Went for the 10k routine service (oil change, inspection, etc.) last month on the 10th at the Toyota Service Centre at Jalan 217. I had always taken the Altis previously to the one in Sungai Buloh (which is not as daft as it sounds as I can get there quite easily through Kota Damansara...), but was less than convinced with their level of service. Most notably they took forever to order and replace my interior rear view mirror.
So looked around for closer ones, and shortlisted down to the Jalan 217, Section 19, or Section 15 Shah Alam. The SA one turned out to be a dealer (normally thought to be not as good) and the S19 one was notorious for its long queue and scratch-happy mechanics. So 217 it was.
Anyway the service turned out to be alright, though it took almost the whole day as I was claiming warranty for the broken driver's floor mat clip and the bubbling patch of paint in the engine compartment.
All in spent around 360 for the service including fully synthetic oil, and alignment and balancing. All I can say is that it felt like a new car! Turns out the previous owner had specified mineral oil for the previous 5k service (which was fine for running in). The fully syn really made a world of difference. Engine felt a lot lighter, and noise was more subdued. Well worth the premium. Let's see how it holds out...
On the minus side, turns out my floor mat clip needs replacing, and they haven't got stock as it's the side underneath the mat that broke, hence more complicated than replacing the upper hook-like part. Also they needed 2 days to fix the bubbling patch. The paint was quickly fixed the week after, but till now I am still waiting for the mat clip!
The alignment was also not good, and didn't fix the car veering to the left. I subsequently went back 3 times (!!!) and it was not fixed until the 3rd visit! This is positively embarassing, not being able to do a decent alignment job!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Visiting Relatives...
Yesterday we brought Jun Lee and Jun Yen to visit their relatives in the Puchong area. My aunt (babies' grand aunt) and my sister-in-law (babies' aunt) happens to live in the same area, although it does sound absurd to actually say that Bandar Kinrara and Bandar Bukit Puchong are in the same area... Those familiar with Puchong will know what I am talking about, for those who are not, suffice to say it is a long drive from one to the other!
The main reason was to hand them the souvenirs and snacks wifey brought back from Melbourne, mostly macadamias, chocolates, nougat, and fridge magnets.
At both places both of them behaved very well, I must say. At their aunt's place they were fawned over by their 2 cousins vying to hold them both.
At their grand aunt's, they were initially a bit subdued (ie blur) but after getting used to the place, Jun Lee began to crawl all over the living room. My aunt was very happy to see them again too, and was grinning from ear to ear to see their antics.
The main reason was to hand them the souvenirs and snacks wifey brought back from Melbourne, mostly macadamias, chocolates, nougat, and fridge magnets.
At both places both of them behaved very well, I must say. At their aunt's place they were fawned over by their 2 cousins vying to hold them both.
At their grand aunt's, they were initially a bit subdued (ie blur) but after getting used to the place, Jun Lee began to crawl all over the living room. My aunt was very happy to see them again too, and was grinning from ear to ear to see their antics.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sitting Up and Standing...
Jun Yen has managed to learn 2 things at once this week!
She learnt to sit up by herself sometime last week, except that her technique differs from Jun Lee's. Jun Lee would roll onto her belly, tuck one leg under, and pivot up on the side.
Jun Yen would roll onto her belly, tuck both legs under like she was going to crawl, and push herself up vertically.
On Saturday, we also found that she knows how to stand up on her own now! Wifey tried to wake me up on Saturday morning saying that Jun Yen was standing, so I looked and saw both of them standing up in their cots. I thought that wifey had propped Jun Yen up to stand, so didn't think much of it, until wifey told me in no uncertain terms that she pulled herself up and stood up on her own!
Oh boy... now we have to buy another cot, as the sides around the playpen that Jun Yen sleep in now is really too low, and I'm afraid that she'd tip over onto the floor. Same as when we began putting Jun Lee exclusively in the wooden cot.
She learnt to sit up by herself sometime last week, except that her technique differs from Jun Lee's. Jun Lee would roll onto her belly, tuck one leg under, and pivot up on the side.
Jun Yen would roll onto her belly, tuck both legs under like she was going to crawl, and push herself up vertically.
On Saturday, we also found that she knows how to stand up on her own now! Wifey tried to wake me up on Saturday morning saying that Jun Yen was standing, so I looked and saw both of them standing up in their cots. I thought that wifey had propped Jun Yen up to stand, so didn't think much of it, until wifey told me in no uncertain terms that she pulled herself up and stood up on her own!
Oh boy... now we have to buy another cot, as the sides around the playpen that Jun Yen sleep in now is really too low, and I'm afraid that she'd tip over onto the floor. Same as when we began putting Jun Lee exclusively in the wooden cot.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Newly mobile...
This evening I wanted to take a nap with the babies, but after an hour I can report that I didn't get any sleep! Both babies were quite amused to see me, and while Jun Yen was content to look at me and gurgle and play with her toys, Jun Lee literally climbed all over me!
She stood on my belly, touched my face, pulled my ear, tugged at my hair and played with my toes!!! Despite getting up to move her into another spot to play, she'd come back up to me again. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun playing with them, but that's the last time I will attempt to get any sleep on the same bed...
Jun Yen has learnt to crawl too! Yesterday when her Mommy was sleeping on the mattress with the babies, Jun Yen wanted to go to her Mommy, so she began to crawl, inching up on her tummy. (note: I have subsequently been reminded that Jun Yen has been able to do that since like 2 months ago, but she just never showed much interest in crawling about)
She stood on my belly, touched my face, pulled my ear, tugged at my hair and played with my toes!!! Despite getting up to move her into another spot to play, she'd come back up to me again. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun playing with them, but that's the last time I will attempt to get any sleep on the same bed...
Jun Yen has learnt to crawl too! Yesterday when her Mommy was sleeping on the mattress with the babies, Jun Yen wanted to go to her Mommy, so she began to crawl, inching up on her tummy. (note: I have subsequently been reminded that Jun Yen has been able to do that since like 2 months ago, but she just never showed much interest in crawling about)
Friday, July 04, 2008
Clapping hands...
Jun Lee could clap her hands since last week before Mommy returned home. Granted not clapping like adults do, but she's learnt to put her hands together to make a little sound.
So now we have one daughter who sings, and another who claps her hands, hehe...
So now we have one daughter who sings, and another who claps her hands, hehe...
Thursday, July 03, 2008
New Tires... Goodyear Excellence Review...
Finally got around to put these on the car on Tuesday evening. Don't ask how much I got it for lah... ;P Its closest competitors would probably be the Michelin MXV8/Pilots, Bridgestone Turanzas and the Yokohama Drives.
You can't get them in retail for now as it has not been officially launched for the Malaysian market, though they can be seen on the road as OE tires for the new Honda Accord.
The Goodyear Excellence; an assymetric radial similar in design to the Eagle ResponsEdge in the USA, the new 3-zone tire which is touted as being optimised for security (wet grip), handling (cornering) and comfort. Let's see...
Before this, a short take on the Camry OE tires to understand my basis for comparison. They are H-rated Michelin Vivacys made in Thailand and supplied as OE to the CBU Camrys we have on the Malaysian market. I have heard of the Vivacys, but that was like a long long time ago. A check on the net confirmed that the Vivacy is a very old design (produced since 1999) and no longer sold on retail since many moons ago, being superceded by the MXV8.
Based on what I can find on the net, they are quite grippy (being OE on the previous generation Aussie Camry Sportivos) yet comfort biased tires. I find them to be very good comfort wise (the soft compound and sidewalls help here) and okay noise wise, though to be honest I can't really say on the grip. I've done some hard corners on these but to be honest in a large cushy car like the Camry the body roll makes you back off way before the tires' limits are reached. Still, I have experienced no squealing or chirping throughout, which is good. They are quite squirmy though, and I occasionally think I feel the sidewalls flexing on hard corners. So there we have it: non-directional symmetical comfort biased touring tires.
The size used is 215/60/R16 with a rating of 95H. How well does it live up to its Security, Handling and Comfort claims? My immediate impression driving out from the tire shop was that it felt noticeably stiffer than my old Michelin Vivacys. Makes the whole car very German-like in its firmer feel.
Security; can't say for now as most new tires handle rain fairly well. True, there were some awful donuts in past cars which have given me hair-raising moments, but since I don't drive fast in the rain (which no one should anyway...) I've had little to complain with regards to water dispersion. Last night when I was heading back home was the first I've driven with the Goodyears in the rain, and there was nothing extraordinary to report, which is good.
Handling; it feels more confident due to the stiffer sides, and I'm delighted with it, as I always found the Michelins (and indeed the Camry) to be rather squishy. These Goodyears firmed things up a notch, though by no means making it uncomfortable. They sort of make the whole car's handling a bit tauter, which to me is all good.
As for Comfort; it's quieter too, but the true test will be after 10k kms. Significantly, the rough sections of the Federal Highway sounded noticeably more muted. A stop at the nearby petrol station to check the air pressure helped the ride somewhat, but there is no disguising that this is a more performance oriented tire than the Michelins.
I've seen some rather negative reviews on the noise levels of this tire on the Honda Accord. While I am inclined to say that these are certainly not the quietest tires around, they are significantly better than average in terms of noise, and the trade-off in handling more makes up for it.
Having test-driven an Accord with these fitted it does seem noticeably noisier and harsher, which can only be put down to the lousy insulation on the Accord. Before I get flamed by the Honda fanboys, let me just clarify by saying that Honda does a lot of things well, but noise and comfort are not on the list of do-wells.
I will post more updates as it wears on. I'm very impressed so far, and if the low noise levels hold out, I'd give this a hearty thumbs-up!
Update 1: It's now been about 500kms since I put these donuts on, and by now they would have been scrubbed in properly. My opinion on the noise levels still stands; it's a surprisingly quiet tyre. Grip is decent enough, though again I have had no occasion to do any potentially tyre-squealing maneuvers...
Update: After the first outstation trip with these tyres, and with close to 3k kms on it, they remain quiet and comfy. Also got to really test out its rain capabilities, as it rained almost all the way back, being really heavy at certain stretches, but they proved able to resist aquaplaning quite well even at speeds of 100km/h, and traversed the stretches of standing water without the steering wheel going limp in your hand (sure sign of aquaplaning).
Update: It's not 10k kms since I had these fitted, and still pretty good with all the parameters ie noise, comfort, handling, close to when new.
You can't get them in retail for now as it has not been officially launched for the Malaysian market, though they can be seen on the road as OE tires for the new Honda Accord.
Goodyear Excellence
The Goodyear Excellence; an assymetric radial similar in design to the Eagle ResponsEdge in the USA, the new 3-zone tire which is touted as being optimised for security (wet grip), handling (cornering) and comfort. Let's see...
Before this, a short take on the Camry OE tires to understand my basis for comparison. They are H-rated Michelin Vivacys made in Thailand and supplied as OE to the CBU Camrys we have on the Malaysian market. I have heard of the Vivacys, but that was like a long long time ago. A check on the net confirmed that the Vivacy is a very old design (produced since 1999) and no longer sold on retail since many moons ago, being superceded by the MXV8.
Based on what I can find on the net, they are quite grippy (being OE on the previous generation Aussie Camry Sportivos) yet comfort biased tires. I find them to be very good comfort wise (the soft compound and sidewalls help here) and okay noise wise, though to be honest I can't really say on the grip. I've done some hard corners on these but to be honest in a large cushy car like the Camry the body roll makes you back off way before the tires' limits are reached. Still, I have experienced no squealing or chirping throughout, which is good. They are quite squirmy though, and I occasionally think I feel the sidewalls flexing on hard corners. So there we have it: non-directional symmetical comfort biased touring tires.
The size used is 215/60/R16 with a rating of 95H. How well does it live up to its Security, Handling and Comfort claims? My immediate impression driving out from the tire shop was that it felt noticeably stiffer than my old Michelin Vivacys. Makes the whole car very German-like in its firmer feel.
Security; can't say for now as most new tires handle rain fairly well. True, there were some awful donuts in past cars which have given me hair-raising moments, but since I don't drive fast in the rain (which no one should anyway...) I've had little to complain with regards to water dispersion. Last night when I was heading back home was the first I've driven with the Goodyears in the rain, and there was nothing extraordinary to report, which is good.
Handling; it feels more confident due to the stiffer sides, and I'm delighted with it, as I always found the Michelins (and indeed the Camry) to be rather squishy. These Goodyears firmed things up a notch, though by no means making it uncomfortable. They sort of make the whole car's handling a bit tauter, which to me is all good.
As for Comfort; it's quieter too, but the true test will be after 10k kms. Significantly, the rough sections of the Federal Highway sounded noticeably more muted. A stop at the nearby petrol station to check the air pressure helped the ride somewhat, but there is no disguising that this is a more performance oriented tire than the Michelins.
I've seen some rather negative reviews on the noise levels of this tire on the Honda Accord. While I am inclined to say that these are certainly not the quietest tires around, they are significantly better than average in terms of noise, and the trade-off in handling more makes up for it.
Having test-driven an Accord with these fitted it does seem noticeably noisier and harsher, which can only be put down to the lousy insulation on the Accord. Before I get flamed by the Honda fanboys, let me just clarify by saying that Honda does a lot of things well, but noise and comfort are not on the list of do-wells.
I will post more updates as it wears on. I'm very impressed so far, and if the low noise levels hold out, I'd give this a hearty thumbs-up!
Update 1: It's now been about 500kms since I put these donuts on, and by now they would have been scrubbed in properly. My opinion on the noise levels still stands; it's a surprisingly quiet tyre. Grip is decent enough, though again I have had no occasion to do any potentially tyre-squealing maneuvers...
Update: After the first outstation trip with these tyres, and with close to 3k kms on it, they remain quiet and comfy. Also got to really test out its rain capabilities, as it rained almost all the way back, being really heavy at certain stretches, but they proved able to resist aquaplaning quite well even at speeds of 100km/h, and traversed the stretches of standing water without the steering wheel going limp in your hand (sure sign of aquaplaning).
Update: It's not 10k kms since I had these fitted, and still pretty good with all the parameters ie noise, comfort, handling, close to when new.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Greedy profiteers...
For as long as anyone can remember, trade has relied on a group of people who usually add little value, yet in many cases derives a healthy profit from simply juggling the products from the producer to the end-user; yes, I'm talking about the middle-men.
Ever since I was old enough to understand economics, I have been baffled as to why these group of people get paid so much to do so little...
The advent of information technology has to some extent helped meet up sellers and buyers, and I am an enthusiastic e-trader (all the potential pitfalls aside..) and traded on Ebay since 2000, when online trading was still very much unheard of in Malaysia.
The scourge of the middle-man was brought to fore again most vividly this evening when I was changing my tires. The tires I was replacing had only a few thousand kms on, and for the most part looked brand new. I had already flogged off these tires online earlier for a sum of RM650, and when I was at the shop loading the replaced tires into my car, the boss came by and asked why I bothered taking them back, more convenient to sell it to them lah, blah blah blah.
Just out of curiousity, I asked him for a quote, and he deliberated a while as if he was like really trying to give me a good price, and came up with... (insert drumroll here...) ... RM200!!!
It was all I could do not to laugh in his face!!!
Here is a guy who, if I had let him, buys my tires for RM200, claiming all kinds of defects (which is tosh, I mean, how hard can you wear out tires for few thou kms???) and will later clean them up, and sell them to some sod for easily RM700. Make a profit of RM500 plus, and has he done anything worthwhile for it? Big fat NO.
I don't mind people making a profit, after all it is what makes the world go round, but greedy people like this really makes my blood boil. For goodness' sake, learn to make an honest living, or you are no better than a whore!
Well, that's it for my rantings today, but I really did feel very strongly about this.
So the next time you want to sell anything, try to do it online first, don't trade it into the phone shop or tire shop or whatever. They will pay you peanuts, and sell it to the next guy for a fortune. You both lose. You do it directly, you both win!
Ever since I was old enough to understand economics, I have been baffled as to why these group of people get paid so much to do so little...
The advent of information technology has to some extent helped meet up sellers and buyers, and I am an enthusiastic e-trader (all the potential pitfalls aside..) and traded on Ebay since 2000, when online trading was still very much unheard of in Malaysia.
The scourge of the middle-man was brought to fore again most vividly this evening when I was changing my tires. The tires I was replacing had only a few thousand kms on, and for the most part looked brand new. I had already flogged off these tires online earlier for a sum of RM650, and when I was at the shop loading the replaced tires into my car, the boss came by and asked why I bothered taking them back, more convenient to sell it to them lah, blah blah blah.
Just out of curiousity, I asked him for a quote, and he deliberated a while as if he was like really trying to give me a good price, and came up with... (insert drumroll here...) ... RM200!!!
It was all I could do not to laugh in his face!!!
Here is a guy who, if I had let him, buys my tires for RM200, claiming all kinds of defects (which is tosh, I mean, how hard can you wear out tires for few thou kms???) and will later clean them up, and sell them to some sod for easily RM700. Make a profit of RM500 plus, and has he done anything worthwhile for it? Big fat NO.
I don't mind people making a profit, after all it is what makes the world go round, but greedy people like this really makes my blood boil. For goodness' sake, learn to make an honest living, or you are no better than a whore!
Well, that's it for my rantings today, but I really did feel very strongly about this.
So the next time you want to sell anything, try to do it online first, don't trade it into the phone shop or tire shop or whatever. They will pay you peanuts, and sell it to the next guy for a fortune. You both lose. You do it directly, you both win!
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