Mine’s Bigger Than Yours, bruv!

We had a mini gathering of sorts – the four Satria R3 owners at Revolution, a workshop located off Old Klang Road, on Saturday morning. I met Luke, owner of car No. 0013 at Jalan Gasing before we had breakfast near the workshop.

Luke pointed out another inconsistency with the Satria R3s. Noticing that the air-con hose in my engine bay is smaller than his, we proceeded to check this anomaly out. Sure enough, upon popping the hood of his black stallion and inspection, his air-con hose was indeed bigger in diameter. Does size matter? Guys can’t stop comparing and competing with each other can they? Not even for a second. It was weird. And funny. I remember quoting “macam paip lori wei!”. Maybe they ran out of stock?

The overweight hose just could not stop growing...

When Rizal and Harun, owners of cars No. 0006 and 0009 respectively, arrived, we inspected their cars as well. Weirdly enough, I had the smallest hose, with Luke’s having the fattest.

A finger for comparo with the obese hose

I got my steering realigned by Sam at today since it was slight misaligned to the left, then got Danny to get my Pivot Raizin Volt Stabiliser and grounding kit installed, in addition to a PiperCross cold-air intake pipe. I have been experiencing static whenever alighting from my car, when I touch the door to close it. And of course the fluctuation of RPM when you turn on the lights, or power window when the car idles. The fluctuation is quite normal, similar to my previous ride.

Shot of the installed Pivot kit. Seen beside it
is the PiperCross CAI.

Danny dismantling the stock CAI after
the installation of the Pivot kit.

After installation, I can seriously say that the kit works! Not only did it solve the static problems and current fluctuations, it also reduces the drag that is usually associated when turn on the air-con while car is in movement. The engine roughly loses 12% of power or needs to work 12% harder when the air-con is on, giving it the ‘drag’ or ‘lag’ if you want to call it that. Prozac and I tested my SR3 once we got the kit installed and it definitely made a difference.

Don’t know about the power increase, as usually associated with a grounding kit installation, but my primary goal was really to stabilise the current. It works as claimed.

Had a little bit of a problem getting the intake pipe to fit though. Unlike my Persona which had the intake pipe protrude through a drilled groove where the right spotlight should be, the GTI bumper had a metal piece which barricaded any access, where the tyre flare is located. We eventually decided to place it behind this grooved metal plate as the pipe was clearly to short to fit the fog lamp hole.

I find the car slightly more responsive and more vocal. Not at open-pod levels, but definitely throaty. Nice.

Hacked + Hijacked!

Who would want to hack a motoring site? Apparently one Vietnamese hacker does. Since we don’t read nor understand Vietnamese, we really don’t know what motivates the hacker to do so. Zerotohundred was hijacked early this morning. This is not the first time that this has happened. Extremely annoying to say the least. Any hardcore Malaysian hackers around to assist in ‘returning the favour’? If you are able to help, please drop me a line. Thanks!

Found! Blonde’s Cooking Diary

What a way to start the day and end the week…

Monday
Dear Cooking Diary: It’s fun to cook for Bob. Today I made an angel food cake. The recipe said ‘beat 12 eggs separately.’ The neighbors were nice enough to loan me some extra bowls.

Tuesday
Dear Cooking Diary: Bob wanted fruit salad for supper. The recipe said ’serve without dressing.’ So I didn’t dress. What a surprise when Bob brought a friend home for dinner!

Wednesday
Dear Cooking Diary: Today was a good day for rice. The recipe said ‘wash thoroughly before steaming the rice.’ It seemed kind of silly but I took a bath anyway. I can’t say it improved the rice though.

Thursday
Dear Cooking Diary: Today Bob asked for salad again. I tried a new recipe. It said ‘prepare ingredients, then toss on a bed of lettuce one hour before serving.’ Which is what led to Bob asking me why I was rolling around in the garden.

Friday
Dear Cooking Diary: I found an easy recipe for cookies. It said ‘put all ingredients in bowl and beat it.’ There must have been something wrong with this recipe. When I got back, everything was the same as when I left!

Saturday
Dear Cooking Diary: Bob did the shopping today and brought home a chicken. He asked me to dress it for Sunday. (What?!?) For some reason Bob keeps counting to ten.

Sunday
Dear Diary: Bob’s folks came to dinner. I wanted to serve roast. All I could find was hamburger. Suddenly I had a flash of genius. I put the hamburger in the oven and set the controls for roast. It still came out hamburger, much to my disappointment.

This has been a very exciting week! I’m eager for tomorrow to come so I can try out a new recipe on Bob. If we could just get a bigger oven, I would like to surprise him with Chocolate Moose!

Thanks Addie for the article! Luv ya!

13,051 Fags Unsmoked

How’s that for interesting statistics? It’s been 93 weeks, 1 day, 14 hours and 2 minutes since I smoked my last Dunhill Lights fag – that cancerous white pleasure shtick. That’s 13,051 ciggies not smoked. Gee. That’s a lot of cigarettes. If I average 20 sticks a day at RM5 per pack, it adds up to RM3,262.75 saved. Wow. Enough money for a MIVEC halfcut.

So glad I quit. Really.

More Than a Car Wash

Sent my slightly dirty Satria R3 for a wash and vacumm early this afternoon at Success Auto, which I usually send to when I am around Bangsar to grab a bite or coffee. They do a good job and I find myself entrusting my car to them for their services and the convenience of free parking.

Just as the car needs grooming, so does the owner. Had my hair cut and trimmed at a nearby salon with my good pal Addie. A couple of hours passed as my pal had her hair coloured and trimmed and we decided to grab a bite at Starbucks before collecting my car.

Much to my horror, Patricia of Success Auto explained that an unfortunate incident happened (unfortunate for me that is) earlier after the car was washed. Another car driven by one of those incompetent valet parking attendants, rammed into the front left of my SR3, scraping the bumper and shattering the signal light. Unimpressed, I had a closer look.

The signal looked somewhat naked without its
Malaysian-made plastic cover

I got slightly angry of course. Especially at the incompetence of the valet attendant, who obviously made himself really scarce after causing the accident. It isn’t the first time I’ve seen nor experienced the stupidity of valet attendants, especially around Bangsar. It’s amazing that people still entrust their vehicles to valet. I’ve seen countless times how they handle cars. And how they park, or at least attempt too. Sigh. Wonder if they even have valid licenses.

Lotus philosophy of lightweight cars –
removal of signal lights?

The smooth lines of the bumper suddenly
looks slightly rough-edged.

Patricia offered to get my signal light replaced and bumper retouched. I will be sending it off to a panel workshop tomorrow perhaps. Not impressed, but the deed has been done. Will just need to get it repaired and forget about the whole damn thing. Sigh.

Premiere Toilet Anyone? Only 2 Bucks A Pop

Translation: NO entry for cheapskates.
Please Pay to Pee!

3 of my colleagues and I were at Suria KLCC last week with the excuse of ‘researching’ for a project. Nature called at one point, and to our little surprise, or should I say dismay, we stumbled upon ‘pay per pee’ toilets, obviously recently introduced by the greedy management. RM2 a pop? Wow. This is totally unprecedented. Another Malaysian first. Lot 10 has 50sen toilets, the only real difference being the auto-squirt feature for your butts. Out of curiosity, my colleague paid a visit, paying the hefty RM2 entry fee. The attendant manning the ‘reception’ looked slightly puzzled, probably wondering why this stupid Malaysian is forking out 2 hard-earned ringgit for a pee or two.

That will be RM2, sir!

The complimentary 'luxury' RM2 brings forth!

Let’s see now. What do we get for RM2? Better finished interior, some chrome bits, some fancy ‘eww the toilet’, handwash, candles, flowers to inspire.

Urinals + WC. What? We have to squat?

No unique pissing features at the urinals. Pretty much the same position guys do their thing. Surprising omission of seated WCs. We paid RM2 to sit, damn it. Squatting is bad for the knees!

Don't forget to de-sanitise your hands
with those wipes sir! The candle is to inspire you to shit

Complimentary wipes supplied to sanitise. Compulsive wipers can grab more than one if the attendant isn’t looking. The candles give the toilet ambience! Yeah…ok…all I want is to pee, really.

Right. So what have we got here? From my point of view, nothing more than a trick to rip you off your money. A cosmetic distortion which really contains nothing much. Did we really ask for this? Or is this purely targetted at tourists and foreign visitors? Aren’t all shopping complexes supposed to come with complimentary clean, well-maintained toilets with adequate facilities? Do we, as consumers, really need to pay for toilets? I think it’s ridiculous to pay RM1 let alone RM2 for toilets. That’s such a blatant rip-off. Instead of attempting to add ‘luxury at a price’, why not just uplift and properly maintain the rest?

Don’t take this lying down people. This IS not only an inconvenience for customers, it is also DAYLIGHT ROBBERY. Nuff said.

TRM: More spyshots

Received more spyshots of the Tiara Replacement Model this morning. As if requesting for more TRM info based on my brief mention inmy post yesterday, I received fresh spyshots of the TRM on local roads, looking rather good in the rain, although concealed mostly.

Chasing a ghost

The TRM: Up Close + Personal

Eating the TRM's dust

The photos resemble very much the leaked photo found below:

Interesting, to say the least. If Proton got something right, it’s the styling. The question is now – when is the release date?

New Models from Proton

The latest spyshots of the Satria Replacement Model or SRM for short confirms the existence of a new facelifted Satria, to replace the ageing Mitsubishi Colt-based Satria and Satria GTis on the road currently. Spyshots have been circulating around for yonks, but the latest to come out from the factory seems genuine and is backed up by another spyshot of a SRM spotted on the road in Kesas.

The front of the SRM reminiscent of the handsome Gen.2

Like the Gen.2, the SRM has a very sexy
rear end. The central muffler seems misplaced though.
A Mini copy gone wrong.

Spotted! A SRM spotted along the Kesas highway

Like the Gen.2, Proton has got the styling right, thanks to the Lotus Design Studio no doubt. The lines are curvy and purposeful, carving a handsome front. The rear is no less attractive, somewhat comparable to the new BMW 1-series. No specs have been revealed so far, but I expect 1.3litre and 1.6litre CAMPRO variants, without CPS (Proton’s Camshaft Profile Switching system). The SRM was initially supposed to come bundled with the CAMPRO with CPS, but sources say it is not ready for prime time just yet. From another source, the interior oozes Lotus-DNA, much like the Gen.2. Just hope for better plastics!

The performance of the CAMPRO has so far been less than spectacular. Mostly reports of lack of power and torque. Despite its high-revving nature, the CAMPRO is ill-matched with a long-ratio gearbox, thus affecting power delivery, especially at the low to mid range. Not to add to the insult, but the quality of the plastics in the Gen.2 and the dreaded power window problems have plagued the new generation Proton hatchback. Let’s hope Proton has learned from the experience to translate to a better car in the SRM and consequently the Tiara Replacement Model (TRM) – before it goes to public hands. Don’t beat the market by rushing out a half-baked car, Proton. I beg you. Beat the market by giving consumers a good, solid product. That’s truly “Daring To Change”. Not just in styling as shown in the Gen.2.

The TRM being run through its paces

The TRM is scheduled to be launched in the very near future as well, one more in the stable of new generation Proton models to be introduced. From the looks of the spyshot, the TRM shares similar design touches with the SRM + the Gen.2, which defines the Proton “look”. This is a giant leap forward from assembling rebadged, junked Mitsubishi platforms. I just hope the TRM isn’t based on another obsolete 1970 French platform, like the previous Tiara.

Here’s to hope and zest. For a better Proton car. For a new Proton!

Photo sources from Motoring.asia1.com
 and Zerotohundred.com

Burst pipe, Non-edible Jam

Was one of many caught unaware on Jalan Mahameru this morning. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper for as far as 2km from PWTC. The worst I’ve ever experienced. The 3-lane highway became 4 lanes, and at certain areas 5 and a half as impatient drivers attempted to cut queue. Not a good way to start the morning. Have to thank Rudy of the Hitz Morning Crew for lifting the mood of a somewhat frustrating morning of driving in first gear.

Her rear end was appalling...

Apparently caused by a burst pipe at the Pekeliling area, where I work, the roads leading towards Jalan Tun Razak were almost non-moving.

I am still bloody here!

It usually takes me at most 25 minutes to get to work, even on the usually slightly jammed Mahameru main road. Today was an exception. Today is great. NOT!

I am tired of waiting! Detour to Jalan Ipoh!

The detour eventually got me caught in the usual Jalan Ipoh heavy traffic, but not half as daunting as the Mahameru crawl. Finally got to office at 10.15am. Not amused. There goes breakfast time.

Crash On Being Aligned, and Ultimately Straight

I had an eventful weekend, more so on Saturday. The day started early with breakfast before zipping down to Revolution – the workshop which I frequent, for service and mostly mods. I had to wait for a bit for Sam, the alignment pro, who was out for lunch.

The alignment settings gone berserko!

As you can see from above, the alignment of my SR3 was completely off optimum. The numbers should have been:

Front
Camber: -0.5 degrees
Toe: -0.25mm

Rear
Camber: -1 degrees
Toe: -1mm

Sam took it for a run and confirmed that the SR3 was veering slightly to the right. He also noticed the car was wobbly at speeds over 120km/h. This was due to balancing, or the absence of proper balancing that is.

New camber bolts in place. Notice the yummy cross-drilled DBA disc brake, and the peeling red paint!

I had spanking new, heavy-duty camber bolts installed. I had initially wanted to install race lug nuts from K-Speed but Sam explained that they weren’t lock nuts per se, so I opted for proper lock nuts instead. Besides costing cheaper than race lugs, the lock nuts should secure and deter thieves from attempting to steal those gun-metal Advanti wheels.

Sam working his magic

Sam did multiple runs to fine-tune the settings. The SR3 ended up close to the recommended settings, except for slightly more toe at the fronts. Car feels nice and tight round corners and incredibly straight. You could let the steering go at 160km/h and it wouldn’t veer off-course. Superb job! Need to return to Revo though, coz the steering alignment is slightly off. I had to rush off and therefore didn’ have time to get that adjusted.

Verne couldn't take his eyes of the twins

Met Desmond, who owns a 4G93T-powered SGTi. He was there for a brake upgrade. Out came the stock single calipers to a pair of VR4 twin-pots. Nice! Advised him to get Goodridge steel-braided hoses installed as well. NO compromising on stopping power I stressed! Safety is everything!

Will be paying another visit to Revo this coming Saturday to have my grounding kit and CAI installed. Yippee!