tuktukmike

Do not even think of importing your car.

As many members know I lost my Supra at Laem Chabang, The agreed import tax just went up and up everytime I agreed the new price.

Seems the customs (crooks) guys will just keep increasing the duty until you walk away, then they seem to be able to buy the car through a dealer on the cheap.

TTM

I have been watching developments for the use of electric vehicles for the last 10 years and as to date am still not convinced,

Top Gear did an episode where they tested 3 of the latest electric vehicles on the market today and the biggest problem by far as pointed out by clarkson was that the ford would need replacement batteries every 4 years, cost of new batteries £12000.

From my point of view as regards to the Tuk Tuks I had to take into account the weight of the batteries and of course the milage between charge ups, My customers wanted a vehicle that will run most of the day and into the night and this was simply not possable with battery power alone.

Also range is affected by various conditions, If you lived in Holland the terrain is no problem but its a differing situation in for example the UK.

Right down to the number of passengers you have on board will make a difference to range as will the use of lights/sterio/dvd system plus monitor.

I will always keep an open mind on the use of electric but at present many manufactures are moving towards high power low cc units, this can be seen in the UK with the introduction later this year of the 1.4cc powered insignia also opel which produces better mpg than the standard 1.8 but with more power.

For the moment I will stick with the cumbustion engine combined with LPG technology.

TTM

Hi all,

I am hoping someone on here can tell me if there is anywhere in Bangkok that can repair printed circuit board repairs, I really need a competant repair company.

The unit I have is a Citronic Thames 2 twin deck system.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

TTM

I often use the Zulex systems in some of our tuk tuks we export and never had any problems, this includes the Head unit and the Various size TV monitor drop down screens.

Mike

Ok so maybe you would call it something else, she has a new passport from british consulate hong kong and has a business visa plus work permit for the last 7 years.

So what I am saying is that her current visa has to be put into her new passport, is that not transfering?.

TTM

Thanks for the info, its her business visa they have to transfer into her new passport.

TTM

You could well be right about careline but it still seems like a scam to me, why we could not just speak to the passport agency seems odd.

Hey its not like they are providing this service for free.

TTM

We have to go to immigration today to swap my wifes visa onto her new passport, anyone know on here what they charge.

Hua Hin imm tend to try and coin it a bit so would like to know the real cost first.

TTM

My wife just done her passport, you dont need to send by DHL as we sent hers by EMS.

The reason for this is that there is no DHL in hua hin.

They had the money out of my visa account within 5 days but it took just over 4 weeks to get the passport back.

Be aware that they have outsourced all passport handling to a company called Careline, this means if you want to find out where and how much longer your passport will take to arrive you will need a credit card.

Careline will not talk to you if you dont give them your credit card details and I think the charge is 69pence per minuite with a suggested call time of 4 mins.

TTM

My wife just done her passport, you dont need to send by DHL as we sent hers by EMS.

The reason for this is that there is no DHL in hua hin.

They had the money out of my visa account within 5 days but it took just over 4 weeks to get the passport back.

Be aware that they have outsourced all passport handling to a company called Careline, this means if you want to find out where and how much longer your passport will take to arrive you will need a credit card.

Careline will not talk to you if you dont give them your credit card details and I think the charge is 69pence per minuite with a suggested call time of 4 mins.

TTM

Thanks for the info, Our big old english tom cat needs to pay a visit to them.

Back to the local vets query, be carefull when you buy the frontline tick and flea capsules. If you give them too strong a dose you will end up all night trying to bathe the liquid off them.

For some strange reason it can become very irritable to cats and dogs in the wrong dose.

TTM

Your best and safest option would be the new(ish) government veterinary hospital just south of Takiab on the highway headed towards Pranburi. It is a state of the art teaching veterinary hospital; one of the best in Thailand I've heard and many friends (who have lost animals because of bad vets in town including some mentioned above) go there now and highly recommend it.

Are there any signs for this place as I cant say the vets we have used are really that good.

How many Ks would you say past the flyover.

TTM

I was in a bar next to where the whole thing kicked off the other night and got a diferent story from farangs that were there and witnessed the fracas.

It seems he parked his bike blocking the entrance to a bar, he was asked to move it but refused and was loud and abusive which all around could clearly hear. This guy then wanders off to another bar leaving his bike still blocking the first bar, one of the girls went and asked if he would come back and move his bike and got another mouthfull.

Then enters into the mix a pick up truck that cant get past, the driver and then the lady passenger ask him to move his bike. They are then met with a volley of abuse and the biker starts thumping on the bonnet of the pick up, they somehow get past in the end but it does not end there.

He then gets involved in a spat with a clothes seller and scatters some of her goods across the soi, the result it seems can be seen on u tube.

My understanding is that the farangs cheered when he was dealt with as they too had heard enough of his abuse.

As I stated I was not there but the people who told me the facts are very reliable.

In 12 years I have never seen a farang attacked in that soi by a thai, but have seen a few drunken farangs flailing handbags.

TTM

We have had this same problem before with our animals, I would say the dose was far too strong for a small dog.

There is a vet situated on petkasem road, heading south its the first left after traffic lights. chomsin road lights.

Or you could try Hua Hin Veterinary Hospital which is along the klong road, tel,032 514264/514256.

TTM

Get to Tesco in the morning and grab yourself a fresh baked French stick.

There are several bakeries in town selling various styles of bread these days.

As mentioned the Baguette shop is good.

TTM

Tesco to be honest does not carry a large selection of farang food anymore than say Makro at pranburi, Villa to be fair carry the best selection and at least their staff are on the ball.

Have not tried it yet but was told Tesco at Pranburi is better than the one in Hua Hin.

TTM

For me it would be a shame to see whats left of the old buildings go to be replaced by concrete block hotels and shops, does hua hin not already have enough hotels seeing that its dead 8 months of the year.

But hey lets have even more shops filled by indian clothes shops, just what we need.

I am still in the uk at present and only just heard the very sad news,

Howard was one of the best I have met and shared a coffee many times with him at his shop.

We will continue orders and wish his wife all the best.

Very very sad news.

Mike and Mo

The engines we use are generally Daihatsu 550/650/1000cc variants, there is also a subaru 3 cylinder available.

We do fit LPG if the customer requests this fitment but to be honest the saving is small.

Some tuk tuks I have seen also fit a Suzuki engine but this unit is not so popular.

Mike.

Would go along with what the other posters have already said.

Room by Room are a very good company and I have only ever heard good reports about them.

Sadly the same can not be said for some other rental companies in town, ie owners not able to recieve their rental income from other agencys and even posting on the local forum.

Stick to room by room,

Mike.

Hua Hin fine, No problems here.

Buses still running from victory monument but pick-up and drop off moved.

Mike.

QUOTE (stgrhe @ 2010-05-16 08:04:47) *

Renting first to get a feel for the place is indeed a good advice. However, there are quite a few resale properties on the market here at the moment that sell for much below the prices they were bought for a couple of years ago. In particular there are Brits, who bought in at the time when the stirling was high, that are selling now and relocating back to the UK. Due to the current exchange rate they can sell at a considerably "loss" and still break even, i.e. a win - win situation.

************************************************************

True about being able to sell at a loss due to the exchange rate but only one problem with this theory, you at present will get less thai bht to your pound meaning even if a seller drops his price you are of course paying the same or more.

Unless of course house prices have dropped more than 30%, win-win or lose-lose go figure.

Mike.

Worth,

There is no problem in Hua-Hin and unlikely to be in the future.

Come and rent for at least a year first, get reliable advice from a lawyer recomended by your Embassy long before you even think of buying.

The best you can get is a 30yr lease on houses, maybe you could ask to pay only 30% of value of house.

Mike.

There is a good car wash at grand market, the entrance has moved to the left side (face on) of san paulo hospital, just run up the side and you will see them.

They also clean the interior.

Mike.

[edit] First generation (1995–2004)

First generation

Production 1995–2004

Assembly Born, Netherlands

Rayong, Thailand

Body style(s) 4-door sedan

5-door station wagon (as V40)

Layout FF layout

Engine(s) 1.6 L I4

1.8 L I4

1.9 L turbocharged I4

1.9 L diesel I4

2.0 L I4

2.0 L turbocharged I4Standard in North American models and only available in North America rebadged as 1.9T

Transmission(s) 4-speed automatic

5-speed manual

Wheelbase 2000–01: 2550 mm (100.3 in)

2002–04: 2557 mm (101 in)

Length 2000–01: 4470 mm (176 in)

2002–04: 4521 mm (178 in)

Width 2000–01: 1720 mm (67.7 in)

2002–04: 1717 mm (67.6 in)

Height 2000–01: 1410 mm (55.5 in)

2002–04 S40: 1423 mm (56 in)

2002–04 V40: 1426 mm (56.1 in)

Related Mitsubishi Carisma

Proton Waja

In the summer of 1995 Volvo released the S4/V4 series but had to change the model's name as it conflicted with Audi who had already reserved the "S4" name[citation needed]. The quickly renamed S40 saloon (sedan) and V40 estate (station wagon), manufactured at the NedCar factory in Holland (a pre-Ford joint venture between Volvo and Mitsubishi Motors) and based on a common platform with the Mitsubishi Carisma. The V40, with Drag coefficient of 0.32,[1] was the first whole model to be introduced under the direction of the British designer Peter Horbury, Volvo’s Design Director, [1] and was marketed in Australia, North and South America, and the Far East.[1] The V40 was named the ‘Most Beautiful Estate Car in the World’ at an Italian award ceremony.[1]

In 2001 Volvo updated the 40 Series ("Phase II"), implementing a number of technical improvements, e.g., improved engine management, direct (diesel) fuel injection, extra safety features, larger brake discs, new front suspension and steering, revised rear suspension, larger tires and a widening of the track width. A minor facelift gave larger headlights, more streamlining and larger rear light clusters as well as minor instruments and fascia re-design.

The 40 Series cars were equipped with four-cylinder engines, such as a 1.9 turbo diesel or 1.6 (1588 cc), 1.8 (1731 cc), 2.0T (1948 cc), 1.9 T4 (1855 cc) or 2.0 (1948 cc) fuel-injected gasoline engines all of which are derivatives of the modular whiteblock engine series that started life in the Volvo 960 and carried in both 5 and 6 cyl formats in Volvo's bigger FWD cars. There was also a 1.8 L (1834 cc) Gasoline direct injection engine provided by Mitsubishi as part of the platform sharing between the 40 series and the Carisma.

The low (2.0T) and high (1.9 T4) pressure turbo variants at the top of the motor range. The 2.0T was rounded down and badged as 1.9T and was the only engine available in North America. The 5 speed manual transmission, widely available in Europe was not certified for us in US spec S40s, with the 5 Speed automatic the only option. No electric CVT transmission was planned unlike the 440 HTA / High Tech Auto CVT that had been released before the 400 series was completely phased out.

In the UK trim levels were XS, SE and CD.

Due to the common platform, many components of the suspension and drive train are compatible with Carisma as well as the Mitsubishi Evolution III.[citation needed] and Proton Impian.

The Volvo S40 was the first car to earn four stars in Euro-NCAP.

2003–2004 Volvo S40 (US)

Volvo V40 1.9T (US)

Mike.