[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by nileshch

Yes, for me also, it was less than a year. But mine was a dark film. It was illegal anyway (20%VLT), as I learnt. Plus, the film was cheap. If there ever is a law reversal/change, I'll go for a good sun film like 3M.

Banglore & Delhi are the two cities where this ban is implemented quite ferociously. 20% films are very dark tints & definitely should not be allowed. Now you would be having better clarity & view during night, isn't it.

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Even I got my 3M removed from the sides yesterday. I kept the Front and the back. Thankfully removing them was a breeze. Some consolation I guess for spending so much on them. But I am still in pain. There is huge difference in Cabin temprature plus the looks and hard earned money in drain man.

I can understand your state of mind. But certainly in Mumbai there is no action against sun films, don't know why. Daily drive from Vashi to Worli, no stopping whatsoever even though there are quite a few police check post.
Certainly cabin temperature will increase & so will exposure to UVA & UVB rays.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

But I am still in pain. There is huge difference in Cabin temprature plus the looks and hard earned money in drain man.

Sad about that! :(

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

20% films are very dark tints & definitely should not be allowed. Now you would be having better clarity & view during night, isn't it.

Well, if I had my way, I'd have kept the film. I had gotten used to the privacy it gave the occupants. I'd have liked to have some film if not 20/30/50% VLT.

Frankly, viewing through the side windows was not much of a problem for me. I had no film on the front windshield and the 20% film on the rear windshield actually reduced a lot of glare.

[nileshch]

A quick update -- since the last detailing session six months ago done at Ultimate Detailerz and the car though shiny had become rough to touch, there were tiny black spots on the body that refused to go even after thorough washing and the wipers made a louder whishing sound when on (due to the spots on the windshield).

So I did a small detailing job myself yesterday. I've described about it on the car cleaning thread here --

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2804095

Tools used:

• 3 microfibre towels & an MF wash mitt
• Amway car shampoo
• Mothers California Gold claybar + QD
• Meguiars Ultimate Quik Wax
• Meguiars Water Magnet towel

[F150]

Well my car is shining, not as good as your vento though. But I am hoping the shine will remain after the monsoon ends.

Why did you do this detailing session now, I mean just when the monsoon is about to start ?
Is this a precautionary measure before the monsoon starts ?

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by F150

Well my car is shining, not as good as your vento though. But I am hoping the shine will remain after the monsoon ends.

Why did you do this detailing session now, I mean just when the monsoon is about to start ?
Is this a precautionary measure before the monsoon starts ?

Yes @F150, my aim was to do it before the monsoon starts. The claying and waxing produces a beautiful water beading effect on the body (water runs off easily from the body). Also, grime does not stick too much due to the waxing.

[phani]

Originally Posted by nileshch

Yes, for me also, it was less than a year. But mine was a dark film. It was illegal anyway (20%VLT), as I learnt. Plus, the film was cheap. If there ever is a law reversal/change, I'll go for a good sun film like 3M.

Nilesh, i am holding the films and waiting , mine is just 2 months old 3M films and costed me 13.5k total including the windshield one. i am not sure whether in bangalore cops are checking actively . in any case i think i have to remove sooner , but just wanted to see time pass some more time.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by phani

Nilesh, i am holding the films and waiting , mine is just 2 months old 3M films and costed me 13.5k total including the windshield one. i am not sure whether in bangalore cops are checking actively . in any case i think i have to remove sooner , but just wanted to see time pass some more time.

I've seen them on arterial roads flagging down cars with dark films. However after all the threats of strict enforcement, they seemed to have lost steam! If yours is 50% or lighter you might as well hold on. In my case, I was sure I'd be stopped and fined!

[nileshch]

After a long long time, the Blue finally got some time to stretch legs on a long drive. Last weekend, we did a nice short trip to Yercaud, Tamilnadu. Total distance travelled - 470 kms, Fuel efficiency - 17.1 km/l,

Located in Sheveroy hills near Salem Tamilnadu, Yercaud is a nice quick getaway easily reachable from Bangalore (230kms). While there is nothing much to do there apart from enjoying the greenery, cool environs and beautiful vistas, what I liked about Yercaud is the less crowds! We could thankfully go around the town without bumping into hundreds of families trying to extract maximum from their holiday without consideration for others!! A good way to relax on a weekend.

On Saturday, we left home at a leisurely 7 am. Bangalore to Salem is a dual carriageway and the road between Salem and Yercaud, though narrow, is in great condition. The road traffic too is very less. Add to that the 20 hairpin bends to reach to the top. It was a complete fun drive for us. The Blue took all curves with great aplomb, hardly going down to the first gear. We reached Yercaud at about 10:45 am just as fresh as we were when we left.

On the way to Salem


Hairpin bends near Yercaud


Our destination was Lakeforest resort, bang opposite the Yercaud lake. It is a small but beautiful resort, themed on old colonial-style architecture. Everything at the resort was good, except the average food. Here are some photos:

Entrance




Reception lobby & restaurant


Coat of arms of the British Empire


Classy colonial styled room, complete with armchairs, a high bed, rope curtains and old toggle-styled light switches




Scenery around the resort


The first place we went to was Pagoda point, a beautiful viewpoint at the eastern end of Yercaud. It offers a vast view of the surrounding villages, towns and reserved forests. We spent a lot of time here on Saturday evening and came back on Sunday morning when there was absolutely not a single soul around the place.

Blue everywhere






Amazing views





There are two other spots on the western edge of Yercaud - Lady's seat and Gent's seat which offer great views of Salem city. We did not spend much time there as these places were crowded, dirtied and infested with monkeys.




Well, apart from these three places and the Yercaud lake, there is nothing much to do other than relax. Which is what I liked about the place. We've discovered a nothingness getaway to quickly spend the weekend at!

Yercaud lake


We left Yercaud at 2:30pm on Sunday. When climbing down from Yercaud to Salem, I simply put the car in 3rd gear and let it coast down the hill for the most part. The first 20 kms gave an earth-shattering mileage of 35 km/l (I took the photo when it started dropping down)


Ofcourse, this did not stay for long -- by the time I reached home at 6:30pm, the mileage came down to a now normal 17.4 km/l

On a different note, the Blue completed one year of coming into this world!! It was manufactured on 8th June 2011 and registered on 29th June 2011. So this weekend, on account of its first birthday, the Blue is going to get a nice scrub and little spit and polish to look shining new just like a year ago!!

[nileshch]

I have spent a few thousand rupees in cheap Chinese car mounts only to see them fall apart during long roadtrips. Here are three mounts that have failed me on roadtrips --



After a lot of searching, I finally found a phone car mount that is stable, does not rattle and will probably last very long. Brodit produces one of the sturdiest car mounts, called ProClip, for smartphones and navigation devices.

Brodit seems to have a ming-boggling choice (about 8500!) of customized in-car mounts for all popular car models. I was able to track down a specific version of Proclip for the 2010-12 Right Hand Drive VW Polo !! For the Polo/Vento, they offer three places where you can fix the Proclip --

A Pillar


AC Vent


Angled Mount


In addition to the Proclip, you also need to get a device holder specific to your device. Here again, they offer hundreds of options. For the iPhone4 alone, they have 33 variations! Here are the exact parts I got from Brodit:

• Angled mount for RHD Polo: Part number 654383. I found the angled mount to be the smartest, most unobstrusive and most accessible (even to the co-passenger).
• Passive holder with tilt swivel for iPhone (with skin): Part number 511165.

These two parts cost me GBP 44 (including shipping) from simplymounts.com (Brodit does not sell directly). Got them through registered mail in ten days from purchase.



Today morning, I got my hands dirty fixing the mount. Here is how I installed the Proclip:

1. Create a small gap using the gap opener provided with the mount:


2. Open the glove box door and insert the left edge of Proclip in the cap between the glove box wall and the dashboard extension inside the glove box. Then press the right edge of the Proclip into the created gap and then pull out the gap opener




3. Now you need to install the device holder. First separate the base of the tilt swivel holder so that we can fix that base to the mount. You'll notice that the Proclip base has no screw holes. The provided screws are of the self penetrating kind. You simply align the base of the holder on the proclip and start winding the screw. It creates the hole through the ABS plastic.



4. Attach the holder back to its base and you are ready to go!




Doesn't this look neat?!

I recorded a short video to show the sturdiness of the mount and the fact that it does not interfere with the operation of the glove box door.

Brodit Proclip - VW Vento/Polo (2010-12) - YouTube

[souravc]

Originally Posted by nileshch

I have spent a few thousand rupees in cheap Chinese car mounts only to see them fall apart during long roadtrips. Here are three mounts that have failed me on roadtrips --

After a lot of searching, I finally found a phone car mount that is stable, does not rattle and will probably last very long. Brodit produces one of the sturdiest car mounts, called ProClip, for smartphones and navigation devices.

Nilesh , seems like a good product . Just a note of caution , the positioning will most likely make this device / mobile come into play (if and) when the air bag is triggered . The whole thing would be a projectile with serious damage implications - request you to please think through

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by souravc

Nilesh , seems like a good product . Just a note of caution , the positioning will most likely make this device / mobile come into play (if and) when the air bag is triggered . The whole thing would be a projectile with serious damage implications - request you to please think through

I did think of this, Sourav. However, based on how airbags typically inflate and the positioning of the airbag container, it does not seem to be a problem. The mount is at a lower height than the inflating airbag and has lesser travel distance as a projectile (as compared to a device mounted on the windshield or A-pillar).

A mounted device placed anywhere can be a projectile in an accident. So yes, we are anyway carrying that risk! And your concern is rightly placed.

Here is the picture of the inflated airbags --

[abhilash_iv]

Originally Posted by nileshch

I have spent a few thousand rupees in cheap Chinese car mounts only to see them fall apart during long roadtrips. Here are three mounts that have failed me on roadtrips --

Will the device be able to lock satellites for the GPS in this position?

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by abhilash_iv

Will the device be able to lock satellites for the GPS in this position?

I have yet to test this but it should not be a problem. I have used the iPhone for navigation when it was placed in the storage box (my mount was broken) using only the audio cues!

[for_cars1]

A windscreen mounted dock may be safer as the driver doesn't have to take his/her eyes off the windscreen/road while looking into the map.
One of the reasons most OEMs provide windshield/upper dash mounted docks.

Not sure if the below OEM iphone dock is available in India
Griffin Window Mount Handsfree - Apple Store (U.S.)

Even for my phone, I have got the Samsung OEM windscreen mounted Dock accessory and its quite sturdy.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by for_cars1

A windscreen mounted dock may be safer as the driver doesn't have to take his/her eyes off the windscreen/road while looking into the map.
One of the reasons most OEMs provide windshield/upper dash mounted docks.

Not sure if the below OEM iphone dock is available in India
Griffin Window Mount Handsfree - Apple Store (U.S.)

Even for my phone, I have got the Samsung OEM windscreen mounted Dock accessory and its quite sturdy.

Thanks for the info! Though, looking continuously at the phone screen is not what I generally do. I study the route beforehand and rely more on the audio cues from the navigation app. Plus, I hate the fact that a windshield mounted device blocks my view!