Frankly, it's not that I'm paranoid, but I really don't trust those youngster mechanics and technicians, not only at PROTON SCs.

Previously when I was replacing my head unit at a local accessory shop. The young punk electrical guy told me that the FORD FOCUS' pick up is very good. I asked him how he knows? He said that the FORD agent had brought their new vehicles to them for head unit replacement/upgrading. They then had the opportunity to rev and try for themselves the maximum pick up.

I was thinking to myself: WTF? A brand new engine barely having done the run-in yet and you people are revving it at more than 5k rpm. This is definitely no good for the new engine. But these young punks just don't have their responsibility nor concern for things which don't belong to them, but will only do what they want for their own thrills.

This post has been edited by winners8: Aug 4 2019, 09:33 PM

I'm also contemplating to do my next servicing at outside workshops but I'm still sourcing for reliable ones. My vehicle is now slightly over 4 years old and the warranty now only covers the engine and transmission until the 5th year. I also don't know what else is covered thereafter since my vehicle was entitled for the 7-year warranty promotion (the 6th and 7th years are by a 3rd party insurance company engaged by PROTON) at the time of my purchase. But knowing the unscrupulous tactics being used by the SCs, they'll try their best to deny warranty repairs at the slightest opportunity.

Previously when my headlamps have the water mists after a storm, they refused to replace for me. They claimed that their supplier has a pre-condition that if the water mists or vapor will go away after 30 minutes of switching ON the headlights, then they won't offer a free replacement. I was again like: WTF? Since it's just a layer of mists at the bottom of the headlamps, it will definitely be evaporated by the heat generated during the 30 minutes of switching ON the headlights. It's as good as saying that there's no point to bring up this issue to them as they will only replace for free if there is water flooding inside the headlamp housing, but how can this occur unless there is a crack? And I strongly believe that even should this occur, they will come up again with another excuse that the crack was caused by the car owner. They are both the devil and the angel. Bloody dishonest management. I mean regardless of whether there are mists or water flooding, these don't happen when the headlamps are new. So, since it has happened during the 3-year warranty period, it clearly shows that there is a manufacturing defect but yet they will try all means to deny their responsibility and won't honor their warranty. A big "F" to them.

What are the proven OBD II Car Diagnostic Scanners that can be used for PROTON PREVE?

I've seen numerous types on sale in Lazada Malaysia and AliExpress, but am afraid to buy one because I don't know if it is compatible with PROTON. Of course they have their list of compatible vehicle manufacturers, but as usual, PROTON is never listed as one of them, since it is not really an International brand.

I just need those that can read, reset and cancel the diagnostic codes/errors, not those higher end models that can be programmed.

Can any brothers who have successfully used them before provide some recommendations?

This post has been edited by winners8: Aug 12 2019, 05:43 PM

Thanks brother. ELM327 and Ancel V310 seem reasonable enough. The rest I think is beyond my budget. For a start, I may buy 1 of those ELM327 model and "play" with it. But I believe those lower level ELM327 models can only read but not reset the error codes?

This post has been edited by winners8: Aug 12 2019, 07:10 PM

Thanks brother. Which ANCEL model would you recommend? I'll then look into it. What types (brand and model) are you using currently?

Thanks.

What is your mileage now?

Hi, would appreciate if any Preve Turbo owners in JB who can recommend a knowledgeable and reliable workshop in JB? Thanks in advance.

I would like to diagnose my (occasional) difficult to start problem. I saw on the Prevoc Facebook that 1 owner also has this problem and went to the PROTON SC, and they "suspect" it could be the Turbo problem and will cost RM5k to replace. I don't buy this reasoning because my car's mileage is only about 19,000 km, although it is 4½ years old.

Just last Friday, I went to change my battery at a neighborhood shop. 1 of their mechanics who is driving a Preve also encounters this problem. I asked him what he does to it, but he said just leave it as it is since the car will still eventually get started after the 2nd or 3rd cranking.

This post has been edited by winners8: Sep 17 2019, 12:02 PM

Thanks for your good advice. However, I think if the whole throttle body is removed, I'll also need to replace with new gaskets, right? I do have the THREEBOND Engine Conditioner (TB6601J) which I had previously used for my PROTON SAGA's throttle body, but without dismantling. During that time, the problem was unstable idling during morning starts. Unfortunately, even after spraying the THREEBOND Engine Conditioner (TB6601J), the problem was still there. Maybe without dismantling the whole throttle body, the cleaning wasn't done correctly/thoroughly? Few months later, I traded in for the PREVE.

Anyway, it would help greatly if I can have a chance to speak to a mechanic in JB who is well versed with Preve repairs. Otherwise, I know most of them are just "hit and run" types and may tell you to change parts which may not be related to the pending problem at all. Just like the post on the Prevoc Facebook whereby the PROTON SC asked the owner to change the whole Turbo unit because they "suspected" that is the cause of the problem. In my opinion, problems with Turbo unit should cause unsatisfactory/inconsistent/lag acceleration problems, not starting problems. So, what happens if after spending RM5k to replace the Turbo unit , but the problem is still not resolved? These trial and error troubleshooting methods are not practical, not to mention also very expensive for this particular case.

1 option I'm thinking now is to change the spark plugs, but I'm also of the opinion that since they are only used till 19,000 km mileage presently, this may not be the problem, not to mention that the original spark plugs are Iridium, which should easily outlasts 60,000 km. Furthermore, my this difficult to start problem never happens during cold/morning starts. It will only happen after the engine has been shut down for between 1 and 1½ hours, and also, intermittently, not always, although it's getting more frequent lately. This is the most frustrating aspect because one cannot pinpoint exactly where is the source of the fault.

This post has been edited by winners8: Sep 17 2019, 08:15 PM

Thanks brother. What you mentioned makes sense since this valve is also related to fuel going in to the intake manifold. I will check out the one on my Preve but I don't remember any unusual "ticking" noise coming from my engine top cover. According to what I have GOOGLED, if this valve is faulty, there should be a "ticking" noise, but I suspect it may also be due to leaking by this valve for my case. I'll also try to get a second opinion from a mechanic if possible. But strangely, I saw those sellers in Shopee and Lazada stated that this valve (P/N: PW810693) is for the IAFM and IAFM+ engines of PROTON GEN2, PERSONA, BLM and EXORA. They don't state that it's for the PREVE CFE/Turbo. Tomorrow, I'll remove the top plastic cover and search for this valve on my Preve.

My problem also originally started with once every few months but lately it's getting worse and will occur more frequently. Also, I usually drive my Preve about once a week only.

This post has been edited by winners8: Sep 17 2019, 08:08 PM

Thanks brother. I always use the 3-way start. Press Start/Stop button to activate ACC. Press Start/Stop button again to activate Fuel Pump, Step brake pedal to activate ABS pump, Press Start/Stop button the 3rd time for engine cranking. I'll look up for the location of Zordaq Motorsports JB.

This post has been edited by winners8: Sep 17 2019, 08:50 PM

Thanks to all for the valuable advises. Will update again.

If this problem is happening ONLY after your recent air-cond service, why don't you go back to that vendor for their opinion? What I know is that the radiator fan will start at its highest speed once the compressor will kick in and hence much more noisier, but is the increased air-flow noise, not mechanical noise. But your case is before and after the compressor kicks in, which is very strange indeed, since there is no additional load on the engine during these 2 periods.

This post has been edited by winners8: Sep 18 2019, 06:27 AM

This morning I removed the connector of the Canister Purge Valve (PW810693). Its resistance is 17Ω, slightly higher than the 16Ω from the BOSCH's Specification. However, I cannot check if there is valve leakage because I don't have a vacuum pump with me. I just cleaned up the connector, socket and the inlet fuel hose. Will continue to monitor its situation.

This post has been edited by winners8: Sep 18 2019, 10:55 AM

Talking of this, my original RAMCAR battery was also showing signs of weakness after 4½ years. If I don't start for 1 week, its voltage will drop to about 12.18 Volts DC. Previously, it could still maintain about 12.35 Volts DC after 1 week of no start.

Last Friday, I went to change to a larger capacity ENERGIZER HIGH GRADE (80D23L) battery for RM325.00. This is a 70Ah battery as compared to the original 55D23L (55Ah) battery. This morning, when I checked its voltage after 5 days of no start, it's still good at 12.73 Volts DC or 88.67% charged.

Most battery shops are aggressively pushing the AMARON brand, but I don't like it for 3 reasons: First, it is made in India. Second, I had used their HI-LIFE (55B24RS) 45Ah battery for my previous PROTON SAGA, which is supposed to be their 2nd best grade. After 6 months of usage, its voltage will drop very badly to 11.81 Volts DC (or 27.33% charged) if the car is not started for 1 week. Finally, there is a green indicator glass to check on the electrolyte status for 1 cell. However, since my first day of installation, this indicator had always been in black color. So, it's a total bull shit. I'd rather take a risk and try out the ENERGIZER brand, which is made in Korea and its (1 cell) electrolyte status indicator is showing me green color. If it can last me for 3 years should be good enough.

This post has been edited by winners8: Sep 18 2019, 11:17 AM

I did pointed out to the installer during installation on my PROTON SAGA, but he had conned me by saying that I'll need to drive it for a few days to fully charged up the battery to see the green indicator. That's why I say many auto shops here in JB are not honest. Anyway, I traded in my PROTON SAGA for the PREVE some 8 months later.

Anyway, even when I told to some battery shops during last Friday (when I was sourcing for a new battery for my PREVE) about the black indicator on AMARON batteries, some of them admitted this problem and told me to ignore it altogether. They can only "assure" me by saying that if I take their HI-LIFE series, it'll be guaranteed for 18 months. See how dishonest these people can be? Anyway, enough of made in India products for me. I strongly advise all not to be taken for a ride by their commercial gimmicks.

This post has been edited by winners8: Sep 18 2019, 12:13 PM

That's why I still say many of the mechanics here in JB are those can't be bothered type.

Rightfully, when replacing a car battery, there should be a standby battery connected in parallel (or to the supply terminals of the OBD-II connector) in order to retain the ECU and radio setting memories.

Both shops which I had went to previously for my PROTON SAGA and last week for my PREVE, they just told me to start my engine before removing the battery cables from the old battery. I immediately told that guy last week that this is not the correct way. That's because once you remove the negative terminal from the old battery with the engine running, there can be a possible voltage surge (by up to 16 Volts DC) and this can fry the electronics in the vehicle.

So, I told him that since he doesn't use the standby battery method (probably being lazy), just simply replace the new battery without starting my car and I'll re-program my radio settings again when I return home later.

This post has been edited by winners8: Sep 18 2019, 12:35 PM

Care to share what brand you use for your 2nd and this new 3rd batteries?

I had changed my fuel filter (P/N: PW922319) during the regular servicing on the 2nd year at 9,389km. Thereafter, there was still the same occasional hard starting situation. Presently, its mileage is only about 19,100km. Furthermore, I believe the fuel filter should be able to last in excess of 10,000km.

This post has been edited by winners8: Sep 21 2019, 09:33 AM

How come you have the turbo cooling fan? Did you install it additionally?