Automotive

About 6-8 cars were reported missing last night alone (10th June 2008). Not sure of the exact figures but it was around that.

My parents' car was also stolen.

In fact, we had sort of expected this to occur - this says a lot about the crime problems in Miri. It's not that we think it 'only happens to someone else' but we expected it to occur. Th problem is just 'when'?

Few days back, a friend's friend's Perdana was also stolen, but he was lucky as the police managed to spot it and get it back. It's interesting to know how they stole the cars - they simply drilled through the key hole, open the door and - if the car had a gear shift lock - using a hammer or heavy object, hit it hard enough so the lock mechanism breaks, but makes it drivable.

Steering locks are a deterrent but if they really wanted the car they'd be able to get past it anyhow (looking at the above example, a gearshift lock didn't work).

Petrol will be RM2.70 a litre at midnight tonight The new price of petrol is RM2.70 per litre beginning midnight tonight, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced just a moment ago. The 78 sen hike or 40 per cent increase is still below the antiticpated RM4 per litre price projected earlier and among the cheapest in Asia.

Diesel prices increased by RM1 per liter, and petrol by RM0.78. It sucks to be a diesel owner now.

Oh by the way - transportation vehicles usually run on diesel. So that means, we shall await the effects of the huge jump in diesel prices to be reflected in the prices of goods. Will this be the price hike 'tsunami' everyone's been anticipating?

These pictures are from this morning's traffic jam over the flyover bridge as a result of the the incredibly stupid badly planned roadworks at the junction I blogged about the few days before.

It also slowed traffic to a crawl on the flyover that was supposed to ease the traffic flow along this road. (see second pic)

P.S. Also note that 'lovely morning mist'. Ahhh, the fresh scent of open burning.

High-tech vehicular anti-theft device & immobilizer.

As many of you had known, the new Proton Saga was announced. It's a step in the right direction for Proton, setting their targets realistic and offering an affordable car design. (Remember they want to target German cars with their Waja? I thought it was April's Fools). It's also probably the ONLY new model that retained its model name.

For now, we will see whether it offers value and a low cost of ownership and live up to its original 1985 predecessor.

Therefore with a new car it's fitting they come out with a new system to order your new Proton, based on heavily researched studies by Proton to suit M'sian tastes and expectations to ease ordering. This system is known as Proton Ordering System (P.O.S.)

Base model = "Proton Saga Kosong"
Mid-range = "Proton Saga (Standard)"
Top model = "Proton Saga Special"

Black paint = "Proton Saga O"
Light paint = "Proton Saga C"

To call for Tow Truck = "Proton Saga Tarik"

Some people in Miri choose to show their patriotic flair more than others, and this is one way;

Listen to this article

I took a video while driving over Miri's first flyover - opened just a few days ago.

My camera is attached to a tripod mounted on my car - so rest assured I wasn't holding onto thre camera while driving.

>My observations:

1. There's absolutely no margin for error. You skid, you fly. A car breaks down, half of the flyover is blocked. A bad accident occurs the bridge is pretty much out. There's no emergency lanes and sufficient space to swerve. That's pretty much it. You can see all this in the video.

2. Headed toward Pujut, there was a rather unsettling bump coming down on the turn. Coincidentially (or maybe not) it was at a high speed turn coming off. You can also notice this in the video I uploaded.

3. Traffic joining after coming down from the flyover is excruciatingly slow due to the nature of that corner. When going down, it is advisable to keep right unless you also go slow, otherwise you might rear-end some car that decides to swerve into your lane from there.

4. People drive fast on it! Notice the car ahead of me accelerating ahead. It may not look like it, but I was going near the limit - 90kph. The car ahead me must've gone much faster - 120kph at least.

This is the video I took this (since it's past midnight, yesterday) evening. Notice that right from the start you can already see a car swerve onto the flyover at the last minute probably the driver wasn't aware of it. To use the flyover, keep to the right 2 lanes as you head straight down to Pujut. The two left lanes are to go to do your shopping at Boulevard.

Otherwise, it's a pretty good feeling because there will no longer be any jams along that area. Until you reach the other roundabout, that is.

Here's an example of a motorcyclist parking taking up a CAR parking space, forcing the car behind it to park with its rear end sticking out in a crowded parking zone.

Next time, I won't be so kind as to blank out the plate number.

See a similar example.

I took these photos when visting my mechanic in an indsutrial area. I saw a bunch of people loading a little defunct truck in a rather haphazard way and I happened to have my camera that time so I took pictures. The truck was parked between some parked cars, and they lifted it up over them, and positioned into place on the bed of the bigger truck.

I didn't think that is within operational limits of the cable. Don't worry, they tied it up so the load is evenly (hopefully) distributed all over. The guy on the left is wearing a cap, and the guy on the right is protected by hair & good ol' fashioned skull.

Hey, whatever works, as long as it gets the job done (and someone lives)!

Don't be shocked - this is a typical everyday common scene in Miri.

Foton Saga

vs.


Proton Saga

Here are some basic descriptions taken from Foton's web site.

â—? Its appearance is bright coupled with dynamic European style. It utilizes the advanced technology and is the perfect hybrid of art and technology with fashionable appearance.

� The Saga product series has multiple bodies, different power ratings, multiple wheelbases, different drive types, and other various functions to form different combinations in order to satisfy customers’ different needs.

� The freshly designed frame, incorporating an improved chassis technology from British Lotus and syncretizing Europe’s up-to-date SUV technological advantages, has increased the overall vehicle performance.

â—? The supercharged (!!!!) engine mounted on the vehicle guarantees increased energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, and it may be possible to achieve a better cost-performance ratio than any similar product.

More information here

You know, that's really quite impressive. While our own Proton here is dabbling around with how to go about cutting costs and cheapening out a 20 year old chassis and then milking it for all its worth, these guys at Foton are there playing around with SUVs, superchargers, diesel engines, all wheel drive and the like.

I mean, they even have a rainbow over the Foton. Those are the kinds of things that seal the deal, no?