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Prius in Singapore

Discussion in 'International Owners' started by vincent1449p, Mar 3, 2005.

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  1. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    I somehow missed all this, but a super job Vincent. My car is mostly in a garage in a semi-desert environment so I don't expect to have the extent of corrosion that you have experienced. However, Thanks for the great pics and explanations. It's always a plus to have knowledge before you need it. You have provided this thru PC to all of us.
     
    #161 andyprius, May 19, 2010
  2. vincent1449p

    vincent1449p Active Member

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    Thanks Andy. Like you, I 've gained a lot of knowledge from many people here, it is only natural to give back.:)
     
    #162 vincent1449p, May 20, 2010
  3. craigey

    craigey New Member

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    Hi there, just joined the prius family..got a 06 red prius recently.
    Where do you guys go for servicing in sg? :) wondering what engine oil to use..
     
    #163 craigey, Jun 25, 2010
  4. vincent1449p

    vincent1449p Active Member

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    Hi craigey, welcome to PC!

    I do my own oil change. The recommended viscosity is SAE 5W-30. There are some hypermilers here use thinner oil like 0W-20.

    For normal servicing, any workshop will do. It is no difference from other non-hybrid cars. For repairs, it is better to look for hybrid certified WS.
     

    Attached Files:

    #164 vincent1449p, Jun 25, 2010
  5. craigey

    craigey New Member

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    Hi Vincent, thanks for the info, just checking out more stuff before I go do servicing for the car. I got the aircon filter changed and now sourcing for the air filter. How long does your brake pads last and how did you get below 4L/100km? :) my average is about 4.1
     
    #165 craigey, Jun 25, 2010
  6. vincent1449p

    vincent1449p Active Member

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    Hi craigey,

    My rear brake pads lasted 117k km, the stock front brake pads still has plenty of pad left. Your '06 has improved regenerative braking, so most likely will last longer than mine.

    Your average is very good! It took me 1.5 yrs (MFD) and 5 yrs (calculated) to get below 4.1L/100km. Yours will only get better as you learn more about the car.
     
    #166 vincent1449p, Jun 26, 2010
  7. craigey

    craigey New Member

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    that's a real long mileage for a brake pad, I'm very impressed with the car using regenerative braking and yet it has surprisingly good braking power. I drive below 90km/l, mostly between 70-80..
     
    #167 craigey, Jun 26, 2010
  8. craigey

    craigey New Member

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    I bought my aircon filter (with charcoal or carbon filter to remove odours) for $16, and toyota oil filter (made in thailand) for $7 from this guy Desmond (9820 7995). No Air intake filter for Prius though, still looking around for sources.
     
    #168 craigey, Jun 28, 2010
  9. craigey

    craigey New Member

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    went to have my prius serviced today, was shocked to see extensive wear on front rotors and brake pads, so need to have them replaced. mileage of my car is 51k when i took over...could it be caused by misalignment or did the previous owner do alot of hard braking?
     
    #169 craigey, Jun 29, 2010
  10. vincent1449p

    vincent1449p Active Member

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    Hi craigey,

    How about the rear brakes? Did you take pictures of the brake pads & rotor? If the inner brake pads and outer brake pads wear differently, it could be the slide pins inside the caliper got stuck and can't self-center itself. I made it a point to check the brake pads & rotors when I do tyres rotation myself.
     
    #170 vincent1449p, Jun 29, 2010
  11. craigey

    craigey New Member

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    Hi Vincent,

    My rear brakes and rotors are fine, according to the mechanic. I have taken some pictures of the front rotor and the brake pad. Right now I am waiting for the workshop to order a set of rotors for the front. Just changed my tyres today too to Yokohama DB, as the previous set were balding.

    Ordered a set of Air intake filters from ebay too, quite hard to find one in Singapore.

    What engine oil are you using? I was shocked to see the engine oil way overfilled by previous owner's servicing ws, about 1cm over the full mark, so I instructed the mechanic to fill it only 3/4 this time, with OWS 5W-30. I read that 0W-20 is actually recommended by some users but I stuck to the default recommendation until I read more about the engine oil 'debate'.

    Here are the pics:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    #171 craigey, Jun 30, 2010
  12. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    I have just read on the toyota.com.sg that a Prius costs 70k€????
    Toyota -
    Why??? that is 3x German price - 4x US price!!! why is it SOOOO expensive in Singapore??? Are all cars *that* expensive in Singapore???
     
    #172 pakitt, Jun 30, 2010
  13. vincent1449p

    vincent1449p Active Member

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    Hi craigey,

    Thanks for the pics! OMG, the brake pad almost wear down to the metals. Fortunately, you discover it now. Good tyres are just as important. Be sure to check tyres pressure regularly and rotate them to wear evenly.

    Unlike the Oil Filter, the Engine Air Filter is not sharing with other models so only BM or those PI that service Prius may have stock.

    I'm using Mobil 1 5W-30. I've tried 0W-40 & 0W-20 once but did not notice any difference in FE so I switched back to 5W-30. Perhaps 0W-20 only helps in extreme cold climate?

    Oil overfilled by WS are not uncommon. Given the short time the mechanics have to complete the oil change, it is not possible to completely drain all the oil. If you bring your own oil, just pour out some oil into another container and give the mechanics exactly 3 liters. This would fill to about 3/4 point and you can top up later if you wish. This would be much easier than removing excess oil.
     
    #173 vincent1449p, Jun 30, 2010
  14. vincent1449p

    vincent1449p Active Member

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    #174 vincent1449p, Jun 30, 2010
  15. craigey

    craigey New Member

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    Yeah I was shocked to see the rotors, even my previous ride (with no regenerative braking) didnt have rotors with as much wear. Will wait for the rotors to arrive and update again.

    The Yokohama Decibels are quiet and pretty comfortable although the workshop advised against hard driving in wet conditions. I usually check the pressures once a week, to keep it fully inflated, although I'm not too sure about the exact pressure to use (42/40 as recommended in priuschat forum), so I'm currently on 40/38, in between the toyota recommended (38/36?) and forum figure. Is there a difference, with higher pressure for front tyres to balance off the engine bay weight, or just having a uniform pressure throughout and just doing tyre rotation?

    I'm also puzzled on the grade of petrol to use, if there is a difference between Ron 92/95/98 for the Prius? Currently on Ron 98 but I think its overkill. :)
     
    #175 craigey, Jul 1, 2010
  16. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    Wow - but what is the "ARF" and the "COE"?
    Is the COE, the license to own a car? I think I heard that from friend living there...
    And under what reasoning a Custom duty of 20% is levied on the cars, since Singapore itself doesn't produce any cars at all? (usually these high levies are introduced in protected markets, e.g. Korea or Japan, to protect their internal car production...)

    If these are the prices then, must one pay a COE again when one buys a new car when changing the old one?
     
    #176 pakitt, Jul 1, 2010
  17. vincent1449p

    vincent1449p Active Member

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    Hi craigey,

    My Gen1 manual says 35/33 but I'm on 44/42 for better FE. Our roads are well maintained so not a problem for higher pressure, but that is just me. The 2 PSI difference is to balance the engine bay weight.

    Again my Gen1 manual says min. Ron 95 but I have tried all 3 grades and find no difference in performance or FE, only difference is $.
     
    #177 vincent1449p, Jul 1, 2010
  18. vincent1449p

    vincent1449p Active Member

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    Hi pakitt,

    Here is a link to explain the various components of the cost of car:

    Moneytalk: Cost of a car

    Yes, a car buyer needs to bid for a COE before he/she can own a car.

    Motoring Matters - Vehicle Ownership

    I don't know the reason for the Custom Duty, perhaps this article can help you understand how this high cost comes about?

    The high cost of motoring in Singapore | Business Horizons | Find Articles at BNET

    These are not the only prices, other expenses like road tax and insurance not included yet. If one de-register, scrap or export the old car before 10 years of age, one get back the unused remaining COE amount + PARF as a form of rebate so that one can use that rebate to offset the RF, ARF and COE of the new car. If one don't intent to buy a new car, one can opt to get back the rebate in cash (just change recently). And yes, one need to bid for a new COE if one want to buy a new car again.
     
    #178 vincent1449p, Jul 1, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  19. Lester.C

    Lester.C Junior Member

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    2006 Prius
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    Hi craigey
    What size Yokohama tyre did you get? cant find 195-55-R16 from them.
    rgd lester.c
     
    #179 Lester.C, Jul 2, 2010
  20. craigey

    craigey New Member

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    Hi Lester,

    I'm on Yokohama Decibel 205/55/R16 89V, from Poh Heng Tyres & Battery: Blk 4002 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 1 #01-04.
    Telephone: 64563344

    The model for the Yokohama tyre is ES501.
    I got it for $150 x 4. Pretty ok price imo for made in japan tyres.
     
    #180 craigey, Jul 5, 2010
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