Jamaican Tuner Magazine March 2012

Jamaican Tuner | Vol II. Issue #2

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From Country to Town, the ASX is

Vehicle shown includes optional equipment.

The Value Leader!

The All-New, Award Winning

MITSUBISHI

2.0L 16 Valve Engine

SMART Keyless Entry

Alloy Wheels w/ Full size spare

Mitsubishi Innovative Valvetiming Electronic Control (MIVEC)

SMART Factory Alarm

USB / iPod / Blackberry Connectivity

SMART CVT / 6-speed

SMART Automatic Folding Mirrors

3 Airbags (including Knee)

Dent Resistant Fenders

Fog Lamps

SMART In-Dash Computer

Tilt & Telescopic Steering Column

Authentic Llumar速 Tint

SMART Push Button Start

High-Spec Fabric Interior

Magnesium Paddle-Shifters

Height Adjustable Headlamps

3 Year REACT Roadside Assistance 3 Year/100,000km Warranty Excellent Fuel Economy

(Over 590km on a Full Tank - Tested in Jamaica)

Brand New Service Facility (Opening April 2012)

PLUS our Most Valued Asset: Trusted Auto Dealer with over 70 Years Experience!

Want all of this plus 4x4, 9-Speaker Rockford Fosgate速 Sound System and a Panaromic Roof?

We have that, and much more! All with the same great value you get from a Mitsubishi.

Honestly, the best value on the road today!

1st 2011 National Dexterity Championship Winning Car in its class.

Guinness World Record Holder

MITSUBISHI DIVISION 49-51 South Camp Road, Kgn 4 TEL: 928.5041-7 or 928-5742 FAX: 938.0264 mitsubishijamaica.com Jamaican Tuner | Vol II. Issue #2 3

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We Accept All MajorCreditCards

For a Dealer Near you Call...

1-888-4-MAXXIS ( 629947)

* r regula s e tyrrs & Suv’s) (ca ecial er seprcial n u t m ican ctoym res , tractors Jama s (truck etc.)

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The

WAY

I See it

Have you ever noticed a mad or homeless man on the road? He is often covered with bruises and sometimes swathed in bandage. Ultimately, this is an indication of some of the struggles and challenges that he faces along the way. So it is with my Pulsar patches. The struggles of the economy have shown its ugly face in the patches of the car. But what to do?

Just wait until better comes I guess. by: Simone McGowan

There was a time when the taxi stigma was attached mainly to the Toyota 'Sketel' Corolla. So much so, that every car that bore that same shape, fell victim to the taxi stigma, especially if it was white. However, a new bandwagon has presented itself; the bandwagon of the patches. I think it is just outright rude and derogatory to refer to someone's private vehicle as a taxi, irrespective of the shape or patch. But you know what? Serves me right, as I too used to fan down those same 'sketel' cars, in anticipation that they were taxis and now that the tables have turned I am not enjoying it so much. I guess I should just stand and take my whooping for the wrongs I did. Oh well!

“

Bona fide Patches ‘Patches’ is the name that my JTM team members gave my supercharged Nissan Pulsar with a SR20 engine , running on 20 pounds of boost (or so I wish, sigh!). It actually is a 1998 Nissan Pulsar Sedan with everything stock from engine to rims, though it is decorated with ‘cow’ patches, due to doing an overall body work and no paint job.

The car drives relatively ok and really doesn’t give much trouble, apart from the regular, especially a car that age. Essentially, it does what it was designed to do. However, what perturbs me the most is driving on my private, merry way and being constantly fanned down by ‘would be passengers’ had I been a taxi (*eyes rolling*). But it’s not a taxi but a privately owned and driven motor car. The stigma is painful because often times when they fan me down, it’s almost as if I have to hide my face in shame from the ‘passenger’. Especially when I am ‘scorched-ly’ attired and looking all ‘fly’. I often sit and wonder to myself whether or not it is that I am the only one who gets this ‘taxi’ treatment, as I see a lot of cars across Jamaica ‘beating the same style’, both regular and boosted cars. Who knows?! It may be the newly designed paint job.

I’m surprised that I don’t get the police stopping me as often as my ‘passengers’, to check my papers and see if I have a ‘road license’ to run ‘robot’ (smh!). I guess my own salvation is the fact that I’m a woman, and although I am now seeing female taxi drivers on the rise, it is not a prominent thing yet and so I believe that me being a taxi driver would be the farthest thing from the minds of the police.

Funny enough, I drove up in Papine the other day near the ‘robot’ taxi stand, only to hear a ‘loader’ man asking if I’m going to Half Way Tree, and calling passengers to my car (lol). While I was a tad bit annoyed due to feeling a little embarrassed, I had to laugh, because thinking back on it, if I wasn’t on my way to work I would’ve probably ran a couple trips to Half Way Tree and back, just to make back my gas and lunch monies for the week. After all, aint no point in bearing the name and not playing the game.

However, work (my 9-5) got in the way of that hustle.

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if I wasn’t on my way to work I would’ve probably ran a couple trips to Half Way Tree and back, just to make back my gas and lunch monies for the week ” Some time ago, a very prominent female media personality defended her weight and that of women of similar stature. Then all of a sudden fat became fluff and she is now known as the Fluffy Diva, the fat people defender. Mi respect dat still, because it increased the self esteem of a lot of women who could not think of or see themselves as being sexy or beautiful. Nowadays, people no longer refer to a big bodied lady as fat (as it is seen as derogatory), but she is now referred to as being fluffy or thick. What an amazing transformation of perspectives. But what does that have to do with my patches? A patch to the regular eyes aint cute, but there's worth in it. So now, I present to you the Grunge Diva, me, defender of the patches. I am in defense of those cars out there that may be decorated with patches, whether because they are victims of the economy or because they desire to express an element of art. Either way, they may have been ridiculed at one point or another and need to be defended and dragged out of the slum of humiliation.

I am turning what use to be a not so welcoming sight, into art.

The way I see it, the next time you see a car with patches, evaluate carefully before fanning it down (*raised eyebrows*). Check to see if the driver's hand is hanging out of the car or if he's overtaking at the stoplight or simply bad driving someone else, because you may very well be direspecting the bona fide patches.

SHIFT you should KNOW...

How to Modify your Vehicle

Legally in Jamaica There are many persons who will buy a car and the only things they will ever do to the car are general maintenance and drive it, of course. Then, there are individuals like me who even before buying the car, we imagine and conceptualize what we can do to the vehicle to make it stand out from the crowd and undoubtedly turn heads. We sometimes take the vehicles beyond what the manufacturers dream for the vehicle. Call us crazy and idle but we love every minute of it; from working on the cars to driving them to the point where eyes stare and conversations erupt while pictures of the car are being taken. It is quite worth it for us.

Some persons, when modifying their cars, forget two very important questions when doing a modification – What is legal? What is illegal? It is better to do your research to know what you can or cannot do to a car. Ensure you find a copy of the Road Safety Act as it is your legal Do’s and Dont’s handout. I will give you a few pointers that may save you from running afoul of the law and also may save your life and others. Some of the things and points I mention will not just speak of legality but common sense and, above all, safety. Before writing this article I made sure I consulted with two of our local Motor Vehicle Examiners who inspect vehicles and issue Certifications of Fitness. Remember this is not a bible, but a simple guide.

Rims and Tyres

It is not illegal to change your rims – also referred to as ‘wheels’. There is nothing in our books that say what size rims you can or cannot wear, but be very mindful of the material and size of the rims. For tyres, note the Road Traffic Act section which speaks to the width of the tyre to be covered by the vehicle. So, if you plan to run really wide tyres for that “stretched” look that’s taking the other countries by storm, ensure you get some flared fenders and guards to cover the tyres. The profile of your tyres is also important as too low a profile tyre may lead to increased punctures and blow-outs.

Lowering your Car

Lowering your car is perfectly fine as long as your vehicle is not a Public Passenger Vehicle (PPV). PPV vehicles are not to be lowered as it will negatively impact on passenger comfort and safety. On a common sense note, always buy lowering springs or Coilovers designed for your vehicle. Too many persons have been cutting their stock springs to lower the vehicle, but in most cases the car will be bouncing all over the place and your car will become a road hazard. Imagine going around a corner on cut springs and a slight undulation suddenly appears? The vehicle will respond incorrectly as the springs fail to compress properly.

Tinting

All private motor vehicles can be tinted just not too dark. It is illegal to have a “Midnight” tint. This is commonly found on some Government and armoured vehicles. For the common motorist, I recommend 25 -50% tint because it allows someone to see inside the vehicle and it is good for your own personal safety – not to mention decreased harassment from security personnel. A new practice that I see happening is the tinting of all or most of the wind shield. This is not safe and you can be viewed as having something to hide which will lead to you being stopped by the police in most cases. And the darker the tint does not mean less heat inside the vehicle, either! There have been many advancements in the technology in the manufacture of tint to help reduce heat and improve visibility.

Lights

All motor vehicles must have two white headlamps and amber indicators. For persons wishing for an all-white look, be mindful that the indicators must be amber. For those wanting the cool blue or even purple headlights, ensure these are accessory lights as fitting High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights to a vehicle not designed for the use of these lights is illegal, even on motercycles. You will be ticketed based on the glare and colour of the lights emitted. Headlamps must also have the dim and bright feature, so if you are installing a HID kit ensure that it is a high and low HID kit in the appropriate lamp fixture (projector lamps). You should also try to avoid having too many bright lights on a vehicle. This can blind the oncoming driver and contribute to the cause of an accident. Strobe lights are also on the list of illegal driving accessories.

Performance (Engine, Brakes, Suspension)

There is no real guideline in Jamaica about what engine to put or not to put in a car, or what you can or cannot do to your engine. However, when you are doing any form of modification, ensure that the brakes are adequate to stop your vehicle effectively. Also ensure that a suspension upgrade is done, this will ensure that your car handles well with the additional power.

Exhaust System

This is a tricky one. We have no decibel meter here in Jamaica. So for now, please ensure that your car is not too loud. Try to invest in a real performance exhaust system and not the inferior exhaust pans floating around. Noise nuisance is a problem and you could be ticketed based on the Officer’s discretion, or have the Motor Vehicle Examination Depot refuse to issue a Certificate of Fitness.

Paint Job

Ensure that the colour that the car is in is the colour on the registration and fitness of the car.

As stated earlier, this is merely a guide and not a bible. Please modify your car responsibly. Consider personal safety, passenger safety and the safety of other users of the road. Not because your car is fast or if you want it to be fast, does not mean you must drive it fast. Check with your insurance company as you are only covered for what is disclosed.

I am out.

Eron Samuels

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The Original crossover.

In its most Advanced form.

THE ALL-NEW 2012 NISSAN MURANO. A body combined of strength and elegance with broad surfaces and curvilinear edges. The spacious interior instills peace for the driver and its passenger, supported by innovative Noise Dampening systems. An efficient, yet robust engine is smoothed out with CVT Transmission, and coupled with intelligent ALL-MODE 4x4i yaw control to instantly adapt to overcome most situations. Plus, an array of impressive standard features and innovative technologies in a true SUV chassis.

This is the original crossover, in its most advanced form.

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