Niltava

Evening all,

We have a four floor townhouse in Bangkok that needs a roof replacement.

Our chang (who we regularly use and we are generally happy with) has told us the best option is to use a reinforced steel frame with steel sheeting and PU foam sheet underneath as insulation. The area to be covered would be 2 slopes, each 6m x 4.3m (see attached) so the total area would be 52 sq m.

He's quoting a total price of THB 160,000 (65k for materials and 95k for labour), indicating it would take 7 days and the main challenge will be getting the materials onto the top of the building.

The price seems higher than we were anticipating, but we never had to replace a roof before so I'd be grafetul for comments from those with more experience. Pictures of the current roof also included for info.

Thanks,

N

We live in Bangkok and last had our house exterior painted 12 years ago, so it's due to a re-paint.

I have a trusted chang who has done lots of work for us before at good local prices and he'll do the work for me, but I told him I'd source the paint.

As this is a big purchase of paint (covering about 750 sq m) I'd like some guidance from forum members about which brand of paint to use? My default would be either Dulux Weathershield or TOA Supershield, but I've not had to decorate for a while so I'm a bit out of touch with what's best (and best value). 

Whilst I've bought paint from a local paint shop in the past, and from Homepro I've not paid that much attention to their respective differences in price, but given the quantity I'll need for this job I'm a bit more focused on cost - I'm guessing I may be able to get a reasonable discount from the paint shop (and I'm keen to support smaller businesses), but will Homepro etc always undercut these places given their mass market volume?

Thoughts appreciated!

N

On 4/4/2024 at 7:34 AM, JBChiangRai said:

 

Whilst I think the Volvo is a fine car, I think it's poor value compared to other EV's on the market.  It's best not to be blinded by the badge, it's from the same country as BYD.

This is the conclusion we came to as well. Whilst it's a great car we have decided that it's not the best value, so have binned it as an option.

This morning I did a test drive of the Volvo EX30 (Ultra, single motor, extended range).

This is the first time I have driven an EV and it was certainly a very impressive, refined car.  The acceleration is quite something.

Talking to the sale rep, one thing that I was surprised to learn was that they claim that a replacement for the whole of the battery would cost about THB 80,000 (eighty thousand baht).  I double checked with him about this, infact I triple checked and he said this was the right figure.  He told me that the battery comes in 4 sections that can be replaced individually, each one costing about THB 20k. Can this be correct?  I was under the impression that a EV battery makes up a substantial portion of the car's cost, so clearly this seems a bit odd.

N

Thanks for the various replies.

Just some feedback from me. This morning I test drove the RS to see if the panoramic roof was a problem or not.  Personally I found that even with the fabric/mesh curtain pulled over to block out some of the sunlight I still felt that there was a distracting amount of glare which I felt that (particularly on a long journey on the open road) would add to any fatigue that I got from being at the wheel for multiple hours, and as such it's a deal-breaker.

This means that if we do decide to get the HRV we will buy the EL model (with full metal roof).

I find it hard to understand why Honda (and other brands) have decided that panoramic roofs are a good idea in Thailand.

Best wishes,

N

2 hours ago, Patong2 said:

But we are delighted with our HRV-EL.

Many thanks, this is very encouraging feedback.

1 hour ago, poobear said:

The sunroof takes up way to much head

Hi Poobear,

Thanks for your reply.

I will definately be mindfil of the seats when I test drive tomorrow.

Regarding the panoramic roof, did you find it a particular problem in terms of a) distracting light whilst driving, or b) making the car super hot, c) both. Our concern is that the rather flimsy mesh fabric "curtain" for the panoramic roof won't be sufficient to stop either of these issues.

Thanks,

N

Hello all,

As part of our plans to replace our ancient car, we went to the Motor show over the weekend and determined that one of our favourite contenders for new car is the Honda HRV HEV.  I'm doing a test drive tomorrow and have asked to look at both the top of the line RS and mid spec EL models, but not sure if they will have both available.

We are thinking about getting the RS but one of our concerns is that this model comes with a panoramic roof as standard and whilst there is a mesh/fabric cover that can be pulled over to block out some of the sunlight, we are wondering if this is really such a good idea to have in a hot climate like Thailand's. We live in a house with a uncovered drive way, so the car will be in the sun all day.

I'd be really interested to hear from HRV owners who either have the panoramic roof and how it's working out for them, or from HRV owners of other other specs (EL or E) to understand if they felt the panoramic roof was a deal-breaker for them.

Thanks and best best wishes,

N

Thanks, yes we plan to test drive before we buy.

One more dumb question - are all the EV charging points in Thailand compatible with all cars? Do I need to subscribe to one provider or can I simply "pay as I go" with any provider?

Best wishes,

N

Hello everybody,

My 22 year old Honda CR-V has finally given the ghost and so I'm looking to buy a new car, probably a small SUV.

Trying to decide between a hybrid (either Honda HR-V or Toyota Yaris Cross) or an EV, the front runner being the Volvo EX30 CORE that is about to arrive on Thai roads.

My main concerns about an EV are probably pretty typical:

1) range anxiety - I like to get out of Bangkok into some pretty remote areas - how widespread are charging points across Thailand and how rapidly is the number increasing?

2) We own a house in Bangkok so presume we can install a wall charger - do I need to get our electricity supply evaluated first and who can do this for me? Would a Volvo technician do it for me before installing the wall charger?

Sorry, I'm sure there are loads of questions like this on this forum so if this post betrays just how new I am to this please feel free to tell me to read all 168 pages, or point me to some useful english language resources that might answer my questions.

Thanks!

N

The tragic experience of a friend of mine almost two years ago in one of Bangkok's premier hospitals has taught me that I should never, ever have any form of elective surgery in Thailand.

My friend's experience showed that should something go horribly wrong there is zero accountability, no coroner's investigation, no genuinely independent inquiry. Legal wranglings could last years if you are unwilling to settle out of court, or if you want the hospital to accept responsibility.

Private medical care is cheap here (compared with the west) for a reason.

Thinking about getting a new stereo for our car - I will be visiting the UK and the US in the next few weeks, where the choice of car hi-fi is probably wider and cheaper (?). But will the tuner (radio) work here in Thailand? Are the frequencies used for civilian radio the same here as in the UK/USA?

Thanks for any advice on this.

Niltava

customs can choose the value of your car, it is not related to any paperwork you might produce.

This is the much of the foundation of the fake invoicing and tax avoidance scandal that the DSI was investigating and now has decided to leave alone (because of likely the connected parties who are part of the scam) in the various grey market import car scams.

If you try to import a car they will assess it at the value they see fit; they see that this is the value of a new car, not a second hand one. You don't get to dispute this, as they can apply what they see as its fair market value...and they see that as the value of a new one, not a second hand one.

In all likelihood you have 2 choices:

1. don't mention you left the service

2. figure out some way to sell the car so it goes abroad - there is someone in Pattaya who sends cars to Pakistan for instance

This is widely considered one of the most money grabbing of all the Thai ministries, and with the clamp down on grey market cars, no doubt they will squeeze extra hard when they can now.

Thanks for the bad news!

we will probably go with one of the other options:

3. suck it up and pay Customs , or

4. sell the car and by something newer

The car has very low mileage and I'm thinking of converting it to LPG - if we do that I've estimated that it would cost us a bit less than a hybrid Jazz over the next 5 years (even with the hefty tax bill).

N

"Customs are charging you the tax that was avoided based on the date that it was avoided, and the values attributable at the time."

Thanks, however I assume from this statement that you mean based on the tax avoided when the car was imported in to Thailand (four years ago) as a secondhand car. If that is the case, then should we not be paying tax on the sum of USD 8700 (TBH 272,000) - which was the "value attributable at the time"? Not TBH 550,000 as suggested by the Customs officer.

If I bought a second hand car from Japan today and imported in to Thailand, would I pay customs tax based on the price I paid for the car, or based on some other value selected by Thai customs?

Thanks!

N

Spoonman - thanks, for the bad news!

What on earth is the justification for calculating the tax based on a "like new" price rather than on the actual "price paid"?

Now we will have to decided whether to keep it (CR-V) or replace it with a new Jazz/City or similar...

The justification is simply that you have been allowed an exemption from the vicious import duties by virtue of your diplomatic status (and conditional to reexporting it or selling it to another diplomat). If all diplomats could import cars from abroad tax free and resell them, you would immediately have a lucrative traffic taking place.

I have no problem with paying tax on the car, but I'm just a bit shocked that we have to calculate it based on the "New value". rather than based on what we paid.

Ouch, ouch, OUCH!

This makes it even more amazing (at the risk of going off-topic!) that there are so many Benz on the streets of Bkk.

Thanks and best wishes,

N

Spoonman - thanks, for the bad news!

What on earth is the justification for calculating the tax based on a "like new" price rather than on the actual "price paid"?

Now we will have to decided whether to keep it (CR-V) or replace it with a new Jazz/City or similar...

My partner is leaving her diplomatic job, but we are staying in Thailand.

We want to keep our car (built 2002) which we bought secondhand in Japan and imported tax free.

Looking at the Customs website it appears that the tax we need to pay will be calculated on the CIF price (Cost+Insurance+Freight) ie the amount we paid for the vehicle (about USD 8,500). However the Customs Office have informed my partner that the tax will need to be calculated on the Year 2002 "Customs Price" which they state is USD 17,000 (which I am guessing the cost of the car when it was new).

Obviously this will double the tax bill, and if so we will need to reconsider whether or not we keep the car.

Is the customs office correct, or are they trying to pull a fast one?

Thanks,

N

Many thanks hansnl - your experience is very interesting,

N

hello everybody,

I have a 2002 1990cc Honda CRV (petrol engine) which I am considering getting converted to gas.

From what I have read it seems that LPG is a better option than NGV (because NGV tanks are heavy and have small capacity). Can you advise me:

1. Am I indeed correct that converting to LPG is a better option than NGV?
2. How widely available is LPG fuel outside Bangkok nowadays (having been driving on petrol for the last few years I have never taken much notice of what other fuels are available)?
3. Are there any downsides to converting the engine (eg damage to the engine, reduced re-sale value of the car?)
4. Is my local Honda dealer likley to be able to do the conversion, or would I be better off going to somebody like Hongtong Gas http://hongtonggas.co.th/?
5. what's the likely cost of the conversion, and the cost per km on a converted gas engine? At the moment I'm paying the best part of 4 baht per km for petrol.

Really grateful for any thoughts on these questions, or other points that I should consider.

Best wishes,

N

Hello,

My Honda CRV (2002) has a very poor (non-factory) stero in it, which I want to replace.

Can anybody recommend somewhere in Bangkok to buy a new one (that I can attach my iphone to for listening to MP3s), and get it fitted?

If I buy one in the USA and bring it over, will the radio pick up local stations in Bkk?

Thanks,

N

I'm about to buy a 2002 CRV and have agreed with the seller that they will pay for a major service before completion of the sale.

Does anybody know how much this is likley to cost at a Honda dealer in Bangkok, and how often we need to get it serviced once we have purchased the car?

Thanks

Niltava

Thanks for the comments but I'm no petrolhead, just looking for something simple and reliable (perhaps this means the tax free status is wasted on me!).

I can get a Japanese-imported three year old Jazz for circa US$10,000 which is significantly less than I'd pay for something similar in LoS, but the temptation of a VW is there.

Thanks

N

I'm thinking of importing a car into Thailand (I can do so Tax-free through diplomatic channels). I could buy a Honda Jazz because they are obviously easy and cheap to service here (because there are loads of them around), or I could buy a VW Golf, which seems like a very rare car on the streets of Bkk.

Whilst I know that even at home in the UK VW parts will cost more than Honda parts, I don't know if there is a massive tax (as there is with imported cars) on parts, or other costs on parts/servicing that make VW prohibitively expensive here. Can anybody advise please?

Thanks

Niltava

OK, thanks for answering MRO, and thanks for clarifying the situation with the Prius.

Best wishes

N