Ding Dong door bell - Price?

The simple ordinary one which will give you the eponymous sound 'Ding Dong' will cost about ₹ 100.

The MRP usually will be in the region of ₹ 115 to ₹ 125.

Both the local and the branded ones would be the same.

In a recent purchase, I first picked Anchor and it went dud in 2 days flat. I got another one, of a GM make.

GM Make costs ₹ 100 bucks

It has just been a day. 'Ding Dong' looks fine.

Led Bulbs - Buy online or offline?

Shouldn't the natural answer be online?

But, you could still get a better deal, offline.

That is, if you do not pick the LED Bulb from a superstore or a supermarket.

The traditional Sonu Electricals will readily give you a good deal, even if you are not the haggling types, like me.

LED Bulbs from General Electrical shops in Gurgaon

I will cite two cases where I bought Philips LED bulbs.

1. Vyapar Kendra - If you haven't please read my detailed experience here. The shop in question was one at Vyapar Kendra in Gurgaon
2. Sohna Road - The second one was at a local electricals shop on the Subhash Chowk, Sohna Road.

Pricing Details on the 2nd Purchase

• MRP - ₹ 785 and ₹ 915, totalling ₹ 1700
• Quoted Price - ₹ 1100 for both

Online may not be able to do better than the above. But, there are other factors as well.

If you bought online with a better pricing, please share.

Philips Stellar bright 13W LED from Vyapar Kendra Gurgaon

After my first LED Lamp purchase, I was determined to find cost-effective ways to buying better LED lamps.

This post possibly seals my success with that.

Philips Stellar Bright 13W LED lamp B22
The brightness from the earlier Wipro Garnet 14W LED was amazing. This time, I decided to switch to Philips to see if a better brand could do any better. Or if all were the same.

A Sunday trip to Vyapar Kendra in Gurgaon seemed like the perfect opportunity to buy from a traditional electricals outlet.

The brightest LED from Philips stood at 13W only. I picked it up after the customary test.


Pricing

• MRP - ₹ 770.0
• Quoted Price - ₹ 500.0
• I am poor in bargaining

The ₹ 770.0 MRP was 20 bucks lesser than the Wipro Garnet (₹ 790.0). Seems there is no difference in pricing between a world leader and a desi entrenched player.

Here are some photos from the unpacking of the Wipro Garnet 14W LED Bulb.

Top flip cover is the Warranty Card. Sensible na?

See the date when 2 yr warranty begins

Looks like I am done with the LED experiments for the time being.

Between Wipro and Philips, let us see who plays a better game.

First LED light bought - Wipro Garnet 14W LED Bulb

Have you been using LED bulbs?

I was always keen to, but never took the step.

Last month, couple of CFLs expired - a philips one that proved its lifetime and an Akshay Kumar Eveready twisted CFL that disappointed massively. (more about that in a different post)

On a Sunday hypermarket visit, I decided to pick up LED bulbs to replace the dud CFLs.

Given winter, I was looking for a warm light LED bulb.

I was clear that I was only buying Philips. But, there were no LED ones, only CFLs. Rummaging through the bulb stack, I could only see LED bulbs from Wipro and Eveready.

I dismissed Eveready (obviously) and picked up Wipro.

Wipro Garnet 14W LED Bulb

It wasn't exactly what I wanted, for two reasons.

• Cool Day Light and not the warm light
• Maximum lumens ~ 1450

Nevertheless, I decided to experiment. An expensive experiment, relatively.

Pricing

The Wipro Garnet 14W LED Bulb at ₹ 790.0 was almost four times the corresponding CFL. But, if you are someone who likes a good deal, please check out online and you should be able to shave off ₹ 250 definitely.

Here are some photos from the unpacking of the Wipro Garnet 14W LED Bulb.

Performance

According to the information contained in the box, the 14W Garnet LED bulb should be equivalent to:

• A 100W incandescent bulb, or
• A 23W CFL

Rated at 1450 lumens, I think it did better.

The dining area, which earlier featured two 14W CFLs, now has just one 14W LED bulb.

It looks good for now.

Warranty and Replacement (Update 8th May 2016)

It has been 5 months since this LED bulb was installed.

All looks good.

I got curious to understand warranty and other terms.

Surprise, surprise. There is nothing on the box or anywhere.

I call the toll-free number 1800-425-1969 and there is no response. Well, today is Sunday. But, isn't this is a retail business?

Well, I have no option now but to put in an email to feedback.wcc@wipro.com

Let us see how that works out.

Solving the mileage problem in 2005 Santro with a fuel filter change

The Hyundai Santro (2005) had just completed 100,000 kms.

Somehow, the last few tank fulls were falling short on fuel mileage.

On 5 different situations, I observed that the mileage had dropped from a neat 14 kms / litre to around 10 kms / litre.

I did some quick reads on team-bhp and decided to take a shot at one particular reason that I sensed could be an issue - the fuel filter.

On every service, the neighbourhood friendly mechanic would avoid changing the fuel filter. I did not understand why, until this experience.

On a warm Sunday in October, I quickly checked into couple of mechanics on the Sohna Road in Gurgaon. None of them had the fuel filter.

After the third 'stock nahi hai', I straight away headed to an HASS (Hyundai authorised service station).

There is one in Badshahpur.

And it wasn't crowded. I bring the Santro into the ramp on the entrance and casually ask the service manager, "Fuel filter change karna hain".

He says, "ho jayega".

Enthusiastically, I park the car.

Santro 2005 - Parked on the ramp

Why local mechanics don't change fuel filters?

The reason why your friendly neighbourhood car mechanic isn't keen to replace a Santro fuel filter is this - it takes effort. [See below]

Fuel Filter location - Near the left rear wheel

The fuel filter is located under the Santro floor near the left rear wheel, at a little distance from the fuel tank.

It is simpler to replace when hoisted up, as seen in the above photos.

Time to change the fuel filter

It took about 20 minutes. And here is the comparison of an old fuel filter and a new.

OLD Fuel Filter

In the words of the mechanic, he had not seen a fuel filter as spoilt as this one. But you know how the mechanics are. It still remained to be seen, if the fuel filter would solve the problem of low mileage.

NEW Fuel Filter

And this is how a new one looks like.

Hyundai Genuine Part - the humble fuel filter

Costs

• Fuel Filter - ₹ 130
• Labour - ₹ 200

What happened to the mileage?

It has been couple of months since the fuel filter change. The approximate mileage is as under:

• City - 13 kms / litre
• Highway - 17 kms / litre

The fuel filter change seems to have solved the problem, but it wasn't without its issues.

Look out for the next post.  

Update as on 8th May 2016

 I doubt if it is working out. The Santro has been clocking just about 10 - 11 kms / litre. Maybe it is the summer. Or maybe it is something else.

Time to go under the hood, again.

VU Android TV in India

I have been thinking

• Android TV device
• Apple TV
• Chromecast
• and a few other things that I can't remember right now

Last week, I read that Flipkart was taking pre-orders for a VU Android TV.

I have no idea what it would get me into.

But, hey it is Diwali, and why not have a blast.

So pop I go online to pick it up.

I just hope I am on the right side of Android

Lego Toy for a 5 Year old Boy

My daughter got her first Lego set after her 8th Birthday. Lego friends it was. Without a doubt. More about it in a later post.

Diwali is the time to gift. And if the gifts are for children, it becomes really interesting.

I recently met Arnav. And I asked him, "What is your age?"

He said nonchalantly, "Four and a Half Years".

Since then, I have been thinking which Lego Set would get him onto the path of constructive building that in turn would also hone his fine motor skills.

With just an hour of search, I was able to find Lego Creator Sunset Speeder.
Lego Creator Sunset Speeder, Multi Color

It may look kiddish, but it could get even the adults hooked - fast and furious.