Please add me in the list !

Ah_Bear - 2.0SX Clear White (6 Speed AT) Sedan tq !!

Did you guys managed to change your forte's horn ASAP you get your car
out from the showroom ?

Considering to change mine to a big car-like horn from Bosch.. forte's stock horn
sound abit weak to my liking.. (at least slightly better than stock vios)

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Added on June 17, 2012, 10:10 amwalau.. so early.. gd morning !! heheee


This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Jun 17 2012, 10:10 AM

If I am not mistaken all Forte out from the factory using
maintenance free dry battery.. which could last more than 2 years..

looking from the results.. you still can use it for another 6 months..
then change to a new battery at Kedai Servis Kereta Ah Seng

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Added on June 17, 2012, 11:00 amit is better to have 2.0 especially you often drive on hilly roads so that you could have more power to play around with..

through my experience with my friend's forte 1.6 4 speed and 6 speed, town driving was sufficient for both transmission but it seemed abit breathless with 1.6 4 speed on Karak highway and Genting hill.. not sure on the 1.6 6AT..

if you're a person who don't like to often accelerate a.k.a heavy footed driver.. 1.6 shouldn't be a problem for you..

btw, i prefer 2.0 because of the cruise control feature and both full length curtain + side airbags.. and I have the habit to overtaking cars promptly..


This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Jun 17 2012, 11:00 AM

my understanding of vios + city & forte + m3 both falls on different category..
you should test drive a vios or mazda2 then u jump into civic or forte's test car.. you will feel both
has different class feel.. (city feels cramped and economy car compared to forte / mazda 3 which feels more comfortable drive and ppl carrier esp. at highway speed)
btw i used to own a Vios TRD sportivo then I moved on with Forte 6 speed..

if you're after for a sporty handling smooth revving car, the japanese badge and doesn't mind to spend >RM120K
you should pick mazda3..

if you're looking for a car packed with all features which only often found in D-segment cars (in Malaysian market la..), reasonably sporty and fun to drive.. value for money and rewarding to drive.. then no doubt its Forte already..

vios + city + m2 + fiesta.. all these are fuel sippers compared to C-segment class.. which saves you on petrol money and gets you from point A to B without problems.. the tradeoff is you have less comfortable driving exp. and limited interior space..

Forte's resale value is not as bad as the Legendary Spectra which nowadays most Used Dealers asking RM60k for
Forte 1.6SX 4 Speed year 2009.. I had traded in my Vios TRD sportivo 2009 at RM65,500 3 months ago, and I bought it brand new RM90,000 3 yrs ago .. you can use this as a comparison..

yes it is estimated around RM330+- for Century brand..
you can dropby any workshop.. coz vehicle battery prices are kinda standard..
maybe other sifus here could help on recommended shop location

since you mentioned you don't drive like a madman, 1.6 should be sufficient for you.. take note the word "sufficient"..

i test driven 1.6 6speed one at Naza Kia Bangsar before i got my 2.0.. the test drive route includes the housing area behind the row of Naza Kia Bangsar and other shops with lots uphill and downhill..
i could say 1.6 engine in Forte is insufficient to encounter with uphills coz u need to trash the engine little bit to higher rpm (3,300 > 4,000rpm) to get decent pick up pace.. and i could recall my ex-2004 Waja EV 4AT mitsubishi felt 30% more stronger in torque than 1.6 Forte 6AT..

why not you drop by in any Naza Kia showrooms and test drive yourself and make your own judgement ?

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Added on June 17, 2012, 6:40 pmmy car and myself still haven't got chance to escape out from KL..
what i get in average on daily drive from cheras to wangsa maju via MRR2.. is 10-11liter/100km..
which returns 220km for RM50 petrol RON95.. 95% city drive 70% heavy footed stop and go traffic..

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Added on June 17, 2012, 6:48 pmmy 1st service also 1500km.. no problem.. but I felt the car to be super sluggish and harsh immediate
after 1st service using Petronas fully syn oil by SC.. and slowly gets quieter, refined, smooth power until to-date mileage 4,900km
even a 1.8 Dual VVT-i corolla altis cannot beat my forte's engine smoothness and refinement now

This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Jun 17 2012, 06:50 PM

mine was that stewpit 3S Chan Sow Lin.. that never listen to my feedbacks
on minor defects (reverse camera image and green LED blinks occasionally, all 4 doors different sound of closing thud, driver's active front headrest squeaking when i leaned against.. then i brought in 3S Setapak without appointment made on Saturday.. they're still welcomed me (but 3S CSL rejects walk-in customers on saturdays ).. then 3S Setapak magically solved all of my nit-picking problems in just 30 minutes wait

seemed like 3S CSL messed up my ECU during my 1st service.. gear change got delay, 25% weaker torque than before 1k mileage.. i didn't bother to complain to 3S Setapak and let my car engine to run-in.. now its all normal

its kind of trashy at high revs.. again I seldom go into that revolution region..
the most i will accelerate in most situation max at 4,100 and still NVH was reasonable
for the driver and most passengers..

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Added on June 18, 2012, 10:29 pmI would like to add a fact which I missed out earlier.. the reason I go for 2.0 is because
2.0 has motor driven power steering a.k.a electric power steering which is so light and easy to maneuver around town..

the 1.6 needs much more effort to turn.. oddly stiff and stiffest among all modern cars with hydraulic PS.. and
becomes worryingly light when at high speed..

and I realised the Forte's turning radius is SUPERRRR HUGE.. even bigger turning circle than waja..
... or is it just me I very get used to my previous Vios tight turning circle ?

2.0 sure no regret wan.. your friends will look around at cabin in your 2.0.. "wahhh.. airbags eveliwhere.."
goes up Genting piece o' cake..

This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Jun 18 2012, 10:29 PM

I'm second to that.. ! which is why I've sold off my Vios couple months ago
even my Vios last time got kak kak sound at driver's cockpit and "hungry stomach sound" at steering wheel intermittently since brought new until the day I let it go..

Forte is a car which either you love it or hate it.. hate it just because of not-so-desirable KIA badge..
love it because of its arguably one of the best looking economy priced C-Segment, impressive list of features, a competent everyday car which keep most owners happy..

as in the long run.. maybe sifus here with owning 4 speed can comment..

I do have some nit-picking problems with Forte since day 1.. I just need to find the right
SC to solve all those.. and I did, overall my car is in well order till now..

bodykit ? i kena some damn scratches beneath it too.. but I didn't feel sakit hati so much
coz its not visible from front unless I put my head down and look.. the car still look awesome with BK.. no regrets lor.

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Added on June 20, 2012, 11:26 pmcongrats wor
for me I am using Ecotint..
most people will get Raytech for midrange spec and reasonable price..


This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Jun 20 2012, 11:26 PM

I would suggest you to keep the stock ones rather you need to fork out extra cash for new
16 inchers with new set of tyres..

my car now clocking apx. 5,070km and my 90% city drive FC improved to avg 8.8liter/100km from max 12liter/100km before 4k km mileage..

i guess the 2.0 with 17 inch rims doesn't cause really bad FC thou..

Ok, my question is - does 17 inch on the forte make it really the car really uncomfortable?
I can understand if you want to make the car more comfortable by swapping to 16', but is 17' really so bad?

[/quote]17 inch ride is still smooth on well tarmac or pavement.. and 50% of chances the ride can be lil bit too firm..
but not annoying at all..

ppl who prefer to have softer feel while going on our typical road minor imperfection then 215/55/R16 with a set of Michelin Premacy LC is best..

[quote=Intel@Atom,Jun 21 2012, 06:27 PM]hi guys,
i am quite confuse as after i set it to auto + choose the inside air circulation (auto wording will be disappear), but the air cond is still run automatically where the fan will blow harder is the internal temperature is much higher.

is this still considered fully automatic or what does the auto meaning here?
[/quote]

I was confused also with the Auto A/C function in Forte when I newly bought the car..
so.. after few days of experiment.. I found that Auto function can be configured..

With a push of Auto button includes full auto configuration your fresh air/recycle air mode, fan speed, temperature, blow face and leg mode all will be fully automatic..

when you wanna configure the Auto mode, for an example if you're a person who is scared of cold but doesn't want the A/C to auto adjust your fan speed and prefer to keep cabin air recirculate mode.. you can push Auto button.. then you press any of the fan speed button (this means you disable the auto fan function) and you press the recycle cabin air button (to disable auto air circulation mode and just stick to recycle air mode).. and don't touch the MODE button..

with a scenario when comes to a heavy rain weather in the evening.. you jump into your car with wet body and shoes.. you can set your temperature to 28°C or higher when you are shivering and the A/C will become Heater and the system automatically blows heat to your face and legs so your body and feet can feel warm and ensure you are not catching cold.. manually adjust the fan speed if you wanna get more warm air..

But the other car Corolla Altis which also has auto climate control, I pressed the auto button.. the system full blast fan speed with face and leg mode at 19°C - 23ºC.. it auto set only face mode when temp set to "LO" and above 23°C together with auto lower fan speed.. but Forte doesn't do that (luckily Forte doesn't.. because I don't get any point of this Auto configuration purpose ).. and Altis doesn't have Heater function.. hehe..

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Added on June 21, 2012, 11:17 pm[quote=fastandfurious,Jun 21 2012, 11:09 PM]
17 inch ride is still smooth on well tarmac or pavement.. and 50% of chances the ride can be lil bit too firm..
but not annoying at all..

ppl who prefer to have softer feel while going on our typical road minor imperfection then 215/55/R16 with a set of Michelin Premacy LC is best..

[/quote]

Hmm.. It feels quite harsh actually, no? quite bumpy. Having said that I wouldnt downgrade to 16" just for a little bit of fuel saving and comfort. It looks too nice to let go haha.

[/quote]Same same lor.. the stock rims really compliments the whole car styling package..
it feels little bumpy but not as much bumpy as stock Myvi also leh.. correct or not ??


This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Jun 21 2012, 11:17 PM

yeap bro.. i describe it as firm ride with a touch of sportiness..
bumpy tu x la bumpy sgt.. its ride quite similar like my previous waja..
at times the Forte can be over bounce at the rear when comes to larger speed humps..
is it because of the car's rear torsion beam setup.. ?

as far as I experience, Michelin rubbers can last up to 70k-80k km depends on your daily route
conditions..

my waja used Michelin MXV8 lasted me 65k km since new until i sell it off.. it has 40% thread left..
my prev vios used Premacy LC went 57k km.. all tires got 45% thread left according to my trusted tire shop mechanics..
as for now my forte.. still using stock Artlantis V7
still not enough cash to change to new a new set tires for 17 inch rims..
hopefully next month I can do so..

I will still go for another Michelin.. feels really safe when your car's BA kicks in when car in front of you suddenly stops with no slip & screeching sound.. and it inspires big car-like comfort and solidity ride..

i will swap the both front and back tires every 20k km.. tire wear on each tire are almost equal..
i am not sure how the tire shop guys measure.. they were just verbally told me on the percentage of the thread left..

i think Michelin threads doesn't seemed to botak so fast when comparing with a Ford Focus at home which had Goodyear NCT5 (generally car and tires taken care properly) which only served 45k km and its oredi near botak..

According to the Chan Sow Lin 3S SC.. the original DVD HU cost RM2.4k with installation.. the guy did mentioned the HU is compatible with steering buttons..

no info about others aftermarket OEM player.. just afraid that the built-in bluetooth handsfree is not as good as the original ones..

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Added on June 23, 2012, 12:57 amI always use soft99 with proper polishing cloth and gently rub it until the bird drop stain gone..
most of the time felt dulan when the bird drop yellow colour dots on my car white paint and I didn't noticed it for like 4 days.. hard to remove that stain !! tahi burung so acidic one meh ?

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Added on June 23, 2012, 1:06 ampremacy & predecessor MXV8 will have cracks visible on the tire threads after awhile.. but its completely safe to use and the bunga very the long lasting..

some tires shop will convince the car owner to replace new tires when threads only left about 40-35%.. its actually still safe to use for another year (only Michelin brand) with condition which you shouldn't speed above 150km/h and corners fast while heavy rain..

i cannot stand the Atlantis roaring sound oredi lah.. must change.. must change..

This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Jun 23 2012, 01:11 AM

apparently what I observed and been told by others.. Forte 1.6SX stock tires are now Silverstone Synergy M5.. no more Kumho..

Yokohama CDrive is not bad it has good balance between ride comfort and handling.. RM370/pc for 215/45R17..
the best quiet comfort smooth tire is still Premacy LC without compromise on grip and handling..
Michelin PS3 is still comfort quiet with higher level of grip and handling but the ride its abit on the coarse side..

you get what you pay for..

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Added on June 23, 2012, 11:16 amwhen purchasing an aftermarket branded HU.. there's chances for the car accessories shop to rip off the customers such as to buy the dashboard casing let's say RM350.. the remote signal receiver RM210.. wires plug-in-and play (to avoid cutting the original wiring to avoid warranty void) for RM80.. rewire the back-up camera image from rear view mirror to the HU for RM120..

and to get a decent 2-DIN DVD HU should be quoted RM2.5k (maybe without satnav feature too)..
that sums up all together should be RM3,200++ ..

and in the end you realised that the new aftermarket gives higher MOSFET power to all stock speakers which cause the speaker bass sound to totally dispersed all over the cabin which sound like milo tin..
sound quality worse than the original HU produce coz the stock speakers cannot stand higher audio power..
in the end you will go back to the same shop and ask for Rockford Fosgate speakers front and back with underseat subwoofer with additional 2k or more $$$ if you are an "car audio enthusiast" installing other gadgets like 4.1 channel amp and rear boot subwoofer and so on..

for those who thinks car audio is not so important.. safest of all.. just remain the very original HU and not doing anything about it


This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Jun 23 2012, 11:16 AM

eh.. I also just drove back from Melaka to KL today..
and the Artlantis V7 tires really made me fedup coz too much road roaring noise..
I did kept on cucuk-ing a brand new satria neo cps oso coz he was damn lcly with me..
then he wind down his window and wave his hand saying that he is surrender.. LOL !!

1.6 mana boleh lawan 2.0 ?

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Added on June 23, 2012, 9:38 pmclever idea !! i wanna copy you lah..


This post has been edited by Ah_Bear: Jun 23 2012, 09:38 PM