An insight to my cars and Motoring scene in my country

[Arzaam]

Hi guys, creating this thread to give a insight of what's it like to own a car whether it's a merc or other and the motoring scene here. Also some insight of my detailing adventures of my other cars as well as well as general info too.

For starters concerned about road tax? Here road tax for my w203 c180 is 181 pounds and at a flat rate, it doesn't matter how much CO2 your car produces it's charged by cubic capacity of engines, that makes a Mercedes e200 with 1.8 cheaper to tax than a 2.0litre diesel toyota

Got a fast car? 70% of roads here are derestricted except for motorways
You can drive 100 miles an hole through the city centre but of course you won't be able to do that because ever second something whether it's a buy lye or a donkey cart will jump out of nowhere on a collision course with your car

That's just a overview
I'll be discussing more serious stuff too as well as things like detailing non Benz cars

Questions/ comments welcome

 

[Arzaam]

here are my other cars, an 06 toyota corolla altis, a 2010 Corolla Altis, and a 1996 Mitsubishi Mini Pajero, the Merc is my very own car in my name but these all cars i am in charge and only i maintain, drive and detail them and all of these cars have annual milages less than 2000km, i have a passion for cars and this fleet is my personal leisure fleet the daily drivers cars are other,

DSC02085 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

as well as some of motoring relating photography passion of mine
DSC02031 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

and the biggest workshop that supports Mercedes-Benz after the 4 official "stealerships"
there have been instances when i have quoted 600 pounds for a CD changer for my merc.

the workshop is called INH where i goto
a teaser

IMG_2096 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_2107 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

first thing first because of the insane duty structure cars whether imported or brand new are extremely expensive part form locally assembled ones. within locally assembled you have toyota, honda and suzuki and fees other small chinease companies, these cost comparatively the same as in any other country. now Mercs, bmw, audi and porsche are all the foreign brands thats the whole list. the imported cars have lot of addd duty, a brand new c class base model costs 41,0000 pounds and a s class hybrid ends up being cheaper and more loaded than a base s sclass as hybrids have lower import duty, similarly many cars are imported from uk and japan as used cars, and many cars are running around here with UK no, plates, doesnt UK authorities take away the no plates when the car is reregistered for export? at least in japan that happens.

so owning a Benz here is like owning a Bentley or Rolls, in terms of prestige that is. but there are lots and lots of mercedes cars roaming around and more and more people are buying them here.

 

[television]

Something stuffed in the exhaust of that CLS

 

[Arzaam]

Something stuffed in the exhaust of that CLS

That car had suffered flood damage in rain and had arrived on a row truck, the interior was ruined and the engine had to he lifted out for repairs, I think they probably stuck up paper to keep dust out while engine was not there or to stop further water from entering

 

[Arzaam]

now when it comes to maintainece here you can have three options basically, company dealerships which are fine but two things wrong with them, 1 they themselves don't follow all of the correct procedures, the Mercedes dealer here has no idea what Mercedes service bulletins are and doesnt follow them, and in many cases they either diagnose wrong and change the whole part instead of repairing it or don't let you see the car while its being worked on which is unacceptable to me.

second is workshops like INH which have highly trained staff and all the proper tools and diagnostic computers but no fancy buildings, and they follow their experience more than the actual service literature, best thing about them is that you can instruct them to do the repair like you choose and they wont mind or say anything about it, kinda like doing yourself but the dirty work is handled by them

third is the most funny road side mechanics. they are traditionally trained on cars form the 80s and don't even think about taking a mercedes to them, however if its a toyota or a honda they can mend it in two minters on the road side with no tools, you'll be amazed at some their procedures and will be doing a face palm too.

heres a funny incident i witnessed
i once saw a person come to a mechanic and say to him the check engine light just turned on, the mechanic said is your car misbehaving or do you feel something wrong, he said no, then he said sir why are you worried for nothing then, the mechanic said sir! this light is just a bulb deliberately installed by the marque and is not connected to anything! at a set time it turns on so that you can goto the dealership and get robbed, keep on driving its perfectly fine,

i was laughing so hard. R.I.P CEL

 

[turbopete]

no speed limits. sounds like my kind of place!!!

 

[Arzaam]

i found few intresting motoring related books at a yard sale here, both are antique books from the 1990s, the cover on the land rover book says it retailed for 17.75 pounds back then
i got it for 3 pounds. as well as a useful oil guide and capacity including transmission and differential oil etc for quick ref guide.

IMG_1414 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_1423 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_1418 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_1420 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr



also did a DIY Front Cam install in my other car
the front cam is dedicated front camera and not simply a rearview camera bolted on the front, its form a lexus RX and has much better resolution and also is clear at night, i connected it up and experimented different places for it including the monogram but found that in the monogram i was not getting a much better view then what i could already see out the windscreen, so i mounted it lower on the grill, there the view was much better, i could better see obstacles and their height such as footpaths and any holes or stones on the road etc moreover it would be handy in following the lanes in fog as in my area the fog is intense, and there have been times when visibility was so bad i was following my fathers directions who could see the yellow line on his side and i couldn't so camera mounted lower would be useful there,

its connected to AV input and has different models widescreen, zoom and normal, the wiring is pretty simple

front cams are very useful and fun to have especially in old cars as it breathes a new life in them as its a new feature, and too bad you can't tinker around with the merc or get this in command at least i wont attempt messing with the electric of my merc

DSC02052 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC02058 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

heres a video of it in action, notice its bright and night too

http://vimeo.com/104315635

total cost less than 10 pounds

 

[Ricardo_e220]

I was looking at the last 2 pictures thinking where is the camera all I can see is a huuuuuge hole in the bumper and thinking that was somewhat drastic... Then 2nd look and I see the camera and work out you have blanked your registration number

Laughing at my own silliness

 

[Arzaam]

I was looking at the last 2 pictures thinking where is the camera all I can see is a huuuuuge hole in the bumper and thinking that was somewhat drastic... Then 2nd look and I see the camera and work out you have blanked your registration number

Laughing at my own silliness

Actually the camera is pretty discreet I wont blame you

 

[Arzaam]

heres a little view of my 2010 toyota, whom i almost hygienically maintain inside and out, bought this baby in 2010 and since then only have driven it in 4 years 5000miles, thats all that is on the odo, its kept in a garage under not 1 but two car covers, one of which is 100% dust proof and one is custom made and made of material that totally water proof and beads water such that it completely slides off like the one used on KTM X bow i think

that way car can stand for two to three weeks and have not a inch of dust on it, even the leather and trim is still pristine, i also have a army of cones protecting all the cars at all times no one is allowed to go near them

DSC01802 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC01764 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC01812 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC01811 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC01755 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC02378 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC02363 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC02353 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC02005 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr





and my fav shot of them all, black turned all the way upto 11, dolled up it looks like glass

DSC02014 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

 

[Arzaam]

I would care to say that I know driving less is actually not beneficial for cars as they are meant to be driven however every car under my custody is driven once a week on a open stretch of road caring not to idle for too long an setting a few moments after starting up and driving sedately til it reaches operatin temperature and at moderate speeds till oil pressure supposedly reaches proper value and in the end booting it a bit and occasionally red lining it

Follow this routine on every car except merc which is driven twice a week in the same manner

Too afraid to drive the cars rhoigh city centre for fear of being scratched or as I am 18 driving a Mercedes around here is asking for trouble regarding personal safety anyway + the cars are only used for the occasional motorway trip otherwise garage queens

 

[Arzaam]

some more shots of the place where i take my merc for maintainece,

IMG_2072 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_2073 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_2075 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_2076 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_2087 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

had some interesting encounters
This lady comes in her Mercedes c class and parked in the bay right next to me

She complained that the auto gear shifter was getting stuck many times in and out of reverse

The tech got in and sat in the driver seat to check it out and she immediately started screaming get out get out of the car now!
The bewildered guy get out of the car and asked what's wrong
She said how dare you enter the car with shoes on take them off now !

I found it hard to control my laughter while the bewildered guy stared with his mouth open and I was thinking do you drive bare foot lady? This is not your house


another guy comes with his brand new car and he would infect himself go underneath it and do all the work and just let the mechanic stand, and every now an then would by hand dust off a portion of the car and kiss it, i mean sure i am a car fanatic but this is too much, one should draw a line somewhere



another interesting thing i was saw was this s class whose front suspension had complete collapsed, in these pics there are bricks underneath it otherwise the tire had actually disspared inside the wheel wheel and only rim was visible when it was being unloaded form tow truck and front ires were completey jammed. also the driver side curtain and side airbags all were mysteriously deployed event hough there had been no impact or crash and car was complete scratch free. they had so much trouble just getting a jack underneath the car

IMG_2132 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_2133 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

the owner story was that he hit a bump at speed and the airbag on that side popped up on their own and the front suspension collapsed. but how can such damage be done and both tyres were completely okay and rim were fine as well well no scratch or not even bent.

i sat in the back of this s class, but coudnt take pics as owner was with me, just to see what its like when airbags pop, it felt really comfy and i felt like it would be just like hitting a pillow especially the side airbags in rear provided that the shell and car is okay!, however the bill on this car was going to be huge, the front ABC control shocks are 800 euros a piece plus and the front and rear curtain and side airbags on that side aren't going to come

 

[Arzaam]

couple of more intresting facts regarding driving in my country, its not mandatory to have insurance though of course its beneficial, however old cars or classics are not supported by insurance company where anyway and the insurance premiums are quite small, like for a regular small size saloon or hatchback something that would cost 15000pounds in uk new the insurance premium would be less than a 1000 pounds for a year.

so thats one headache not needed here

Moreover labour rates of all repair shops are nothing compared to what charged in uk, even mercedes benz here charges around 10% cost of the parts at best, and road sides shops dirt cheap but of course you woudnt want to take your benz there

fuel is okay petrol is for in pounds srterling after converting 68pence a litre and premium is 83 pence, what are the prices over there btw

 

[rigpig]

Unleaded about £1.25 and premium about £1.34 depends where you go but around that price.

 

[television]

Its dropped down here to around £1,24 pr liter now. It was around £1.32 for a large part of the year

 

[Arzaam]

here is my other car, its a 2006 toyota corolla Altis, in black , my guinea pig for detailing experiments, here it is on just natural waxes no sealant

DSC02053 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC01706 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC01589 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC01604 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

this is the reflection in the door, not a mirror!

DSC01593 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC01596 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

 

[Arzaam]

some interior pics, its been driven only 30k miles since 2006

DSC01562 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC01550 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

DSC01750 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

 

[Arzaam]

sometimes it feels like everything is going against you to enjoy motoring pleasure in this country, not a sight you want to see when you wakeup in the morning

like we do in detailing
before
DSC02002 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

after
IMG_1795 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_1803 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

IMG_1810 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr


i like while detailing the outcome of the paint be wet and glossy looking, not this literally though

IMG_1802 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

the monsoon rains had been tremendous this year and the whole place was flooded, i had to quickly get all the cars out and to a more safer and higher ground house as the water was already started to reach the exhausts of the cars

flash floods also occur quite in a bit in the UK, what do you guys do then? how do you drive in a heavily flooded road especially in a car such as mercedes with a automatic transmission, the people here put a rubber pipe on the exhaust and tie it to the truck so the exhausts actually exits at a higher level above the water, however thats only a partial solution.

 

[television]

We have some idiots in the UK who think that they can drive through water at speed.

 

[Devonian]

Two great threads Arzaam. Keep going