I confess, I’m a guy with way too many hobbies, and perhaps uninterestingly, driving happens to be one of them. So just over a year ago, I sold my beloved Toyota MR2 after owning it for over a decade, bit the bullet and bought the car I’ve always wanted – a Lotus, then still owned by Proton.
the Exige, finally shines like it should
I’ve driven the car to Bentong, Genting, and Cameron Highlands. It’s a little car that loves hugging the corner. Light, nimble, and extremely unfriendly to older ladies with weak knees. Which is why my mom hasn’t want to sit in it, even though the car’s photo serves as her WhatsApp profile photo.
Anyway.. lest I digress. Today I actually want to talk about Ceramic Pro Nano Coating.
Ceramic Pro Nano Coating – before & after comparison
See, the car was actually manufactured back in 2010, and as it’s been some 9 years since rolling out of the factory floor, there’re some signs of blemishes and imperfections on the paint as well as interior. While I did send the car for detailing once and waxed it myself a couple times, this was the first time she’s treated with a proper coating.
In this case, the Ceramic Pro Permanent Nano-Ceramic Coating Gold Package.
Ceramic Pro Nano Coating – Gold Package
The procedure takes pretty much a whole day, I dropped off my car on a Sunday evening and let them work on it over the next day. So what was done to the car?
paint correction, coating, curing
Well, as I can understand, it’s the following:
- first, the car is thoroughly washed both inside and out
- clay bar decontamination is then done
- paint correction goes next, which includes a 3-step polishing
- window glass coating goes next, with plastic & rubber after
- headlight is treated (they essentially renewed my dull-ish headlights too)
- chrome trims, wheels & brake calipers goes next
- then it’s the full interior & exterior coating, in this package, 6 layers of nanoceramic coating for the exterior to give it that shine and protection
- Then the car is cured under IR lights to seal in the coating
Additionally, they also applied the Magnus Pro Protection films on the headlight to prevent and cloudiness & stone chips.
they really did a great job on the car
I really like it that throughout the entire process, the representative kept me updated with photos of any imperfections as well as the step by step progress of what was being done to the car. This was after explaining to me the different products being used here when I dropped the car off. Impressive service, and super informative.
three different packages to choose from
The coating is also protected with a 7 year warranty. If it shows signs of wear (not hydrophobic anymore, for example), they’ll fix it. If you have a minor accident and changed a door, for example, they’ll coat that door for you with no additional charge thereafter.
I have to admit that I didn’t know this 9 year old car can look so good after a proper coating job. It was something that I used to think of as a “waste of money” or “why not just repaint it”, but the results speak for itself, I am convinced.
Address:
Ceramic Pro Malaysia – Car Coating & Auto Detailing
10, Jalan Pemberita U1/49,
Persiaran Kerjaya, Temasya Industrial Park,
40150 Shah Alam, Selangor
Tel: 018-200 0828
This is the one and only Lamborghini Aventador in that came out of the factory in blue glauco, a one off mixture of blue and green that has a subtle hint of Tiffany’s signature shade.
The car belongs to Robbie Dickson, an exotic car collector who certainly has a taste for exotic color.
Pictures by Marcel Lech Photography.
At the Frankfurt international auto show, Lotus answered the rumors from the sports car’s brand with the all new 2012 Lotus Exige S and the Lotus Exige R-GT.
The 2012 Exige R-GT signifies the return of Lotus to the world of rally racing by taking part in FIA GT category of the FIA Rally on asphalt in Monte Carlo, Tour de Corse and San Remo.
Lotus Exige 2012 R-GT
The look of the Exige R-GT is simply stunning, the car is powered by the same V6 3.5 liter supercharged engine found in the new Exige S, but as per FIA regulation, tuned to 298 hp with the 34-millimeter air restrictors that is in place to control the power; the weight too is increased to 1,200 KG to meet required specification.
Lotus Exige 2012 R-GT side view
“With the new R-GT rules in rally, it’s a very interesting time for us to return to the sport. Naturally our approach this time around will be different to when we won the championship with Talbot three decades ago but I think our philosophy is definitely the same, we want to compete and ultimately we want to win. Our new rally car, the Exige R-GT is a dream come true for those who are passionate about GT racing – this will be their car,” said Group Lotus’ Director of Motorsport Claudio Berro.
Lotus Exige R-GT rear view
In the previous post on Mitsubishi FTO, I’ve mentioned Japanese car maker’s reluctance on making affordable performance cars in the past decade or so. This painted a pretty bleak picture for sports car enthusiasts (who aren’t also super loaded).
There’s good news on the horizon. Apparently this trend might see a reversal with the news of the concept car from Toyota – the FT-86
The FT-86 is pretty much inspired by the popularity of AE-86 that is made popular by the comic series Initial-D. Nicknamed the tofu car, AE-86 has a huge cult following especially in the drift racing series, and still cheered upon whenever appeared at Autocross events.
A collaboration between Subaru and Toyota, the FT-86 is to come with a new 2 liter Toyota-Subaru “D-4S” Boxer engine. Targeted to cost around US $20,000 when it is eventually launched, that’ll place it cheaper than a fully loaded Honda Accord (or Toyota’s own Camry for that matter).
I, for one, welcome Japanese manufacturer’s return to this segment, 6 speed manual with 2.0 liter boxer sounds like a good combination to me.
Check out wiki page for more details.
The compact 4 door sedan market in Malaysia is pretty much dominated by 2 Japanese models: Toyota Vios and Honda City. Both cars are priced at around RM 70-90k range, with decent space, and around 1.5 liter engine capacity. From outside looking in, you have the Naza Bestari 206 with 1.4 liter engine, as well as Suzuki Swift, 1.5 liter engine but slightly smaller built.
Ford Fiesta – 1.5 liter hot hatch from Ford
Enter Ford Fiesta, this is actually the 6th generation of Fiesta that was originally debuted in 1976. The hatch definitely poses very impressive specs with price rumored to be in direct competition with other B segment cars like the above mentioned Vios and City.
- Engine: 1.6 liter Ti-VCT with 120 PS at 6,500 rpm and 152 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm
- Transmission: 6 speed Powershift dual clutch
- Airbags: Dual SRS
- Wheels: 16″ alloy rims
- 0-100 km/h: 9.9s
- Top Speed: 193 km/h
There’s even optional electronic traction control that’s usually only found in high end cars. This Ford certainly has the spec to match it’s aggressive looks. We’ll see ho well the Malaysian market embrace it.
I for one surely hope there’s some competition to the current duopoly in B segment cars.
