Ipsum to Penang

Friday, 26th December 2008

This morning, we woke up with bored feeling. The kids have been down with chicken pox for several days now. We have stayed at home since they had them. The kids were kind of feeling it too from their behaviour.

With no accommodation booking, we decided to drive leisurely to Penang. I filled the Ipsum up at Jalan Skudai, Johor with Shell Super (the usual Shell Regular that I use not being sold there), and tyres to 230 inflation (the manufacturer's recommended figure).

The Ipsum was comfortable. I had no backache or felt tired when I arrived in Penang. The tension only built up when we were looking for a hotel room. Since it was school holiday, many hotels were fully booked. We stayed at Traders Hotel. The hotel situated beside the tallest tower in Penang - the KOMTAR.

I only wished that the Ipsum is equipped with cruise control and better audio system.

I did filled up at Damansara R&R, the Ipsum did 11.4 km per litre of petrol. Not bad for an MPV travelling leisurely usually at 110 km/h, both the aircond blowers were on with automatic temperature control set at around 26 degree celcius. The weather was hot. The traffic was smooth.

We started the journey around 10 am from JB Town Centre, made a quick stop at UTHO, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat for about 45 minutes and then straight to Georgetown. We arrived around 7.30 pm.

Shahrul Faizal on Nokia E71

New Office & New Gadgets

Pardon me for not being able to update this blog. My new office has been completed and has been occupied since early November, 2008. First day working at the new office went through without major hick-up. My frustration was with my internet provider. A simple written instruction / request seems difficult for a big multi-corporation. Thankfully, that problem was solved within the same week.

My P990i started to play me strange noises while I'm making calls. Thus, making it difficult for me to have decent conversations. Its camera has never worked months before that.

Armed with the original box and receipt, I traded in the P990i for an AP set Nokia E71. The shop gave RM400 for my P990i, thus I have to top up a mere RM950.

As a result, I missed the chance to switch to Maxis and to get the discounted mobile phone.

Soon after I inserted my SIM Card on the E71, Celcom sent me the data configuration. Everything was so smooth. It saves me from calling Celcom Helpline or getting the configuration from the internet.

To my surprise, Celcom did also contacted me to ask if my data connection was ok. I think Celcom has increase their service standard as a result of the number portability. Good news to consumer!

The Nokia E71 is a dream comes true for me. It could do all that I wished for, and many others.

The day after I got my E71, both my kids were hospitalised because of dengue fever. It all seemed as if they have been planned. I couldn't tell what will happen if I didn't get the new phone. It was easier for me while I was in the hospital to check for emails (faster connection) and I'm not worried about the battery. Even with heavy usage, the battery will last the day.

Though I am yet to get away with the habbit, I no longer have to close every application on my new phone. The hardware on the E71 is a workhorse.

New Office

I was busy completing my new office.

Camera phone

My camera phone now, most of the time failed to focus correctly.


I have not plan for any new phone acquisition in this short future. But seeing the blurry photos really urging my nerve to do so.

Today I found out about 'Mobile Number Postability' at Maxis.

Mobile number portability (MNP) is the freedom to move from one mobile operator to another within the same market, while retaining your mobile number. It allows the customer to change his/her mobile service provider without losing his/her mobile number.

MNP is a government directive and regulatory requirement. There will be a Limited Live Trial from 29 August, to early October 2008. MNP will officially be launched in Malaysia from early October 2008 onwards.

I can't wait for this to happen. I think I will get the new phone with the new provider (got some discount there - for example RM999 for a Motorola Q9h!).

A Good Day of Waxing

I spent part of my weekend waxing my Ipsum. I gave it a good wash (yet to implement 2 buckets system) with Turtle Wax F21 Car Wash and then slowly with Car Plan Ultimate Wax. I purchased Macquire's drying cloth and a special cloth for removing the wax from the car. I think they are quite good.

Wrong Focus - Sony Ericsson P990i

Still won't focus - Sony Ericsson P990i

This is much better, see the paintwork?

My New Side Mirror, RM1,000 burnt

Wax effect - sorry no prior photos

Does it say thousand of words?

Thanks Ah Keong for letting my paint looks so good!

RON 92 Down By 22 Sen

Good news.

The more reason to buy vehicles which engine consumes RON92 petrol.

Thank God I bought a Toyota.

PLUS Lembu

I watched RTM news yesterday.

Something like this was mentioned -

"Sebuah kereta yang sedang dalam perjalanan daripada Kuala Lumpur ke Melaka melalui Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan gagal mengawal kenderaannya dan telah melanggar seekor lembu yang sedang melintas... berhampiran Tol Pedas"

Both passengers died on the spot.

I think this statement is better -

"PLUS gagal memastikan pagar-pagar di sekeliling kawasan tersebut diselenggara dengan baik untuk mengelakkan daripada lembu-lembu memasuki kawasan lebuhraya mereka."

"PLUS seharusnya tampil membuat kenyataan untuk bertanggungjawab di atas kejadian tersebut. Orang ramai yang menggunakan dan membayar untuk perkhidmatan Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan berhak untuk memandu dengan ketenangan fikiran. Tanda-tanda lebuhraya telah menunjukkan bahawa orang ramai seharusnya selamat untuk memandu di kawasan lebuhraya dengan kelajuan maksima 110 km sejam."

Be on alert when you drive on the highway.

Repair Progress 3

After a week, the paint job is nearly completed. Now, waiting for the delivery of the side mirror -

Repair Progress 2

After nearly five days -

Repair Progress 1

After a day, these are the photos of my Ipsum -

* Sorry that the photos are out of focus, my SE P990i failed on me.

Accident at Tenggaruh, Mersing

6th July 2008 4.45 pm

I was traveling from Endau, Johor to Kulai, Johor and reached Tenggaruh at the time.

Because of a carelessness by a motorcyclist, my Ipsum got into an accident.

This was the motorcyclist

The place of accident was at the front of a bus stop with a row of small restaurant fronting the bus stop. There was a large croud.

Immediately after the accident I went out of the car, and I was attacked by a local person. The person tried to punch me in the face but I blocked him with my arm.

Scratches as a result

The person was grabbed by other people and prevented from attacking me. After consulted by them, he soon realized that I was not at fault.

These are the photos taken of my Ipsum after the accident -

The damage looks not so bad, but the hit was hard

The registration number dropped from its place

The bumper is strong, did not drop from its fitment

The motorcyclist said sorry to me, telling me that the motorcycle had no insurance and that he did not hold any driving license. But the fact that he dumped his motorcycle like this made me feel something was not right -

At the back of an office, the motorcycle fell on the road

The local told me that this could be a 'motor panas'

Not too long after that, a policeman came and inspected the motorcycle. He did not ask any question from me because he had been briefed by the spectator who witnessed the accident.

The policeman wipe out some oil to look at the engine number

Difficult to see?

The policeman made a call to his office to request for a check on the number.

He then received a return call. Immediately after he put his phone down, the motorcyclist was handcuffed. I was told not to photograph the motorcyclist after that.

I was told by the policeman that the registration number on the motorcycle was fake. The motorcycle was stolen from the owner who reside at Kota Tinggi, Johor.

I still do not know the correct registration number of this bike

The Honda EX5's Engine Number

Another view of it

The motorcyclist was brought to the police station (Sungai Ambat) and I was told to wait for the traffic police.

The traffic police came to ask me how the accident took place and then I was told to go back to Traffic Police Station at Mersing to lodge my report.

I went to lodge my accident report and after that a report against the person who attacked me. I was asked to go to Sungai Ambat Police Station after lodging my report against the person who attack me because the incident took place near the Sungai Ambat station.

I was interviewed at Sungai Ambat police station. I asked the police to caution the person who attacked me.

7th July 2008

I sent my Ipsum to Victory for repairs.

To the garage!

One of the reason why I sent it here

My Ipsum will be ready in a week.

I decided not to claim against my insurance. More about that later.

C.Drive For Lotus Elise S1

Found these on Evo, UK.

Meanwhile I discovered that Lotus now recommends the Yokohama C.drive as a replacement for the original-spec Pirellis, which are no longer made.

I do not know which Pirelli the writer was referring to. To me any Pirelli will mean the C.Drive is a bargain purchase.

New Tyres - Yokohama C.Drive

The new tyres were affixed to my Ipsum during the 2nd Service.

The tyres' threadwear are 300, Traction A.

After more than 500 km -

• more comfortable drive - less noise and ride is more cushioned
• better grip is both dry and wet
• better fuel consumption
• more confident drive
• more relax drive - comfortable and peace of mind
  

Trust Airinx-GT

My Ipsum went to its 2nd service 2 days ago.

I did asked my mechanic to pack the existing air-filter back to my Airinx-GT box.

Last night, I checked the box and found a surprise. The old air-filter is also Airinx-GT! Mutiara Motors must have replaced my original filter before first handing over because the filter still look like new!

Mutiara Motors did told me (before I took my Ipsum) that they have changed all replaceable parts to their in-house brand (i.e M7, Trust, G-Reddy). They were not joking.

I have kept the old filter aside for later use.

Parts for Second Service

I went to Mutiara Motors this morning. Their garage was busy, thus they cannot attend to my Ipsum. Thus I purchased M7 Semi-Synthetic Engine Oil, M7 Oil Filter and Trust Airinx-GT Air Filter for service to be done at my regular garage.

Tyres

It is now more expensive to travel than before the increase in petrol price.

Rumors are circulating that many prices are going up including tyres.

Last weekend I was told that the standard tyres for Perodua Viva have increased from RM150 per piece to RM210 per piece.

The standard tyres for Naza Ria have increased in price from RM2xx to RM3xx.

I contacted my tyre dealer - City Tyre (Michelin at Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru), no price change for me because of the arrangement I made before this.

Unfortunately the Michelin MXV8 has been out of stock again.

I found out from Auto Express, UK (September 2006 review / test) that Yokohama C.Drive is actually not a bad tyre. Thus, I ordered the same for RM290 per piece, made in Philippine inclusive of balancing.

The tyres should arrive soon.

Mark X Zio

The new Ipsum I wrote earlier is not supposed to be the new Ipsum.

It is called Toyota Mark X Zio.

Reported by paultan.org and test drive by Nihon Car.

Avensis Verso, 2.4 Too!

I think, as a result of the many complaints about the lack of power on 2.0 Avensis Verso, Toyota Australia brought in 2.4 Avensis Verso.

Avensis Verso 2.0 1,000km Road Test

Found it here. Test was done in 2003.

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If you look at cars from a purely pragmatic perspective, people movers make a lot of sense. You get seating for six to eight in a package that's easy to drive, relatively economical and often packed with clever design ideas which maximise space, versatility and comfort. The Avensis Verso is Toyota's budget offering in the class.

Toyota Avensis GLX is the 2003 Australia's Best Cars winner in the Best People Mover category.

Toyota Avensis GLX was the 2002 Australia's Best Cars winner in the Best People Mover

category.

Value for money

Pricing

The Avensis is available in two specification levels: the $41,900 GLX and the $46,900 Ultima.

Warranty

Three years/100,000 km, which is average.

Standard features

Standard equipment in the GLX includes two front airbags, efficient airconditioning (with roof vents to seating rows two and three, plus a fan control behind the driver's seat), ABS brakes with emergency full power assist, a CD player, remote central locking and one-touch power windows with jam protection on all four doors.

The Ultima adds side and curtain airbags on the front seats, alloy wheels, roof rails, a cassette player, tinted windows and upgraded trim.

Retained value

Avensis is relatively new, so it has no resale history as yet.

Design and function

Ergonomics

You slide straight in to the high, plush, driver's seat. There's plenty of travel, the wheel is height adjustable and the seat itself is also height/tilt adjustable. The driving position is excellent for short and tall people alike.

Vision is clear around the car except for the thick base of the front pillar, which, when turning, slightly obscures the view between the steeply angled windscreen and the side windows.

The dash is clean, simple and efficient in its design, as is usually the case from Toyota. There's a surfeit of oddment storage bins, while the space between the two front seats is clear.

A blot on the copy book is the column shift automatic lever on the left. Tall drivers may find it difficult to select 2 or L because their knee is in the way. It's also possible to accidentally knock the transmission out of gear.

Innovation

The Avensis is quite conventional, though it has some clever interior design ideas such as the back seats which fold flat into the load floor.

Safety

The Avensis has not yet been independently crash tested, but features such as ABS brakes with emergency full power assist are welcome. Side and curtain airbags for the front seats are only provided on the top of the line Ultima, so those who can't afford this model miss out on proper side impact protection.

A lap-only belt is fitted to the middle of seating row two - a serious omission given that this seat in a people mover is frequently occupied.

Security

Remote central locking and an immobiliser are standard.

Comfort

All seats are comfortable, except the middle position in row two, which is adjacent to the split in the bench and quite hard.

The driver's seat is generously padded and comfortable on a long day's drive.

Space and practicality

The Avensis scores well here.

Toyota claims 18 configuration options for the Avensis' 2-3-2 seat layout.

The 60/40 split-fold row two seat is adjustable for travel, so you can tailor leg room to suit. Comfort is fine for the two outboard occupants, and the backrest angle can be adjusted.

However, as mentioned previously, the person in the middle gets a raw deal, with a hard, lumpy cushion adjacent to the split bench and a lap-only belt.

Several other people movers offer superior row two seating for three occupants.

Access to row three is very easy with a simple tilt/slide mechanism on both sides of the row two seat. Leg room depends upon where you have the row two seat positioned on its track, but it is possible to set row two so that all passengers have reasonable space.

The row three seats are quite comfortable (for back stalls), with firm padding, high, adjustable backrests and a covered bin/cup holder on both sides.

Both row three seats fold easily forward into the load floor when not required. The load area in this configuration is long and wide, and floor length can be adjusted by moving row two. A deep bin is provided under the floor for extra storage; the space saver spare is carried externally under the front of the cabin.

Both sides of the row two seat double fold forward without compromising front seat travel. This gives you nearly two metres of floor to play with.

Child restraint anchors are provided on the back of each row two and three seating position. A shopping bag hook is also fitted to the back of the driver's seat.

Build and finish quality

Excellent in all respects.

On the road

Fuel efficiency

Unladen, the relatively light Avensis returns good economy. Around town, the test Ultima used 12-13 litres/100 km, while on the highway it used 8-9 litres/100 km. Given the fact that the engine has to work hard when you have a load on board, these figures would probably increase significantly in these circumstances.

Performance

The Avensis uses a lightweight, all alloy 110 kW 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine with variable inlet valve timing, the same unit (with tuning modifications) found in the RAV4.

A four-speed automatic is the only transmission choice. A five-speed-manual GLX was available for a short time after launch, but is no longer offered.

Although the Avensis is fairly light, the 2.0 litre engine is too small and lacking in accessible torque for a wagon of this carrying capacity.

The 2.0 litre produces strong performance above 3500 rpm. However a full load exaggerates its lack of low down pulling power, and it has to be worked quite hard around the suburbs.

The deleted five-speed-manual transmission would be a happier match with the 2.0 litre than the four-speed auto, which has widely spaced ratios and frequently finds itself becalmed below 3000 rpm.

It then kicks back to the lower gears and revs the engine hard in search of power. This constant transmission hunting, especially in hilly country, is annoying.

Ride

The suspension can crash and thump occasionally on very rough surfaces, but generally the ride is compliant and comfortable.

Handling and steering

The Avensis is relatively short and manoeuvrable, which makes it very easy to drive around town and park. On the highway, its dynamics are at the better end of the people mover scale. It's quite taut and secure on rough roads, with precise steering.

Braking

This particular test car's front discs were warped, which caused the wheel to shake and resulted in a loss of braking performance and efficiency. NRMA tests, on an example with properly functioning brakes, found them to be good.

Smoothness and quietness

This is an area where the Avensis needs more work. Although it is quite refined when cruising, the engine is harsh and noisy at high revs. The test car's tyres generated significant noise on coarse bitumen, which caused some reverberation in the cabin, and the suspension occasionally transmitted excessive road shock.

Summary

Toyota's Avensis Verso has plenty of space, and offers you many options as to how it is used. Quality, equipment and Toyota's usual first class reliability and durability are other attractions. However the 2.0 litre/four-speed-automatic drivetrain is not entirely appropriate to the people mover application, while refinement and the suitability of the middle row to carry three people are not quite up to scratch.

Test by Bill McKinnon, March 2003.

More Than RM25

Another way of looking it, it is more than RM25 more expensive to go to Alor Gajah from Johor Bahru after the increase in fuel price.

5.8 Sen More Per KM

6 of us went to Parit Jawa and Alor Gajah yesterday. Our first long journey after the fuel price increase.

I drove as careful as possible with the aim of maximising kilometre per litre. Idling was unavoidable as kids were sleeping, disturbing them would be unwise.

506.8 km and more than 1/2 hour of idling, RM115.99 was pumped this morning. That's 22.8 sen per kilometre.

Usually on normal drive (not so fuel efficient kind of way) the reading was 17 sen.

Azrin's 240s

These are the photos of Encik Azrin's Ipsum 240s. He got it from a dealer in Bangsar for RM120k on the road. The front grille is dissimilar from mine. It seems that the 3-spoke leather steering looks nice too!