Identical Twins Spotted!

Went to Menara Dion yesterday to finalise my stolen Accord's claims with Tokio Marine, and spotted my E87's identical twins bearing the reg. no. KBR xx at the carpark.

It has the same Quartz Blue paint and identical interiors. But noticed KBR's ride's lower compared to mine. Maybe different rim size? Rims are of a different design too.

It's rare to find a 1'er on the road, let alone sharing the next parking lot.

Also posted in BMWCM.

My First BMW: E87 1-Series

Being the owner of an Accord 2.4 for about 7-months before it got stolen, it's real hard to find another ride that's comparable to it in terms of spaciousness and smooth power delivery. Went to test drive the latest Mazda6 and found the cabin to be cramped, although built quality and features are better compared to the Honda. And at 175K, I could easily get a re-cond E90 3-Series.


Thus, I searched and searched for the missing link, the Bimmer! I bought car mags, visited car showrooms. My criteria were that it must be in Alpine White, dark interior, Jap-specced, tip-top condition, +/- M-Sport bodykits. The asking price was >RM200K!

Due to the fact that I still have to service the instalment for my stolen Accord, the E90 and thus Bimmer, remained a dream. Until my uncle called one day, informing there's a unit of E87 in very good running condition in his friend's showroom.


This Quartz Blue babybimmer is a 2004 model, registered end Dec '04. Mileage was 47K, accident free. Previous owner was a Chinese lady in her 30's. Full service record at Auto Bavaria was provided with the car, too!


Apart from a few small coin-sized dents on the body panels, this blue 1'er is flawless. I jumped in immediately for a test-drive with my uncle seated in the passenger seat.


Tranny is 6-speed auto with steptronic in DS mode. Kicked-down the pedal along Kajang-Silk highway, and this baby roared to 160kph effortlessly. My uncle was scared shitless (he drives a CLK anyways) ...


And upon returning to the shop, I confirmed the purchase with the dealer. This is your's truly's first Bimmer! More on my 1er later - tagged under "E87 Journal".

The Departure of K24Z2

In the wee hours of July 11th, 2009, my front gate was broken into and my beloved G8 Accord 2.4 stolen right from my porch, driven away, uneventfully...


I got up early that Saturday morning for my weekend rounds at the hospital, expecting to be greeted by my shiny Accord. Instead, an empty porch (with wifey's brand new City untouched) greeted me, with the sodomised main gate spreading wide.

What ensued was pretty routine, if you have had a car stolen - heartache, Accord-sick, police report, unnecessary waiting + stupid procedures, insurance claims, getting a secondary car, and shopping for a new ride. And of course, replacing the missing essential items that went away with the thieving bastards.

I counted myself lucky as I have this silly habit of keeping my wallet and sometimes netbook in the car, which thankfully I didn't on the previous night. All in all, I lost 2 stethoscopes, Smart Tag + TouchN'Go worth RM200+, my Sony Ericsson W880i cellphone, and a few thumbdrives for USB Audio. All minor nothings compared to the car itself, sob sob!

I guess if something's not meant to be, it's not meant to be! So adios, WSD 8208!

My K24Z2

This is my latest, most expensive toy to date - meet the K24Z2! Donned in a beautiful Alabaster Silver Metallic, this gigantic beast is a technological marvel.

The engine bay is devoid of huge gaps/empty space - it is filled with goodies!

The 2.4-litre i-VTEC (codenamed K24Z2), a straight-4, 16-valve DOHC powerhouse produces a max power of 180PS (~177BHP/133kW) @ 6,500rpm. Max torque of 222Nm is achieved @ 4,300rpm. The K24Z2 provides silky smooth power for all driving condition; floor the pedal and the i-VTEC roars once the rpm passes 3,500. Exhilarating!

It comes with a cold-air intake inlet as standard...

... and a strut bar, two of the many items not seen in the lower specced 2.0 VTi.

Interior is all-black, which is sporty unlike the bright-beige + woodgrain garnishing in the 2.4 Camry. Centre dashboard is dotted with buttons which gives it a plane cockpit feel.

I dunno bout you guys, but I prefer the conventional analog meter over the Civic's futuristic digital odometers. The guys at Honda claimed the K24Z2 remains stable and planted at speed in excess of 200km/h, a speed which yours truly had not tested during this breaking-in period.

Spirited driving can be achieved thanks to the "S" mode coupled with the F1-styled paddle shifts. Bring the rpm into the iVTEC zone and the K24Z2 roars.

The headlights themselves are a work of wonder, it is HUGE. Comes with HID as stock, the colour temperature might be around 3,000-4,000. It is bright daylight-white when first turned on, and gradually turns into a yellowish hue. The only mod I did for the headlight was to replace the small light bulbs to superwhite LED bulbs, which costs RM60 per pair.

I liked the above angle the most, which reminisce the 5-Series' sexy arse. Notice the rear boot spoiler a.k.a. "ducktail" from Honda's Modulo, which costs me RM920. It actually did a liposuction effect on the K24Z2's massive J-Lo arse.

The rollers are 17", wrapped in Goodyear's 225/50 R17 94V rubbers. Tire noise can be intrusive with this particular brand, am thinking of switching to Conti rubbers for a quieter ride and grippier feel. It is nonetheless handsome in stock condition.

Germany's Hüper Optik® tinting films wrapped the windows all around, with non-legal blackness covering the side windows. Catch me if you can!

Make no mistake, it is a 2.4 iVTEC (pre-ECU reflash @177BHP)!
More horses to join the stable real soon!

Goodbye 4G15P

I decided to sell off my trusty 5 y.o. 4G15P last December, and it's finally sold to a Malay owner last week for RM21K. It was a great deal for him I must say, coz besides the very tip-top condition of the car, the plate number 8606 came out as top-prize in Toto the next day he bought the car (I was told the guy wanted to invest RM100 in Toto). *$&%(*$&%($&%...

On the other hand, I've been driving my brand new K24Z2 since 01/01/09, and the upgrade from 88BHP (from 4G15P) to 180PS is pure awesomeness. I'm waiting for the finance to pay out the RM21K, so that I can reflash my ECU and re-chip the EMS. That'd easily boost my K24z2 to an excess of 200BHP! Then it'll be the flywheel... and disc brake upgrades...

More pics and updates soon when I'm free, probably the nxt CNY! Happy "NIU" Year guys and gals!