Car STALLED!

*gasp*

Was between The Curve and Ikea, passing through the 2 bumps, while adjusting the volume on the CD, when the accelerator suddenly felt unresponsive. I gave it a little pump, and the car was just gliding along. To my horror, the lights on the dash were ON, displaying the icons when the key is locked-in and turned, but the engine is not running!

*faints*

Turn off...

Turn on...

Nothing.

This is the Saturday jam at Mutiara D'sara, and s string of cars waiting behind to get to their shopping destination. I, however, was more worried about the car than causing a minor jam.

Turn off...

Turn on...

Ignition.

*phew*

This is my first auto car. I'm baffled, how the car stalled. I was stuck in a jam in KL before inching to the Curve. I was adjusting the volume. The air-conditioning was at full blast for a long period of time (bloody hot saturday afternoon). Why did it stall? Pray, tell...

Warranty Issue

I don't think I've blogged about the X20 warranty issue. My car has a 2 year warranty. But for those who bought their X20 after April 1st will be entitled to a 3 year warranty.

This comes as a good announcement by Kah Bintang, to show their confidence in the X20 and an exercise to boost sales (hopefully). The Elantra 2008 has a 10 year warranty in the US (non-transferable).

However, its kinda unfair to buyers who got the car before April 1st 2008. Since the launch in mid Jan '08, I've heard there have been 500 X20's sold already. * figures from a Kah Bintang manager.

Whats gonnna happen to these guy's warranty?

The latest official announcement is an additional RM 180 "fee" to include the third year warranty for cars like mine.

Therefore...

We're gonna sign a petition at TT, all members from KL to JB and East coast, then bring up this matter to Kah Bintang via a meeting. Especially members who bought the car after reading the reviews and comments in THM website forum.

TT details:

Date : 25th April 2008 (Friday)
Time : 8.30pm
Place : Burger King, Mutiara D'sara (beside Lexus showroom)
What? : Discuss on warranty issues, draft letter to Kah Bintang, sign petition, eat burger...

CLICK HERE FOR THE THREAD

Fw: Testing E-mail Blog Entry

I actually have nothing to post about my car, just testing out the e-mail-to-blog feature, with a picture!

The picture attached is my Pivot Voltage Stabilizer installed by N1 Racing guys.

Happy driving!

Hyundai Azera Spotted @ KLCC

I may consider this type of car in not less than 10 years down the road.

"More horsepower than a BMW 528i. More interior space than a BMW 7 Series. More reasons to wonder if that three-inch German logo is really worth USD$10,000 more."

http://www.hyundaiusa.com/vehicle/azera/azera.aspx

- V6 engine 3.3L or 3.8L
- 234 or 263 Horses @ 6k RPM
- 24 Valve DOHC with CVVT
- Comes with ESC (Electronic Stability Control), TCS (Traction Control System), ABS, EBD and BA (Brake Assist)
- 17" rims with wide tires P235/55VR-17
- 5 speed auto transmission

Driving ettiquette

What do you do when you've been queuing up for the last 15 minutes, and someone from another lane just conveniently jumps queue in front of you? Take a picture and post it on your blog. Cause there's nothing else you can do about it.

Smart tunnel is always jammed at the Jln Tun Razak exit. Cars will conveniently take the left lane (to Sultan Ismail) and later cut into the right lane before the exit to Tun Razak.

Idoits (WHP 533)

Zero to Hundred

I finally had the chance to Zero To Hundred the x20 at yesterday evening 11.30pm.

Yesterday night at D'sara Highway, the stretch from coming down the KBU college ramp (after the NKVE toll) to Damansara Utama. However a few considerations:

- The road was slightly downhill

- My car is heavy (will the big sub + box and soundproofing of at least 25 kg)

- Full tank of petrol

I parked at the side of the highway and waited about 5 minutes for all cars to clear and with my watch in my right hand, I floored the accelerator.

First gear went to about RPM 6k, and if i'm not wrong, I hit 100km/h in 2nd gear! However, it was too fast to really take notes, and the thrill (adrenaline rush) was intoxicating!

However, I won't do it again, due to:

- The strain on the engine

- The danger that it poses for other motorists, and myself

- The fuel it burns... :(

My time was 10.5 seconds. :)

Sound Proofing 2

Did sound proofing at Elegance Auto (Kelana Jaya) this afternoon. A friend and I bought 8 large sheets of Accumat.

We paid the retail price (RM850) for the sheets, 4 for her City (front doors, dual layers) and 4 for me. I did front doors (single layer) and under the rear seats.

The sound proofing took about 3 hours, and Elegance Auto (Kelana Jaya), did a very good and responsible job. However, their staff keeps asking me to buy this, buy that.

Pics:

1. The driver door with panel removed. Its quite solid by itself, with no gaping "holes". I decided not to sound proof this area, as it has 2 rubber lids which can be sealed / opened (holes). Look at pic 2 and 3 for the close ups of the rubber lids.




2. The original speaker and 1st rubber lid (closed)




3. The 2nd Rubber lid (opened)




4. Rubber lids opened




5. Original speaker. It felt quite solid / heavy, compared to the original City speakers, which are terrible. Wifey didn't allow upgrade... so will have to stick to this one, for now.




6. The (solid) inner panel removed, revealing the outer panel, which has got a safety bar going across the door:




7. The accumat sheet:




8. The sheet was cut in two. Putting up the first piece:




9. After the doors were done, then the back seat.




10. Originally, there was some sound proofing done, but only a portion on the back seat.

X20 Sightings

a black x20 at D.U. on a saturday evening. A lady was in the drivers seat, waiting 4 someone/something.

Headlights shoot out - Phillips Crystal Vs. PIAA Xtreme

A friend who drives a City bought a set of Phillips Crystal 4300k lights and we had a showdown in front of my house.

The next few pics are taken with similar aperture and shutter speed, increasing the shutter speed as I go along the pics.

I think the X20 won in all 3 "battles".








More pics below:

pwned!

I'm an official pwner of a Hyundai X20 car and I have a cert to prove it. With this cert, I hereby declare myself Dota' Jason Tong (as opposed to Dato' ...)



Now with the powers in(f)ested in me, I declare the coming Monday a holiday in conjunction with World Car Wash and Detailing day.

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Lame...

I hate jam

There was a crawl on the Kerinchi Link yesterday morning, which made me late for work (again). It started immediately after the RM 1.50 toll.

I took some pics, in case ppl questioned my story:










Turned out there was a stalled lorry changing his tire on federal highway, which caused a long back log. *sigh*

More TT Pics

More TT Pics, courtesy of Getz club memberz and mtuc

1. Nice croppings:




2. Who's that lovely couple? (too small resolution to view)




3. Who's the big guy?




4. A very tall girl




5. The not-so-tall girl




6. X20s




7. More pics of x20




8. Left to Right - Wifey (background), mtuc, alfee, adamrosham, mohd eric




9. Makan minum




10. Nice group pic (but again, too low resolution)

Hyundai TT

1st TT session with TeamHyundaiMalaysia, was joined by Getz, Matrix & Atos Club. Was a big gathering of alot of ppl in Shah Alam.

The only pics I took were of my wifey with a Hyundai umbrella:

VPS - Vehicle Protection System

On Saturday (12 April) morning, I did Paint Protection (PP) and Leather Protection (LP) as part of the VPS "program". They have other stuff like carpet protection, tinting, etc.

The difference between PPS and VPS is:

a) PPS using Teflon, while VPS using Resin. I'm not sure which one lasts longer, but from what limited experience, I touched both materials before, and seems like resin lasts longer.

b) PPS and VPS both require touch-ups. PPS is RM60+ per touch-up, recommended every 6 months. VPS has free 3 touch-ups, recommeded every 1 year. Both have 3 year warranty.

c) PPS takes a longer time, abt 6-7 hours. More effort put into the car. VPS only took 3 hours.

d) PPS uses machine to clay. VPS uses hand only.

e) PPS shampoo more expensive.

Before VPS Pics. Taken with my Nokia E65 handphone @ VPS Auto office Section 19.








Car wash before applying clay and resin:




I left my wallet at home, so I took a cab home to get it. When I got back, the car was almost done, and they were doing the leather protection already. The guys doing the car found 2 paint defects. Gonna bring it back to Svc Center for touch-up.

- One on the boot:




- The second one, a paint smudge on the rear driver-side door. (2 pics)






These are the pics @ home, after VPS and some rain. Pics taken by Kodak digicam.





















VPS: 3 year warranty, with 3 free touch-ups. The co-owner gave me a small bottle of VPS shampoo FOC.



Recommended for all cars, especially black color. When I was there, there was another black civic after me.

The retail price is RM1,080 for both paint and leather protection with 3 year warranty. I went through my Hyundai sales guy, who got it at a better price than walk-in price. If ur interested, u can deal with him directly at 012-3041618 (Eric).