SMS 07 February 2010

Fuel gripes

TO 016-6989441, why the fuss over subsidised fuel? The fuel price increase is not the issue. The issue is the effect it will have on prices of everything else! Nobody is disputing the increase of fuel prices, it’s the unbearable strain of just getting by when your next meal is going to cost you more! - 014-7735990

FUEL subsidies should be for all Malaysians as the right of citizens of an oil-producing country. The rich already pay high income taxes, high car taxes and higher GST (coming) for spending more. Otherwise, no subsidy at all; help the poor in other ways. - 016-4992752

I AM a university student and own a Mercedes W123. Some may think that owning a Mercedes may be a big deal and that the person is probably rich. Please bear in mind that these are classics that are cheap and reliable. It costs below RM10,000 to own one. And it's over 2 litres. My question is simple, is the government helping us to ease our burdens and lives or the other way round? - 019-5035550

DO you know that raising petrol price will also raise all the prices of grocery, meat, fish, etc? - 016-7577750

THE government can raise the price of sugar to RM3 but lower the petrol price by 50 sen per litre. The government still earns billion in that way. - 016-7577750

SCRAP the fuel subsidy and channel the savings into public transportation. Lower import/excise taxes and duties to stimulate car sales and make car purchases more affordable, especially to those who need them. If implemented together, this will lead to the thinking consumer: purchase a vehicle for family use, take public transportation to commute to work. This means that although petrol prices are high, you limit the pinch as you consume. The rich will still afford to buy cars and pay petrol according to market prices, while the poor will benefit from better public transportation. Hopefully this will also minimise/eliminate the familiar sight of a family of four travelling on a kapchai! - 019-2603737

I HAVE just returned from a vacation in Indonesia. Petrol price over there is RM1.60 per litre for premium quality. Can the Indonesian government afford to subsidise fuel to a nation of over 200 million? Or maybe that is the actual price without subsidy? Someone help me understand this! - 017-2545144

Reply: Yes, Indonesian fuel subsidies cost trillions of rupiah each year. 

I THINK the government should stop petrol subsidy for everyone irrespective of what car they drive. Traffic conditions are becoming worse by the day and sorry to say, Malaysians have become so lazy that they have to park at the doorstep of their destination. They are not willing to walk a few steps or ride a bicycle to places near their homes. Cars are choking up every inch of the road and it means for Malaysians, petrol at the current price is way too cheap! Perhaps the petrol should only be subsidised for genuinely poor people in rural areas who own bikes or cheap cars as the only mode of transport. - 017-6199217

TO 012-3164114, I agree that the road tax is higher in Singapore, but maintenance is much cheaper because their spare parts are much cheaper. My friend, an auditor, just bought a brand new Cheve 1.5 for RM25,000. What can you get for RM25,000 here? A Kancil? Yes, our students are very lucky here because many of them own cars, but really as a parent I understand that they need one rather than they want one. In Singapore, you don’t really need one because of the super efficient transport system. You don’t need to wait more than 15 minutes for a bus. - 012-7577522

THE government is still trying to tax cars with bigger engines by removing fuel subsidies, wheares these cars have much better fuel consumption and carbon footprint. This is just another method to ensure the survival of Proton, which produces cars below 2,000cc. - 012-2227611

WHY not ration say 200 litres per month for every car? Anything above 200 litres will have to be paid as a non-subsidised fuel. The more you use, the more you pay. - 012-2227611

TO 016-6989441, RM60 a month will put a loaf of bread on the table for 20 days to a family of four. Do not abuse your blessing. Actually, it’s the after effect that really hurts. Everything will go up in price. It's not RM60 but RM120+++. - 017-8828033

FORGET the costly and complex fuel subsidy system. Just cancel fuel subsidies and let the market decide. It will also reduce carbon emissions! - 012-6482155

Road safety

IF guard rails are the cause of recent deaths, then we might as well blame the trees, lamp posts and even weather! - 012-2193860

BOOK the bad driving attitude drivers and traffic offenders, give them compound tickets and order them to seat for another driving test. After that, if they repeat the same or other traffic offences, the Road Transport Department or traffic police may compound them triple or higher than the previous offence. Through education, we shall produce good road users. - 019-9310108

WE don’t need to be a scientist to know that most of the fatal accidents involved over-modified local cars. - 016-5415299

Reply: Although this is doubtful, you may be right. We need traffic police records to verify this.  

IT should be made compulsory for the tyre condition of vehicles to be checked by Puspakom, after a determined period of time, upon renewal of road tax. Tyres in good condition can prevent many accidents taking place. - 019-7235817

I READ with interest the article on Me & My Motor (CBT Jan 31). The person featured in the article confessed that she is a speed demon and once drove from Penang to Kuala Lumpur in two hours. Assuming the distance travelled is 380km, she would have done an average of 190km/h. In order to achieve that average speed, logic will tell that at times one probably need to do more than 200km/h to catch up with lost time for slowing down during cornering, etc. Interestingly, she was preaching about etiquette and awareness of road motoring in that article! - 019-3250235

Reply: She might have exaggerated a bit, but you have a point. 

ROAD deaths are on the rise because motorists fail to plan their journeys well. Due to time constraints, they hurry on the road. You cannot compromise on safety due to bad time management. Plan your journey well to avoid accidents. It pays to plan and always give yourself extra time in case of unforeseen circumstances. - 016-3778853

Sand debacle

DESPITE the ban on export of sand, it’s common knowledge to Johor folk that every day for the last two or three years, hundreds of truck loads of sand disguised in names like silica and aggregate have been sent out to Singapore through the Causeway. It’s obvious that all the relevant agencies have closed one eye to enable this massive illegal operation to go on for so long. - 012-7077077

Readers help readers

ANYONE has a good-conditioned Volvo 240 2L (M) for sale? - 018-2290715

Motor bits

I HEARD that Honda will come up with new motorbike models this year for the Malaysian market. I hope one of them is the upgraded CBR 150. - 017-6543545

DOES convertible mean hard top while cabriolet means soft top? - 019-8799100

Reply: Convertible and cabriolet both refer to a car that can open its top. 

HONDA Malaysia will import only 60 units of the Civic Type R annually, right? When will it launch the 2010 version? - 013-3855891

Reply: That was what Honda Malaysia announced earlier on but they brought in more as the orders came in. The facelifted version has been launched here.

TO 016-9694037, I couldn’t agree more with you. The National Automotive Policy (NAP) is a useless policy that burdens the rakyat as it only benefits certain people. We are losing out to Thailand and investors will stay away from Malaysia. Please amend or abolish the NAP for the sake of the rakyat! - 013-8249750

WHEN will the new Kia Sorento featured in the advertisement for the Australian Open be available in Malaysia? - 019-3348237

Reply: Expect the new Sorento to be here in the second half of this year. 

IT seems that Toyota’s reputation for quality has been dented. Any news about Malaysian Toyotas? - 016-4526499

Reply: Check out the report on V12.

WILL ETCM bring in the Nissan GT-R? Singapore has. - 016-8310296

Reply: ETCM has no plans to bring in the GT-R. 

WHAT'S the minimum servicing a Proton has to undergo at their service centres to remain under warranty? A few centres I went to have been giving different answers. - 012-3260930

Reply: According to the Proton Centre of Excellence service centre, it is recommended to follow the service intervals stated on the booklet. The warranty will not cover any parts worn due to skipping on the service intervals, however, the warranty on other unaffected parts will be kept.   

I FOUND that CBT's twin test of the Innova and Exora was biased. It was clear that the Exora was more superior than the Innova. Please translate the ps power rating of the Innova to bhp and you will see the difference. The writer was ignorant in stating that Exora handling at corners was not good. How lame! - 012-9599496

Reply: The Exora has 125hp while the Innova has 134hp. Peak power is accessible at 5,600rpm in the Innova, while maximum power is churned out at 6,500rpm for the Exora. For a circa 1.5-tonne MPV (carrying many passengers at times), torque figures are more important (182Nm versus 150Nm) - for better tractability and a more relaxing drive. Torque-to-weight ratio for the Innova is 8.65kg/Nm while the Exora lugs around 9.48kg for every Nm. The Innova tested also returned a smoother drive and more linear power delivery. In a side-by-side comparo, the Exora tester unit was found to have a harder-to-tame front axle into corners, and that was reported factually.  

WHEN, if at all, will the Kia Soul be launched? - 016-8339282

Reply: Expect the Soul to be here before July. 

HAS the BMW Z8 an automatic or manual operated roof? - 010-2768048

Reply: Both. The Z8 has a powered soft top and also, a detachable hard top.    

SMS TO HOLD

(SMS TO HOLD) I ALMOST bought a 4-litre Mobil 10W-40 semi-synthetic oil at Tesco which was on “offer” for about RM77 until I noticed a small print on its back sticker indicating that it was of SL grade. I was surprised as some minerals based lube oil by other companies already carried the SM label and at a much cheaper price. Other brands of lube oil of 10W-40 range that I had come across were also semi-synthetic but all were of SM grade. - 012-6238044