I just collected my Renault Scenic 1.6A yesterday and I would like to share my first impressions of the car with everyone here.
Having driven Japanese cars for more than 2 decades, I must say that this car needs some getting used to. First, everything (except the driver) is so stiff - from the sounding of the horn to the opening of the hatch. Another thing is that everything seemed to be in reverse (except the forward gears). Like having light controls on the left of the steering column and the windscreen wiper controls on the right. I am still activating the windscreen wipers everytime I make a turn. (Now I understand why some drivers of big continental cars seldom signal when they turn, haha.) Two flashes of light means 'unlock' for my Corolla (for the Scenic, it is one) and while one flash of light locks my Corolla, it unlocks the Scenic.
The car feels quite sluggish, more so perhaps because I am careful not to overstress the engine during the run-in period. If the fuel consumption gauge in the computer is accurate, I should be getting about 20% less mileage than my Corolla G9 (which could get almost 13 km/l). This is without any change in driving pattern (I wasn't even speeding with the Scenic.) With the high prices of petrol lately, I am getting worried.
I am particularly worried when Sales Facilitator (Renault's name for Sales Executives) told me NOT to lock my car when filling petrol. When I asked why, she said, "It's because the pump attendant may accidentally break the locking pin at the fuel tank opening." This locking pin, which is made of plastic, would protrude when the car is locked. If you or the pump attendant closes the fuel door with force while the pin is protruded, the pin may break. And it costs $280 to replace the whole assembly, unless you don't mind having the fuel door unlocked all the time.
By the way, the charming lady in the photo is not my wife - she is the Sales Facilitator. And if you are wondering about the number plate, it is just the cheeky side of me to show what number I would have bidded for if the gahmen had allowed the SEX number series, wahaha.
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28 comments:
I'm first. Yeah!
No worries, Vic. If an old dog can learn to do a good blog, so can the old dog learn to drive a new Renault. Just pass it to me if you still can't get the hang of it by next week. Ha..
SEX 694 U, huh? Is that your fav number? And I thought everything, but the driver is stiff? Sorry, that's the cheeky side of me teasing you again.
Err... no comment on the SE. Now I see you're not only a non-critic when it comes to food. Likewise SYT, if you can call the SE that. Sure you've sought her permission to upload her pic? She can sue you, you know?
When I bot my Toyota Wish in 2003, I drove it to Ipoh 2 days later; travelling at around 100 - 120 kph most of the way. Don't care about ruinning in and that sort of thing.
Chris, honestly I didn't ask the SE for permission to put her photo on my blog. Neither did I ask any permission from those SYTs nor any person who happened to be in the view of my camera lens when the shutter clicked. Let's be practical - if I did, there would probably be no photos of people on my blog.
Frankly, I didn't think that the SE would mind the publicity that I have accorded her - it is free advertising. (You should know as you are in this trade too. Incidentally, if anyone of you intends to buy a Renault, let me introduce you - I earn $500 servicing credit as 'introduction fee' and can share that with you.)
The photo of her was pretty decent, literally, don't you think? All I photoshopped was the number plate and nothing else. If you choose to link the number plate to her, then it is your thinking that has a problem, not mine, hee.
Chun See, I originally had my eyes on the Wish (yet another point in common between us). I joined Toyota Wish Club for almost a year. Do you happen to be a member too?
Having driven a Corolla for 3 years, I know that Toyota makes very reliable and fuel-efficient cars. But you know how a woman's brain is wired differently from man's, plus it has a 'built-in over-riding' function. The woman in my life figured that we didn't need a 7-seater, choosing to ignore the fact that the car I bought actually costed several thousand dollars more than the Wish.
I spotted your wilful malapropism again, Chun See - 'ruinning it before running in' is exactly what I am afraid of, haha.
woah, i dont know much about cars..
but uncle koo (need a little time to get used to calling this hee..), i just read through all your entries from may (phew, im glad there arent many haha!) and i really love some of the entries on self reflection.
im 22 years old now, and there are many things i feel that i can learn from Uncle Lam and you, and uncle chris (hehehe... yes i read his blog too).
in one of ur entries, you mentioned about the younger people blog these days, etc.. but i feel really fortunate to find the 3 of your blogs. honestly speaking, blogging doesnt used to be like this..
ive blogged since 2001 and got my own domain in 2003. blogging used to be something like what you've said, to destress, to have an avenue to vent whatever your feelings is at that point in time, as well as to improve our typing speed probably? (hee..) and not to forgot learning those codes.. (html.. linking photos.. etc)
while there are still people doing this, many people actually blogs for fame these days. somehow, i feel that the meaning of blogging is lost...
which leads to the reason why im happy to have found these blogs, because they really gave me new insights. and of course, getting to know the olden singapore more made me happy. singapore is changing too fast, people are ever looking forward, running. we never take a step back and look at the wonderful things we had, or even has now.
ah, sorry for the long comment, just my 20cents worth of thoughts hehe.. keep on blogging, uncle koo... u just got yourself a stalker!! (me)
=)
haha! oops thats me!!
- EteL (www.simplyetel.com)
Hi Etel... Uncle Chris? You may wish to know that I'll always have 9 years to catch up with Uncle Koo and 13 years to catch up with Uncle Lam. That's how "young" I am. Ahem... Did you say you're 22? Then you'll always have 19 years to catch up with Uncle Chris. Hee!
If you've read through Uncle Koo's blog, as you said you had, than you would have known that I was the one who sparked his interest in blogging. Uncle Vic wanted to prove to Uncle Chris that an older dog can still does a good blog. And he's proven beyond doubt that he could. (Good boy Uncle Koo!) See, Uncle Koo is a good pal of mine. In fact, we both work in the same company. I call him a wordsmith, cause he's very good with words. We "horse" around often, in the way we comment on each other's blogs. And always without hard feelings.
While we'll always have people like Uncle Lam and, to some extend Uncle Koo to blog about the good old days in Chinatown and the like, there'll always be others like me, blogging nonsensical stuff like being "conned" by my 8-year-old kid, or being "skinned alive" by my other half whom I refer to as the Slim Lady in my blogs. Like I've always told Vic, blogging to me is my way of celebrating the joy in life. It's also my way to gripe about life's disappointments and pain. It's therapeutic and in a way, helps me to destress. It's true that many people blog in the hope of getting famous. But Uncle Lam's fame is quite accidental, I must add. We have no knowledge that the youngsters of today are so hungry for knowledge of Singapore in the 1960s and 70s. So, that's kinda cool.
Wah Etel, you read through my whole blog? Wow, that's nbelievable! This old memory of mine seems to have already forgotten what I have written 6 months ago, hee.
Let me caution that some of the subject matter in my blog might not be so suitable for younger readers. Hmm... let's see, you're 22, well ok, you are just qualified. :)
As you should be able to tell by now, I like to joke and see the lighter side of life. Nice knowing you as a friend, Etel.
please come join our club
www.renaultcarclub.com
cheers!
hee!
nice knowing both of you too!
uncle koo, if you hadnt know, ive also read ALL of uncle chris's entries! haha! im such an addict/stalker/fan, whatever you name it. but i am interested in the views blogged, because like i've mentioned in my own blog, that it isnt often that i get another alternative view on things in life.. the normal stuff i get from reading blogs are - i am very sad, my boyfriend left me, my life is in a mess, i am happy! etc..
there are entries which made me think.. for instance, uncle chris's entry on the asian culture (actually the entry is on giving his son a hp), that we dun actually express our love anymore verbally face-to-face, and instead we turned to smses, msn. i recalled an instant where my dad smses me, wishing me good luck even though his english is really bad (teehee). sweet.
and uncle koo, your entry on singapore's service line. i had the same sentiments! and it was really amusing yet thought provoking while i scanned through the comments in some entries, where both of you actually have different opinions with regards to issue in life.
i introduced my boyfriend to the 3 sites too (coincidentally my boyfriend's name is victor haha) & he loved it, my friends also commented that the sites are gems :)
sometimes we might not comment, but you guys can be sure that there are stalkers like me around! =P
argh, its mi -_-"
- EteL
Hi Rijac, thanks for visiting my blog and your invitation to me to join RCC. I am already a member of RCC (joined last month) and quite active posting there too. Saw your nick in the forum. You are a veteran member, if not a moderator, am I right? :)
I have replicated this post in RCC too. But these 2 days, the forum seemed to be down due to a technical problem - encountered 'critical error' when I and my friend tried to access the forum. Hope the problem will be resolved soon.
Etel, liddat I'll become as famous as Uncle Lam very soon, lol. Wah, suddenly I feel a lot of added pressure to perform leh (only joking). You and your friends are welcome to visit my blog but sometimes, I am not so active in blogging, so you may not find any new post for a long time. (That's why "there aren't that many posts" in my blog mah, hee.)
I did not know that 'laudies' like us also can be stalked. So this is called the dangers of the internet ah .. hehe.
Cham - I caught the habit of adding 'hehe' at the end of my comments thanks to EteL.
Chun See, when you say 'laudies' do you mean we 'laudable people' or do you mean we the 'Ah Laus'? You hah, always use such ambiguous language and leaving so much to my imagination. And you know my imagination is particularly good one lah.
So are we expecting to see Uncle Lam on Arts Central soon? Hehe (oops).
Laudie is a term my 13-year old daughter uses to describe over-the-hill singers and actors (like David Carusso of CSI Miami).
I won't get to act; oops I mean appear on tv. It's the round-headed kid from sai-yan-kai that they want.
haha! i like the idea of laudies! hehe... (uh oh =P)
maybe i do a reccomendation to have the 3 "laudies" to appear in channelnewsasia? then i can know how uncle koo, uncle lam and uncle chris look like! yay!
- EteL (www.simplyetel.com)
Chun See - You can learn a lot from your daughter, you know, or even from Etel. You will be a hip laudy (??)The young people's lingo is unbelievable.
Etel - What a horrid thought! Let Uncle Koo and Uncle Lam razzle and dazzle. I belong to a very "different school of fish" :P
Chris - Shake as hard as you might, that 'uncle' label is not coming off so easily. Etel's maths is quite good. Anybody close to twice her age qualifies to be addressed as 'uncle'. You are 1.86 times her age, so round up becomes 2 times lor.
Chun See - Oh, the round-headed kid in Scotland. Tell him and the Arts Central people that they can do video conferencing mah. Now even the 3G video phones also come with this function. Saw many overseas news correspondents making use of this technology to report news. We laudies shouldn't be left behind. (That newly-coined word is going to be slinged around alot here.) Besides, we don't want to miss out on a good show.
Forgot to mention that Simon happened to be in town this week becos he had difficulty getting a ticket to China. So he met with the people from MediaCorp people already. I think it is Suria not Arts Central.
By the way, Chris is only around Bae Yong Jun's age and probably looks just as dashing. Unfortunately this means that he is more likely to appeal to the Ah Soh's than the 小妹妹's.
Share something about my Toyota Wish. It is very fuel efficient. With slightly over 3/4 tank I managed to reach Sg Buloh outside KL. Actually can go some more, but I know from previous experience that at the next stop, Rawang, there are many people trying to pump petrol. This is becos after Rawang there is no petrol station until much much later. This I discovered the hard way from an earlier trip.
When Suria broadcasts 'Simon says' (is that the programme's name?), please sent a reminder for us to catch it. Will record it on my DVD recorder. (I also got one, bought together with Chris).
Chun See, you really flatter Chris too much (the part about looking like Bae Yong Jun, not the Ah Soh appeal part). And while Bae is only 33 (refer to this link on his curruculum vitae), Chris is eight years older.
The programme is called "Jalan". Simon speaks Melayu? He over at Scotland jia kantang one. Malay maybe forgot already leh. Still want to go on TV ahh? ROTFL.
I not Aunty 杀手, ok? Let me venture a guess, Chun See. Your wife's a fan of Korean drama serial, right? My wife is. I sat through a serial with her just to keep her company. It was the longest drama I've ever seen. Boring and very long-winded. The 20 over VCDs could have easily been compressed into a 3-hour VCD.
Actually she's complete opposite. A workaholic with no patience of long dramas - seldom watch tv in fact. I also don't watch Korean drama's. But my sis recently lent me a set of dvds on Da Chang Jing - heard that it is very good. Managed to catch a couple of episodes.
Hi folks,
Sorry for the long absence...not been reading blog news for a while..until a moment ago happended be caught by the picture of Victor's car whose registration really smells a touch of sensuality (if you folks don't mind me saying that)
First - you have SEX then it is ' 69 '? Ng!!! That in itself is very implicit of something related to an act in the KarmaSutra....what's more you have ' 4U '???
Well, that series of alphanumeric letters really caught my eyes as said.
I am not cheeky but I would not put up with that kind of plate unless I have other motive.
Sorry for being direct and....okay lah!!! Simon (also called roundhead kid by Chun See)
Simon, welcome after such a long absence. So when will your interview with Mediacorp Suria station be telecast (in Singapore)?
My car plate number was not meant to be suggestive but rather a tongue-in-cheek poke at the gahmen's ban on the SEX number series. My sincere apologies to everyone if there were any feathers ruffled in the process. Please don't take me or my comments too seriously, ya.
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