Letter: Proton in the UK
Here is a letter sent in by Kumaresan Balakrishnan, a student from Johor Bahru currently studying in the UK. He shares with us a little about Proton cars in the UK.
I am a student originally from Johor Bahru, now at the Hull University Business School, doing Marketing and Logistics.
I have pictures of UK police Waja fleet. The Humberside Police in Yorkshire have a fleet 90% comprising of Wiras, and Wajas, and their plainclothes police drive GEN2’s.
Protons are extremely popular in Hull. I see many of them while walking to University from my house. Also, 50% of the taxis in Hull are Protons. Hull is the 7th largest city in England.
I have spoken to Proton owners here and they have nothing but praise for the vehicle, which I found unbelievable judging by the amount of problems my mum’s Waja has been giving her.
While taking a picture of the front of a police Waja, I was caught by the policeman who was using the vehicle. He had just returned from buying a sandwich at Subway.
After explaining to him why I was doing it he kindly allowed me to open the door and take a picture of the dashboard, but he was a bit shy and declined to let me take a picture of the car with him in it.
Everybody I ask seems to love their Protons here. Very, very, very strange for a person like me to hear such comments. I wonder if the quality control of export-bound Protons really are that much better.
More photos after the jump.
June 8, 2007 @ 3:52 pm
of course la nothing but praise!! they got unlimited extended warranty.. double triple quadruple airbags…. free services free lunch everything free… cheaper to buy compared to other cars… i myself would love to own a waja serviced by proton uk private limited!!
June 8, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
[speechless]
June 8, 2007 @ 4:13 pm
i ve friend who live in the uk come back for a holiday, he said the old saga or the iswara( MPI) is not easily rusted, there are little rust on wheel arch, as mercedes and other europeans havig the same rust spot when the road is usually salt gritted during winter,
he said engine fuel injection and management are from japanese,
and if someone looking for a used GTI , still expensive,
June 8, 2007 @ 4:29 pm
nothing but praise?not that i doubt proton but coming from those serious critics, i find it rather hard to believe.probably those who praised are just saying it just to give face to the malaysian.
June 8, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
no lah that must be a Toyota, a Honda, a BMW, a Merc or some high quality british stuff. Can’t be malaysian. I can’t believe it.
June 8, 2007 @ 4:34 pm
huah! what the ?
June 8, 2007 @ 4:34 pm
Remember the Top Gear about Gen2? Free 2nd brake and i pound deposit?
June 8, 2007 @ 4:37 pm
i have no idea…….
June 8, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
Double standard. Can barely say the local ones had QC inspection at all while the export versions are so good in quality and aftersales services. Its a disgrace Malaysian treating Malaysian like rubbish while looking up at people who finds it hard to respect them.
June 8, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
Trust me it’s real. I’m in UK now n i seen that on TV. Waja Police car. I was quite surprise when I saw it though, I thought I saw it wrong. But when it appeared second time, I believed it. But usually I only see old people driving Proton, I mean with my own eye on the road. I’m not in Hull btw.
June 8, 2007 @ 5:23 pm
everybody that owns it in uk of course love it… cos its such an affordable car over there.. try to selling it like RM25k here and i am also sure we will love our protons to bits… no complains…
June 8, 2007 @ 5:38 pm
And it is tuned by Lotus…
June 8, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
jtshin said,
June 8, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
But usually I only see old people driving Proton, I mean with my own eye on the road. I’m not in Hull btw.
===============
old ppl in developed country have much2 better taste than 3rd world county malaysian youngster taste
prrrfthhh
June 8, 2007 @ 5:56 pm
well in UK everybody has praises for it but sells for just a small amount…..where else in the home market where sales exceed 100k units…..they couldnt be *toot*ing bothered to rectify what was wrong and gain our consumer confidence.
i mean….even if proton would to sell at 50-60k like it is now but quality is way better than before….i’m sure ppl wouldnt be complaining that much about it and happily buy 1….everyone would like to buy a 1.6 car for less than 60k too right? (good reliabilty of course)…..but now alot of those customers have swayed to P2…….thanks to their screw ups.
June 8, 2007 @ 6:03 pm
In the UK Proton is priced much lower than other makes and offer better features and options than Malaysia. No doubt it will be a better deal in town. Besides the build quality for export models would be much better. Throw them a standard Waja from Malaysia and see if their opinions remain the same.
June 8, 2007 @ 6:22 pm
The build quality is the same for both export and local models..the only difference is the optional stuffs being thrown in with the whole package.
My family’s 20 year old saga magma is still going strong with no rust watsoever. My 1 n the half year old Savvy doesn’t have any problem.
There’s a Savvy owner in Australia who had tons of prob with his savvy..he’s not happy (from savoc)..another UK owner complaint about his gen.2 build quality (Proton UK owners club).
Just to show it’s all lies and myth .. cos ALL proton cars came from same plants and factory not like some other local car marque with their downgraded
japang models originated from a different plant.
http://www.protonownersclub.co.uk
Proud UK owners with their Protons. Glad to be part of their family.
June 8, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
[...] us a little about Proton cars in the UK. I am a student originally from Johor Bahru, now at the Hull University Business School, doing Marketing and [...]
June 8, 2007 @ 6:41 pm
If the price of Prtoton sell in UK are that the same we are having in Malaysia, Sure No Complain.
June 8, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
#
peYno said,
June 8, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
jtshin said,
June 8, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
But usually I only see old people driving Proton, I mean with my own eye on the road. I’m not in Hull btw.
===============
old ppl in developed country have much2 better taste than 3rd world county malaysian youngster taste
prrrfthhh
==hmm…….u never been to UK don’t comment such a way idiotly. i have been asking u sometime where the hell u find out malaysia is a third world country?. are u telling u r very old already? hahaha……..i just can’t stop laughing whenever i read ur claims. whahahaha…….funny?
June 8, 2007 @ 6:50 pm
now I feel not so bad to drive Proton oredi… thanks pal
June 8, 2007 @ 6:54 pm
#
hypermount said,
June 8, 2007 @ 6:22 pm
The build quality is the same for both export and local models..the only difference is the optional stuffs being thrown in with the whole package.
My family’s 20 year old saga magma is still going strong with no rust watsoever. My 1 n the half year old Savvy doesn’t have any problem.
There’s a Savvy owner in Australia who had tons of prob with his savvy..he’s not happy (from savoc)..another UK owner complaint about his gen.2 build quality (Proton UK owners club).
Just to show it’s all lies and myth .. cos ALL proton cars came from same plants and factory not like some other local car marque with their downgraded
japang models originated from a different plant.
http://www.protonownersclub.co.uk
Proud UK owners with their Protons. Glad to be part of their family.
==hmm…….just to let u know that u won’t comment such a way if u know the truth. Try to drive the models for the export and compare with the local protons.
Even very expensive model like merc, bmw, toyota, etc also hv their own quality issues. not every units are perfect but not all getting worse.
hahaha………true that all proton cars are coming from the same factory plant, but is it the same production line? pay a visit there before?………hahahaha.
June 8, 2007 @ 7:39 pm
I think the quality control might be better for export.. At UK i heard a lot of promotions,free service n recently 5 years warranty… anywayz imagine that..
“J said,
now I feel not so bad to drive Proton oredi… thanks pal.”
If P1 sell to VW, i think u will say GREAT! Now i feel so excellent driving a VW+P1 car! I want that twin charge 1.4TSI engine Satria Neo!
June 8, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
i m a first year undergraduate in london and i have seen neither a waja nor a gen2 and indeed i saw quite a few saga, iswara and wira…
according to what car? and top gear magazines here, ‘a lot of metal with a small amount of money, but with nissan bluebird technology!’
June 8, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
from
http://www.proton.co.uk/impian/warranty/peaceofmind.asp
3 year total vehicle warranty
This is a 3 year/ 60,000 mile manufacturer’s warranty available for all new Impian vehicles first registered in the UK and purchased from a UK Proton dealer. This warranty is given subject to the vehicle being maintained and serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s schedules and in line with any terms and conditions. Please see your Proton dealer for full details. This three years of warranty is transferable on the sale of the vehicle.
6 year engine and gearbox warranty - Powertrain
The Proton Powertrain warranty gives total peace of mind covering major mechanical failure of the powertrain components for 6 years or 100,000 miles, whichever is sooner. This warranty is in addition to the manufacturer’s 3 year/ 60,000 mile warranty. The warranty is available on all Impian vehicles and given subject to maintenance and servicing in accordance with manufacturer’s schedules and in line with the terms and conditions. Items covered include certain engine components, clutch and gearbox items and selected transmission parts. Please see your dealer for a full list of components and any terms and conditions that apply to the warranty. This warranty is transferable on the sale of the vehicle.
6 year unlimited mileage bodywork warranty
The 6 year unlimited mileage anti-corrosion warranty is available on all Impian vehicles, subject to maintenance and servicing in accordance with the manufacturer’s schedules and other terms and conditions. This warranty is transferable on the sale of the vehicle and will maintain and enhance the value of your vehicle on resale.
3 year unlimited mileage paintwork warranty
This warranty applies to all Impian models and offers a paintwork warranty in line with the terms and conditions of the 3 year total vehicle warranty but for an unlimited mileage period. This warranty is also subject to terms and conditions and is transferable on the sale of the vehicle.
does our beloved proton offer this generous coverage of Unlimited total vehicles thing to patriotic rakyat?….I don’t think so.
btw
——————————————————————–
#
hypermount said,
June 8, 2007 @ 6:22 pm
The build quality is the same for both export and local models..the only difference is the optional stuffs being thrown in with the whole package.
”
Just to show it’s all lies and myth .. cos ALL proton cars came from same plants and factory not like some other local car marque with their downgraded
japang models originated from a different plant.
”
Proud UK owners with their Protons. Glad to be part of their family.
——————————————————————
U don’t work in proton. you don’t know the cost cutting exercise implemented in auto industries nowadays. FYI, I just want to highlight only one, all our beloved proton export cars even came from one factories using different standard. Becoz. they need to adjust their cars or in auto term “homologation” to fit with UK or other country homologation requirement. For example, all steel must use galvanized steel. strong corrosion resistant, but for patriotic rakyat only normal steel sheet. go figure…
June 8, 2007 @ 7:43 pm
it must be bmw in disguise as proton
no doubt
June 8, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
someone must open up his/hers senses…. don’t type blindly!
since day one, P1 had been producing different lot, diff quality, diff spec of cars for export! but not for bolehland rakyat….
June 8, 2007 @ 7:50 pm
drivers oversea can eventually complained about their car quality n sued d car manufacturer.
if here like dat, proton lama sudah bungkus la.
if they make it cheaper n more stuffs 4 export car, y not here?
mmg tipu rakyat..
now tgu proton bankrap.
June 8, 2007 @ 7:51 pm
stop saying different this different that lar…
if you wanted the same one go buy lar
got money then can d
June 8, 2007 @ 7:57 pm
just bcoz the brits uses proton dosn’t say much…i think proton donated those cars…maybe because they ship them half way around the world and cannot sell them!
June 8, 2007 @ 8:00 pm
It would be much interesting if put both UK spec & M’sia Spec on a test, to compare & see why so many of us hated it, while so many in the UK loved it. There must be a catch and differences in both identical cars.
June 8, 2007 @ 8:21 pm
hypermount said,
June 8, 2007 @ 6:22 pm
The build quality is the same for both export and local models..the only difference is the optional stuffs being thrown in with the whole package.
+++++
Just to show it’s all lies and myth .. cos ALL proton cars came from same plants and factory not like some other local car marque with their downgraded
japang models originated from a different plant.
**************************************************************************
No Hypermount. I bet you the quality is not same. Once again i repeat, it’s not bloody same. No way !! The export quality is much superior than the domestic. This is a FACT.
You don’t believe me ?…Alright if so, you could go to the Proton’s Body Shop Line and check it out whether the Door Panel Sub Assy produced for the local and export market is the same spec or not. For the export market, there will come out with different exclusive spec such as the iron bar (for safety), door lining (absorb noise and yield different sound once the door is closed) and etc. Furthermore, the quality control and pre-delivery inspection for the export pack is more stringent while for the local, there will be a lot of compromising where even a schlock will be let go to customers ! After all as a Malaysian itself, Proton knows very well about the public Malaysian way of thinking and mentality generally. The ” tak apa, tak kisah and lebih kurang” attitude. So that’s what public Malaysian got to pay. Perhaps you were lucky to get a good 20 years old Saga and Savvy but how about the thousand of others who were unlucky ? This implies the QC is not fully standardized thus leaking was widely occurred.
Certainly all the cars have been coming out from the same mother plant but i tell you, even it’s a same model, let say it’s a Waja, it doesn’t necessarily has a totally same build even for a single part of the body.(As the example i gave above, a door). And how about the interior finishing, the material used; the fabric, the felt material for garnish ? and other more ?
Why can’t the British be happy and praise all the way ?( As been noted in above article..Of course Jeremy Clarkson would react differently). I’d say they should..since Proton supplied them superior built car with a bloody affordable price compare to Malaysia domestic market which appear to be an absolute contrary.
You know, this is among the bloody factors why Proton is in a deep shite condition right now. They neglect the very significant market for any car manufacturer - Domestic market. Proton is not similar as Bugatti, Ferrari, Bentley or Maybach, to name a few, which focus on a very specific niche market with their own targeted customer. That’s why those makes are too damn expensive. Proton is a mass car manufacturer kind of. It goes for the volume. What happen if it disgrace and deteriorate it’s own stronghold ?!!
Proton may cheated and fooled Malaysians for the past bloody 20 years but now, no more. Since the wind of change is coming..many Malaysians have roused up and realized of what this bloody Proton done to them. Thus Proton is suffering for a predicament which it deserve for !!
June 8, 2007 @ 8:35 pm
I’ll be very very happy and grateful if someone can review both UK-version and local-version of Waja - compare side-by-side.
June 8, 2007 @ 8:37 pm
tec96248, the man, and transformer, your sayings are right. Concord !!
June 8, 2007 @ 8:38 pm
Just one thing…GOOD JOB PROTON!!!!!!!!!!! you guys have proven that Malaysian are capable of making good & reliable cars..keep it up..cant wait for the next models to come out..
June 8, 2007 @ 8:44 pm
Just one thing can be said..GOOD JOB PROTON!!! you guys proven that Malaysian are capable of making good and reliable cars..keep it up..just cant wait for their upcoming models..
June 8, 2007 @ 9:24 pm
With all this fantastic warranty, good deal for money, added quality control and features, Proton most probably did not make money for sales in UK.
It’s to cheat themself and also to cheat kampung folks here that their car can sell as far as UK. They did not fell shy of what happened in their own backyard. Very thick face.
June 8, 2007 @ 9:32 pm
hypermount…we meet again…..u know me right c*y*n…….
June 8, 2007 @ 10:03 pm
torishimeyakuin, any prove to support ur speech?
June 8, 2007 @ 10:12 pm
and whenever there’s any post related to proton, there will be bashers. For different country have different climate requirement, that is the main reason for why there are different assembly line. The most important thing is government didn’t enforce automotive safety in malaysia, thats y local manufacturer didn’t even bother to add in better safety for cost saving! and for the price is different? Didn’t you know currency conversion are dynamically changing? you can’t argue that proton set a cheaper price for oversea when you should know that if proton set oversea price by converting RM to sterling, price changes will go up and down a lot n that will affect already bad second hand price at oversea! these are just simple thing i wanted to say. For torishimeyakuin, the man, tec96248 and transformer, any prove to support your statement? We would like to learn about it. In a good manner
June 8, 2007 @ 10:26 pm
nth but praises? hmmm the dashboard looks pretty much the same, so what is diference between the ones here and there?
June 8, 2007 @ 11:02 pm
own a Proton car 1st before start complaining.
i own a 2002 waja. 2nd hand car just for long distance journey.
so far, the car serves me well..no major breakdown.
only had to change few little parts after bought it…well, its a 2nd hand car, rite?
i have no complain. the engine is still in good condition.
everything is ok.
so, im proud with my car.
just wanna make sure its always in good condition and make it look sporty.
June 8, 2007 @ 11:15 pm
maybe their proton there are made from polycarbonate or titanium, not Milo tin, hahaha….. then Waja will be patrol vehicle, Perdana will be police VIP vehicle and Juara will be prisoner van, lol…
Its ok if their police vehicle is not Brabus Rocket CLS or Porsche 911 Turbo, proton is tough enough……
June 8, 2007 @ 11:26 pm
fastcx said,
+++++++++
***************************************************************************
What kind of support do you need ? In which portion ? On what statement ?
Please point it out specifically. By the way, should you seek for the real so-called ‘prove’ to ’support’ my speech, why don’t you pay a courtesy visit to the Proton production line at once and have a chit chat with the real men on the working floor..or perhaps to some on-site engineers maybe ? Go to the real site and see for yourself how the things work out. After that you could go to the PDI section, see and learn how they do car inspection and what’s the defect ratio. But be informed, my ’speech’ was meant when Proton was under old management. During those “freaking” era, and accept it or not, that’s the cause of all these bad effect, unsatisfactory and bashing from some quarter which Proton have to bear nowadays.
However i admit that i am not that sure how this Quality Control thing is under the new top management, Datuk Syed Zainal. I reckon it’s getting much better and proper compare to the previous clique as that’s also what my trusted informer said.
One more thing, i am curious when somebody argue not to bash Proton or whatsoever car manufacturers even there is fundamental sense of it. Dear fastcx, you might be right if somebody say baseless stupid thing purposely to disgrace Proton with out any sense. But what if people voice out their bad experiences, true knowledges, opinions and honest perceptions toward Proton since that’s what Proton is.
If Proton could not accept it or listen to what people say about them wisely (which i hope not so), then no wonder things for them will be harder and darker ahead unless the VW come and give their harsh Germanic bashing on Proton arse !
By the way, refer to your 2nd comment,
+++++++++++++++++++++
fastcx said,
June 8, 2007 @ 10:12 pm
+++++++++++++++++++++
Could you kindly yourself in advance provide us any absolute prove to support your speech ????? We also would like to learn about it. In a good manner..hehe.
June 8, 2007 @ 11:45 pm
eezarm said,
June 8, 2007 @ 11:02 pm
own a Proton car 1st before start complaining.
i own a 2002 waja. 2nd hand car just for long distance journey.
so far, the car serves me well..no major breakdown.
**************************************************************************
People do not necessarily have to own Proton car to complain. It is fairly sufficient if they ever experienced of driving it or been driven on it. That’s the most important. To feel and experience the car not to own the car !!!
June 8, 2007 @ 11:51 pm
My friend bought a Proton Iswara 1.5 auto export model in the 90’s(cost more than my local model then).The dashboard was better looking and the overall build quality did seem to be better than mine.
June 8, 2007 @ 11:54 pm
Might be higher quality materials used in production, I don’t know, but Protons in Malaysia generally, suck. And yes, my family’s owned 3 Protons before and I’ve driven all of em long enough, I’m not talking without base here.
June 9, 2007 @ 12:18 am
http://www.mycarstats.com/auto_recalls/auto_recalls.asp
Auto Recalls Listed Last 30 Days
To read details of these auto recalls listed in the last 30 days for all car manufacturers by the U.S. Department of Transportation, click LOAD on the specific auto recall. This will load it into the Safety Station.
Load Recall into
Safety Station Model Car Component Affected
Date Added
Load to Read 2006 Demo Car EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS 20070517
Load to Read 2003 HONDA ACCORD EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS 20070517
Load to Read 2004 HONDA ACCORD EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS 20070517
Load to Read 2005 HONDA ACCORD EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS 20070517
Load to Read 2006 HONDA ACCORD EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS 20070517
Load to Read 2003 VOLVO S60 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 20070605
Load to Read 2004 VOLVO S60 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 20070605
Load to Read 2003 VOLVO V70 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 20070605
Load to Read 2004 VOLVO V70 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 20070605
June 9, 2007 @ 12:25 am
Other car also got problem what……
June 9, 2007 @ 12:48 am
i have a relative who is working in a factory (not proton)…he said tat all materials used are of same quality..the difference is the assembly line and the QC..the main reason is that it is cheaper to recall locally than to recall it from oversea..
June 9, 2007 @ 12:50 am
yeah they do but the difference is other manufacturers actually make the effort to correct these problems, and fix the defect for free. Even though it costs them money and bad publicity.
Proton on the other hand not only doesn’t bother to issue recalls for inherent defects, they even leave it in the car for next years model, and the year after that etc (pwr window anyone?) And then when the parts inevitably fail its on the consumer to pay for it.
June 9, 2007 @ 1:02 am
to be fair, proton has a list of recalls in UK here:
http://paultan.org/archives/2005/10/01/proton-recalls-in-the-uk/
plus, there was a malaysian recall regarding alloy wheels sometime back:
http://paultan.org/archives/2005/09/29/proton-waja-recall/
June 9, 2007 @ 1:09 am
I’ve co-owned a mid nineties wira aeroback 1.5L, auto, between 97 to 2000 we were told it was an export model. most of my friends who’ve seen it said it was the real deal. it had fuel injection (at the time most of the 1.5L i know of were carb fed), cruise control and brakes that one of my mates said that actually ‘bites’. was i duped? or can there actually be an export version of P1 cars that are superior to the local ones?
June 9, 2007 @ 1:13 am
Thanks for replying me
anyway, let’s give proton new management a new chance, at least i owned a satria neo, next month is the 1st anniversary of owning it! yea! hehe it’s quality is overally better than any previous proton my family owned, and some of their service center i went are very friendly, usually replace defects (minor like the signal stick that went wrong,other than that i have no complain yet). As for neo, for body rust is 7 year warranty, which is 1yr more than previous proton, power window warranty 3yrs, which was 2yrs previously. At least they are trying to show they are improving, but we as consumers do not give the new management a new look, but rather we look at them with memories of the past. Shouldn’t we try to re-evaluate proton? after all, it’s our only and truely national automotive brand, p2 excluded as u can see from their company share, and just another assembly plant for toyota to penetrate asean country. Am I right?
June 9, 2007 @ 1:20 am
hey TORISHIMEYAKUIN why don t you just go public with all this info? if what you say is true, is there any basis for dissatisfied owners to take collective legal action against P1 and the G and force the G to impose some kind of safety standard? coz if what U say is true, then its very un-Islamic of the powers that be……so much for an Islamic country, they cant even be fair to their own citizens.
June 9, 2007 @ 1:37 am
As for power windows failure every1 been complaining about, y not we reconsider character of rubber? they will get “old” over time and will be hard,and under climate of tropical forest, which is hot all over the year, rubber might melt or deform a bit and stick on ur window if u left your car sit under sun. And afterall, after you buy it, it’s your car, take care of it! spray some silicone lub on the rubber to make it moisture again, trust me, my family old trusty iswara that is over 8yrs still have working power windows with just simple maintainance! and do you notice when u drive a proton u just don’t appreciate it, just whack it hard or don’t even bother about pot holes? but when u drive a foreign brand car, u take care of it like gem? so which will last longer? harsh one’s or the treated with care? so why not reconsider what we have done before we blame others for fault? and yes, proton did have fault, but is it unredeemable? so if u have a bad habit that you had for the last few dacades, every1 knows it, and hate it, and u want to change it and u are trying hard to change other people’s view on yourself, do you think yourself worth forgiven? reconsider and keep the answer to yourself, no need to speak out as that is not needed for me to know your answer Malaysian. As Digi always said, Time to change. Company need to change, we as human need to change too, not verbally talking about how much we changed but mentally are still uncivillized.
June 9, 2007 @ 2:28 am
This topic is one good read. Finally, some people do make sense here. Keep it coming guys.
June 9, 2007 @ 2:28 am
…”after all, it’s our only and truely national automotive brand, p2 excluded as u can see from their company share, and just another assembly plant for toyota to penetrate asean country. Am I right?”
I will always puke whenever some individual says we should support Proton just because it is our National Brand. Obviously, such people probably haven’t gone past puberty yet.
Yes, Peroduas are Toyotas in disguise, but they are waaaay more fair and provide superior quality to its buyers than Proton.
I own an Iswara Aeroback for 5 years. That’s coming to an end this month when I book my new Nissan. TQ.
June 9, 2007 @ 2:36 am
Erm…Shooter, TORISHIMEYAKUIN did take this to the public. This is a public blog. and what the hell is that got to do with Islam? Huh?
Fastcx, now only I know the quality of a foreign car is as bad as the local car but because of our double standard habits and behaviour towards both cars that make the local proton easy to rosak and foreign car more durable….hmm…
You really freaked me out when you ask about “Do you notice when u drive a proton u just don’t appreciate it, just whack it hard or don’t even bother about pot holes?” I don’t really remember I ever take you for a ride, dude…How do you know I whack it hard and ram into the pot holes?
Oh btw, speaking of pot hole, Waja there are tougher probably because the ministry of Works is NOT Samy Vellu….
June 9, 2007 @ 4:18 am
Yea Paul, Proton UK seems to be much more attentive from all appearances. But the linked old article makes interesting reading. Listed were numerous recalls for wira/satria/gen2 in the UK over the past 10 years, yet nobody could recollect the same recalls being made in Malaysia. Inconclusive but disturbing nonetheless.
June 9, 2007 @ 4:26 am
hey nocrid how many of the 20+ million public know about this blog? and of course it doesnt have to do anythin wit Islam, its just that I’m sick of the G getting mileage from it - Islam this and Islam that, but at the end of the day tipu rakyat.
June 9, 2007 @ 4:42 am
sori ah, lari topic sikit tadi…..back to the main story, I cant remember, to best of my knowlege, any other recalls except for two- 1st batch perdana v6- something to do with the the doors and early Satria GTIs-about what i tak ingat, and thats it. which means either all P1 cars here are super reliable or P1 dont really care about their no.1 customers.
June 9, 2007 @ 5:57 am
i wonder when everybody start to praise potong. r they so reliable?
i hv heard some of my friends buy new car from them and mostly of them have problem. gearbox, power window, and many more.
i still hate potong selling expensive low quality cars.
STOP THE BUYING. STOP THE SUCKING.
June 9, 2007 @ 8:07 am
i went to instanbul, and I saw a wira which is part of holiday inn hotel car, and from what I can tell the car has not moved for 4 months or more as I can see layers of dust being coated over it. Its also left hand drive
June 9, 2007 @ 8:46 am
There are recalls being taken in Malaysia, but not quite public, they just inform those who are have the defects car, and if it’s just minor defect like gap between rear spoiler and rear wind screen is too close, they just readjust it w/o recalling as owners will send their car for service eventually. So Din, I was pointing something out, not forcing you to get proton because it’s national brand, I was talking about give new management a new look, not necessary to buy it. For example, try their new line of cars from past year till now, not by using your 5yrs old experience judging on a new management. Afterall, why bring the topic about not over puberty? That isn’t related to this topic. As for nocrid, let’s survey around new batch of cars from proton since last year. Let’s just stop bringing quality issue from the past and apply to these new batch, as for that, I wouldn’t even want to include wira and iswara, they are old junks that still rolling out from assembly. And still another point is climate and maintainance, unless you keep your car in fridge to keep it fresh
just kidding, peace. Hey no offence to neither of you ok? 
June 9, 2007 @ 10:47 am
Haha the photos brings back old memories. That’s outside Subway and San Remo’s right?
During my welcome week the constable showed a photo of a waja and said meekly “Yes we drive Protons”
June 9, 2007 @ 11:42 am
#
the man said,
June 8, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
U don’t work in proton. you don’t know the cost cutting exercise implemented in auto industries nowadays. FYI, I just want to highlight only one, all our beloved proton export cars even came from one factories using different standard. Becoz. they need to adjust their cars or in auto term “homologation†to fit with UK or other country homologation requirement. For example, all steel must use galvanized steel. strong corrosion resistant, but for patriotic rakyat only normal steel sheet. go figure…
==hmm……..where did u learn that all cars use galvanised steel? hahahaha, even ridiculous claim……..neither u work in proton. hahahaha.
June 9, 2007 @ 11:58 am
#
fastcx said,
June 8, 2007 @ 10:12 pm
and whenever there’s any post related to proton, there will be bashers. For different country have different climate requirement, that is the main reason for why there are different assembly line. The most important thing is government didn’t enforce automotive safety in malaysia, thats y local manufacturer didn’t even bother to add in better safety for cost saving! and for the price is different? Didn’t you know currency conversion are dynamically changing? you can’t argue that proton set a cheaper price for oversea when you should know that if proton set oversea price by converting RM to sterling, price changes will go up and down a lot n that will affect already bad second hand price at oversea! these are just simple thing i wanted to say. For torishimeyakuin, the man, tec96248 and transformer, any prove to support your statement? We would like to learn about it. In a good manner
==sure….u can learn a lot too, don’t hv to prove that i m right or wrong. just pay a visit to the manufacturing plant. u will know then….hahaha. cheers mate.
June 9, 2007 @ 12:20 pm
For those that think that Proton are practicing : ” Eh, ini pegi UK punya, kasih hentam/taruk baik sikit k?”
Just imagine Proton deliberately having 2 production lines that one will fit things better and one doesn’t.
Use your brains before make comments as such ok?
It is forever people’s perception towards a product’s that differ the perceived quality. Not the actual. If you understand.
June 9, 2007 @ 12:56 pm
Thanks tec96248
finally some1 with reasoning skill!
June 9, 2007 @ 1:48 pm
fastcx said,
June 9, 2007 @ 1:13 am
“Thanks for replying me anyway, let’s give proton new management a new chance, at least i owned a satria neo, next month is the 1st anniversary of owning it! yea! hehe it’s quality is overally better than any previous proton my family owned,
“I was talking about give new management a new look, not necessary to buy it. For example, try their new line of cars from past year till now, not by using your 5yrs old experience judging on a new management.”
I think the NEO and SAVVY being develop under old management ….isn’t?
June 9, 2007 @ 3:10 pm
#
ingolstadt said,
June 9, 2007 @ 12:20 pm
For those that think that Proton are practicing : †Eh, ini pegi UK punya, kasih hentam/taruk baik sikit k?â€
Just imagine Proton deliberately having 2 production lines that one will fit things better and one doesn’t.
Use your brains before make comments as such ok?
It is forever people’s perception towards a product’s that differ the perceived quality. Not the actual. If you understand.
==hmm….true, it doesn’t make sense to have 2 production lines. why people make such comment. but u will swallow all the words alphabet by alphabet if u were there in the manufacturing plant. or even curse them til ur mouth hurt. hahahahaha………think about it why i said so. whahahaha…..funny?
June 9, 2007 @ 5:11 pm
In UK, a buyer have a right asking for refund after he doesn’t satisfy with the good he had used. It just like a money back garanty for a period.
Yes true the export car of Proton have better built quality, I believe that is before. But Proton is change now as they realize many Malaysian which have bad experience with Proton stopped buying their car. Before 2005, 5 out of 10 Proton car have defect problem even it just a small problem. Buyer switch their next car from Proton to Perodua or even Naza.
@ fastcx: My family have a 2002 Kembara which always park on the roadside. All the 4 power-window havent fail before. Compare to my relative 2000 Wira, he replace the power-window for countless of time even he usually park his car inside his house covered by roof.
June 9, 2007 @ 5:52 pm
tec96248 said,
“but u will swallow all the words alphabet by alphabet if u were there in the manufacturing plant.”
———————-
Don’t need to go to Proton plant wasting time looking at their bad quality. Just go to any toll booth in Klang Valley, especially KL-Seremban Toll Plaza at Sg Besi, stand there one hour, see how many car “need to open door pay tol”, make a record then you know which brand likely belong to. Make your own record and keep this facts rather than like some protonian up there ask somebody to substantiate their statement!
June 9, 2007 @ 6:09 pm
Joe Ooi said,
June 9, 2007 @ 5:52 pm
==hahaha, agreed.
June 9, 2007 @ 8:18 pm
If i can remember from my experience in the mid to late 90s, the Proton Cares MPI (export Iswara), and Proton Compact (export Satria) have better quality compared to their local counterparts. But now, i’m not too sure as i’ve never driven UK spec Waja and Gen2. So, i can’t tell whether it is better or not.
June 9, 2007 @ 9:42 pm
tec96248,
No point arguing with the ‘other’ guy. He know nothing about car much less car manufacturing and QC. He just know ho to do googling.
June 9, 2007 @ 10:18 pm
wah! so famous this post…….
June 10, 2007 @ 12:36 am
just because its a fleet car doesnt mean its a good car. its only a fleet car because they were given a good deal by the manufacturer. and in the case of proton…must have been a very good deal indeed.
for a better assessment. look at rental car companies (non big name ones) who need to choose thier cars based on value (service/repairs and second hand value) and/or reliability. Next, go to a trusted mechanic, ask them which cars is good to buy based on reliability. a number of different mechanic have recomended only one or 2 brands.
the car window problem is a problem. ive owned a car (a particular brand) for 8 years. no problems at all. only the usual service. electric windows still work no problem. light bulbs never replaced.
i should think protons windows should at least last 1 year. proton’s claims of overseas sale is overstated anyway. so u cant trust what they report. need to see it for yourself.
June 10, 2007 @ 1:24 am
Just a few examples
ISSUES AFFECTING TOYOTAS
After 2 and half years, Corrolla Altis’s power windows kong!
Flooded Corolla Altis!
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s255/yap_ivan/Civic%20Forum/P1000023.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s255/yap_ivan/Civic%20Forum/P1000021.jpg
Expensive service cost!
Immobiliser problem - damn dangerous- engine shut down when negotiating corner rendering power steering useless
bad service
ISSUES AFFECTING HONDAS
Hi all RECENT HONDA CKD cars owners, some of you including me may feel cheated by what Honda Malaysia recent build quality degration! I bought my civic recently CKD model and I got never ending build quality issue.
I have seen a lot of ppl say this is CKD and we must accept! How can this be? How can we let Honda take us for a ride on a 120++ car! Most people complain to dealers and if the dealers say ” biasala ini made in Malaysia”. This is wrong. Consumers have rights.
(Update)
For my complains:
My comment here on the rattling noise here
http://eightgc2.forumup.com/viewtopic.php?…mforum=eightgc2
And the thin outer layer steel problem here
http://eightgc2.forumup.com/viewtopic.php?…mforum=eightgc2
The A pillar problem , just take a look here
http://eightgc2.forumup.com/viewtopic.php?…mforum=eightgc2
For a list of complain by other member of that forum just go visit here:
http://eightgc2.forumup.com/viewforum.php?…mforum=eightgc2
Its time we act! We must do something about it and not just accept it cause that is why Honda Malaysia will never improve, in the USA if something like this happen, Honda will be sued kau kau and NBC will air it for all to see, so I think we should do a similar thing here or else Honda Malaysia will never improved! And in USA Honda will never dare to pull such a stunt cause they know the price they will pay, So if you just biasa la ini made in Malaysia punya Honda then Honda think we Malaysia consumer are so stupid we just accept shity quality as NORMAL!!!!!!
So my fighting brother and sister Its time we act! !!! Join all the fighters here!
http://www.motortrader.com.my/asp/forum/to…?TOPIC_ID=19210
see some pic taken when they stormed Honda on 17thMay2007.
Photos are here :
http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb105/myzoro/
June 10, 2007 @ 1:26 am
Issues Affecting Toyota Avanzas!
From Avanza Malaysia club:
Dear members, Sorry for the delay to reply about the O2 sensor issue. After reading through the entire operation manual and the promoting detail from UMW. Sorry to say we won’t able to win this case and we cannot claim that they are even cheating us because there is nothing mention by UMW about this O2 emission design furthermore our so call environmental standard does not have this level guide line or imposed to the car manufacturer to follow the ISO.2 standard. This O2 sensor is working if it reaches the working temperature as brief by the Toyota engineer and they won’t admit the fluctuation is a design mistake by them because they have claims that this are the safety precaution incase the idling speed and temperature exceeded the set point in the ECU mapping. Toyota even change the trouble shooting manual to test the O2 sensor condition, 4min at 2500rpm which will not fluctuated after testing. To me I’m very disappointed Toyota treat us this way and market a low end standard model that given me a very bad impression that they NO LONGER have any interest to sale a good product but more for money making and profits. Our old 1.3 model design is was a mistake no doubt, if not they will not change the 1.3E model using difference technology. What I can say is Toyota has abandoned a bunch of loyal customer and they will lose this customer in future. Regards, ocmax
June 10, 2007 @ 1:28 am
Just a few examples
ISSUES AFFECTING TOYOTAS
After 2 and half years, Corrolla Altis’s power windows kong!
Flooded Corolla Altis!
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s255/yap_ivan/Civic%20Forum/P1000023.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s255/yap_ivan/Civic%20Forum/P1000021.jpg
Expensive service cost!
Immobiliser problem - damn dangerous- engine shut down when negotiating corner rendering power steering useless
bad service
June 10, 2007 @ 1:29 am
ISSUES AFFECTING HONDAS
Hi all RECENT HONDA CKD cars owners, some of you including me may feel cheated by what Honda Malaysia recent build quality degration! I bought my civic recently CKD model and I got never ending build quality issue.
I have seen a lot of ppl say this is CKD and we must accept! How can this be? How can we let Honda take us for a ride on a 120++ car! Most people complain to dealers and if the dealers say ” biasala ini made in Malaysia”. This is wrong. Consumers have rights.
(Update)
For my complains:
My comment here on the rattling noise here
http://eightgc2.forumup.com/viewtopic.php?…mforum=eightgc2
And the thin outer layer steel problem here
http://eightgc2.forumup.com/viewtopic.php?…mforum=eightgc2
The A pillar problem , just take a look here
http://eightgc2.forumup.com/viewtopic.php?…mforum=eightgc2
For a list of complain by other member of that forum just go visit here:
http://eightgc2.forumup.com/viewforum.php?…mforum=eightgc2
Its time we act! We must do something about it and not just accept it cause that is why Honda Malaysia will never improve, in the USA if something like this happen, Honda will be sued kau kau and NBC will air it for all to see, so I think we should do a similar thing here or else Honda Malaysia will never improved! And in USA Honda will never dare to pull such a stunt cause they know the price they will pay, So if you just biasa la ini made in Malaysia punya Honda then Honda think we Malaysia consumer are so stupid we just accept shity quality as NORMAL!!!!!!
So my fighting brother and sister Its time we act! !!! Join all the fighters here!
http://www.motortrader.com.my/asp/forum/to…?TOPIC_ID=19210
see some pic taken when they stormed Honda on 17thMay2007.
Photos are here :
http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb105/myzoro/
June 10, 2007 @ 4:29 am
my friend driving a exported wira. . dunno how his father get it
he modify back to right hand side for the dashboard and steering. .
interior and material is so much different to local spec
and cheaper too~
June 10, 2007 @ 10:03 am
Thanks Hypermount for sharing customer feedbacks to everyone here…
my company had three Iswara, had driven two colleague Iswara 1.5, one a carb 1.5 and the other EFI 1.5, both are old car but still can see the fact both cars grow old differently… gaps between panel diff, dash, trims are differs… even the sewing lines on their seat are different….
don’t kid me they are the same!
If so why didn’t P1 sell UK Model in Bolehland at UK Price(after conversion), bcos P1 afraid rakyat compare the two and make a big issue out of it!
Anyway, we, rakyat senang lupa… a gentle reminder is when we are paying toll… watching our beloved rakyat open doors…. mua ha ha……
sometimes me too when i’m driving my frens WAJA, 2001 make and 2003 makes…. Boleh!
June 10, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
Do u guys know that each Police Station can decide what brand of cars they could buy. They could have gotten cheaper cars from China or cheaper brands like Daewoo(cheaper than Proton).
I know people keep harping on past defects found on Proton cars, but my parents(divorced they are but both bought Wajas) Wajas are generally in good condition with no problems AFAIC. My dad also has a 2001 Honda Accord and I prefer driving the Waja(good and firm handling) rather than the Accord(although I feel safer in an Accord due to its airbag).My mom’s Waja 2006 CAMPRO has no problem so far, she loves it.
About Proton overseas, I am in Adelaide now and I do see quite a no. of Savvy s and Gen-2s on the road and loads of Jumbucks which is popular with farmers and small businesses. I hope they could improve sales in OZ as smaller cars like the Gen-2 and Savvy are gaining appeal.
June 10, 2007 @ 2:25 pm
Hi all,
After spent 1 and half hours reading all the comments, i have something to say:
=> before post a comment, we have to understand the real picture whats problem is going on here. basically i read comment from two parties, siding proton VS against proton. we are argueing why export model is better than local model? (I guess that we started this thread when saw a waja police car appeared in UK)
=> I get the answer when saw this, fastcx “The most important thing is government didn’t enforce automotive safety in malaysia” . Im not trying to raise a politic issue here, but government never protect our comsumer rights. Proton has adjust the waja quality to match UK standard. Is this just because of the rusty weather? Proton has to lowerer their price to compete against foreign car in UK. Why we have to set double standard here? Malaysian is richer to afford an expensive but lower quality car?
==> IMHO, the first thing to do is to enforce the better QC for Proton. However, whats government doing now is to protect “anak sendiri” from others competitors rather than help to learn how to survive. pumping in more fund? raise foreign car price? Oh man, the only people who suffer is Malaysian.
==> conclusion, i still hope Proton will survive. This is not because im a patriotic Malaysian but proton bankrup will just bring down the economy of malaysia. good luck proton, even though you had cheated me to buy my first wira
tips: when change wira power windows, insist don’t use proton orginal part. ask the shop to modify foreign car part to fit in. i did mine and its last longer
June 10, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
arcana said,
June 8, 2007 @ 5:56 pm
well in UK everybody has praises for it but sells for just a small amount…..where else in the home market where sales exceed 100k units…..they couldnt be *toot*ing bothered to rectify what was wrong and gain our consumer confidence.
i mean….even if proton would to sell at 50-60k like it is now but quality is way better than before….i’m sure ppl wouldnt be complaining that much about it and happily buy 1….everyone would like to buy a 1.6 car for less than 60k too right? (good reliabilty of course)…..but now alot of those customers have swayed to P2…….thanks to their screw ups.
========================
atleast P1 is excepted to be a global player.. not a P2
P2 just Juara kampung maa.. same like honda in Japan… Honda cars selling well in 3rd word country esp in SEA region but not in their origin country Japan…
June 10, 2007 @ 5:30 pm
Hiya, i sent in this letter….
tbcheese: yep, thats the place…but i prefer haworth pizza’s:P
good deal for fleet cars or not, almost all the taxi drivers currently driving wiras tell me they will get the waja, and thats before they know im malaysian . these guys buy the cars with their own money so they will be fussy. the prices in uk are about the same, once u take insuring it into account (a lot of you dont seem to take this into account)
you are not allowed to have a car older than 6 years old for minicab use, thus most of these wira taxi drivers are upgrading to waja’s now.
to the chap in london:
i did my gcse’s and a levels in london, was there for 3 years, i agree, mostly saga and iswara aerobacks and several GTi’s. Seems to be a very popular car in yorkshire though.
I dint mean to start off a whole “malaysians are being robbed” thread….but thats wot this has become unfortunately…
for police and taxi vehicles, its not the cheapest vehicle (tco) its more towards the operating costs and reliability. These cars do a LOT of mileage….keep in mind no start/not working=no $$$ for taxi drivers…
anyhow, my mum will be replacing her waja (finally) with a corolla altis, either the current model or next year’s (still thinking if we should wait or not)
June 10, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
i think someone mentioned they thought it was something liek rm25k in england (for the waja)…perhaps you should do a web search before suggesting things?
its going in england for around 11k (pounds) with 2 airbags and ABS, and leather seats…
June 10, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
peYno said,
June 10, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
atleast P1 is excepted to be a global player.. not a P2
P2 just Juara kampung maa.. same like honda in Japan… Honda cars selling well in 3rd word country esp in SEA region but not in their origin country Japan…
————-
P1 is accepted to be a global player? Another cheap talk and rubbish!
Even P1 can’t fight in the domestic market and the title “Juara Kampung” is taken away by P1 for the first time in 2006. And now, as everybody know, the talk is ON, OFF, ON, OFF, ON, OFF ……. in search of handsome wanabe Arnie mascular to take care of this ugly never grown up big baby!
Honda cars selling well all over the world including US. In US alone, Honda Accord is 2nd to Camry in term of Japs made mid sedan that is selling more than 300 K unit in 2006. Go to Google to find the fact and exact figure for your self. In Japan, they are second after the Toyota.
Don’t litter PaulTan.Org with rubbish vomit out from your septic mouth! Dude, grow up and talk logically!
June 10, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
yeah be cool……& logical….
June 11, 2007 @ 12:49 am
….. “the title “Juara Kampung†is taken away by P1 for the first time in 2006.”
shall be read as
….. “the title “Juara Kampung†is taken away by P2 for the first time in 2006.”
Thanks.
June 11, 2007 @ 6:37 am
alo brader..
Honda cars in US r manufuctered in Japan or US plant…
not in Honda melaka or Thailand la.. prrrfthhhh
some more US market does not sell 2nd class ja[s cars like City/vios/innova/avanza,those purposely designed for 3rd world country (SEA) market.. not in US la.. prrrfthhh
My point is.. Honda is excepted well in global market but NOT in their home market …..toyota/nissan/suzukii do it better
June 11, 2007 @ 8:31 am
Actually I really feel a bit proud when reading this letter…
If from the beggining proton has not been given so much privilage, and let them compete with other car company while they can, perhaps they will be a much more mature company today.
Gov just like to give everybody they think they care a tongkat.
June 11, 2007 @ 10:18 am
wow.. not bad for Proton…
hmm… proton.. please bring back your marketing guys in UK and Aust please!
June 11, 2007 @ 10:51 am
peYno, you are really shallow aren’t you? Other marques do well at least some where. Tell me where is Proton doing well? You can’t call it a global player for such paltry products and such small sales figures. You can’t call it a national brand because most ppl with a choice will go for others. 681mil loss in ‘06? What the hell is that.
June 11, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
I was amazed with the difference when I first sat in a UK spec Iswara. It felt like a completely different car from the local Malaysian ones. NVH, quality, fitting… it was a proper Japanese car. Ride quality was even better than the Wiras. I felt cheated… in fact, I was angry to know that in Malaysia, we are given cars with so many problems but those exported are built nicely. I find it strange that some people don’t believe that IT IS POSSIBLE to have 2 or more lines in a factory. BMW have been running limited M-Series models off the same line for so many years, for example.
—
BTW, I would like to clear the air that I’m not a Proton basher. I would be more than happy and proud if Proton manufacture proper cars for all, if they’re managed well and they’re competing in a fair market. But is this the case?
—
fastcx, I owned a 1990 Honda Prelude for 8 years before selling it last year and I never once had any problems with the power windows. A 16 years old car. Can’t help but feel sorry for my colleague’s spanking new Iswara, Wira, Waja and even Perdana having to fix their windows within the FIRST year! One was so unlucky that he had to change his power window 4 times in 6 months!!! I can see that most Proton drivers have got used to not having their window… forced to open their door to take or pay parking or toll tickets. Oh, and note that the export models hardly have this problem. I wonder why.
peYno, ASEAN cars are manufactured specifically to cater for special markets. The very reason why Lexus was only sold in the US for many years before it was “exported” to the rest of the world, including Japan. Sometimes, that can change as well coz Honda Jazz was introduced to the US and Canada in 2006 as Honda Fit and it won Car of the Year 2006 in Canada. Numbers speak louder than words. Honda was above Nissan in 2005 at 7th and 8th position respectively. If I remember correctly, Honda moved up to 5th in 2006. Joe Ooi was correct when he said that Honda is number 2 in both US and Japan market after Toyota. Nissan sales have been dropping by more than 8% for the last 2 years. Also, Suzuki recorded only about 66% of what Honda sells worldwide. Besides, you can’t really compare Suzuki with Honda coz they manufacture primarily K-class cars. Do note that Daihatsu is very likely to overtake Suzuki this year.
June 11, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
hypermount, thanks for sharing the QC issues here. I agree that it is wrong for them to just blame it on “this is made in Malaysia… it’s lidet wan…”. It’s all a matter of professionalism and consumer rights. We are always left high and dry. Maybe you should formally complain to the Comsumer’s Association? That should speed things up.
I know an engineer in Audi’s local assembly plant. They are very, very strict in QC. Final inspection is done ONLY by specially trained Germans to ensure that their final products are on par with their Germany plant. That’s QC even the Japanese manufacturers are lacking here.
June 11, 2007 @ 12:27 pm
As highlighted by the writer, most of the ppl in the UK have nothing but praise for Proton. But in M’sia, there are more complaints than praises. Thus, we have two VERY different sides to a story. What gives?
I mean there are the few odd praises for Proton in M’sia but they are few and far between and it’s overwhelmed by insurmountible criticism. Even the writer was surprised with the overly positive sentiments dedicated to Proton cars in Hull from his own experience of having one.
So, is QC the main culprit here? Do double standards really exist between Proton for rakyat M’sia and Proton for overseas market? From reading the post and hearing stories from friends driving export Proton model, its quality is definitely better thn the rakyat’s model.
If this is true, then it seems Proton is dedicated to produce the best for one of the foreign forces it has declared independence from 50 years ago (and which our fore fathers fought hard for!)
Thus, “Belilah Barangan Buatan Malaysia” is but humour in poor taste and done at the expense of the rakyats hard earned money..
June 11, 2007 @ 3:05 pm
Actually i kinda agreed with all those who say about proton’s bad quality back here in Malaysia and good quality in overseas.. Its totally true.. My friend owned a Wira in London when he studied there and he said the feel of the plastic and etc is so much better than his mother’s wira back here in Kuching, even the body of the car is even more stiff than the local wiras…
June 11, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
Kera di hutan di susukan, anak dirumah mati tak makan!
Syabas Proton!
June 11, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
Shy on you Mr Paul Tan. You are so materialistic. You sacrifice your blog for BMW advertisement only for the money. You are not the real man who love your blog. All of the audience of your blog now “sakit mata” with your advertisement in this blog… If you want money, go to work la…ok.
June 11, 2007 @ 5:02 pm
Irkeez, are you first timer to post comment in this blog?
If your statement hold true, then go and tell all TV, be it statelite or earth stations like RTM, TV3, Astro, etc to stop allow anything and everything that can and allow by the regulatory body to make commercial advetisement!
You make a pathetic statement, Paul is not a journalist but blogger make a decent and honest living out of internet/blog! So, BMW or other advert is part of his income to support him and this blog as well. Without revenue from BMW and other advert, Paul Tan don’t need to eat ah. If you like to condemn, then go and condemn pyramid or other the like scam like investment scheme, or XXX site, etc
June 11, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
it has consiquences to ur comment irkeez…so do mind that….
June 11, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Ditto Joe Ooi. Irkeez, this is not a paid site so you don’t really have rights to bash Paul Tan for what every blogger is doing. The small bonus of advertisement income is what motivates bloggers to maintain high quality sites. As Joe Ooi pointed out, even Astro blast you for almost 15 minutes of adds per hour of program. Paul’s blog is one of the most minimalist in terms of adds and you’re complaining?
June 11, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
i did not notice any difference in the police waja to my mums waja.
the dashboard was the same plastic and the door felt the same (he let me open and shut it myself)
i purposely felt up the dashboard and seat materials to see if there was a difference (perhaps using softer plastics)
perhaps the older protons (based on jap cars) did have a different spec. But this waja felt identical.
i feel the only variable in question is the QC and perhaps the components for certain things (windows) are different brands maybe or from different suppliers for “localisation” purposes (in england u need heating)
qc and slightly differing components making that much of a difference?
i remember reading an article about tesco/sainsbury/asda branded goods…apparently they are made in the same factory as the “branded” stuff like kelloggs and mcvities but the only difference is freshness, less qc, and slighty lower quality ingredients…..
my theory is, proton can afford to do this to us. so they will. once there is more competition, they will be forced to be more efficient……
i mean they are in business to try and make money so if they can afford to squeeze us they will…the vios and city are providing ample competition now, and the quality lately has definitely improved….can imagine what will happen if we get even more competition. Hopefully we get UK quality protons haha.
Frankly i prefer the look and spaciousness of the waja to most of its competitors, i was quite disappointed that the altis has less legroom at the back than the waja. its really such a pity. the waja would be a great car if they just got it to work properly, maybe used nicer plastic and improved its safety a bit more……
June 11, 2007 @ 6:00 pm
by the way i’ve been hearing yet more rumors that next year car prices are going to drop (same thing every year since we first heard about afta)
i dont think it will, but what do you guys think? hehe im trying to find out cos my mum is looking for that waja replacement…..
June 11, 2007 @ 6:37 pm
It is true the price will drop, because it is long overdue under AFTA, only NAP sucker still try to maintain it to last minute to benefit P1 and cronies!
June 11, 2007 @ 6:41 pm
joe ooi.. though i might disagree with you on many things… but i defitenitly have to agree with you on the matter of irkeez…
irkeez.. if you have follow paultan.org for months.. you would have notice the bigger banner proton had before…
afnstingray… if that holds true.. hello upgrade!
June 11, 2007 @ 8:20 pm
About opening doors at toll plazas I think its more of a driver’s habit than broken power windows. I normally see drivers of European and Japanese makes do it as well. Makes me think…wtf I got a manual wind down window and I use it. These weird people got power windows and they choose to open the door.
hehe Kumaresan…go for dominos pizza. A bit more expensive but will save you a few heart attacks.
June 11, 2007 @ 8:39 pm
Well, Proton certainly can become reliable when there’s greater competition in foreign markets. Bt in this country, where it’s not necessary to do so with all kinds of protection, why bother? They can save cost as well, that’s killing 2 birds wit one stone.
If you all Proton bashers really bash Proton cuz u want them to improve and give better service, then how about pushing the gahmen to make this country’s market to be as competitive as theirs, and kick their useless cronies who provide lousy parts for Proton? But nope, we decided to “have confidence in the gahmen” and “keep democracy alive in this country”, thank you all, its a brilliant decision made my the majority, so why complain so much? Whatever happens, “it doesn’t matter”, as Najib has said, cuz Pak Lah “is still in control. Do you want him to become stricter?”
My friend used to tell me British police do have Satria GTi, but I found it hard to believe as the cars that their police use that I’ve seen have only been some Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra. I guess it is probable that somewhere in the UK, there are Satria GTi police car.
@fastcx
I second ur opinion abt Msians treat Proton lik