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Everything posted by Crosswind

  1. Hi guys, I've got a Chevy Cruze (fancy version of Swift) 2004 model car. It does about 7 kmpl driving in the 'burbs. I normally dont drive in the city itself but usually along parliament road, away from Colombo in the mornings and towards Colombo in the evenings. I'm wondering if the fuel consumption is normal for a Cruze or whether something can be done to improve it. I normally drive with AC. Can anybody suggest a good place to get its mechanics checked? It's giving weird but minor noises (I'm not an expert in cars). Are there any known problems with Chevy Cruze? Thanks in advance
  2. Bad idea. Go yourself or send someone. If there's a stamp that says AIR-1 or AIR-2, you get charged 50 bucks every delayed day. On top of it, you wont get the package to the local post office for at least a month. You dont need to pay postage if you wish to send the forms. Just staple them and handover to the postman. Its 'on state service', so postage is not necessary. I have dealt with post office customs many times. Never had any issues with them. I even got down a massive chandelier once. Paid something like a 500 bucks as duty.
  3. Crosswind


    Duty free permits are issues to government employees of certain grades and politicians. They are traded in the market, although the conditions of the permit clearly indicates that it is not legal to trade. To obtain one legally, you should either be a government employee or a politician. You can also purchase one from a govt employee who's selling the permit. Many are willing to take this risk. However, it is important to know that this is never a risk-free transaction.
  4. Crosswind

    a good sedan for a vehicle permit

    Mass suicides will be reported in Sri Lanka, on the day the premio goes out of production.
  5. Crosswind

    Crossover - Suzuki Vitara Vs MG

    Not to mention the fact that at some point of time, you will need to use silicone or no-leak to seal the damn thing shut!
  6. Crosswind

    Crossover - Suzuki Vitara Vs MG

    Think of it this way. Would you marry a reliable Japanese woman or a flashy looking Chinese woman?
  7. Crosswind

    which battery i should use

    Global is the only other product of this size available in SL. But that is also a half-centimetre taller than the amaron one. If Global doesn't fit then you are pretty much stuck with Amaron. Note that this is my personal experience. I may be jinxing batteries or like @Rumesh88 mentioned, something may be wrong with the charging system (although that may not explain why one battery exploded). I am yet to do the tests that @Rumesh88 noted above.
  8. Crosswind

    maharagama vs C-Y_I_C- hospital

    Most drugs in Sri lanka are substandard, not just in govt hospitals. Only difference is doctors dont get kickbacks when they prescribe drugs in government hospitals. Either way, patient is not the winner. So go to the government hospital.
  9. Read the agreement for your third party insurance. You will know the answer.
  10. Crosswind

    Side Mirror Theft Toyota Premio,Ward Place

    Well the guys who steal these probably posh too. This is something I've heard at least four times in the past and in a cases its premio or allion and it was in Colombo 3 or 7 areas.
  11. Crosswind

    Side Mirror Theft Toyota Premio,Ward Place

    Just a side note. Did you know that side mirror thieves specifically target premios and allions? The reason is they are expensive in the market and can be sold easily. They know how to rip the mirror off even if its retracted. They dont seem to target any other car at all nowadays. One thing you can do is engrave your car's registration number on the mirrors. I dont know whether this facility is available in SL but that should help to keep the thieves off a bit.
  12. Crosswind

    Problem With Toyota Ist

    Which car do you prefer? 1. A 2004 IST with 280,000 on the odometer 2. A 2004 is with 82,000 on the odometer? You decide which is likely. A 15-year old car will have hums and noises. That's normal.
  13. Crosswind

    Doubtful about this car

    The CR should reveal most of the info you are after. If it says 'bought from auction', then it is a vehicle which was auctioned off by the customs. Check whether its a Nissan Y11 or an Emperor Y11 Look for any clauses that are marked as 'deleted' on the CR. Note them down and post it here. Might be able to look up for it.
  14. Crosswind

    Micro Panda 2018 AMT Transmission 1000L Problem

    Yes. If you step hard on the accelerator, you will ruin any gearbox. But in a normal auto geared-car, you don't need to step hard on the pedal. In a car with a clutchless manual box, you have to step hard to avoid knocking the guy behind you. Left-foot braking is a terrible habit. I have seen Punto drivers using left foot to avoid moving backwards. I always used the handbrake instead, because I didn't want to carry that bad habit. I tried to balance the accelerator pedal in the same way you would balance a clutch, but every time the foot is gently placed on the accelerator pedal, the stupid sensor thinks its time to move forward. The clutchless manual box is a bad bad bad idea. Here's James May trying to park a car with a clutchless manual box (unlike the Magnetti Marelli gear box, this is a proper old-school clutchless manual box with manual shifters instead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq6xDkmxcdk
  15. Crosswind

    Micro Panda 2018 AMT Transmission 1000L Problem

    First of all, what you have bought is a car with a clutchless manual gearbox. Not an automatic gearbox. Although marketing literature says 'automatic manual', mechanically its not. What it has is an electronic clutch that activates based on sensors. The electronic clutch has a short time lag before getting activated. Therefore, the car will go backwards on a slope, if you do not depress the brake pedal. And when you release the brake pedal, it will momentarily go backwards before moving forwards. And the best part is, if you step hard on the accelerator to prevent the car from moving backwards on a slope, you will eventually ruin the gearbox. This madness was in Europe for some time (thanks to Magnetti Marelli), but its no longer being fitted to European cars. However, Magnetti Marelli started selling these gearboxes to Maruti India sometime ago and fitted them to Celery-O and Bulto. I read somewhere that Geely used the same Magnetti Marelli gearbox for the LCs (Pandas). The bottom line is you are stuck with it. There's no way out. When I had my Punto (with the Magnetti Marelli gearbox), I used the handbrake every time I stopped in traffic on a slope. Wears out brake shoes but there's no other option.
  16. Crosswind

    Lancer Evo X final edition

  17. Crosswind

    Poor honda vezel dont bash him srilankan dudes

    Vezel has been discussed a million times in this forum. Pls search. It's just another car with some known issues. It doesn't need any special treatment.
  18. A makabaas electrician has had a go at it. You will need to visit a good electrician and check the wiring.
  19. Crosswind

    which battery i should use

    Stay away from Amaron. My car needs DIN 55 type low profile battery. Only Amaron batteries fit in my car, so I am totally stuck with them. Here's what happened. I did my first battery replacement in 2013. One cell of that battery died in 2015. I did my second battery replacement in 2015. That battery exploded in 3 months. Yes it exploded. This time I got a warranty replacement. That one also died. The next one died in 2018. Now I'm on my fifth battery. Just waiting for its funeral. Yes, all of them are Amaron. I got my car's electrics checked by the agent because batteries keep dying. The agent confirmed that it's all fine. Then I raised this with the battery shop and they agree to fully refund me if I can get any other battery to fit in to the car. The only other option I have is to remove the battery enclosure and fit any battery, but I'm not willing to do that. So, I decided to live with Amaron. And their whole 5-year warranty story is a farce. Warranty is only 2 years. Thereafter you get a discount if you buy a replacement even if your battery died prematurely. On the other hand, I always used Exide with my other cars in the past. I had a dead battery just once and got a replacement. Their batmobile service is the icing on the cake.
  20. This is the only sensible reply I saw in this thread.
  21. Crosswind

    OBD2 Scan App for Alto LXI 2008

    Most probably the indian bulto uses an older version of JOBD. OBD2 scanners wont work.
  22. Crosswind

    ## Post Whoring - Part 3 ##

    Scientific research is one area which is completely bastardized nowadays. Some scientists are worse than politicians. They will do anything to blow up a rare/ virtually non-existent phenomenon, just to build a reputation for themselves and eventually attain celebrity status. After going thru the wikipedia article, I noticed that the whole 'aphantasia' thingy is based on one scientific research by a guy called Adam Zeman and suddenly there are thousands of people around the world with 'aphantasia'. Ill be very careful of it... and you have no idea to what extent some crooked scientists will go, to gain money, reputation and fame. Google 'Andrew Wakefield' if you are not convinced.
  23. Crosswind

    retirement permit

    I really enjoy this kind of conversation. Some guy has a permit for 12 million and most probably he's gonna end up buying a Premio with it
  24. Crosswind

    Suggestions for a sedan car

    There are no cars in your budget that will give minimum 15kmpl. That's the reality. Belta will give maximum 10. Yaris might give a bit more. Wagon R is not a sedan.
  25. Crosswind

    Moving to India - Sell the Car or Export to India?

    Sell it. The first option is a great hassle and you will end up losing more than that 600k. You can try to transfer the lease.