Malaysians may love their cars, but they’re a funny bunch sometimes, unwilling to spend on the right things but willing to spend on the wrong ones. There’s also no shortage of people who take the high-road approach that it can be done, even if it really can’t.
This cavalier attitude can be seen everywhere, from how tyres – which are a crucial element of a vehicle – are viewed to an absolute need to shine in everyone’s eyes, not just figuratively, but literally. Needing to get this off our chest, we take a look at five things a lot of Malaysian drivers do, but really shouldn’t.
Do you agree with our views on these? Share your thoughts in the comments section once you’re done reading – we’d love to hear your views on the topic. With that, on with the rant.
Buy cheap/used tyres
This is so common among Malaysian drivers, even on premium cars, often seen with upsized wheels but with cheap rubbers of unknown brands.
Please stop doing so. When it comes to tyres, always go for the name brands – they are far safer and more reliable. Always remember, you get what you pay for, and with those four black donuts being the only things connecting your entire car to the road, don’t skimp on them. I’m not saying you should always go for the most expensive brands such as Michelin, Continental or Pirelli only, but at least reasonably priced reputable brands like Hankook, Falken, Dunlop, Maxxis, GT Radials, etc.
Same goes with used tyres. It’s so common to see used tyres being sold in local car groups, with descriptions like “80% thread,” “like new” and “banyak bunga lagi” etc. Some of them may be of reputable brands too, often OEM tyres. So, good brand, can right? No.
Used tyres are generally not recommended. Once the tyres have been through use, or heat cycles, their expiry dates are accelerated. While they may look perfectly usable, there’s a big chance they’re no longer safe. This is also the case with reconditioned vehicles. The time spent sitting in storage, or worse, a lengthy shipment from other markets like Japan, UK, etc, will have hardened the rubber on these cars.
This is not to be confused with being given “old tyres” at tyre shops. Unused tyres can sit for a year or two in the shops and be perfectly usable. It’s only a problem when it has gone through some use/heat cycles. It’s like food/drink items – they may sit on supermarket shelves for months and be perfectly fine, but as soon as they’re opened, you have to consume it within a short period of time.
As such, the advice is this – avoid used tyres and get new ones, and from reputable brands. Don’t try to be cheap with tyres la. They can bite back. Or rather, they won’t, when you need them to.
HID headlight conversions
Yes, fancy “white” LED or HID headlights on modern cars are far brighter, clearer, with longer throw compared to older “yellow” halogen lights. But you can’t simply change up your halogen headlights to HIDs or LEDs. That’s strictly illegal here in Malaysia.
The worry is that those lights are far too bright, and when installed in older complex surface reflector bowls meant for halogen units, can be set too high, blinding other road users. In some cases, the light throw of a dipped beam may be as high/bright as a full beam. That’s a menace to other drivers, and is rightfully illegal.
Some may argue that properly done, it’s safe. There are proper headlight conversions that use custom projector lenses and levellers to avoid being blinding. While that is a fair argument, it is still illegal and punishable by law as the road transport department (JPJ) has put a blanket ban on all headlight conversions. Just don’t do it.
Legally, you may use better, brighter halogen bulbs for better light performance. Major brands such as Osram and Philips offer better performing halogen headlight bulb replacements that are safe and legal for use in Malaysia. Just don’t go any higher than 4,300 K and you’re safe.
“Smoked” light housings and blinking tail lamps
Now, we move on from making your lights too bright to limiting their luminance (can’t make up your mind, eh?). It’s a popular trend now to give your headlights and tail lamps a darker, “smoked” look using Plasti Dip, wrap or tint. Supposedly, they look better/cooler, more aggressive/sporty/garang, etc.
Now, darkening them to a certain extent is fine, but not to the point of seriously blocking light projection. We’ve seen both headlights and taillights that are far too dark on Malaysian roads. The ill effects of making your headlights too dim are obvious enough – you can’t see as well at night, so it’s dangerous.
Tail lamps that are treated to reduce their light output are just as bad. Your signal lamps or even brake lights may not appear bright/obvious enough to other road users. Rear lights are designed to inform other road users of your vehicle’s position and intent (braking or turning). Limiting that information is not a smart move.
There are a few more light-related infractions too: misuse of foglights (why, Vios drivers, why?), turning on hazard lights in the rain, wiring the reverse lights to turn on when you brake and of course, blinking taillights. The last one takes the cake for being extremely annoying and distracting to other motorists. No. Just no.
Dark window tint
This is a long-running issue among Malaysian car owners. Too hot, must use dark tint. Privacy issues, scared people steal SmartTag, looks better with dark tint, the reasons go on and on. The government going back and forth with this issue, plus the lack of proper enforcement (other than time-specific ops) don’t help the matter either.
But the fact remains, we have very strict and specific regulations on window tint in Malaysia, and going too dark (for the front half) is illegal. The chance of you being stopped/fined for it is rather low, yes, but why is it that so many Malaysians think it’s fine to break the law to begin with?
There are no excuses for this, of course. When you are picking a window tint, most shops clearly label the options that are JPJ-compliant, with the rest being illegal, obviously. And yet, people are actively choosing to install illegal films and better yet, have the cheek to complain if ever they get fined for it. We are better than this, Malaysians.
If it’s a matter of heat, darker tints are not necessarily better at blocking heat, as we’ve detailed before in our in-depth look at window film tint. For example, a range-topping, higher visible light transmission (VLT) film will have far better heat rejection and performance properties than cheaper offerings that have a darker shade. Judge nothing by its colour, certainly not window film tint.
Like tyres in point number one, it pays to get quality window tint to start with. Better performance, longer lasting, proper warranty, it really makes a big difference in the long run. And remember, always choose JPJ-compliant tints. Who are we to break the law, eh? VIPs?
Fancy number plates
Another age-old issue. The JPJ has very specific regulations on vehicle number plates, and yet, it’s fair to say that you can see more fancy plates out on Malaysian roads than legal, JPJ-standard ones. In fact, most new cars drive out of the showrooms already fitted with illegal fancy plates.
Now, the term “fancy plates” in Malaysia isn’t at all like personalised or vanity plates in other countries. It means any number plate that does not conform to the JPJ’s exact specifications, which covers everything from the size, font and even spacing of the letters and numbers. Non-standard fonts (including stylised and italicised letters), multi-layer “crystal” finishes, carbon fibre backboards – they’re all illegal.
So too are European Union-styled plates (last we looked, we weren’t part of it) and combinations of letters and numbers that are creatively positioned to make out certain names or words: NAJ 113, MAR 14 and PLA 4804 reg numbers are all legal, but not when they’re stylised to read like NAJIB, MARIA and PLAYBOY. And yes, using logos in place of letters is illegal too, BMW M car owners.
The regulations are there for a reason – it’s to standardise and maximise the legibility of all vehicle number plates on the road. Our neighbours Singapore and Indonesia both have standardised stamped metal plates, though it has to be said the former’s execution looks far better than the latter’s.
There has been plenty of talk of having “standardised number plates” in Malaysia. Electronic e-plates with RFID identification (with the possibility of it replacing the road tax stickers) have been discussed as early as 2007, but nothing has progressed on that front yet, so here we are.
Of course, any form of standardised production and distribution will come with many question such as “so, which lucky or highly connected company will get the contract?” but we believe in this case, the end will justify the means.
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Normally Buy cheap/used retreaded tayar celup… otw balik kampung, tayar benjol.. burst tayar eksidens. Ambik ori
Cheap/used tayar is not the same as tayar celup. Such misconception is common when many don’t use brain to think and make informed decisions.
Branded rethreads can be nearly as good as newly made tayar but at fraction of the cost. Most taxis use such tayar and rarely do we hear of any problems.
Always see the “belts” of retread tyres used by busses and lorries snapped on the highway. Don’t think retreat tyres as good as new tyres except for the cheaper price.
Those are due to overuse and by cheapo rethreads. In Europe, rethreads are very common yet we don’t hear such cases. What we have here is purely greed from the companies not taking care to replace these worn tyres.
Always see those bikers who loved to chit chat with one another, side by side for 5km… when riding.
concur bro, been using rethread michelin and bridgestone from kedai tayar in subang for 20year… cheap and real good stuffs.
I think you’re the one that misunderstood about retread tires. Just that you deem that was safe to use or probably saving on your pockets and ignoring the safety of using them. The problem with many MY business owners are doing it illegally as we do not have proper enforcement with the compliant ISO standards which never adopted at the first place. Think of it like a food safety, in Japan Fugu poisonous fish is deem safe to eat with proper handling and serve only by qualified people. Everything has to bee accountable, verifiable and traceable through procedures/application. Not just someone blurt out something and makes people pondering why shouldn’t we/I use them, because it makes sense to only your logic but not with compliance of standards.
Great weekend reading. Thanks
JPJ should go after NAJ 113, MAR 14 and PLA 4804 plate numbers when they’re stylised to read like NAJIB, MARIA and PLAYBOY. Not wasting time with people attires in JPJ office,
JPJ are doing that, on top of ensure compliance to decency. If you don’t want to respect others, at the very least dressed to respect yourself.
betui tuan Dredd. JPJ also can go undercover to stop lesen terbang still available online. JPJ then catch their blacksheeps and culprits in JPJ ranks sucking up sindiket lesen terbang.
JPJ got bahagian enforcement under cukai Rakyat payroll, instead of JPJ reminding us public that such services are illegal. Just my 2 cents
lately,I saw a Nissan van..few Banglas inside with apek boss..JPJ stopped the van…busy negotiating at the road side..Why need to talk 3 talk 4.? If salah,issue ticket and drive off..instead causing traffic jams and being a road hazard.
Sambil menyelam, minum lah KOPI.
Melania Rosmah. JPJ need to check in their system if the vehicle is registered to carry passengers, then how many passengers, then need to check if lesen & roadtax expired or not, then need to check with Imigresen if each and everyone of them are legal here, then need to check with MOH & PDRM if they are complying to SOP & social distancing requirements. So if JPJ needs more time to be thorough in their scrutiny I have no complaints and neither should you. They are just doing their jobs.
Very true Alan, exactly why we always see JPJ & PDRM busy negotiating at roadside.. with overloaded Trailer trucks and teksi, van with few Banglas inside. JPJ & PDRM buat2 busy at work..
Full sapot our frontliners & law enforcers!
#KitajagaKita
Those imigresen law enforcers who drive Phantom Rolls Royce, Mustang, Range Rover and Audi.
Confiscated from those trying to smuggle luxury cars in, so it is halal to appropriate and use.
JPJ and JKR..have one thing in common…Shambolic performance.
You have no clue what you’re talking. That is shambolic itself.
Gov let these can made or import in Malaysia. Allowed shop to sell those things. Especially tinted, number plates. Enforcement can do at accesories shop if it is illegal to sell, super easy. Or are these things are allowed to sell in car accesories shop but actually not for car use? Really confuse…
It is not illegal or unallowed to buy & sell but it is illegal and unallowed to install & use.
It’s like telling ppl, it’s legal to buy/sell drugs but illegal to consume. Noob!
Since when noob. Do read the law before you speak, it is illegal to sell AND use drugs. There is no 2 ways about it. It is stupid to compare both these as Dredd is right, there is no laws against selling them.
It’s a comparison and you simply proved him right.
It’s a freaking joke dude. Yes drugs are illegal but selling tinted windows while making it illegal is like a fool’s move. It’s like when mercun is ok to buy but illegal to use and I’m using this as a joke. The government can be weird and hypocritically foolish at times
Most Malaysians live from one paycheck to another anyway, why the BOLD NEED to INSULT their financial decisions. Kau boleh lah eksen with all those Mercedes C250 coupe, X70, X50 and what not but the reality is people rather keep their money (or better yet, FEEDING THEIR CHILDREN, for crying out loud). Single wannabe guy TALK like he’s been married WITH CHILDREN before. Think other’s feelings first and put your damn rich legs inside their shoes for once. Just my 2 cents.
4 out of 5 of the things I listed require you to spend money on. So not doing them saves money.
If you’re talking about cheap/budget tyres, I’m not saying you have to buy premium or expensive tyres such as Michelin or Continental. There are decently priced tyres from reputable brands too, like Hankook, Dunlop, etc.
This is a matter of safety. Buying used or those off-brand tyres may put you and other road users at risk. It’s just not worth the savings.
rilek bro Friz, pkp and covid side effects affecting mental health of many marhaen. step outside too many sewel looking faces around, unfortunately.
kemalangan tayar meletup regularly report in hmetro. so bro Friz info memang solid, tawakal for all.
Totally agree Hafriz. If living paycheck to paycheck, there where is the extra money to waste on LED lights, bodykit, stereo, rims? Instead of these things, top priority should be good quality tyres. Some people just don’t have their priorities straight and then blame others for saying things that actually make logical sense.
Not all cheap unknown branded tyres are bad. Some, like Apollo, are actually huge in their own countries (ie India) but only just recently penetrated here, so their tyres are relatively more cheaper for various reasons.
On that subject, we could also infer that Amaron battery was unknown to us a decade or so ago and by that same logic, should not be bought. But those in the know knows it is huge in India and today gaining traction in Malaysia as a reputable brand which even this website is indirectly promo it. So perhaps the team should be more careful to inform readers that there are cheap tyres and then there are CHEAP TYRES.
I use Achilles. oso a brand. smooth, sturdy and well-priced
Why on Mesia earth they allow anyone to import winter tyres?? No joke they are enough cars on freaking hot mesia roads with snow tyres.
eff em! more power to you bro!
Agree with Hafriz. Good tyres makes a difference. If budget is a concern, there are some good budget tyre brands out there such as Achilles, Neuton and Nexen. Just avoid those capalang brands such as Linglong and Goodride.
Would be good if PT does review on tayars, separating the GOOD cheap brands from the BAD cheap brands. Sometimes not so simple to say that expensive must mean it is good, bad brands also have expensive tayars for odd sizes. Also what is the threshold on pricing to determine which is good and bad? Consumers only sees pricing and size.
Pakai michelin top spec, uia sampai lpt pun dkt sejam.
just like you don’t want to be judged because you are living paycheck to paycheck, don’t judge others if they are doing fine. This article is Hafriz’s article; don’t like it? Then leave and don’t read it. People who have a constant chip on their shoulder think that anyone who says anything different to what they believe is an insult. Wrong.
You are 1000 percent ngam.
Sometimes,as forum contributors,we feel some paultan staff showing off their wealth,while many of us are not well to do.
Hafriz,knowingly or not is accumulating a collection of cars that depreciate badly even after the 5th year.
By the tenth year,the Rv is noting to shout about.
Paultan and Co…remember your humble beginings..without a lively forum and people who advertise…u r nowhere near to being the top 3 automotive car websites.
Always stay humble like Bill gates and Robert Kuok.
Paul Tan did not arise due to its forum and they did not become big due to trollers such as you. They earn their stripes as objective and factual reporters and this what draws people to their website. Even if they close their forum discussion today (which i don’t see an issue), they would still survive and thrive.
Hahaha, conveniently forgetting about Bill Gates’ Porsche collections do you?
https://www.superyachtfan.com/yacht-owners/bill-gates/cars/
Ok, calm down. What if today you happen to buy a tyre. Let’s assume that you have a car with 14-15 inch tyre; that might cost RM150 for a decent brand tyre (like Viking). Then you save 1 ringgit a day until the day you can’t use the tyre anymore. Let’s assume that you are lucky enough and the tyre lasts about 1 and a half year. That’s roughly around 550 days. So, that day you want to buy a replacement tyre, remember the 1 ringgit a day that you save? How much is it now? Assuming you didn’t skip a day, you have RM550 saved. For the same brand tyre you can already buy 3 piece with that money.. or if you can just topup RM50 and you can buy 4 tyres already. So save 1 ringgit a day ok.
If you are poor, rethink your financial decisions before plonking your family in a car you cannot afford, and then cheap out on the tyres and risking their lives with it. Stop buying cars based on the monthly repayments only, and factor in cost of operation and maintenance.
Your disdain for Hafriz’s car collection seemed to have been sustained by your displeasure with your own putrid boring life. Hafriz is hardworking. Hafriz is smart. Hafriz did the maths. He can buy more expensive cars if he cheap out on his jackets. Be like Hafriz.
If one’s financial situation does not allow their family to have a safe and comfortable life, why even have children in the first place?
I understand if you had to buy cheap/offbrand stuff during COVID but I’ve seen too many families living paycheck-to-paycheck all their life.
opps, terasa ni. Cili siapa ni? Pedas sangat.
So you are happy to put unsafe rubber on your car and risk endangering both your family and the families of other road users? Maybe instead of spending on rubber from Dunlop/Silverstone/Goodyear you should instead spend on rubber from Ansell/Durex/Karex. Stop living paycheck to paycheck and instead question why you need to live like that and why so many people have to live like that when they are slogging day and night. This is not normal nor should it ever have become like this in Malaysia.
If already living paycheck to paycheck, why decide to have children?
I’d a different perspective on cheap tyre. If someone where to start a business they had to start someway. Many years ago Goodyear were also in the cap ayam brand / cheap brand category.
A good tyre is not solely determine by its price. I’ve used cheap tyre from Indonesia. Its quality is very good. It’s comfortable and has good grip. Another factor it is meant for hot climate countries like our.
I’m more into thinking if you have the know how you can go for cheaper new player brand tyre. Some of todays cap ayam are actually established else way. They are giving out low price to gain market share not at all because they really are poor quality tyre.
I have to agree with you. Couple years back, we used to laugh at those premium cars with Landsail tyres. But now, its so common, even high end cars are using them. It important to do research on the tyres rather than being ignorant paying for expensive brands cause their marketing is better. I’m pretty sure some of the cheapo brands have better comfort and grip than hankooks or dunlop with cheaper access points thanks to their low marketing and overhead cost. Go read in user forums of their tyre experiences first before bashing.
Call me a brand snob, but with tyres, I’m not taking any chances. I’d take cheaper Hankooks or Dunlops over off-brand tyres any day of the week.
Don’t misunderstand me, however. I’m not against smaller but established brands like say, Giti, Apollo, even Barum. But the properly unknown ones, I wouldn’t touch with a 10 feet pole, sorry.
Goodyear the most underrated aren’t they?
Goodyear is an okay OEM brand but really overrated for their price if anything.
Those “smaller but established brands” did not start up as established all of a sudden but built up from being an unknown too. Meanwhile I myself had inadvertently “dorifto” with Dunlops once, swearing that I will never touch that brand again.
Yup, I’m like u, bro. Michelin all the way. When have money, PS4, less, Primacy or even XM2.
That’s great then. Was referring to those smaller cheaper brands such as Apollo, Landsail, of sorts as a better purchase to the ones in tight budget rather than resorting to rethreads or used tyres. Helps them stay within their means.
Great to see you interacting with the readers !
How about geng stickers. Hate to see car with full of stickers especially the car owners club. Next thing you know, these poyos convoy on the road & hog the lane.
Those with MAOC, MYOC, X50OC… OC this OC that fit the proverb
“Bila ramai dia gangster, bila sorang dia hamster”.
They need validation from their mates and can’t think themselves.
Does enforcement agency take all the modified thing seriously? No….How many car did we see having off specs headlights, dark window tints, fancy plate number, blinking tail lamps on the roads now? Plenty….Most of Malaysian driver are selfish, just to make their cars stand out, they don’t give a damn about others road users especially the one who’s modified their headlamps and tail lamps.
How about replacing Rear Reflector with led which is only works when the car is running but when park, no reflector at all!
1 more, big mouth exhaust.
Then famously using new Civic ketam, but service done under cherry tree foreman with imitation part.
Penny wise, pound foolish.
Biar papa (mati), asal bergaya.
Abang-abang bangsa H gonna feel the heat.
Hazard light during rain is the most bodoh thing to do by Msian
Blinking hazard light during rain will protect our car from kena accident. godbless
If everyone starts to blinking during rain, people will not be able to tell a difference with vehicles that are really stalled. That is DANGEROUS!
Think SAFETY FIRST!
is dangerous definitely memang pasti. is biasa to see lotsa them blinking during rain, bila driving on LPT back to kuantan.
is big bikers convoy oso dangerous speeding on the LPT over the weekend, esp btw Lanchang and Chenor. think safety for your loved one gais.
Yeahh, hazard light during rain, that is a moronic move. Usually these cars dont have rear foglight. For this kinda cars, the owner have to retrofit.
Another one to add: driving with front and rear fog lights on
PT missed out one important item:
Some Malaysian owners knowingly love buying and using imitation sport rims aka fake-brand sport rims, aka AAA rims, from Thailand, China, Indonesia, etc. New fake rims are aplenty in tyre shops. Even their bosses are not shy promoting these fakes. Online shopping has plenty too.
For all the items pointed out by PT, it all boils down to “Gaya is above All (yes, even safety takes second place).
Agree.. imitation cast iron rims that are not proven nor tested for safety.
They can mod those pointless body kit, spoiler, stupid exhaust pipes.. but brakes, wheels and tyres are things that we don’t mess up with.
Should include those loud exhaust & exhaust without catalyzer
Some people will have fancy/uprated rims, but tyres will be bald. Bald as in completely smooth tyre surface. Makes me wonder the kinda of priorities certain people have…
Are you sure that’s not slick tyres like the ones used in F1? Hahaha…
Silverstones are fine right..? I just got mine changed few days ago 165/60r13, both sides of the front
Yeah those are fine . Not great, but ok la
How about Deestone? There’s an attempt by Bridgestone to kill it and I was thinking that they must be really good if such big established brand want to do that..
OK for OEM tyres as for affordable replacements maybe Goodyear but really I reckon Mich. IF you are tight on money, Silverstones is better than nothing
Goodyear used thai sintetik rubber so better.
Goodyear sold in Malaysia is made locally with local rubber bro.
Pls add on about not to switch the rear fog lamp ‘ON’ at all times. Ask the drivers to understand its usage.
There are more and more unknown tyre brands from the road. Many people thought no need to spend more money on the black donuts and opts for the cheap one. For those unknown brands there are mostly from factory who make tyres for many unknown brands. Like Chaoyang, Westlake and Goodride they are same factories and the patterns are exactly same, only different name.
There are hundreds if not thousand of tyre factory in China to produce tyre and sell to worldwide. We can even request them to make the tyre with the name we wanted such as bloody, tomcruise, tom&jerry etc. The tyre has no quality issue but functionality is questionable as these kinds of tyre factories do not invest in R&D. Pls don’t be fooled by the seller who show us how good are these China tyres. It is marketing gimmick.
If possible do not ever buy used tyre because when the tyre being used the life cycle is calculated and usually is 3 years life span. The tread depth may look good but the tyre has lost the grip function due to rubber faded.
Tyre is the ONLY component the vehicle direct contact to surface. It is all about our own safety. During heavy downpour there are cases of accidents and many of them relate to tyre issue.
With the ‘tidak apalah’, ‘duit kopi-o’, ‘cash is king’ and ‘I help you, you help me’ culture of Malaysia, this kind of issues will go on forever unti the end of the world.
This list immediately conjures up stereotypes of a particular demographic. On a related note, why isn’t there any enforcement at all? Another bad habit – jackasses who think it’s stylish to drive with headlights off and only the fog lights at the bumper turned on. Sometimes the headlights are equipped only with blinking parking marker bulbs. And these jackasses will be tailgating others to boot, despite ensuring that they’re totally invisible to the car in front at such distance because of their switched-off headlights.
A suitable form of enforcement for such motorists that endanger others is the mandatory confiscation and disposal of their cars, with no insurance claims allowed.
stupid use of rear fog lights on clear days , but hazards on rainy days
I am not sure about the plate number thing really. I remember back in my uni days, Western Australia allows customisation. for a fee. You can basically ‘skin’ your plates. And not only in terms of colours and designs – you can change the wording too, subject to certain regulations, or course. Another thing as well, unless memory fails me plates are only made by the road transport department so everything is ‘standard’.
That will probably kill off a whole industry and also the ‘prestige’ here so its likely a non starter in Malaysia.
Never spent significant time nor owned a car elsewhere so wont know if this is common overseas.
Why is it so IMPORTANT about a) Fancy No Plates ….Is this a EYE sore to oterhs or IS it those people who percive it as a EYE SORE ? No one is Injured or Suppressed. So it is an individual preference …Let it be.
b) Branded tyres. Have use Dunlop , Goodyear, Bridgestone, etc. Their LOWER end models which are CHEAP are a DEATH TRAP ( Skidding at 50km/hr in rain ) , Rubber treat breaking up after 3 years with lots of treat depth left.
c) Dark Tint. So …? are they causing a danger or inconvenience to others? Or are they making POLICE work easy for them at the EXPENSE of common folks ? Do foregt MALAYSIA is a HOT country at the EQUATOR with Bright sunlight. Whats is the LOGIC of making the LAW to ban convenience for the road users ? Robbers, terrorist,etc …. If Police need this LAW… Then these people can wear full MASK in the CAR ( There is NO LAW against THAT !!! ) DUMB LAW !!!!
Focus on ISSUES that BRING danger, accisendts, injury, etc to other ROAD users. I am sure there are MANY issues …. As shown by the NO of ACCIDENTS and DEATH on the ROAD. STOP …. Nit Picking and look at the BIGGER pictures if Lives/Injury/inconvenience to Road user.
a) fancy number plates: the standard is to make it readable. Why? if someone langgar lari and the plate number of the langgar lari car was so fancy with custom font (comic Sans etc.), italic and no penjarakkan sosial between the numbers, even with CCTV its very hard to know the exact number. Topup with car repainting that was never registered. What if instead some crook purposely made it so it cannot be recognizable when they’re doing criminal act, like robbing someones house? Did any that being mentioned above brings harm to other people?
This sounds like someone who have personal vendetta against the laws. I’m guessing you did a) and c) and get saman over it. That’s why you’re not thinking straight.
Not only these cheap no-brand tyres that probably have never been full R&D, tested, etc., but also that people use tyres until even the tyre wear markers are gone! You can see the damn white nylon mesh of the tyre carcass! Are you kidding?? Not only on Protons, Kia, Perodua, but even many Benz, BMW! Got money to buy decent and nice car, but too cheap to change tyres until after they explode. Tyre wear indicator in Malaysia is when the tyre literally fails, then its time to change. Ridiculous.
Pirelli or Michelin only. No regret
All talk but no enforcement.
Our enforcement is lack of will to enforce some of these rules.
Fancy plates and heavy tinted windows aside, those illegal HID lamp, using rear fog lights and use of unsafe tyres are safety hazard to other road users.
Another useless mod is the excessive negative camber with wide tyres (so called VIP style). These setup reduces traction on the road an it is dangerous for both driver and other road users.
you missed the most important point…..speeding
Agreed.. especially lorry driving at fastlane, tailgating! Paultan, plz write something abt the dangerous of speeding and tailgating.. really scary, dunno whether shld slow down or speed up, sometime they still tailgating when going to corner or got traffic built up infront. Why these drivers so uncivilised!!!
Are you sure that’s not slick tyres like the ones used in F1? Hahaha…
Another thing that you may have missed is the numerous incidence of not switching your headlights on when it is necessary to do so. I find that this is, more often than not, the result of having illuminated control panels, as is with all new cars nowadays.
When you switched the engine on, the lighted meters gave you the false impression that the healights are already on too. You are most likely to drive without your headlights on until, if you’re lucky, the driver of the car beside yours at the traffic lights, gestures to you accordingly. And if you’re not, a hefty police fine and insurance bill awaits you.
I have seen numerous such incidents everywhere. Let’s hope something is added to the driving school curriculum or making it compulsory for all new cars to be fitted with auto headlights switches. Either way, it helps to prevent accidents on our roads.
That you can blame Perodua for not fitting headlamp ON indicator on their car dashboard. They cheapen out that feature all to save a few cents from the manufacturing cost.
Don’t blame P2 only, other cars with the headlamp indicator also the owner forget to turn on
Copy paste: “opps, terasa ni. Cili siapa ni? Pedas sangat.”
Agreed fully. But the bigger problem is, execution of the rules which are already in place by the authorities. Enforcement of these rules are simply lacking, the rule books look like just Lao Fu Tze comics. Can’t blame these Malaysians for doing these things then as they well know they can get away with it.
there are groups of poyo car club members that knowingly install fake “wilwood” brake caliper, fake “brembo” caliper and rotors that surely have questionable function. Putting themselves and other in danger.
The worst group of ppl are the one using “brembo” brake caliper COVER. WTF were they thinking??
Can you advise the difference between tyre alignment and camber? Why do shops still charge for camber adjustment? Isn’t the service part of alignment, meaning how do you align without adjusting
“So, which lucky or highly connected company will get the contract?”
Hmm why asked a company when we can utilised our inmates like those in Australia?
And also inconsiderate fools who modify their exhaust to be super loud just to fantasize having a sports car. Such a nuisance to people living near the main roads.
go look at those recon bmw x6 or mercs with big rims, 80% of those cheapskate showoffs using cheapo china tyres
How about those tyres like Viking by Continental or Dayton by Bridgestone? Are they safe to use?
Wow, it really seems that Malaysia is a dictatorship!
Malaysia should set a law to enforce lorries to have brighter and bigger rear lights. It’s too small and dim in the dark! Even Axia have bigger lights than them!
Wow…seems like a good topic at first…after reading it…its a column filler…nuthin really substantial..what this generation call a clickbait….need to hit the quota huh for this week/month…im sorry but this is really meh
Very interesting. No matter what vehicle, who the driver and location, they Always never use turning indicator light when turning any direction. This may cause unnecessary accident.
Agree with all your dons except HID headlights conversion. Are you trying to say that poor people don deserve to see better at night. Only new expensive cars holds the right to better lighting?
I agree with what you said about older model cars with halogen bulbs tends to have different reflection bowl designed to shine a slightly higher beam and so when converted to Hid or Led bulbs it tends to shine a bit too high and blinding. Please be fair to order cars owner especially older drivers. They deserves better lighting and better visibility at night too. Their lives are equally precious too. It is not about the legality to carry out such a conversions. Legal or not legal, it’s WHOM to justify, JPJ????
I converted my old Nazaria’s low beam to HID and high beeam to LED. I took the trouble and every efforts to adjust and fine tuned the the low beam to beam only onto the road and not onto oncoming vehicles or vehicles in front of me. I even squated down around 50feet in front of my car just to be sure the beams are not glaring into my own eyes. Not so for the high beam. It’s a High beam. You only use it when no oncoming vehicles and no vehicles in front of you. It’s only those who did the conversion but never bother to adjust the beam that are culprits. It’s for the sake of safety that asked for the conversion and not because we are trying to outshine others.
It’s not about whether or not drivers of older cars deserve better light. Point is, it’s illegal here in Malaysia. So you can’t, and therefore shouldn’t do it.
As mentioned, there are other ways to get better lighting while staying legal. Brighter halogens, like the Osram Night Breaker halogen bulbs are great, and perfectly legal.
Common to see those commoner car with bright LED Strobe Police Light blinking inside their car, overtaking and speeding 250kmh.
Hafriz bro. I took 2 years of self-research and studying of the light spectrum, the Kelvins, the lumens, the light throws, the cut-off lines (LHD vs RHD), HIDs vs Halogens vs LEDs vs OLEDs and so on. Best lighting to the human eye is SUNLIGHT lighting. SUNLIGHT is rated at 5000K-5300K on the light spectrum. Halogens are no where near that light spectrum. HIDs have wide light spectrum and thus, best replication of sunlight colour temp (that is easing to the eyes) would be 6000K (yellowish white). 4300K is only the BEST optimized range comparing brightness (lumens) and light throw (distance). Osram Night Breaker is no where near what a Philips HID 6K can offer. Just ensure the cut-off, and projectors are used. The legality of this has been mis-construed when the law was passed. All because of the bad hats that mod without knowledge
Isn’t that why the factory installed HIDs are legal while the aftermarket ones aren’t?
Sorry to say that uou researched all the wrong stuff.
If you really want to understand how headlights work, you should head over to
https://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html
I hope there is SIRIM Certificate for Tyres.
Non-certified, should be banned.
then no debate required.
when Tyre have no Quality
there is no more Quality ride.
Simple Fact.
Dont downgrade from Manufacturer’s tyre choice.
which is calibrated for Advanced Safety Features:
VSC, TRC, AEB..
Those are not the worst aspects of many Malaysian drivers.
Its their total disregard of road rules and safety. Yellow no parking lines and lane markings are mere decorations. What ever road signs have opposite meanings. No entry is treated as entry, no u-turn means you can do it.
How many times have we seen drivers using their phones while driving. And how many times have we spotted cars with undersized lettering on their number plates, and you literally have to have an eagle’s eye to make out the details.
Of course, all this is made possible because of lax, inconsistent and indifferent enforcement. It has become a Malaysian tradition.
The stock brakes on Civic FC are already one of the best in the class. It’s funny and silly to see owners plonk down thousands to change to replica Brembo sets and replica rims. Suffice to say their tyres are almost threadless and of those unknown brands. Add those meaningless giant spoilers, body kits and fancy color body wrapping, one could save tens of thousands.
If the parts that came with the vehicle stock from the factory do function well enough, there’s no reason to spend money on aftermarket parts that may be of dubious quality…
It is obvious that the “things NOT to do” list can grow very long.
The worst case of all, is driving/riding without license. Rider/driver knows nothing about rules, law and safety for others and himself/herself.
When these ppl operate their car/bike, it will be a dangerous missile. Made even more lethal when all other “dont” come into play.
Enforcement, enforcement, enforcement is needed. As urgent as yesterday.
Why not make a comprehensive study the cause of car skid? Try interview the survivors of car skids to share their experiences. Usually cornering too fast, slam brakes hard and tyre cannot keep hold the traction.
If we drive slow, even with bald tyres, the impact should not be fatal. Defensive driving behaviour can save lives. The whole tyre discussion is getting too tense and out of context in saving vs safety.
I m seen it with my own eye
A guy with waja on 17 inch rim ask the shop for the cheapest tyre
Padahal waja original is 15 inch. If wanna change after market rim also change same size la. He go and change 17 n skimp on tyre. Aduih!
Should enforce the HID conversion ban strictly especially or at least those installed on fog lamp! Nowadays consumer can use LED bulb which are designed to produce beam pattern similar to halogen bulb.
Can I also include unscrupulous parking? Expensive car & beriman supposedly, but free ride at various housing estates. Utter nuisance.
Brader Hafriz, not everyone is rich like you.
Out of all in the list, the blinking/strobing brake lights has to be the most annoying mod ever. Why do people think it is okay to install it in the first place. Otak udang betul.
Had very bad and life threatening experience using unknown cheap tyre. Brand Landgolden. Tyre sidewall koyak while driving. Luckily rear tyre and drive slow around 70km/hr.
Now use Goodyear assurance triplemax for my cars. Good Shopee price.
Malaysia seriously needs new laws and enforcement for standardized number plates. Come on JPJ! Our neighbouring countries have them for decades already.
Yup, really fed up with those Ah Beng and Ah Seng installing their car with cheap LED / halogen light. Should compound them with huge summon for endangering other motorist.
Should not do that in the first place
I agree with all the points above as they relate to general vehicle & road safety, but this remark is just plain wrong : “Who are we to break the law, eh? VIPs?”
There is absolutely no one who is above the law, not even VIPs. Their status doesn’t accord them the right to flout laws, and nothing should. You may say I’m nitpicky with this comment but it’s views like this that make people think that by reaching a certain status, you’re exempt from the law. This is the start of a classist mentality and that’s the ongoing problem with Malaysian society.
That’s line was meant to be sarcastic. Perhaps it wasn’t clear enough.
Absolutely no one is above the law. Completely agree.
That headlamp thing comes built-in in Hondas then how? Obviously they wont recall back all hondas. They’re annoying as hell especially more and more roads in malaysia got darker but what to do? No proper solution as long as authorities just make the laws, be meh about it but once in a while they go sue spree people to raise funding. I installed dashcam simple so that if i got blind and bang these cars, i can make the claim.
Hi author, you forgot 1 more thing..’always turn on the fog light’ for the whole day & night is another msia fav..pls publish an article of ‘function of fog light’ and send to every newspaper & youtuber in msia thank you.
Absolutely agree with you on all the five irritating things Malaysians do. Number 6 for me would be the number of Malaysians driving expensive / big cars and hanging on to their babies and toddlers in the front passenger seat instead of strapping up their loved ones in car child seats at the back. I understand these seats might be out of reach for some fellow Malaysians, but if you’re driving an Audi SUV…
All exported tires have certain strict international standard and specifications to meet, am I right? At least the manufacturer wont cheat on that. If they follow the spec, so what is the problem with non branded tyres.
Exactly, why do malaysians nor care for rules or law
People want privacy which is why we tint our windows. The problem is that some people are too stupid to think that darker and darker makes your privacy sealed up or makes you look cooler. Then there’s the government that allows people to but the tints but arrests them anyways for using it. Why not just ban the illegal tint to make things easier?
Many people put new tires in front and let old tires mounted on rear. That is very stoopid.
Dark tint , Illegal lights and fancy plates…it’s good to invite and make the lives of Mata Mata better. You are helping the economy
Welcome to Malaysia and have a taste on this unique culture.
Not only culture but public attitude in general from public hygiene(especially washrooms) to road traffics were just SUBSTANDARD.
If most of the people here are law abiding, responsible and sensible. Then, this is not Malaysian culture but Japanese or Finnish culture.
hello all. how about drl daytime running light? can someone advise is it legal in our country?