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Shipwreck

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    5 Year Driver's License Renewal - Step by step what to expect

    in Thailand Motor Discussion

    Posted

    Hi everyone. I just got done with this today and thought a step by step walkthough of what to expect might be helpful for someone, so here goes.
    This is for the Bangkok - Chatuchak branch. My 5 year Thai driver's license had expired, and I needed a 5 year renewal.

    Need to bring:

    Expired license
    Passport
    Work Permit (If you don't have a work permit I think you need proof of address)
    Copy of driver's license
    Copy of Passport - picture and visa page
    Copy of Work Permit - All pages (well not ALL, but basically everything with stamps/writing)
    Sign the bottom of each copied page to save time.
    On the 2nd floor bring your IDs and copies and wait in line at the top of the stairs. They will give you a cover sheet where you write your full name on the top line and if you haven't already, they'll have you sign the bottom of each page of your photocopies. You get a queue ticket to counters 17-18, which are in the next room on the same floor.
    You wait for 10 minutes until called, you sit down, they check your stuff, staple your old license to a piece of paper - you won't see it again until the last step. They ask for your passport and they give you a paper, hand your passport back and tell you to go to the 3rd floor.
    Here is where you take the visual competency tests. First, you need a queue number, so go though the double doors into the room with tons of people waiting. In the back is a little desk, hand them your paper with passport and you get a little green queue ticket in exchange. At this point, this little ticket and your work permit are all you have. They have your old license and your passport.
    The queue-calling system here is ancient and verbal. Every 10 minutes or so a lady will come out into the hall and (in Thai) call out the queue numbers in groups of 10. There is no monitor with numbers. She'll let you into the testing room in order as best she can. While you are waiting to be called they have a video explaining the tests on loop.
    Ok, so you've been called. You give your queue ticket away and line up. The line snakes through the room and lets you do all 4 tests. The first test you stand behind a piece of tape on the floor while a lady switches the colors on a traffic light and you say the color. Green, red, green, yellow, etc. If you mess up - like the foreigner 3 spots ahead of me did - they tell you the color and let you try again.
    Once you have passed the traffic light test they give you your passport back and let you into the depth-perception test. Here you have to press a green button, which moves a stick in a box. Once the moving stick is directly across from a stationary stick in the same box then you let go of the button. It's ridiculously easy.
    The next test is a gas/brake test. You sit in a chair, press a fake gas pedal, wait for a red light and then hit the brake. You need to hit the brake within 1 second or you fail. If you fail you just go to the end of the line, and in 2 minutes you can try again. You shouldn't fail this, it is also simple.
    The last test is the peripheral vision test. You stick your nose level with a board while the lady behind the counter changes the color of the light on the side of the board. You're supposed to look forward while she does this. The yellow and green look pretty damn similar to me on this exam. I once said that the yellow was green, but she didn't say anything and let me pass. I didn't see anyone fail this one.
    Once these tests are passed your paper is signed by the peripheral lady and she tells you to go to floor 4.
    This is the movie floor. In the back of this room there is a counter. Give that lady your passport and paper and sign your name in the book. To the left of the waiting seats there is a room with a TV on a cart. Every 45 minutes the desk-lady gets up, tells everyone in the room to get out, and tells everyone who has recently signed the book to go in and sit down.
    The video is basic road safety rules. Most of it is a lady and some guy driving around talking about how to drive safely. They also have lots of youtube clips of accidents, even some from movies.
    Nobody is monitoring that you are actually watching the movie, people were coming and going, some people came in with 10 minutes left. I should have sat in the back with my phone, but I had left it with my wife.
    When this is done the desk-lady comes back and tells us it is over. You walk out, get your passport/paper and they tell you to go back to the 2nd floor for another queue coupon. Every single person in the room is doing this and they 2nd floor queue people know it, so they have a bunch of pre-printed queue tickets that they just hand out when you get to the 2nd floor.
    So, now you again have to wait at station 17-18 for your number to be called. It takes about 10 minutes. This is where they check your papers for the last time and take your picture. Also, it's where you pay - it was 655 baht. They have a small mirror there if you want to adjust your collar/hair etc. About 1 minute after they take your picture they print out your license and hand it to you. All done.
    I arrived at 9AM on a Wednesday, and we were walking out the door with license in hand at 11:45AM.
    My birthday is in January, which is also when my license expired. My new license expires in January 2022 - 5 years 300 something days later. You get the extra year if you renew after it has expired.
    I brought my wife with me, but I didn't actually need her. The counter people speak enough English to point you in the right direction. Having the right copies of everything was the hardest part - and that wasn't hard at all.
    Hope that helps someone. smile.png

    Under The Table Repairs At A Honda Dealership.

    in Thailand Motor Discussion

    Posted

    Is it just me, or does that sound ridiculously expensive for an oxygen sensor? The last time I replaced one in my car in the states, it was like $80USD for the part. Doesn't 7k+ baht sound like a bit much? Installation is just a screw-out and screw-in with a one electrical attachment, so why the hefty price? Or is this one of those "magic" Honda parts that they like to use?

    I checked on my phone for Jazz O2 sensors via Google and saw a bunch of western forums saying that the part was $200+, so 7k+ sounded about right to me.

    Under The Table Repairs At A Honda Dealership.

    in Thailand Motor Discussion

    Posted

    I'm a mechanic and I reckon he probably just cleaned the exterior of the original O2 sensor and cleared the code with the scan tool.

    The three hour waiting time may well of been a ploy to make it seem worth what you paid him.

    It would be interesting to take a look at the alleged new sensor and see if the part number is original equipment Honda.

    Is this something I can do myself? Maybe I can find the one he gave me back - that one should be original Honda.

    Under The Table Repairs At A Honda Dealership.

    in Thailand Motor Discussion

    Posted

    Your sure he actually changed the part and not just a 5 baht fuse that had blown?

    Why would Honda have non Honda replacement oxygen sensors just laying around?

    This.

    Did you check the part looked new and ask for the old one back or watch him change it ?

    I didn't even know he was doing this until it was already done. Had he offered in the beginning I would have said no. I did get the old one back, but an O2 sensor is completely unfamiliar to me as i know almost nothing about in the inner workings of cars.

    Under The Table Repairs At A Honda Dealership.

    in Thailand Motor Discussion

    Posted

    Your sure he actually changed the part and not just a 5 baht fuse that had blown?

    Why would Honda have non Honda replacement oxygen sensors just laying around?

    This.

    Did you check the part looked new and ask for the old one back or watch him change it ?

    He gave me back the original oxygen sensor - I also neglected to mention that he told us that he went out to get one from somewhere else. It didn't come from the Honda dealer.

    How do I know he did the work? I don't, but the car was running a bit rough before it was replaced and now runs smooth. - Apparently if your O2 sensor doesn't work the car just assumes you need max gasoline and uses too much causing a rough ride.

    Could he have gone to a junkyard and gotten one from a wrecked Jazz? Absolutely.

    Under The Table Repairs At A Honda Dealership.

    in Thailand Motor Discussion

    Posted

    Just wondering if this is common, or has happened to anyone else? The story:

    Last week I was up north visiting the relatives when the check engine light came on. I drove my Jazz to the local Honda dealer (an official dealership) and asked them to check what was wrong. An hour later they came back to say that my oxygen sensor wasn't working and it needed to be replaced. It would cost 7,741B. I said go ahead.

    2 hours later my wife and newborn and I are sitting there wondering what is taking so long, when the technician comes in and says that he has replaced the part but...good news! He has taken it upon himself to install a non-Honda replacement and it will only cost us 5000B, but we won't be paying in the office. He is going to take us for spin around the block and we are going to hand him the cash in the car.

    Naturally, this sounds super sketchy. He's obviously done the work for way cheaper than Honda was going to charge me and is trying to pocket the cash.

    I was a bit pissed that he didn't ASK first if it was ok that he did this. In fact, if he had asked I probably would have said no. At this point though, 3 hours into waiting I didn't want to wait anymore. Newborn was crying and I wasn't going to wait another 2 hours while he took out this part and put in the real one - while his manager fired him (unless he was in on it) and all the other mechanics decided to put nails in my tires or something for destroying their cash cow.

    He gave us his business card and invited us back for more shady under the table repairs if we wanted. I've driven more than 1000km in the car since. Part is working fine and car runs strong.

    He swore up and down that the part has a 1 year warranty - which I don't believe since we don't have a completed work receipt from Honda, just an estimation paper. I figure my warranty on this part is the fact that I could call Honda HQ and get him fired any day of the week. He was all smiles like he does this all the time - anyone else experience this? Is this normal?

    Nes Nintendo Games In Thailand.

    in Gaming

    Posted

    Hey there,

    Does anyone know where - or if it is even possible - I can find game carts for the NES here in Bangkok?

    The 'Asian' NES was released here in the 80's so there must be carts around somewhere. I'd need to pick up a console as well.

    I have a U.S. NES system and about 50 games, but I'm always looking for more.

    Are there any retro video game shops in Thailand?

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    B-Quik Awesome Service

    in Thailand Motor Discussion

    Posted

    I will also vouch for B-Qwik.

    Bought a used car and ran over a nail about 3 weeks later. Saw the flat about 7pm on a Tuesday. Checked the trunk - had a spare but no tire-iron.

    Wife calls B-Qwik. Guy says he's the only one at the shop, but as soon as he closes up the shop he will hop on his motorbike, come to our place and change the tire for free!

    I was highly skeptical, but he showed up as promised, did the job and left. We tried to tip him but he wouldn't take it.

    I was quite impressed.

    • Like 1

    Homepro Chiang Mai

    in Chiang Mai

    Posted

    So in short, they're not all Homepro staff, but rather distributor's reps wearing Homepro uniforms.

    Do they work on commission?

    Went to Tesco to replace my flooded fridge and the rep said Mitsubishi fridges were bad. Went to Power Buy and the rep was saying Mitsubishi was one of the best. I say a fridge is a fridge nowadays. I went with the Mitsu because I thought it looked nice.

    Also, they couldn't possibly have one rep per brand. There were at least 10 different brands of fridges available and I only saw two guys in each fridge section of the respective stores. - Although the TV sections were packed with sales dudes...

    Oh, and by mentioning Mitsubishi I'm keeping this thread motor-related. (fridges have motors too) biggrin.gif

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