C6 LED Headlights

When I visited Bintulu somewhere 2 months ago, I saw an ad on Facebook, from a shop called Modern Car Accessories (you can search their page on FB), and they had this sale on all car accesories. Being an avid car lover, going to the shop is like going to Sephora for ladies. And I got this C6 LED Headlights.

The C6 LED Headlights were sold for RM48, and for Perodua Viva, the size is H4. 

C6 LED Headlights

Left : C6 LED Bulb
Right : Osram H4 Halogen Bulb

Left: Halogen bulbs
Right : LED bulbs

To pair with the projector fog lamps below, I've installed the LED headlight. Installation is straightforward and no drilling or wiring necessary.

Happy DIY!

Installing Angel Fog Lamps / Projector Fog Lamps on Perodua Viva

WARNING : A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF PHOTOS AHEAD

Back again with a new post. Had been preoccupied with so many things at work, and at times, too tired to open the laptop once I arrived home. In my previous post, I mentioned about installing angel fog lamps or projector fog lamps on my tiny rocket.

LED Fog Angel Eyes R500

Contents of the box

I bought the 3.5 inch angel eyes for my Viva from one seller off of Mudah.my, and I was really disappointed with the service provided by the shop. It took me 1 week for the item to arrive, with a lot of reasons given by the seller, and the seller couldn't bother to reply my WhatsApp until I got furious. Then, to make matters worse, the seller gave me a wrong tracking number which belongs to another customer. I won't reveal the details of the shop, but if you are an avid reader of Lowyat forums, there was a negative review regarding some rim covers.

Old foglamps

My OEM foglamps broke as I went to Kuching few months ago, and I couldn't be bothered to spend another RM170 for a new set of foglamps, and another one was leaking due to driving through floodwater.

Things that you will need;
1. A set of projector fog lamps
2. 4 pieces of Size 10 bolts and nuts
3. Enough wiring
4. 2 sets of relays (1 only if you have existing fog lamp wiring)
5. Cable ties
6. Philips screwdriver

Start off with taking off your bumper and dismantling the fog lamp from the bumper.

The fog lamp is held by 2 Philips screws

After that, dismantle the fog lamp assembly from the base, leaving you with only the steel base of the fog lamp.

Projector fog lamps base

Using the provided fog lamps base from the box, cut it into half using a sharp steel scissors.

Projector fog lamp base attached to the original steel base

Using 2 Size 10 bolts and nuts, secure and fasten the projector lamp base to the steel base.

Fog lamp attached and secured.

Based on the photo above, I've bent the projector fog lamp base to fit to the screw thread on the side of the fog lamp, screwed it tightly and securing the assembly even more using cable tie.

View from top

New fog lamp assembly screwed back to the bumper

Relay wiring

There will be 2 pairs of wires, one for the fog lamp itself, and another one for the angel eye. If you have existing wiring for the fog lamp, connect the projector fog lamp wiring to the available wiring. If you don't, then you will have to create a new wiring harness for the lamp.

For the angel eye itself, I used a separate relay as the power required by the angel eye needs to be 12V, which can be supplied from the battery. I bought the relay together with the socket for RM15, and it is made by Bosch, so there is a peace of mind regarding its quality. The simple wiring diagram is as follows;

Wiring diagram

My hood can do 90 degrees FTW

Completed

After all the wiring has been done, tidy all the wiring and install everything back to its place.

Lighted up

The wiring process is simple to do, and it took me 3 hours to tidy up all wiring and completed this.

 As always, happy DIY-ing!

My Viva Was Involved In An Accident

...and it was not pretty at all. I apologize for not writing for so long as I'm currently working (finally not an undergraduate), and let my job be a secret for now. Back to the main point, while my car was parked at the place where I worked, an Isuzu Trooper suddenly reversed on its own and hit my car. I was parking approximately 2m from the stupid wagon, and it left a huge dent on my car and on my wallet.

Back view

Front view

How it looked like the next day

The damage can be considered as major, as both doors needed changing, including the rear window pane that was shattered badly. I was quoted with original Perodua parts, and both doors costs around RM900 (RM450 each), not including spraying, installation and window glass replacement. As the driver of the Isuzu and I decided to split the bill of repairing the car, I went looking for replacement parts from Mira Avy. 

I changed both doors and all windows with Avy parts. The doors costed RM200 and all 4 windows costed RM150, both including transportation costs to Sibu, as these items was imported from Kuching. For those interested, you can check out ScGarage or Lianal Lai on Facebook for more details.

Some may ask why do I need to buy all 4 windows when only 1 was broken. There are 2 reasons why.

1. The cost of changing one window is the same as buying all 4 Avy windows.

2. Mira Avy window glass has UV protection, and factory Cromax tint. The rear windows are dark and can be considered as privacy glass.

Both doors and windows came to Sibu after 2 days, and it was packaged properly. I had to install it the next night as I was busy with some training at the office in the morning. I asked help from a friend of mine, Fendie, to assist me in installing the doors.

Transplant in progress

The doors are basically plug and play, as the doors that I bought had original Japanese wiring in it, and everything else is just cleaning, unscrewing and screwing all the nuts and bolts. The Avy doors are heavier if compared to the original Viva doors as Avy doors have better materials and better soundproofing, which makes it somehow a minor upgrade from all the cost-cutting that Perodua has made with the Viva.

The Mira Avy doors & windows after installation

After installation, the car was sent to a car spraying shop at Sungai Antu the following afternoon.

Polishing in progress

The spraying took 3 days, and the car was polished after a week, as the clearcoat needs time to dry completely before it is able to be polished.

Sent for tinting

After all of it has been completed, the car was sent for tinting. I am not used to driving clear glass cars, and I like the privacy of dark and tinted windows.

All in all, the repair costed me;

Doors & Windows + postage = RM350

Installation = RM100

Spraying & Polishing = RM400

Tint (4 doors) = RM45

Grand Total = RM895

I believe there is always a silver lining beneath the clouds. After this accident, I know a lot more about cars, how poorly done are our Malaysian cars to cut cost, and how to change doors and windows by myself. Hopefully that this won't repeat itself again. As much as I love the Viva, if it is involved in another accident like this, perhaps it's time to sell it off. Perhaps luck has run out from this car.

Keep updated on my next project - installing projector LED fog lamps with angel eye rings!

Till then, happy DIY-ing, and save more so that you can spend on other things on your car!

Perodua Viva : Changing Air Press

In my time of hiatus, I changed my Viva's air press from Move style to Mugen style. I broke my air press as it was soft and I accidentally pushed the air press while trying to close the door.

Move style air press - wider

The broken piece

The air press was hideous, so I decided to buy a new one from Lelong, where I found a seller who was selling Mugen style air press for RM50.

The air press, delivered safely

It was delivered to my house within 2 days of ordering it online. Although I've read that GDEX's reputation is not that good, but I was satisfied with it.

New air press installed

The air press is not as wide as the Move style

It took me half an hour to open up the old air press and installed the new one. The old double tape is hard to peel off, so use a pen knife to scrape off the old double tape.

Perodua Viva : Increasing Height of Lowered Springs

It's been quite a while since this blog was updated, and in that period of time, I ended my internship and graduated 2 weeks ago. Today, I am going to share how to increase the height of your Perodua Viva for those who are using standard lowering springs, like mine.

My setup for the Viva is using Kelisa's springs in front and Myvi's springs at the back, because when I bought the lowered springs, they did not have the springs for Viva. But then, after years of use, and being in Sibu where the potholes and bumps are unforgiving, the springs seems to be too low for me, and everytime the car is fully loaded, it would scrape at even the smallest bump on the road.

I did some research, and found out that I can actually raise my car a few centimetres by using thicker coil spring buffers/pads/cushions (not sure what is the exact term for it). I found the information from some forums for Saga BLM owners, and tried asking the spare parts shop, whether they sell the same thing.

Original Viva on the left, Myvi/Kenari on the right

Viva on the left, Myvi/Kenari on the right

The difference of height of the coil spring buffer is obvious, with the Viva having thin rubber, and the Myvi's rubber being twice thicker than the Viva. It costs RM14 per pair, and it is easy to install. 

Tools needed:

1. Car jack

2. Spanners

3. Size 16 box spanners

Initial measurement of the ride height

Before I start, I took a rough measurement of the car's height and the space between the fender and the tyres fits 3 fingers, but it was very tight, and I can feel that my fingers are squeezed between.

Jacking up the car

First, jack up the car and take the wheel off the car.

Location of the spring buffer

The coil spring buffer is on top of the spring. Pull it out and take it off the car.

New coil spring buffer in place

Then, put the new coil spring buffer in and install the springs at the original place. 

Taking off the rear absorber

I found it difficult to put the springs back as the absorber was in the way, so I used a size 16 box spanner to open the absorber, set the springs back in its original position, and installing the absorber back in its place.

Height measurement after installing the coil spring buffer

After installing everything back, I took another rough measurement of the car's height. The space between the fender and the tyre can easily fit 3 fingers and there is an extra space in between.

Happy DIY-ing!

A Series of Unfortunate Events

During the entire life of the Viva, it had its share of series of unfortunate events. The tyre was changed early this year, all 4 of it, with Continental CC5, and within these few months, one was punctured with a screwdriver in front of my old house, one burst when going back to Sibu, and another one was swollen from the incident.

Incident 1

A screwdriver

This happened in May where I was just about to go to class. When the car was inside the house compound, nothing unusual happened. The tyres were all inflated and there was nothing on the floor. When I was about to leave the house after closing the gate, I heard a loud sound coming from the rear. To my absolute surprise, the tyre was punctured. After changing to a spare tyre, I thought that it was just a small screw, and when I got the tyre fixed, it was actually a 15cm Philips/flathead screwdriver lodged deep inside the tyre. Thank goodness nothing bad happened afterwards.

Cost of damage : RM8 for repair.

Incident 2

At the scene

While travelling back to Sibu from Kuching, with my dad at the back using another car, we went to Sibu using another route. Usually after Sarikei, I would usually drive to Lanang Bridge as it is closer to Sibu, but during the unfateful day, my dad wanted to use another route. It is called Jalan KJD, and from Sarikei, it links Kanowit, Julau and Durin, and the Sibu Airport. The road is a dual-carriageway, and my dad insisted on using it just to avoid the traffic jam at Lanang Bridge, as it was a holiday that time.

After passing Julau, the road was empty and looked smooth. I speed up and assumed that there is nothing wrong with the road. After passing a bridge, there was a small hill of spilled cement on the road. I could not avoid it as it was smack in the middle of the road. Tried slowing down and avoiding it, but it tore my left tyre.

Basically torn.

The story doesn't end there. The next day, we sent the car to get a new tyre to replace the ripped one. While replacing the ripped one, I noticed that the other tyre was swollen.

Swollen tyre

Total damage was RM380 for the tyres and additional RM60 for balancing and alignment.

Pity me darling :(

Bad luck eh?

Headlight Restoration using Samurai 2K Clearcoat Spray

Last weekend, I had an opportunity to restore a family friend's BMW 525i headlights. It was in a terrible condition due to old age of the car and most probably had been exposed in the sun for too long.

The condition of the headlights before restoration

It had tiny cracks on it, and it was quite yellowish. The light output wasn't that bright as the casing is very blurry. The owner contacted me, booked a time slot for the service, and the car was done in 3 hours, as the headlamp was in a really bad shape.

If you are thinking of attempting this project on your own, you will need;
1. 500 grit, 800 grit, 1000 grit, 1500 grit sandpaper
2. A spray bottle filled with soapy water
3. A bucket filled with water
4. Samurai 2K-in-a-can Clearcoat
5. Newspapers and painters' tape
6. A clean microfibre towel
7. Lots and lots of time.

If the condition of the headlights is not that bad, you can skip the 500 grit sandpaper entirely. But then, if 800 grit sandpaper could not sand down the case, you will need it.

First off, the headlights were taped around it with painters' tape as when you wetsand it, there are chances that you will accidentally sand the paint with it when sanding the edges of the headlights. To protect the paint, it is essential to cover the paint around it. Before sanding, soak all of the sandpapers in water for at least 10 minutes before sanding.

Start off  by wetting the headlamp and the sandpaper with soapy water. Then, start sanding with 500 grit sandpaper in one direction. The trick is to sand either horizontally or vertically and change the direction when you change the grit of the sandpaper. For example, if you're sanding 500 grit horizontally, sand 800 grit vertically. This is to ensure that the whole surface is covered and there are less high and low spots. When sanding, make sure that the surface is always wet. When the cracks appear to be less, move on with 800 grit until the surface is flat to touch. Then, move on with 1000 grit sandpaper, and end with 1500 grit sandpaper.

After sanding.

For this particular project, I used the Samurai 2K Clearcoat which I had mentioned previously in the post where I sprayed my car bumper. The instructions are affixed at the can, where the 2 parts are mixed. When it is opened and mixed, make sure to use it within 4 hours.

Samurai's 2K in a Can

I learned this from a paint shop in Kuching, and when you use this clear coat, the coat can last for 3-5 years, depending on the weather and how the car is maintained. I forgot to take the photo as the winds were blowing strongly at the time and I was rushing for the car to be completed.

Before using the product, make sure that the surface is clean and dry. Cover EVERYTHING that may be in contact with the mist coming from the 2K clearcoat. I learned this lesson the hard way as the clearcoat mist came in contact with my Viva and it left a very rough surface on the car.

Spray the headlamp with multiple coats, and make sure that there are flash times between coats, meaning that before spraying another coat, the underlying coat is dry enough. When it is not dry enough, cracks can form on the clearcoat and it will look horrible. When you are done, let it dry properly.

After clearcoating.

When it is dry enough, it leaves a hard & glasslike coating which will last quite some time.

At a different angle

Close-up

If you are in Sibu, and is interested to do a headlight restoration on your car, just drop a comment below and I will reply to you soonest.

For the DIYers, happy DIYing!