Buying My First New Vechicle

[razor]

I have been looking at buying my first " new" vhecile here in Thailand, and like the look of the Toyota Hilux Vigo pick up Double cab 3.0 lt auto 4x4 , The toyota dealership in Korat offered the following ...

Pick up price ..................... 871.000

Government Insurance ...........753

registration & road tax ........ 8.000

First class insurance ...........22.000

red number plate ................... 3.000 ( refundable )

The vechicle comes with the following " free" options.

1. Rear liner

2. Window tint

3. Rubber floor mats

4. Under body protection spray

5. Window wind deflectors

6. Body paint protection spray

7. 10Lt of fuel

I am thinking of having the following options fitted....

1. Wooden style dash board & door arm rest covers ....... 3,330

2 .Door wing mirrors with indicator flashers .........................6,045

3.Door sil scratch preventers ..................................................1,070

The Pick up comes with a 3 year or 100,000Km waranty

A 5,000 Baht deposit is required when placing an order

As this would be the first new vechicle I have purchased here in Thailand

can some one please answer the following points,

A. Does the above list of " free" options look standard, or should I ask for more, if so what..?

B. What's the best way to Pay for the Vechile, I have the cash but feel going around with it in my pocket

to the dealership could produce a problem..?

C. The colors avaiable are ..metallic Silver, & gold which seem to be popular,

Metallic blue , which you don't see very often, and last Metallic Black, this looks great, but ive seen a few that need washing and they then seem to look old..? comments from forum members who have a Black vechicle welcome, So I am still not sure which color to go for .

D. in the past ive only had old second hand vechicles,with low risk type insurance ( third party )

can some one outline just what should be included in the " first Class" insurance the dealership are offering...?

E. As the pick I am looking at is a Auto 4X4 , and never having a 4X4 in the past, could some one outline for me what to do to use the 4X4 option...? , also what does .. On the fly ... mean when talking about 4X4 ..?

which seem to be popular,

*********************

I have been looking at buying my first " new" vehicle here in Thailand, and like the look of the Toyota Hilux Vigo pick up Double cab 3.0 lt auto 4x4 , The toyota dealership in Korat offered the following ...

Pick up price ..................... 871.000

Government Insurance ...........753

registration & road tax ........ 8.000

First class insurance ...........22.000

red number plate ................... 3.000 ( refundable )

The vehicle comes with the following " free" options.

1. Rear liner

2. Window tint

3. Rubber floor mats

4. Under body protection spray

5. Window wind deflectors

6. Body paint protection spray

7. 10Lt of fuel

I am thinking of having the following options fitted....

1. Wooden style dash board & door arm rest covers ....... 3,330

2 .Door wing mirrors with indicator flashers .........................6,045

3.Door sill scratch preventers ..................................................1,070

The Pick up comes with a 3 year or 100,000Km warranty

A 5,000 Baht deposit is required when placing an order

As this would be the first new vehicle I have purchased here in Thailand

can some one please answer the following points,

A. Does the above list of " free" options look standard, or should I ask for more, if so what..?

B. What's the best way to Pay for the Vehicle, I have the cash but feel going around with it in my pocket

to the dealership could produce a problem..?

C. The colors available are ..metallic Silver, & gold which seem to be popular,

Metallic blue , which you don't see very often, and last Metallic Black, this looks great, but ive seen a few that need washing and they then seem to look old..? comments from forum members who have a Black vehicle welcome, So I am still not sure which color to go for .

D. in the past ive only had old second hand vechicles,with low risk type insurance ( third party )

can some one outline just what should be included in the " first Class" insurance the dealership are offering...?

E. As the pick I am looking at is a Auto 4X4 , and never having a 4X4 in the past, could some one outline for me what to do to use the 4X4 option...? , also what does .. On the fly ... mean when talking about 4X4 ..?

Many thanks............... Razor

Edited February 11, 2006 by penzman

[jbowman1993]

*********************

I have been looking at buying my first " new" vehicle here in Thailand, and like the look of the Toyota Hilux Vigo pick up Double cab 3.0 lt auto 4x4 , The toyota dealership in Korat offered the following ...

Pick up price ..................... 871.000

Government Insurance ...........753

registration & road tax ........ 8.000

First class insurance ...........22.000

red number plate ................... 3.000 ( refundable )

The vehicle comes with the following " free" options.

1. Rear liner

2. Window tint

3. Rubber floor mats

4. Under body protection spray

5. Window wind deflectors

6. Body paint protection spray

7. 10Lt of fuel

I am thinking of having the following options fitted....

1. Wooden style dash board & door arm rest covers ....... 3,330

2 .Door wing mirrors with indicator flashers .........................6,045

3.Door sill scratch preventers ..................................................1,070

The Pick up comes with a 3 year or 100,000Km warranty

A 5,000 Baht deposit is required when placing an order

As this would be the first new vehicle I have purchased here in Thailand

can some one please answer the following points,

A. Does the above list of " free" options look standard, or should I ask for more, if so what..?

B. What's the best way to Pay for the Vehicle, I have the cash but feel going around with it in my pocket

to the dealership could produce a problem..?

C. The colors available are ..metallic Silver, & gold which seem to be popular,

Metallic blue , which you don't see very often, and last Metallic Black, this looks great, but ive seen a few that need washing and they then seem to look old..? comments from forum members who have a Black vehicle welcome, So I am still not sure which color to go for .

D. in the past ive only had old second hand vechicles,with low risk type insurance ( third party )

can some one outline just what should be included in the " first Class" insurance the dealership are offering...?

E. As the pick I am looking at is a Auto 4X4 , and never having a 4X4 in the past, could some one outline for me what to do to use the 4X4 option...? , also what does .. On the fly ... mean when talking about 4X4 ..?

A. I got all those options, plus, gear shift lock, spare tire lock, emergency road kit, alarm/keyless entry, and english owners manuel. Squeeze em for a bit more! I also paid 3k and got reversing sensors installed. Makes me feel more confident when Im backing up.

B. If you have the cash, pay cash. Take a friend with you, if you feel uncomfortable going by yourself with that much cash. I financed mine, 3 years, put 140k down. Interest rate was 3 %. Not bad.

C. I thougght about black, but them i thought about the washing, as you said, and the fact that this is thailand , and its a.s.s. hot here. I went with the blue. If you do that, they make you pay 30k "earnest" money, since they don't sell many. But on the plus side, you will probably get it quick, since they don't make many of them. (the wait list is very short)

D. I got the dealer insurance. It covers everything (collision, liability personal injury, etc), plus has roadside assistance thrown in. Covers anyone driving the vehicle. (Dealer insurance was mandatory, since we financed). If you pay cash, you could use a different company if you wanted.

E. The 4 wheelers can answer this better than me. I bought a prerunner. There is 4wd low and high. Low is not to be used at over 20 kph. Its for rugged terrain, getting out of the mud, etc. 4wd high is for normal driving speeds, when you want better traction when its wet, etc..

Peace

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I have been looking at buying my first " new" vhecile here in Thailand, and like the look of the Toyota Hilux Vigo pick up Double cab 3.0 lt auto 4x4 , The toyota dealership in Korat offered the following ...

Pick up price ..................... 871.000

Government Insurance ...........753

registration & road tax ........ 8.000

First class insurance ...........22.000

red number plate ................... 3.000 ( refundable )

The vechicle comes with the following " free" options.

1. Rear liner

2. Window tint

3. Rubber floor mats

4. Under body protection spray

5. Window wind deflectors

6. Body paint protection spray

7. 10Lt of fuel

I am thinking of having the following options fitted....

1. Wooden style dash board & door arm rest covers ....... 3,330

2 .Door wing mirrors with indicator flashers .........................6,045

3.Door sil scratch preventers ..................................................1,070

The Pick up comes with a 3 year or 100,000Km waranty

A 5,000 Baht deposit is required when placing an order

As this would be the first new vechicle I have purchased here in Thailand

can some one please answer the following points,

A. Does the above list of " free" options look standard, or should I ask for more, if so what..?

B. What's the best way to Pay for the Vechile, I have the cash but feel going around with it in my pocket

to the dealership could produce a problem..?

C. The colors avaiable are ..metallic Silver, & gold which seem to be popular,

Metallic blue , which you don't see very often, and last Metallic Black, this looks great, but ive seen a few that need washing and they then seem to look old..? comments from forum members who have a Black vechicle welcome, So I am still not sure which color to go for .

D. in the past ive only had old second hand vechicles,with low risk type insurance ( third party )

can some one outline just what should be included in the " first Class" insurance the dealership are offering...?

E. As the pick I am looking at is a Auto 4X4 , and never having a 4X4 in the past, could some one outline for me what to do to use the 4X4 option...? , also what does .. On the fly ... mean when talking about 4X4 ..?

which seem to be popular,

*********************

I have been looking at buying my first " new" vehicle here in Thailand, and like the look of the Toyota Hilux Vigo pick up Double cab 3.0 lt auto 4x4 , The toyota dealership in Korat offered the following ...

Pick up price ..................... 871.000

Government Insurance ...........753

registration & road tax ........ 8.000

First class insurance ...........22.000

red number plate ................... 3.000 ( refundable )

The vehicle comes with the following " free" options.

1. Rear liner

2. Window tint

3. Rubber floor mats

4. Under body protection spray

5. Window wind deflectors

6. Body paint protection spray

7. 10Lt of fuel

I am thinking of having the following options fitted....

1. Wooden style dash board & door arm rest covers ....... 3,330

2 .Door wing mirrors with indicator flashers .........................6,045

3.Door sill scratch preventers ..................................................1,070

The Pick up comes with a 3 year or 100,000Km warranty

A 5,000 Baht deposit is required when placing an order

As this would be the first new vehicle I have purchased here in Thailand

can some one please answer the following points,

A. Does the above list of " free" options look standard, or should I ask for more, if so what..?

B. What's the best way to Pay for the Vehicle, I have the cash but feel going around with it in my pocket

to the dealership could produce a problem..?

C. The colors available are ..metallic Silver, & gold which seem to be popular,

Metallic blue , which you don't see very often, and last Metallic Black, this looks great, but ive seen a few that need washing and they then seem to look old..? comments from forum members who have a Black vehicle welcome, So I am still not sure which color to go for .

D. in the past ive only had old second hand vechicles,with low risk type insurance ( third party )

can some one outline just what should be included in the " first Class" insurance the dealership are offering...?

E. As the pick I am looking at is a Auto 4X4 , and never having a 4X4 in the past, could some one outline for me what to do to use the 4X4 option...? , also what does .. On the fly ... mean when talking about 4X4 ..?

Many thanks............... Razor

I bouight a brand new car in black and it is never clean. You can do what you want - wax it, polish it and it always looks grubby. Also, any small scratch sticks out - I think silver is a much kinder colour.

Cash wise you can transfer funds from any ATM, that's what I did. Ask at the garage - they will know what to do.

Good Luck!

[Gary A]

I had a black Toyota pickup and you could have baked bread on the seat when it was sitting in the sun. Now I have a gold Nissan and a beige Toyota. They still get hot inside but not like the black one did. The black one was the best looking one of the bunch. LOL!

[marshbags]

I got the garage to bring deliver mine to my home. ( Isuzu by the way )

I made sure everything was o.k. ticking everything off that was in the deal, even got them to give me a tank full of diesel which they happily agreed to, just before concluding the deal.

Check the mileage on the clock.

I arranged with them to pay via a " bill of exchange " from my bank after transferring the funds from the U.K.

A transaction of this kind is acceptable and above board.

Every bank has the equivalent of a B.O.E.

Get the sales rep. to sign he is receiving the payment and for how much for your future references.

Away from the dealership you can relax and methodically get on with the purchase without any distractions in the showroom. ( there like headless chickens in there don,t you think. )

Have someone Thai you can trust to act as a translator/mediator for you in both Thai and English

I had no problems with the outcome of my transaction.

Had the cab 22 months now.

marshbags

Edited February 11, 2006 by marshbags

[rcalsop]

I had a black Toyota pickup and you could have baked bread on the seat when it was sitting in the sun. Now I have a gold Nissan and a beige Toyota. They still get hot inside but not like the black one did. The black one was the best looking one of the bunch. LOL!

We have a black Jazz when it is clean and waxed well it looks great , but I have to wait until sundown or early morning to washit or wax it . It gets too hot , the black streaks when washed and 20 minutes after cleaning has enough dust to need another wash . But I think it is great , our Wish is pearlised white and always looks clean it is easy to wash and does not streak .

Ref the freebies the base line appears to be about goods to the value of 30,000 baht . I have bought 3 cars personally , and many with thai friends and al had free insurance with financing including mine . Free insurance on non financed cars is dependant on the model and dealer .

If you work hard and shop around ( it can be a real pain) you should be able to work the base line 30,000 up bit . As for the other added cosmetic extras the dealers tend to over charge a bit and after market shops are cheaper and the prices quoted include fitting . I had great fun sourcing and having extras fitted and on the Jazz saved about 25000 plus..., on alloys, skirts, rear parking sensors . I have done the same with Thai friends making a macho day out of it around the Rangsit area ..I even had a secondary air con fitted to the back of a pick up cab with seats etc ..that took 3 hours worked great and cost about 16,000 ( 2years back )including an extra cooling fan in the engine bay . We sat and watched the work being done with a beer and food ,it was a testosterone morning .

But the extras you quoted as purchased the prices seem okay if they are dealer guarenteed and Toyota bits .. ie Mirrror indicators for my car 6500 ..to 8000.. Toyota .... local after market ..4500,

Self fit from parts shop 2500. I still have not fitted them . Scuff plate (rear) Toyota 1500 approx , after market 1000 ..(exactly the same ) Fitted by me and my daughter in 2 minutes in Future car park .

A note on the window film make sure of the quality of the film the dealers do not alwys specify the good makes and the UV reduction is not always that good also the scratch resistance can be poor , just like cheep sunglasses .. Lamina seems to be a popular mid market brand easily available and has served me well .. .

Personnaly I go for highly silvered film ..now! it reduces the Tea money payments ...and as you cannot see into the car gives a better security . A bit of a bling factor also !! Looks cool and is cool .

[griser]

I'd squeeze those guys for quite a bit more, the insurance is usually free now for example from MOST dealers.

I'm talking the A1 insurance, not the cheap stuff. You should also ask for a discount off the price and a LOT more extras. the car market here in thailand has slowed down considerably due to the petrol prices and they know it.

Toyota is the least willing to give you a good deal because everyone likes the look of the Vigo but your deal needs improvement.

It sounds like this is a Vigo 4x4, 4 door from the price. Do you really need the 4x4 here in thailand? hehe. If you want the beefy look purchase the 4x2 and just have em add a lift kit to bring the height up a bit.

So ask for more. if they wont, then go right down the street to someone who will.

Oh and I second the motion for a light colored truck, trust us...your sweat glands will thank you.

Greg

Edited February 11, 2006 by griser

[rcalsop]

ref $ wd

I have been looking at buying my first " new" vhecile here in Thailand, and like the look of the Toyota Hilux Vigo pick up Double cab 3.0 lt auto 4x4 , The toyota dealership in Korat offered the following ...

Pick up price ..................... 871.000

Government Insurance ...........753

registration & road tax ........ 8.000

First class insurance ...........22.000

red number plate ................... 3.000 ( refundable )

The vechicle comes with the following " free" options.

1. Rear liner

2. Window tint

3. Rubber floor mats

4. Under body protection spray

5. Window wind deflectors

6. Body paint protection spray

7. 10Lt of fuel

I am thinking of having the following options fitted....

1. Wooden style dash board & door arm rest covers ....... 3,330

2 .Door wing mirrors with indicator flashers .........................6,045

3.Door sil scratch preventers ..................................................1,070

The Pick up comes with a 3 year or 100,000Km waranty

A 5,000 Baht deposit is required when placing an order

As this would be the first new vechicle I have purchased here in Thailand

can some one please answer the following points,

A. Does the above list of " free" options look standard, or should I ask for more, if so what..?

B. What's the best way to Pay for the Vechile, I have the cash but feel going around with it in my pocket

to the dealership could produce a problem..?

C. The colors avaiable are ..metallic Silver, & gold which seem to be popular,

Metallic blue , which you don't see very often, and last Metallic Black, this looks great, but ive seen a few that need washing and they then seem to look old..? comments from forum members who have a Black vechicle welcome, So I am still not sure which color to go for .

D. in the past ive only had old second hand vechicles,with low risk type insurance ( third party )

can some one outline just what should be included in the " first Class" insurance the dealership are offering...?

E. As the pick I am looking at is a Auto 4X4 , and never having a 4X4 in the past, could some one outline for me what to do to use the 4X4 option...? , also what does .. On the fly ... mean when talking about 4X4 ..?

which seem to be popular,

*********************

I have been looking at buying my first " new" vehicle here in Thailand, and like the look of the Toyota Hilux Vigo pick up Double cab 3.0 lt auto 4x4 , The toyota dealership in Korat offered the following ...

Pick up price ..................... 871.000

Government Insurance ...........753

registration & road tax ........ 8.000

First class insurance ...........22.000

red number plate ................... 3.000 ( refundable )

The vehicle comes with the following " free" options.

1. Rear liner

2. Window tint

3. Rubber floor mats

4. Under body protection spray

5. Window wind deflectors

6. Body paint protection spray

7. 10Lt of fuel

I am thinking of having the following options fitted....

1. Wooden style dash board & door arm rest covers ....... 3,330

2 .Door wing mirrors with indicator flashers .........................6,045

3.Door sill scratch preventers ..................................................1,070

The Pick up comes with a 3 year or 100,000Km warranty

A 5,000 Baht deposit is required when placing an order

As this would be the first new vehicle I have purchased here in Thailand

can some one please answer the following points,

A. Does the above list of " free" options look standard, or should I ask for more, if so what..?

B. What's the best way to Pay for the Vehicle, I have the cash but feel going around with it in my pocket

to the dealership could produce a problem..?

C. The colors available are ..metallic Silver, & gold which seem to be popular,

Metallic blue , which you don't see very often, and last Metallic Black, this looks great, but ive seen a few that need washing and they then seem to look old..? comments from forum members who have a Black vehicle welcome, So I am still not sure which color to go for .

D. in the past ive only had old second hand vechicles,with low risk type insurance ( third party )

can some one outline just what should be included in the " first Class" insurance the dealership are offering...?

E. As the pick I am looking at is a Auto 4X4 , and never having a 4X4 in the past, could some one outline for me what to do to use the 4X4 option...? , also what does .. On the fly ... mean when talking about 4X4 ..?

Many thanks............... Razor

Ref 4w/drive great fun if really off road or the route to your house is soft surface or very uneven but the main advantage is ground clearance, the effective 4w/d must have the correct tyres ,most do not . The correct tyre is poor on normal road work and handling is not as good and frequently very noisey . When driving my ancient landrover defender on regular proper off road adventures I used High profile crossply tyres with inner tubes they gave me extra clearance and great traction on all surfaces but at speeds above 65 mph wandered badly with all the characterisics of aTesco Trolley .

In the desert brilliant .. I actually once rescued a rescue vehicle an enormous 10 wheeller truck on the Paris Dhaka Rally, an Itallian works team .. who gave me a great day with them ,but I digress

4w/d great but .. extra friction , noise , ride comprmised , more expensive , maintainance costs higher . bigger turning circle on cheaper vehicles . But I love them !!! A Landrover fanatic before LOL

On the fly means you can select or change the drive whilst moving at certain recomended speeds ...ie you do not have to stop then select (or lock free wheel hubs but thats another subject ).

First class insurance is Fully Comprehensive insurance Thai Style normaly linked to the amount of the Finance ...watch the valuation or insured amount pay 20% deposit the Free insurance is to 80% of value !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Normally any driver , you can reduce the premium about 1500/2000 by having two named drivers

but when the father in law borrows it ( when you are away ) you are not insured . Also note insurance companies appear not to cover in Drunk drive cases both victim and drunk ...(any other view points on this )

[Tywais]

but when the father in law borrows it ( when you are away ) you are not insured .

I always understood that the insurance goes with the car and not the driver. That is, any one (authorized) driver can drive the car and be insured (car). Anyone else know for sure about this?

[rcalsop]

but when the father in law borrows it ( when you are away ) you are not insured .

I always understood that the insurance goes with the car and not the driver. That is, any one (authorized) driver can drive the car and be insured (car). Anyone else know for sure about this?

Several friends have named driver policies normaly only 2 names ...same as the UK reduced

liabilty = reduced premium ..granted here it is not as finely tuned as the UK , ie age of drive experience , post code etc . but the same 3 groups still apply

As per UK

1/ Road traffic Act minimum rarely known about or purchased in UK .

2/ Third party fire and theft .

3/ Comprehensive ...nominated driver / any driver / plus various addons as required .

[razor]

Thanks for all the replys great Info !!, I was intrested in jbowman1993 comment ......

I went with the blue. If you do that, they make you pay 30k "earnest" money, since they don't sell many. But on the plus side, you will probably get it quick, since they don't make many of them. (the wait list is very short)

......................................

may be i am a bit slow on the up take, but if the vheciles color is not that good a seller, then would you not expect that there would be a " reduction " in price just to get the color moving onto the streets,and into the buying publics attention ... ? to increase sales ...?

just a thought .

Thanks to all ............. Razor

[rcalsop]

Thanks for all the replys great Info !!, I was intrested in jbowman1993 comment ......

I went with the blue. If you do that, they make you pay 30k "earnest" money, since they don't sell many. But on the plus side, you will probably get it quick, since they don't make many of them. (the wait list is very short)

......................................

may be i am a bit slow on the up take, but if the vheciles color is not that good a seller, then would you not expect that there would be a " reduction " in price just to get the color moving onto the streets,and into the buying publics attention ... ? to increase sales ...?

just a thought .

Thanks to all ............. Razor

To answer that question correctly requires a lot of time ...and has been well covered before .. suffice it to say in Thailand low sales of a product does not always mean a price reduction or discount..the philosophy is different ..when you fully understand it please tell us !!!but for now the market logic that applies in Uk etc does not always apply in LOL . Go with the flow you will do your head in trying to work it out .

[jbowman1993]

Thanks for all the replys great Info !!, I was intrested in jbowman1993 comment ......

I went with the blue. If you do that, they make you pay 30k "earnest" money, since they don't sell many. But on the plus side, you will probably get it quick, since they don't make many of them. (the wait list is very short)

......................................

may be i am a bit slow on the up take, but if the vheciles color is not that good a seller, then would you not expect that there would be a " reduction " in price just to get the color moving onto the streets,and into the buying publics attention ... ? to increase sales ...?

just a thought .

Thanks to all ............. Razor

To answer that question correctly requires a lot of time ...and has been well covered before .. suffice it to say in Thailand low sales of a product does not always mean a price reduction or discount..the philosophy is different ..when you fully understand it please tell us !!!but for now the market logic that applies in Uk etc does not always apply in LOL . Go with the flow you will do your head in trying to work it out .

Sorry, I should have been more clear. The 30k I paid was not an extra charge. It was part of the down payment, but I had to pay it several weeks before the car was delivered. My understanding is that they do it to make sure that you are serious, because if they produce the vehicle, and you say you don't want it, they will have a hard time selling it, since its not a popular color in LOS.

So, since I intended to 140k down, I paid the 30k a few weeks in advance, and then the remaining 110k when i took delivery of the truck.

[chanchao]

BTW, have we discussed the intended toys yet that don't really serve a purpose, and not just from a Toyota-installed vs. aftermarket-toy-shop installed perspective?

Like, WHAT is the big benefit of having outside mirrors with flashing indicator lights (which will break, long before factory parts start breaking or needing replacement), or wood-look plastic panelling on the dash? (which will also start to fall off in a year or two, then leaving ugly glue marks on the dash).

And don't even get me started on those plastic 'bug deflectors' on the bonnet.. they just add drag and increase fuel consumption, and bugs don't care. Wind deflectors on the windows... also increase drag and actually stop a breeze coming in, so you need to run the aircon more. Slight advantage in the rainy season though when you can drive with the windows open a bit without rain coming in.

[rcalsop]

BTW, have we discussed the intended toys yet that don't really serve a purpose, and not just from a Toyota-installed vs. aftermarket-toy-shop installed perspective?

Like, WHAT is the big benefit of having outside mirrors with flashing indicator lights (which will break, long before factory parts start breaking or needing replacement), or wood-look plastic panelling on the dash? (which will also start to fall off in a year or two, then leaving ugly glue marks on the dash).

And don't even get me started on those plastic 'bug deflectors' on the bonnet.. they just add drag and increase fuel consumption, and bugs don't care. Wind deflectors on the windows... also increase drag and actually stop a breeze coming in, so you need to run the aircon more. Slight advantage in the rainy season though when you can drive with the windows open a bit without rain coming in.

The wood bits I personally do not like but the human need to make your territory clearly yours to add something that makes it different is a strong instinct ...just like a screen saver on your computer (I bet you have one ) .

The additions are to beautify and make distinctive in the eye of the beholder . The glue cleans very easily with the correct solvent . If the dash is well cleaned ,again with the correct solvent, often supplied.... they rarely peel off .

As for bug deflectors I contemplated fitting one on my NV to hide the stone chips on the front of the bonnet after a few years motoring and to give some further protection .

The wind deflectors I use to change the wind buffeting when I have the windows open whilst driving and smoking ..they also prevent water running in at the toll booth and when water is squirted on to the windscreen to get rid of the bugs (because I do not have a bug deflector ). When I park the car at work I crack open the windows 1 inch to allow hot air to circulate and the deflectors maintain security .

It is about individualism , why alloys, why choose the the colour , why metalic paint , special number plates ?????

Wing mirror flashers are becoming more standard ...certainly on the luxury cars as there is some evidence of increased visibility and increased safety ...they have certainly caught your attention !!!

[chanchao]

> .just like a screen saver on your computer (I bet you have one ) .

I have a computer yes, but no screen saver beyond just blanking the screen and shutting off the monitor!

> As for bug deflectors I contemplated fitting one on my NV to hide the

> stone chips on the front of the bonnet after a few years motoring and to

> give some further protection .

Partial repaint is cheap..

> It is about individualism , why alloys, why choose the the colour , why

> metalic paint , special number plates ?????

INDEED! Excellent points.

> Wing mirror flashers are becoming more standard ...certainly on the

> luxury cars as there is some evidence of increased visibility and

> increased safety ...they have certainly caught your attention !!!

When Mercedes came up with the idea, yes. Now they're on Uncle Lert's Isuzu, along with blue/red flashing winscreen sprayers, of course.

Cheers,

Chanchao