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Dear Esteemed Readers, It is with a heavy heart and a huge dose of disillusionment that I would like to share with you a personal anecdote about the Nissan Qashqai. Firstly, to be fair, with respect to the road tax- and petrol- saving 1.2 L Qashqai, the first five years of driving had been a breeze. However, all heel broke loose, merely a day after my Qashqai's 6th birthday last September. The chronology of my Qashqai's meltdown is as follows (I apologise for any technical typo): A. Replacement of the faulty (1) Evaporator Cooling Coil $320 (6 Sep 2021) (2) Dashbox $280 (6 Sep 2021) (3) Tow Truck Activation $140 (29 Oct 2021) (3) Thermostat Housing $270 (30 Oct 2021) (4) Manifold Gadget $60 (30 Oct 2021) (5) Fan Motor - Air Con $320 (30 Oct 2021) B. Dismantling and Assembly Costs in total $470 C. Locked gearbox with inability to shift the gear from Parking to Drive As recently as last December, it had taken me an average of 5 to 10 minutes to wait for the gearbox to disengage and move off but the situation dovetailed to a complete lockdown last month in which I have to use a pen to depress the Shift Lock button in every instance of gear shifting. D. Busted Speakers The last straw that broke the camel's back occurred yesterday when suddenly, the speakers just blared as loud as a car horn within the car (even at the lowest volume), the intensity of which still leaves me shell-shocked. I sincerely hope that the aforementioned sequence of unfortunate events only applies to yours truly but on a cautious note, I would strongly urge you to re-consider your buying option upon selection of a second-hand Qashqai. Thank you for reading.

OK, I searched. There have been threads on paddle shifters before, e.g.: http://www.mycarforum.com/topic/2676927-paddle-shifters-which-type-suits-you/. But they don't address this exact question. My specific question is: which particular mounting position of paddle shifters suits you better? Fixed to the wheel or fixed to the steering column? Examples of makes/models with each position (taken from the web): Wheel mounted: BMW - 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 series VW - Golf, GTI Porsche - 918 Audi - R8 McLaren Acura - TL Cadillac - CTS-V Column mounted: Subaru - Outback Ferrari Lamborghini Nissan - GTR, Maxima What prompted this question: I have experienced both. Right now, my Bimmer and my Merc both have wheel mounted shifters. I find them very intuitive to shift with. This applies to both street driving and track/high performance driving - I recently came back from NZ where I did the Alpine drive on the Southern Hemisphere Proving Ground. The wheel-mounted shifters on the M and xDrive cars were an absolute pleasure. Also, I was recently invited to test drive the 488GTB. I loved the car on the whole, but disliked the column mounted paddles as I found them unwieldy to use. I have lived with a column mounted shift for a few months - my F430. Took me some getting used-to. Honestly, I never drove that car as hard as I've driven many others, and nowhere near as hard as it was intended by god and Enzo (who might be one and the same entity, lol). What made it a little easier is that I had no other paddle shifting car at that time so I didn't have to "switch" between two modes of shifting. But if one has one of each type, I can see how it might be difficult to go from one to the other on a periodic basis. So my question is: which do you personally prefer? I prefer the wheel-mounted type, as I've already mentioned. But arguments for and against both types can be made, e.g. Wheel mounted shifters allow one to always have immediate access to the paddles if one holds the wheel in the prescribed 9-3 racing position. But Ferrari claim that you shouldn't be shifting gear mid-corner, so you should never actually need to reach across to the column from anything other than a 9-3 position. I don't really agree - you can and should select the right gear prior to corner entry, but you often have to upshift when accelerating out of the apex. With modern rev-matching transmissions, weight transfer, etc. becomes a moot point, it's all so smooth that there's practically no risk of destabilisation. Anyway, if you're experienced with both types, please do vote and post an opinion. But please don't proffer irrelevant opinions like "never had one", "I leave the car to shift for itself", or "real drivers drive manuals", which would be a waste of time and effort for you, and of bandwidth for all. I don't mean to be rude, but too many threads like this have devolved into noise. Thank you!

so after all speculations the other time when he was doing his daily 1 minute video that he was gg to shift to sg, he is finally gg to do so! not so much of a shocker after all. SINGAPORE - Seven months after he visited Singapore, popular video blogger Nas Daily is moving to the island. In an Instagram post on Wednesday (March 20), his girlfriend Alyne Tamir announced that she and the blogger, whose real name is Mr Nuseir Yassin, will be moving to the Republic in the future. Their stay could be "two months or two years", she said. In her post, she said: "Singapore is the hub of Asia, and arguably a major hub of the world." It is why Mr Yassin is moving his company to the Republic, she added. The Nas Daily Company is currently based in the United States. Mr Yassin, a 27-year-old Palestinian-Israeli, was initially more coy about the move on his own social media platforms. On Wednesday, he posted an Instagram story featuring an article which highlighted the most expensive cities in the world for expatriates to live in, according to a survey released by the Economist Intelligence Unit. In his Instagram story, he wrote: "Most expensive city: Singapore! (See you next month)". In response to queries from The Straits Times over e-mail, Mr Yassin confirmed that he was moving to Singapore in April. He added that no arrangements have been made for his move, but the timing is to ensure "enough time to get the legalities out of the way". In an Instagram post on Wednesday afternoon, about 10 hours after his girlfriend's post, he said there are many reasons why he chose Singapore to call home, but it was mainly due to his belief that "this part of Asia might be the new America" and the "world's best place... to live and to build up the Nas Daily Media Company". There is no fixed timeframe for his stay, he added. The Harvard graduate, who has more than 12 million followers on his Facebook channel, travelled the world for three years, documenting his experiences in one-minute videos.

Wishing and gentle reminders to all MCF members to take good care of your own health. I wish all good health and safety!" Health is WEALTH! A 43-year-old female doctor from Shanxi province in China collapsed and died after reportedly working for 18 hours without rest. Zhao, who was deputy director of the respiratory medicine department, died from subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of stroke brought on by a ruptured aneurysm, Zhao had been working since 6pm the night before on Dec 28. After completing her shift at 12pm the next day, she continued to visit patients in the hospital, clocking up to 18 hours that day. Zhao had told another colleague a few weeks ago that she was "too busy" to take a break. http://www.asiaone.com/china/doctor-china-dies-suspected-overwork-after-18-hour-shift?xtor=EREC-16-4[Emarsys_Newsletter]-20180102&extid=6934d0cfb7b252f1ae9f0dbddf5ff88ca8637e77

of late my auto transmission car is having difficulties shifting from P to D mode, I have fully depressed the brake pedal before changing the mode but still the shifting is hard. it couldn't be caused by the ATF as it was changed on Sept this year. (or is it the car is not fully warmed up? I usually drive off after 2-3 mins of starting up) While on the road, the changing of gear is not a problem as it does have unusual symptoms I know i should bring to a ws for advice.. but still I would like to seek views from some gurus here. thnks in advance..

Ever wonder why some of the things you buy is much cheaper, looks and feels original ? Interesting article, albeit old http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/05/01/8375455/index.htm

intend to replace my manual gear shift gaiter. is it easy to DIY the replacement? do i have to detach the centre console? TIA.

Commercial real-estate yields in Asia are the lowest in the world, forcing investors to pay top prices for the highest-quality buildings, take on more risk or consider property investments outside of their regions for the first time. Yields for centrally located office buildings are just 2.2% in Taipei, 2.8% in Hong Kong and 3.5% in Tokyo and Singapore. By comparison, they are 4.7% in New York and 3.8% in London's West End, according to CBRE Group Inc. Pension funds, sovereign-wealth funds and other institutional investors have been willing to accept such low returns because they look attractive in a low interest-rate environment. But it also means that buyers are exposed to a loss in value if interest rates rise and demand for such low yields cools. Yields have fallen so far in Taiwan that financial regulators last year instituted a new rule that limits domestic insurance companies' investments to properties that offer a rental yield of 2.875% or above. Authorities also have allowed insurance companies to buy real estate outside the country's borders for the first time. Investors are modifying their strategies. Terence Loh, executive director at China-focused investment fund CDH Investments, said he has been investing in development projects in cities such as Beijing, Hangzhou and Xi'an rather than buying existing buildings. "The risk-reward is more compelling," he said. Yields are an important measure of commercial-property values because lower yields typically mean higher prices. They are calculated by dividing the annual income by the price. Traditionally, yields in Asia are lower than they are in Europe and the U.S. because often there are more buyers chasing fewer properties. Pension funds, sovereign-wealth funds and other institutional investors favor fully leased, well-located buildings and there are fewer of these in Asia. Also, many of these investors, until recently, have been reluctant to venture outside the regional markets they know best. But lately yields in Asia have fallen to unusually low levels, along with the rest of the world. Buyers can tolerate smaller yields partly because they can borrow at lower costs and the lower returns still look attractive compared with the debt market. Yields also have been falling in many countries because the annual incomes of properties aren't keeping up with rising prices. Prime office rents in Beijing and Shanghai, for example, have stayed flat over the past two years, according to CBRE, while those in Hong Kong and Taipei rose 2.3% and 1.1%, respectively, in the past year. In some Asian cities, including Taipei and Beijing, yields are at or near historical lows, according to CBRE. In Hong Kong, they are at similar levels to the last major property boom in 1997. In Tokyo, the yields are at their lowest levels since 2005, CBRE says. In Taipei, for example, Mercuries Life Insurance Co. Ltd. in April bought almost 8,000 square meters of retail space in the podium at Taipei TiT Tower Square for 3.95 billion New Taiwan dollars (US$131.5 million), with a rental yield of 3%, according to Real Capital Analytics, a real-estate data firm. The seller, Homax Group, acquired the same property in June 2011 at a price of NT$2.8 billion for a yield of 4.5% at the time. In Singapore, a group of local companies in May bought a 93% stake from Keppel REIT in the Prudential Tower in the city's central financial district for 512 million Singaporean dollars (US$409.3 million). The deal boasted a 3.5% yield, according to Real Capital. By comparison, Keppel REIT in 2011 bought the Ocean Financial Centre, also in the heart of Singapore, for S$2.0 billion in a deal that offered a 5.3% yield, Real Capital says. Investors have started to leave their comfort zones to find higher yields. Some have targeted Australia. Yields are at 6% in Sydney's and Melbourne's main office districts. Singapore-based real-estate company Hiap Hoe Group bought an office building in Perth for 90 million Australian dollars (US$84.8 million), at a yield of 8.3%, according to research by property firm JLL. Other investors are seeking distressed properties, hoping to boost yields by increasing revenue. Gaw Capital Partners, a Hong Kong-based private-equity real-estate firm, earlier this year paid US$30 million for the Hyatt Regency Osaka in hopes of turning around a hotel that lost US$10 million in the year ending March. "We saw a lot of quick fixes that we could do and cost-cutting that would make the hotel cash-flow positive right away," said Christina Gaw, managing principal and head of capital markets at the firm. Some real-estate experts say investors are willing to accept low yields because they feel that property incomes are poised to rise after years of stagnation, especially in Japan as it emerges from a long slump. They point out that commercial property often benefits from rising inflation because it allows landlords to raise rents. "Investors are going into Tokyo with the expectation of rising rents," said Alistair Meadows, international capital group head at JLL. But others say investors accepting low yields are walking a thin line. Many of them have been trying to boost returns by adding leverage, a risky formula that exposes investors to default if rents or values decline. Also, if interest rates rise faster than inflation, owners could get squeezed, especially if they have floating-rate debt, experts say. "These tight [yield] rates will have a very small margin of error," said Nicholas Wilson, research manager for capital markets in Asia Pacific, at JLL.

**EDIT: the title should read PROPERLY instead of PROPERTY** bros, my gearbox seems to be giving me some problems recently. Whenever I tried to shift to neutral, it does not engage properly and it feels as though the gear was stuck between gear 1 and neutral and i hear knocking sound from gearbox. I had to clutch in again and keep trying for the 2nd time or sometimes 3rd time before my car engage neutral properly. can give me a heads up what's wrong before i send my car to workshop and hold my breath for repair cost? [laugh]

folks, My N16's auto tranny is having some intermittent problems recently. When shifting from gear 1 to gear 2, sometimes it enters into neutral instead. I had to release the throttle totally and it will be back to normal. It doesn't happen very often so my mech says it is hard for him to troubleshoot. Which I agree. Just changed ATF 8,000km ago so no point changing it again. My mech says if there is a need to change gearbox it will cost 1k+. My car has only 2 years left on the COE so I am trying to spend as little as possible. Any alternatives that you can advise? Thank you.

Collected my Mazda 6 GG a.k.a lao6 last week. Discovered got no shift lock I.e. can shift from P to any position without applying brake. Spoke to a mechanic and was told some Mazda owner remove tnr solenoid as it jammed at time and Mazda got no shift unlock button. But no shift lock dangerous leh. I'll go back to the dealer workshop to get it check out. But want to check with bros here what is your experience on jammed shifter or removal of shift lock. I may open up the center console and take a peep. Please enlighten me.

Hello All, Which mode works well or better with Paddle shift ?? Normal mode "D" or Sports mode "S" ?? Anyone can enlighten.......

Refer to the 1st two lorries' way of turning within the 1st twenty seconds. Don't really know the exact term, but by steering slightly left before making a U-turn, the car turns better and saves you from the kerb (or some face, when you have to engage the reverse gear), especially in those tight U-turns. Almost got hit by another car that was doing the above-mentioned a few weeks back as the driver was rushing to beat a blinking arrow while i was waiting to move straight. Can't really remember my BTT/FTT stuff years back regarding U-turns. but i recall that my instructor mentioned sth about keeping to the most right lane and changing slowly, lane by lane to the left (which i thought was quite strange).. years on, I realized that theory never really came into practice as the car will understeer all the way to the outermost left lane during U-turns (or maybe it's just my driving) Is there a "correct" way to U-turn? Not the correct way but quite an exciting way to take a U-turn

Where to change gear shift leather, gear knob and steering wheel leather?

Hi, I'm driving yaris and my shift lock was inoperative. Anyone know how i can resolve the problem? Or do i have to go to a workshop to get mechanic to do it? Thanks.

Is it more fun to drive with paddle shift? Anyone with paddle shift care to comment?

a beauty

pls watch and give ur valuable comment.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RPM27TuOqk...;feature=relmfu

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/S...ory_670669.html let's hope so la... dun ask us move to JB Analysts expect shift in housing policy By Esther Teo, Property Reporter SOME property analysts are anticipating policy shifts on HDB flats and mass market private homes, with the appointment of Mr Khaw Boon Wan as the new National Development Minister. They say Mr Khaw, 58, the outgoing Health Minister, is known to be an effective game changer. Since housing affordability was a hot-button topic during the elections, the analysts foresee Mr Khaw as being forceful on this issue, at least early on. Analysts note that Mr Khaw had volunteered for the portfolio, replacing Mr Mah Bow Tan, who is retiring from the Cabinet and the post he has held since 1999. They recall Mr Khaw was parachuted into the Health Ministry after the 2003 Sars crisis. The well-liked politician was instrumental in restoring confidence in charities after the National Kidney Foundation scandal. DMG & Partners Securities research co-head Terence Wong said he would not be surprised if Mr Khaw shows determination to make housing more affordable for the young.

Hi all, I am having difficulty shifting in to gear 1 and reverse gear; often it would result to grinding of the gear. Do note that I have fully clutched in. Any expert advice on the remedy or is it the gear box up the lorry already. Thanks for reading Best regards, Rustyz

Just curious, just how many bros in MCF on auto-transmission will take the effort to shift their gear to N when coming to a halt at traffic light? I used to drive a manual car, hence it's kinda of a habit for me to put to N when waiting for traffic light to turn green. Any difference whether to shift to N or not?

Bro, need ur advice, in my earlier post, mentioned that my buddy dad is quite ill and need someone to take care. Eventually he already got a maid to help his mum to take care of him at home. Now, my buddy new home is ready to shift in. Already plan to shift in this Sat. But the mum dunno listen from all the "auntie 3 and auntie 6" (sam gu luk poh) that the dad might not be able to go through the new year and ask her to put the shifting plan on hold. But already told the dad that they shifting this Sat and the dad is actually looking forward to going to the new place. Now the big dilemma is, to shift or not to shift?? Any advice?

Just want to share with the bros here about the Superb's gear shift. Recently my gear shift had some issues and it was detected that the contact release button to the clutch was snapped under the silver button, this caused my gear not to be able to be shifted to drive mode after it was at park mode, it was later rectified at Skoda dealership as it was covered under warranty. As I spoke to the technician he suggested the following proper technique in shifting gears. In the two pictures I posted, shows the correct way to depress the clutch release(chrome shiny button) with your thumb spread evenly over the entire contract surface of the release button and depress it at an even pressure. This will ensure the connector switch in to contact properly as you shift the gear from park mode to drive/neutral/1/2 gear. The second picture shows the incorrect way of depress the clutch release. In this wrong prosture illustration, unknowingly you the one-sided pressure contact point over time will force the contact point under the switch to be angled and thus cause it to snap within the switch, this is probably due to wear and tear, through in proper contact, but it is covered under warranty during the warrany months. I would encourage the bros/sis to use the proper technique to extend the lifespan of your gear shift and enjoy your ride.

Hi Bros, got a qn to ask with regards to AT gear shifting. recently i find it difficult to shift gears during moving off from P. I press brake, then shift from P to D. sometimes it feels abit hard to shift to D. Dunwan to forcefully push to D. So i usually let go brake again, then press brake again, shift to D. Sometimes ok, sometimes not. Sometimes gotta repeat few times. Is it a pre-cursor to a serious problem? Or izzit some minor taiji? Thanks bros for any advice!

I was recently at Mazda Motor to view the new facelift Mazda RX8 6-speed automatic and Active Adaptive Shift as I always long to own one. However, during my queries with the salesperson who attended to me, the latter informed me that I must check the engine oil level after every 2 full tanks of petrol as it consumes alot of the engine oil. When I mentioned that this was the first time that I heard of this, she told me that all current RX8 owners are fully aware of the above. On hearing that, my heart sank as I love the curvaceous and sexy external body of the new car. I would like to hear from current RX8 owners as to whether the statement by the salesperson to me is correct. Thanks