A blog post on the Perodua Myvi and Alza’s self-illuminating instrument cluster written by a retired expat named Wolf Vaupel has been going viral on social media over the weekend. The blog post alleges that there is something wrong with the way the Myvi and Alza’s instrument cluster works.
Here’s how the story goes – the expat’s wife bought a Perodua Myvi in August 2014. He discovers the car’s self-illuminating meter panel which lights up during the day and claims in his blog that the feature is “deadly” because according to him, a lit up meter panel is an indication of whether your headlights are on. He further claims that this type of behaviour does not comply to international standards.
UPDATE: Perodua CEO Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh has issued an official statement on the matter.
The Perodua Myvi that he is talking about features a self-illuminating meter panel that use a different type of backlight compared to regular meter panel. Some car manufacturers have special brand names for this type of panel – Toyota calls it Optitron while Kia calls it SuperVision.
Watch the video above for a video we recorded back in 2011 when the second-generation Perodua Myvi was launched. This type of meter panel generally looks more premium, but will appear completely black if there is no backlight. The meter panel requires to be lit up to function, there’s no two ways about it.
So if the meter panel is always on, how would someone know whether your headlamps are on or not? Some cars have a headlamp symbol that lights up in your meter panel, so you can look out for that. If you have been using an illuminated meter panel as an indicator, it’s time to stop, because Optitron-style panels are becoming used more often these days.
It’s also worth noting that with the 2015 Perodua Myvi facelift, Perodua has taken out the Optitron-style panels and replaced them with cheaper regular meter panels which don’t light up when the headlamps are off. Only the Alza still has Optitron-style panels.
If you feel you need a little more help in determining whether your headlamps are on or not, there are usually differences with the interior lighting of your car depending on whether your headlamps are on or not.
Watch the video above (thanks to MY Neo for the help recording it), which shows that when the headlamps are on, the meter panel actually dims to suit the night environment, and the other buttons on the center dash stack light up for night usage, where they remained off when the headlamps were off. So there is clearly a difference in the behaviour of the interior lighting.
We double checked some of the other cars in our fleet. Anthony Lim’s Ford Focus ST and previous generation Honda CR-V facelift which both have Optitron-style panels do not even differentiate the brightness of the panel between day and night by default – this must be set manually.
However, you can make some adjustments to the settings so that there can be a difference in brightness between night and day. That way, you can be reminded – if the meter panel is too bright, your headlamps are probably not turned on.
So if you have a car with the increasingly common Optitron-style meter panel, it’s time to learn to remember to turn the lights on some other way. We used to be able to be conveniently reminded with the meter panel backlight, but that’s going to be increasingly rare in the future.
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Wat a long read over a very flimsy stuff
look like you’ve never worked with germans before. this is just the gist of it.
I own a myvi and i have this happens to a lot of other peroduas. Its their third brake light problem. I have been replacing the bulb for the third time now, but after just a few month, it went out again. Ive seen a lot of peroduas these days without the third brake light. This is very dangerous and i really hope perodua will do something about it because i think there is a problem with the circuit and its not wear and tear thing.
My also change the 3rd light brake every 2-3mth… But at the end i rewire it using LED. Solve this problem… Been 2 yrs now… no problem.
LED more tahan meh.. Gen2 and persona use LED and tahan till now.. Hehe
Absolutely agree with you, I noticed the issue as well from new plate number car. Don’t the service center check?
I have been using my Nissan XTrail for 8 years now.. none of my light bulb got replace until now. No LED light all. How about that..
This reminds me of one case where an Inspira was driving at night without headlights on.. i was switching to slower lane and some bugger honk and from behind.. was wondwring who the hell.. 2nd time he honk.. then only i see that bloody inspira without headlights..
i let him passed me and then i try to gesture to him that his headlights are off.. but that cb buat sombong like i cut his lane and dont wanna look at me..
i go behind him and flash him few times and honk hoping he will know why i flash him..
i turned into another junction after that.. i dont know if he every gonna realise that he himself never on headlights and in the wrong..
Why Mr.Wolf never mention about VW problem? Feel ashamed with the German Proton kah?
He might not be German….could be Swiss? Austrian?
The story here is about non-compliance to International standards. Which is why the Myvi is mentioned. VW meets the standards for this issue, thats all dumbo!
You must be an idiot. He is referring to a perodua car. And what the heck has it got to do with a vw? Bodoh!
“does not comply to international standards”?
Please pass my word to the retired expat:
All malaysia car are same, only “international standards” are the Bolehland car price…
Err…I thought we were triple international standard in pricing? While being half international standard in safety and spec…
Not “flimsy” matter. The color amber is to induce the driver in an alert state. Blue and green is to relax while is nothing at all if not stress. In the late 70’s, our government changed all street lights from white to amber, why?
Some street lights are back to white now.
Amber is for fog lights, not for alert.
It’s because of the technology that’s being used for the light. Amber/warm colors also improve visibility during rain, IIRC. That’s why HID drivers have to suffer during the rain.
They are switching back to white though to save energy (LEDs).
White to Amber street lights…is be cause amber has less shadow…or more defused shadow. Hence better visibility.
No wonder so many accidents in Malaysia. Car with no standard roaming Msia roads.
With due respect, I disagree. According to official statement, Nasi lemak is the cause of accident!
So is this German engineer going to bring this issue to court? I kind of agree that the absence of headlamp indicator is kind of unacceptable, it should be standard of procedure. But Myvi drivers have been able to differentiate on or off without relying on the indicator.
N how did they do it?
Are you trying to say Malaysians need not rely on light indicator, signal indicator, etc because we are ABLE to know. Malaysia Boleh!! btw what car are you driving
Spot on.. too many so-called ‘gifted’ drivers in Bolehland :3
U dont be so sarcastic la… i also driving myvi but i can tell the difference… exactly the same way shown in the 2nd video above lo…
Yes. Many ppl ‘claim’ that they can differentiate. But many, many, I personally experience before and saw before many others forgot to turn on the headlamps during night. my tot is when you see outside is lit (by lamp pole), and you have no issue to read your panel , psychologically, you tend to forgot you have turn on the head lamp. You can try out the difference especially in city road, typically more bright. I will agree with the German even this is not the standard. U have to think about how danger is a car running without headlamps on during night.
I do see many non p2 car driver forgot to turn on their headlight too.
Perodua car don’t need headlamp. Fog light is enough as per advertised.
It is true. Many ppl ‘claim’ that they can differentiate. But many, many, I personally experience before and saw before many others forgot to turn on the headlamps during night. my tot is when you see outside is lit (by lamp pole), and you have no issue to read your panel , psychologically, you tend to forgot you have turn on the head lamp. You can try out the difference especially in city road, typically more bright. I will agree with the German even this is not the standard. U have to think about how danger is a car running without headlamps on during night.
My friend once drove his Myvi back on the Kesas expressway (which is well lit) without leaving his front lights on. His excuse was the same, he cant tell apart if the light was on or off, because the dashboard is lit. So Mr Expat has a valid point here.
do not even differentiate the brightness of the panel between day and night
^ aint this because the brightness at night is set to the max?
That’s why you need to buy Iriz, it is made with global standard.
Cakap old stock 2014 ada discount, bila sign loan tiba2 tarak stock. Paksa org beli new stock 2015.
Ahhh, bagus beli myvi. Tak pening kepala, senang hati.
Before buying pls read the terms & conditions. Dah ada tulis subject to availability. Sapa cepat dia dapat la. Beli keta tapi bangang sangat pun susah jugak. Kau fikir kau sorang je nak beli kereta dengan diskaun? Nak banyak stok beli Iriz tu melambak tak laku 2014 smpai tpaksa kluar rebate rm8000. Apa punya mentaliti.
I think this has to do with the meter being completely “off” if the lights doesn’t work. If it was a normal meter and there was no light or wiring problem the meter still can be seen. However if the lights doesn’t work, the meter will completely be dark and you can’t see anything. Well I don’t know if the meter ever failed on a Myvi before, but its something to consider imo…
Sorry Mr.Vaupel, the international standard does not apply here.
Some even drive without headlights on at night
Vaupel might be right might be wrong. But if we are going to go international with our own brand we ought to follow the international standard. On the cluster panel light turning on whether the headlamps is off or on might be a good reason to say why this is dangerous. As for the car’s owner they will surely know whether the car’s headlamps are on or off as they used with it. Let’s say your fella or your parents want to borrow the car for night out or anything. Driving with cluster lighting is on whilst the headlamps are off is totally dangerous for them, for the other traffic user. They thought its on coz the cluster light is on. Yea they should have known if the headlamps are off when the dashboard aircond or whatsoever button didnt show any light but back to the basic and international standard, our main focus will be on cluster. If the light shown thats mean headlamp is on and vice versa. Its not a problem if u can tell your fellas or parents everytime they want to use the car, “make sure you turn the headlamps on at night. The headlamps on when the dashboard panels show light or maybe u even can go out to the car’s front to confirm whether its on or off.
Petodua should install automatic headlight. That should solve the bigger problem of drivers not turning on their headlights when it is getting dark.
I think it is better to equipped the ‘light on’ indicator for extra safety instead of dimming the meter cluster while switch on the light. The same light on indicator in vios, suprima or preve. Opportunity for improvement.
Talking about Myvi, the facelift Myvi is actually worse than the pre-facelift. No projector headlights and ABS across the range, no Optitron meter and still the same hardware. Makes one wonder where the ‘better value’ part as claimed by Perodua really goes to.
better value for perodua’s pockets
Cut cost mah. GST coming. Then can claim car price reduced after GST!!!
yes, this is quite “deadly” since i’ve met quite a lot of myvi & alza dumb driver’s, driving at night without headlights on. another fact for dumb is their eyesight is very “powerful” that they can see the road clearly without any lights even with no road lighting.
I think the current illuminator/optitron type meter combi has been widely used to new models even to a proton new models. As ususal, its started with conti cars, then other follow.
I think here more about drivers ‘tak apa’ or ‘tak kesah’ attitude. Now there is a buzzer indicator if the driver do not wear seat belt, and yet many of the driver ‘tak kesah’ with the buzzer by increasing the radio volume.
Thanks for making this article before the Malaysian internet blew up with armchair critics starting their anything-Malaysian bashing.
I wondered why this so called “German engineer” only mentioned Perodua when so many other imported cars have meter clusters with the same behaviour.
He hasn’t experienced those.
To be fair until not too long ago it was standard for the dashboard to only light up when you turn on the lights.
I looked a bit into it, VW (and adjacent brands) have a 0 and an Auto (as well as on etc.) position on the light switch (it’s a dial between driver’s door and steering wheel), when it is set to 0 it is completely off, if you set it to Auto it turns on while driving, even if the headlights are off. But of course the headlights will be on when it gets dark…
On BMWs, which do have completely black dashboards, it turns on white when lights are off, and switches to orange when the lights are turned on. That would still confuse people not used to the car though.
It looks like the latest Peugeot 308 turns on the dashboard lights when you start the engine, but maybe that’s in auto headlight setting, like with VW.
For cars equipped with LCD screens the screen will of course turn on when you turn on the car, no matter if lights are on or off.
Aiyoo, this sort of meter is not only available on the Myvi LB but across the range of most of the latest models on our roads,with the exception of the current Vios and possibly just a handful of other cars.
No thanks to our primitive road transport department ruling disallowing the use of HID lighting, most of the blur road users can’t tell if their lights are switched on or not because halogen bulbs are so hopelessly dim.
HIDs are allowed in Malaysia. Plenty of cars are equipped with HIDs. What is not allowed is aftermarket HIDs, and they are not allowed outside of Malaysia either. If you get caught with them in Europe prepare to bleed… it’s going to cost you, and in Germany at least they can immobilize your car. You aren’t allowed to drive with it.
If your halogens are too dim it can be because it is aimed to the sky (or the eyes of other drivers) instead of to the road… Of course there are some cars that are useless (Rusa for example), but halogens aren’t THAT bad).
yup. Seen a lot of drivers like to point their headlamps to the sky. “See more further” they said…
Some Myvi drivers dun care the headlights are on or off during nights!
Problem is… Lots of driver thought they have their headlights on when its not…i have seen a lot driving in town without light on . Its dangerous unless it has auto headlight on features
1 je kelemahan kete perodua ialah takde indicator yg headlamp di on mcm toyota… Proton pn dh ada indicator tu skrg… Xkan la perodua kedekut sgt nk bg indicator tu mnyala sbb klau ditengok betul2 icon headlamp & foglamp mmg dh ada pada meter cuma x menyala saje. Sy tgk tu pada axia sy. Takkan la perodua x boleh nk bg indicator headlamp & foglamp menyala sehingga menarik balik fungsi optitron meter tu pada myvi 2015 atau kesemua model perodua pada masa akan datang? Fikir fikirkanla perodua. Sy bukan nk memburukkan perodua tetapi menegur kerana saya sendiri mnggunakan axia, adk sy viva & ayah sy alza.
Tq
Why didn’t Perodua put the light indicator in the first place? Relying on the dimming of the lights is not that reliable. I’ve driven few times in my suprima with the lights of since the DRL’s are bright. However the car comes with a light indicator, so at least you know when the lights are on/off.
the instrument cluster is not only thing that is unsafe about Myvi & Alza.
their chassis integrity is also questionable.
Or the lack of safety features. Or the handling at higher (still legal) speeds.
My Volvo cluster lights up regardless if it’s day or night ..
No indication whatsoever if the lights are on.
There’s even a factory set function for the headlights to be on the moment the car is started, because of some European laws for DRL’s. (Daytime Running Lights)
So his point is moot ?
Your Volvo is unsafe.
For Malaysian drivers , it doesn’t matter if the head lamp indicator is there or not. Very normal practice that they forgot to switch on the lights ( even there is an head lamp indicator) , also normal practice to wait as long as possible to switch on the lights , also normal practice to switch off the head lamps as soon one small string of daylight will appear after the darkness. Drivers even don’t notice that they driving with high beam even the blue light is on the dashboard . Malaysian drivers and lights is the problem , Mvi without the indicator on the dashboard is just minor , let the people just first using their brains during driving and especially , be alert !!
It’s just being mat salleh being anal with just about anything. Sorry for my being blunt here but having to have lived and worked abroad before, yes, mat sallehs are the most difficult people to please, apart from Singaporeans hahahah. So I would LOVE to suggest to this German dude, if you think our Malaysian cars have no standard, sell the damn car dude and TRY and buy your own German marques, IF you can afford them in Ringgit wise that is. There. Case closed.
What is everyone talking about? Isn’t the light indicator the green symbol next to the 200kmh marking? That green marking is not an international std? Both my previous/current conti car has the same type marking.
Been using myvi for long time….no problem with the self illuminating cluster….i,ve found it deemed when headlamp was switch on….no big deal here….maybe this old man have problem with his eye….manyak silau ooo…hehe
Not gonna lie but this happened to me once when I borrowed my cousin’s MyVi. Luckily the low beam was on though.
Aiyooo apa kecoh2 ni. Gomen spent tons of money on fancy tiang lampu so those should be more than enough maa…buat apa lagi mau pasang lampu malam? Let’s send this German back to where he belongs lah, cakap banyak saja.
I agree that the MyVi is lacking a light on/off indicator, but Optitron or whatever it is called is very common nowadays. Even Audi uses it.
Then what about car companies that use LCD instead of meter panels?
I’m totally agreed with that fact,Malaysian take safety too lightly and anything happen will put the blame on others or god act. This is not right, killed or injured by a minor factor is a waste of life and pain to the family and love one.
Back to myvi or even alza instrument cluster, in twilight hours,driver assume he or she can see clear and others will see his or her car clear as well, no light on the road not intentionally. At least, a light symbol for even low beam or fog light would actually help to indicate whether any light turned on allow others to see.
Why making it a big fuss? If you drive at night on a road that is not well lit, without your headlights on, you can’t see where you are driving and hence you should be clever enough to know that your headlights are not switched. Your eyes should be on the road when driving, not fixated on the cool self illuminated Optitron metre
I kinda agree with him. I saw many idiots on the road didn’t switch on their head light when it was getting darker (almost no sunlight). Stupid yet very dangerous. Oh btw, since we’re talking about myvi, i think perodua should replace their 3rd brake light’s bulb supplier. Put a good bulb la. I saw many myvjs without 3rd brake light lighting.
You must understand the context of where he’s coming from. In VWs with self illuminating meters, the system is linked to a light sensor so that should you start the car at night, no matter what your brightness setting is, the meters will light up but at its lowest brightness setting. This way, you’ll know (unless you are one of the many dim wits on the road) that your headlamps are off.
In many Japanese and local cars, this safety feature does not exist hence his blog post.
Some minister will tell the expat kalau tak suka lampu keta kat Malaysia boleh keluar….
his concerns were valid…me kena b4, tought the headlight was on due to the lighted instrument panel (that time not biasa wit MIVI)…even than it can be confusing and misleading sometimes…have MIROS studied accidents due to drivers forgot to on the headlights its pretty dangerus especially at corners and small trunk roads..maybe time for a recall
It would be nice if paultan did abit more research on this international standard.
paultan.org to the rescue again ! lol
So what can we conclude from all of this ?
1) The pre-facelift, second generation Perodua Myvi does not have an instrument light notifier which indicates whether the headlamps are on or off. However, the instrument cluster DOES have a dim / dip feature.
2) The German engineer has not been keeping up with the times. More and more cars are coming with these ‘Optitron’ meters, it’s not just the Myvi. Claiming that this is a design flaw in the Myvi would mean claiming everyone else, including German companies like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi etc., is guilty too.
3) So how can we fix this ? ALL manufacturers (not just Perodua) who use the new ‘Optitron’-type instrument clusters MUST add an instrument light notifier which tells whether the headlamps are turned on or off. Many manufacturers have added the instrument light notifier in cars that have normal backlit meters, so no one has an excuse here. Automatic headlights are not necessary, as it will drive up costs and pricing, but it may be considered a safety feature as well, so if manufacturers want to add automatic headlights purely for safety concerns, then why not ?
4) Malaysians need to educate ourselves to be more safety concious. If you’re driving on the road without realizing the headlights are off, you shouldn’t be driving at all. Don’t give an excuse like ”Sorry lah, I didn’t know !” ; ‘sorry’ won’t help when someone dies because of your incompetence. Driving is a very serious part of our daily routines. I mean, common sense lah, if it’s night / early morning = Turn ON your headlights. If it’s afternoon = Turn OFF your headlights. What’s so hard about that ? I have seen idiots with full on headlights during hot afternoons, and I’ve seen idiots with no headlights at all at night. Then there’s the idiots who (deliberately or otherwise) use their rear foglight(s) at night, when there’s no heavy rain, haze or fog. I’ve also seen idiots who think their Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) are powerful enough to function as headlights (they think it’s stealth or something… -__-). So my friends, please don’t underestimate the importance of car and road safety. Don’t wait for the accident to happen, don’t wait for someone to get injured or die, prevention is the best cure. Be courteous and respectful to each other on the road, set a good example for our future generation to follow.
The light indicator is there, it always been there, check at the “signal/light stick” at your steering, I think it’s pretty standard, it will show/point “off”, “small light” (I don’t know what the actual name is), and “low beam headlight”.. Unless you are the one who forgotten there is a signal stick/light and rarely use it, then you must be one of the _____ on the road…
doesnt apply to me. (auto headlights on the picanto) 50k and so much better than the myvi, abs, ebd, tcs, vsm, hsa, 6 airbags… pfft
What international standards…? Japs are doing it no…? German bastard…! Is he on Nazi weed…?
Orang lain pakai bertahun tahun tak pernah complain.
I drive a Ford, which is essentially a German-engineered car. FYI, my ford has a dashboard meter that illuminates just like the Myvi, doesn’t matter in daylight or dark condition, albeit it will be dimmed when headlight is switched on. So, does it means Ford, which happens to be the best selling car in Europe, doesn’t adhere to international standard? Pls advice Mr. Wolf.
Well that is the Europeans for you. Things like this is quite common in European country. They are very rigid when it comes to safety. Like, insanely rigid. I was able to live in the UK for quite awhile and I know how they roll. I remember one time my neighbour sue our apartment management team just because they didn’t replace a worn out light bulb.
This is funny. As a driver you should noe to turn on ur headlight during night time driving and nt fully depend on the indicator. Indicator is juz an assist. So problem go bek to the driver him/herself. For me, is the driver problem.
They dont care about safety.. Just PROFITS, PROFITS, PROFITS..
Welcome to Malaysia! You always get the half baked cake.
It’s all about being unable to cope with changes. Probably Mr wolf is resisting change and will come up with excuses to blame others when things don’t go their way because of the change.
We have seen this everywhere. When change happens and disrupts one’s routine it’s always bad and ‘deadly’ and other dramatized scenarios.
Uncontrollable change will lead to confusion and chaos while a measured, structured, planned, change will lead to betterment in life.
After all, Germans (or their Austrian, & Swiss kind) are known to be pragmatist if nothing else.
Its a well known issue.. International standard or not, there should get something to fix, maybe a light sensor.. I’v seen quite number of non lit myvi’s.. Quite dangerous also if you are behind them on the expressway fast and cant see them from far,
Malaysian coming together to defend Perodua/Toyota?
Thats something new :)
As far as i can see, people normally bash UMW Toyota for obvious reasons, seldom Perodua.
Spot on!! No wonder there are so many myvi drivers (esp the new driver) drive their cars with no lights on at night, esp when they drive under city roadlights as they thought that they already switched them on…. Believe me ! See it tonight! Open your eyes!!
Dun b stupid la, wan to check whether ur headlamp is turn on or not, u dunno turn the switch and see whether is on or not? Very nonsense. Seems like no hand to check and have to rely on the light?
the optitron meter cluster of perodua looks great and premium. No doubt it seems has difficulty for driver to differentiate whether they have switch on their headlamp or not during night time. Though the meter cluster dimmed to suit night vision but not all people will notice that.
So the best solution for this dispute is install headlamp on off indication inside the meter cluster for ALL CARS, regardless they use Optitron or traditional meter cluster. I am driving Kia which using supervision (aka optitron) and there is an indicator for headlamp and I find it very useful.
VW gearbox also not follow international standard…cannot use in hot country…
I believe that is a very old story la. This issue happened last time because the oil used by Volkswagen is synthetic oil which will only cause the hardening of oil that cause failure. Then they replaced the synthetic oil with mineral oil which until now no more problems due to the hot weather here. I drove my golf for like 2 years already also no prob la.
“My name is Wolf Vaupel. I am a German mechanical engineer and safety engineer for manufacturing machines and for road safety, retired and married with a Malaysian Chinese Lady living in KL”
http://tinyurl.com/mtmuuhw
But his LinkedIn profile professes bio-chemistry
http://tinyurl.com/m7rehn8
And Google search reveals he is probably marketing personality for some dietary supplement linked to the name “immuneSystemActive”
He also complained about Nokia Lumia fonts being too small while using poor English on his multiple FB accounts – a proficiency that does not tally with that which was posted in debatmalaysia’s blog.
Is his profile even real? Or was it another fake profile used for selling dietary supplement but has now “outsmarted” himself…
i agree with him, but we malaysian always take for granted of everything. thats why our road never become safer.
He has a point there..and im also not talking abouth night…im talkng abouth heavy rain in the day…
please switch ON night lamp when you drive late evening starting around 7pm,it will be more save for everyone. do anyone still adjust inner mirror and adjust seat before driving?it was teached during driving class right? the hazard lamp,is it car manufacturer fault put it in car as standard while many people mistakenly use during heavy raining?DRL feature on latest Proton and Kia cars, will customer forgotten that they not yet switch ON lamp because the headlamp already bright at front?come on guys, don’t let interesting feature limit our car specification.Let’s practice safety driving!before and during driving :)
New proton and kia cars come with Auto lamp function. Maybe the drivers are scared to use takut cepat rosak. Even when i bought my kia, the salesman said “xpayah guna Auto la, just manual on off je”. Its a comfort feature, the car will control your headlamp when its at night or going through a tunnel.
wow! ang moh also can be so outdated ar?
next time he’ll write about the badness of fuel injection and variable valve timing that didn’t meet international standards.
This is a valid concern as Optitron gauges lights up once engine is on.
It dims when you switch on headlamps but at night it is hard to tell.
Proton and Perodua should have fitted a headlamp on glyph on the instrument panel.
While they are at it, please also fit rear foglamp as standard.
The switch for this should have a cover like a missile lauch button to ensure deliberate operation.
As far as I know, there is no international standard on this point. The originator claimed that there is but did not quote the applicable EU or FMVSS number. I may be wrong.
However, if a driver needs an indicator light to constantly inform him/her that the car headlight is switched on, he/she probably should be driving in the first place!
The language that he used is cocky and unprofessional even by German standards.
No wonder I saw a lot Myvi young driver didn’t turn on their Headlamp at night.. I tot is a trend now days.. mostly this young driver spend more time at accessories shop..
orang putih bash our speedometer…. meanwhile their gearbox………
What is da big drama here? Headlamps should be switched on no matter day or night. It only takes a second to switch it on. For the safety of all pengguna jalanraya!So drama, use words like risk, disaster, Gila punya mat saleh should just retire and watch paint dry… stay home if so dangerous and hazardous.
If u turn on your small light the dash will dim also… so u will thought u have fully on your headlight? Some time u will use small light coz u are waiting… after that will u remember to turn back the headlight back? Since the small light is already on and the meter light is dim also…
It does not matter optitron or not, this is part of drivers responsibility, make you turn on your headlamp when required.
I drive a myvi and i dont have issue with light at my meter dimmed when i switch on the light. That for me is clear info to inform me that i already switch on the light.
Responsibility is the key here.
He is an immigrant not an expat, having retired, living in Malaysia as his second home
Immigrant and white: Expat. Immigrant and other color, immigrant. Regardless of work status. ;)
Lagi satu orang malaysia ni, xpaham perkataan FOG LAMP. Bwk keta rm10k ke rm1juta ke, sama perangai. Habis dibukak semua lampu yang ada, smpi pedih mata orang depan. Malam biasa2 xda kabus apa2 pun nak dipakainya fog lamp
all i know there are alot of idiots who drive at night without their lights on , they see their well lid meters assume all lights are on , when ur born an idiot there really not much can be done , maybe there should be a giant hummer on the driver head ,fixed on the headliner with some hydraulics connected to a watch… if after 7pm lights are not on , the automatic hammer will whack the drivers head as a gentle reminder
The fact is, we have got idiot drivers in Malaysia. There are people who can’t even indicate when turning or changing lanes and hog the roads driving in the overtaking lane. Perodua is not helping with this meter light thing because time and time again I see people without lights on at night.
Admit it… Even some of u idiots here are guilty for not using your indicators. Indicators are only meant for hazard lights during rainy conditions. Do you realize what fools you look like when you do that?
What about cars with LCD meter clusters? Cannot pakai also?
The first time i drive myvi the first se type with blue meter, i accidentally forgot to switch on my headlamps.. I only realize when i reach my destination when im trying to turn off the headlamps.. The cause is? The backlit meter of course.. All along the way i thought my lights are on… But Myvi already long in the market… And im sure Myvi user can differenciate the difference on or off headlamps.. The complaint is just full of bull…
It doesnt matter anyway… I love Malaysia… Dats all…
folks, the conclusion is simple. the problem is between the steering wheel and the seat.
you need to know your car well for safety reasons.
I can see his point though, as you may drive your friends car. What then?
This problem won’t happen in Sabah coz our roads are very dim and dark (street lamps are not on *I wonder why ), so it it a must for a driver to turn on the headlight otherwise it is like driving blind. It is a suicide trying to drive with the headlight off.
Plus people here not only turn the headlight on but also the highlight, well visibility here is poor you see. Highlight on vs headlight off are both blinding.
In my conclusion, it all depends on the driver’s attitudes and habits.
mercedes got auto lamps…no problem
Anything we do safety comes first becomes most priority. No compromise, except people that are so dumb take it lightly.
I find the writing a tad offensive. I mean by the claimed German engineer. where is the source for “International Standard”
actually international standard, self illuminate meter cluster instrument must with auto headlamp.
include 6 bags above, ESC, EBD, BA, ABS, BLIS, Pre collision braking, XDS, AFS, etc…
How is this even news? Just the rantings of some guy.
proton and perodua have always valued profits more than people ,look at the safety standards ,when german cars got 18 airbags ,proton and perodua got only two .. how many life’s could have been saved if they put safety as 1st priorty like volvo ,subaru ,mercedes ,bmw ….why set the bench low ,why never aim for the best ? we have some of the most highest prices of cars globally …mentality has to change . http://www.carsafetyrules.com/south-east-asian-crash-tests-reveal-poor-protection-for-regions-children/0205/
Proton now has 6… Perodua still only offers 2, and Toyota is more stingy than Proton, despite costing a lot more.
The problem is that the customer decides what features the car will have. If Toyota sees today that people rather buy a car with 6 airbags and stability control instead of bigger rims and bodykit + TRD sticker, 2 weeks later they will drop the rims, bodykit and TRD and offer more airbags and stability control. But customers in Malaysia prefer looks over safety, so that’s what they get.
I don’t understand what idiot works at Proton, why they focus on safety in a market that doesn’t care.
Maybe some of our ‘engineers’ should write In to VW HQ and educate them of the problems of their cars in Malaysia. See if they reply.
What is with all the fuss? The feature helps just incase you enter a dark tunnel and your car overheats ( an example ) and you get to see the meter panel in front of you.
All these stuffs like studying what the tiny symbols mean, driving and checking if you have a burnt headlight, not turning them on etc. are taught/ shown inside the user manual and also during your sekolah memandu.
I’ve seen someone at least once every week driving without the headlamps on. Yeah blame it on the litted panel, but for me if you’re dumb enough to drive without knowing you have low fuel, low tyre pressure, headlights not turned on etc, you’re
not fit to drive on the road.
IF YOU CANT NOTICE YOU HAVE NOT TURNED THE LIGHTS ON, RIDE A BICYCLE INSTEAD!!
Perodua carss are overheating in tunnels? What are you talking about?
‘Goodness’ wanted to point out that cars tend to overheat in tunnels when the meters are not illuminated.
Apasal lu orang bodoh sangat. Anything can happen. Not just tunnel, dark shopping mall, etc. temperature going up, maintaining the correct speed limit etc. I think you guys are one of those buggers driving without the headlights turned on.
No, I’m one of the guys who never use a car in shopping malls. Usually I walk during window shopping.
BTW: Where can I find such a ‘drive-through’ shopping mall in Malaysia?
Just turn back to the old time fashion. Turn on meter penal lights manually, sure we remember to switch on the headlamp. No confused, 100% world standard, everyone happy…
Never on the light while driving, not blaming the driver instead on the meter, i find the brain of these drivers behind wheels are getting dumber. If a simple flick to check the light is on was deemed as a hassle, then the person should not be driving at all, or he/she should stop writing to embarrassing himself/herself and get other car that has auto light feature.
please fellow Malaysians:
1) switch on your headlights at night
2) do not switch on your fog light if it is not foggy
3) switch on your headlights during heavy rain
4) do not use hazard light when driving (car moving). It’s only to be used when stopping during emergency.
5) use signal when overtaking and changing lanes
6) do not use high beam towards incoming cars
7) do not install non standard hid lights and ah beng strobe lights
Thank you.
Aiyak…put auto headlight function la..make it standard..
bro u got the point!
most oversea spec car with self illuminate meter cluster instrument equip with auto light.
This german actually get the point.
There’s a lot of idiot who don’t turn on headlights in tunnel or car park.equally dangerous.
Just because you can see the road doesn’t mean people notice your car.
Myvi light makes us blind anyway. Just keep it off. hahaha
Actually, Honda city 2006 vtec, Altis 2006 1.8 start use self illuminate meter cluster instrument.
Yes, it might makes ppl forgot to on the light.
Actually, auto headlight will solve this issues.
For german car with self illuminate meter cluster instrument usually equiped auto light.
I think “forgot to turn on light” its because of Boleh land spec delete the autolight function for crony pockets.
Anyway, the fault should not blame to self illuminate meter cluster instrument. should be the design safety concept. Better equiped with Auto lighting.
altis 1.8G has automatic headlamp for 2006 (facelift model).
go check.
The expat has a point. Some people will tend to forget that they should turn on their headlamps at night. I will always indicate them to turn it on when I see them. They are endangering other road users
Kudos to those who ALWAYS remember to turn their headlamps on but not everyone is like you and its not petty issue.
Its high time for local car manufacturers to make auto headlamps mandatory (the side LED lit up just like Kia Rio), not just in premium cars like Suprima S only.
Solve your problem on whether to use Optitron/ Megatron or Optimus Prime dashboard or whether it is dimmed or with bright lights hurting the high astigmatism people.
Last time, there was no issue looking at meter panel during daytime. That’s how me, and surely many out there, who rely on meter panel to confirm lights are on: it’s on when the meter panel lights up. It’s simple, fool proof and very effective.
What is wrong with this? Why now as if suddenly people cannot see meter panel during daytime, must switch it on permanently?
Sometimes I drive my friends’ cars, and quite a few times I need to be reminded to switch on the lights. Funnily, sometimes they themselves forgot, despite being the owner of their car!
I suppose I have to adapt anyway, I guess the equivalent fool proof confirmation today is to have headlight on indicator. Can’t understand why Perodua can be so stingy to put it in, some say it’s already there but sort of disabled? WTF Perodua, u give us tissue box, coin box holder, snatch hook can, but cannot give us a bulb to improve our safety? Topkek.
Don’t question a particular make self illumination instruments. I believe many have encounters those cars that come with self illuminate instruments have a much higher chances of giving their drivers a wrong impression that their headlights are on because the meters are always lit. Despite a small lights on icon is there, even if lights are not on, the icon is not as obvious as the whole instruments set unlit when lights are not on. Self illuminated instruments from my personal view is not at all safe. Those linked to the headlights on or off are then safe. The reason is obvious, when the instruments are not visible due to surrounding darkness, if a driver wanted to see information from there, by instinct, they will on the lights themselves. To me self illuminated instruments are not a genius innovation, regardless of which make is it. True that it makes itself visible all the time, but how many times we saw cars equipped with this didn’t on the lights at all at night?
Too often.
I used to think new drivers mostly bad for forgetting something basic like that, until it happened to me.
This is really tikus baiki labu. Nothing wrong last time meter panel unlit when headlight off, yet now it’s always on. Sigh.
Not going to debate about the standards.
Anyway, as a driver myself, I found myself forgetting to turn off headlights rather than forgetting to turn them on. Personally I do think drivers who cant even practice safety first are fit to drive anyway. You just have to look at yourself rather than pointing fingers. For example, whenever it rains heavily and visibility are poor, how many vehicles actually turn on their light? Drivers themselves lack the discipline to practice safety first is really appalling here in Malaysia.
I’ve seen quite a lot of Myvi driving without their headlights on at night. Now I know the reason why…
Hello all!
I will not comments technologies who are out of the current complain and out of my concern.
We cannot mix-up different technologies from European or Japanese standards with daylight and darkness sensors ti switch on automatically the headlights and all other lights! No discussion about how other do it!
It is sensles and do not solve this current problems!
Sad that every carmaker cook his own soup and create his own indication!
Please read carefully my blog and the comments on my blog: http://tinyurl.com/kgxpda2
and you find already answers!
The Perodua cars are simple “old-fashion” cars nice made and relatively cheap that people with low income can afford. All has to be done manually.
Also to switch on the headlights has to be done manually. This is OK when the right warning and/or indication signals clear in which position is he headlight! ON or OFF and this can only show clearly the dashboard light when it is ON or OFF or alternatively change the light colour when the headlights switched on!
However it has to be clear indication! That’s it!
It cannot be that the dashboard light is ON when the headlights are OFF! This is a terrible misleading and my concern and the big danger!
Read in the comments on my blog the experience from Alza & Mive car owners!
Exactly this simple clear signal need every driver to be very sure the headlights are ON or OFF! It in not a cost factor not more to make it right and clear!
A very simple solution to solve the problem can be: connect a relay to the dashboard light and switch on the all your lights automatically – you can have on this way a simple and effective “headlights and lights all times ON” feature when the engine is started! The dashboard light comes time delayed after the engine is on!
I do this since 1970 manually and drive day and night with all lights “ON”!
The sad point is that not one of all informed institutions responde and/or take action to safe lives and money through accidents!
The authorities show clearly no respect to their voters and let them wiesly have accidents and die in unsure cars! This is very strange for me!
Regards
Wolf Vaupel
far too often i see myvi did not turn their headlamps on a well-lit highway…as i own one i think they thought the lamps are already on..typical prob if you have driven other cars than myvi for a long time =) what he is saying is true..kudos to the guy for having the guts to tell it! he’s just being concerned..don’t take it the wrong way
Hello Paul Tan!
Why you remove my link to my blog from my comment?
I am not shy to write here on your blog.
Why you let not know your readers the whole history and how the authorities are acting in doing nothing over time period of more than 6 month since 20th August 2014?
Your blog readers should know about this!
http://tinyurl.com/kgxpda2
Let all know what’s happen! All are voters and they can pay back the authorities to get the rights people in place to solve the public problems.
All government people in Malaysia have not realised that they work for the public. The public pay with their tax their salary!
They current authorities recognise only in front a election that they need voters to tease them with worthless and deplete promises!
Afterwords they continuous what they like to do!
Everywhere and in every country the same bad political game!
Thank you and regards
Wolf Vaupel
You are very tricky!
Regards