Those who are well versed in the command of the English language, may or may not know the meaning of the word “neo”.

Neo, according to the dictionary which I possess describes it as “new”. You can very well describe it as a new invention if you like. Therefore the phrase “new colonialism” would connote a policy or discipline which is a foreign policy that is propagated by strong nation in the world today over smaller and weaker nations, especially the third world countries through economic measures.

When I read the article which appeared in the Star newspaper dated 9th October 2010, it immediately interested me. The fact is, two of my own children, my son and my daughter both owned Satria Neo cars. Satria Neo, for your information are slightly favoured by youngsters of today. To them, these are cars that are a little bit different from other Proton cars such as the Wira, Iswara or Perdana model which are available in the Malaysian market today.

Furthermore, the Satria Neo is a 1600 cc vehicle with power steering. The Neo is marketed at more than RM48,000 and it is a good car. It’s only drawback is that it’s a 2 door car vehicle which some motorists say is cumbersome.

Pertaining to Proton recent recall, it has announced a voluntary recall of all its Gen 2 and Satria Neo cars reportedly manufactured between the years of 2004 and 2008. The recall has been made as it has been reported to have suffered a clock spring safety concerns in the above cars.

According to reports, the above recall is part of Proton Global Quality Assurance scheme. The above is to involve a total of 15,911 vehicles which constitutes 660,000 cars produced and sold within that period.

Proton’s recall is nothing unusual in the vehicle producing arena. Other major manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda have in recent months made similar recalls.

Toyota Motors for instance recalled its popular model Lexus GX 460 SUV for rollover during accidents at the beginning of January 2010. Toyota likewise had been forced to recall also its popular Crown model at the recommendation of the National highway Traffic and Safety Agency of America (NHTSA). The Crown was recalled due to faulty springs in certain engines which lead to cause the vehicle to cease operation.

In Proton’s case, it is believed that the problem involved clock spring mechanisms which reputedly connect switches and airbags to the radio, horn and cruise control.

When I asked my son and daughter about their Proton car, I was told that their Neo model have no air bags. Air bag Neo had in fact been supplied to higher specs series which are more expensive. This clearly means their Neos are not involved in the recall exercise.

Proton’s latest recall comes after a similar recall involving 3rd seat belts for rear seat passengers. The Malaysian government had passed a law in Parliament making it compulsory for rear passengers of vehicles to don seat belts as of March 2010.

Some Kancil cars, which were produced years ago had 3rd seat belt fixing points at the rear. But it appears Proton had inadvertently neglected to fix the seat belts for some purchasers. Until today, the Kancil which I used to tutor driving students has yet to fix it with the above seat belt. What if in an eventuality I was stopped in a road block exercise and is issued a summons? Who then is responsible? It then becomes an interesting debacle.

To end this short article, it is my opinion, the recall of Proton Satria Neo and Gen 2 are like ripples in the ocean. It has happened before to other car makers thus it is not a big fuss. The Malaysian public should not be unduly worried. Two qualms about it, so they say. Let’s take it in our stride.

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It was announced recently in Chicago, Japanese leading automaker, Honda Motor Company, that it will soon recall some 528,000 vehicles worldwide. The problem this time around is connected with the cylinder of brake reservoir which holds the brake fluid.

In Malaysia, there are 2 main types of brake fluid that are available in the market. Brake fluid DOT 3 is normally used by Malaysian vehicles. For your information, DOT means Department of Transport. DOT 3 is recommended specially for Malaysian cars or vehicles. It is most suitable for hot and humid tropical environment.

However, brake fluid DOT 4 is meant for high performance cars. It is said to be able to stand high temperatures. Furthermore, brake fluid DOT 4 is said to be more suitable to withstand the cold weather of most European countries.

I have been involved with the K.P.P. course a long time. The K.P.P. 5 hour lecture which a potential driving student has to attend prior to their sitting for their Highway Code exam has n important topic entitled “Emergencies which a driver faces whilst driving”. It touches upon some important topics such as a windscreen shattering, a car plummeting into a swollen river and how to change a punctured tyre.

Another important topic normally emphasized by me during K.P.P. is how a driver deals with the problem of an emergency brake failure.

Amongst the many suggestions and recommendation advices to drivers are:

i) To pump the brakes. Hopefully by doing this, the brakes will become more effective.

ii) A driver can pull up the hand brakes. This would most likely help to stop the vehicle or at least slow the car down.

iii) To try shifting down to a lower gear.

iv) Try crashing into something soft like ant hills.

v) Try crashing into vehicles which are parked in your way. Remember, by crashing into people’s car, you will eventually have to bear the cost of repairs.

Coming back to Honda’s latest recall, it comes a day after another automaker, Toyota, announced a safety recall of approximately 1.5 million vehicles worldwide o fix a brake leak that is said to be able to gradually diminish braking capacity. Honda’s defective cylinders were said to be built by an Ohio based supplier Advics. According to Honda’s spokeswoman, Chistina Ra, the supplier of the brake reservoirs were the ones to inform Honda of the issue.

The recall of Honda’s car is expected to involve Honda vehicles built between 2005 – 2007 for its popular models Accura RL and Honda Odyssey which were produced at Honda’s Saitama plant. The affected vehicles, some 472,000 of them were mostly exported to the United States.

Pertaining to the issue, Honda is unaware of any accidents or injuries related to this defect. Honda said the current recall is to prevent the untimely failure of a seal in the brake master cylinder. Honda further reiterated, that the seal would fail if factory installed brake fluid were to be replaced with sub standard fluid. This would then reduce lubrication properties. However, if this were to happen, the low brake warning light would then light up.

Honda also warned that a failure to repair the master cylinder defect would eventually result in a soft brake pedal and possibly to the lost of one of its two hydraulic braking circuits. As brakes of a car are deemed as important items of a vehicle and passenger safety is involved, owners of Honda vehicles worldwide should heed Honda’s latest recall and send their Acura and Odyssey models to Honda agents or workshops to have the defect rectified immediately.

Honda has done their part regarding their vehicles’ safety. Owners of Honda vehicles involved should also ideally do their part to help Honda Motors carry out its recall exercise successfully.

Want to get a Malaysian driving license?
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Like a radiator of a car, brake fluids are important items of vehicle. Vehicle owners of a car are advised to check the level of brake fluid in the brake reservoir from time to time. Brake fluids in fact come in various colours of blue, crimson and green. They can be intermixed without any problem.

Brake fluids are very corrosive. Should it be spilled accidentally into the body work of vehicles, ideally it should be washed away quickly with lots of water. Otherwise, the paintwork will be corroded away.

Mechanics advise, if brake fluid should get into our eyes accidentally, wash it away quickly with lots of water. Obviously, after that, you should immediately see a doctor to seek medical attention.

My personal mechanic, Raman, was once repairing the brake system of a vehicle. He was squatting and peering into the brake pipes. He found the pipes blocked. He had to bleed them. To bleed the brakes pipes means to get rid of air which has entered the brake pipes. Failing which, the brake system will not function properly.

Raman then instructed an assistant to get into the driver’s seat to pump the brakes. The assistant did what Raman requested. Raman was looking into the blocked brake pipes at the other end of the car. Suddenly, brake fluid squirted out and entered his eyes. Sensing danger, Raman immediately washed his eyes with lots of water. He immediately went to his doctor for treatment. The doctor who treated him billed him RM50.

Surprisingly, a few days later, Raman who previously has a cataract eye condition and needed RM2850 for an operation, found his cataract condition had improved or rather disappear.

The brake fluid which entered his eye during the above incident had helped removed the cataract in his eye. The incident is very strange, but it is all true.