Archive for the 'cars' Category

Whoa dear..blow me down. First it was £5, and then £8 …and now the Mayor of London announced that the congestion charge will be £25!

That to the dear Malaysian is about RM200! Which it reminds me of the Scandinavian Road Bridge in Denmark which cost almost the same and so as the Tunnel from Copenhagen to Malmo per way!

I seriously hated that because I myself have a couple of Warrants from Bow Court for NOT PAYING the charges on a daily basis…but it’s getting ridiculous! Parking alone there cost about £4 an hour which is like RM30! It’s bad for the driver..because mainly they can frigging afford it. It was told that the charges will be more if the engine exceeds 3000cc!

What this relates to our Malaysian friends is that the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur actually thought of that aspect, other than smacking people with RM100 fines for dodgy parking antics. They were actually thinking of the same thing what island city of Singapore doing, Electronic Road Pricing in favour of Toll Roads. Singaporeans pay as it is, about S$28 per way from Woodlands to the CBD + parking rates at peak hours, morning and evening!

Will you actually pay RM200 just to drive into DBKL roads…or will you hit the public transport?

You Choose!

If you haven’t heard the news,the Malaysian Twenty Ringgit Per Entry Toll aka CarTag is OFF!
So don’t worry that you have to pay RM20 for the Exit Toll coming out of Malaysia thru Tuas, Johor Baru or even the Thai Borders.

There is also NO THREE QUARTER TANK RULE for MALAYSIA. Meaning, if you enter Malaysia, feel free to be empty on the tank from Thailand but the 3/4 Tank Rule applies for ALL SINGAPORE REGISTERED CARS (S-Plates) Coming thru the Singapore Border. This is the SINGAPORE ICA Law! $500 Compound Fine awaits if you fail.

Some things to note:

G-Plate Vans,Pickups and Lorries are required to have a registration in MALAYSIA, with a local Johor Entity Company to register that vehicle. The Driver MUST HOLD A VALID GDL (Goods-Vehicle Driving Licence) which they have to sit and pass a THEORY TEST.

They must also hold a VALID MALAYSIA CDL (Competent Driving Licence) prior to applying for a GDL Theory Test. To apply for a GDL,they must hold a VALID MALAYSIAN ADDRESS and an EMPLOYMENT or LONG TERM VISIT PASS. The Malaysian Company have to apply for that. The Annual fee (LEVY) ranges from RM1200 to RM3500 for a Business / Management Pass (which is easier to get). A business / management staff pass (aka Pass Pengajian Taraf Tinggi ..similar to Highly Skilled Migration Program for degree holders) can bypass the RM3500 fee by paying the income tax to that rate or the Zakat Harta/Pendapatan for Muslims. In lieu of that, you can forget the Singapore IRAS Tax return as you have paid the Malaysian Tax. To apply for a CDL, you need to bring the relevant documents, such as a bank statement and if you married a Malaysian, your marriage certificate and your spouces’ ID.

The GDL must be applied only from Johor Baru JPJ Office in Taman Daya. If you hate the hassle, use an agent. Fees range from RM300 onwards. You need to pass a medical test etc etc. Standard stuff the LTA require for Vocational Drivers.

Singapore Registered Y and X Plates are NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER MALAYSIA.

RED PLATES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DRIVE IN MALAYSIA IF YOU HAVE INSUFFICIENT INSURANCE COVERAGE. Off Peak Vehicles are read as vehicle that are illegal on the road from 0700-1900hrs Monday - Friday except Public Holidays etc. As how you are in Singapore, your Insurance is NULL AND VOID if you drive in Malaysia or Singapore during these times WITHOUT A COUPON!! I have seen cases of Drivers held up to court up north for driving without registration of vehicle, tax and insurance for driving during daylight hours. Your Insurance is ONLY THIRD PARTY IN MALAYSIA even when you have sufficient Comprehensive cover in Singapore. It only covers up to 50KM within Johor Baru, and THIRD PARTY RISKS there after.

So don’t be a gung ho and think the Malaysian police don’t know about this. They just close an eyelid as they don’t think they can ‘makan’ you with a fine. If the JPJ stops you,especially the Federal JPJ Patrol who roam about the country, you will be detained immediately. It’s a RM500 on the spot fine, or you get to eat Nasi Ikan Kering in the lockup with only your underwear. They are just being tolerant of us so we can spend more dollars in Malaysia.

Also, do note that Singapore Cars are to use White or Black front plates and Yellow Rear Plates without any fanciful plates. If the JPJ stops you for it, it’s another RM150 on the spot, and they break your plates off, and force you to tow your car to the workshop and get a replacement there and then. Same thing with TINTED GLASS!! They will tear it off, bit here and there to ‘fine’ you instead, so you have to fork out about $500 to replace the tinting.

And …get a AAM Coverage or so, just in case if you break down, as it’s a real costly misadventure in Malaysia if that happens, at least RM500 for a quick tow! An AA Membership in Malaysia cost about RM150 or so. Save you alot of hassle.

I’ll put up more info should U guys need it!Happy travelling!

Shell V-Power Racing, Caltex 100RON, are these just Gimmicks?
Not so I think as the RON is a factor, but also the additive in the fuel does it’s job better.

I remember using those ‘racing rocket fuel’ claims to have 100% octane levels….. and well, those methanol does it’s job better.

I REFER to the letter, ‘Rein in pump prices and polluting fuels’ by Mr Hwang Liang Keng (ST, Dec 19). Mr Hwang mentioned that California laws prohibit the sale of petrol with an octane level higher than 91.

The octane number is actually an imprecise measure of the maximum compression ratio at which a particular fuel can be burned in an engine without pre-detonation. There are actually two numbers - RON (research octane number) and MON (motor octane number). The RON simulates fuel performance under low severity engine operation. The MON simulates more severe operation that may be incurred at high speed or high load and can be as much as 10 points lower than the RON.

In Singapore, the number at petrol pumps is the RON. However, in the United States, it usually indicates ‘mean’ octane number, that is, (RON + MON)/2, or the average of both the RON and the MON. This is why there is an apparent discrepancy between octane values of petrol in the US and the rest of the world. For example, RON95 unleaded in Singapore is 95 octane but equivalent to American (RON+MON)/2 89 octane.

In the US, low-altitude petrol stations typically sell three grades of petrol with octane ratings of 87, 89 and 91. High-altitude stations typically also sell three grades, but with lower values - 85, 87 and 89. This is because, for every 300m increase in altitude, the RON value goes down by 0.5.

It is also a common misconception among car enthusiasts that higher octane means more power. This is simply not true. The myth arose because high-performance vehicles require higher-octane fuels. Without understanding why, a certain section of the car subculture decided this was because higher-octane petrol means higher power.

The reality is a little different. Power is limited by the maximum amount of fuel-air mixture that can be jammed into the combustion chamber. Because high-performance engines operate with high compression ratios, they are more likely to suffer from detonation. And so to compensate, they need a higher-octane fuel to control the burn.

So yes, sports cars do need high-octane fuel, but it is not because the octane rating somehow gives more power. High-octane fuel is required because the engine develops more power because of its design.

Huang Yu-kang

I was going to some dilemma, of either HID kit & Xenon Headlights or just plain old 90/120W H4 headlights for the Honda Accord.

Namely,cos idiotic Malaysian Drivers loves to on their fog lamps even without any fog or high beam if anyone’s headlight is abit off!

I’m using OSRAM 90/120 H4 lamp now..and darn tempted to use the HID, cos white light is useless in the rain…so i added a blue rainbow fog lamp recently for about US$20.

What I was told is that HID is great..cos no additional wiring…and U see clear light.

Wait and see…I am up to no good again