Car tyres

Today I replace 2 of my proton waja tires that cost me RM340.00 with free balancing and free nitrogen gas for all my tires. My mechanic give me few tips that we should know about tires;

Pressure

Paying attention to your tires pressure can save on their wear . In cold weather, a tire can lose a pound or more of pressure for each drop of 10 degrees F. If your tires are under inflated and its cold you can lose traction on the road in the snow and ice, as well as put more wear on your tires. So a few minutes each week, can save you $$$$ and make your drive safer!

Air Pressure

Take advantage of the next mild day and check the air pressure in your vehicle’s tires. Don’t forget that spare tire also! Proper air pressure lessens the wear on your tires.

Good Driving Habits

Good driving habits really help your vehicles tires to last longer. Jack-rabbit starts, screeching stops and turns and scuffing curbs all undermine a tire’s lifespan! Try a monthly inflation pressure check when the tire is cold, before driving anywhere. Look in the glove compartment or on the edge of the driver’s door for the carmakers recommendations.

Tire Rotation

Rotate your tires every six months. Rotate tires front to back only, DON”T switch them from one side to another.

Tire Tread

Check the tire tread on your vehicle’s tires on a regular basis. The wear should be uniform around the entire tire. The tread grooves must be at least 1/16 inch deep for the tire to be usable. If you have wear at both edges but not in the middle, you have underinflated tires, and they aren’t wearing properly!.

You maybe asked why I used nitrogen gas in all my tires, I make this move because it's recommend by my mechanic which also give me some benefit of using nitrogen,

Nitrogen Takes You Farther

With gas prices going up every day, every little bit helps.

Nitrogen in your tires maintains proper pressure, which keeps the recommended “contact patch” on the road longer and reduces rolling resistance, which translates to better fuel economy. In fact, properly inflated tires can improve your gas mileage by about 3.3 percent. That’s a savings no one would scoff at.

But that’s not all. With nitrogen maintaining more consistent pressure, your tires won’t wear as fast on the shoulders from under-inflation or in the center from over-inflation.

There’s more. By replacing oxygen with nitrogen, there is less oxidation. Oxidation occurs when oxygen reacts at high temperatures and pressures, and it damages inner liners, belt packages and rims. In fact, some tire manufacturers claim nitrogen use extends tire life as much as 25 percent.

Nitrogen in tires maintains proper pressure, keeps the recommended “contact patch” on the road longer and reduces rolling resistance. That translates to better fuel economy and fewer toxic emissions into our atmosphere.

But that’s not all. With more consistent pressure, your tires won’t wear as fast. Theoretically, if everyone used nitrogen we could decrease the demand for tires. Manufacturing fewer tires would decrease pressure on natural resources used in the process, lower toxic emissions coming from manufacturing plants, decrease shipping of tires and…well, you get the idea.

When it comes to protecting the environment, every little bit helps. You can pitch in by using nitrogen in your tires. With nitrogen, you won’t have to have your tires serviced as often and, in the long run, you’ll buy fewer tires.

Nitrogen In Your Tires: Safety First

You and your family will be safer when you’re riding on nitrogen.

Every day – as you drive to and from work, drop the kids at daycare or soccer practice, buy groceries – air is constantly escaping through the walls of your tires. Oxygen molecules, which are smaller than nitrogen molecules, seep through three to four times faster. A tire filled with “plain old air” will lose 1.5 psi in less than a month; with nitrogen, this can take six months or longer. If you’re not constantly watching your tire pressure, escaping oxygen leads to under-inflated tires.

With nitrogen in your tires, they will maintain proper pressure longer. Properly inflated tires not only reduce the chance of a blowout, they also ensure that the recommended “contact patch” is on the road. That improves your vehicle’s handling so you can react more quickly and decisively in potentially dangerous road conditions and situations.

I also send my Proton Waja to car wash today and for the first time I'm ask the washer boy to wash my proton waja engine this cost me RM12.00 . In addition I also replace one front head light bulb ( driver side ) for RM18.00 !

Proton Wira Top Overhaul

I sent my proton wira for top overhaul at workshop near my apartment. My proton wira is almost 12 years old and since than, I have not sercive much inside the main engine. So on my mechanic advised I do top overhaul for my proton wira. He told me that my proton wira have to do top over haul because he saw some engine oil liking at the bottom of the car and also due to my complained that sometimes white smoke came out from my exos and once a while it seem that some how I.m loosing my engine oil.

A top overhaul only covers the replacement of components inside the cylinder head without removing the engine from the vehicle, such as valve and rocker arm replacement. A full overhaul however covers the whole engine component replacement which requires the engine to be removed from the vehicle, such as replacing the connecting rods and crankshaft bearings. By comparison, a full overhaul service costs more than a top overhaul service.

So these are the part that my machanic have replace and the job during top overhaul;

1. Grand Valve - 1 unit- RM80.0
2. Skimmed Cylinder head - 1- RM80.0
3. Gear Oil - RM25.00
4. Aircond Belt - RM28.00
5. Tensioner Bearing Aircond - RM45.00
6. Timing Cover Gasket - RM65.00
7. Thermostat - RM65.00
8. Valve Exhaust -(4 x RM30) - RM120.00
9. Valve Intake - ( 8 X RM30) - RM240.00
10. Top Overhaul Gasket - 1 unit - RM180.00
11. Labour for Top Overhaul - RM220.00
12. Maintenance service charges - RM15.00

TOTAL = RM1163.00

That the cost of my proton wira top overhaul.

Proton MPV - PROTON Exora

Proton have launched its MPV called Exora. Nowadays People buy MPV for different reasons, and most rational people just want a big box to move people or stuff around. I'm thinking of buy one proton Exora but for me I have to wait and see because my budget is quite tight this year.

Proton Exora is suitable for family driving and outing. The seven-seater - Proton’s most important model for the year - also marks the company’s entry into the MPV market, which is growing domestically and regionally.It also represents the Proton management’s response to market needs and consumer demands.

The Exora’s interior is more spacious than other MPVs in its engine class. It also has separate air-conditioner blowers with ceiling mounted vents for the second and third row passengers.Large doors allow for easy entry and exit, while the second and third row seats can be folded for a flat floor layout when carrying bulky items.

The vehicle has safety features like dual front airbags, pretensioner seatbelts and anti-lock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution.The Exora, which is powered by a 1.6-litre CamPro CPS engine, was the result of an investment of RM450mil and 18 months of intense in-house research and development.

The MPV is available in four-speed automatic version, in trim levels of Mid-Line and Hi-Line. The Mid-Line Exora costs RM69,998 and the Hi-Line variant, RM75,998 (prices quoted here are for metallic colours only.

While waiting to get more budget to buy proton exora, today I send my Proton Waja for normal sevices, Changing Engine Oil using Petronas Synthium 800 (RM97.00), Engine Oil filter (RM16.00), Air Filter (RM15.00), Spark Plug (RM20.00) plus labour RM15.00 and all together RM163.00. This is the normal cost to maintain a proton waja and how much it would be for Proton Exora ?.... This thing keep wondering in my head...and it seem another day dreaming for me to own a Proton Exora...but...who know I will driving Proton Exora...

PROTON EXORA

How To Purchase A Used Car

Purchasing a used car can be a risky proposition for a variety of reasons. For starters, unless you buy a certified used car, then you really have no idea how well of a condition the car is in and even if you buy a used car from a dealer, you can't be sure that the car won't die the minute you sign the contract.

Another issue is false mileage readings and previous accident history. Although there are services that can help you address this problem, you need to make sure you are aware of them and use them. To help you, I'd like to tell you step by step how you can decrease your chances of getting ripped off and increase your chances of finding the used car of your dreams.

The two most common places to buy a used car are at car dealerships and in newspapers, although eBay is becoming very popular as well. If you are dealing with a private owner, you should always ask for a CARFAX vehicle history report, which will tell you the vehicle's mileage and accident history. If the owner is unwilling to show this to you, then the chances are very high that they have something to hide, at which point you should walk away. Most car dealerships will offer this without any hassle, but again if they refuse, then you need to walk away.

The second thing that you need to do is to try and trace the owner history as far back as possible. Knowing how many owners have owned the car will be great help in making your decision. If there have been a lot of owners, then it will be difficult to know the overall condition of the car or could signify the car has had a history of problems. If a vehicle has had very few owners then it is much more likely to have been treated well and sold in good condition.

f you are buying from a private owner, you will definitely have a hard time getting a warranty from them, but you can always purchase an aftermarket warranty from another company. However, at a minimum you want to make sure they have kept and maintained vehicle service records. Car dealerships often provide a minimum of a 1 year warranty, although often you can find one up to 3 years. Try to find a car with the longest warranty possible in the event that there is a hidden problem.

Lastly, make sure you check the used vehicle's value in the Kelly Blue Book, which should offer both private and dealer values. You are much more likely to get a fair price if you know what the car is worth beforehand.

Buying a used car can definitely be a very risky proposition if you don't know what you are doing, but if you are armed with the tools necessary to do it right, then you are much more likely to end up with a steal rather than a dud.

Buy Tires ?

Have you ever purchased wheels that frustrated you and you felt like giving up? Then relax. Tires Plus have a solution to your problem. It is a company that aims at customer satisfaction and guest enthusiasm. They have been providing car-wheel services for the last 34 years and they have non-biased trained professionals who help the customers to buy the goods. They are the Total car servicing company in US and have over 500 stores in 23 states.

Their services are assembling the products, replacing those that are worn out, repairing the damaged ones they offer and mounting and de mounting services. The technical experts help in installation services, repairing, oiling and filtering work. The trained professionals are honest and cannot recommend you to buy wheels if not necessary. They also offer wide variety of all the popular brands like Bridge stone, Goodyear and Michelin.

Tire plus has a web site which entails all details about their products, the available information can help you solve all wheel problems and locate their retail stores. You can search from web site by vehicle, size or advanced search, this will display the prices and all details about the items. Web site has made it easy to get online appointment within 24 hours and trace the nearby stores you just need to enter your zip code in the web site and it displays a list.

They offer tires and services at affordable prices, in case you travel 3000 miles or 90 days and you get unsatisfactorily feedback, the company rectifies the problem without added expenses, the company also guarantees 200% refund of your money if the goods and services offered fail within 30 days of purchase. Try their services and you wont regret!

Drive Shaft Proton Waja

Today I bring my proton waja to replace the engine oil as a normal routin. I always servuce my proton waja at the workshop near my house. After examining my proton waja, my mechanic advice me to change the drive shaft, the drive shaft oil seal and also my gearbox oil.

It took me about 2 hours to service my proton waja due to a lot off proton car's servicing at the workshop. For the my proton waja engine oil, I used Quasar P2 engine oil because by using this oil, I'm only need to replace my proton waja engine oil for the next 10,000 km. This Quasar P2 engine oil also can save a lot of my petrol oil consumtion due to the nanotechnolog produce by german technology in this oil. Thus it will save me, a lot. I also add engine oil additif for my proton waja engine. It come with the same brand Quasar P2.

Thus servicing my proton waja today cost me at RM:

1. Engin Oil RM70.00
2. Oil Filter RM8.00
3. Gear Oil RM40.00
4. Drive Shaft (Right hand side/Recond) RM270.00
5. Drive Shaft Oil Seal RM25.00
6. Labour RM40.00
7. Engine Oil additive RM30.00

At 1204xxx KM (Spedometer)

Service my proton waja

Sunday 23 Mac 2008, I send my proton waja for service. I change the engine oil, spark plug, and put some engine oil treatment . This cost me RM55.00. On 28 February 2008 I also service my car's air condition. It cost me RM120.00.