dashcams come with some amount of internal memory, the storage capacity of this internal memory just won't be enough, and you probably would not like to give your whole dashcam (instead of the microSD card only) as evidence for investigation in case it really captured some critical event that happened to your car.

Most people found that the microSD card installed in their dashcam is unable to last long and will be unusable within a few months of usage. Most memory card manufacturers also exclude warranty if they found out the memory card is used in dashcam. Why? Because ordinary memory cards are not designed to be used in tough working conditions in your dashcam.

What kind of tough working conditions for the memory card to work in your dashcam, which installed right behind your car windscreen?

• It will need to be able to endure the sunlight heat entering and developed in the car. At noon, when your car is parked in uncovered place, its cabin temperature can easily go above 35 degree Celsius (if you installed good window tint with high TSER value) , and can possibly go beyond 65 degree Celsius if your car is non-tinted and stays for long hours under hot sunlight.
• It will need to have high number of rewrite cycles for its lifespan. As you might aware, the electronic storage cells in the memory card has limited times of data rewrite. That is also the reason whereby disk defragmenting is highly discouraged for SSD hard disk as massive data rewrite will shorten its lifespan. Whenever your dashcam is working, it will keep on recording videos into your microSD card. If you are recording 1080p videos, it just takes a few hours to completely used up a 32 GB microSD card. When the microSD card is used up, older videos will be overwritten by new records, and the rewriting will occur.

Other than the above 2 essential conditions, the memory card used in your dashcam should also meet the following conditions:

• Shock and vibration proof - if it got damaged while writing data during accident shock, you will have difficulty retrieving what it had recorded.
• Water proof - what if the accident caused it to immerse in water?
• Class 10 - this is the minimum read/write speed required to smoothly record 1080p full HD video.

By the way, certain memory card manufacturers also include the following conditions, which I consider as "marketing gimmick" as it should be true for all flash memory cards:

• Magnetic proof - metal detector used for security scanning could induce magnetic field. Don't worry, only magnetic hard disk will be endangered by magnet. Flash memory should immune to magnet by nature. So, nothing to shout about.
• X-ray proof - x-ray is used for security scanning in airports. Flash memory should immune to X-ray as well. Nothing to shout about either.

Therefore, you need high endurance microSD card that can fulfil all of the above conditions to work in your car dashcam, to last for at least 24 months of operations, or a minimum of 5,000 hours of continuous 1080p full HD video recording.

The high endurance microSD card should have an operating temperature range of around -25ºC to 85 ºC and storage temperature range of around -40ºC to 85ºC.

Some of the available high endurance microSD cards in the market include:

• Sandisk high endurance video monitoring card
• Transcend high endurance MLC microSD card
• Silicon Power high endurance MLC microSD card
• Kingston Industrial Temperature microSD UHS-I
• Adata Premier Pro microSD UHS-I

The price of this kind of high endurance microSD card is much higher than ordinary microSD card. Among them, Sandisk high endurance video monitoring card has a relatively lower price, being a mid-range product of its kind. It has a 2 years warranty period which would not void even you use it in your dashcam.

How to determine a good car window tint film from TSER, UVR and VLT values?

The performance of car window tint film is generally determined by these 3 values:

• TSER - Total Solar Energy Rejected. This is the overall solar energy filtered by the film. The higher the TSER, the more heat from sun is blocked from entering into your car through its windscreens and windows.
• UVR - Ultraviolet Rejection. Ultraviolet rays can cause colour fading in upholstery and furnishings. It can also cause skin damage and skin cancer.
• VLT - Visible Light Transmission. This is determined by the darkness of the film. The darker the film, the lower its VLT will be. Note that JPJ has regulation for the minimum amount of VLT allowed for the tint film, so the VLT need to be equal or above the permitted value to abide to the regulation imposed. As VLT contributes quite a large portion of TSER, it will affect the TSER value pretty significantly.

Traditionally, many tint shops tend to use IRR (infra-red rejection) as an indicator, but the infra-red wavelength spectrum is very long and there is no standard of how much of the spectrum to be used to measure IRR, some products claim to have high IRR by measuring only a short portion of it right after the visible light spectrum, which does not have much meaning for the real heat rejection performance measurement. Therefore, unless the wavelength spectrum of IRR is clearly specified and the measurement is until 2,500 nm or more, otherwise this value can be neglected as TSER can provide a more meaningful value for consideration.

So, how to determine a tint film is good, moderate or poor, based on its TSER, UVR and VLT values?

First we look at VLT value, as it's minimum requirement is regulated in Malaysia. A good VLT value should be as low as possible (so that the TSER value will also be lower) but should not go below the JPJ standard. Otherwise, the enforcement officer may ask you to remove your tints from your windows due to violation of this regulation.

The minimum allowed VLT currently imposed by JPJ is as follow:

• Front windscreen: 70%
• Front side windows: 50%
• Rear side windows: 30%
• Rear windscreen: 30%

The MS2669:2017 standard has set the requirements for tint film for the following 3 tests:

• Solar test: VLT, UVT (opposite of UVR) and TSET (opposite of TSER).
• Weathering test: TSET/TSER value should be stable for a period of 5 years with less than 4% degradation. This is simulated with 1,000 hours shining from solar mercury lamp.
• Boil test: the tint film should not form bubbles under high temperature.

With reference to this MS2669:2017 standard, we can then determine the range of TSER and UVR which is considered to be good, moderate or marginal only.

TSER:

• Good: > 50%
• Moderate: 39% - 49.99%
• Marginal: 25% - 38.99%
• Failed: below 25%

UVR:

• Good: > 99.5%
• Moderate: 98.5% - 99.49%
• Marginal: 98% - 98.49%
• Failed: below 98%

Therefore, if you are looking for a good car window tint firm, you can look for those that meet the following realistic requirements:

• TSER: 56% - 62%
• UVR: 99.5% - 99.9%
• Front windscreen VLT: 70% - 75%
• Front side windows VLT: 50% - 60%
• Rear side windows VLT: 30% - 50%
• Rear windscreen VLT: 30% - 50%