Get Rid of Stubborn Pests With This $21 Electric Fly Swatter - CNET

Flies, gnats, mosquitos and other flying insects are no match for this Zap It racket.

Hope special meeting on counter-terrorism to be held in India in October further strengthens multilateral efforts: UN official

India is currently the Chair of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee for the year 2022 and will host diplomats of the 15-nation UN body, including the US, China and Russia, in October for a special meeting on counter-terrorism.

From Laddoo To Barfi & Kheer, India's Got A Sweet Tooth

Mahindra Scorpio Classic to debut on August 11

Mahindra has announced that the Scorpio Classic will be official unveiled on August 11, 2022. The Scorpio Classic is essentially a refreshed version of the previous-gen SUV. It will be sold alongside the new Scorpio-N. The Scorpio Classic is expected to be offered in 'S' and 'S11' trims with either 7-seat or 9-seat configurations. It could be powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine producing 130 BHP @ 3,750 rpm. The engine could be paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. The Scorpio Classic gets minor exterior changes, including a revised radiator grille and new dual-tone alloy wheels. Inside, the SUV gets a dual-tone cabin with a touchscreen infotainment system. It gets the new 'Twin Peak' logo on the steering wheel, while the twin-dial instrument cluster has been carried over unchanged.

Evolution Of The National Flag: Things An Indian Should Know

Here's a look at its evolution.

What Are Floating Rate Bonds? How Do They Work?

Bonds are debt securities issued in order to raise money. The issuer of bonds can be either banks, corporates or the government. By floating or issuing bonds, the issuer borrows capital at a fixed or variable rate for a specified term.

Mahesh Babu turns 47! Wife Namrata Shirodkar pens sweet note, wishes pour in

The actor will be seen in SSMB28 and SS Rajamoulis next.

Ford Figo's MID displays engine overheat warning: Finding the right fix

BHPian giri1.8 recently shared this with other enthusiasts. My Figo finally decided to throw a tantrum. One fine evening, the MID displayed an engine overheat warning. I spotted a petrol bunk and decided to stop and get some coolant to make sure no nasty surprise awaits. BIG mistake! I went inside the store and asked for 5 litres of coolant and the guy immediately asked if it was for my car and if there was any issue. I told him that the car was showing a warning, so I was just going to have it checked. He immediately called a few people and told them to check the coolant level. The level was okay, but I could feel the engine bay being unusually hot. One of the two guys checking the car tried to open the coolant cap. I could see the coolant level raising and told him to take tighten the cap and take his hands off and not do anything. He said that the coolant was spoilt and needed immediate change (repeated this at least 4 or 5 times). Then the other guy told me that in case of any airlock, it would take a minimum of half an hour and they couldn't assure anything. I understood that they had no idea of what they were talking about and decided to make a move if the engine had cooled down. Here is the best part. The guy looked at the MID after I fired up the engine and told me that the 36-degree coolant temperature is not high and I should be worried only if it exceeds 42. All this time he was referring to the outside ambient temperature display. I decided to switch off the A/C and took a less crowded road and reached home safely without overheating the engine. The next day, I did the same and reached Ford's A.S.S before peak traffic. Left the car with them for diagnosis. After running all kinds of diagnostics they found the thermostat valve was faulty and the radiator had a lot of dust too, which reduced the cooling efficiency. I got the job done under warranty and the car has been running flawlessly. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Vehicle retail sales drop by 8% in July 2022

According to the data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), vehicle retail sales were down by 8% in July 2022, compared to the same month last year. Overall sales for the month of July 2022 stood at 14,36,927 units, compared to 15,59,106 units in July 2021. Compared to June 2019, when 17,94,297 units were sold, total vehicle retails have dropped by 19.92%. July is generally considered a lean month before the festival season starts in August. The 2-wheeler segment witnessed poor demand and high inflation, an erratic monsoon and high cost of ownership made matters worse. The passenger vehicle segment has been witnessing a dream run as retail sales are already higher than in 2019. Better supply is expected to bring down waiting periods in the coming months. Tractor sales dropped by 27.72%, from 82,419 units in July 2021 to 59,573 units. Two-wheeler sales decreased by 10.92% to 10,09,574 units from 11,33,344 units in July 2021. Three-wheeler sales were up by 80.41% in July 2022. 50,349 units were sold, compared to 27,908 units in July 2021. Passenger vehicle sales dropped by 4.66% compared to the previous year. 2,50,972 units were sold last month, compared to 2,63,238 units in July 2021. Commercial vehicle sales increased by 27.32%. 66,459 units were sold in July 2022, compared to 52,197 units in the previous year. Team-BHP's detailed analysis of theJuly 2022 sales figures.

My Jeep Compass petrol MT: Great car, but poor after sales experience

BHPian argchoff recently shared this with other enthusiasts. I feel I should now share my ownership experience of the 1.4 liter petrol manual sport Compass after driving it for around 300km. I will keep the review focused mostly about the car and its performance in general as my post sales and service experience has been extremely disappointing so far. As we all know it is impossible to get a test drive of the Sport petrol manual variant, i hope my review would assist in potential buyers seeking to buy this variant. Firstly I would say I was and still am totally hooked on the Tata Harrier XZ in terms of looks and drive quality in spite of the known niggles like quality, fit and finish and the dashboard hurting the left knee. However because of the uncertainty of the future of diesel engines and possible DPF issues I decided to skip diesel vehicles all together. That left me with only petrol cars with manual transmission to choose from and I tested the XUV700, Skoda Kushaq, Kia Seltos GTX, MG hector MT. Since Jeep compass manual was not offered for test drive I test drove the AT petrol and also tried the Hector CVT back to back with the AT petrol Compass.Mahindra XUV700: Most powerful among all the contenders, very responsive. However I found the quality of interior fit and finish not so good. Also the long waiting time for the AX7 was a turnoff.Kia Seltos 1.4 GTX: Peppy and fun to drive till the car went over some uneven roads. The worst suspension ever with the car making squeaking noises over uneven patches. This was felt even more when i sat on the back seat. I was able to press the metal with my thumb near the lock assembly when I opened the driver side door. The metal appeared very thin. That experience matched the GNCAP ratings I saw on the internet.Skoda Kushaq: Thoroughly enjoyed the 1.0TSI. The 1.5TSI though more powerful, for some strange reason kept stalling at low speeds. Luggage space was less and the car appeared more like a hatchback than SUV. Did not feel like value for money.MG Hector hybrid MT: Sluggish and under powered. Car had too much body roll.Jeep Compass petrol AT: Car felt reluctant to move from standstill / crawling speed in auto mode. No matter how much pedal I applied, the car took its own sweet time to gather any speed and i was unable to do any quick overtakes. Amongst all the cars the suspension and handling felt the best. However the sluggish response of the automatic gearbox was not to my liking at all.MG Hector CVT: Immediately after the Compass petrol AT I test drove the Hector CVT. As soon as I applied the accelerator pedal, with ever so a very small couple of seconds delay the car took off nicely and gathered speed quickly. Overall I felt the car was way peppier than the compass AT and overtakes on the Pune - Bangalore highway happened easily. However as my preference was for manual transmission Hector was dismissed.Compass petrol MT: SE showed me the car in their stockyard. For a base model with fabric interiors, the car was impressive in terms of the premium feel I got looking at the interiors. The fabric quality with its orange stitching felt very premium and the grey fabric insert in the dashboard and doors felt classy. The fit, finish of the plastics, steering column and dashboard was very good and did not feel cheap at all if compared to the XT+ version of the Tata harrier or Hector sharp. Booked the Sport variant in red color.The difference in the engine response when compared to the petrol AT is easily noticeable. Where I felt the AT variant to be slow to respond and sluggish to pedal input, the manual variant felt outright peppy and fun to drive. I do not understand why Jeep does not have this manual transmission in the Limited variant. If it was, I would have upped my budget and gone for that. Gear shifts are smooth and precise and pick-up is good. However if the revs drop below 2000 RPM whilst on the move and you shift to a higher gear, there is a sudden power loss felt and it takes time for the engine to respond till the RPM needle nears the 2000 mark. Sometimes if this happens at a time you want to do quick overtakes, it becomes difficult to do so and I felt the need to shift down to lower gear, losing a precious few seconds and sometimes not able to execute the overtake. This was something I could do effortlessly in my Ford Fiesta 1.6 NA petrol car. This intermittent temporary power loss is felt in the first 3 gears only especially between 2nd and 3rd gear. As mentioned by other owners of the same variant, the 1st gear is very short and changing to 2nd gear is necessary as soon as the car is in motion. I think if the engine was tuned to engage the turbocharger around 1500RPM or earlier the car would not feel loss of power at any point. The AC cooling stops / reduces when the car comes to standstill at traffic lights. A soon as I apply the accelerator, the cooling resumes. In the May heat the AC is effective from a fan setting of 5 and above only. TPMS is now available in the sport variant also. The infotainment system is responsive and the audio quality is excellent. I love the ergonomics of the car, everything is in the right place and driver friendly. The metal quality is good, doors are heavy and shut with a nice heavy thud. Overall the car feels built like a tank. Suspension is excellent and simply devours bad surfaces. I felt the steering to be on the stiff heavier side and this is noticeable at slow speeds. However at high speeds this is actually very good, in that the feedback is perfect.A very quick description of the after sales/service experience:The car I received came with an inherent paint flaw which I failed to notice while inspecting the vehicle in the stockyard. Almost on every panel there were bubbles in the paint as if residual debris on the car was painted over leaving small bubble like bumps. These are not easily noticeable unless one looks at every minute detail. I got the delivery of the car in middle of May 2022 and the VIN indicates manufacturing date as April 2022. As soon as I made the full payment, I got a message from the dealer that a different car has been allotted to me than the one I was promised before payment. They took me back to the stockyard to show the newly allotted car so my suspicions were sort of hushed. Fearing I was being given an older car, all my concentration was checking for paint shade difference and VIN (which was April 2022). The car was delivered with a slight scratch on the front left bumper which they agreed to rectify and took the car away two days after delivery. When the car was returned, the bumper was painted so poorly that even a road side novice with a spray paint can could do a better job. That made me check the rest of the car and that's when i noticed the bubbles. Dealer insisted to fix the paint issue in the service center so I took the car again myself over there. While I was discussing the issue with the CRM, I saw that a large crowd had gathered around my car. Fearing that some one dashed my car, I ran out only to find that their service staff, without my permission had removed my front left wheel and was in the process of ripping out the black mudguard cladding, trying to access the foot well area on the passenger side. After escalating this issue, they stopped and said, Sir we forgot your keys in the car and the car is locked. Due to this we cannot move your car and other customers cars are all stuck right up to the main road. Apparently they were trying to access a lock reset button in the foot well area. I made them stop the activity, got their driver to take me back home and went back with him to the service center with the 2nd key. I have escalated the issue to FCA India as the dealer response has been very elusive and disappointing. I certainly won't be taking the car there for servicing. The space is crammed up, service staff is arrogant and unprofessional. One word of advice to future buyers: Insist, absolutely insist on filling up the registration form, especially the chassis and engine number and take a photo of the same. The car as a product itself is amazing and fun to drive. However the sales and service is pathetic, dishonest and incompetent. This experience has taken away what could have otherwise been a happy buying experience. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Next-gen Mercedes-Benz E-Class patent images leaked

Mercedes-Benz has been working on the next-generation E-Class for a while now, with camouflaged test mules spotted on a number of occasions. However, ahead of its expected arrival in either 2023 or early 2024, patent images of the final iteration of the next-gen E-Class have been leaked online. As per the images, the new-gen E-Class looks similar to the outgoing model, albeit with a few revisions and updates. These include a new front grille, sleeker LED headlamp setups and tail lights inspired by the larger S-Class sibling. Inside, the new E-Class is expected to come with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a large portrait-oriented touchscreen infotainment system, along with a host of other features and tech. In terms of powertrain options, the new-gen Mercedes-Benz E-Class will be offered with mild-hybrid petrol and diesel engines. Reports suggest a plug-in hybrid version could also be offered on the higher trims. The AMG versions of the E-Class will also be powered by 4-cylinder electrically-assisted powertrains. Source: Cochespias

Netflix shares teaser of 'Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale'. Have you seen it?

Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan will reveal how they fell in love.

My Swift almost stolen from IHC basement parking: Here's what saved me

BHPian kushagra452 recently shared this with other enthusiasts. I believe, that yesterday (07 Aug) there was an attempt to steal my Swift VXi AMT from the basement parking lot of the India Habitat Centre - which is a popular convention center located in the heart of the city! I had parked my car in the basement parking after taking the parking slip at the point of entry. After enjoying my afternoon coffee with a friend when I was walking over to my car I noticed that the hazard lights were blinking and the driver's door was ajar. I immediately realized that there was an attempt to break in and drive away with the vehicle. I informed the private guards who were of not much help. I believe that the only reason the car was not stolen was that I was carrying the parking slip - without which exiting the premises is not possible. This incident was shocking. It's worth mentioning that this break-in attempt happened around 3pm-4pm in the basement parking lot of a popular convention center located merely 3 kms-4 kms from the Prime Minister's residence! Since then, I have been searching for ways to secure my Swift VXi AMT. I have asked two local shops for a gear lock. However, both have told me that it's not possible to get a gear lock installed in the Swift AMT. Is this true? If yes, what other devices can prove to be effective deterrents for thieves? Thank you very much. Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:Thanks for the reminder! I usually park the slip on the sunvisor. Will keep it on me, going forward. At some places, valet parking is safer as they guard their vehicles fiercely, have a dedicated area to themselves & outsiders aren't allowed in.Here's what BHPian audioholic had to say about the matter:If you are parking in a fishy location then just remove the fuse for the AMT Pump. We will see which thief can have a workaround for this one. Of course, if you try to start the car without this fuse it will not start and throw up a DTC with the Check engine light on. But as long as you put it back before starting the car, it will be alright.Here's what BHPian Sidjohri had to say about the matter:Sorry to hear about your ordeal. I'm a frequent visitor to IHC and usually park my car in the basement without any worries. From now on I'll surely keep your experience in mind while parking my car there. Note: you might wish to check with the security in charge at IHC for any CCTV coverage they might have with them.Here's what BHPian PearlJam had to say about the matter:The Maruti Swift (all variants as per their website) seems to come fitted with an engine immobilizer. So are you sure that the parking slip is the reason that they couldn't steal your vehicle? Is it possible that the thieves were novices, and realized that the car wouldn't start unless they have the original key? Or probably, they were scared when the hazard light started blinking and just scooted? It seems like the parking slip saving the day, seems like a very small probability. I am sure that the exit gate would hardly give a second thought if you said that you lost it. Sorry, a lot of details are missing from the original post, so I'm forced to speculate!Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

10 years & 36,000 km with my Skoda Superb: Ownership experience

BHPian dkaile recently shared this with other enthusiasts. The Superb 'superbly' chugs into its 10th year. Being a quite low mileage car, I have relatively faced very few issues. I had last serviced the car myself at 28,342 km on 27-03-2018 i.e. more than 4 years and 8,017 km back. So will perform another service soon. Since then the only thing that conked off was the Horn (3000 bucks). And I also refilled the AC gas recently (the last refill was 4 years back) for around Rs 1000. Plus some 200-300 ml oil top-up in the last few years. And that was the only expense I did on the car in the last 3 years since my last 7th-year update. Here's the odometer reading today, and as a song, playing says 'Abhi to Party Shuru hui hai' or let's say that 'Abhi bhi party chal rahi hai' lolz. Recently also did a, quite pleasurable, 295 km trip to the hills. So one of the horns conked off and I replaced the complete pair myself in December 2021. It is located under this plastic panel under the bonnet, beside the right headlight Plastic screws and rivet which was removed to open the panel The dirt-filled horns revealed below A closer look at the OE horns A closer look at the OE connector. The brown wire side is negative. I initially procured a pair of Hella Midnight Black horns, till the time the OE horns could be procured from the dealership, and thought if these could be made successful in a VAG car. I even made a wiring harness to fit into the OE VAG connectors and they worked perfectly A closer look at the self-made custom connector Here are the Hella horns fitted in place of the OE horns. Though they were slightly broader than the OE ones, there was ample space for them to be wiggled into place. I used the Hella Horns for a few days without any issues till the OE horns arrived from the dealership Cost and part numbers of the original horns received from the dealership A closer look at the replacement new OE horns These were fitted and all is well the car is going strong as ever with minimal expenses and zero headaches. I intend to keep the car till 2027 i.e. till it completes its 15 years or maybe even further, due to the absolute zero trouble it has given me to date. Maybe because I maintain it myself. Let's see. Cheers for now... Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Advice needed: Which 125cc scooter to buy under 1.25L

BHPian BudgetBoy recently shared this with other enthusiasts. I am looking to buy a scooter with a medium budget (around 1-1.2L); 125cc. Usage: Casual usage at home or for office to home in a metro city. I'm an average user and won't cross 60kmph almost ever. So, looking for comfort over extreme performance. Priorities:Decent suspension and fewer vibrationsGood front space (I have a big build), also for keeping stuffGood enough performance, not looking for the best in the class engine but must do the jobLongevity and good service (or at least fewer repair issues)Mileage must be great, I'm an economy user.Went for a test ride for the following: Yamaha Ray-Z - less leg space, felt the drive a bit sluggish (maybe I'm confused) like the acceleration and pickup. TVS Jupiter 125 - Plus points: Good boot space, front filling for petrol. Other than that felt nothing new. TVS Ntorq - Not feeling it because of the lack of a front storage spot and the bike seems to be loud than it needed to be. Didn't feel comfortable choosing it. I don't need that tad bit of extra performance to convince myself for ntorq. Suzuki Avenis - Felt decent overall. Had good front space, a slot for mobile and extra box, petrol fill on the outside, good enough ride experience I believe. No complaints in specific. Suzuki Access 125 - Okayish but it feels small for my shoulders so didn't prefer it over Avenis. Couldn't get to try Burgman, fascino cause the vehicle went out for a ride then but I'm assuming they would feel most probably like their relative models of the brand. Didn't try Aprilia, Vespa as they are pricey and high-performance models which are too much for my purpose. What are your thoughts on this? Currently, I'm inclined towards the Suzuki models. But I'm open to suggestions from experienced users over a single test drive! Here's what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:You're right to be gravitating towards the Suzukis. Overall they'll provide the nicest quality I feel. Certainly better than the likes of N Torq. I think the Burgman is the nicest of that lot with your set of priorities. Its 125 cc, is probably the most comfortable and has a nice suspension. Give it a test ride and pick it if it appeals. The Access is a fantastic scooter too and within those three options (counting the Avenis) hard to go wrong with any.Here's what BHPian rkv_2401 had to say on the matter:I'm not too well-versed with the 2-wheeler scene, but I have noticed that my friends' TVS scooters (Scooty Zest and Jupiter (110)) have slightly more comfortable suspension than my Suzuki Swish. Suzuki scooters are overall very well-rounded, though, and their 125cc engines are smooth and powerful, you definitely won't ever feel down on power with them. I can fit a full-size helmet in my scooter's storage compartment, and the newer models are more commuter-oriented so that shouldn't be a problem. I've had my Swish for 9 years now with no major problems or service costs other than the usual punctures and battery replacements.Here's what BHPian GreasyCarb55 had to say on the matter:Well you've got your answer right there, the Suzuki 125's. All three Suzuki 125cc scooters are essentially based on the same basic platform but have 3 different styles. The Burgman is the Maxi style scooter, the Access is your everyday scooter and the Avenis is supposed to be the youth oriented model so pick what you like the most. I would also suggest you test ride the TVS NTorq 125, it's a sporty scooter and excluding the electric Ather 450x and Ludicrous Yamaha Aerox 155 it's the best sport scooter in the country. The major downside with the NTorq is the Fuel efficiency, the Suzuki 125's get around 48-50kmpl in the city while the NTorq gets about 40-42 (for context even the fire breathing Aerox 155 manages to get 45-46kmpl in the city) The top variants of all the scooters here (Burgman 125 Street Bluetooth, Access 125 Disc Alloy + Bluetooth, Avenis Race Edition and NTorq Race XP) all are under 1.2 Lakh (On-road Hyderabad).Here's what BHPian carthick1000 had to say on the matter:Why don't you consider the updated TVS iqube electric ? Pls. do take a test drive. Also in this day and age, it is surprising to see that your shortlist doesn't have any electric scooter at all. Kindly search for TVS iqube electric thread here in team-bhp. From TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) perspective, in the budget you are looking for, electric scooters are the best.Here's what BHPian sri_tesla had to say on the matter:TVS iQube (electric) will excel at almost all of your priorities. I would suggest you test ride it once to see if it fits your needs. The base variant will cost Rs 1.25 lakhs and the iQube S variant will cost about Rs 1.31 lakhs. If you find the design boring, check the light blue, copper brown, or red colors. Suspension is similar to Jupiter and the riding posture is more comfortable than Ntorq. Decent space, almost zero noise, and vibrations. It will be the cheapest to operate (operating costs will be as low as 1/8th or 1/10th compared to petrol scooters).Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 launched at Rs. 1.50 lakh

Royal Enfield has launched the Hunter 350 in India. The bike is available in Factory Series, Dapper Series and Rebel Series and is priced at Rs 1,49,900, Rs 1,63,900 and Rs 1,68,900 (ex-showroom, Delhi), respectively. The Hunter 350 is based on the J-platform, which is shared with the Classic 350 and the Meteor 350. It has a wheelbase of 1,370 mm and the seat is set at 800 mm. The bike weighs 178 kg, which makes it the lightest of the three. In terms of design, the Hunter 350 looks like a typical retro roadster with a teardrop-shaped fuel tank and a circular headlamp & instrument console. The bike rides on telescopic fork suspension at the front and has dual shock absorbers at the rear. It also comes with stylish alloy wheels and a short exhaust. Powering the Hunter 350 is the familiar 349cc, single-cylinder engine. It produces 20.2 BHP @ 6,100 rpm and 27 Nm @ 4,000 rpm. The engine is paired with a 5-speed transmission. The bike comes with disc brakes at both ends along with dual-channel ABS.

Comfortable & performance luxury car under 70 lakh: Bought a BMW 330Li

BHPian Angad sahani recently shared this with other enthusiasts. We just got home a 330Li. We were considering any luxury car of around 70 lakhs (on-road), that could provide the following:Very comfortable seating for 4 tall adults (with good ingress & egress) and usable space for 5 occasionally.Decent ground clearance - didn't want scraping on most speed breakers with 4 people and some luggage on board.Great performance regardless of choice of fuel. Mercedes is the only company whose diesels looked more attractive than its petrols.Test drove the following:330Li520dA6 45 TFSIJust took a showroom visit for the following:C-ClassGLC330iC-ClassPros Exceptionally classy interiors, great looks, feature-rich.ConsNot a comfortable 4-seater because of narrow seats, lack of headroom and legroom and poor ingress & egress (mind you, my requirement was for 4 adults, all almost 6 ft tall and I have elderly parents and my grandfather).Very expensive, no discounts and a minimum of 2 months waiting.C220d - 68 lakhs (on-road Mumbai)C300 - 72 lakhs (on-road Mumbai)GLCDidn't check the car much, but faced the same issue. Absolute space is lacking, although headroom is definitely better and the car now feels its age with newer Mercs around.330iIt somehow felt better in terms of headroom and knee room compared to the C-Class, but still not up to the mark and the sales executive told me that BMW is now producing the regular 3 Series only when they get bulk bookings and not otherwise (not sure how much truth there is in this or it's probably just a scam to push us upwards to the Gran Limousine).520dThe 5 Series variant that would fit in our budget was the 530i M Sport, thanks to massive discounts available on the car. The available test drive car with Navnit Motors was a 520d Luxury Line, but during the test drive the SA pointed out that the ground clearance is an issue with the car and as it turned out that with just 3 individuals on board, the car scraped a regular speed breaker. We weren't keen on finding out more about the car because of this issue.A6Absolutely beautiful looking car, thanks to the choice of colour by Audi Mumbai South West - Manhattan Grey in Technology trim A6 45 TFSI. Apparently, the car got a mild makeover for 2022 and the changes included more kit and bigger rims, 19-inchers in this case. We were blown away by the car, thanks to the looks and interiors. It was much more loaded than the others we saw - B&O audio and virtual cockpit were some of the highlights of the car. The A6 has a humongous boot with the space saver neatly tucked below the boot floor. It offers almost 530 litres of space (it's the biggest in class). The space was good including headroom and knee room, but not the best that we had seen. The cherry on the cake for this car is the discounts. One can easily get an A6 Premium Plus for under 70 lakhs and the Technology for around 73 lakhs, both of which are staggering prices for the car. The engine is good and performance is also adequate for the size and class (not something that will blow your mind away, but the car is very smooth in terms of gearshift and ride comfort and NVH is also very well contained). We kept this under consideration for a good amount of time.330LiConsBoot space is okay - The boot is long and wide, but lacks height thanks to the raised boot floor to accommodate the space saver.Lack of some essential features - In a car specifically designed for the chauffeur driven, how does BMW feel okay not giving a single rear sun blind (none on the sides, nor at the back)?360 parking camera - almost all cars in this budget offer one. BMW themselves were offering this along with comfort access - keyless entry in BMW speak, wireless charging for the first 8 months after launch, but later removed it sighting chip shortage. SA told me that initially, that was the case, but now that issue is solved. But they would probably re-introduce these features in different trim and at more cost.Keyless entry - Almost all top trims of cars priced between 10-40 lakhs get keyless entry today, but luxury carmakers find it okay to reserve these for the uber luxurious models.Fuel efficiency - It's my fault in the first place to discuss this topic for a 2.0 litre turbo-petrol sedan, but for my initial 900 kms, half of which were done in Sport and the rest in Eco Pro, the car is returning an average of around 5.5 km/l in city usage.ProsExhaust note - How has not a single YouTube review spoken about how amazing the car sounds while revving and even more while idling or reversing?Performance - It has the total kick-in-the-pants feel and you will love how all 3 driving modes give a varied driving feel. In Eco Pro, the car feels almost as silent and smooth as an EV. In Comfort, it is fast, but effortless and smooth. In Sport, please fasten seatbelts and don't consume any food because most of it will spill over at a gentle tap on the throttle.Space - It has the most legroom and knee room in any luxury car on this side of an E-Class. There is no car that simply comes close.Ride comfort - While the regular 3 is stiffly sprung, the GL (Gran limousine) simply glides over most potholes and very sharp bumps make the suspension hud, while still not making it uncomfortable.Ground clearance - Even with 5 people on board, there is simply no need to worry about speed breakers as the car goes over 95% of them with so much ease that you can just drive straight rather than swerving and taking them diagonally.Luxury feel and equipment - For most first-time luxury car buyers, it has enough to keep them very happy - Harmon Kardon 16-speaker 480W audio, Panoramic sunroof, BMW 10-inch touchscreen infotainment with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 11-colour ambient lighting, Electric tailgate, Powered driver and passenger seats with 2 memory settings for the driver seat, Heated and antiglare ORVMs (the left mirror for some reason doesn't get antiglare), 3-zone climate control, 1 USB-A port for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 3 USB-C charging ports, BMW park assistant and reverse assistant (both work flawlessly in most situations), Very well cushioned and supportive seats for 4 passengers (the 5th seat is narrow and very hard), Excellent choice of interior colour by BMW - it ups the luxury feel tremendous, Quality, fit & finish is great with very few hard plastics in some not very easy to touch and see areas, Great build quality.Exhaust note - I am mentioning it again because most people will simply be wowed by how it sounds. BMW should have put more effort into handing out the 330Li M Sport for reviews (but I guess this particular trim isn't the preferred choice of their target audience and hence, they didn't bother).Colour - Anyone choosing the M Sport trim should definitely look at the Portimao Blue Metallic. It is simply awesome.Pricing - One can easily get a 3-4 lakh discount on the overall price of the car through discounts on varied components, which actually make the car fantastic value for money.If there is any car I would recommend to anyone buying a luxury car for around 70 lakhs, it has to be this. You must take a test drive of the same. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Jana Gana Mana: History & significance of Indias national anthem explained

Here is everything you want to know about Indias national anthem.

Edelweiss MF CEO returns to office after maternity leave, calls work-life balance a 'beautifully chaotic harmony'

Radhika Gupta shared a string of images on social media.

Facing issue of delay in gear slotting on my 2020 Tata Tiago petrol MT

BHPian Kanna_8118 recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Hello guys, I drive a BS6 2020 Tiago XZ, I have almost no issues with the car in my 1.5years of ownership except a weird issue with gear change and the infamous petrol choking once in a blue moon. But the main issue is with the gear change. Almost every time I change gear from 1st to 2nd, it takes about 1-1.5 seconds to slot the gear. Quite irritating to drive in traffic and sometimes dangerous too. Done a bit of search on YouTube and ATOM (Facebook group for Tiago Owners). Looks like quite a number of people face similar issue with slotting the gear into 1 or 2 or 3. The culprit in all the cases is found to be a loose gear cable attached to a mount. Please refer to the attached image below taken from a YouTube video: In my case, the left grey colored cable is slightly loose with the green colored mount. I tried what everyone has suggested and pressed it gently to it's place. It worked for like few minutes. In the last service I had taken the issue with the mechanic and he's not sure if the loose cable is the culprit; I had done the pig-tail update for engine-lock issue and I was told there is an update with the gear selector mechanism, they just added a washer to where the grey cable ends and ta-dah the update done, and as I have suspected, the issue still persists. I insisted to the mechanic that the issue is with the loose grey cable and to satisfy me he tightly wounded a metal wire around the cable to keep in its place. I know this mechanic for a while now and his jugaad's always work. Unfortunately not the case this time. It worked okay for 2 days and then back to normal. Every time I open the bonnet and press the grey cable to it's place, gear shifting is smooth for a few minutes and then back to normal. I have taken the issue with a F.N.G who previously worked with TATA and as per his experience, the green colored mount needs to be replaced which cost a whooping 10k. He advised me to wait for parts from a wrecked car. Apparently, the Indica has the same gear box and the issue existed from Indica days. Has anyone in this forum faced a similar issue? I am open to any solutions. Please note that the nearest T.A.S.S is around 40kms, over-crowded, understaffed and takes an whole day to get even an minor oil change. Also, I had a minor accident with the car and missed a service schedule by 3 months due to Covid, so I am pretty sure warranty cannot be claimed. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

USA: Ferrari recalls 23,555 cars over potential brake failure

Ferrari is recalling nearly every car it has sold in the USA since 2005. According to media reports, a total of 23,555 Ferrari cars dating back to 2005 are at the risk of a potential brake failure. As per NHTSA's filing, the affected cars have been fitted with a potentially faulty brake fluid reservoir cap, which may not vent pressure adequately. This could lead to a vacuum in the reservoir causing the brake fluid to leak, in turn, leading to a total brake failure once the reservoir runs dry. The fix though is said to be simple - a new brake fluid reservoir cap and a software update, which sends out a message on the gauge cluster warning drivers if the brake fluids run extremely low. As per reports, Ferrari estimate that only 1% of the cars it is recalling could be affected. The Italian carmaker also suggested that if the cars flash a low brake fluid warning, the driver should pull up immediately and have their car towed to a dealer. Ferrari plans to send out notifications to owners of affected cars on or before September 24, 2022. From the list of cars potentially affected, older models include the 612 Scaglietti and the F430. Other models such as the F12 TDF, LaFerrari, F60 America, California & the 458 are also affected. Source: RoadandTrack

Tata Tigor iCNG XM variant launched at Rs. 7.40 lakh

Tata Motors now offers the Tigor iCNG in XM trim. It is priced at Rs 7,39,900 (ex-showroom, Delhi). Tata introduced the Tigor with a factory-fitted CNG option in January this year. At launch, the car was offered in XZ and XZ+ trims. The XM variant is the new entry-level trim in the Tigor iCNG lineup. It comes equipped with features such as a Harman infotainment system with 4-speakers, power windows, central locking and rear parking sensors. The Tigor iCNG is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine that produces 72 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 95 Nm @ 3,500 rpm when running on CNG. It is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. The Tigor iCNG is available in four colour options: Opal White, Daytona Grey, Arizona Blue and Deep Red.

Mahindra Thar diesel: Vibrations seeping into the cabin

BHPian airguitar recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Here are a couple of observations about my Manual Diesel HT Thar. There is a decent amount of vibration filtering into the cabin, gear lever and dash. If I step out and press the bonnet gently from outside I can see a lot of vibrations passing on to my hand as well as noise getting louder. I figured that the engine cover was not placed properly and putting / rearranging it better reduced the vibrations on the bonnet. However, I still feel that the vibration amount in the cabin is not acceptable, especially after I compared it with a Diesel Automatic convertible Thar that has a more melodious engine hum and absolutely no vibrations passing onto the cabin. What things could I have checked at the ASS? Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:As you live with a body-on-frame Mahindra Jeep, you will realise that vibrations, squeaks & rattles are part of the standard equipment list. And they'll only increase with time. Make your peace with them. That being said, the new Thar is impressively refined for a 4x4 Jeep. You should drive the 1st-gen Thar or the MM550s to truly appreciate what the Thar offers.Here's what BHPian dr_TJ had to say about the matter:I have a Thar Diesel AT Hard Top. I also feel a bit more vibration inside the cabin or around the bonnet or front bumper region. Especially when doing a cold start. Vibrations do smoothen out once the engine reaches operating temperatures though. But sometimes, I do feel a slightly different type of irregular vibration even after driving the car for 30 mins or so. Non-reproducible so don't expect the service center guys to do anything.Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

How Can Indian Individual Investors Invest In Government Securities?

Indian Individual Investors Invest In Government Securities, through the Retail Direct Scheme. The Retail Direct Scheme is a one-stop solution to facilitate investment in Government Securities by individual investors. Under this scheme individual retail investors can open a Gilt Securities Account

My new VW Virtus 1 month later: No major problems except one

BHPian SR29 recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Hello Bhpians, Congratulations to all the new owners of the Virtus. It's been a month since I took the delivery of my car and I've finished over 3500 km with no major problems except there is some air noise, which is creeping into the cabin over speeds of 120 kmph. Don't know what is causing this, left the car at the service center today. The mech told me that it could be due to irregularities or hardening of the rubber door beading. They told me that they will be inspecting the whole car anyway. Initially, the car used to contain wind and tyre noise really well, it used to be like a vacuum chamber inside the car. If anyone of you ever faced this before and have some suggestions please let me know. I'm delighted to share some pics of my de-chromed Virtus GT in Cherry Red. Hope you like them. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Can A Resident Indian Individual Undertake Foreign Exchange Transactions?

Resident persons are permitted to undertake forex transactions only with authorised persons and for permitted purposes, in terms of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA). Resident persons undertaking forex transactions with unauthorised persons and for purposes other than

Compact SUV or hatchback: Need a safe, reliable car to replace my Dzire

BHPian sunbaj recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Hello Bhpians. Looking for some recommendations and suggestions on buying a new car. I am sure many are in the same dilemma as I currently am because of the numerous launches in the market along with new technology like mild hybrid, strong hybrid and EVs and God knows what more will follow in the near future. As for my current ride, I own a Swift Dzire ZDi 2012 and will be completing 10 years by December. I am currently based out of Delhi NCR and with the absurd ruling of NGT will have to part ways with my perfectly running and extremely well maintained car. The car was so well maintained that I have till date only used Mobil Delvac 5W40 engine oil, would clean up the intercooler every 20K irrespective of if it was required or not. The car has been driven 85K and I on an average have extracted 23KM/Liter from the car. Overall extremely satisfied with the performance of the car but as fate has it will have to part with the car. To give some personal background about me, I am in my mid 40's and regularly drive between Delhi NCR and Chandigarh which was not the case earlier as things have changed on the personal front. Most likely would be having one to two trips a month between Delhi NCR and Chandigarh which is like 270 Km one way and my daily office run would be approx. 40 Km to & fro. With the above said, I am on the lookout for a new car. Since I would be driving on the highway, would like to opt in for a safe car with at least 4* rating. Also would be preferring a car which should be niggle free and overall give me a good mileage. Would not prefer a big car and most likely be inclined to a sub 4mt SUV and even open to buying a hatchback as status symbol or going in for a upgrade from what I currently drive is of least important to me as I am more of a practical person and take decision not by heart but by practical usability. As a no brainer, I should have gone with a Brezza or a Nexon but what confuses me is with the new innovations and development happening in the car industry I believe that in 5 to 6 years the petrol and diesel guzzlers would be out of market and there would hardly be any takers for the same. So I am double minded as to whether I should invest 9 to 11 lakhs in a sub SUV or buy a hatchback costing around 6 to 8 lakhs and then go for an EV. I believe that in 4 to 5 years the EV market would mature and we would have lot many options than what we currently have. Do let me know of your thoughts and recommendations. PS: I till now have not done any test drive of any vehicle. Even when I bought the Swift Dzire I had not even gone for a test drive. I was hell bent on buying a Maruti as I had owned a Zen and it was a niggle free ownership experience then and so has been the case with Swift Dzire. Here's what BHPian shashi792 had to say on the matter:I would suggest a Hybrid (Strong vs. Mild is based on the usage pattern). With the NGT ban, diesel might not make sense for you. Petrol (petrol price vs. mileage perspective) alone also does not makes sense with the market these days being filled up with lots of options:My pick would be Toyota Hyryder or Vitara.My second option would be Tata Nexon EV Max if the commute is majorly in the city.Both these vehicles have their own advantages. Nexon EV is a tried and tested vehicle. On the other hand, Toyota/Maruti have their reliability and service center access as advantages.Here's what BHPian GreasyCarb55 had to say on the matter:If it wasn't for the bi-monthly 500km+ Delhi->Chandigarh run the Nexon EV or Nexon EV Max would've been the perfect choice but since that's out of the picture let's look at the other options. If you want a smaller car and later upgrade to an EV in 4-5 years I would look at one of these 3 cars:Citroen C3 Turbo - Mechanically it's the best car here, there's no doubt about that, it does lack a few features like a tachometer, climate control, adjustable headrests etc but if you want a fun to drive petrol car before going electric then I'd go for the baby Citroen with the 1.2L 110hp firecracker Inline 3 under the hood. Mileage is about 19-20kmpl, this car is manual only (6 Speed).Tata Punch - The Tata Punch is a proven car in terms of comfort, features and practicality but the bad part is the lethargic 84hp 1.2L NA petrol engine and the equally incompetent AMT gearbox. Mileage is about 16.5kmpl (AMT) and 17kmpl (Manual).Tata Altroz Diesel or Turbo Petrol - As I've said the Tata 1.2L NA Petrol engine is lethargic and if you like driving I'd avoid it but unlike the Punch you have engine options with the Altroz. A 110hp 1.2L Turbo petrol and a 90hp 1.5L Turbo Diesel. Both of them are good engines but the Diesel is a little more fuel efficient. Mileage is about 18kmpl (Turbo Petrol) and 20-21kmpl (Turbo Diesel), both of these engines are manual only (5 Speed). There is a Tata dual clutch automatic available but that is only available with the 1.2L NA Petrol.The on-road Delhi prices for the top models of all cars here are as follows:Tata Punch - 9.5-10.5 Lakh (depending on if you opt for the IRA pack, Kaziranga edition, AMT etc)Citroen C3 Turbo - 9.1 Lakh (C3 Feel 1.2 Turbo Vibe pack)Tata Altroz - 10.4 Lakh (I-Turbo XZ Plus) or 11.3 Lakh (Turbo Diesel XZ Plus) add 30k-40k if you want to go for the Dark edition cars.Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:Diesel has no future in Delhi NCR, especially with the advent of strong hybrids. Your usage pattern makes a very good case for them. Unfortunately, the City hybrid is 20L+, and the upcoming Toyota Hyryder hybrid is also expected to be 20+. Unless you are willing to spend that kind of money, just go for a turbo petrol. Tata Altroz iTurbo is a very good car. The base Honda City is priced only a little more, and is an excellent car for its price. Should be your top choice.Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Vicky Kaushal's father reveals he had stomach cancer, wanted to end his life

Sham Kaushal recently completed 42 years in the Indian film industry.

Honda CB300F launched at Rs. 2.26 lakh

Honda has announced the launch of the CB300F in India. The bike is available in two variants - DLX and DLX Pro priced at Rs. 2,25,900 and Rs. 2,28,900 (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively. It will be sold through Honda's BigWing dealerships. The Honda CB300F is a streetfighter powered by a 293cc, single-cylinder engine that makes 24.1 BHP @ 7,500 rpm and 25.6 Nm @ 5,500 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed transmission. The bike comes with an upside down fork suspension at the front and a 5-step adjustable monoshock at the rear. The brake setup consists of a single 276 mm disc at the front and a 220 mm disc at the rear, assisted by dual-channel ABS. It also comes with Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC). The CB300F gets an LED headlamp, a digital instrument cluster and a USB charger. The bike has a stepped seat with split handlebars, a chin fairing and a single exhaust. The CB300F is available in three colour options: Mat Axis Grey Metallic, Mat Marvel Blue Metallic and Sports Red.

Patriarchy, misogyny & power: The Iron Throne up for grabs again in 'Game of Thrones' prequel

The show is based on passages from George R.R. Martin's 2018 novel 'Fire & Blood'.

Does the current rally have strong legs? Anshul Saigal answers

In the last 15 days, FPIs have added more than what they sold in the first 15 days. That tells us that this rally had something in the making and also even at this time, there is this sort of a move up in the market, the prevailing mood is to go out and sell, not to go out and buy. That again tells us that it is possible that this rally has legs.

Sold my Hyundai Grand i10 after 8 years, recovered 70% of its new price

BHPian TejasKinger recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Eight uneventful years and 45,238 kilometers with my Hyundai Grand i10 have finally ended. Key highlights:Make: HyundaiModel: Grand i10Spec: 1.2 P MTTrim: SportzYear of manufacture: 2014Purchase: February 2014Sale: August 2022Kilometers at time of sale: 45,238Reason for sale: Upgrading to an automatic with essential safety featuresNow the story (not a long one). Let's rewind to 2014. Our 2004 Ford Ikon was just shy of 100,000 kilometers and was showing electrical gremlins by the day. We had a 2008 Mahindra Scorpio as our primary car and needed something a little smaller and more manageable as a second car in the city. Cars test driven: Toyota Etios Liva, Ford Figo, Maruti Ritz, Maruti Swift, and Hyundai Grand i10 The winner was clear. The Grand i10 was head and shoulders above the competition. The refinement, features, and perceived quality of interiors and exteriors, the dealership experience were way above everything else at the price point (and, to be fair, are still pretty good even by 2022 standards). The Grand i10 served us exceptionally well for eight years, taking us across South India on road trips comfortably, aside from braving the outrageous Bangalore traffic 95% of the time. It was perfect in terms of dimensions for tight parking spots and narrow lanes and extremely well-suited for newbie drivers to cut their teeth. The only negatives were the battle scars (and thankfully nothing more) that it accumulated from Bangalore traffic over the years. It has been utterly reliable. Regular servicing aside, the only significant costs were:Batteries once every four yearsA new set of tyres in early 2020 at 38,000 kilometersA new clutch in March 2022 at 42,000 kilometersAn AC condenser replacement in June 2022 at 44,000 kilometersIt returned an average mileage of 12kmpl throughout the eight years. It was always serviced and repaired at Advaith Hyundai, Outer Ring Road, Bangalore. The car was sold to Spinny at 70% of its 2014 on-road price (not sure how many cars other than Toyotas hold their value in this way). In all, of course, I'm extremely sentimental about letting her go - first car (for me) and all that. But I'm also looking forward to the upgrade (the waiting period has had me itching). Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Upgraded from a Tata Nexon EV to a 2022 MG ZS EV: Initial impressions

BHPian zandot recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Thought I'd share my thoughts having finally taken delivery of my MG ZS EV yesterday, booked on the day of launch itself March 7th 2022. I am upgrading from the Nexon EV (purchased April 2021) on which I have completed 50k km. Due to my high daily running - an EV is a no brainer, however I always felt the interior and the general build quality of the Nexon was a bit of a compromise. One of the first things I did to the vehicle was to remove those ugly giant ELECTRIC stickers on the side and the Internet Inside one on the rear - a hot gun and old Credit card and they were gone in less than 30 seconds. So far I am very happy with the overall quality/drive/handling and interior of the MG - a bit bouncy at times as observed by others is a fair observation and yes ventilated seats would have made this vehicle near perfect, I can't believe I didn't upgrade sooner (well I suppose I tried, however the 5-6 month waiting was what delayed me and I am guessing a lot others too). I had also planned to put a black vinyl wrap on the front grill but to be honest the blanked out grill doesn't bother me in person as it did in online photos/videos. I am just curious if anyone has any ideas to fix to this side mirror AC vent reflection on both sides - that no one seems to have mentioned but is v annoying when driving. I am guessing the only thing would be to make the matte chrome parts black? Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

New car for my 70-year-old father: Replacing his VW Vento under Rs 15L

BHPian KL01toKA03 recently shared this with other enthusiasts. My dad (70-year-old) is selling his Vento Diesel and is looking for a car to replace it. The Vento is getting replaced due to the high cost of maintaining the car. He was quoted a 1.5 lakh+ amount for ECU replacement, and although he managed to get it repaired outside the Volkswagen service centre, he is scared of future troubles. His requirements are the following:Budget 15 lakhs OTR in Kerala which can be stretched by a maximum of 1 lakh.Should not be sluggish, and should have adequate power for quick overtakes.5-seater, preferably diesel (his running just does not justify a diesel, but he likes diesel cars)No Volkswagen/Skoda carsUnfortunately, he will not buy an electric car I am trying to convince him to buy a petrol car and he seems to like the Hyryder/Vitara. Please recommend any other cars that can be considered. Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:Most definitely worth waiting for the Maruti Grand Vitara & Toyota Hyryder. They are going to enter the segment with a bang and are the talk of the town right now. For your dad, a crossover is a must (easy ingress/egress & taller driving position) and I would strongly recommend an AT too. 90% of MT-for-life people I've met are now happy AT lovers after they experienced good automatics. That includes yours truly. Other cars I'd recommend are the Creta, Seltos, Sonet, Hector, Astor & Carens. Show him our reviews, bring it down to 3 - 4 cars and go test-drive them all. Bring home the one that makes him smile the widest. Keeping his troubles with the Vento in mind, be sure to get the maximum possible extended warranty.Here's what BHPian itsmeparvathy9 had to say on the matter:Considering your father's age, it would be better to go for an Automatic transmission car preferably SUV for the ease of ingress and egress and driving position and since he used to drive a Vento sedan, anything below it wouldn't be much of an upgrade. If he is stubborn about getting a diesel, the best diesel automatic car under this budget would be the Kia Sonet HTX Diesel AT, other automatic cars in this range are mostly AMT and I wouldn't recommend that when you are spending 15 lakhs. If we want a bigger car, I'd recommend the Hyundai Creta/ Kia Seltos Diesel Manual or Petrol IMT (clutch-less manual) If a bigger car with an automatic is what you need the MG Astor CVT could do too but mileage would be on the lower side, the engine isn't the peppiest either.Here's what BHPian RijuC had to say on the matter:Buy the Toyota Urban Cruiser K15B + 4-speed Torque Converter AT, if the rear passenger seat space is not a problem. Advantages are:Ingress-egress are good.This engine+AT combination seems to be better than the new K15C+6 S AT.The Engine+AT combo is good for city drives in Bangalore traffic.UC AT costs within 12 Lakhs OTR in Gurgaon, whereas the new Brezza ZXI AT is almost 16 lakhs OTR here.A tension-free sasta-sundar-tikav compact SUV with better ground clearance and almost bulletproof reliability.Toyota HR/ Maruti Suzuki GV have advantages of relatively better leg space and well-managed interior width for the rear passenger seat, bigger boot space, a little more premium dashboard and better ICE, and panoramic sunroof in the topmost variant and paddle shifters for AT. For this duo:Ex-showroom price - unknownTest drive - unavailableYouTube expert test drive videos - unavailableIn showroom display car - unavailable (200 people jumping into a single car when it was brought in GGN for 1-2 days, the boot was purposefully locked).Pre-booking - Must, INR 11,000/- to secure a lucky spot to get it delivered within the next 15 months (the new Brezza AT waiting period is 15 months in GGN).If the primary user's height is within 5'8, Honda City's ingress-egress may not be a big problem. However, low GC will always remain a challenge.Here's what BHPian ashivas89 had to say on the matter:I see many suggestions pointing towards the Hyryder/Grand Vitara duo. They will be a great choice for:Someone who is not used to the punch of the VAG 1.5 dieselSomeone who is okay to go beyond 20 big ones for the strong hybrid because the mild hybrid will likely feel very underpoweredKnowing Kerala roads, I understand why your father prefers a punchy engine (punchy engines give that extra sense of security for executing swift, clean overtakes on narrow roads).Manual? --> City Diesel/ Kia Sonet or Hyundai VenueAuto?--> Kia Sonet diesel AT hands downOutside contenders --> Xuv 300 Diesel Manual (on the merits of the engine alone, the others mentioned above are superior in terms of what they offer as an overall package) or Nexon EV (if daily drives are well within 50% of quoted range) ask him to try one, I'm sure he will fall for the refinement and punch. All other potential options will go beyond your budget.Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Maximise the divine effects of rudraksh, shravan season ideal to wear it

Currently bhadraksha, a poisonous seed, is being passed off as a rudraksh.

Best Laptop Deals: Save $300 on Lenovo Yoga 7i, $350 on Samsung Galaxy Book 2 360 and More - CNET

Here are the best sales right now on laptops at Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg.

6 Best Peloton Alternatives for 2022: Get the Same Great At-Home Workout for Less - CNET

Before you splurge on a Peloton, check out these more affordable options from Bowflex, Echelon, Myx Fitness, NordicTrack and ProForm.

How To Check If The Employer Is Depositing EPF Contribution?

EPF or the Employee Provident fund account is meant to build retirement corpus. Every month 12% of the employee's basic pay is deducted and transferred to the EPF account. Similar amount is also contributed by the employer on his behalf

6 Strong Reasons Why Having FD In Your Investment Portfolio Is Good

The bulk of investments are made to satisfy our needs, goals, and aims, but some financial tools are essential for any portfolio. Compared to a typical savings account, a fixed deposit is an investment that gives high returns. The FD account

Trends in IT services point to platforms for gig workers

Service firms could turn into trading zones for assorted services as the gig economy takes hold

Struggling Sunak should not pander to the Tory party base

Hes trailing his rival but a zeal for culture wars wont do any good

Game theory can help analyse if not resolve China-Taiwan tension

We could expect a sequential game to play out between the two in the absence of any dominant strategy or Nash equilibrium

We need a holistic approach for effective policymaking

This is crucial for India to sustain high growth, create jobs and make Atmanirbhar Bharat a success

RBIs choice: An inflation target of 4% or a soft economic landing

The central banks dilemma will likely stiffen next fiscal year as it may have to choose one or the other

Our post-covid market needs home loan clarity

A revival is afoot amid signs that the pandemic shifted patterns of demand for residential property. But how quickly loan takers see their burden ease will go by an X factor: inflation

What Are Government Securities? Features & Advantages Of Government Securities

Government securities, often known as bonds, treasury bills, or notes, are financial instruments that are issued by the national and state governments of India. Government securities are debt products that the government issues in order to borrow money. The government offers

Anupam Kher shares photos with 'friend' Rajinikanth at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Actor Anupam Kher and Rajinikanth were seen clicking photos together in the Rashtrapati Bhavan ahead of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The campaign has been launched to celebrate the 75th Independence Day coming ahead.

Monkeypox is a health emergency now. Where could it spread next and who is at risk? Explained

Last month, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global public health emergency.

Visiting a Railway Reservation Centre after 18 years: Full experience

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Introduction Brick and mortar setups rarely need to be visited these days, what with everything going online. I've also fallen in line, but sometimes circumstances make one follow the path less travelled. This is an account of my surprise visit and experience at an unfrequented place today - an Indian Railways Reservation Center, after close to eighteen years. I am sure folks reading this will be able to revel in this experience and relive the good old times! Planning a trip to Gadag 02-Aug-2022 I am scheduled to make a trip to Gadag in Karnataka sometime this month and was looking for a suitable mode of transport from Bengaluru to Gadag. My preference was a train, and sure enough, I found a few of them. Shortlisted 16592 Hampi Express from Bengaluru to Gadag since it was a convenient evening departure with a morning arrival; found that the waitlist from KSR Bengaluru was RLWL which meant a remote location and thus a low chance of the ticket getting confirmed. Tracked the train back, and it was showing accommodation available in AC 2 Tier from Kengeri, just one station ahead. I went ahead, casually logged in to IRCTC, keyed in all details, paid the money, and this is what I encountered. This was at approx. 2250hrs on August 2nd. Error Code I said, Okay, this must be one of those instances when the payment gateway - IRCTC link decided to take a break! Went ahead and tried again - same result. I decided to stop and try again the next day. 03-Aug-2022Tried the same route, with the same card, but the end result was the same.Thinking that this might have been an issue with my bank's card, I tried using another ID and another card - the same result.Another gateway - another card - same result.Tried again after three hours with my ID and my card - same result.Error Again Meanwhile, I booked another ticket on another train and it went through without fuss. By now, after a total of six tries, almost INR6600 had been debited with no ticket in hand. Escalated the issue to IRCTC with specific information, including the error code, and got an expected vague reply that the tickets were not booked due to a delay in remittance of the money by the payment gateway. The vague or rather standard reply Planning a trip to Gadag (Contd.) 04-Aug-2022 Since I had never faced an issue of so many false starts, I had started imagining a whole lot of things and had actually even gotten scared to login to IRCTC :Is there an issue with my account?Is there an issue with my card?Has my IRCTC account gotten into some roadblock?I decided to let the debited money first come back, but meanwhile, had to do something to get myself a ticket via the least risk route, else available berths would all be gone on other trains. How did I decide on the Reservation Center option? While returning from work, I thought that the best way to eliminate my thoughts shared above was to get to a Railway Reservation Center and then see what was going on. Checked that I had enough moolah in my purse, and after getting off the car, made a dash to the Reservation Center. Entering the Reservation Lounge after eighteen years What a feeling it was - I have spent up to three and a half hours in every single visit to reservation centres in the 80s, 90s and even early 2000s until I registered on IRCTC. The scene used to be particularly bad in Western and Northern India. Those days, we'd find touts getting into the queues out of turn, reservation clerks booking via forms handed to them in advance, and with advance, fights among people in the queue, systems hanging, and so on. It used to be like a mela those days. Getting a confirmed ticket in hand and exiting the Center was equivalent to winning an Olympic Gold! My experience at the Reservation Center this evening There was no crowd - as we can see in the pic below, no more than two people at any counter. I went in, asked for a form, and found that it had barely changed. Filled it out like a memory recall from the 2000s, handed it in at one of the counters, told the Reservation Officer there that I was coming to a Center after 18 years, and he was all smiling. He keyed in all details into the system at lightning speed, with pain in his mouth, and I was waiting with bated breath, hoping that the reservation wouldn't go through -and Lo and Behold, it didn't go through! He tried again, but the end result was the same. He then called out to the Chief Reservation Supervisor apprising him of this issue, by when I had also told him that I'd come visiting because of those six failed attempts. Realising that this was some issue with the particular train/ station, I decided to try another train which I had already kept on the shortlist, and I managed the last confirmed berth on that option. Ticket in hand, no service charges, I left the place relieved. The surprise here was that I got a text message like how one would get on booking via IRCTC. This wasn't there in the 2000s. The Air-conditioned Reservation Lounge - saw folks seated there only to cool off. Reservation Form - just a few changes Ticket in hand Couldn't I have gone back home and booked via IRCTC on another train? Absolutely yes, but a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. Having seen a string of failures in two days, I decided to end the saga here. Who knows - maybe IRCTC would throw up some new issue after I returned. When luck isn't on one's side, it is better to try the least risky option. Summing it up Although I was kind of upset with the turn of events the day before yesterday and yesterday, I'm thankful to IRCTC for letting me get back to doing a reservation the old way and reliving the good ol' times. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Hero XPulse 300 & Xtreme 300S caught testing in Ladakh

Hero MotoCorp is putting two of its new bikes through their paces in the high-altitude region of Ladakh. The bikes seen in this video are believed to be the XPulse 300 and Xtreme 300S. Although the bikes are wrapped in camouflage, there are a couple of components that give away their identity. The ADV bike clearly has a red trellis frame underneath, which was first seen on the XPulse 300 Concept. The shape of the clutch cover is also familiar. The XPulse 300 test bike is equipped with a petal-type disc brake and wire spoke wheels. The bike also has a chrome side stand and a rear swingarm that looks similar to that of the concept. While the XPulse 300 is expected to rival the likes of Royal Enfield Himalayan, KTM 390 Adventure and BMW G 310 GS, the Xtreme 300S might compete with the KTM RC 390, Apache RR 310 and the BMW G 310 RR. The full-faired Xtreme 300S features multi-spoke alloy wheels and clip-on handlebars. Both bikes are likely to share the same engine with a displacement of around 300cc. Source:Gowtham Naidu

Adolf Hitler's watch described as 'World War II relic of historic proportions' sells at auction for $1.1 mn

Alexander Historical Auctions in Chesapeake City had estimated the value between $2 and $4 million.

Refurb Apple Watch Sale Offers Prices From $85 Today Only at Woot - CNET

If you don't mind a few cosmetic blemishes, this one-day sale offers seriously low prices on a variety of Apple Watch models.

Why I switched from a Toyota Innova to the 2022 Maruti XL6

BHPian drsarao recently shared this with other enthusiasts. I bought XL6 AT Alpha+ Grandeur Gray on 14 Jul 2022 (please note the date! Also billed on 13 Jul). Done mostly city driving till now. My previous vehicle was Innova (manual) which I owned for 15 years and sold recently because of the ban on petrol vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi. Since I have now become a senior citizen, I do not feel the lack of 'punch' in XL6 acceleration visa vis Innova/other 'turbos'. It is the perfect vehicle for a sedate careful driver - which now I have become! I plan to go for a road trip in this month and will update the highway experience. This forum had been immensely helpful to me in deciding on an AT MPV. I switched from Innova to this for 2 main reasons - cost and FE. The following points decided it for me:Reasonably priced MPV with all the safety features and good fuel consumption. I was not really impressed with the Smart Hybrid feature but Auto Engine off at signals is very good.Good height and space for a driver with 6-axis seat adjustments, steering tilt and telescoping. My height is 6 ft 2 inches with long legs.Vehicle height and stance are pretty good due to 16 wheels making ingress/egress easier.The door edge height is quite low (absent in Innova) compared to say Carens/Creta - this again makes it comfortable for older people to get in and out. The same goes for the Captain seats in the 2nd row and the really huge 2nd-row doors.Ventilated seats are heaven-sent for Delhi summers.All the control sticks, buttons, and cabin designs are almost a replica of Innova. No learning curve for me except graduating to AT from the manual which is a no-brainer after 5 minutes.Cruise control was something new for me. I used it once only in the city on a really long flyover to keep my speed constant at 60 km/h. There are multiple speed cameras and I had been challenged previously for over-speeding (63 KMPH!). I think this is a good use of cruise control.Some observations:I am still getting used to the music system. I am no audiophile and I find the system quality serves my purpose.Suzuki Connect is a creepy feature. It logs all your trips!As per the manual, I should be able to get to Android auto using ONLY Bluetooth from an android phone. However, I need to connect thru a USB cable for this feature to work.Manual mentions the Smartplay Pro Sync app for updating the firmware. But I could not find it in Play Store.I will raise these issues when I meet some 'engineers' in the workshop during the 1st service. The showroom staff is mostly clueless.This is my first post and I hope to be a reader and sometimes contributor to this vibrant ecosystem. In my internet search, I in fact stumbled on an undocumented way to switch off the DRLs! Though it is STRICTLY NOT RECOMMENDED due to safety reasons. But if you want to go in stealth mode for some reason then this might help. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Seeing Grand Vitara in person: Views of an ex-owner of Swift & Duster

BHPian Evyas recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Finally got to see the Grand Vitara in person, since I kept missing the right Nexa showroom by a day. It was a 'for one night only' type of scenario as it was the car's last night for viewing in Mumbai. As someone whose first car was a Maruti (Swift, Petrol) more than a decade ago, and as someone who thought he would never go back to a Maruti, I must say I was mighty impressed. The look was so premium, so European and 'posh' as a friend of mine said, I was taken aback. This didn't look like a typical Maruti at all. (My apologies to all Maruti owners, but even the S-Cross and XL6 didn't appeal to me much though on paper both seemed ideal for my requirements at one point). But with the GV - the build quality seemed much much better, the doors heavier, and the fit and finish also miles ahead of what I had seen in the past. Of course, it was no VW/Skoda (which I had recently done a TD of) but still, it actually made me think about the GV as an option too. The front seat has manual adjustment (much like the VW Taigun and Skoda Kushaq) but I could manage to find a good driving position - something that is hard for me since I'm 6.2. The seats were good and comfortable, but my head was almost an inch from grazing the roof - a problem I had in my Duster as well - and that had no height adjustment option! Being able to sit a little lower might help but only time will tell as this is the first time I've had this option in my car. But even without it, being this tall, I am quite well-versed with how to drive knowing the limitations of roof height in almost all cars - especially in hills where I need to bend forward a little to check on the oncoming bends and traffic (literally) up ahead! Only issue is that the back seat, while decent, had lesser under-thigh support for me, and my head was touching the roof. My father is an inch shorter than me so I am a good stand-in for him for back-seat testing. My worry was on bad roads his head will hit the roof unless I'm very careful. The sales crew were very enthusiastic and thorough, giving everyone a good chance to get a 'sit and feel' once. The interior 'fit and finish' is something I have not paid too much attention to in the past, since the early Swift and first gen Renault I owned were also very basic and rudimentary but blew me away in terms of ride quality (Duster) and low maintenance (Swift). But I do want to upgrade to a fully-loaded type of car, with all bells and whistles for once in my life! The GV impressed me enough to make it a contender. A slightly shoddy feel in the driver's seat is not a deal-breaker for me as long as the drive quality is good. I am also a huge fan of EVs but the lack of infrastructure at present makes me pause since a lot of our long journeys are in areas without many charging options as of today. So as a lot of people on this forum have rightly said, this will probably be our last ICE car. A hybrid appeals to that part of my brain too - best of both worlds, so to speak. And surely would be easier to maintain than a VGA car I feel. Of course, a LOT depends on the TD, when it is done, and on the price. If it stays within the 15-20 OTR zone in pricing, it can be one of the dark horses in the race. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Living with a Skoda Karoq: 2 years & 21,000 km update

BHPian Mr.Perera recently shared this with other enthusiasts. With covid restrictions mostly out of the way, the Karoq had spent a good amount of time on the road last year. The car still outshines its quality, fit and finish. No creaking noise, no loose panels, this thing is built like a Tank! There were no major problems or issues during last year. The only 'problem' we faced was the availability of the stock Hankook tyres. The tyre availability issue The Karoq's front tyre had encountered a sidewall burst while I was driving on the infamous Trivandrum-Kochi Highway. The front left tyre fell in a pothole, I was doing around 70kmph and I squeezed all the muscles in my body and heard a loud thud from the front left wheel. Luckily I was able to stop safely. When I got out and checked the wheel I saw the tyre had torn pretty badly. I was unsure if the impact had caused more damage to any other components, so I decided to call the RSA and got the car towed to my service centre. The Art The Artist The car had reached the Skoda service in Trivandrum and they inspected it thoroughly and found out there is no other issue other than the damaged tyre. They told me they will try getting a new tyre and will fit it and give the car. But the next day they informed me that they checked at almost all dealerships in India and this specific Hankook tyre that come in the Karoq is not available anywhere. I too tried searching for this tyre with all major tyre stockists in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata but no one had it. The only option I had was to get a different tyre and put it. But I didn't want to do that since 3 will be Hankooks and one will be some other make. So the frustrated me wrote a mail to Skoda, cc'ing Zac Hollis. Within a day I get a call from my dealer saying that Skoda India has agreed to change all my 4 tyres to a new one and as goodwill, I would need to pay only 30% of the entire price. The total estimate they gave was Rs 48,000 for 4 tyres and I had to pay only Rs 16,000 for 4 new tyres. Kudos to Skoda for their good customer service. They had given 4 new Continental Ultra Contact UC6 tyres. The Conti UC6 seems to be a much more comfort-oriented tyre. The comfort and noise levels seem to be better than the Hankooks. But it doesn't grip as well as the Hankooks. I can hear the tyres screeching and begging for grip on those long winding corners. Low Oil Warning At around 17,000 km the car showed a 'Check oil level warning'. I checked the dipstick and found the oil level was slightly below the lower limit. Took the car to the service and topped up around 300 ml of oil. I realised these engines consume quite a bit of oil, tried getting a 1L bottle of oil from the service but sadly they didn't have the small bottles in stock. Once it comes back in stock I plan to keep one bottle in the car all the time. Second service The second service was done at 18,300 km. Since we had taken the 4-year service plan from Skoda all works were included in that. All normal things like oil, oil filter, air filter and cabin filter were changed this time. When I went to pick up the car they had given me a bill of Rs 635 saying it is the charge for cleaning and lubricating the sunroof mechanism.Other observations:From the beginning, I was not happy with the front wipers as they occasionally made a very disturbing screeching sound. I showed this at the showroom and even after they cleaned the windshield and wiper, still the noise was there. They said there is no warranty on the wiper and I had to change them. The stock wipers cost a whooping 3500 bucks as per my Service Advisor. I later got a set of Blaupunkt wipers for Rs 1100 and boy I am impressed. For one-third, the price the Blaupunkt wipers are super value for money and do a good job during the rains. The multimedia system has some bugs when I connect my phone via Apple Carplay. Sometimes the connection gets lost and then it takes a lot of time to detect my phone again. I have never had this issue in my Octavia when I use the same phone and the same cable. Hope a software update might fix this.The Still So Good thingsThe Interiors - I can still write a long essay about the interior of the car! It is so good that still every time I get in the car it makes me go Wow. Everything is so well put together and looks and feels so fantastic. It is a bit difficult to keep the light-coloured leathers clean, but I always ensure to clean them after every long drive or once every 6 months.Driving feedback - The chassis + suspension is just magic! The car is so well planted at triple-digit speeds and gives immense confidence while driving on the highway. The engine isn't the power unit and I wish it had a bit more power, but once this thing gains speed it just flies!Headlights - The stock headlights are really good and are the best I have ever experienced in any car. Night-time driving is so stress-free and safe. To put things in perspective my Octavia also has full LED headlights like the Karoq. But those are not even half as bright as the ones in the Karoq! In Octavia during a rainy night, driving with the headlights is like driving with no headlights at all!Paint quality - Every car detailer who sees the car has so much to praise about the paint quality. They say the paint quality in Skoda and VW cars is one of the best but the paint quality in the Karoq seems to be so good that it is a detailer's dream.The not so Good thingsThe fear of having a DQ200 gearbox - No matter however good the car is, the fact that the gearbox isn't the reliable one out there still is there behind my head. Haven't heard any Karoq owner getting a gearbox issue till now, but we all have seen the multiple threads here and frustrated owners who have had a tough time due to the dry clutch DQ200 unit. Just praying that nothing such creeps up in the Karoq.The almost white coloured seats - For someone (like me) who loves cleaning their car, having these seats is a good thing. You regularly have a place to spend time cleaning the car. They get dirty very fast. But for the rest big bunch of people it is a pain to keep them clean.Getting basic accessories - The problem of owning a limited run car is the fact that getting basic accessories like car cover, window blinds etc is difficult. I have searched multiple shops and all over Amazon and have never found them. Luckily Creta's car cover was a perfect fit for the Karoq. But I'm still looking for sunblinds.Fuel efficiency - The fuel efficiency from the 1.5L engine isn't the best in my opinion. There are owners here who have got even 19 km/l on highways. But the best I have got on a highway drive is 15 km/l. That too being very easy on the throttle. Its worst during stop-go traffic, I have seen figures like 6 km/l on drives within the city.The best FE I have got to date Also noticed that the car runs much better and smoother on 95 octane petrol. The recommended fuel rating in the Karoq is 95 octane fuel. In the last year, IOC has been aggressively rolling out the XP95. And it's come to a point that it's available in almost all IOC bunks. Initially, I used to fill only normal petrol, but once XP95 came, I stuck to filling XP95 all the time. The change in refinement especially during cold starts is very obvious after that.Overall Impressions after 2 yearsThe Karoq still proves to be a brilliant car. Even after 2 years, it still looks and feels like new. A perfect do-it car with great build quality and interiors. The other day I happened to check out the top-end Kushaq Monte Carlo model which is around 24 lakhs on road. Sadly for that money, the Kushaq lacks the finesse that Skodas are known for. No offence to Kushaq owners, but Skoda should seriously consider bringing back the Karoq in India, at least as a CKD. We really deserve such well-built cars. Some photos of the Czech beauty The Karoq with its younger brother Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

iPhone 14 to arrive on September 6? New leaks hint at Apple event schedule

Noted tipster Max Weinbach has hinted at the new launch date for iPhone 14.

Britney Spears lashes out at ex-husband Kevin Federline. Find out why

Singer Britney Spears has responded after her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, stated that their children didnt want anything to do with her. Slamming Federline for interfering in her and her childrens relationship, Spears has described his statement as hurtful.

Handling sentimental attachment when letting go of your current car

BHPian Abhiram recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Hello all, I wanted to understand the process everyone else goes through once they decide to upgrade or switch their cars/bikes. How do you manage to overcome the sentimental attachment to your current vehicle? Here's what I go through on a monthly basis: Step 1: Tell myself that I've had my current ride for 7 years and that the second hand market is a seller's market now and ergo, the smart and responsible thing to do is to sell now and buy a new car. Step 2: Start making a shortlist of all the candidates I am interested in. Step 3: Watch Youtube videos and read Team BHP threads on the cars that I zero in on. Step 4: Decide on the one. Step 5: Look up the best dealership. Step 6: Think of all the sites I can list my current car on before booking a new car. Step 7: Get all emotional about my current car, see the photos of me bringing it home, arriving at my marriage, trips I've taken etc etc. Final step: Throw out my plans and promise myself to finally fix that one dent on my car and give her more TLC going forward. Repeat. Does anyone else fall into the same loop? How do you break it? Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:I don't get really sentimental about any of my cars, other than the '97 Jeep. Typically use them until they are ~10 years old, and then it's time to switch. Sure, the farewell is painful and there are so many memories attached to your personal car, but more than that, I'm really looking forward to the upgrade . I typically decide on my next car 2 - 4 years in advance. Easy to do as a pre-worshipped car fan because the model is already on sale and odds are, I've driven it. Yes, I already know what I'm buying next by 2023-24.Here's what BHPian DicKy had to say on the matter:If you have stopped giving the car TLC and are doing only basic maintenance, with no plans or daydreaming whatsoever to restore/ deep maintain it, you have already lost half the sentimental attachment for it. Personally, it is hard to let go. But once you hand over the keys and see it go away or move away from it, a deep sigh or a single tear will suffice. Ofcourse, for a few months your heart may jump whenever you see another car of the exact spec/colour as yours, but once you like and get used to your new car, the lost feeling goes away replaced with warm feelings of nostalgia.Here's what BHPian ashis89 had to say on the matter:Buy a replacement first. Once the new one is in, your attention gravitates to the new car and the old one will have further step motherly treatment. That makes it easy to let go. Been there done that a few times. PS: Things might be tricky if you have an appetite to hold on to both the cars and you will be tempted to retain the old one as well. Although in such cases, the old one mostly remains under utilized. PPS: I still miss my old rides and sometimes feel What if I had not sold it?. But the rides are gone and hence, these thoughts subside soon.Here's what BHPian anjan_c2007 had to say on the matter:For me there's no letting go. It has always been a one way traffic. Enter into the spider web of my ownership list. You are cared for, parked well driven regularly, maintained well and papers are kept upto date. There's no question of parting company with any of these. Someone asks me to lend for a few days and I say NO because this one is my heart, there that's my one lung, that one there my second lung, there this is my kidney and this one's my liver, that's my one eye, this one's my second eye and that one's engine sound is music to my left ear while that one's engine sound is music to my right ear. That perhaps describes each machine I own. No car or two wheeler has ever been sold by me right from the time I bought my first two wheels, a TVS-50 in 1983. All my two and four wheelers have threads and are documented on Team BHP. The oldest in my garage is a 1955 car, while the newest one as of now is from 2009. Archaic by the standards of many fellow BHPians.Here's what BHPian RunGaDa had to say on the matter:May be first time it's hard. It's only better to not emotionally associate with vehicles. I had emotional attachment with my first car. But I was completely okay at the time of selling it. I knew I have to move on.Just think of the best moments, focus your attention on new targets. Close the chapter. Life goes on. Nothing lasts forever. Cheers!Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

No impact of inflation on Nykaa consumer base; cautiously optimistic for rest of the year: Anchit Nayar

We are getting into the festive half of the year July-August-September and the October-November-December quarters tend to be seasonally better quarters for us. So we remain cautiously optimistic for the rest of the year. Nykaa Fashion has grown faster than beauty having delivered almost a 59% growth in GMV year over year. That business continues to grow and gain traction.

Iris Broadway Greno West launches Monsoon Carnival

Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 8 (ANI/PRNewswire): Iris Broadway Greno West by Trehan Iris has recently announced its month-long sales-based campaign, Monsoon Carnival - Wheel of Fortune.

Why I replaced my 2 year old Renault Triber with a used Tata Aria

BHPian AdityaDeane recently shared this with other enthusiasts. As a replacement for my Triber I was looking for a Tata Aria 4x4, but I was running out of time and could not find a worthy example within my limited budget and leave constraints. So, on 23rd of June I bought a Blue 2009 Maruti Suzuki A-Star ZXi MT from Maruti Suzuki True Value with roughly 64K on the odo. A Navy person driven car with all Service Records etc. Finally, after a lot of search and bargaining, was able to find a decent 2011 Tata Aria Prestige 4x4 in Sardinia Red from Chandigarh Tricity region, and purchased it at a good price, with a shade over 1.14K kilometres on the odometer. Will start an ownership thread after spending some time with the car. Initial observations from my drive between Tricity to Manali:-The interior is quite similar to the Triber, and it feels like sitting in a bigger and more capable Triber!Interior leg room is good for all rows!The ride quality is exceptional, especially on the broken roads and over highway undulations.The AC is very good, the front AC was more than enough to keep us comfortable in the cabin for most times. Having Auto AC is an added bonus!The primary reason for choosing an Aria was the flat folding seats for using the vehicle as a Campervan for nearby weekend trips, this was missing in the 60% seat of the Triber. The roof box storages are added bonus for keeping small items. Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Global inflation no excuse for lax policy, MPC now accepts

Earlier, a facetious argument was that India was doing better than other countries, particularly the US

1998 Hindustan Ambassador: A complete restoration back to original spec

BHPian Faith Aby recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Hi petrol heads, So this is my very first forum thread or post. I was wondering what to start with, so I chose to make a project related post as I've seen many forums related to it and many users like it too. Here's my first post on the restoration project of a new toy which was brought by one of our customers. The toy is a 1998 model Ambassador swapped with an original carburetted Nova 1500cc 4cyl diesel engine. The customer basically had it parked at a workshop at Kottayam, Kerala. Sadly, it stood there for almost 3-4 years (no pics of before restoration). The climatic conditions and the age has hit it so hard. It had lots of work to be done and lots to be spent. The customer had enough funds and interest in bringing back this beauty to life. He approached us two months back saying that somebody has to drive it from KL to BLR as he planned to give it to us for the restoration. My dad found it the right opportunity to go to KL as he needed parts and spares for his Landmaster, sierra and also various other reasons. The time was convenient. My dad and his friend left for Kerala. The story of the car over there was dreaded and pretty painful. It was rusted and jammed. But the mechanic somehow managed to make it run, as it was in a shelter and luckily the garage owner used to start it once in a month. But unfortunately the car only did 40kmph max and the brake cylinders were faulty and the car had to be cranked directly from the battery to starter. But somehow with God's grace and the heart of that machine to come back to life didn't make it stop anywhere and create issues, except for fuel and cooling. They brought that beauty back to BLR in running condition.They took turns while the other one was tired. By the time she was here, she was hot and thirsty and ready to get restored and we couldn't wait to lay our hands on it. The project had already started while I was out for educational reasons. So all the pictures are the ones which I've taken after the project started. When I came back, the car's engine work had started. The engine was detached from the car and was ready to get rebuilt. The customer wanted us not to hurry it up as it may end up in faults. We did each work patiently and without stress. Here is the picture of its bypass surgery: It had a 1996 Ambassador Nova diesel engine with a 5-speed Isuzu transmission. The engine and transmission didn't match well. It didn't run properly, and moreover it grinded the clutch a lot. The desired performance wasn't received. But now the customer regrets and has somehow managed to get an original ISZ1800 engine which is in the OEM spec and can cope up with the gearbox. He has brought a 1998 Isuzu Peugeot engine which needed new pistons, rings, oil seals, bearings, valves, re-boring and cylinder alignment. Here's the pic of the old engine. That's the gearbox next to it. The old engine was not strong enough for a rebuild. The customer didn't experience much refinement and it also gave him approx. 5-6 kmpl. So he decided to change the whole setup and make it original, refined, silent with no extra mods. He has planned greater restoration plans for this car and is taking opinions and concerns from my dad and a fellow technician who who used to work at the HM manufacturing plant in his good old days. We have planned to restore it back to mint condition and back to the old showroom look which he had in 1998. But a bit different in appearance. Main focus is on making it run like a daily drive and having it not too fancy. For now, the engine work is taking place. We are planning to start the under body and running board works as the body is free. The engine work is being done neatly and precisely by our mechanic who is an expert in engine rebuilding. He has 25 years experience in laying hands on various beauties and machines. He has rebuilt Gallardo engines and various other vintage toys. I'm not disclosing all the facts in one single post. Lots more to come. But it will take time. But I'm damn sure its worth the wait. Will be the posting next update of project very soon. Stay tuned. Here's what BHPian anjan_c2007 had to say on the matter:Very proud to read of a comparatively newer Ambassador getting restored. The earlier engine swap of the HM Stride/BMC 1489 cc/ 37 bhp diesel by the owner it is apparent was purely for fuel economy reasons and the five speed gearbox mating with the archaic diesel is a bit indigestible. The ISZ 1800 (1817cc/ OHC/75 PS @ 5000 rpm/ 130 Nm @ 3000 rpm) petrol engine will go ideally with the 5-speed gearbox. I remember a road test of this car in Auto India magazine from 1992, where it said that then new petrol Isuzu engine gives the car a wolf in sheep's clothing like appearance. It gave a new lease of life to this ageing design during those years. The ISZ 1800 engine was sourced by HM since around 1985-86 but only restricted for VVIP cars after Mrs Indira Gandhi, our PM was assassinated in 1984. The new security blue book required armour plated cars with bullet proof glasses for the VVIP's. The extra mass added required a newer power plant as the older 1489 cc/ 55 bhp/ BMC B-Series engine with its ancient design could not comply and did not fit into the scenario. It was only in 1992 that this new engine was offered for sale to the general public. Fullbore Motors, UK had imported quite many examples into the U.K. sprucing these up for their local market purely for nostalgic reasons. Fortunately, many of these still survive in the U.K. and are chiefly used as wedding cars that are available on hire. But despite the upgraded engine and gearbox in 1992, HM's workmanship continued to remain poor to pathetic and the body panels coming loose or rattling, metal rusting, poor quality of plastics and poor fit and finish marred the overall outlook for the buyers of this car, when newer technology was being introduced by peers into our market. The car in question is just 24 years old, but was subjected to apathy lately and was located somewhere nearer to the sea coast where the climatic factors and neglect could have taken their toll on it. The car is iconic for India and examples are permanently disappearing from all over. The recent West Bengal NGT order to scrap all private and commercial 15 year or older cars, trucks and buses etc, will take a very, very heavy toll on the Ambassador population in its heartland, that was once the Ambassador capital of India. So much so, that the last Ambassador taxi in Kolkata may get scrapped by 2029 ! My best wishes for the restoration project.Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

How India can get its data protection law right

Once we have a statute on privacy, it would become easier to fashion a law on data protection that protects privacy

Porsche claims EVs could become more profitable than ICEs

Porsche claims that its EVs could become more profitable than its IC-engine-powered offerings very soon. According to the company's Chief Financial Officer, Lutz Meschke, Porsche expected its EV profits to reach parity with its ICE vehicles in about 2-years' time. Post reaching parity, the profits from EVs are expected to further expand as the number of customers willing to pay for more technologies also increases. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume also stated that the company's target is to selectively expand higher-margin segments and leverage the pricing opportunities of its electric vehicles. In the long run, Porsche aims to grow its return on sale to more than 20 per cent, up from 16% last year. The German sports car maker also expects 8 in 10 Porsches sold by the end of the decade to be electric. It also claims that EVs will account for half of the luxury automotive market by 2031. Porsche currently sells the Taycan EV in the global market. The company is also working on a number of new EV offerings for the near future, including the Macan EV scheduled to go on sale in 2024. The carmaker also recently announced that they are working on an all-electric flagship EV positioned above the Cayenne. Source: Automotive News

This Raksha Bandhan, Pamper Your Sibling With These Thoughtful Gifts

De-chromed my Skoda Kushaq for an all-black look

BHPian DragonHawk recently shared this with other enthusiasts. I wasn't really a great fan of chrome in the car and especially with Kushaq, those thick chrome inserts in the grill were too ugly for my liking. I was in a dilemma on whether to go with wrapping it or get it painted to black. My main concern was the chipping of paint/wrap over a period of time. Finally, based on the discussion with a couple of my friends who are in the detailing business, I decided to de-chrome the chrome bits including the Skoda decals and rear chrome panels via painting. Surprisingly it came out really well, sharing a couple of pics and I will post a few more pics in my ownership thread in the coming days. Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Upgraded from i20 diesel to Nexon EV Max: 1-month ownership experience

BHPian pradheepsr recently shared this with other enthusiasts. My Tata Nexon EV Max is almost a month old now and has done 900 kms approx. The first few days after the delivery, I didn't try to get the Max out of the battery and hence drove like a normal ICE car within city limits. I used Eco and City drive modes (40:60) with seldom use of the Sports mode. Amazed at the ease and refinement it offers for the price especially after upgrading from a diesel i20 manual. I got only 180-200 kms max on a full charge initially, however, it kept improving after keeping regen braking levels between 1-2 and liberal use of Eco mode. Mostly, the AC was on with temp set at 20 since our city was hot (35-36 degrees). However, since the vehicle is also used by my drivers for ferrying kids to school and local market trips for my missus, hence, there would be a change in driving styles since these guys sometimes floor the pedal to overtake. I'm getting an average of 195 Kwh/km which I felt was way too high according to the app. The vehicle gives me a realistic range of 200-220 km with a full charge to 10 percent. I went to Detailing Mafia for a combo of ceramic coat and PPF. PPF was applied in the front bumper, front and rear piano black panels and the piano black panel around the gear selector. Any tips on how to improve the range efficiency? I have gone with the 3.3 kW charger at home since I was skeptical about the 7 kW one. Any tips or advice in this regard will be appreciated. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

'Delhi Crime' S2 will show human & vulnerable side of its characters, reveals Shefali Shah

The second season will debut on Netflix on August 26.

Upgraded the headlight bulbs on my preowned Maruti Swift VXi

BHPian Ashtoncastelino recently shared this with other enthusiasts. February 2021Headlight bulb upgrade to 90W/100WHad to drive to Kannur Airport to pick up my dad and this was the first long drive with the Swift, I had taken my dear friend too along with me for company as parents were not comfortable with me driving alone. We left around 2 PM and reached Kannur Airport around 8 PM. It was was a great drive which I thoroughly enjoyed. On the way back we stopped for dinner and I let my friend drive the way back to Manipal. He immediately found it difficult with the 55/60w bulbs and said I need to upgrade them ASAP as night drives were very difficult. The windshield moreover had hard water stains/residue which made night driving very difficult with oncoming cars on high beam. The very next day when we reached back to Manipal, I did a thorough research if it is safe to upgrade to 90/100W bulbs on the Swift. Having read few threads were the reflectors got burnt after upgrading the bulbs scared me a bit, But my uncle's 2011 Swift was running on 90/100W with no issues at all since years. My uncle's WagonR was running 90/100W setup with Philips bulbs and Philips headlight relay, but one day when I was driving, the relay just gave up and the fuses melted. I really don't know what happened or what caused it but I expected better life from Philips headlight relay but I was let down. Browsed Amazon and other websites for a day and finally decided to get the headlight relay which was of made by Vaishnu Auto Lighting Solutions. It had great feedback and customer support. IIRC I paid about 944 and ordered Osram Rallye 62204 90/100W bulbs for 300. After placing the order on Amazon, I was contacted by Vaishnu customer care, to notify them if I face any issues during installation or needed help. The headlight relay kit was made with great material, Ceramic H4 Connectors and all the wires were of Finolex make. Dad and me installed it ourselves and did a test at night to see its output . We compared it with my uncle's WagonR which was running 55/60W lights and the light output was an improvement over the previous setup. Anyways I am keeping a close watch on the reflectors to see if any issue crops, so far all good. We noticed an immediate improvement and ease in night drives. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

My VW Polo: 950 km road trip & 1 year/15,000 km service update

BHPian sinharishi recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Took my car for 1 year/15K kms service. Got underbody engine cover installed during the service. Did a short trip to Lucknow over the weekend. It was a boring drive, 950 kms of expressway! The only good thing was the FE. Was doing 90-100 kmph mostly with small bursts to 120 kmph. Did not use CC at all. The DHC LEDs are too good, I have 6200K on high beam and the throw is just amazing! Yet to drive it on the highway at night, but in Mumbai city usage, I can say they are superb. Performance in the rain is flawless. The only niggle is that when in bumper-to-bumper traffic and standstill-crawl, the reflection from the vehicle ahead is glaring even in low beam. For fog lamps, I've gone for GPNE 3000/6000k switchable LEDs. Now arranging seat covers in Nappa/Softy leather from Saddles India. Then will take a chance with Bilstein B12 kit, and finally Stage 1 remap (Wolf or Code6- yet to decide - advice welcome). Will post pictures and details about these later, when all is done. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Tesla Model Y to become the world's best-selling car in 2023

According to a media report, Tesla has announced that its Model Y is on track to become the world's best-selling car in 2023. Reports state that the Tesla Model Y will become the world's highest-selling car by revenue this year while becoming the best-selling car by volume in 2023. The Model Y is already the best-selling electric car in the world. However, Tesla expects sales to increase further once production at its Gigafactories in Texas and Berlin is ramped-up to full capacity. Currently, the title of the world's highest-selling vehicle is held by the Toyota Corolla. The sedan from the Japanese carmaker managed to sell around 11,50,000 units globally last year. In comparison, Tesla as a whole managed 9,36,222 units of sales in 2021. However, the American EV maker is on track to register over 1.3 million car sales in 2022. With the planned increase in production, the EV maker could see it's Model Y sales numbers overtake that of the Corolla and take the world's best-selling car title. The Tesla Model Y was introduced in 2020. Company CEO Elon Musk had then predicted that the Model Y would become the world's best-selling car with an annual demand ranging between 5 lakh to 10 lakh vehicles. Two years later, the prediction seems to be on track, with Tesla expected to be able to manufacture a million Model Y units annually by the end of the year. Source: Electrek

How I ended up buying a 20 year old TVS Max 100R as my first bike

BHPian Abhyjith K.A recently shared this with other enthusiasts.The Soulful Workhorse | My 2002 TVS Max 100 RThe world of cars and the world of motorcycles somehow have a sense of disconnect from each other. Growing up, cars formed my biggest passion with motorcycles being a casual afterthought. Yet somehow, one motorcycle came into my life and changed everything so completely and so unexpectedly. It truly taught me what the phrase, Four Wheels Move The Body, Two Wheels Move The Soul meant. Although my love and passion for cars has still remained unwavering, a new love for motorcycling was born and haunts me to this very day. But for some context regarding my personal history with two wheels, I learnt cycling without stabilizers at the age of 8, on a lovely little blue BSA with the constant support of my loving family. I used to go cycling every evening. But that was well within the safety of our home. I ventured out into the world on my own on two wheels for the first time when I got my first proper bicycle at the age of 15. A classic BSA SLR in a memorable maroon shade from the early 90s, which once belonged to my dad who used it to ride to college. I had completely refused my parents' offer to get me a new bicycle in favour of getting dad's old cycle fixed and ready for me as it had been sitting in storage for years on end. Such was my love for all things classic and nostalgic. After all, what's better than inheriting and using something that once belonged to daddy? That bicycle would become my partner-in-crime for the next 4 years. In the middle of those years, I had fiddled with it, taken it apart bolt by bolt and put it back together, convoyed with my friends, and enjoyed many priceless moments with it. Others also found it refreshing that here was someone cherishing something older in the sea of sleek, modernistic, carbon fibre blah blah on two wheels that start looking terrible the moment they show the slightest signs of wear and use while my cycle wore them like badges of honour and still looked the part doing so! When it came to motorized two-wheelers, I learnt to ride on my uncle's bike. A lovely black 2014 Honda CB Shine. It was and still is a great bike. In fact, since uncle wasn't in immediate need of it as he lived away and his commute involved only a brief walking distance, I would go on to use it for the first one and a half years of college and have since, formed a lot of memories with it too. While the CB Shine is practically everything one can technically want in a bike, it really isn't the most soulful. In fact, I really did not understand the true meaning of soulful until I got my Max 100. At this point, I was still primarily a car person and didn't think much of bikes. The CB Shine existed solely to satisfy my practical commuting requirements. While I used to take it out otherwise as well, there was never any real deep craving to do so. What's the danger associated with this? One ends up feeling bikes, in general, are like this and ends up missing out on a lot. Enter the desire for something else. I've always found two strokes quite fascinating for a long while, yet had never ridden one. There was also the fact that my dad once used to be the proud owner of a beautiful Maroon/Wine Red Yamaha RX 100 that he purchased brand new in the 90s and sold later on due to the possibilities that existed in those times of two strokes getting completely banned. As a result, I felt I had missed out on experiencing the two-stroke magic, that I hear about and read about all the time, solidifying my desire to own one. But here I was, a 19 year old college student with a bare-bones budget which only made the RX 100 with its current prices look like a fairly distant dream. No worries, I thought to myself. I just want a two-stroke. I'll look at my other options then. The only criteria was that I wanted an actual motorcycle, ruling out scooters and mopeds, though I still have a soft spot for vintage Vespas, Lambrettas, and their derivatives. In fact, that is an understatement. I love them. But for the time being, I wanted a motorcycle that I could truly call my own and ride daily, as well as do trips on. With Yamaha ruled out completely, I automatically turned my attention to Suzukis. More precisely, the AX 100, the Max 100, and the Samurai. The others such as the Supra, Shogun and Shaolin would automatically go outside my budget and thus, get ruled out. Just for the time being The Max 100 was one I particularly favored for I had some memories associated with one owned by my math tuition teacher's husband, back during my school days. He would fire it up when he would go out and the sound would resonate within the walls of the home. Funnily enough, my bike turned out to be the exact same spec and colour as his, with the differences only being the modifications I have done, that I'll get to, later. Not only that, but I had always looked at the Max 100 as an untapped treasure. One seemingly used by middle-aged family men throughout the country as it is quite economical (From personal experience) and cheap to run. Not only that, but the legendary durability (Also something we'll discuss). Plus, the retro looks and charms are too much to resist at the prices they usually go for. I didn't completely rule out the possibilities of getting a four-stroke though. Bikes like the Hero Honda CD 100 SS and the Kawasaki Bajaj 4S Champion did catch my attention thanks to their retro design and famously efficient engines. But the heart truly did long for the two-stroke beat, of course. A great source of inspiration and a valuable resource would come in the form of my friend and classmate back at school, Bala, who had gotten himself right after graduating, a beautiful green Samurai that he currently uses as a blank canvas to do a number of crazy mods on. When I told him about my intentions of getting a new bike, that too, preferably a two-stroke, he was more than happy to chime in and help. When my search started, these were the bikes I specifically zeroed upon and contacted their respective owners :A 2000 TVS Max 100 R in Black.A 1989 Kawasaki Bajaj KB 100 in Maroon.A 1987 Ind-Suzuki AX 100 in Red.A 2002 TVS Max 100 R in Forest Green.A 2001 Suzuki Max 100 in Red.A 1993 Kawasaki Bajaj 4S Champion in Maroon.Only the 4S had its documents all in current while the rest required updating. However, I kept the 4S as the last option as I mainly wanted a two-stroke. The KB 100; Now that was something I really would have liked to have. But the seller ended up replying to me, the exact day after I had bought my bike. Maybe it was meant to be that way. I had no regrets though. I was already in love with my bike. More on that later! The first bike I would go on to see would be the black Max 100 R. It was a single owner from new bike and looked wonderful in the pics. So Bala and I hopped onto his Bajaj Chetak and went to see it. We were, however, terribly disappointed that it wasn't as advertised. It was a non-runner with locked-up brakes and when he tried the kick, the compression wasn't anything signifying an engine that still worked. So we left it as it is. The second bike I would go on to see would be the one. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. The morning of Saturday, the 19th of Feb, 2022. This was the Forest Green Max 100 R. What's more, this bike is a 2002 model year. The same year of my birth. Happy times! I still remember waiting for the owner to turn up and then, hearing her for the first time as they came into view. I already knew she wasn't in great shape, but was still, a runner with clean documents. The test ride I took after a brief chat with the owner and inspecting her, changed everything for me. Coincidentally, that was also the first time I ever rode a two-stroke ever. I initially marveled at how light and compact it felt. Then she fired up with a roar. But I stalled her a few times. After riding the CB Shine for so long, I was unaware that she required some application of throttle to move from a standstill. But when we finally got moving, nothing would prepare me for what happened next. Her throttle was so messed up that for most of the rotation of the grip, nothing would happen, and then at the end, everything would happen! When everything happened, that moment was truly special. Her roar turned into a symphonic wail. One which I still adore listening to this very day. But it's the first time that is always the special one. I pull the clutch in and shift to second. She responds so brilliantly that it felt like we were truly connected, Then, I try to shift to third, but accidentally hit the rear of the shifter (As that's how I was used to upshifting on the CB Shine). She screamed loudly and jerked me forwards, yet still forgave me and didn't throw me over. I corrected it quickly and shifted to third. Then immediately to fourth, where I experienced a different side of her. A calm, composed, yet still wonderfully musical side. But I was running out of runway and had to brake. I slam the right pedal (Again, like I used to, on the CB Shine). The rear wheel locks up and skids with a loud screech. But I immediately let go of the pedal and twitch it and regain control. Then pressed the pedal softly and pulled in the clutch while downshifting as I came to a halt. I turn back slowly and stall her twice again. Then I finally reach the owner again. I guess at this point, it's blatantly obvious that it was too late. I had already fallen for her (Not literally ). I told the owner I loved her and really wanted her. He was an extremely friendly guy, just recently turned a father, who wanted to sell his bike as he wasn't using it much at all and could do with some extra money for the household. After discussing the flaws (Yes, I still did let my mind work. A bit ), he agreed to reduce the price a bit for me. I told him I'll ring him up that night and tell him of my final decision. That evening, I went to see another bike. This was the red 2001 Suzuki Max 100. The evening was lovely, the neighbourhood very homely. The bike was mechanically in better shape than the green one. P.S, I locked the rear brake yet again during the test ride and skid it, but again, controlled it to the shocked gasp of the owner. This bike ran better, and had a light and properly functioning throttle, but was a bit of a downer in terms of cosmetic appearance. Also, a light issue with the documents was there, leading me to eventually rule it out. That evening, I made up my mind. The bike I saw in the morning would be mine. I rang up the owner at 8 P.M that night, just as I had said, and informed him I was coming to collect it tomorrow. He was extremely happy that the deal was coming through, while also a bit sad at the same time that he would have to say goodbye to his pride and joy. Both of which were quite obviously noticeable in him when I met him the next day. So on Sunday morning, the 20th of Feb, 2022, I made her mine. I met up with the owner, he took me for a cup of tea at a nearby place on the bike; The return journey was the last time he would ride his bike before handing her over to me. We came back, and have a nice long chat, after which, I pay him the amount fully in cash, he hands me the keys and we shake hands. He stood and watched while I rode her up to the highway, after which, I took a right turn into the OMR Highway and disappeared with the beautiful exhaust note getting fainter and fainter. But it wasn't the classic tale of me riding off into the sunset in pure bliss. One thing I immediately noticed is that she was screaming in top gear, but was nowhere near her top speed. No worries, I thought. She had been sitting idle for quite a long time and requires work on the engine anyways. Then when I pulled the throttle open fully, she cut out and I slowly pulled over to the side. I thought I had overstressed an engine already in bad shape. She fired right back up on the second kick, so I decided to take it easy on the throttle from then on. The previous owner had told me to stop and refuel as she was practically running on fumes at that point. He had even told me the exact location of the pump on the highway, but in my sheer excitement, I passed by the fuel station. Only God knows what I was thinking at that time. The result? Me dragging my new bike with an empty tank about 800 metres back to that same station. I put in enough fuel to make it back home. I didn't pre-mix oil as the oil tank was full and the previous owner told me he only uses the pump. Then, she fired up immediately and I happily embarked upon the 15-kilometre journey to meet Bala whom I had also called, and surprised with the good news that I'd gone ahead and bought it simply because I fell for it. But that's when love would get tested and all the happiness came down crashing to pieces. She would go fine for maybe a kilometre or two, after which the engine would cut out, forcing me to pull over to the side and keep kicking to start her back up. I think this happened a grand total of more than eight times throughout the perilous journey. Moreover, she wouldn't idle in traffic and keep cutting out, making me have to constantly keep playing with the already messed up and unbearably tight throttle. Finally, I made it to the front of the Accord Metropolitan where Bala would soon arrive at to meet me, on his Chetak, only to find me thoroughly exhausted, sitting on my bike on the main stand. After hearing what had happened, he immediately gets to work and removes the spark plug only to show me what can only be described as one caked with black soot which he then cleaned off. He told me it's a very old make and considering its condition, it was a miracle I even made it this far on it. Oh, but that wouldn't be the last miracle. He then asks me how much oil is there pre-mixed in the tank. I reply that there is none, as it's using the oil pump. He then points out to my inexperienced (Read Nonexperienced) eyes that the pump was not even connected! So that everyone, is the story of me riding my new bike for 15 kilometres without oil and God knows how much the previous owner had done so, although he did tell me that he very rarely uses the bike with it sitting in storage for months on end. And even when he does use it, it's mostly for short rides around the neighbourhood. I completely believe him as that's the only way the engine could have possibly survived this long. That was my first and last straw with the oil pump. To this day, my bike runs on pre-mix. It's just way better at least for the peace of mind. The pump and the tank are still there on the bike, but I'll be removing both after a future overhaul of the engine. There's no substitute for simplicity. After checking the papers, Bala parks his Chetak nearby and we get on my bike with him riding it to test it and me as a pillion and we go to the nearest fuel station. There, he pre-mixes the right amount of oil in the tank and we get going again, this time, to an auto parts shop where we get a new spark plug. He shows me how to adjust and swap it over. The bike then fires with a single kick and we look at each other with a smile on our faces. We go to a nearby isolated road where we pulled over and Bala quickly tunes the carburettor. There was now, a massive change in the way the bike felt. We had a lot of fun on that road, pulling the throttle wide open and listening to the wail. After thanking him for his timely rescue and promising to meet, later on, we bid our goodbyes and I started the brief ride back home. She still couldn't go all too fast, would cut out under sudden throttle application, and felt insecure in traffic, but was still, miles better than how she was before. Now that she actually had oil in the system, she felt way smoother and refined. Bala told me to ride it as it is till I get used to it, but I didn't feel secure with it. So since it was a Sunday that day, I decided to get it to the mechanic immediately on Monday. After reaching home, the first thing I did was to get rid of the utterly horrible and worn out Passion Pro tank cover and give the bike a good dusting and wipe. She looked so much better now, but there were a lot of things to be done. Here is the list of things the bike required working on:She had no mirrors.No battery.No indicators.Completely shot handlebar switchgear.The headlight was wired to be on all the time, right on the coil.The speedo and odo on the left side of the instrument cluster worked, but the right side was completely inactive (My bike has the twin circular TVS gauges and not the rectangular Suzuki one). The right side houses the indicator, low oil, neutral and high beam lights. The previous owner told me that they all actually do work, but they're just disconnected due to some wiring issue (Which I would go on to find out was true).Also the instrument cluster casing was partially broken on the bottom right side.The seat covers were old and ripped.The engine & drivetrain with lacklustre performance.Broken side panels that are still somehow, staying put.The wheels, the visible mechanical components, the chain guard, the saree guard all looked tired and required refurbishing.The tank was very clean within, but the side stickers are not in good condition and there are a few not-so-deep scratches.All in all, it was an untidy mess. But she went and stopped in a perfectly straight line. The core of everything, being the basic foundation is important after all. The tyres were also in good condition although the rear was a Michelin Sirac while the front was a Ceat Secura . I guess that'll also have to be rectified. But even with all these flaws, it was no big matter. She could still be ridden. So after having my lunch and getting some rest after that entire ordeal, I get back to her in the evening and take her out for a ride around the neighbourhood and also a little further around the city. That was when I discovered the joys of what I call, soulful motoring. She couldn't be driven too fast, but she was still going and genuinely seemed to be immortal. She's a real survivor. And she never missed a beat while doing so, pun totally intended. She sang wonderfully as I saw the same familiar sights of the great old city, but now, in a new light and with a very different, yet fitting background music. The next day, I visited my agent at his driving school and auto consultancy office to get the documents in order. He was my former driving instructor too (Although daddy will always be the one who taught me the most). We had a lovely chat and after submitting the papers and other necessities, I took my bike to the mechanic in the evening. They were very professional and created a list of all the things that required doing on my bike and sent me the invoice. I told them to cut back on some specific non-essentials as I was on a very tight budget and just wanted my bike running and able to pass its upcoming Fitness Test. I received my bike about a week later. I was unbelievably excited that day after all the waiting. I picked her up at about 7:45 P.M after a very busy day at college. I was delighted at the work they had done. New mirrors, indicators, a thorough water wash, the instrument cluster fully worked (Including the neutral light), she got a new battery, rectified wiring, new handlebar switchgear, and most importantly, a serviced engine with a cleaned carburetor and silencer. She fired right up, as if happy to see me again. I had to run some errands that night immediately. She gladly accompanied me and on that beautiful night, I finally felt the intense satisfaction within that I had done the right thing getting her. Everything was finally falling into place. The Fitness Test came a week or so after I got her fully readied up. I went to the RTO right after college after getting the Pollution Under Control Certificate from a nearby fuel station to meet up with my agent who immediately pointed out that the rusty number plates wouldn't allow the bike to pass. So we took her to a person nearby working on the roadside who hand paints and refurbishes number plates. After getting the plates refurbished, I join the line of folks waiting for their inspection. Right in front of me was a gentleman with an old Bullet 350 in black. There was also a fully restored CD 100 SS with a very unique paint scheme that reminded me of my earlier considerations of getting one. There were also a number of new vehicles in line including a brand new Honda CB350 RS with no number plates. After the inspection, I left for home in complete satisfaction now that the important job was over. I would receive my Smart Card another week later through my agent. I was beyond elated as now, I could finally ride my bike legally on the roads of Chennai and potentially and most definitely, beyond! She did attract quite a bit of attention when I took her to college of course. The wonderful thing about the Max 100 is that it completely lacks the snob factor associated with the RXs and mostly attracts positive, curious attention. This is all the while looking and sounding in its own unique way that's in no way shape or form, inferior. What it lacks in performance as compared to the RX, it more than makes up for in economy, affordability and the truly special wail! The TVS badging only makes it more of a curiosity as most people are more familiar with the fact that its a Suzuki at heart. I have other patriotic reasons to prefer the TVS branded ones as well. We had a great time, fooling around, giving my friends rides, and in general, having a good time. To this day, I've been riding her daily to college as well as for shorter trips and longer highway blasts. There are other things I've done to my bike and will do to my bike that I'll document in this thread. For now, I hope you enjoyed reading my very first, albeit long post on Team-BHP. Having been a reader for a long time since I was a child, crazed about automobiles, I am honoured to finally become a member and make my very first post - That too, of my beloved Suzanna. Yes, that's her name. It's derived from the first three letters of Suzuki, and since she's a TVS with the only Suzuki badging on her being a Suzuki Max 100 etched on the rear mudguard, I thought the name suits her well. And on a final note, this is what she looks like currently. I'll detail the mods I have done and will do, soon. Cheers and happy riding! Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Road trip on superbikes in the rain: 500 km on an R1 & CBR Fireblade

BHPian krishnaprasadgg recently shared this with other enthusiasts. In this week's episode of Dumb (Xaos636) and Dumber (Yours truly), Xaos636 and I decided it was the perfect time to ride 500 km from Bangalore (where it's raining daily) to our homes in Kerala (where it's raining like there's no tomorrow) on our supersport motorcycles (One bike doesn't have ABS and the other doesn't have Traction control) with no rain gear. Recipe for a perfect riding day, what can go wrong? But wait, we weren't entirely idiots though, we were smart enough to keep our luggage in my brother's car who accompanied us in his Octy VRS. See, I told you, we were intelligent people. Anyways, jokes aside, had a blast of a day on the road and covered around 500 kms in the process. Here are a few pics from the ride. Coffee breaks on TN highways just hit different Just look at the rear ends on those machines! Xaos636 had to stop to make sure that he saw the sign actually said 100kmph. Well, not really but I thought that'd be a good caption. Striking a pose Not gonna lie, these 3 together in formation do grab a lot of eyeballs More rain incoming The truck guy said he can smoke the Fireblade in a straight line, Xaos636 didn't take it well, clearly. Second home Almost there. The home stretch Touchdown. Something about vehicles that have all the dirt and grime after a long road trip makes it look so awesome. I just can't get enough of it. Tripmeter for the day ODO as it stands Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Home loan demand growth from Indias tier 3, 4 districts outpacing metro cities, SBI Research says

Home loan demand in the rural areas have been on the rise primarily due to the governments SVAMITVA scheme. The scheme provides people in the hinterland with the right to document their residential properties, which can then help them to use their properties for economic purposes. India's home loan market, currently valued at Rs 24 trillion, is projected to double in five years.

Tom Cruise's 'Top Gun: Maverick' surpasses 'Titanic' at domestic box-office, becomes seventh-biggest release with $662 mn

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film has become the highest-grossing film of Cruise's career.

DIY: Installed new wiper blade rubbers on my 5th gen Honda City

BHPian CylinderHead recently shared this with other enthusiasts. The wipers started making some nasty sounds in my almost two-year-old 5th Gen City V (MT). It was time for a (much needed) wiper blade change! Dealership is some 30 kilometres away and being the lazy guy that I am, didn't feel like driving all that way for such a trivial job. Tried sourcing wiper blades from nearby auto parts stores but couldn't find any for the 5th Gen City. So fell back to buying a set from Boodmo and while searching, I noticed a category 'Wiper Blade Rubber'. I had always wanted to just change the blade rubber instead of replacing the entire assembly including the metal frame. So went ahead and ordered OEM rubbers. The one on the driver side is 65 centimetres long and the other one is 35 centimetres. Cost me Rs.598 including shipping from Rajasthan to Keralam. Installation was a 10-minute job at home requiring a screwdriver and a cutting plier as tools.Removed the wiper blades from the car by pressing a lock on them and tilting and sliding the blades towards the windscreen.Pried open the locking leg that holds the rubber in place using the screwdriver. This released the old rubber.Slid the old rubber with its metal backbone (2 metal strips on both sides) out.Removed the metal strips from the old rubber and placed them in the new one.Slid the new rubber back into its frame and locked it by applying pressure on the locking leg using the cutting plier.Installed the blades back on the car.Purchase Links: 1, 2 OEM rubber: Wiper blade with the rubber blade removed: Old and new blades along with the metal strip: My red beauty with her shiny new set of wipers: Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Citroen C3 6-speed AT to be launched in H2-2023

Last month, Citroen launched the C3 crossover in India. At the moment, the car is only available with a manual transmission. However, according to media reports, Citroen plans to introduce a 6-speed automatic gearbox in the second half of next year. The Citroen C3 competes with the Tata Punch, Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger in the entry-level sub-4 meter crossover segment. A 6-speed torque converter automatic will give it an edge over its rivals, which use an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). Reports suggest Citroen will source the 6-speed automatic from Aisin. The Japanese brand also supplies transmissions for the Skoda Kushaq, Slavia, VW Taigun, Virtus and the MG Astor. Citroen is also said to be working on a new-generation 1.2-litre petrol engine. The third-gen Puretech engine is expected to be cleaner and more efficient. The upgraded motor will be assembled locally and will likely be introduced along with the 6-speed automatic transmission. Source:Autocar India

PV Sindhu, Mithali Raj join #MyHandloomMyPride trend; Anand Mahindra hails Indian weavers

PM Modi declared August 7 as National Handloom Day in India to empower the weaver community.

Anubhav Sinha's home production 'Middle Class Love' will release on September 16

The coming-of-age romantic comedy is helmed by Sinha's filmmaker-wife Ratnaa Sinha.

'Donnie Brasco' star Anne Heche 'stable' after car crash, suffered severe burn injuries

The actress remains in a Los Angeles hospital.

Kanpurs PSIT paves the academic path for students with golden achievements

PSIT has delivered record placements in north India for the seventh year in a row.

Suits & Sayings: Banking boss lady banks on no-TV rule for profit; booze tech thrust leaves a bad hangover; mega unicorn's big financial woes remain

A new-age start-up took an independent legal opinion from a Delhi-based law firm.

Amrit Mahotsav inspires us to face new challenges

Indians, in the eyes of the colonial authorities, could neither do nor die

Isros SSLV urgency

The Indian space sector, recently thrown open to private enterprise, will need its success as a spring-pad

Winter is coming: And itll test EU unity against Russia

An energy crisis will acquaint Europeans with the costs of imposing such stiff economic sanctions

Artificial Intelligence is giving drug discovery a great big leap

DeepMinds AlphaFold has shown what AI can do for healthcare

Its amply clear that the MPC is out on a wing and a prayer now

Will the Monetary Policy Committees sharper-than-expected rate hike help engineer RBIs hoped-for safe and soft landing?

Free speech warriors need freedom from dud petitions

By denying artists farces like signing petitions, we can get them to do meaningful things instead

Security of the Indo-Pacific lies in delaying Chinas Taiwan grab

Taiwans commitment and capability to resist a takeover by China matters for New Delhis interests