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hi all anyone can help me.. how to calculate how much i need to top up ? Intend to sell my 1 yr suzuki swift- 10 yrs loan ? eg. if need to top up 15k i must pay bank in full amount? no instalment or what? Thanks.

WHEN pricing an HDB flat, costs are not taken into account. Its price is based on what the flat is worth at the point of purchase. Calling it a market-based approach, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said it was the fairest way of pricing new flats. 'It reflects what the flat is worth at the point of purchase, which may have no relation to what it cost to build,' he added. Mr Mah gave this response in Parliament yesterday to Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC) who had asked if the Government would consider pricing flats according to costs. The minister also said that as the HDB did not take into account costs, its building programme suffered losses of $530 million a year over the last three years. Mr Mah said a typical four-room flat in Sengkang costs more than $300,000 to build. This is above the $200,000 to $260,000 price at which HDB sells it. He noted that there were concerns over the high prices of premium flats like the Pinnacle@Duxton, with prices ranging from $457,000 to $645,000. But the prices reflected the value of the flats, which are located in Tanjong Pagar. For every one unit on sale, seven people want to buy it, said Mr Mah. It shows people are willing to pay for flats with good value, he added. http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/...ory_303979.html

From ST today: Mah: "Town councils must be accountable to their residents for what they do with the money they collect from them..." ie. Not the government's problem but the junior staff's (Remember the MSK case?) Further down... Mah: "The Govt stipulates that 20-25 percent of money collected from monthly service and conservancy charges must go to a sinking fund." Therefore, it means that (1) The govt is ultimately the one at fault (2) We are over-charged by AT LEAST 25% for our monthly conservancy charges. Why? Did we approve them to use our money for this purpose???!!! What other things are they hiding from us???

http://littlespeck.com/content/economy/CTr...nomy-080724.htm ://http://littlespeck.com/content/econ...my-080724.htm

I can't find my car key and suspect dropping it this afternoon, would like to reset/disable the car alarm system for that remote control, anybody can give advice on how to do it ? I'm driving a Hyundai Accent'05.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jun/10/liverpool Que sera, sera.....

hi, if i'm been using a too strong shampoo, which i never used before, and realised that i'm losing hair. when i switch back to my regular 'lighter' shampoo, will my hair grow back or gets better? I'm getting worried........ any one can recommend any remedy for hair loss? pls dun tell me Beijing 101 or Yunan whatever. i need some good practical advise, like buying some supplements in pharmacy or some chinese herbal stuff

Quoted: Reuters - Wednesday, April 2 SINGAPORE - Motorola Inc said on Wednesday it will stop making mobile phones in Singapore by the end of the year, a move that will result in the loss of 700 jobs. The decision follows "a strategic review of business operations, which includes a previously announced global $500 million cost-reduction initiative," a Motorola spokeswoman told Reuters. The U.S. firm will continue to base its headquarters for Asia-Pacific in Singapore where it also has units engaged in research and software development, the company said in an email sent in response to Reuters' queries. "Approximately 700 Singapore-based, permanent Motorola employees will be impacted," the spokeswoman said. Motorola had said last week that it would split into two publicly traded entities in 2009 to separate its money-losing handset division from the rest of the business which makes devices including television set top boxes and network equipment. (Reporting by Kevin Lim and Jennifer Tan; Editing By Ovais Subhani)

Check link for pics http://forums.forzamotorsport.net/forums/1...4/ShowPost.aspx

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin.../326502/1/.html SIA plane returns to Changi Airport after loss of cabin pressure By Patwant Singh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 02 February 2008 2008 hrs SINGAPORE : A Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200 plane flying to Beijing had to return to Changi Airport some 90 minutes after takeoff due to loss of cabin pressure on Saturday afternoon. Officials say Flight SQ 802, carrying 232 passengers and 13 crew, suffered loss of cabin pressure at an altitude of 36,000 feet. So the pilot sent the plane first to 32,000 feet and then to 10,000 feet. Because of the rapid 6-minute descent, oxygen masks were deployed. However these were safely removed once the plane reached 10,000 feet, and was stable. SIA says the captain, in accordance with safety procedures, immediately initiated a return to Singapore - the nearest suitable airport. The plane landed safely and without incident at 1.48pm local time. Passengers were transferred to a different aircraft to continue their journey to Beijing. SIA says a detailed investigation is underway and apologises to passengers inconvenienced by the delay. - CNA/ch

I experience a power loss after transfer my previous ride ICE to my Superb. After I ask my installer to disconnect all ICE from my battery, my power seem to gain back... but not totally. Hopefully it will gain back fully later. Anyone experience the same thing?

1. Lately, I introduced 3 DVD, Ditigal TV and some electrical stuffs to the car and I wonder whether it is a pyscho or not, I felt that the car pick up, fuel economy and performance is not as good as after the installation. 2. Any tips for me? Thank you. Regards,

GM Reports $39 Billion Loss on Deferred Tax Charge (Update3) By Jeff Green and Greg Bensinger Nov. 7 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, reported a record $39 billion quarterly loss after three money-losing years forced the company to write down the value of future tax benefits. GM fell as much as 5.6 percent in New York trading after the size of the loss surprised analysts. Excluding the tax writedown, the deficit was $2.80 a share, more than 10 times the 22 cents estimated by 15 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Mortgage-related losses at GM's finance unit overwhelmed improved automotive results. "This has been a challenging year, for sure,'' Chief Financial Officer Fritz Henderson told reporters in Detroit. GM is writing down the tax assets because it may not be able to generate enough earnings to use the benefits. The move reflects a darkening outlook for the U.S. economy, as GM cited defaults on subprime mortgage loans at its partly owned GMAC LLC finance unit and "more challenging'' auto-market conditions in the U.S. and Germany. GM's third-quarter loss of $68.85 per share widened from a deficit of $147 million, or 26 cents, a year earlier. The non- cash charge is related to deferred tax assets in the U.S., Canada and Germany, the Detroit-based company said in a statement today. Its results also reflected an after-tax gain of $3.5 billion from the sale of its Allison Transmission unit, $1.6 billion in pension-service costs related to prior labor agreements, and $350 million in charges connected to its former Delphi Corp. subsidiary. Record Auto Revenue Automotive revenue rose 8.9 percent to $43.1 billion, a third quarter record, and automotive operations excluding the tax cost had a net income of $122 million. The automotive loss a year earlier was $455 million. About $700 million of GM's adjusted loss of $1.6 billion was related to the tax changes, Henderson said on a conference call. "Most of the decision for the write-off is driven by history, the fact that we've had a three-year cumulative loss,'' said Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner in an interview. GM fell $1.48, or 4.1 percent, to $34.68 at 9:59 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading after dropping to $34.14 earlier. Henderson said the losses at GMAC's mortgage unit and a strengthening Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar were significant factors in the wider-than-expected loss. The Canadian currency has risen 28.3 percent against the U.S. dollar this year. The automaker attributed the charge to a "three-year historical cumulative loss'' in the U.S., Canada and Germany. GM had a net loss of $757 million related to its 49 percent stake in GMAC, which posted a $1.6 billion third-quarter loss on Nov. 1. GM sold 51 percent of GMAC last year to a group led by Cerberus Capital Management LP. Accounting Matter Under U.S. accounting rules, GM assesses the need each quarter for a so-called valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets. In 2005, GM took a valuation against tax assets in South Korea that it reversed last year when the outlook for profits improved. The automaker also took a similar charge in Brazil in 2005 that it reversed in 2006. Henderson said he couldn't estimate when GM might be able to use the deferred tax assets again and declined to forecast when the automaker might return to profit. "Certainly having ResCap turn into the red, then bringing GMAC into the red, has an impact on us,'' he said. Outlook Changed GM said it previously had determined it wouldn't need the allowance for the U.S., Canada and Germany because losses over the three-year period were caused by one-time expenses and because of the continued expectation of strong profits at GMAC and improved earnings in North America. "The establishment of a valuation allowance does not have any impact on cash, nor does such an allowance preclude us from using our loss carryforwards or other deferred tax assets in the future,'' Henderson said in the statement. The allowance also doesn't "reflect a change in the company's view of its long-term automotive financial outlook,'' Henderson said. GM reported deferred tax assets of $34.8 billion in the U.S., $3.1 billion in Canada and $2.5 billion in Germany as of the end of last year, in an annual regulatory filing in March. The three countries accounted for $40.4 billion of GM's $40.8 billion in such assets, according to that filing. Today's results including the tax-related charge may overshadow GM retaking the No. 1 spot in worldwide sales from Toyota Motor Corp. Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner also moved to reduce future costs by approving a labor accord that eliminates retiree health-care obligations and cuts new workers' pay by 50 percent. Labor Accord GM completed an agreement with the United Auto Workers last month after a two-day strike to transfer $47 billion in future union retiree costs to the union in exchange for a one-time contribution of about $32 billion. Wagoner had already reached labor agreements to close plants and trim health-care expenses, which the company has said would reduce its costs by $9 billion this year. GM has said the union retiree health fund will drain cash next year by $3.3 billion before adding $2.8 billion to cash flow in 2010 and $3.3 billion in 2011. GM's 8.375 percent note due July 2033 rose 0.5 cent to 89.75 cents on the dollar yesterday, according to Trace, the NASD's bond-price reporting service. The yield fell to 9.44 percent. Credit-default swaps tied to General Motors Corp. climbed 4 basis points to 598 basis points, the highest in seven weeks according to CMA Datavision in London. An increase signals declining investor confidence in the company's ability to pay back its debt. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...qFKg&refer=home

Any success stories or experience to share? Yunnan, Beijing 101, hair care products, tips ...

Like to seek advice on whether to get the one ins c/o that provide loss of use replacement car upto 15 days and the other ins c/o that do not provide this benefit but is around $250 cheaper. The one that provide courtesy car I think don't care whether I am at fault or not still ok to get the courtesy car as long my car in workshop repair. However I know of for ins c/o that do not provide courtesy car and still can get the workshop that you send in, to arrange for loss of use replacement car - correct me if I am wrong.

Ford posts staggering $16.4bn loss By Mira Oberman in Chicago January 26, 2007 10:36am FORD Motor Co warned today that its troubles were far from over after it reported a staggering $US12.7 billion ($16.4bn) loss in 2006, the worst in its 103-year history. The struggling US automaker conceded that it would probably lose the No.2 spot in its home market to Japanese rival Toyota this year as it drastically shrinks its production and sees its market share drop to 14 or 15 per cent from 16 per cent in 2006. Much of that loss would come from decreased reliance on fleet sales (primarily to rental car companies) which were significantly less profitable than the retail market, Ford chief executive Alan Mulally said. Sales were also expected to continue to fall as overall demand declined in 2007 and that was expected to put further pressure on automotive pricing, he said. Huge charges associated with Ford's plan to shut 16 plants in North America and eliminate up to 44,000 jobs accounted for much of its 2006 losses, but Ford also suffered from a drop in sales and a big hit to revenues as consumers shifted away from highly profitable but petrol-guzzling trucks and sports utility vehicles. The automaker planned to overhaul 70 per cent of its lineup by 2008 to better meet consumer demand and was investing about $US7bn in product development, said Mr Mulally, a former Boeing executive hired by Ford in September. "We began aggressive actions in 2006 to restructure our automotive business so we can operate profitably at lower volumes and with a product mix that better reflects consumer demand for smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles,'' he said. "We fully recognise our business reality and are dealing with it. We have a plan and we are on track to deliver.'' Mr Mulally said the company was on track to return to profitability by 2009 but warned that automotive results were expected to worsen before they got better. Ford stressed that outside the US, its operations in South America and Europe were profitable last year. The Premier Automotive Group, which includes Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo, reported a $US327 million loss in 2006, up from an $US89m loss in 2005. Mr Mullaly said he expected the struggling group to return to profitability in 2007 and dismissed rumours that Ford was planning to sell Jaguar. http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23...8-31037,00.html

http://www.sgcarmart.com/main/info-2AbN7mTW-1015.html The owner paid S$50,900 for this car back in late 2004. Assuming he trades in his Picanto for S$26,800 to the dealer, that's an annual dep of $12K Hhmmm... shd have just kept the car.

power is at least 20% wasted on the standard stock kind of coupling in all our cars. Check this video and make a request for purchase for those who want a what looks like a 50 BHP boost in their cars. http://cvcoupling.com/index.php?option=com...id=37&Itemid=41 article below : (warning : quite lengthy article) The Thompson Coupling is certainly amongst the most important inventions since the advent of the internal combustion engine. It is the world's first and only, practical, constant velocity joint to have no load bearing sliding surfaces. Shaft couplings are essential to our mechanised era. Amazing as it may seem, although mankind has landed men on the moon and done so many other wondrous things he has not been capable of efficiently transmiting power from one shaft to another at constant velocity. This is an invention which has been actively sought for about 400 years when Sir Robert Hooke made the first known attempt to construct a constant velocity coupling. - The Thompson Coupling is as essential to our mechanised age as the screw, the crank, the lever and piston - The Thompson Coupling is the world's first and only Constant Velocity Joint which: - Has all loads carried by roller bearings - Has no sliding or skidding surfaces whatsoever - Can tolerate axial and radial loads without degradation - Has no torque limitation, constructed to any torque level - Does not require special lubrication - Does not require a dust boot - No wearing components except replaceable bearings and trunnions - Is suitable for automotive tail or propeller shaft applications - Is a true Constant Velocity Coupling as distinct from a cv joint - Is less bulky than a double coupling or double Cardan joint. - The Thompson Coupling is essentially two Cardan joints assembled coaxially where the cruciform-equivalent members of each are connected to one another by trunnions and bearings which are constrained to continuously lie on the homokinetic plane of the joint. The constraining means which constrains the said trunnions and bearings consists of a two segment spherical four bar linkage or spherical draglink. One end of the draglink is attached to a trunnion on an extension to the input shaft while the second end of the draglink is connected to a removable pin forming a trunnion on the inside of the yoke of the output shaft. Each arm or bar of the draglink continuously forms a great circle arc centered upon the axis of the joint. The central axis of the draglink is located on a trunnion in the middle of a "C" shaped member, the ends of the "C" shaped member are located on the extended trunnions which connect the two Cardan joints. With operation of the joint, the central axis of the draglink and therefore the trunnion in the center of the "C" member, continuously bisects the included acute angle between the extended axis of the input and output shafts and therefore continuously lies on the axis of the homokinetic plane of the joint. Consequently the axis of the trunnions which connect the inner and outer Cardan joints are constrained to continuously lie on the homokinetic plane of the joint. (Note:- The homokinetic plane is that plane which is perpendicular to the plane of the axis of the input and output shafts and which bisects the obtuse angle between the axis of the input and output shafts.) As is well known, four bar linkage mechanisms are structurally excellent and this remains true in spherical form. In operation the component parts of the coupling remain balanced about the three rotational axis of the joint namely the input shaft axis, the output shaft axis and the axis of the homokinetic plane. In mass production each and every component of the Thompson Coupling can be produced by forging and/or casting with the only further requirement being to drill and machine the bearing journals, holes and circlip grooves. No dedicated machinery is required and there is no complex machining at all. Bearings for most applications are stock and assembly is very simple. For one-off project applications, manufacture is simple and within the capability of any machine shop. No specialist machinery is required as is the case with Rzeppa type joints. The Thompson Coupling has essentially the same construction as a normal Cardan joint but does not suffer the dynamic loads due to fluctuating angular velocity of intermediate shafts and load as is the case where Cardan joints are used. As a result, the Thompson Coupling should have a life exceeding an ordinary Cardan joint. It stands to sense, and our testing will prove it. There is no untried technology in the Thompson Coupling. It is essentially identical to two Cardan joints in its torque transmission. The components and the moving components in the constraining mechanism are tried and true roller bearings. There are no mysteries or unknowns. A Thompson Coupling can be disassembled with a pair of circlip pliers and the bearings replaced with a minimum of expertise and downtime. The Thompson Coupling is very compact and may be over-engineered to increase reliability without adding substantially to bulk and weight. It is obvious that use of the Thompson Coupling in lieu of Cardan Joints will eliminate a large source of vibration in many machines and automotive applications.

hi bros,went to service the car last week at autobacs and decided to try schaeffers 5w20.after servicing, i immediately find that the car is sluggish and the pick up poor. i checked the balance 5th bottle of the oil that was left and realise that its almost empty. what might be the cause ? could the mechanic top up too much oil ? if yes,i can get them to drain out some right ? thks

Hi, I had VS&Grounding installed in my ride recently, for a moment immediately after I get the installation done, the car response was faster and everything seems better.. but after awhile, with no further mod added, I experienced a obvious loss in power and extreme slugginess in my car gear change (Auto tranny). Had any bro experience something like this before? Any advices to share? Noobie here. Thanks ppl.

Yep you heard that right. OK I just changed my timing belt. The water pump was removed but I didn't supply the mechanic with the 50/50 mix of MEG/water coolant. So he put in tap water. Can't blame him. So I went about in the process of flushing the system using distilled water alone. I considered the first input of tap water as the first flush. Subsequently, the coolant system was fed with DI water which I was able to obtain. Oh yes, BTW Chevy owners! I figured out the best tool to unscrew the radiator stopc0ck. As Lukie can attest to, I was flustered by the inability of tools to fit right through the narrow space to unscrew it. Anyway, it was not the butterfly nut type and that aggravated the problem. Feeling with my fingers, I felt that the stopc0ck nut is a Phillips screwdriver style head but one section was so much longer that it went across the whole nut. I used a 20 cent coin (legal tender Singapore) to unscrew it. It works! The radiator seems to hold around 3.5-3.7L of coolant. This was the amount drained out. This is around half of the Aveo's coolant capacity of 7.0L total. So considering this: 1st drain at mechanic's workshop due to change of water pump resulted in 1/2 the coolant ending up in the drain. It was replaced with tap water. Before this, the coolant is 50% MEG concentration. Effectively, this meant that I had 25% MEG concentration, way below the "stipulated minimum for tropical climates". This night, I went to fill up the gas tank. All the while, I was getting 13km/L consistently. This was left overnight. 2nd drain was the next day at my office. Refilled with DI water. So effective MEG concentration was 12.5%. 3rd drain was the following day at my office. Refilled with Di water again. MEG concentration dropped to 6%. 4th drain was New year's day itself. Refilled again with DI water. MEG concentratoin should be 3%. 5th drain was to be done tomorrow. However, I needed gas so I went to top up this morning. Calculated the mileage. No driving changes like traffic jams for the past few days. Fuel economy dropped to 11.9km/L. No changes in style. I was clocking highway miles as usual and due to the public holiday weekend, traffic is exceptionally smooth. I will fill up with concentrated antifreeze by tomorrow to return it back to 50% MEG. Will let you all know if the fuel economy returns. I guess it should with a recap below: With every rise in MEG concentration, over boil temperatures will rise. 50% MEG coolant effectively has a bp of 106 deg C. Water alone gives a bp of 102 deg C. Of course the pressure in the car's coolant system will raise it by a couple of deg C but you can see from this already. Water alone is dipsh1t in a radiator. Also I take this opportunity to tell everyone that a somewhat hot engine is working rather efficiently. If ever we come to have cars using super materials that never melt, all that heat energy (62%) can be channeled into propulsion. The reason for a lubrication and cooling system is to prevent our iron age components from melting from the intense heat of combustion. It is a complete system designed by automotive engineers to give maximum benefit for everyday street use. The result of overcooling is loss of economy and power. All the BS about an overly hot engine causing poor FC is really BS. Don't let your mechanics fill your coolant systems with less than 33% MEG concentrated coolant. For best efficiency, 50% is the best. As for those touting the exceptional value of pure water alone, take the pure BS somewhere else! If you wanna have race conditions everyday, at least get Redline's Waterwetter. Good luck to the fuel bills and speeding fines.

Japan's Mitsubishi Motors saw its losses widen in the most recent Japanese fiscal year, as sales continued in their freefall in all the company's major markets. For the recent fiscal year, Mitsubishi's losses topped $4.39 billion, though the wider loss was slightly less than expected in surveys done by Reuters. The company's revenue fell by 16 percent and sales dropped by 14 percent, led by a 37-percent fall in the company's home market of Japan, where Mitsubishi sold just 227,000 vehicles. In the U.S., the company is hoping for a stabilization of sales as new products begin to arrive, starting with the Eclipse that went on sale just last week. A new Raider pickup arrives later in the year, and a rebodied Outlander comes in 2006. Source : http://www.thecarconnection.com/Industry/D...S173.A8661.html Still wanna buy an Evo?

Want to ask if any Aveo bros out there experienced a similar problem? I went for my 5K servicing yesterday morning. I told the SA that there is a strange buzzing noise coming from within the dashboard (it started only after the 1K servicing). He said will get the mechanic to check. But when I collected my car in the evening, the vibration noise is still there. In fact it has gotten worst now, almost twice as loud as before! As if that is not annoying enough, I detected a significant drop in the engine's power output after the servicing. With the same amount of depression on the accelerator, the car now only has about two-thirds of the usual torque I have come to expect with that amount of depression. If I run with the aircon turned on, I could now barely accelerate fast enough to join expressway traffic. Even the fuel consumption also appear to have gone up! Any suggestions what could be wrong here? The new engine oil is Mobil XHP 20W-50 Mineral oil. I also paid to change a brand new air-filter element (kena sandblast), and installed the official Aveo's under bonnet insulation.