[raj_5004]

Just got to know that one piece of the headlight costs INR 1.16 Lakhs! So if I buy both, will that cost me 2.32 Lakhs? That's 33% of the price I paid for the car...

They are generously offering a discount and the final price for one piece is 83,000 INR!

I understand these are HID headlights with AFS (cornering function), but still that is a ridiculous price.

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Just got to know that one piece of the headlight costs INR 1.16 Lakhs! So if I buy both, will that cost me 2.32 Lakhs? That's 33% of the price I paid for the car...

They are generously offering a discount and the final price for one piece is 83,000 INR!

I understand these are HID headlights with AFS (cornering function), but still that is a ridiculous price.

The price quoted must be for Original Stanley headlights.
If you really need headlights check amazon.com they have plenty of aftermarket ones for 250-350$ for a set.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

The price quoted must be for Original Stanley headlights.
If you really need headlights check amazon.com they have plenty of aftermarket ones for 250-350$ for a set.

Yes, I know.

Thankfully, everything will be covered under insurance in case if I need them. If I have to pay from my own pocket, I will buy the sexy aftermarket ones with inbuilt DRLs and corona rings. It is just 16-17% of the cost of the OE headlights! I will miss the cornering function, but I will live with it!

But what I meant was that the OE pricing is ridiculous!

[johannskaria]

Congrats on ownership!
Your car is an eye candy for sure.
Hope our painted the wheels bronze

[raj_5004]

I shot my car's rear left tyre. These low profile tyres are really deceiving and you cannot make out if the air pressure is too low.

The tyre had two nails in it and kept losing pressure. I think I drove quite a lot in that condition and by the time I realized, the tyre was damaged.

Now I have replaced it with the spare tyre temporarily. Problem is the spare is stock size (215/45 R18) whereas the other tyres are upgraded (225/40 R18) and I am not able to get a single piece of that tyre now...

Meanwhile, I bought a tyre pressure guage to save myself from such incidents in future!

Originally Posted by johannskaria

Congrats on ownership!
Your car is an eye candy for sure.
Hope our painted the wheels bronze

Thank you.

As mentioned above, right now the only thing running in my mind is to source a right tyre. Painting the wheels can be done after that!

[raj_5004]

On the occasion of New Year, I wished to gift something to my car as well. I had the following in mind:

* A touch screen head unit with USB, Reverse cam and GPS
* New alloys or painted stock alloys
* FFE

As mentioned in previous posts, I am still struggling to find a new GoodYear tyre for my car and till the tyre issue is resolved, I did not want to mess with the stock wheels. Also, I am still not sure what Dubai regulations say about FFE and how legal it is. There are a lot of conflicting answers from different people. The last thing I want is that my car failing in the yearly road worthy tests.

So, I went ahead with the new head unit. I wish to clarify that the stock head unit rocks when it comes to SQ. But it lacks several features that I wish - namely B/T and USB compatibility. So the decision was made to go for a new one and since the GT has an integrated head unit, I will have to go for a new fascia as well. That is when, I saw this brand CLAYTON which makes custom head units for each specific model and they had one for my car as well.

The decision was made and the dash went from looking like this -



To this -



Prime advantages of going for this head unit -

• It is a plug and play, even the connectors are made according to what the car already has. So, no splicing or cutting of wires.
• Steering mounted controls will work and does not need any special adapter.
• Fitting on the dash is perfect and does not look aftermarket.

Features of the head unit -

• Bluetooth - Connects to the phone easily, downloads the phonebook, shows call log and of course the standard dialer as well. It can stream music as well.
• Music - USB port, CDs, iPod/iPhone, Radio, etc.
• Movies - Can play from DVDs. I am not sure whether it can read from USB as well. I have to try that.
• 3G port - This is actually used to connect a modem to the HU and then the HU can become a WiFi hotspot. I use this to connect my Note3 via a standard charger cable. Then the HU mirrors my phone screen on it's screen and I can use all the features of my phone like Google Maps, YouTube, etc. It also charges my phone while it is connected, so that is another advantage.
• Navigation - It uses iGo maps which is fairly accurate. I still prefer Google Maps though.
• Reverse Camera - The camera is mounted on the number plate light slot and hence there is no ugly spot on the rear bumper.

Cons I observed:

• I connected the USB with some songs, but it is taking a long time to read/load the USB. I have to check again.
• There is a lag during screen mirroring from the phone. Maps are usable but the transition is not smooth. I have to check again with the original Samsung cable.
• I have noticed a good drop in SQ when compared to the stock HU. Will try tinkering with the audio settings.
• Noticed a rattle from the rear left door while playing bassy music. This was not there before. I feel the stock HU used the subwoofer solely for the bass and the speakers were just for the mids and highs. This one I feel uses the speakers for the lows too and hence the rattle.

[raj_5004]

The odo on Lancy shows 1,05,000 kms.

Took Lancy for her oil change yesterday. Took her to the FNG close to my place since it is quicker, convenient and cheaper!

* Changed 4 lts of oil with Adnoc Fully Synthetic oil
* Changed oil filter
* Cleaned Air filter
* Basic health inspection (tyres, brakes, bearings, suspension, underbody, leaks, hoses, etc.)

No problems or issues reported. Just topped up the windshield washer tank!

Total cost - 160 AED ~ 2700 INR

Now, the car is good for another 10,000 kms.

[raj_5004]

Clicked 2 days ago -

[raj_5004]

Bought the below OBD2 Car Auto Diagnostic Scan Tool online -



It connects to the normal OBD port of my car and transmits data to my phone via Bluetooth. I have purchased the "Torque" app on my phone and the information it shows is frankly overwhelming. Apart from the usual ECU error codes, it shows -

• Acceleration G force
• RPM
• Throttle input
• Speed
• Turbo boost
• Coolant temperature
• Oil temperature
• 0-100 kmph (as measured by GPS)
• 100-0 kmph time
• 1/4 mt time
• 1/8 mt time
• Horsepower
• Emissions reading
• Engine torque
• Air fuel Ratio
• Air temperature
• Engine load
• Exhaust gas temperature
• Fuel pressure
• Intake air temperature
• Intake manifold pressure
• Timing advance
• Transmission temperature

And a lot more. Best part is, due to my aftermarket HU, I can mirror all these information on my head unit screen and I can see live data of my car's performance via meters and graphs right in front of my eyes! Now, I am not sure what I will do with all these information, but it makes me feel I am piloting a Boeing rather than driving a Lancer!

[prithviq8]

Hey Raj, I just had a few questions on buying a car here in Dubai. I've finally decided on getting my license after two years of staying in this country. I've narrowed down on the Octavia vRS (Laura back in India). My question is on the insurance, I'm under 21 and will be getting a new license. Will that be a problem and will I get a comprehensive insurance?
Is it possible I can buy a car before getting my license (provided I just park & not move it at home and register it when I get the license). The owner of the car has agreed to keep the car for a month, hopefully by which I pass the test on my first attempt but says I'll have to buy after a month.
TIA

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by prithviq8

Hey Raj, I just had a few questions on buying a car here in Dubai. I've finally decided on getting my license after two years of staying in this country. I've narrowed down on the Octavia vRS (Laura back in India).

Since you are buying a used car, I am fairly sure you must be getting a good deal on the Skoda. But do you really wanna buy a Skoda in the UAE? I mean you know the public perception and resale value of Skoda here, right?

My question is on the insurance, I'm under 21 and will be getting a new license. Will that be a problem and will I get a comprehensive insurance?

You will get insurance without a problem. It is just that, insurance rates are higher for new license holders, especially for those who are under 25 years old.

Cars older than 5 (or 7) years do not get comprehensive insurance, but there are some small companies who do offer that too.

Is it possible I can buy a car before getting my license (provided I just park & not move it at home and register it when I get the license).

You can only register a car in your name if you have a valid UAE driving license. You can surely buy the car without a problem if you are buying on full cash, but the car cannot be registered or driven! Probably getting a loan will not be that easy, you may have to check.

The owner of the car has agreed to keep the car for a month, hopefully by which I pass the test on my first attempt but says I'll have to buy after a month.

That is a nice gesture by the owner. But may I know the reason why you want to do this? I mean, why do you want to commit to someone if you are unsure that you will pass the driving tests in the first attempt? I mean, I have seen people struggling for months to get a license here.

P.S.: I think it is better you get a license first.

[prithviq8]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Since you are buying a used car, I am fairly sure you must be getting a good deal on the Skoda. But do you really wanna buy a Skoda in the UAE? I mean you know the public perception and resale value of Skoda here, right?
You will get insurance.....

Thank you very much for the detailed feedback. Yes I do know the sad resale values of Skoda's but the heart wants what the heart wants.
I will make sure I get the license before the car. I've heard the RTA inspectors for the final road test are often moody and fail applicants for no apparent reason, is that so?

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by prithviq8

I've heard the RTA inspectors for the final road test are often moody and fail applicants for no apparent reason, is that so?

I do not think so. These are stories which are made up by people who fail in their tests. Naturally, some cannot accept that (considering how easy it is to get a license back in India) and they are either trying to hide their mistakes by putting the blame on the officers or are simply arrogant enough to not accept their mistakes.

If you ask, the RTA inspectors will give you the reason why you failed.

[prithviq8]

Hmm, fair enough. Anyhow, managed to pass my preliminary and theory test a few days back and hopefully will be able to finish all my classes and take the test in about 3 weeks time. Can't wait to start driving here. Thank you for the help and advice. Let us meet sometime soon.

[raj_5004]

Lancy's ODO reads 1,10,000 kms now.

After I had installed the new head unit, I had observed the following cons -

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Cons I observed:
I connected the USB with some songs, but it is taking a long time to read/load the USB. I have to check again.

Turns out that this was an issue with the pen drive and not really the head unit. I changed the pen drive and not only does it read all the songs comfortably but I have also loaded it with some movies and video songs. I watch these videos while waiting somewhere and not while driving. .

Noticed a rattle from the rear left door while playing bassy music. This was not there before. I feel the stock HU used the subwoofer solely for the bass and the speakers were just for the mids and highs. This one I feel uses the speakers for the lows too and hence the rattle.

The rattle was due to a missing screw in the rear door panel locking mechanism. Screw fixed, rattle gone!

I have been searching for some good alloys, but no luck as of now. the last option will be to paint my current alloys.