Techtrics Auto - Your One-Stop European Vehicles Maintenance and Repair !

Recently yours truly was invited to visit Techtrics Auto Sdn Bhd, an independent workshop which provides one-stop solution, from maintenance to repair for European cars. Located in the heart of Taman Perindustrian Kinrara, it's easily accessible from the Bukit Jalil Highway heading towards Puchong. 

Officially launched on 30th June 2013, a grand opening was held with approximately 600 attendees have attended the event. Since then, Techtrics Auto has gained many customers' trust by offering quick and precise solution for their cars.

Professional technicians with years of experience in diagnosing and mending problematic cars are there to help you solve the trickiest car issue! They are trained to take on different brands of continental cars such as Mercedes-Benz & Smart, BMW & Mini, Audi and Volkswagen, to name a few.

Every professional car workshop need to have a customer lounge to allow customers to relax in it while waiting for their cars to be fixed, and I was totally flabbergasted by the one Techtrics Auto has! It's one of the most vibrant and relaxing customer lounges that I've ever seen. Everyone could practically doze off after sitting in the lounge for few minutes while waiting for their beloved car! You could also watch the TV or surf the Internet using the free WiFi if you are not drowsy!

What if you car breaks down at home or somewhere along the street? No fret. Techtrics Auto provides 24-hour breakdown service, 365 days a year. No matter it's mechanical fault, ran out of fuel, punctured tyre or flat battery, Techtrics Auto will be there to assist you. Want to service or fix your car but on a tight schedule? There is a pick-up and delivery service to make your life easier.

Techtrics Auto uses Mobil 1 products, which provides exceptional protection against engine wear, giving you a peace of mind. Currently my car is using Mobil 1 engine oil and I can actually feel the engine runs smoother with lesser vibration! 

Customers' Big Four! No, I'm not talking about the audit firms! Well, you get what I mean :)

A vintage Rolls Royce and Bentley (at the back) paid a visit too!

Both founders of Techtrics Auto, Mr. Steve Siew and Mr. Fong Weng Hong are graduated from renowned automotive universities, with numerous years of hands-on experience in repair, diagnose and service consultation of cars. So they know what's best for your car and what customers want!

Tectrics Auto, your trusted and recognised workshop!

Address:

Techtrics Auto Sdn Bhd

No. 61, Jalan TPK 2/8,

Taman Perindustrian Kinrara,

Sek 2, 47180 Puchong,

Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Tel: 03-5891 6661

Fax: 03-8076 6161

24-Hours Breakdown Service: 014-5191818

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Website
E-mail: admin@techtricsauto.com

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BMW ECO PRO Screensaver

 While car manufacturers have engine start-stop function to minimise fuel consumption of a car, BMW has came up with BMW ECO PRO screensaver which act as an auto start-stop function for your computer! So cool!

In a car, the engine will be turned off when the car is in a standstill condition, and the engine will be kicked start when the accelerator pedal is pressed. In similar fashion, the ECO PRO screensaver uses a webcam to detect the presence of the computer user. If the webcam couldn't detect the user for 10 seconds (the user left the computer), the screensaver will automatically turn off the screen. The screen will then be on again once it detected the presence of a user.

According to BMW, if this software is installed in every computer sold in this year, it can help the world to reduce its CO2 emission by 50000 kilos and save over 50 million US dollars in energy consumption! Looks like a small software can contribute greatly to the environment too!

To play a part in saving the environment, you can download the BMW ECO PRO screensaver software here. Now, who says you cannot afford a BMW? (At least you own its screensaver!)

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Weight distribution of a car's chassis

First of all, let me explain what it means by a car's chassis. The chassis (usually made of steel) consists of the frame and mechanicals like engine, transmission and suspension. There are many types of chassis available in the market such as ladder frame, lightweight (Superleggera) frame, monocoque frame, so on and so forth.

A well weighted distribution of weight between the two axles can benefits the handling, stability, traction and acceleration of the car. Meanwhile, if a car’s chassis doesn’t have a well balanced weight distribution, the car can easily experience oversteer and understeer. Let’s say if the rear of a car doesn’t have enough weight, then the grip of the rear wheels will be reduced, so the car will tend to have oversteer where the rear wheels lose their traction. Therefore, it is said ideal if the weight distribution between the front and rear axle is distributed as equal as possible.

Maybe that's why BMW has been so consistent in offering 50:50 weight distribution for its products. Notice the overly long space between the front tyres and the front door of the BMWs? It is designed like that to have a better weight distribution on the chassis and for the optimum engine location for good weight distribution. 

However, it's a different condition for a sports car. Many sports car manufacturers such as Porsche prefer to have rear weight bias, where some of the reasons are to have better corner entry and corner exit as well as better braking. Having more weight at the back (especially with rear engine placement) can benefit better braking where the rear tyres can be braked more efficiently instead of transferring all the weight to the front tyres and brakes while braking.

*Currently I'm doing Final Year Project on the weight distribution of car's chassis, so I'm sharing some of my understanding with you guys!

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F30 BMW 3-Series Launched in Malaysia!

It's good to see that BMW brings the all-new 2012 BMW 3-Series into Malaysia just after a month it was launched in Europe. The all-new 3-Series is said to be grown by size, giving more space for the rather cramped rear space found in older generation of the 3-Series. The increase of size is not obvious, but it benefits the rear passenger as well as boot space.

The red car you see above is the Sport line, while the car at the bottom is Luxury line. Too bad Modern line is unavailable in our market.

This time around the 3-Series will be available in 335i, 328i and 320d. The 335i is powered by a TwinPower Turbo 3.0L inline-six with 306hp and 400Nm of torque, enabling the 335i to travel 0-100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds.Other than that, the 328i’s 2.0L four-cylinder, twin-scroll turbo engine churns out 245hp and 350Nm of torque, and travels from 0-100km/h in 6.1 seconds.

 The 320d has 184hp and 380Nm of torque, where 0-100 km/h in 7.6 seconds is possible. Great power doesn't necessarily means high fuel consumption where the 320d need just 4.5litres of fuel for 100km. There's also an ECO PRO mode, which reduces engine power delivery, air-con output and non essential electric component will give you 20% extra fuel savings!

Prices for the 3-Series are RM268,800 for the 320d, RM309,800 for the 328i and RM488,800 for the 335i, on the road without insurance. However, these are the prices for CBU 3-Series, so CKD models will be slightly cheaper in the future.

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FILM: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol!

Who will be able to accomplish a mission like finding a needle in the haystack? Who you'd call to do such impossible (but possible) mission? Ghostbuster! The correct answer will be Ethan Hunt! Tom Cruise once again takes the role of Ethan Hunt, a highly skilled and experienced IMF (Impossible Mission Force) field agent who saves the world, again and again!



Tom Cruise is no doubt still in a good condition despite the age of almost 50 (49 to be exact!). He's fitter than even some 20 years younger guys, and fights better too. In this fourth installment of Mission Impossible, the movie is called Ghost Protocol because IMF is blamed for the bombing attack in Kremlin. IMF is disavowed and Ethan Hunt and his team has to work beyond their usual limitation in the IMF.



Some amazing scenes were filmed in the movie. For instance, running around the beautiful Kremlin and crawling to the top of world's tallest skyscrapers Burj Khalifa FROM THE OUTSIDE!



Paula Patton as Jane Carter, a member of Ethan Hunt's team. Her acting and figthing skill was quite good I would say!



Other than Tom Cruise and Paula Patton, there was another 'lead character' in this movie! It is BMW i8! Everyone was mesmerized by the beauty of the i8 when it was travelling around the city of Mumbai at night while showing off its laser headlights and other lighting system. Some future technologies of the i8 were also displayed in the movie like fast acting, sensitive pedestrian sensor which can detect multiple pedestrians at once.



By the way, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol destroyed a lot of BMWs! They crashed a BMW X3, 6-Series and 1-Series (which dropped about 100m from a multi-level automated parking garage)!

What can I say, Tom Cruise has done it again! It is one heck of an adrenalin pumping movie!

Rating: 4 & 1/2 out of 5!

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All new 2012 BMW 3-Series!!!

BMW 3-Series is one of the best sport sedans in the world, and many people would agree to that statement. After the previous generation of 3-Series being around for 6 years, BMW had released images of the upcoming all-new 3-Series which is going to bring the excitement of driving to a new level.



The overall dimension didn't changed much compared to the 3-Series' predecessor, it's just longer by 93mm and wheelbase by 50mm. The extra length contributes to more cabin space for the occupants. As you can see the all new 3-Series from the side, the hood is quite pronouncing because of the European safety standards for pedestrian safety. Style is unfortunately sacrificed for the sake of safety, but it's a good thing, of course.

Clockwise: Modern Line, Luxury Line, M Sports package, ActiveHybrid 3.

The upcoming BMW 3-Series bears some resemblance in terms of design of its 'elder brother', the 5-Series, and also the BMW i8. The headlights are connected to BMW's signature kidney grille to give the front end a mean look at the oncoming motorists. BMW made the rear end of the 3-Series look similar to 5-Series, but without losing the design cues of its predecessor's taillights.




With a redesigned chassis, the 3-Series is going to set the bar higher than the model it replaces. More powerful engines and better handling are the things that you can expect from it!

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BMW 6-Series Convertible @ Pavilion, KL!

I've spotted an all-new BMW 6-Series Convertible on display at Pavilion's main entrance with its lights on. The 6-Series did a good job in creating a crowd with its lights on, showing off its signature corona rings at the front and elegant taillamps. Moreover, it's a convertible. So, it was exhibiting its cabin with top down!


This RM868,800 worthed beast, which was launched in Malaysia in April 2011, was striking at first look. Sleeker looking than its predecessor I would say. The display unit, which was a 640i has a Valvetronic engine which produces 320bhp and 450Nm of torque, capable of pulling it from 0-100km/h in 5.7seconds! The gearbox is an 8-speed sports automatic transmission.



The BMW 640i is a soft-top convertible. Under the soft-top is a 2+2 seater cabin, although the cabin seems like huge enough to take 4 adults comfortably. The cabin looks well built and upmarket thanks to the shiny leather upholstery with SunReflective tech which absorb lesser heat from the sun when driving with the top down.

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BMW - Joy Is Just Around The Corner!

According to BMW's advertisment in TheStar today (1/10/2011), joy is just around the corner when you have a BMW X3.



Take a closer look! Is BMW trying to imply that you will only find joy after the corner in a BMW X5? Well, X5 is indeed a better car than X3...... Hope BMW will be able to spot and amend this ad!

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The Uninspired, Funny, Weird... You Name It!

Car design is one of the most important aspect when choosing a car because it's the first impression to the buyers about the car. While some cars are designed like Megan Fox and Brad Pitt, some are just plain white paper, funny like a clown and Edward Scissorhands.

Here are some examples of today's cars with uninspired, boring, amusing, bizarre... you name it!


Really Honda? The "Lightning Bolt" beltline with drop down window line on the Honda Odyssey is to increase the visibility of the 3rd row passengers? The end result is worse than a Skoda Roomster and made the Odyssey look butt-heavy.


Did Audi shrunk the front end of A1 and the side profile of Q5, tweaked them a little, combined them and call it as Q3? Boring...


Perhaps this time Nissan tried too hard to make its Sunny ditch the usual hatchback-convert-sedan rear-end look? Proportion is way out in this case...


The Opel Combo (ran out of names for a car?) above looks like an illustration for the successor of 1st gen Perodua Myvi! Or Perodua is selling their 1st gen Myvi's headlight to Opel to reduce their old stock? On the bright side, the wacky styling of the Combo will put a smile on your face.


The more I look at the BMW 1-Series, the more it looks like the end result of a nose job gone wrong... We beg for a facelift immediately!

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2012 BMW 1-Series debuts!

BMW has done it again, in designing an awkward looking front end I mean. After they gave the 2012 BMW X3 a bland looking front end, the all-new BMW 1-Series hatchback went one step higher by having weird (and offensive) design in every angle. Ugliest BMW to date!


While the outgoing 1-Series is not a looker, the new 1-Series will make heads turn - away from the car. I wouldn't call the headlight of the 1-Series sporty or elegant, and the front end is just plain disproportionate! It just look like a plastic surgery gone wrong...


While nothing is offensive at the rear end, the 1-Series' taillights resemblance of Volkswagen Polo's!


BMW must be thinking that it can create a better looking interior by adding more chrome trims across the cabin. BMWs' cabin always look dull and similar with other BMW models.

It has engine that develops 136bhp in the 116i and 170bhp in the 118i. There's a line of diesel engine to choose from too, they deliver 116bhp in the 116d, 143bhp in the 118d and 184bhp in the 120d.


Looking at the front end again intimidates me! Take it out of my sight please!

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Top 5 Ugliest Car in 2010!

We've entered the year 2011 for 4 months and, now I feel like listing down the top 5 ugliest car in my opinion, unveiled in 2010:

#5 BMW X3

BMW has succeeded in designing beautiful car like the Z4 and macho car like the X5, but BMW failed miserably in designing the previous and current generation (above) X3. The headlights are live-less, dull looking front bumper and crooked window line that must be drawn by the designer using a crooked ruler.


The front end of BMW X3 reminds me of this face, and people who look at it will produce this face too!


#4 Nissan Cube

The boxy design of the Nissan Cube is not offensive to a point that it's as boxy as a match box. Great interior space comes at a price of its boxy exterior. However, Cube's exterior design was not executed well and the asymmetrical rear window looks weird. I think the best way to explain this is by the picture below, an unsolved rubik's cube:



#3 Toyota Etios

Being Toyota's budget car, the Etios is 'skimmed' in some ways to produce an affordable car for the public, unfortunately the design is 'skimmed' too. Even Tata Nano (World's cheapest car) looks better than the Etios!

Resemblance of Toyota Etios's front end. Frowning...


#2 Honda Accord Crosstour

No doubt that this is one of the worst design ever in the automotive industry - the Honda Accord Crosstour. Critics were giving it bad reviews about its controversial exterior and, I have to agree with them. The Crosstour looks like someone with big mouth, small eyes and a hump.

Crosstour looks 90% like this... Almost...


#1 Peugeot 207 sedan

Thanks to the reason of cost-cutting, Peugeot decided to add a boot onto its hatchback without redesigning the hatchback's rear doors! Moreover, the whole design is aging since the hatchback is designed in the 90s. The final product is a disaster (luckily the 'smiley face' saved its front end from looking ugly). The 207 sedan is so ugly, I can't find a picture of human to describe it...

*Above is solely yours truly opinions based on the car's design.

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