2016 would be remembered for Brexit, Trump's stunning victory, Carrie Fisher's passing, just to mention a few. For myself, I thank God that 2016 has been another fruitful year, one that has passed by very quickly during to a hectic schedule. In 2016, new experiences were Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, Turkish Airlines (Economy) and Vietnam Airlines (Economy and Business). Repeats included AirAsia, British Airways and Singapore Airlines. All these trips have allowed me to continue my hobby of publishing Flight Review videos on YouTube - Guitar Singapore Travels - now exceeds 4.6 Million views (as at end Dec 2016). Thank you viewers, for all your support! And most grateful to God for the opportunity to travel and for the many new experiences!
On this summary blog post, I post a summary of the various flights that I have enjoyed in 2016 as well as the memorable moment or learning point for each flight mentioned. The year started with an AirAsia flight from Singapore to Langkawi, Malaysia . Memorable moment, cabin crew were still serving the pre-ordered food even as the plane descended into landing. I had food as the plane landed! (Technically a safety breach)
The return flight from Langkawi to Singapore was on SilkAir, fully owned subsidiary of SIA. I've not flown SilkAir in many years and couldn't remember what it was like. Memorable moment - no In-Flight Entertainment system but I could use my own phone to watch some movies.
Next, was a long-haul trip to Washington DC, flying Singapore Airlines Business Class to London, before transferring to Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to DC. This would be a long flight, across many time zones! This first video is Part 1 of the SQ 306 Singapore to London flight. Memorable moment - caught up on many movies, including Star Wars Episode 7.
I had read so much about the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow, and so it was a real privilege to be able to use the Heathrow Terminal 3 Club House for a few hours before my connecting flight on Virgin Atlantic to Washington DC. Memorable moment - the lounge serves a mean breakfast! This is arguably the best Business Class lounge in London Heathrow.
Flying from London Heathrow to Washington DC was on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, my first time on this premium product. Memorable in many ways, including this wonderful afternoon tea service which I had on board prior to landing. Service was very good too! I enjoyed my flight, but certainly didn't enjoy the almost 2 hour wait time at Dulles International to clear immigration. (No Fast Track either!)
The return trip from Washington DC to Singapore was the reverse order of flight - Virgin Atlantic from Washington to London Heathrow, followed by Singapore Airlines from Heathrow to Singapore. But before that, I spent a few hours at the Virgin Atlantic Dulles Clubhouse, and this experience was awesome! Food was great and so were the craft beers (Flying Dog Seasonal Hop).
From London Heathrow, I took the Singapore Airlines SQ 305 flight back to Singapore. It was on a retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER and I managed to snag seat 11K which was super private and comfortable, right at the front of the Business class section and just behind the First Class cabin (which had only four seats). Awesome!
In the middle of the year, we tried something new - Turkish Airlines! We had to make our way to Copenhagen, Denmark, for a cruise to the Baltic Seas. We chose Turkish due to the good price and the fact that we could return from London Heathrow. This was the almost brand-new Turkish Airlines plane we sat for the Singapore to Istanbul Leg, on flight TK55 out of Singapore. Interesting experience with interesting food. Memorable moment - Turkish Airlines have flying chefs and they serve passengers in Economy class too.
The second leg of the flight from Istanbul to Copenhagen proved to be interesting because one of our seats was missing a seat cushion! Definitely a first for us.
After our cruise, we made our way from Copenhagen to London, by plane. The flight was with British Airways BA815 (Airbus A320), and it was a glorious sunny day in Copenhagen. Even though it was a relatively short flight, we still got something to eat, and I even managed to get whiskey to go with my coffee. Hilarious me. (We bought a one-way ticket from Copenhagen to London)
Flying back to Singapore from London Gatwick, was our return leg on Turkish Airlines. This was our first time flying out of Gatwick (in many years) and I didn't like the experience much. The airport was really far away. Anyway, Gatwick aside, the flight back to Singapore via Istanbul was fine. The first leg on TK 1998 from London Gatwick to Istanbul on an Airbus A321-200. This regional jet had personal In-Flight Entertainment system installed.
From Istanbul to Singapore, we flew on TK54, which was also an Airbus A330 (similar to the one we flew Singapore to Istanbul). The Economy seating was in a 2-4-2, which was more comfortable. I must say that after flying a few times on Turkish Airlines, the food (in Economy class) started to taste the same. Not that it was bad, but the taste was very similar across flights. (Yes, I got bored)
On a whim, we decided to take a short family holiday in Hanoi, flying Vietnam Airlines! Fun and exciting. It would be our first time on Vietnam Airlines, and we had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be very good, given the price. Food was good and service was also very good, given that this was a 3 hour regional flight. The aircraft used was an Airbus A321, Flight VN 660.
The return flight from Hanoi to Singapore was also good. On this flight, we had an interesting dessert, which I don't know the name in Vietnamese. We have similar desserts in Singapore, but the concoction provided on the aircraft was nice. Also tried Halida beer!
Towards the end of the year, it was a real privilege to fly again in premium cabins. This was on the new Singapore Airlines Capital Express, connecting Singapore with Canberra (capital of Australia) and Wellington (capital of New Zealand). This flight route started in mid Sep 2016. The video below was Part 2 of the Singapore to Canberra leg, which they call a sleeper service. I booked the cook (choosing a beef dish called Soya Beef), which ended up being my breakfast before landing!
On the flight back to Singapore from Wellington, I spent some time at the Air New Zealand Business Lounge in Wellington before boarding the plane. It was a decent lounge. Star Alliance Gold members could also gain access to this lounge.
The first leg coming home was Wellington to Canberra. SQ 292 would depart Wellington for Canberra at around 2100hrs local time. This was a relatively short 3 hour leg. A full meal (dinner) was served on board and I thoroughly enjoyed the food and service. After the dinner, I managed to grab a 1 hour nap before the aircraft arrived in Canberra.
The next leg was Canberra to Singapore. This was a sleeper service, as the aircraft departed Canberra in the early hours of the morning. Given that I had a full meal on the previous leg, I wasn't hungry, therefore I chose to go to sleep shortly after take-off, and have a full meal just before landing. Food was good, service was great. Well done, Singapore Airlines.
And finally, the last trip of the year (with the family), was again on Vietnam Airlines, this time to London Heathrow! Now, doesn't that sound exotic. Yes, we fly Vietnam Airlines to London, from Singapore. The first leg up was Singapore to Ho Chi Minh. But before the flight, we checked out the SATS Premier Lounge at Changi Terminal 3, which came with Osim Foot Massagers and chair massagers.
The first leg was Singapore to Ho Chi Minh, on a regional Airbus A321. Of course, being in Business class, we sat in front. I found it interesting that the Business Class cabin only had 2 rows of seats, in a 2-2 configuration, with 8 seats in total. Service was good, meal was good!
We had a rather long layover at Ho Chi Minh before the next flight. No worries, we camped at the Lotus Lounge, which was nicely decorated with decent food, especially Vietnamese Pho. Wifi connection was very strong, so the time passed quickly. Here is the video of Lotus Lounge.
Finally, it was time for the Ho Chi Minh to London Heathrow leg. This was the exciting part of the trip because we would be flying on a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner which uses the latest Business class product for Vietnam Airlines! Yes, it was the reverse herringbone 1-2-1 configuration. The seat could easily turn into a flat bed, which was very good for a long flight of 13 hours. Flight VN 51 would bring us to London Heathrow, and it was a very good experience indeed.
In part 2 of the Ho Chi Minh to London leg, I called it Bed and Breakfast because I took a closer look at the bed. At first, I could not deploy the bed fully into a lie-flat position and I wondered if my bed was not working properly. Turns out that it was my own fault. My backpack and shoes were blocking the way! Silly me. I also show you the wonderful Vietnamese Pho we had for breakfast. It was an awesome experience and I drank up all the soup. My first time experience Vietnamese Pho on board an aircraft - only on Vietnam Airlines, of course.
After our holiday in the UK, it was time to fly back to Singapore. Vietnam Airlines operates from Heathrow Terminal 4. Before the flight, we spent some time at the SkyTeam lounge, which frankly was a tad disappointing. Food at breakfast wasn't great, the coffee machines weren't working properly and the empty cups were not re-filled. The lounge looked pretty though, with the green walls.
This time round, we would fly to Hanoi first, before heading back to Singapore. Yes, it was the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, though this time the plane was a bit older (more than 1 year), but hey, we were flying in Business Class so can't complain! Looking back, it is a great privilege and humbling to be able to do this as a family. This was a day flight (departing LHR at 1100hrs), so we didn't sleep very much on board. Spent the time watching movies and day-dreaming.
We arrived in Hanoi on schedule (5 AM local time) and had plenty of time to kill because our next flight home wasn't till 1050hrs local time. Thankfully, the Lotus Lounge in Hanoi was a nice place to chill for many hours, and I captured our experience in the video below. When we arrived shortly after 5, the lounge doors were opened but everything was still dark. The staff had just arrived and were setting up. Fortunately, they let us go in and rest. Later on, all of us took a shower. What was memorable in the lounge was instant noodles and instant Vietnamese pho. You had to prepare the noodles yourself, using hot water from an electric flask, and then using the micro-wave to further heat the noodles up. First time I see this in a Business Lounge - Fascinating.
Our final flight for the year, Vietnam Airlines Hanoi to Singapore. This flight was completely full! Flight to Singapore was about 3 hours. Meal service was efficient and thereafter, I managed to get a nap, before arrival in Singapore.
That's it! This wraps up my flight travels for the year 2016. Looking back, it was a wonderful year of flying, with many new experiences and learning points. Grateful for the opportunity and thank God for journey mercies, and the ability to see and experience so many new things. I do not know what 2017 will bring, but I trust the Lord to open and close doors as He sees fit. Wishing one and all peace, and a very fruitful and healthy 2017 ahead.
Happy New Year and best wishes for 2017. Thanks for reading.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Singapore to London Heathrow Dreamliner Flight Part 2
Blessed Christmas one and all. This post continues from my previous post (Part 1), where I showed you our flight from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh. Recap, we flew on an Airbus A321, from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh, and had a restful time at the Lotus Lounge in Ho Chi Minh. Now it was time to board the Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner bound for London Heathrow!
Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
In the following two videos, I show you the complete experience of flying with Vietnam Airlines in her premium cabins on an almost brand new Boeing 787-9 aircraft. We flew from Gate 20, which was a very short walk from the Lotus Lounge. The Business class on this Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was the industry leading reverse herringbone configuration, with a 1-2-1 configuration, where every passenger had direct aisle access. As expected, the seat felt very private. In the first video, I show you the boarding (we boarded early, at the first call for Business class passengers), and quickly settled into our seats. Even though it was late, and we were tired, there was still a palpable sense of excitement! A welcome drink was served (I took a champagne) and newspapers were handed out. I show you the amenity kit, which came in a very nice bag. After take-off, the crew came around to take orders for supper. I show you the supper, which was pretty good! This was a red-eye flight so the service was faster than a non red-eye flight. Useful because passengers would want to eat and then go to sleep.
Part 2 - Bed and Breakfast
I show you in some detail the lie-flat bed. In fact, I had experienced some problems with it because I could not deploy the bed fuller. I soon realised that it was my own fault, I put my backpack and shoes in front of me and the bed could not fully deploy! I show you with some detail on how to avoid this situation. I also show you the wonderful breakfast we had on board, it was the Vietnamese Pho! Awesome breakfast. The soup tasted great. I drank up every drop. Check out Vietnam Airlines Business Class on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner! Very cool.
Thanks very much for watching & hope you have a Blessed Christmas.
Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
In the following two videos, I show you the complete experience of flying with Vietnam Airlines in her premium cabins on an almost brand new Boeing 787-9 aircraft. We flew from Gate 20, which was a very short walk from the Lotus Lounge. The Business class on this Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was the industry leading reverse herringbone configuration, with a 1-2-1 configuration, where every passenger had direct aisle access. As expected, the seat felt very private. In the first video, I show you the boarding (we boarded early, at the first call for Business class passengers), and quickly settled into our seats. Even though it was late, and we were tired, there was still a palpable sense of excitement! A welcome drink was served (I took a champagne) and newspapers were handed out. I show you the amenity kit, which came in a very nice bag. After take-off, the crew came around to take orders for supper. I show you the supper, which was pretty good! This was a red-eye flight so the service was faster than a non red-eye flight. Useful because passengers would want to eat and then go to sleep.
Part 2 - Bed and Breakfast
I show you in some detail the lie-flat bed. In fact, I had experienced some problems with it because I could not deploy the bed fuller. I soon realised that it was my own fault, I put my backpack and shoes in front of me and the bed could not fully deploy! I show you with some detail on how to avoid this situation. I also show you the wonderful breakfast we had on board, it was the Vietnamese Pho! Awesome breakfast. The soup tasted great. I drank up every drop. Check out Vietnam Airlines Business Class on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner! Very cool.
Thanks very much for watching & hope you have a Blessed Christmas.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Singapore Airlines Business Class Wellington-Canberra-Singapore Capital Express
After a successful trip to Wellington, it was time to head home. This is the return flight, on the Singapore Airlines Capital Express, connecting Singapore-Canberra-Wellington, the capital cities of Singapore, Australia and New Zealand respectively.
Intercontinental Hotel, New Zealand
In Wellington, I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel, which was the biggest hotel in town, so I was told. This video review shows you the deluxe room that I stayed in. You could watch TV from the shower, quite neat.
Wellington Airport Air New Zealand Business Lounge
The airport was not too far away from the hotel. I took a cab, and the cost was about NZ$30. Wellington Airport is not a big airport. In face, the runway at Wellington Airport was rather short, under 2,000M! Good thing the Boeing 777-200 aircraft used by SQ on this route could still land and take off safely. Check-in at the airport was smooth and very soon, I was resting in the lounge, waiting for my flight. Singapore Airlines uses the Air New Zealand Business Lounge, and here is a review of the lounge.
Singapore Airlines SQ 292 Wellington to Canberra
The first leg of this flight from Wellington to Canberra. This was a 3 hour flight, and a very good dinner was served on board. For this flight, I had an empty seat beside me, so that made the flight even more comfortable!
The plane landed in Canberra and we had to transit for about 1 hour and 15 min. There was no lounge for premium passengers at the Canberra airport transit area, however, I found out that Business class passengers got an A$20 credit to buy food and drinks at the bar, which was located in the middle of the lounge. As I was very full, I did not utilize this perk.
SQ 292 Canberra to Singapore
Soon it was time to board the flight for Singapore. This time round, the flight was around 8 hours. By this time, I was more tired. Similar to the earlier experience, passengers were given the option of going to sleep immediately after take-off, and take our meal only before landing. I chose this option because I was already very full from the earlier Wellington-to-Canberra leg. I had a good sleep, and was woken up about 1.5hours before landing. Breakfast was pretty good. I had the noodle option.
Landing was very smooth and I was home!
Thanks for watching.
Intercontinental Hotel, New Zealand
In Wellington, I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel, which was the biggest hotel in town, so I was told. This video review shows you the deluxe room that I stayed in. You could watch TV from the shower, quite neat.
Wellington Airport Air New Zealand Business Lounge
The airport was not too far away from the hotel. I took a cab, and the cost was about NZ$30. Wellington Airport is not a big airport. In face, the runway at Wellington Airport was rather short, under 2,000M! Good thing the Boeing 777-200 aircraft used by SQ on this route could still land and take off safely. Check-in at the airport was smooth and very soon, I was resting in the lounge, waiting for my flight. Singapore Airlines uses the Air New Zealand Business Lounge, and here is a review of the lounge.
Singapore Airlines SQ 292 Wellington to Canberra
The first leg of this flight from Wellington to Canberra. This was a 3 hour flight, and a very good dinner was served on board. For this flight, I had an empty seat beside me, so that made the flight even more comfortable!
The plane landed in Canberra and we had to transit for about 1 hour and 15 min. There was no lounge for premium passengers at the Canberra airport transit area, however, I found out that Business class passengers got an A$20 credit to buy food and drinks at the bar, which was located in the middle of the lounge. As I was very full, I did not utilize this perk.
SQ 292 Canberra to Singapore
Soon it was time to board the flight for Singapore. This time round, the flight was around 8 hours. By this time, I was more tired. Similar to the earlier experience, passengers were given the option of going to sleep immediately after take-off, and take our meal only before landing. I chose this option because I was already very full from the earlier Wellington-to-Canberra leg. I had a good sleep, and was woken up about 1.5hours before landing. Breakfast was pretty good. I had the noodle option.
Landing was very smooth and I was home!
Thanks for watching.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Singapore to London Heathrow Flight Reviews Part 1
We fly Vietnam Airlines (SkyTeam Alliance), Singapore to London Heathrow and return. Excited! This was the first time the entire family was flying together in a premium cabin, to anywhere. So, let's get started. From a cost point of view, this trip was made possible because Vietnam Airlines offers very competitive fares (by Business class standards) on the Singapore-London route. So, we decided to give it a try.
SATS Premier Lounge
Our trip started with a visit to the lounge at Singapore Changi Terminal 3. Vietnam Airlines (and a good number of other airlines) use this lounge, which is located right beside the Krisflyer Gold lounge. The lounge wasn't too crowded when we were there. It had a decent selection of hot food (including mee siam). These Osim leg massagers as well as the Osim massage chairs kept my kids busy for a bit.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Singapore to Ho Chi Minh
Airbus A321, Flight Time- 2 hours
Our first leg of the flight was to Ho Chi Minh. The aircraft used was a relatively old Airbus A321. Curious that this version of the A321 had only 2 rows of Business class seats, in a 2-2 configuration, in front of the plane, making a total of only 8 Business class seats. I was surprised because I had thought there were 4 rows. The seats were wide and comfortable enough for a regional flight, however, they were old-school, and there was no individual inflight entertainment system.
Overall, service was very good for the short flight, even though the flight started out a little bumpy. The usual hot towel and welcome drink (I got champagne) was served. We had 3 choices for food, and the taste was not too bad. More details in the video below.
Bus ride from plane to Terminal
Upon landing, there was no aerobridge, and passengers had to disembark via staircase and take a bus to the terminal. Disembarkation is always tricky with stairs, because of cabin luggage. Thankfully we made it. Not sure how it is done if the passenger has difficulty climbing stairs! For Business class passengers, there was a separate bus catered just for us. So the 6 pax in Business took one small bus to the terminal, which meant we did not have to wait for the rest of the passengers and we arrived at the terminal very quickly. Here is a video of the planes I saw on the way. The bus had to stop because an Emirates Boeing 777 jet was pulling into an aerobridge. If the bus didn't stop and we got in front of the jet, we may be sucked into (or blown away) the jet engines.
Lotus Lounge Ho Chi Minh Airport
The lounge was rather crowded when we got there. Fortunately, the far end of the lounge was still empty and the four of us could find a very nice corner to park ourselves. We would be here for quite some time (the layover was more than 6 hours!) because we arrived at around 7PM local time and the flight was not till close to 1AM the next morning. If you were wondering why the flight connection time was so bad, well the answer was that we chose it to save money. There was a later flight from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh that arrived at around 9pm. However, taking the earlier flight saved us a few hundred dollars. Since we had access to a lounge, why not. Just chill, we were on holiday.
This review gives you a good overview of the lounge. We enjoyed the hot Vietnamese Pho, even though we weren't very hungry as we had just had food on the plane.
In the next blog post, I will show you the Ho Chi Minh to London leg, this time on a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. But before I go, here is a video of us walking to the Lotus Lounge, while in Ho Chi Minh terminal.
Thanks for reading!
SATS Premier Lounge
Our trip started with a visit to the lounge at Singapore Changi Terminal 3. Vietnam Airlines (and a good number of other airlines) use this lounge, which is located right beside the Krisflyer Gold lounge. The lounge wasn't too crowded when we were there. It had a decent selection of hot food (including mee siam). These Osim leg massagers as well as the Osim massage chairs kept my kids busy for a bit.
Vietnam Airlines Business Class Singapore to Ho Chi Minh
Airbus A321, Flight Time- 2 hours
Our first leg of the flight was to Ho Chi Minh. The aircraft used was a relatively old Airbus A321. Curious that this version of the A321 had only 2 rows of Business class seats, in a 2-2 configuration, in front of the plane, making a total of only 8 Business class seats. I was surprised because I had thought there were 4 rows. The seats were wide and comfortable enough for a regional flight, however, they were old-school, and there was no individual inflight entertainment system.
Overall, service was very good for the short flight, even though the flight started out a little bumpy. The usual hot towel and welcome drink (I got champagne) was served. We had 3 choices for food, and the taste was not too bad. More details in the video below.
Bus ride from plane to Terminal
Upon landing, there was no aerobridge, and passengers had to disembark via staircase and take a bus to the terminal. Disembarkation is always tricky with stairs, because of cabin luggage. Thankfully we made it. Not sure how it is done if the passenger has difficulty climbing stairs! For Business class passengers, there was a separate bus catered just for us. So the 6 pax in Business took one small bus to the terminal, which meant we did not have to wait for the rest of the passengers and we arrived at the terminal very quickly. Here is a video of the planes I saw on the way. The bus had to stop because an Emirates Boeing 777 jet was pulling into an aerobridge. If the bus didn't stop and we got in front of the jet, we may be sucked into (or blown away) the jet engines.
Lotus Lounge Ho Chi Minh Airport
The lounge was rather crowded when we got there. Fortunately, the far end of the lounge was still empty and the four of us could find a very nice corner to park ourselves. We would be here for quite some time (the layover was more than 6 hours!) because we arrived at around 7PM local time and the flight was not till close to 1AM the next morning. If you were wondering why the flight connection time was so bad, well the answer was that we chose it to save money. There was a later flight from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh that arrived at around 9pm. However, taking the earlier flight saved us a few hundred dollars. Since we had access to a lounge, why not. Just chill, we were on holiday.
This review gives you a good overview of the lounge. We enjoyed the hot Vietnamese Pho, even though we weren't very hungry as we had just had food on the plane.
In the next blog post, I will show you the Ho Chi Minh to London leg, this time on a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. But before I go, here is a video of us walking to the Lotus Lounge, while in Ho Chi Minh terminal.
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Adblue Refill Experience Audi A6 Estate Car Diesel 2016 Model Rental Car
Audi A6 Estate Car Diesel - Rental Car for 10 Days - Virgin Adblue Refill Experience
Did a driving tour around UK in the winter of 2016. Even though it was winter (shorter hours for light), we decided to do a leisurely driving holiday around the UK, all the way to Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh) and back to London. We landed, picked up the rental car at London Heathrow Airport from SIXT, and we were on our way. The objective of this post is to show you the car, as well as the most challenging Adblue re-fill experience.
The Audi A6 car in a parking lot. A6 car was long.
Rear view of the A6.
The car was almost brand new, with just over 3,000 miles on the odometer. Plenty of gadgets to play with, including a very useful Satellite Navigation system that brought us to our destinations efficiently. The car was roomy and the boot (or trunk) space was very good. We had plenty of luggage. Here is a video of the car, including the Sat-Nav system.
ADBLUE
What is Adblue? This is a Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF). DEF is used as a consumable in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) in order to lower NOx concentration in the diesel exhaust emissions from diesel engines. How did this Adblue situation come about? Well, shortly after I got the car and I was driving out from London towards Stonehenge, an Adblue warning indicator came out, telling me to refill the Adblue tank. It said Adblue range 1,500 miles or was it 1,200 miles. At first I ignored it, but something was nagging at me. So in the evening, I went to read about Adblue and Audi online, and I soon learnt that if the Adblue tank dried up, the engine wouldn't start. Well, 1,500 miles sounded like a far enough distance to cover my planned route. (Distance from London to Edinburgh was about 400 miles), but still I didn't like to live on the edge.
Then things got worse. The Adblue warning kept showing up and the range dropped faster than the distance I had travelled. At first, I thought I remembered wrongly since I wasn't paying too much attention to the Adblue indicator. Then I decided to pay more attention. So I started the day, with the Adblue Range saying 1,200 miles. By the end of that day, the warning indicator said 900 miles and I was very sure I had not done 300 miles that day. The maximum I drove was 200 miles. Now, this was worrying. I wasn't confident I had 900 miles more to go, and I was in Scotland, and we were barely at the half way mark of our driving holiday.
Calling SIXT hotline
So, I called the SIXT hotline. Had to wait to get through to an agent. Thankfully I had free minutes on my UK SIM card which I didn't plan to use, so I didn't mind the wait. (10 minutes or so?) I got through and was told that I might have to fill up the Adblue tank on my own. And to assist me, they would get an Audi technician to call me. Oh, ok. True enough, the Audi technician called me within the hour, and true enough, I was told to refill the Adblue myself and to claim the Adblue cost from the car rental company when I returned the car.
Alright, didn't sound too difficult. But here came the twists. This is the video that shows me refilling the Adblue after dark, while in Scotland. Be warned, the video is kind of suggestive, especially the blue filler pipe. Anyway, this shows you in great detail, how I managed to fill up the Adblue tank.
First Twist - Adblue Cap Couldn't Open
The Adblue cap (which was adjacent to the Diesel cap) couldn't be opened using my bare hands. Audi technician told me to retrieve the wrench from the boot. I couldn't find the wrench and was told to check the spare tyre . I still couldn't find it and I was told to REMOVE the spare tyre to look underneath. I finally found it. Removing the spare tyre in winter, wasn't too fun, but I did it.
Second Twist - 15L of Adblue Required!
Audi technician told me to fill the Adblue tank with at least 15L of Adblue, otherwise the warning indicator may not go away. Ouch. I thought maybe filling it up with 3L or 5L would suffice, but 15L? Ok, that sounds like a challenge. I went to a nearby gas station and I could only find 10L Adblue bottles. So I bought 2 such 10L bottles. They were heavy.
Third Twist - Hard to Fill Adblue Tank
I thought re-filling the Adblue would be easy, since filling the car up with Diesel was so easy. Boy, I was wrong. I had to physically pour the Adblue solution into the Adblue tank using this blue filler device, and the flow of the Adblue was very slow. You have to watch the video to understand why. The filler device was long and very tight-fitting. Due to the design, very little air could escape as I filled the tank, making the progress very slow. A lot of wiggling and jiggling! I managed to sort it out, finally.
Fortunately, everything worked. I filled the tank up with about 15L of Adblue and the warning indicator went away. When I returned the car, I claimed back the cost of the Adblue (each bottle cost 11 pounds). I had sent an email earlier to SIXT to register my feedback but I was never given an explanation why the Adblue tank was not filled up prior to SIXT handing over the car to me for my 10 day rental. Of course, I could have made a big deal out of this, but since I managed to get the Adblue sorted, I figured no point raising a ruckus and ruining my holiday.
Audi at fault? - Adlue Range too Low?
Furthermore, when I was reading through all the Internet documentation on Audi and Adblue, I learnt that an Audi A6 on a full Adblue tank was supposed to last up to 10,000 miles. When I got the car, the odometer only showed slighly more than 3,000 miles. I could not reasonably fault the SIXT people for not re-filling the Adblue tank.
All that said, SIXT and other car rental companies should really pay more attention to this Adblue issue. Hirers like myself rent the car for extended periods, and want to drive many miles. If the Adblue indicator comes up, the car hirer needs to know what to do, otherwise he or she would face inconvenience or worse, the car may stall completely because the Adblue warning light was ignored.
Car hirers, take note. If you rent a car with an Adblue tank, you should be aware of what needs to be done.
Audi Car Adblue Design Flaws
Since I have gone through this Adblue experience, here are the design issues that Audi should seriously think of how to improve.
First, there needs to be a better Adblue indicator on just how much Adblue there is left in the 17L Adblue tank. I read that the first warning only comes up when the Adblue falls to the reserve level, and the car has just 1,500 miles more to go. Since Adblue is as important as Diesel (because without Adblue the car will not start), why did Audit not have a running indicator (like the Diesel tank) to show how much Adblue is left? Why wait till only 1,500 miles range to show Adblue?
Second, please design the Adblue cap for easier opening. Even if the cap requires a special tool, can this tool not be hidden under the car tyre? Getting the tool was no easy task. I had to remove all my luggage (which was a lot) and then open up the base of the boot and remove the spare tyre to get the tool. This wasn't fun at all in winter.
Third, filling up a large quantity of Adblue, like 15L at one go, was no joke. The bottles were heavy and the flow of Adblue into the tank was slow. Worse, I was told by the Audi technician to fill at least 15L otherwise it may be futile. Why was the Adblue system designed like this?
Anyway, the above are my bugbears. I don't own an Audi car and I have no plans to buy one.
Thanks for reading.
Did a driving tour around UK in the winter of 2016. Even though it was winter (shorter hours for light), we decided to do a leisurely driving holiday around the UK, all the way to Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh) and back to London. We landed, picked up the rental car at London Heathrow Airport from SIXT, and we were on our way. The objective of this post is to show you the car, as well as the most challenging Adblue re-fill experience.
The Audi A6 car in a parking lot. A6 car was long.
Rear view of the A6.
The car was almost brand new, with just over 3,000 miles on the odometer. Plenty of gadgets to play with, including a very useful Satellite Navigation system that brought us to our destinations efficiently. The car was roomy and the boot (or trunk) space was very good. We had plenty of luggage. Here is a video of the car, including the Sat-Nav system.
ADBLUE
What is Adblue? This is a Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF). DEF is used as a consumable in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) in order to lower NOx concentration in the diesel exhaust emissions from diesel engines. How did this Adblue situation come about? Well, shortly after I got the car and I was driving out from London towards Stonehenge, an Adblue warning indicator came out, telling me to refill the Adblue tank. It said Adblue range 1,500 miles or was it 1,200 miles. At first I ignored it, but something was nagging at me. So in the evening, I went to read about Adblue and Audi online, and I soon learnt that if the Adblue tank dried up, the engine wouldn't start. Well, 1,500 miles sounded like a far enough distance to cover my planned route. (Distance from London to Edinburgh was about 400 miles), but still I didn't like to live on the edge.
Then things got worse. The Adblue warning kept showing up and the range dropped faster than the distance I had travelled. At first, I thought I remembered wrongly since I wasn't paying too much attention to the Adblue indicator. Then I decided to pay more attention. So I started the day, with the Adblue Range saying 1,200 miles. By the end of that day, the warning indicator said 900 miles and I was very sure I had not done 300 miles that day. The maximum I drove was 200 miles. Now, this was worrying. I wasn't confident I had 900 miles more to go, and I was in Scotland, and we were barely at the half way mark of our driving holiday.
Calling SIXT hotline
So, I called the SIXT hotline. Had to wait to get through to an agent. Thankfully I had free minutes on my UK SIM card which I didn't plan to use, so I didn't mind the wait. (10 minutes or so?) I got through and was told that I might have to fill up the Adblue tank on my own. And to assist me, they would get an Audi technician to call me. Oh, ok. True enough, the Audi technician called me within the hour, and true enough, I was told to refill the Adblue myself and to claim the Adblue cost from the car rental company when I returned the car.
Alright, didn't sound too difficult. But here came the twists. This is the video that shows me refilling the Adblue after dark, while in Scotland. Be warned, the video is kind of suggestive, especially the blue filler pipe. Anyway, this shows you in great detail, how I managed to fill up the Adblue tank.
First Twist - Adblue Cap Couldn't Open
The Adblue cap (which was adjacent to the Diesel cap) couldn't be opened using my bare hands. Audi technician told me to retrieve the wrench from the boot. I couldn't find the wrench and was told to check the spare tyre . I still couldn't find it and I was told to REMOVE the spare tyre to look underneath. I finally found it. Removing the spare tyre in winter, wasn't too fun, but I did it.
Second Twist - 15L of Adblue Required!
Audi technician told me to fill the Adblue tank with at least 15L of Adblue, otherwise the warning indicator may not go away. Ouch. I thought maybe filling it up with 3L or 5L would suffice, but 15L? Ok, that sounds like a challenge. I went to a nearby gas station and I could only find 10L Adblue bottles. So I bought 2 such 10L bottles. They were heavy.
Third Twist - Hard to Fill Adblue Tank
I thought re-filling the Adblue would be easy, since filling the car up with Diesel was so easy. Boy, I was wrong. I had to physically pour the Adblue solution into the Adblue tank using this blue filler device, and the flow of the Adblue was very slow. You have to watch the video to understand why. The filler device was long and very tight-fitting. Due to the design, very little air could escape as I filled the tank, making the progress very slow. A lot of wiggling and jiggling! I managed to sort it out, finally.
Fortunately, everything worked. I filled the tank up with about 15L of Adblue and the warning indicator went away. When I returned the car, I claimed back the cost of the Adblue (each bottle cost 11 pounds). I had sent an email earlier to SIXT to register my feedback but I was never given an explanation why the Adblue tank was not filled up prior to SIXT handing over the car to me for my 10 day rental. Of course, I could have made a big deal out of this, but since I managed to get the Adblue sorted, I figured no point raising a ruckus and ruining my holiday.
Audi at fault? - Adlue Range too Low?
Furthermore, when I was reading through all the Internet documentation on Audi and Adblue, I learnt that an Audi A6 on a full Adblue tank was supposed to last up to 10,000 miles. When I got the car, the odometer only showed slighly more than 3,000 miles. I could not reasonably fault the SIXT people for not re-filling the Adblue tank.
All that said, SIXT and other car rental companies should really pay more attention to this Adblue issue. Hirers like myself rent the car for extended periods, and want to drive many miles. If the Adblue indicator comes up, the car hirer needs to know what to do, otherwise he or she would face inconvenience or worse, the car may stall completely because the Adblue warning light was ignored.
Car hirers, take note. If you rent a car with an Adblue tank, you should be aware of what needs to be done.
Audi Car Adblue Design Flaws
Since I have gone through this Adblue experience, here are the design issues that Audi should seriously think of how to improve.
First, there needs to be a better Adblue indicator on just how much Adblue there is left in the 17L Adblue tank. I read that the first warning only comes up when the Adblue falls to the reserve level, and the car has just 1,500 miles more to go. Since Adblue is as important as Diesel (because without Adblue the car will not start), why did Audit not have a running indicator (like the Diesel tank) to show how much Adblue is left? Why wait till only 1,500 miles range to show Adblue?
Second, please design the Adblue cap for easier opening. Even if the cap requires a special tool, can this tool not be hidden under the car tyre? Getting the tool was no easy task. I had to remove all my luggage (which was a lot) and then open up the base of the boot and remove the spare tyre to get the tool. This wasn't fun at all in winter.
Third, filling up a large quantity of Adblue, like 15L at one go, was no joke. The bottles were heavy and the flow of Adblue into the tank was slow. Worse, I was told by the Audi technician to fill at least 15L otherwise it may be futile. Why was the Adblue system designed like this?
Anyway, the above are my bugbears. I don't own an Audi car and I have no plans to buy one.
Thanks for reading.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Ms Aung San Suu Kyi Visit Singapore Local Market Ghim Moh plus Food Videos
A rare visit by a famous foreign dignitary to our very own local Ghim Moh Market! This famous person was none other than Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, who was in Singapore for an official visit at the invitation of our Prime Minister. This morning, she visited the Ghim Moh Market and even had breakfast, featuring local delights, at the food centre! I was there for my normal breakfast when I spotted this large group of people (including media), gathered at the drop-off point at the nearby HDB estate, waiting for some VIP to arrive. What a treat to see Ms Aung at such close range. Awesome!
Now, what so great about Ghim Moh Food Center? Well, it is an awesome place to get food! Here let me post some videos. First, how about some prawn noodles? Yes, prawn noodles, dry.
Next, let's check out some hot and fluffy pancakes from Granny's pancakes. Very nice to eat, but surely high in calories too.
Care for some delicious carrot cake? It is an awesome place to get carrot cake and many other dishes too.
And some noodles, or Mee Pok Dry. I patronize this store often. It is very nice.
Won-ton Noodles - Kong Shang Hua - this is my favourite store for Won-Ton noodles at Ghim Moh Cooked Food Center.
Let's check out the Braised Duck Rice store, which operates during lunch, and is right next to the Kong Shang Hua Won-Ton noodles store. Also very nice!
Care for some famous Chwee Kueh? This uncle has been selling Chwee Kueh for decades. He is certainly getting on in age, but his store continues to be very popular. Try some, before he retires!
Thanks for reading!
Now, what so great about Ghim Moh Food Center? Well, it is an awesome place to get food! Here let me post some videos. First, how about some prawn noodles? Yes, prawn noodles, dry.
Next, let's check out some hot and fluffy pancakes from Granny's pancakes. Very nice to eat, but surely high in calories too.
Care for some delicious carrot cake? It is an awesome place to get carrot cake and many other dishes too.
And some noodles, or Mee Pok Dry. I patronize this store often. It is very nice.
Won-ton Noodles - Kong Shang Hua - this is my favourite store for Won-Ton noodles at Ghim Moh Cooked Food Center.
Let's check out the Braised Duck Rice store, which operates during lunch, and is right next to the Kong Shang Hua Won-Ton noodles store. Also very nice!
Care for some famous Chwee Kueh? This uncle has been selling Chwee Kueh for decades. He is certainly getting on in age, but his store continues to be very popular. Try some, before he retires!
Thanks for reading!