Aoi-chan's Quickie - 7/10/2009

It been quite a while since i wrote anything on Aoi-chan. Most probably it's because she's running fine and dandy as usual and nothing out of the ordinary happenned to her since the last post. But glancing the mileage meter this morning, it seems that she'll be needing her regular periodical maintenance. That means taking her to the "doctors" again. And taking into account that it's at the 80,000km interval... more might need to be done. Monday? Tuesday? Dunno yet, but wahtever it is... i'll need to brace my wallet for it. Ouch!

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 27/8/2009

A few rain after the fiasco of Aoi-chan's paintwork, Aoi-chan looked sparkling if not truly clean and clear.
Regarding the fiasco, here's what happened;
1. Got on the Federal Highway sometime ago with my fiancee heading to my parent's house
2. Aoi-chan got splattered by some stuff near one of the construction sites lining the road
3. Upon arrival, dismissed stuff on as dust
4. Left it there until the weekend to wash off (the thing happened on a weekday)
5. It rained a few days later. Realized that the stuff is actually cement once it started to harden after the rain dried up
6. Panic! Sent Aoi-chan for a quick wash. Told the guys to scrub off whatever is possible
7. Aoi-chan's paintwork was in a partial mess afterwards (told them to stop scrubbing halfway, ONLY after realizing i made a terrible mistake of telling them to do so)
8. Made things worse when i tried to do the remaining job myself
9. Gave an emergency call to a fellow friend and sent Aoi-chan on a full-body polish (planned to have a respray if it didn't work)
10. Aoi-chan looks better with the light scratches gone and the deeper ones less apparent

There were some weeping scenes in between the numbers but were edited out by the censory board... me (huhuhu...)
Well at least all's right with the world now... or maybe not. Noticed this morning that Aoi-chan is making a new noise. It seems that the engine will sometimes whistle around 3000-4000rpm. And the funny thing is that it can be heard over the already rough sound of the engine and with the windows all up. I sincerely hope it's just the effect of the rain last night plus the few puddles i went through on the way to work. Will have to monitor this... Eeeeep!

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 14/8/2009

I've finally been able to open up Aoi-chan's rear tail lamp cluster... and it isn't as hard nor does it hurt Aoi-chan that much. The trick lies in putting one of your hand below the tail lamp whilst the othe hand hold the top as an assistance. Then you pull it outwards a bit, twist anti-clockwise (for the LH side, Rh twist clockwise) and hey presto! You're done. Celebrating the fact and knowing that i didn't buy a spare bulb, i swith the partially burn one on the RH side to the still working one on the LH side. Perfect! But then again, whenever i buy the bulb i'll need to do this all over again... Huhuhu... Still a tedious thing to do this DIY fixing thing.

p/s: Don't, whatever you do, accidentally put you hand close to your lips/mouth after or whilst doing any DIY jobs on your car. You'll then accidentally lick you lips and then... "Gross! What the heck just went in my mouth?!!!" --> I hope you get it

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 6/8/2009

A light bulb, a seat structure, the suspension and the latest is the engine.
These are the items on Aoi-chan that's giving me problems. The worse being the seat structure. As you all know, i've fitted a SSCUS full bucket seat on the driver's side. The entire original seat was taken out and a new structure was put in to enable the bucket seat to be anchored to Aoi-chan. Now, as i found out yesterday, this particular structure has weakened a bit on one side due to the unnatural loading caused by my effort in going in and out of Aoi-chan. The result is that everytime i turn left (even at slow and not-so-sharp left turns), the whole seat would flex, causing me to misjudge the entry speed and line. And that my friends... is a bummer on a car that likes to go around corners.
Regarding the bulb, it's the main one at the right tailamp cluster. Funnily enough, as with the front ones, it's not easily accessible. I tried opeing as per the service booklet; failed. Tried accessing it from the boot (inside); failed. The thing is that, i could've just went to the shops to get it done, by seeing how hard i struggled and scratched Aoi-chan... forget it.
The suspension? Well... i dunno whether it's true or not; could've been misjudged by the seat. i'll conclude that one later.
The engine? The peculiar sudden rev of the engine that was due to faulty connection between the engine speed sensor happened suddenly this morning. i'm hoping that the sensor still works and the wires need some maintenance. If it's the sensor... then my pocket is doomed.

Aoi-chan... don't do this to me.... Huhuhuhu

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 24/7/2009

Noticed that ever since the e-biogreen incident that Aoi-chan's fuel consumption is getting worse. It's like it's not stable anymore. God how i wished i didn't try that thing out.

Another thing which i notice is a metallic scratching sound coming from the right rear seat squab everytime i accelerate (slow or fast). That too is starting to drive me up the wall...

Maybe i should remove all extra seats (the rear ones) and lighten Aoi-chan up a bit. That way the fuel consumption might just improve, and the scratching sound will be absent. Kill two problems with a couple of seats. Nice!

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 6/7/2009

Bang! Ouch....

Bang! Ouch....

Bang! Ouch....

BANG!!! OUCH!!!!
... and so it goes on. I know how i've always been 'banging-on' about things when i have an issue with it, but this is the sound of my head banging onto Aoi-chan's roof rail upon entry and exit... literally. And some mornings are the worse than others (hence the last sound of the above)
I dunno whether it's me who's getting taller, or i might need to re-adjust my entry and exit procedure (the bucket seat requires it, if not i'll just make myself an idiot all over again... like the first few times). Hopefully i don't bang my head too hard (i'm sure it'll happen again and again) and lose conciousness... that'll be way too embarassing that i'm afraid i might need to wear a mask to drive next time, just to hide my identity.


On another note.... don't for whatever reason, use RON95 petrol if you can pay the extra difference for the RON97. Although there's no issue with the RON grade, the issue lies in the extra 'ingredients' or additives added in the petrol to enhance it's properties and performance. i tried a tankful of the Shell's RON95 petrol last week; no issue with the engine's function, no extra noise, no knocking sound, same exhaust boom... good. Press the pedal on an incline... good grief! My legs feel more powerful than this! The pickup of Aoi-chan's engine was gone. All that's left is me biting the steering wheel to pass the sudden extra 'feel' of time lapse...

And so to the next item. Had tried e-bio-green thing (google it) in Aoi-chan and the result is... "as-usual-not-up-to-the-claim-by-the-smiling-and-VERY-talkative-and-persuasive-promoter-and-her-fat-boss-standing-nearby" outcome. In other words, crap. Yes it does 'improve' the FEEL of having a more powerful and responsive engine (they claim it actually ups the engine output, rubbish), but the claim of extra mileage is... frankly speaking a total bull. Aoi-chan's fuel economy actually dropped by 10% (against their claimed extra 10% mileage). This, again is another reason (i've got loads) of why i hate the so called additives for your car.
IT JUST DOESN'T WORK!

Done.

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 11/6/2009

...oh shoot! DA-BUSH!!!!! Hisssssss....... *The sound of me busting the front left rim and tyre of Aoi-chan.

And that, along with the 70,000km oil change cost me nearly RM700 of my dough. Ouch. What's more, my now fiance was beside me when this happened. Thank God i didn't spun out of control or just fall down the cliff. And thanks too to the old Tapah-Cameron Highlands route for almost busting Aoi-chan's windscreen on the last trip and busting the rim and tyre combo on this one.
And thank God again that it's only the two and nothing more. Good and very robust supsension system then.

All is well now, somehow there's this awkward feeling that the rims are slightly lighter at two corners; all in all 3 rims needed to be 'fixed', 2 from the incident and 1 from the normal road abuse... thanks roadworks department... 'THANKS' A LOT! But amusingly, Aoi-chan feels better at tackling corners. Honestly, if i were blindfolded and told to drive her, i could've been fooled that i'm driving a brand new Savvy.

Anyhow, next oil change is scheduled at 80,000km with the gearbox oil scheduled to be changed then as well... wonder when was the last time i changed that.
Gulp! Sorry Aoi-chan~

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 19/5/2009

Noticed that Aoi-chan had passed the 68,000km mark a few days ago... and she's ever closer inching to the dreaded 70,000km mark. Although the normal oil-change (and quite possibly some the brake pads as well) isn't much of a problem, the clutch change is. Or is it?

The thing is that, even though Aoi-chan have been in the track and went to Genting a couple of times (a couple? yeah right) and that the service centre guy recommending the change at 70,000km mark, i still find the clutch to be working properly. There isn't that wheezing feel when i'm driving her up a slope, there isn't that detached feel everytime i change the gears... it all seems, dare i say normal.

Which when given a bit of thought isn't that odd. Knowing the fact that PROTON R&D engineers do test the cars and the engine plus transmission components to the limit (i know, coz i've seen some of it), it is likely that my excursion to Genting and Sepang track is just like another day in the sun. Hmmm.... will monitor Aoi-chan's conditon first and see what's what at the 70,000km mark. But frankly, if there isn't any difference... it'll be shifted to 80,000km.

Errr.... should i apologize to Aoi-chan? Hmmmm... nope. Hehehe

p/s: Aoi-chan seems to drink more fuel recently. Still can't find the proper reason as to why that's happening. Will share here once that's found out~~~

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 29/4/2009

Aoi-chan passed the 65,000km mark just recently, which means i have to prepare some dough for the upcoming engine oil change and the clutch replacement i've been banging about in previous posts. Somehow or another, based on the timing, i'm guessing it'll be somewhere in June... which is rather troublesome as i've also to factor in the roadtax adn insurance fees due then. Nuts.

But then again, that's the least (least???) of my worries. A few kms back, Aoi-chan started developing some rather annoying and worrying creaks and rattles somewhere from the back. Dunno if this had started before or after the recent alignment, rotation and balancing i did. Still trying to figure out what it is, and hope it's nothing critical.

Hopefully... Insya-Allah. Gulp!

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 21/3/2009

It seems that me and Aoi-chan met quite a few other Savvys while tackling the task that i'm currently doing (see main blog). There's the Savvy-boy, SavIT, Idiotic Fundrive and a couple more owned by the SAVOC members. Is all well? I'd rather not stray to that topic...
Anyhow, on Aoi-chan, after that 60,000km maintenance and timing belts change she had developed some stupid whistling noise. Very apparent at idling and sometimes could be heard whilst moving at around 40-60km/h. It isn't that loud, nor is it irritating but when coupled with the stupid rattling sound of the gearknob... i just want it to stop.
Haven't been lucky in my quest for the racing clutch, and if that continues right up to 70,000km, i'll just have settle for the standard stuff. Boring really when you know that the car can handle that much more, but the kit isn't in existence to make it happen. Shoot

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 10/3/2009

At long last, the first phase of Aoi-chan's 60,000km service is done. Current bill so far; RM1064. Yikes!

But at the very least, the engine feels better and a bit more powerful (psychology effect perhaps?). But the clutch still feels like the weak link. Oh yeah, that and the shock absobers haven't been replaced yet. Based on a suggestion from a knowlegable person, i'm still looking around for a racing or better than original clutch sets. The shocks will be replaced at the same time as well.

Genting trips are still avoided, but for the better of the current situation.
Hope everything goes according to plan~~~

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 10/2/2009

The mileage meter is now showing 59,000++km and the 60,000++km mark is looming ever closely. Gotta admit that Aoi-chan isn't in her best of health right now. The clutching action is becoming more and more sluggish making hills (uphill of course) becoming more and more of a challenge. Trip to Genting at this time? Not a chance.

Still, i need to figure out how much will i need to burn in her next visit to the doctors; planning to go and get a quotation from the workshop and the list of parts to change. That way, i'll be able to minimize the cost by buying some parts at the Co-op of Proton (who doesn't want a 30% discount on parts at this time of financial crisis?). I'm betting on RM4k max. Let's just hope it doesn't exceed that.

Aoi-chan Quickie - 25/1/2009

Had to leave Aoi-chan at Pandan Jaya this weekend for the trip. Considering that i had the time of my life with her at the track day last weekend, i guess it's a fair trade-off.

Speaking of the track day, i'm happy to report that Aoi-chan was 4seconds faster (average) per lap compared to the last time she went in the track. So all the effort and money spent on her was worth it... unless we see the bigger picture. The other Savoc members were easily faster. i wonder why... Hope to get some heads up on what to do next.

Anyway, the pics will be uploaded tonite, so wait for it yeah! This short text will also be updated as well

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 13/1/2009

Just when i thought that it'll occur later, it had to happen yesterday. Aoi-chan coughed again and i was barely able to start her. Seeing that this engine speed sensor thing is going to be an endless pain in the neck, i opted to go for the 'alternative' method and went to a shop shown by a friend of SAVOC.

I can't give out the details, but technically the thing was replaced by another which was modified to ensure that the contact points of the sensor was always... well... in contact. Thank god now that she stopped coughing and hopefully, won't ever do it again unnecessarily...

Oh yeah, and since i had to take the day off (don't like entering th office later than lunchtime), i settled her AAM membership and the front 4-point bracing installation. Damn her hadling feels tighter now, but will only know the effect later when i test her at Genting. Watch this space...

Aoi-chan's tyre and anti-roll bar pics

Here it is. Some pics of Aoi-chan's new tyres and the anti-roll bar (rear). Plus some extra pics for fun~~~
Enjoy!

The Dunlop Formula D01's thread pattern up close. The deep grooves provides better traction in the wet compared to the Goodyear NCT5.

The whole thread design is more aggresive and the bigger shoulder and rim protector makes the tyre look wider than it seems. It also makes for a bigger visual impact. Nice!

The rear anti-roll bar (white). Now Aoi-chan corners like a dream... can't wait for the 4-point bracing~~~

Aoi-chan poses with another Savvy (a firend's). Doesn't she look lovely~

Another pic of her for fun. Huhuhu~~~!

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 30/12/2008

Status rep of the tyre situation so far....
But before that, Aoi-chan only had the rear anti-roll bar fitted on Saturday. It seems that the front bracing wasn't made according to spec; it can't be fitted properly. But heck, even with the anti-roll bar the cornering has improved immensely. Now i can chuck Aoi-chan into any corner and the rear will stay true to the line... right until the tyre's limit.

Speaking of the tyre's limit, found the upper boundary for the adhesion of the D01 in wet. Quite high when compared to the NCT5's limit. And under emergency braking (had to avoid some stupid idiot driving a lorry yesterday), it seems that the balace of the car wasn't disturbed. Nice.

Hoping to get the bracing by today or tomorrow. Will put another quickie on that one...

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 26/12/2008

Ah yes... whilst everyone was enjoying their Xmas holiday yesterday, i went about to find some new and better rubber for Aoi-chan (skipped the polishing. Will do that later in the year) and ended up with a set of Dunlop D01 in 175/50/15 size. Surprising really that there are 2 other brands (the other was Silverstone) that makes this special sized tyre apart from Goodyear.

Initial observations are as follows;

1. The tyre has a more rugged and aggresive tread pattern (Good)
2. It feels as if the tyres are lighter, judging from the easier steering movement and ease of acceleration from the off (50/50)
3. Quieter both on good and bad surfaced roads (Interesting...)
4. Flexes a bit more; the initial cornering bite is not as good as previously, but the grip builds up progressively (gottta get used to it)
5. Handles corners much better in the wet than the NCT5; took the Puchong corner at 100km/h this morning (the road surface was wet/greasy, nice!)

So far so good... Also in the pipeline is an Ultra Racing 4 point bracing for the front structure and an additional anti-roll bar for the rear suspension. Hopefully this will enable me to use Aoi-chan's massive cornering reserve. Will have another quickie once that's done. Watch this space~~~

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 24/12/2008

Went to wash Aoi-chan on Monday to strip her of the mess due to the trip on last weekend. The guy at the car-wash centre suggested that Aoi-chan be given a polish treatment to maintain her colour (he said it's due time; she's 2++ years old already). Considering to do so there tomorrow since it's a holiday and at RM180 for the treatment, quite reasonably priced (they're using Meguiars' brand of products, which is good). On a side note, they've been doing a hell of a good job with the wash everytime, so i trust them caring for Aoi-chan.

Also considering to sell off her current rims for 14" ones. Why? Gotta admit that i'm beginning to dislike the NCT5 standard tyres. It's good for normal use, but it's a bit off if you push the envelope too much. There are some good performance tyres on the market, but to be able to use them, i need to swap to the smaller rims; common sizes for the 15" are 185 or 195/50/15. That's over Aoi-chan's limit of 175 already. Although the 14" are 165/55/14, it's only 1cm less in width, but a lot more fun due to the higher limit of adhesion, hopefully...

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 18/12/2008

It seems that somehow or another, Aoi-chan wanted a birthday present as well even though that a few days ago it was my birthday. On the night before the day, me and the guys planned on an evening out, but Aoi-chan wouldn't start at all. After 3 minutes of trying, we gave up and went out with the bikes instead.

The next morning, Aoi-chan miraculously started and was sent quickly to the doctors where she was assessed; her throttle/speed sensor thingy (again?) that made her sick. Skipping the details, in the end i had to fork out around Rm100 for Aoi-chan. Not that i care much on spending for Aoi-chan's maintenance, but having to spend on her on my birthday... ouch.

Guess i'll remember this incident for some time...

Aoi-chan's Quickie - 10/12/2008

Gotta admit that driving Aoi-chan isn't easy right now. Even though that the bucket seat has made wonders with fuel consumption and making the drives more fun, it has become some sort of nuisance since it made an inital matter a bit more worse.

i hate to confess but from the start, i found that the view rearwards and the view given by the side mirrors were inadequate. or in oter words, it's hard to see other motorists in normal driving conditions, especially when changing lanes. The fact that my eye-level is now slightly lower and a bit farther back (due to the seating configuration offered by the bucket-seat), now it's like driving in a big box (although Aoi-chan is still small) with only holes to see through... Not good. Can't do nothing about the rear windscreen, but might be getting some 'extended-view' mirrors (you know, that small mirror you attach to the side mirrors) to help me get over this.

Anyhow, gotta report that whoever says that driving in a full bucket seat is less comfortable than a normal one, i have to say that you might be wrong. Drove my dad's car for the Eidul-Adha holiday and without the bucket seat, my whole body was aching throughout the journey. Not enough support. 'Nuff said.