Seems the sound at the back of the car is finally fixed this 3rd time .... the rattling sound at the back seems to come from the door catch at the back. Seemed to have gotten loose over time. It also only occurred when the car has been on the road for about 15 min, probably need time to warm up, which cause the chassis to expand ... VW put some grease over the catch.
Monitor mode right now .... hope it doesn't come back.
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Car Repair
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Car repair
For about 2 months, there had been a rattling sound at the back of the car. We couldn't determine what it was. There wasn't any loose object lying around. We searched high and low but still couldn't determine where it was coming from.
So I decided to send the car to VW service centre for inspection. During the test drive, which took half an hour, there was no sound at all! However, the moment I drove the car out of the service centre, the sounds came back. Probably needed some time to warm up .... Back to the centre I go.
So for these two days, I thought it worthwhile to rent a car, which was a good choice because it rained the next day.
Googled car rental, came across Asia Express. Pickup quite near my home. Took an Toyota Altis for $75 a day. Condition of the car was very bad, seat can't adjust upwards, internal lights not working ... engine gave out strange noise intermittently ... I'm so spoilt with my VW! A likes the car very much though, it's the car of his Aunt :)
So I decided to send the car to VW service centre for inspection. During the test drive, which took half an hour, there was no sound at all! However, the moment I drove the car out of the service centre, the sounds came back. Probably needed some time to warm up .... Back to the centre I go.
So for these two days, I thought it worthwhile to rent a car, which was a good choice because it rained the next day.
Googled car rental, came across Asia Express. Pickup quite near my home. Took an Toyota Altis for $75 a day. Condition of the car was very bad, seat can't adjust upwards, internal lights not working ... engine gave out strange noise intermittently ... I'm so spoilt with my VW! A likes the car very much though, it's the car of his Aunt :)
Saturday, May 19, 2012
The First Scratch
Heart pain, only 2 mths+ and scraped the rim ... I wonder when I would become numb to these kind of incidents ...
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Our First Car
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Our First Car
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Lesson 3: Parking
One instructor better than the previous, Amen! :)
Although this lesson is on parking, he did respect that I wanted to practice more on the road. I drove all the way to the Woodlands driving centre and on the way, he gave me a lot of useful advice and pointers. At the driving centre, although I only managed to do parking 3 times (1 vertical and 2 parallel), I felt very confident that I could manage the parking well! I love his wonderful driving techniques! He made my fears all gone and turn parking into an easy task! :)
Here's how they were done:
Vertical Parking
1. Allow 2m of space between your car and the parking lot.
2. Move your car in front of the vehicle to the left of the lot that you are going to park.
3. Reverse your car until you see the right front light of that car is in the centre of the left side small window.
4. Reverse turn your car to the left. Your car will definitely not be touching the sides of the neighboring cars, you don't have to worry about banging into them.
5. Return the wheel to position when your car is straight.
6. Reverse the car to position.
Parallel Parking
1. Allow 1-1.5m of space between your car and the parking lot.
2. Move your car in front of the vehicle in the front of the lot that you are going to park.
3. Reverse your car until you see the right back light of that car is in the centre of the left side small window.
4. Reverse turn your car to the left until you see the full car plate number in the right side of your side mirror.
5. Return the wheel to position.
6. Lower your side mirror until you see the wheels.
7. Reverse turn your car to the right until the wheels touch the parking lot line.
8. At this point, check if the right back light is contained within the right corner of your left car window. If so, your car will definitely not be touching the sides of the neighboring cars, you don't have to worry about banging into them.
9. Reverse turn your car to the left slowly until your car is straight and parallel within the lot.
10. Release the wheel back to position and straighten the car.
Other pointers:
- Never move out when you can't see the oncoming car when you are turning right.
- Step on the accelerator when you pass the last arrow before the junction.
- Never change lane in the junction.
- Reduce speed about 50km/hr to about 20km/hr from the junction when you want to turn right.
- Allow a distance of 2 car length when you met with obstacle and want to filter to the right.
- When filtering, see the rear mirror. If you see the vehicle moving from upwards to downwards, do not filter. However, if the vehicle appears to you in the mirror like stationary, it is ok to filter.
- Check blind spot when you want to filter.
Words of wisdom from Mr Ong:
- Do not be afraid of cars. You need to follow the rules and practice makes perfect.
- Driving is based on sensing. Do more and you'll know.
Related Posts:
Lesson 2: Circuit
Behind the wheel... after 4.5 years!
Although this lesson is on parking, he did respect that I wanted to practice more on the road. I drove all the way to the Woodlands driving centre and on the way, he gave me a lot of useful advice and pointers. At the driving centre, although I only managed to do parking 3 times (1 vertical and 2 parallel), I felt very confident that I could manage the parking well! I love his wonderful driving techniques! He made my fears all gone and turn parking into an easy task! :)
Here's how they were done:
Vertical Parking
1. Allow 2m of space between your car and the parking lot.
2. Move your car in front of the vehicle to the left of the lot that you are going to park.
3. Reverse your car until you see the right front light of that car is in the centre of the left side small window.
4. Reverse turn your car to the left. Your car will definitely not be touching the sides of the neighboring cars, you don't have to worry about banging into them.
5. Return the wheel to position when your car is straight.
6. Reverse the car to position.
Parallel Parking
1. Allow 1-1.5m of space between your car and the parking lot.
2. Move your car in front of the vehicle in the front of the lot that you are going to park.
3. Reverse your car until you see the right back light of that car is in the centre of the left side small window.
4. Reverse turn your car to the left until you see the full car plate number in the right side of your side mirror.
5. Return the wheel to position.
6. Lower your side mirror until you see the wheels.
7. Reverse turn your car to the right until the wheels touch the parking lot line.
8. At this point, check if the right back light is contained within the right corner of your left car window. If so, your car will definitely not be touching the sides of the neighboring cars, you don't have to worry about banging into them.
9. Reverse turn your car to the left slowly until your car is straight and parallel within the lot.
10. Release the wheel back to position and straighten the car.
Other pointers:
- Never move out when you can't see the oncoming car when you are turning right.
- Step on the accelerator when you pass the last arrow before the junction.
- Never change lane in the junction.
- Reduce speed about 50km/hr to about 20km/hr from the junction when you want to turn right.
- Allow a distance of 2 car length when you met with obstacle and want to filter to the right.
- When filtering, see the rear mirror. If you see the vehicle moving from upwards to downwards, do not filter. However, if the vehicle appears to you in the mirror like stationary, it is ok to filter.
- Check blind spot when you want to filter.
Words of wisdom from Mr Ong:
- Do not be afraid of cars. You need to follow the rules and practice makes perfect.
- Driving is based on sensing. Do more and you'll know.
Related Posts:
Lesson 2: Circuit
Behind the wheel... after 4.5 years!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Lesson 2: Circuit
Day 2 of lesson. This time was another instructor. I prefer him to the previous one. He readily gave answers to my seemingly silly questions and gave me the confidence that he knows his stuff. He knows exactly where I see the kerb at my position!
I was brought to the Woodlands circuit. It was the first time there. Wow, it was a 3 floor building with circuit. I had rounds of practice with negotiating tight turns, crank course and steep slopes. Too bad we do not have time to do the parking - something that I wanted to learn fast! That would wait until the next lesson.
Today's lesson was less stressful. I had a good timing driving (at 60km/hr) and learnt new (actually forgotten) techniques on when to turn, how to keep the car in the centre, how to park (in verbal, not in practice yet), etc.
Related Posts:
Behind the wheel... after 4.5 years!
I was brought to the Woodlands circuit. It was the first time there. Wow, it was a 3 floor building with circuit. I had rounds of practice with negotiating tight turns, crank course and steep slopes. Too bad we do not have time to do the parking - something that I wanted to learn fast! That would wait until the next lesson.
Today's lesson was less stressful. I had a good timing driving (at 60km/hr) and learnt new (actually forgotten) techniques on when to turn, how to keep the car in the centre, how to park (in verbal, not in practice yet), etc.
Related Posts:
Behind the wheel... after 4.5 years!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Behind the Wheel... after 4.5 years!
While DC had his fun at trying out 4 cars in 6 months, I only dare to touch the wheels today...at the driving centre. Ha, yes I had my first refresher driving lesson today!
It has been about 4.5 years since I last drove a car. I'm like a newbie in front of the driving instructor as I had to re-learn everything! The auto gears are not familiar to me, neither is the road nor the traffic rules!
The instructor said I'm still not ready to drive alone yet. I agreed too! :P I was very nervous on the road, it was after all many years since I last had my hands on the wheel. Last time, I used to scream out loud when I see any sudden or unexpected traffic conditions and that scared my passenger beside! Now, I'm trying to control my emotions and take cautious care not to alarm anyone in the car and I thought I was doing quite all right staying calm today. :P
The instructor is good. He's very patient and always tell me not to worry and just look ahead,not everywhere. Some takeaways from the first lesson:
- Try not to set the gear to "N" as it'll damage the ... I forgot what.
- When adjusting the side mirror, make sure you see a bit of the car body and see the oncoming car in the next lane in the centre of the side mirror.
- Slow down when turning left. I was not slow enough.
- When turning left, look 3 directions: oncoming vehicles, vehicles turning right and vehicles U-turning.
- Look far ahead and don't bother about the car distance between you and the car beside or whether you are within the lane. Looking ahead will automatically resolve the issues.
- Look at least 3x the distance of your car. This would allow you to spot obstruction early and prepare to change lane early.
The instructor led me to Sengkang, Ponggol and Seletar North link before we turned back to AMK. I got off at AMK Hub and that summed up my first lesson. Next lesson would still be on turning left and right on the road... It was stressful on the road. To de-stress, I went to get my cuppa milk tea, did some shopping and met my parents for lunch. :)
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At the Wheel Again
Car Brake Down - A Near Miss
It has been about 4.5 years since I last drove a car. I'm like a newbie in front of the driving instructor as I had to re-learn everything! The auto gears are not familiar to me, neither is the road nor the traffic rules!
The instructor said I'm still not ready to drive alone yet. I agreed too! :P I was very nervous on the road, it was after all many years since I last had my hands on the wheel. Last time, I used to scream out loud when I see any sudden or unexpected traffic conditions and that scared my passenger beside! Now, I'm trying to control my emotions and take cautious care not to alarm anyone in the car and I thought I was doing quite all right staying calm today. :P
The instructor is good. He's very patient and always tell me not to worry and just look ahead,not everywhere. Some takeaways from the first lesson:
- Try not to set the gear to "N" as it'll damage the ... I forgot what.
- When adjusting the side mirror, make sure you see a bit of the car body and see the oncoming car in the next lane in the centre of the side mirror.
- Slow down when turning left. I was not slow enough.
- When turning left, look 3 directions: oncoming vehicles, vehicles turning right and vehicles U-turning.
- Look far ahead and don't bother about the car distance between you and the car beside or whether you are within the lane. Looking ahead will automatically resolve the issues.
- Look at least 3x the distance of your car. This would allow you to spot obstruction early and prepare to change lane early.
The instructor led me to Sengkang, Ponggol and Seletar North link before we turned back to AMK. I got off at AMK Hub and that summed up my first lesson. Next lesson would still be on turning left and right on the road... It was stressful on the road. To de-stress, I went to get my cuppa milk tea, did some shopping and met my parents for lunch. :)
Related Posts:
At the Wheel Again
Car Brake Down - A Near Miss
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Exactly one month
Exactly one month after we took possession of our VW car, Pepper. :) The car registration number came out in 4D starter prize, in reverse sequence. Somehow, I also decided to buy $5 in this sequence, with another $1 in System entry. Netted a total of $1,500. Nice :)
Related Tweet:
4 Apr 2012, 11:20 PM, DC: Ho sei lah. Car no. came out starter prize. $1500!!!
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Related Tweet:
4 Apr 2012, 11:20 PM, DC: Ho sei lah. Car no. came out starter prize. $1500!!!
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Our first car
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Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Car in 4D
The registration plate number came out. A $60 gain from consolation prize. $12 System bet ...
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Our first car
It's here finally, after a 5 mth wait! We went to collect it on a Sunday morning, with A along.
It looked impressive. It felt comfy. It smelt nice. It was new! I know we would all enjoy the ride. Sis-in-law and nephew Keith also came along, to help us spot-check the car. Fortunately, there wasn't anything to pick on.
After the briefing by the sales on the workings of the car, it officially belonged to us!
Initially handling was a bit bumpy but I'm sure I would get the hang of it. After all, I had driven 3 different cars in the span of 7 months.
Related Tweet:
29 Feb 2012, 9:52PM, DC: The wait is almost over ... 4 days to my own VW
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It looked impressive. It felt comfy. It smelt nice. It was new! I know we would all enjoy the ride. Sis-in-law and nephew Keith also came along, to help us spot-check the car. Fortunately, there wasn't anything to pick on.
After the briefing by the sales on the workings of the car, it officially belonged to us!
Initially handling was a bit bumpy but I'm sure I would get the hang of it. After all, I had driven 3 different cars in the span of 7 months.
Related Tweet:
29 Feb 2012, 9:52PM, DC: The wait is almost over ... 4 days to my own VW
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
3rd Car Hopping
I ended the lease for the Civic on the 15th. Took over the lease of another colleague that very night. It was a red Hyundai Matrix this time and at a monthly rental of $1070. The initial drive was quite disorienting. The driver's side mirror was magnified, which made the vehicles looked much nearer than they actually were.
After about a week with it, I finally almost gotten the hang of it. Parking still took about 2 tries but it was way better than initially. Mileage is about the same as the Ford, 8km/L.
This should be the last vehicle to stay with us till the VW Touran arrives in April 2012.
Related Tweet:
16 Dec 2011, 12:33 PM: Car hopping again ... the last hop till April :)
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After about a week with it, I finally almost gotten the hang of it. Parking still took about 2 tries but it was way better than initially. Mileage is about the same as the Ford, 8km/L.
This should be the last vehicle to stay with us till the VW Touran arrives in April 2012.
Related Tweet:
16 Dec 2011, 12:33 PM: Car hopping again ... the last hop till April :)
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Friday, October 21, 2011
A Civic for 2 months
After the Ford was returned, I began searching for another car to rent while waiting for the VW. I called Kah Motor, wanting to take up the Jazz for $1,600/mth. However, the price had went up to $1,800/mth!!!
As God would have it, the salesperson called me back in a short while . They had a 6-yr old Honda Civic for $1,391/mth! Nice :)
The Civic was a fantastic drive, so unlike the Ford. It's so much more responsive. Parking reverse becomes a one time affair. Even parallel parking was much easier to maneuver. There is something wrong with the clutch/ transmission though. The engine would vibrate when moving from rest but still bearable. Suspension was a bit weak probably because of it's age. People normally don't take much care of rental cars as well.
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Driving for 3.5 months
As God would have it, the salesperson called me back in a short while . They had a 6-yr old Honda Civic for $1,391/mth! Nice :)
The Civic was a fantastic drive, so unlike the Ford. It's so much more responsive. Parking reverse becomes a one time affair. Even parallel parking was much easier to maneuver. There is something wrong with the clutch/ transmission though. The engine would vibrate when moving from rest but still bearable. Suspension was a bit weak probably because of it's age. People normally don't take much care of rental cars as well.
Related Posts:
Driving for 3.5 months
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