That's the trouble with me ....

I don't know how I was persuaded into spending some RM 270/= on car accessories today. My purpose of going to Shah Alam was to discuss business with Durai (also nown as Appu) at the Indian coffee shop in section 26 Shah Alam. The subject of discussion had nothing to do with cars. While waiting for him to show up, I ambled along the 5 foot-way in front of some shops where car accessories were being fitted. I had absolutely no intention of buying anything.

But then I remembered that my car stereo system (the original from Nissan) was unsuitable for use in Malaysia since it was installed to Japanese specifications. The FM broadcast frequency range was 76.0 to 90.0 MHertz while in Malaysia, its 88.0 to 108.0 MHertz. Because of this, the system could only accept a limited number of FM broadcasts.

Responding to my problems, the workshop proprietor suggested I installed a booster for RM 180/= without having to replace the radio. He further added that the LED frequency would not be the actual broadcast frequency because the booster would automatically compensate for the the Japanese frequency range. Thus, for example, the ERA radio frequency of 103.5 MHertz would be adjusted to allow for the original range and would be shown as some figures below 90.00 MHertz. Satisfied with his explanation, I decided to install the booster as recommended.

In the meantime, the proprietor suggested that I installed a water repellent carpet at a cost of RM 6/= per square foot. I agreed to the price of RM 50/= for a 9 square-foot of coverage. Another refinement to the car was the replacement of the car number plate holder with one that had Nismo and Nissan on it, rather than the one with the name of the motor trader from whom I bought the car. I declined when the man proposed to tint the car windows.

I had unwittingly spent a total of RM 270/= but as consolation for my impulsive purchase, I was satisfied with the stereo system receiving considerably more stations than before and on that note, I left for home.

Be friendly if you want to sell cars .....

I wonder how many people have experienced what I went through when dealing with car traders. For one, I noticed that the saleman's attitude was one of take-it-or-leave-it and that he seemed to have no time for you if you asked him too many questions. It was as though he expected that, once you entered his show room, you give him a booking fee and immediately purchase the car. He was not interested in answering your queries on technical issues apart from telling you the price of the car. As for discount, forget it. He did not even suggest that if you wanted a discount, it's better you discussed with the manager.

I experienced this with Naza Motor on the Federal highway, Ming Heng Motor in Genting Klang, and several motor traders in Bukit Lanjan. With Naza, you don't talk about discounts unless you pay RM 5,000/= upfront and only then would the Manager be ready to discuss with you. If not, it would be a waste of his time. With Ming Heng, the salesman would give you his call card and never bothered to follow-up. He waited for you to call him, not vice versa. Zaibar Motor's attitude to car marketing was no better until I made several visits which prompted the salesman to think that I was really interested in purchasing the Fairlady, which I did eventually. His other Fairlady was not taken and it had been a year already.

So today, I got the itch to go to Iktikad Raya to see some sports cars that were advertised in the On The Road motor magazine. This car trader appeared to be one of the biggest car traders in the Klang Valley and one of its sales premises was located along Jalan Pahang, so said the advertisement. Another reason why I wanted to go to Iktikad Raya was that their ad claimed that they had modern facilities to maintain and modify cars.

When I went there, I could not find a proper entrance to go in, save for a small road on one side and another small road terminating at the busy Jalan Pahang. Along this road, cars were parked haphazardly on the grass verge on both sides of the narrow road that I had to squeeze my car through. There was not even a welcoming sign to suggest where to park your car. Fearing that I might be stranded on the small road with no way of reversing if there were obstacles in front, I decided to drive away from the area. It reminded me of Naza in Kampung Bharu in those days when you had to park your car far away if you want to see the cars on display. The motor traders attitude was not a welcoming one. The only way for us customers was to beat a hasty retreat.

Some pictures of the car ...

All the while, I have been talking about the Nissan Fairlady but have never shown its pictures. So, here they are.

Now, it's a joy to drive ...

After weeks of doubts and dread, I am beginning to enjoy driving the Fairlady. I enjoy driving the car, not for its speed, but for its acceleration. I feel exhilarated when the RPM meter leap from 2000 rpm to 4500 rpm with the exhaust screaming when I press the pedal and the zoom pass all the vehicles on my left. It's really fun.

After that scare on the overheating, I took the car for a trip down south - past KLIA - and onwards to Banting and Morib and back home again via the the Banting-Klang Highway and through the Kesas Highway to Subang Jaya. Iman was the navigator and companion. Throughout the trip, not once did the temp meter needle budge from its position of just slightly below the middle. During the journey which took about 6.5 hours, I made several stops - at the toll plaza before KLIA, at a kopitiam in Banting, and at Impian Hotel in Morib, adjacent to the Morib golf club.

By the time I parked the car in my condo, I had traversed a distance of about 170 kilometres. Prior to this, I checked the fuel consumption from since I last filled the tank on 26/10/2009 to the next fill on 23/12/2009. I had travelled a distance of 310 km and consumed 55.30 litres of RON 95 petrol. The fuel consumption was thus 15.8384 miles per gallon, which was a far cry from the expected 24 to 26 mpg.

Had the fuel evaporated, since most of the time I had left the car parked and my driving was confined to within 5 km radius of the condo. Or was someone stealing my petrol ? Bad thoughts ! Most probably, my filling points were wrong. I usually stopped filling when the automatic petrol nozzle cut off. The automatic petrol nozzle might be different from station to station and from nozzle to nozzle. But over a long period, I would get a good average on the fuel consumption. Another reason could be due to the engine left idling for a one hour test after the APD people had installed the 2 motor fans. Petrol was then consumed in zero distance.

All well again ..

At about 3.00 pm, I went to APD to collect my car which was ready for collection since 1.00 pm when Ali informed me that the car no longer overheats after replacing the 2 fan motors with new ones. He further stated that, after running the engine on idle for about an hour, there was no signs of overheating and that, of course, proved that the fans were working as they should.

I then took the car for a test drive with Prakash, a mechanic working there, and was satisfied that indeed the car was not overheating. The yellow engine symbol that appeared had gone, had been erased by them using the ECU device.

It was now time to settle the amount that came to RM 1,594 inclusive of workmanship. As usual when dealing with car mechanics I was always skeptical, then and now, about the parts replaced. I was badgering Ali whether those parts were OEM parts and not parts made in China, about where he got them from - Tan Chong or what. asking him also to give the name of the supplier, and asking him to produce the box in which the parts were usually kept.

Ali apologised saying that he could not divulge the suppliers's name as it was confidential. But he assured me that the parts were based on the car's chassis number and that his supplier had supplied the parts in accordance with the chassis number and the car model and its Japanese specifications. In other words, they were genuine NIssan parts.

But I was still not satisfied with his explanation fearing that Ali might not even know whether they were really Nissan parts. Also, there was no way for me to know that the parts replaced were new as they were already fitted. I had to take Ali's word for them being genuine.

The only way to know was to monitor the performance of the fan motors from the time that I sent the car to APD on 21/12/2009 when its meter reading was 18,127 kilometres. But then again, APD would not risk their reputation for being a well known niche workshop specialising in maintaining performance cars.

After paying the amount using EBB CC, I met Danial, the owner's son, and asked him to quote for an HKS supercharger which he said was about RM 20k + and left for home. He promised to SMS me a proper quotation.

Fan motors ...

I took the car to APD today describing to Danial my suspicion on the cause of overheating being due to the fan. I had noticed before that the left side fan rotated while the right fan didn't even spin. True enough, APD diagnosed the cause of the overheating as due to the fans. Ali, the supervisor, said that the left fan was not really rotating well while the motor of the right one is damaged due to, most probably, over voltage.

One fan motor cost RM 750/= and if I wanted to change the 2 motors it would set me back some RM 1,500/= just for the fan motors only. He suggested that I installed a complete set of a used fan system (2 fans + 2 motors + housing) for RM 900/= only. I thought about it for awhile and fearing that the same thing might happen again, I decided to replace the fan motors with new ones and damn the cost. Who's to say that the used motors might conk out again. After all the second hand parts dealer did not give a guarantee.

As it was already late, Ali said that the car had to be left there overnight, and that it would be ready the next day. On that note, I left APD for home.

Overheating ....

A couple of days ago, I got a shock of my life. It happened like this. I was driving to a friend's house at Putra Heights with my grandson, Iman, as passenger. I took the usual route via Jalan Tujuan, driving at a moderate pace in the middle of the road and then making a U-turn in order later to turn left and drive through the main USJ12 road, over several annoying speed breakers before finally entering the Jalan Puchong-Hicom road where I made a U-turn under the flyover.

I stopped at the traffic lights and was on the right lane. To my left a group of motorcyclists had gathered and were revving up their bikes. As I was in front and wished to turn left, I planned to be well ahead of the motorcyclists in order to safely turn left at the entrance to Putra Heights, which was a short distance from the traffic lights.

As soon as the lights turned green, I accelerated my 350Z hard and quickly turned to the left well ahead of the motorocyclists. I drove a further 100 metres or so to turn into the housing estate where my friend lived. On reaching his house gate, I horned and got out and left the car engine running with Iman inside.

My friend greeted me and beckoned to enter his home. I told him I could not stay long and sat down to conclude the business in about 5 minutes. Apologising to him that I could not accept his cup of coffee, I got out of the house and while I was on his porch, I heard my friend saying that there was water coming out of the car. I went around the car to inspect and to my horror I smelt something burning. I realised then that the car was overheating. I rushed to inside the car and managed to glance at the water temperature meter to see that the needle was high before switching off the engine.

Questions raced through my mind. Had I not put water in the radiator ? But I know that there's always water in the radiator since I last opened the bonnet. Was my radiator fan running ? Was it the aircon water that was coming out of the car ?

My friend helped me in opening the car bonnet and I saw that water was boiling in the radiator holding tank and that the engine was really heated up with small clouds of steam everywhere. While I let the car engine to cool down, I discussed with my friend as to what actually happened. He reckoned that the cooling fan malfunctioned, which was the usual cause of engine overheating. And I agreed, since I once experienced earlier that the water temp meter did go up high during one occassion when I was driving before it settled in the middle.

Meanwhile I went back inside the house to discuss further with him. After about 30 minutes or so, I decided to check the car again while my friend was bringing a few bottles of water he collected from the kitchen. He poured water in the holding tank to full while I started the engine.

The needle dropped down from its high position while warm water circulated in the engine. I noticed that the radiator fan was still not running. Closing the bonnet, I decided to drive around near the house and after a few minutes the needle settled steadily in the middle. I bid my friend farewell and drove out of the housing, asking Iman to concentrate looking at the needle as I drove. Everything seemed to work fine when the yellow engine symbol on the dashboard appeared. I was really worried.

I drove to a nearby Shell station and asked the station operator, an old friend, if he could tell me why the symbol appeared, without telling what had happened before. He at once told me that it had something with the "sensors" and advised me to check with Nissan mechanics to rectify it using their computer device. He added this was a small matter.

I drove to Zaibar Motor since it was on the way to where I wanted to go initially. The salesman told me the same thing and advised me to get assistance from expert mechanics with computerised diagnostics tools and added that this was a small problem that could be fixed in a few minutes.

I then left for home driving at a moderate pace and with Iman watching intently at the meter to warn me if the needle went up high. The driving was fine and, until I switched off the engine at the car park, the yellow engine symbol was still lighted up. Since then I had not driven the car nor taken it to be diagnosed. Let the car be really cool before I take it to APD.

Sound system ...

The Bose sound system that came fitted in the car performs satisfactorily well. Though more of a "video" man than an "audio" man, for the first time in my life I become interested in listening to music - no, not that kind of music created by the Classics composers such as Mozart or Beethoven - but the kind of music from Strauss or Rodgers and Hammerstein or Bill Haley and his Comets.

When before I need to listen to some songs, all I did was to borrow a cassette or a disc containing pop music and play them on the player without as much as enjoying them as to keep me company when being alone in a car. But now I take the trouble of downloading all kinds of music even the Classics and burning them to a CD. But my preference is still to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Rick Astley and such, than to some piano concertos or symphonies.

However, the video system does not work at all since, I was told, that the system was more for Japan than for Malaysia. I have to re-install a new system or modify the existing one to suit Malaysian condition. The FM system works partially, being able to tune to radio stations in Malaysia between frequencies 76.0 Mghertz to 89.9 Mghertz. I have to modify the radio to be able to tune up to 108.0 MgHertz.

Petrol consumption again ..

I again checked on the latest petrol consumption of my car only to find that it had increased substantially. On 03/10/2009, before going to Chemor for a wedding reception, I had filled up the tank in Subang Jaya when the meter read 17386 km. The greater part of the to-and-fro trip was on the PLUS highway but I had also travelled on the trunk roads in the Chemor area and a few kilometres in the village area. On the way back, I dropped by at my daughter's shop in Bukit Beruntung before going back to the apartment. I decided to wait a few days before re-fuelling. So today, at 01.00 am, I refuelled at the Shell station in Subang Jaya and the meter read 17855 km. I had thus travelled 469 km and the petrol used was 54.29 litres. The petrol consumption rate was therefore 8.6388 km/litre or 24.403 miles per gallon.

It should have been anywhere between 26 t0 29 miles per gallon as in my previous tests. I attribute this increase to:-

(1) my aggressive driving technique - too much acceleration,

(2) something was really wrong with the injection system and

(3) fuel evaporation - since I left the car parked for 5 days before refuelling. A proper fuel consumption test should be done within a shorter duration of time as in my previous tests. The ambient temperature for the past 5 days had been above 30 degrees Celsius.

Some minor problems on my Fairlady ....

Last night, I felt like taking the car for a spin. As usual, after I started the car, I checked on the DTE (distance to empty) meter and it read 616 km. I also noticed that when I pressed the brake peddle, I heard a low "thud" sound that emanated from underneath the gear lever console. To confirm, I depressed the pedal repeatedly only to hear the same sound again and again. I spent close to 10 minutes to locate the exact source of the sound, but to no avail. So I left it at that.

I then drove out of the condo's park building, out the guard exit and drove to Speedmart, at the Wisma Padi Corporation building in Subang Jaya. [By the way, Speedmart is a minimarket that sells goods at considerably lower prices than even in the hypermarket such as the nearby Carrefoure. As an example, a tin of Pringles sells for RM 3.95 while for the same stuff, it costs you between RM 1.00 - 2.00 more at seven-eleven, or KK or Carrefoure. The same thing goes for all the products on the Speedmart shelves].

While driving away from Speedmart after buying some stuffs and a pack of cigarettes, I noticed the DTE meter seemed to read more than just the distance of about 4 km from my condo to the shop. Nevertheless as I was driving back via Jalan Tujuan, then up the flyover and to the roundabout with 3 flyovers, I noticed that the digital read-out on DTE meter ran faster than usual. By the time I got to park my car again, the meter had read that I had travelled a distance of about 50 km when the actual to-and-fro distance was not more than 10 km ! Something was definitely wrong. Again I depressed the brake pedal to confirm my earlier observation. The same sound was again heard. I then left for home.

Carnage on the road ..

While not about my 350Z, I feel I have to write about the number of deaths recorded during the 2 weeks of Ops Sikap conducted by the Police from 13th to 26th September 2009 during which 261 people died as a result of accidents, most of whom were motorcyclists and their pillion riders. This is not really surprising since this group of road users habitually run against the traffic lights at any junction in the country. Since the OPs Sikap started some years ago, the figure was the second highest.

The authorities are at their wit's ends as to why Malaysians are prone to accidents. The roads are good - maybe too good - that drivers and motorcyclists enjoy driving at high speeds. I can cite so many reasons as to why the figures don't seem to go down. But it's pointless because Malaysian drivers are emotional, and have attitude problems. They should emulate how the British people drive cars.

Back again in Subang Jaya ...

The balik kampung trip up north was not a pleasant one since it rained mostly throughout the three-and-a-half-hour journey. Not only that, the road was so jam packed with cars that I took one and a half hour more than usual to reach my destination, just in time to break fast on the last day of Ramadhan.

Throughout the journey from Subang toll to Ipoh toll; I noticed that Malaysian drivers had no sense of safety. Drivers on the fast lane tend to drive above the speed limit of 110 km/h even though it was pouring and visibility was poor. Impatient drivers tend to drive on the emergency lane when they found that the fast and middle lanes were packed with cars. They did not seem to be bothered by the government innumerable warnings to be extra careful when driving during the festive season. No wonder we read a lot on people being killed or maimed in the many accidents that littered the country. In pouring rain, I once saw a Myvi car tailgating me when I was on the fast lane and being the good driver that I was, I let him pass. Malaysians just never seemed to learn how to drive on highways.

The drive up north gave me the opportunity to check for the third time on the petrol consumption of the Nissan 350Z. The distance covered was 216.9 km, petrol used was 23.185 litres costing RM 41.73. This works out to be 9.3552 km/litre or 26.397 miles per gallon. The consumption meter shows that over the same distance, the meter read exactly 10.00 km per litre. Translating to imperial, I got 28.216 miles per gallon. The meter thus over-read by 6.09 percent. The drive was not purely on the highways since I made a couple of stops and drove at a leisurely pace on trunk roads before reaching home.

The meter reading when I last filled the tank at a Caltex station in Ipoh was 17,086 and today's fill was at Shell in Subang Jaya when the meter read 17,344. I have thus travelled 258 km and consumed 26.46 litres of RON 95 petrol. The comsumption is thus 9.7506 km per litre or 27.512 miles per gallon

The trip back to Subang Jaya was more pleasant because of excellent weather and the road was dry throughout the journey home. I made a couple of stops at Tapah and Ulu Bernam R&R. I noticed that cars that tend to drive fast were the BMWs; not those big 7-series ones though but the smaller sporty ones such as the 325s and the 320s. Because of the heavy traffic, I always let them pass me even though I knew that a slight pressure on my throttle would leave them standing still on normal highway driving.

Just before reaching the Subang toll I thought, all of a sudden, I was tailgated by what looked like the front of a Nissan GTR but I was not sure since I was already turning into the toll lane as the car passed me and proceeded straight on the highway to Klang.

Looking forward to a pleasant trip back ....

Today is Friday the 18th of September 2009 and tomorrow, Zul and me will be on our way back to the Kampung for Hari Raya celebrations the next day. I would have the opportunity to check again on the car's petrol consumption over a longer distance, of more than 200 km, on the highway than in the previous tests. This time I will compare the car meter's consumption rate and the manual method of km travelled divided by how much petrol is used.

I hope the north-bound traffic is not heavy on the PLUS highway and pray that motorists drive with extra care during the festive season. Malaysian drivers, being the emotional drivers that they usually are, tend to be impatient when faced with potential traffic jams or long queues. If the weather is fine, then I may enjoy a pleasant drive on my Nissan Fairlady 350Z.

Car Security ...

Before I modify my car, a most important consideration is car security. What's the use of having a beautifully body-kitted car or a car with high horse power that can outrun all the cars that you pass on the highways when it is not even safe to park ? What's the use of having a car if you don't have a peace of mind whenever you leave it in your house compound or in a shopping complex when all the time you dread that your car might be broken into or worse being stolen ?

It is therefore of paramount importance that the car be fitted with about as fool-proof a security system as you can make it. I don't want my car to disappear in somebody's workshop with only the chassis left or being in a container ship on the way to Indonesia.

There are many car security systems in the Malaysian market. These systems not only come with alarms that alert intruders but they use GSM and GPS technolgies that allow your car to be tracked and located. Two systems introduced to me personally are iSE and Gismo made in Taiwan and Australia respectively. Both have the GSM and the GPS systems, priced between RM 2,500 to RM 2,800 inclusive of installations. The iSE system are of many types depending on the available features. I have heard about the Cobra and the Kinsei systems.

One system that seems to be convincing is the US made Powerlock system that does not have the sophisticated GSM and GSP technologies but makes use of a solenoid module that integrates with the car starter motor. Unauthorised starting of the car is therefore absolutely impossible and if the car cannot start then it cannot be stolen - so says the brochure. On checking further, the Powerlock system might prevent the car itself from being stolen, but it does not prevent the car from being broken into and its contents removed. Worse, it does not prevent or deter potential thieves from removing the wheels unless you also install Powerlock's Wheelsafe system.

Therefore a perfect system would be a combination of the iSE or Gizmo and the Powerlock.

Supercharger ..

I am contemplating to increase the 350Z's horse-power from the present engine hp of 287 by some 60 hp at the wheels by installing a supercharger or even a turbocharger. From what I gather from the internet, a turbocharger might boost the horse power to such an extent that I have to modify other parts of the car such as the engine's internals, the fuel pump, the injector's fuel rates, the exhaust gas discharge volume and so on since the turbocharger might just boost the car's horse power just a bit too much for my liking and probably unsuitable for use on Malaysian highways that restrict speed limit to 110 km per hour. Further, a turbocharger takes effect beyond a certain RPM at which a car speed would have gone beyond the limit. A turbocharger may be suitable for a car with manual transmission than for a car with an automatic one such as on my Fairlady.

A supercharger has no lag time as the turbocharger and as soon as you start the car and drive from standing still, the supercharger starts boosting your car engine and if you keep on pressing the throttle, it keeps on boosting up to even the redline on the tachometer; whereas a turbocharger starts boosting your engine when the RPM reaches past the 2,500-3,000 mark. A supercharger is hence more suitable on a automatic transmission car than on a manual one.

From a host of many popular supercharger systems in the market such as Greddy, Stillen, Vortech and so on, my final choice of a supercharger has narrowed down to the HKS system which fits nicely into underneath the Fairlady's bonnet without any modifications. According to one installer, the HKS system that he promotes would boost the horse power at the wheels by some 60 horses without any modifications except for a small cut at the front to fit the intercooler. The rest are bolt-on fittings. The kit is called the HKS GT Supercharger Kit that comes complete with intercooler, ECU, intake, filter, upgraded fuel pump, pulley and a host of many other necessary components.

Undercarriage ..

Yesterday, I took the Fairlady to a Bridgestone shop in Sunway in order to check the undercarriage and to take photographs with Arif being the photographer. I saw some sign of scrapings on the exhaust pipes whenever the car went over the speed breakers on the roads near where I live. The car park ramps also contributed to the scrapings. Stanley, a mechanic there, reckoned that the front brake pads ought to be changed and suggested some cheaper Japanese pads that cost RM 500/= instead of the more expensive Brembo pads. He observed that the springs had been changed to the sports type and that the brake system was a full Brembo i.e. the rotors were Brembos when I thought the previous owner only changed the brake calipers to Brembos.

I had also the opportunity to check on an HKS supercharger system which was quoted by N-One racing as RM 27,000 excluding installation cost of RM 2,000. The salesman claimed that the power gained at the wheels was 60 bhp.

While the car was on the jack, I re-inflated all the tyres to a pressure of 240 Kpa each in accordance with Nissan's specifications.

I also check the Kinsei system of car security and protection. The GSM+GSP cost RM 2,500 and RM 2,800 including installation for the respective Taiwan or Australian Kinsei system. I have to install such a system as quickly as possible. The shop that instals the system is in Damansara Utama, behind Starbucks cafe.

I took Iman and Dayana separately for a joy ride from the apartment to Subang Airport roundabout and back again via the Subang Jaya link. With Dania, I took her to Padang Jawa and back again. It was the first time for them to be in a sportscar, and a powerful one at that.

Tyres ..

The front axle of my Nissan Fairlady 350 Z came fitted with Bridgestone Potenza RE 050A 245/35/R19/93 Y while the rear axle, all else the same, with 275/35/R19/93Y. As I understand it when browsing the Bridgestone website, the RE 050 signifies the type of tyre and the A signifies that its tread pattern is asymmetrical. The 245 or 275 means a tyre width of 245 mm or 275 mm as the case may be. The 35 is the percentage ratio between the height and the width. It is also called the Aspect Ratio. The R means radial tyre and the 19 signifies the rim diameter in inches, which in this case is 19". The 93 means the load rating in kg (?) that the tyre can bear while the Y signifies that the tyre can withstand a speed of 300 km per hour.

As for the grey 10-spoked rim, I have yet to determine whether it's from Rays or from some other makes. I have not obtained any information on what the correct tyre pressures are for the tyres. The manual describes tyre pressure as 240 Kpa for both front and rear but that is for the stock tyres 225/40 and 245/40 on 17 or 18 inch rim.

Second consumption test ...

I conducted my second test on petrol consumption. The route taken was from my house through Jalan Kemajuan to the Subang Airport roundabout and back to just past Carrefoure and up the ramp to enter the Kelana-Subang Jaya link to the same roundabout and back again via the same link and U-turning at the Summit traffic lights before parking my car.

The car is fitted with a couple of meters that, at a press of a button, you can display its consumption rate, distance travelled, time taken, speed at any instance in km/hour, ambient temperature in Celsius and stop-watch meter readings. Another useful feature is that the meter displays the distance in km that the car can traverse before the fuel tank empties. A number of say 420 km dte (distance to empty) means that the petrol is sufficient to cover a distance of 420 km. Another button allows you to set up before you start the car. According to the meter in the test that I conducted, the car travelled a distance of 37.8 km and consumed petrol at the rate of 9.4 km per litre. This worked out to be 26.2675 miles per gallon.

Update 08/09/220: I replaced the 2 front tyres of my Mercedez E-230 when the odometer read 170,288 km. They are identical with the rear tyres, but inflated at 220 Kpa. If fully loaded, the front tyres inflation pressure is 230 Kpa while the rear ones is 280 Kpa. There is still a bit of life left on the tyres yet and they can be used in emergency in the future. After fitting the tyres, driving became smooth and there was no shake of the steering wheel at higher speeds.

At the Sunway area, one shop verbally quoted that, for a front pair of Brembo rotors and pads, the price was RM 3,000 while for the rear pair, the price was RM 2,000. The Brembo calipers are not included in the quote. The Brembo brake pad of ceramic compound costs RM 1,200, though I was not sure whether the price was for a piece, a pair or a set of four pads.

A visit to APD ....

Last Saturday, I visited a modern workshop called Automotive Performance Development (APD) located along Jalan Perintis U1 in Glenmarie Shah Alam. To get there from Subang Jaya, you drive along the Subang Jaya-Glenmarie connecting road and turn right at the traffic light, proceed further until you see the DRB Hicom building on the left. On the right are a number of new buildings and shophouses. ADB is somewhere there. You may have to make U-turn at the traffic light in order to get to there. The workshop is equipped with dynamometer testing facilities, and has even a performance department for enthusiasts who want to soup up their cars.

An executive there (Wan Danial) claimed that quite a number of 350Z have been upgraded since the workshop was set up in May this year. In fact, he's now testing a 350Z fitted with a turbocharger and invited me to come to his workshop on the coming Teusday to see the car. I spent about an hour inspecting the facilities available and had a pleasant conversation with his father in the cafeteria. APD is apparently run as a family business.

At last , I own the Fairlady ...

Today was one of the exciting days of my life. I finally took possession of the Nissan 350Z Fairlady. It was not quite the "few days" that I thought I could get the car after placing the order on August 5 2009. It turned out to be a few weeks. I wasted some 7-8 days looking for the right financial company and a few days to decide to get the right insurance company.

At about 4.00 pm, I took the car for a drive starting from a Shell station to KLIA on the highway and back again to fill up the tank to the same level as at start. The idea is to determine the consumption. The odometer reading at start was 16,444 km and at end it was 16,531 km. For that distance of 87 km, I had consumed 8.49 litres of petrol at a cost of RM 15.28

The consumption rate was 87/8.49 km per litre or 10.2743 km/litre or 29.153 miles per gallon. Petrol cost was 15.28/87 RM per km or RM 0.1756 per km. Simplifying, my petrol cost was RM 17.56 for a 100 km. Should I drive for a 100,000 km in the next 5 years, I would probably be spending some RM 1,756 in petrol cost.

Of course, this is just one instance based on a test drive on a highway and will not be representative over a distance of a 100,000 km. The 29.153 mpg is too good by any standard.

The drive on the highway was not as smooth as when I drive my Mercedez. I believe that the shock absorbers on the Nissan were more stiff than those of my E230 and, come to think of it, the ride was a bit rough. But what was exhilerating was the ease with which I passed the cars on my left as I lightly and gingerly pressed on the throttle. I need some time to get used to driving the Nissan 350Z Fairlady.

There are a few more things I have to check - as for example the proper tyre pressure, how much wear there is on the brake pads, or on the tyres, and perhaps to install a few accessories like a DVD changer, a GPS system, and so on. The most important item to add is a fool-proof device to improve the security and protection. A system similar to the Kinsei Security System was shown to me this afternoon but it cost RM 2,600/= while a similar system using the GPS would set me back RM 3,200/=. I want a system that warns immediately with stealth when my car is tampered with, not simply an alarm that could be deactivated by an expert thief within seconds.

A pleasant morning call ... ..

This morning I woke up to a phone call on my handset from the car salesman who informed me that my loan had been approved. He requested that the cheque that I gave him be banked in - to which I assented. I am now making arrangement for the downpayment. By next week, I hope everything goes well and that the salesman services the car, checks and remedies any shortcomings as he has promised before handing the car over to me.

At about 10.30 pm, I had a rude shock when a friend of mine said that that a full C of A would be on sometime on the 16th Sep 2009. It brought me down to earth. The bearded guy who was supposed to see things through without a hitch was apparently outmanouvered by his adversary.

Update 17/08/2009: My friend called me at 4.00 pm to give the good news that settlement was approved at 28 million. I will then be able to re-finance the car that I am buying. Great !!

Update 22/08/2009: As I write this, it's 04.25 am on Saturday. I have just taken pre-fasting supper with the family on the first day of Ramadhan.

Update 25/08/2009: I just checked today that the price of a Bridgestone Potenza RE050 245/35 19" tyre was RM 1,300 for front and for 275/35 19" rear the price was RM 1,600. For a set of four, it would set me back RM 5,900. Worse, a set of 19" Rays rims cost RM 13,800. The Bridgestone tyreman claimed that for the Fairlady, it's better to use tyres of different widths for front and rear. Luckily for me, the car was already fitted with Brembo brakes or else it would set me back another RM 20,000 to get the Brembos fitted.

Update 28/08/2009: The car has gone through the Puspakom inspection and is now in a workshop for minor touch-ups and polishing. As soon as it gets back to the dealer, I have to conduct another test drive through the highway for a better appraisal of its drivability.

Update 01/09/2009: While not about the Fairlady, this afternoon I changed the rear tyres of my Mercedez Benz. One of the replaced tyres - the rear left - has worn past its indicator strip while there is a bit of rubber still left on the other tyre. Nevertheless, I changed both to Goodyear NCT 205/65/R15 tyres - the same as the originals. It set me back RM 520/= for the two. As now I intend to pay more attention to tyres especially the sporty tyres on the Fairlady, I bought a digital tyre gauge for RM 80/= from Michelin to make sure that, in future, all my tyres are properly inflated. The gauge measures pressures in Bar, Kpa, and Psi.

While waiting for my tyres to be changed, I checked at a nearby accessory shop on how much would it cost to convert to Brembo brake system. The store clerk, who was more interested in playing with his handphone than paying attention to my questions, disinterestedly mentioned that for a set of Brembos the price was RM 19,500. I forgot how much the cost was for a set 4 ceramic brake pads.

Update 02/09/2009: I went for a proper test drive on the E5 Expressway to find out that the Nissan Fairlady 350Z that I will be taking possession tomorrow performed smoothly when accelerating, cruising, decelerating and braking. I told the salesman my only fear was not realising that I would exceed the speed limits when driving on the highway. Much to my delight, I discovered that the car had both front left and right cameras when I thought it had only a reverse camera. Much to my disappointment, it had only Brembo calipers but not Brembo rotors (Brembo rotors have either drill holes or slots to dissipate heat). It was thus not fitted with a full Brembo brake system. On feeling the edges of the rotors (which I think were the original Nissan parts), there were signs of wear which were not really that much to warrant replacement. The odometer read 16,442 km when I parked the car. As for the brake pads, I will have to inspect them in a workshop with facilities for undercarriage inspection. On starting the car, I was glad that the engine and the car did not shudder but there was a thunk noise when I started moving it for the first time. There was no noise after that.

The car's front tyre specification was Bridgestone Potenza 245/35 /R19 RE050A 93Y while its rear tyre spec was 275/35/R19 RE050A 93Y. It looks I have to keep spares of the 2 sets of tyres.

Nissan Fairlady 350Z ...

In a few days time, I will have the pleasure of driving the Nissan Fairlady 350 Z sports car. I bought it on hire-purchase from one of the many motor traders in the Klang Valley. The car is a 2005 model based on Japanese specifications. I had been looking for a black or dark-colored car but none was available that was to my taste. The silver-colored ones were plentiful but they didn't seem to attract me. Finally I chose an orange-colored car that was fitted with Brembo brakes, 19-inch wheels with 245/35 Bridgestone Potenza tyres with a lot tread left still. The monitor that came with the rear camera was not that important as the Brembo brakes. The odometer showed that the previous owner had driven the car for a distance of 16,110 km which seemed believable.

I hope the car I chose doesn't turn up to be a lemon that will rue me forever and I would swear never to buy a used car anymore no matter how good it looks. If indeed it were so, then I would immediately sell the car for a brand new Fairlady 370Z that sells for about RM 350-400K from Tan Chong Motors.

But before I made the decision to acquire the car from the particular dealer, I had been visiting a number of car traders in the Klang Valley. Some dealers offer cars that had suspiciouly low mileage like some 4,000 km despite being of 2005 make. While others, with what looked like proper mileage clocked on the odometer, had chassis numbers that were 1 or 2 years in mismatch with their year of manufacture. Some traders, with a take-it-or-leave it attitude, tend to stick to their quoted prices as if their cars were hot items in the car market. The salesmen would look indignant if we asked for a RM 5,000 reduction from the tagged price. To such people, I quickly said goodbye and promised never to step into their showroom again.

I had in the meantime scoured the internet in search for any relationship between car chassis numbers and year of manufacture. I found out that, among other things, the 10th digit of the chassis number (containing 17 alphanumeric characters in all) for car made in or sold to US or Europe represented the year of manufacture. However, Japanese cars made to Japanese specifications were different. Thus, a Nissan Fairlady 350Z with chassis number like Z33-402123 was of early 2005 make. I saw 3 cars with numbers of 200 .. something that passed for year 2005 makes and another 2 with numbers such as Z33-400564 and Z33-403555. Finally, I settled for one with a chassis number of Z33-403832 that had about 16,100 km on the odometer. Its an early 2005 production that had a lot of tread on the tyres.

While waiting for the loan to be approved, I checked on the Malaysian customs dept.'s tax structure on imported cars with capacities of 3,000 cc or higher. Before the 2006 Malaysian budget, the duty on such cars were horrendously huge. The tax on the car is 300 % on its CIF price and a further 10 % over the combined amount regardless of whether the car was an imported new car or used.

Thus a car sold for, say, USD 24,000 FOB in Japan would cost USD 26,000 CIF (Cost of Insurance and Freight in Port Klang). The customs dept. would straightaway impose 300 % import duty i.e. 3.6x26,000x(300/100) or RM 280,800/=. On top of this, the customs dept. would impose another 10 % in sales tax, not on the CIF price but on the combined CIF price and import duty. The sales tax would then be RM 28,080/=.

The importer would then have to pay a total of RM 3.6x26,000+280,080+28,080 or RM 401,760. But then there was an element of approved import permit (popularly known as AP). The importer would then have to add a further RM 30,000 to an AP holder making up the price to RM 431,760 and, since he had to make a profit of say 20 % for all his troubles, he added a further RM 86,352/= to push the price to RM 518,112/= as the price he's prepared to sell in Malaysia.

But back in 2006, would anybody then buy a used 4-year old car for half a million odd ringgit unless the car was a Ferrari or a Lamborghini ?

Some years ago, to wit 11th Oct 2001, the local media, NST, reported that the Customs & Excise Dept. of Malaysia, seized 112 luxury cars such as Mercedes, Jaguars, Rovers, Volvos, and BMWs for reasons of RM 8 million in unpaid duty. The owners had no documents to prove that duties had been paid nor proofs that they had import permits. The owners/drivers were, of course, unaware that the scams were perpetrated by even some of the bigtime motor traders in the Klang Valley. In all innocence, when the owners bought their cars, they assumed that all permits have been obtained and that all relevant duties have been paid. Another NST report on 24/10/2005 stated that Customs had seized 5 luxury cars from a Kajang workshop. The cars were A Mercedez Benz E-240, a BMW Z3, a Nissan Silvia, and 2 Nissan Skylines on which an estimated duty of RM 500,000/=. was not paid.

In the years of globalisation, what with AFTA and WTO, Malaysia had no choice but to reform its tax structure on imports including imports of completely built up or CBU vehicles. Nor can Malaysia impose tariffs with impunity without its own exports being subjected to import tariffs by its trading partners. Willy nilly Malaysia had to reform somewhat and came up with a much reduced import duty for imported cars(ranging from 5% to 30%). Not to lose anymore revenue, the wily Malaysian goverment introduced an Excise Duty when before there was none and was only applied to vehicles assembled in the country. Thus for a 3,000 cc or more car, the import duty is 30 percent on CIF of cars imported from non-ASEAN countries. It is 5 % if the car is imported from an ASEAN country such as Thailand or Indonesia. The excise duty is 125 % on CIF regardless of the sources of imports. The sales tax remains at 10 % on the combined amount of CIF and duties.

Thus for the USD 24,000 car from Japan, the importer/trader has to pay USD 26,000 (or RM78,000) in CIF to port Klang, RM 23,400 in import duty, RM 97,500 in excise duty, and RM 12,090 in sales tax. The landed price is therefore RM 78,000+23,400+97,500+12,090 or RM 210,990/=. Adding the AP cost of RM 30,000 and the trader's mark-up of 20 % i.e. RM 48,198/=, the selling price is then RM 289,188/=. There's no way that the trader can make a killing if he sells the car for RM 290,000/= . He would really make good money only if the trader is himself an AP holder (his AP cost is only RM 250/=), and the payout in duties are based on a different tax structure.

To add confusion to the already confused situation in how the customs dept. applies tax on imported cars, here is an example based on someone who imported two used Mercedez cars from Europe.

It starts from the price shown on the Docket. Is the price on the Docket the price of the car when new, or the price shown on the seller's invoice, or the price based on the Custom's own price list of the relevant car. Regardless, let us assume that that is the price to start with - which in this case is USD 35,000 [I am using this price of a new car rather than than the USD 24,000, which is for a used car, in the above example]. Inclusive of freight and insurance, the CIF price is then USD 37,000 or RM 133,200 (at RM 3.60 to 1 USD). The importer/trader enjoys a 15 % discount. The car's value is therefore 0.85x 133,200 or RM 113,220. Since the car is 4 years old, the car's value has dropped by a further 40 % (based on 10 % depreciation per year). Its value has now become 0.60x113,220 or RM 67,932. Then, there is such a thing as individual's discount of 20 %. The car's value is further reduced to 0.80x67,932 or RM 54,345.60. If the importer/trader had appealed to Customs HQ for a further discount for reasons of being a big importer or for having good connections, he stands to get a further 10 % discount. The car's value is finally reduced to 0.90x54,345.60 or RM 48,911.04. This amount is then called the Custom's Valuation on which duties are applied.

Thus the import duty is 30 % of 48,911.04 or RM 14,673.31. The excise duty is 125 % of 48,911.04 or RM 61,138.80. The sales tax is 10 % on the custom's valuation and the duties i.e. 0.10x(48,911.04+14,673.31+61,138.80) or 0.10x124,723.15 or RM 12,472.32. The total tax payable to the Customs dept. is therefore 14,673.31+61,138.80+12,472.32 or RM 88,284.43.

Since the importer/trader imports a used car for the price of USD 24,000, his cost to import the car is the CIF+the duties i.e. 3.6x(24,000+2,000) + 88,284.43 or RM 166,284.43 before the cost of an AP, interest cost, sales mark-up. There's no way that the importer/trader can make good money if he sells the car below RM 175,000 and yet somehow he is doing it !

Then I asked the importer/trader's salesman how the importer could get away with paying less tax than he should. The salesman explained that for say the above RM 132,200 car, the importer declared that he had bought it for half the actual price or even a third. Which means that the tax he would eventually pay was about RM 44,000 or may even be RM 30,000. Only then would he able to make a profit. I managed to inspect the document of an actual car being imported and was surprised to see that the tax was too low. No wonder this country is losing revenue.

While waiting for the documentation to be approved, I looked up the Nissan 370Z with the 332 bhp engine. It was introduced in 2008. Except for the cosmetics and the extra 200cc that gives it 52 bhp extra, there's not much difference from the old 350Z. Surprisingly, its latest on-the-road price is RM 370,000/=. However, if you bought this in Labuan or Langkawi, it would cost you RM 190,000/=. On another note, I chance to check on a top-0f-the-line Nissan sportscar which is the Nissan GTR38. Delivering an awesome 480 bhp it can easily outperform many of the top expensive European sportscars. On YouTube, I saw one being pushed to 192 mph and what's more its 0-60 mph was an amazing 3.3 seconds ! The Ferrari 430 of identical bhp cannot even match this !

All About My Nissan Fairlady

This is my first posting.