“How To” Guide to Remove Sun Film From Your Car

Last Friday evening I posted some stats on sun film and what I felt was going on. I had managed to escape getting caught by the cops for a whole week and was a bit cocky because of it. I needed to go out a couple of times on Saturday and each time, I saw people get caught for sun film. I even had to take a side road to avoid going through a standard police check post – why invite trouble I thought.

By then I had decided that I was going to get the film removed. Had checked with a local accessory shop who quoted 350 on May 20th. I go in  to check if they would work on my car that evening, when the same guy without batting an eyelid said the price is now Rs 500! Says labor rates have gone up since they have no further hope of employment since the ban. They were doing the equivalent of a slash and burn farming – in this case more like rip and scrape ! I scooted from there resolute that I would not pay them a single paisa!

I worked on one car that evening starting at around 6:45 PM and finishing at 8 PM (some items left unfinished were rear quarter glass film removal and some cleanup of remnants of film stuck between glass and rubber beading. I woke up at 6 and finished some of the cleanup but couldn’t proceed further as my parents needed to use that car.

Worked on the other car starting at 8:15 AM and finished around 10 AM – this was including all the quarter glass film removal as well.   Then spent another 20 minutes removing the quarter glass sun film from the first car.

My Swift after film removal

 

Money saved: Rs 1000 (going by the accessory shop quoted Rs 500 per car).

For those that want to attempt a DIY here are the steps I followed with the items required in a FREE downloadable PDF: How To Remove Sun Film

 

Hope you found the steps useful. If you have any suggestions for improving this “How To” please reach Zimbly Cars here: http://cars.zimbly.com/contact-carszimbly/

Have you removed the sun film yet ?  Do let me know !

Sun Film Ban Infocharts

My last post To S(h)un-film or not to S(h)un-Film? lead me to think a lot about the ban and around the ban from what all could be going on behind the scene.  Here is an attempt to detail this out further using some Google Skills, Excel skills and some free time!  I hope I don’t start seeing conspiracies in everything. I found it interesting that so much data is available for India online and free !  Here is the PDF file I created:

The Chennai Traffic Police were doing some stop , check , fine and rip operations in couple of parts of the city. However this seems to have lost steam as the week progressed. I am still driving with the sun film on and Rs 100 fine ready to be paid in hand. If caught I will pay the fine and remove the film only post that. Have also resolved to not fix it back later as well !

Do let me know if you have questions and also please do share this with your friends. Do feel free to re-post/share !

 

To S(h)un-film or not to S(h)un-Film?

Sun Filmed Swift
My Sun Filmed Swift

The Indian Supreme Court probably wanted to take a break from looking at more weighty matters and chose to focus on a frivolous PIL submitted by someone who claims to represent the “Mango” People (Aam Aadmi). Supposedly sun film is the cause for all the law and order issues in the country and that it should be banned altogether – there is no legal % of visual light transmission that can be used. Only factory fitted tinted and laminated glass that conforms to the CMVR rules can be used.

Legality apart -the sun film manufacture/sales industry supposedly provides around 150 crore to the Indian economy. These people will be badly hit if all sun film is made illegal to use. There is a fee for getting the sun film removed – this is not something that is usually done – but now the installers themselves are getting a chance to make money by “assisting” the removal for a fee of anywhere between 300 -500 Rs ! They hope to milk this for at least a month and then raise petitions to remove the ban. The ban will get removed within no time. Then again people will flock to get the film added back. With all the FUD going on people will gladly shell out more money to get costlier “clear” film that reduces heat transmission. The sun film companies make money either way.

Doing a net search shows sun film bans have been talked about since 2007 in parts of India – but this has not been consistently enforced. I remember having a dilemma when buying my Swift(photo in this post) in 2007 about putting sun film but since there was nothing clearly specified or enforced I went in with tints with 50% VLT which were legal at the time. However now 5 years later the same tints are now illegal. Our 7 year old Getz has films with around 70% VLT as well.

My Next Steps:

  • I personally will wait and watch what will play out. All speculation online points towards the drives to strip out sun-film to be strong for the next month or so at most if not less
  • Plan on keeping Rs 100-1000 as the fine for getting caught and pay it and get a receipt for the fine as well. Why the range – because the cops do not have a clear fine specified – it seems to vary !
  • If forced to remove the sun film by the cops I will do so – but feel I will also park at the side and then make sure they catch and remove sun film from all vehicles that go by including cops, ministers, actors etc.
  • I will not put back the sun film on my cars after that – hate to spend more money on a commodity which can be legal one day and magically be made illegal the next. Also hate the feeling of being taken for a ride by the cops and the legal system which is not consistent nor effective in its mandates.

Points to Ponder:

  • Different states seem to be interpreting the rule differently – some targeting only the darker tints while some are targeting even the lightest and even the clear films – if you are planning drives across states – make sure you drive without sun film to be in the clear.
  • Are the cops so good at catching anti-social elements/terrorists by visually identifying them from a distance ? This is assuming they don’t already move around wearing some disguise in crowded buses and trains !
  • As many online have commented – is there a way to measure the crime rate coming down drastically when vehicles do not have sun film ?
  • Wont the kidnappers/rapists start using panel vans/load carrying trucks instead of just vehicles with dark tints?

Some Fun:

  • Just because of a rising trend in vehicle accidents – is the solution a ban of all vehicles altogether?
  • Just like knives are used in murders – they should be banned altogether
  • Terrorists use hotels, houses etc – so can they be banned as well ? Or as an alternative – ban all windows, doors and hey why stop there – ban all walls – we just need protection from the rain and just need the roof over our heads – walls should not be there – just to make sure all the moral police can happily peer into our bedrooms and bathrooms !
  • Full face helmets with tints on them obscure the faces of the riders/also there may be some nefarious activities going on under the tinted face shields- can they be banned as well ?

Question:
What are your thoughts on this ban ? Do let me know and what will be your action – comply or get caught or what ?

 

Update – May 18th,2012: 

Today’s news papers indicate that the Chennai City Traffic Police (CTP) has started their drive against sun films. They have posted a notice on their FB page as well. All are free to comment on this drive. I already have !

Do Show Your Support:

Do show your support against this ban by “Liking” this FB page calling for a Movement Against Supreme Court’s Decision to Totally Ban Suncontrol Films. There is also a petition here “The Supreme Court of India: Reconsider decision on a blanket ban on car films.”

Is This The Next Ford Mustang ?

Next Ford Mustang

International news on Zimbly Cars is a rare occurance but could not resist this one about speculation of the next Ford Mustang to incorporate styling cues of the Evos Concept from Inside Line.

Inside Line has come up with some renderings that mash together existing Mustang design and the Evos Concept. The overall looks interesting though. (Rendered images of the blue Mustang on this page are from Inside Line website).

Next Ford Mustang

Why am I bothered – well the Ford Mustang has held a special place in my mind always and has been a car I have wanted to own during my Detroit days. The reality of having to struggle with a RWD in snow was what stopped me.

The Mustangs featured in Bullit and Gone In 60 Seconds (both the original and remake) and countless other movies have played no little part in adding on to their timeless charm.

My last 2 weeks in the US I had planned on renting a Mustang  but as luck would have it the rental agency didnt have it in stock so had to drive around a stupid Monte Carlo instead :-(.  Anyways  I hope Ford will sell the Mustang in India someday and that I will be able to save up enough to buy one (before I am too old/unhealthy to drive) !

 

Malayali Car Enthusiast to drive Tata Nano 25000 Km (Around India in 80 days) !

Mr Thomas Chacko preparing for the trip
Photo Source : www.manoetnano.com

1 Car Nut +  1 Wild Dream + 1 Tata Nano + 25000Km of Road  + 80 Days = Recipe for Epic Road Trip ? Definitely !

Kochi based auto enthusiast and long road trip geek  (among a long list lot of other illustrious achievements) Mr Thomas Chacko cooked up this dream road trip while editing the trip details of Suresh Joseph who covered all Indian state capitals and all zonal railway headquarters in a Maruti Swift.  Rather than do the same road trip he wanted to add some more excitement – by choosing to add in the farthest points of the country in all directions possible , making the distance to cover touch 25,000 Km and to do this in around 2.5 months.  He managed to sweet talk Mr Ratan Tata(through a letter) to have Tata Motors sponsor a Tata Nano as well.  Mr Chacko will be doing this trip without a convoy of on road assistance as well.  He is planning on doing all the driving himself but will have company with him across the trip from his family  – his wife, son, daughter, brother, sister and brother-in-law.The road trip has kicked off on May 3rd and is to conclude by July 20th,2012.

Just looking at the plans things seem easy – plain math says that 25000 Km in 80 days would come to 312 Km per day. Though the details of the specific daily routes/distances is not mentioned – it would mean driving a minimum of 6+ hours (assuming an average speed of around 55Kmph) each day. Of course this may vary depending on road conditions and traffic.

Using the Nano for such trips is not new – The Nano Superdrive event in 2010 covered 15,000 kilometers across 36 cities in around 26 days with multiple cars and drivers primarily with the intent to set at rest fears of the Nano’s reliability and safety. The Nano(s) came out of the experience unscathed.

However I wish there was a bit more to this road trip than the distance, endurance of man, machine and time factor – am sure its still not too late to use the publicity from this drive to benefit some charity or other. So far all that is clear is that the journey will be documented in a book called Mano Et Nano which obviously will be printed by Mr Chackos own publishing company. Will be a fun read am sure either way.

Do follow the updates from his blog www.manoetnano.com (I wish the site is updated frequently – it hasn’t been as of writing this post). Some funny comments to the initial post on the site ask if the Nano would crack first or the Chacko would ?

I salute Mr Thomas first for being a car nut and for being crazy enough to embark on such a trip. Am also happy to see his family come forward to participate and support  him on the trip.  It is truly an inspiration to see such road trips being planned and executed. Hope to do something like this before my bucket kicking.

What to do – You are driving and hear a siren ?

This is one of the first of a series I hope to write covering some tips and tricks useful in general city traffic and driving  building in a flavour of road safety.

Situation: You hear a siren while driving a car/two wheeler. What should you do ? Click on the image below for a flowchart on how to go about this.

What to do when you hear a siren while driving

 

Key Do’s:

  • Switch off the music if playing in your vehicle and immediately determine the location of the siren.
  • Safely and quickly do what is necessary to enable speedy movement of the vehicle to its destination

Key Don’ts:

  • Block the vehicles progress
  • Chase after the vehicle after it has passed to utilize its pathway to make good time.

 

A Request:

Please provide your inputs / suggestions on similar issues / items to write about.

Please share this to your friends and lets do our bit to drive safely while fully aware of rules and regulations – hope we can be the change !

Attention Bachelors: Create your Auto Themed Bucket List before its too late !

If your days of carefree life with minimal responsibilities(read- bachelorhood)  are numbered, do take some time to prioritize how you spend your last years/months/days. After the noose – you will be expected to involve the other half in pretty much everything and you  have to start thinking of a variety of things such as  – purchase of a residence, loans to be repaid (college/home), future family(if kids on the way), emergency funds, kids education funds, annual holidays, household expenses – maintenance / first time purchase or replacement of existing – TV, Fridge, sofa, beds, washing machine, dish washer, vacuum cleaner, water purifier, household items, health care etc etc …this list goes on.

Rather than spend the rest of your (married) life wishing you had done this earlier – take a look at these and make your own bucket list (A Top movie of 2007/2008).(Buy the movie on Flipkart on VCD/DVD/Blue Ray if you don’t have it already – I definitely recommend watching this).

This Bucket List  includes both products and experiences – what is listed is not a list you should blindly copy but use as inspiration to build out your own list. This could be a start to your own life time Bucket List as well that includes everything you want to do before finally giving that big kick to your bucket.  Also make sure you remember this list when you define your budget for spending money as well :-).

Big Ticket/Luxury/Are you out of your mind:

  • Brand New Out of the ordinary vehicle – either a too small car like the Nano/ Reva or a 4×4 like the Thar or an SUV like the Bolero/ Scorpio etc.
  • Project Vehicle – Restoration of an antique / sentimental vehicle from scrap to a show piece
  • Jeeps – this is a topic in itself – If you ever had dreams of owning/driving an open topped 4×4 off road -and the associated accessories required for this. If there is only one item to have on your must have – this would be it. All others I feel would be possible with a lot of sweet talking 😉
  • Convertibles – slightly more acceptable than the previous one
  • Vehicle with an out of ordinary colour – red/ yellow/ bright blue  etc etc.
  • Design and build your own custom hot rod/sports car/replica/kit car.

You don’t really need this/Mid Level (you may get away with some of these – spread out over time):

  • In Car Entertainment – Touchscreens  HUs/ head rest mounted displays /Speakers/ Amps etc.
  • GPS Navigation devices
  • Alloys / Up-sized Alloys / tires
  • Bluetooth /handsfree kits
  • Leather / Sports seats
  • Race tickets for events outside your city/state of residence (For. e.g. One F1 Event in India 🙂 )
  • Performance/rally driving school training fees
  • DIY Racing Simulator – Gaming console, steering wheel, racing seats +big screen TV
  • Meeting a racing legend – Schumi/ Kimi / etc etc
  • Driving long distance across your home country / Driving long distance to some exotic location of your choice
  • Attending auto shows outside your city/state of residence

Lowest Level(Lowest impact – and cheapest – you may get minimal resistance but WW-III wont break out either if you get any of these):

  • Track Day outings and associated charges
  • Brand specific merchandize – Caps/Keychains/Clothes/Accessories etc etc
  • Subscription to Auto magazines like Autocar, TopGear etc
  • Movies – car themed movies – Bullit, Fast & Furious series,
  • Gaming PC/Game Consoles and associated racing games, gaming accessories – mice, steering wheels etc.

Again just so that it doesn’t seem that your life is over after you get married – just that you have one more voice that will speak practically (in addition to your own conscience 🙂 ) – and that your priorities may change.

Please do share your own lists as well through the comments.

 Please make sure you cross off at least one big ticket item before marriage 🙂 and then try to aim for the smaller ones each year.

PS: Make sure your criteria for a future spouse has “must be an auto enthusiast” as one of the key items.

Vehicle Photos in Automotive Advertising

Mahindra Thar

It started as a one off thing but over time I have started noticing the embellishments that are done while preparing vehicles for photo shoots used for print ads and for the websites of the manufacturers selling vehicles in India. I know it’s the whole point of advertising to sell the product in their best possible light – but I feel these points should be known especially if you are in the market for a new vehicle.

  • Visuals of the cars on manufacturer websites usually are of the highest trim variant which comes with body colored bumpers, door handles, exterior body colored mirrors, alloys and in some cases wider tires.(All Manufacturers)(Best Example – even the Maruti 800 on its website is shown with Alloys. The Nano however does show wheel covers in most photos with some even without the wheel covers with just wheel caps)
  • Sometimes even the top end trim may not come with alloys – but still all photos will be with Alloys! ( Eg. Tata Grande)
  • In a lot of cases the photos are shot with wider than stock tires and with a much lower aspect ratio.(Tata Nano/ Tata CS).
  • Mudflaps are usually omitted. Especially the el-cheapo ones given for free by the dealers.(Most Marutis and Hyundais)
  • Dark tints are there on all windows including the front window- usually so dark that they could never be street legal. (Every single manufacturer does this)
  • Body Kits are usually added to boring models.(Toyota Etios Liva)
  • Boring/ugly rear ends are usually not shown – except for the 360 degree views where they have no choice.(Swift D’Zire, Toyota Etios)
  • Interiors are usually again shown of the top end trim level with steering mounted controls, tachometer, climate control(if present), music system and premium seating material. The lower trim levels without music system , speakers, parcel tray, floor mats, boot mats etc are never shown. (All Manufacturers)
  • Vehicle colors indicated and the actual color of the vehicle may have next to nothing to do with each other. Only colors like white, black and silver may look similar in real life.

Photoshop:

  • Colors are usually bumped up in contrast/saturation to pop off the page.(All Manufacturers)
  • Wheel are blurred to indicate it is in motion. (Maruti Swift usually looks like it is going to crash into something. Usually the rear wheels are not moving.)
  • The Mahindra Thar in the photo used as the cover for this post – looks absolutely pasted in ! Also note the bull bar,headlight grill,fog lamp,insect grill, alloys ,tint and the lack of driver :-).  Oh and by the way the front right tire is just a bit smaller than the left.  The weird lighting under the vehicle is very suspicious  as well.

Open Challenge:

  • List the manufacturer websites  where entry and mid trim variant photos are shown in the comments below.