cliveshep

Had to go to Chang Wattana today to get annual extension stamp - did the earlier interview/handing over truck-load of paper bit 4 weeks ago. Traffic was insane around Laksi area, outside the Government building not a parking space in sight and massive traffic queues just to drive past. My wife managed to get to the turnoff outside and dropped me at the entrance closest to the Immigration Bureau area and went to park the car, intending to do that and then come find me and go downstairs to update my bank book and get 2 photo copies of it. So while she went to find a spot I went through security and then got a ticket at check-in. After getting the ticket, as usual L2 so looke at the overhead displays and as I walked in my number was already there. Hurried to the correct counter and handed over passport to a gorgeous girl trainee - same one I drooled over 4 weeks earlier haha. Told he had not done bank book and copies and she said not needed so I queried that and an I.O behind her said something I didn't understand to I said is that "yes or no?". So she said "NO!" Wow, so called my wife who was parking and suggested she just waited in the car with the air-con on rather than continue to struggle to find a parking space but she had already found a spot and was locking the car. Walked towards the seating area where I had spotted an empty seat. Just as I sat down the lovely trainee girl came out and called me back over. She gave me back my passport, I thought there was a problem but no, it was already stamped for extension to next April. Thanked her and rapidly called my wife who by then had locked the car and according to her had walked all of 5 steps. I asked her to go back to the car and come back to the entrance to collect me. Maybe it was upcoming Songkran or Thai Holidays the cause of the crowds but that was the fastest stamping ever. Mind you the traffic getting back out of the area was dreadful, much of the problem of course Chan Ocha's bloody overhead train works where the highway repeatedly goes from 3 lanes to 2 and then back again to 3 then 1. Madness! But...........well done Immigration Bureau!

I did that a couple of times. copying and pasting from the email, but I have been here long enough to understand the sh*t one falls into if the pc crashes and all data gets lost so being able to change a password to one I'd always remember is a really good option. Like all my UK stuff - returning if I lose it is not an option so I have with my UK bank my phone set up, and two pc's as "trusted devices". Remember Henry Fonda's comment in "How the West was Won" talking about a man who uses braces as well as a belt to hold his pants up because he trusts neither? That's me to a "T" with computers, passwords and logins! Make sure not make misery!

Having copied and pasted the impossible password they sent THAT is really worth knowing - thank you. And.........approval came in tonight's email so thanks all for your valued responses. Mind at rest for next time now except I managed to mis-type my phone number on the application - probably not important - but I'll correct next time.

Ok, thanks. As for the last 8 years I have done it via registered mail i wasn't sure on online stuff. Thailand's reputation for computer incompetancy is legend and my wife and I didn't trust them. Even now years later when they are supposed to be more capable on our last visit to CW for the marriage extension they caught us out as for the first time the IO demanded TWO copies of everything so clearly THEY don't have a great deal of confidence in their systems either! Bit like helicopter builders, they fit them with floats, skis and wheels covering all eventualities indicating massive distrust in their own product!

Sent in my first (well 2nd actually, actual first one rejected because they'd already posted it although to date still not arrived 3 months later!) on-line report on 27th March, last Monday. The acknowledgement came very quickly by e-mail as did a pdf of the on-line info on a TM.47 form. 4 days later I am still waiting for the receipt. I go into CW next Wednesday 5th April to collect the stamp in my passport, the current 90 day expires on Friday next week - the 7th. Assuming I still don't have a receipt I'll again have to go to the 90 day report counter, show them the application acknowledgement, and get a printed receipt as i did last time. Everyone on here avows that on-line reporting is the way to go - my experience is if I hired an ox-cart and a driver to take me to CW with a TM.47 form it would be quicker than so called instant internet. Any one else found them tardy in the extreme in replying with a receipt from CW (Chang Wattana) or is this just standard inefficient service and I need to just wait a few more days, weeks, months?? At least I have the proof they had the notice in good time, their web site just says "Pending".

Title says it all. We got Mitsubishi 8000 btu inverter units in all rooms installed new 7 years ago. One is in twice-daily use, 2 hours or so after noon siesta and 10 hours over night every night. It quit, we had Mitsubishi come out, not cheap but it is a fixed price regardless, of what is broken plus cost of any parts. The guys were brilliant, stripped it to clean it thoroughly as an "on the side" service separately, fixed a couple of leaks, replaced a thermister (the cause of the original fault) and re-gassed it as it was leaking. But it had a small leak on the inside unit and one on the valve block on the outside they fixed, the inside one took a patch. They said it was old, showed me pictures of the ionside of the inside unit - plastic was simply crumbling, blade broken off fan so it runs but is unbalanced a little and noisy they say, cost to replace all broken parts would work out at a whopping 5500 - 6000 baht. The advised not worth it, get a new one but at 17000 baht too expensive for us with the exchange rate so bad. We found a complete Haier Candy 9000 btu inverter split for 7495 baht on Lazada. We got one here in one bedroom bought new, slow to get cold but really cold when it gets going. Wife's sister has an apartment we built on the side of the house and she bought it so I know little about it. She uses it but rarely when she visits but I know it had a couple of problems in the first year covered under warranty. I have no idea what the problems were. QUESTION - are they any good, has anyone got one installed, they are cheap and once going seem to work well but how reliable? My sample of one failing twice I put down to the cowboys who installed it - anyone else got any experience? In the UK Candy is a well known cheap line of electrical goods sold by a couple of big electrical goods store chains Dixons and Currys.

Would that be the "big girl ladyboy" helper? He/she/it (choose appropriate pronoun) has worked there for a number of years and yes, that was the recipient of my ire. Noticed my I.O had a trainee helper who was frankly gorgeous and friendly - sigh!!!!! Apart from a load of black 2nd copies hurriedly obtained by my beloved downstairs and their own forms all of my package as has been the result of a scanner/printer at home and have been accepted since I started in 2015. The ONLY one arguing about photoio-copying and not scanning in full hi-res colour has been my wife!

Assuming they can afford it on a pension with rising prices across the board and an inability to collate a package of required docs, most of which are the same year on year except for the Kor Ror "what's it" from the Amphur and bank book and last page with a stamp in the passport. Incidentally it is made perfectly clear on the Immigration web site, or at least was before, that they require copies of every page in the passport that bears any sort of stamp - not blank pages as they aren't that stupid. As for self-control - I have never suffered fools gladly, I don't roll on my back with legs in the air when idiots make stupid or unreasonable or unfair demands, my comment is/was valid. Waiting until at the I.O's desk to advise me to go back downstairs for a book of extra copies thus wasting my time and my wife's time plus losing my place in a queue - we pre-booked - is not something to accept quietly without a complaint. It would not have hurt them to put an announcement out forewarning when booking the slot but that is the way they work - they are sacred in their own eyes it seems. They have all the power and we are just an inconvenience probably. But if you are the sort to meekly roll over to stupid or unnecessary demands you go right ahead pal!

You're very welcome. Strange an I.O complained that you scanned your passport, for 8 years now I have not only scanned and printed passport pages, but original marriage certificate, apostilled marriage certificate and also legalised translation of apostille which are all included in the Extension Application pack of former rain forest (documents). Also scanned are copies of bank passbook pages, both of our Tabien Baan books (mine is yellow of course), and anything else including the form which I scanned, put into a DTP program (MS Publisher) and edited to allow me to type in the details all of which are the same year on year with the exception of the date which I type into the template each year and my handwritten signature. The joys of a computer, MS Office Professional suite and a scanner printer/copier machine with bulk ink supply fitted cannot be over-stated in this land of extreme anal form-filling mania. We never had a complaint although my wife complains "it's in colour - should be black and white photo-copies" - her annual litany. Anyone who has attempted to read details of a photocopied passport page - mostly unreadable - will appreciate a hi-res printed scan. Certainly the quality of copy is eminently superior and any I.O who rejected it in favour of a photo-copy would be requested to call her supervisor. In 8 years no one has complained. Thai's like my beloved are totally anal about photo-copies of everything even if they are unreadable because "that's the way we've always done it". My response - "Welcome to the 21st Century Thailand, do try and keep up at the back there!"

Well said Tubby Johnson. Loads of us turned up with a folder all prepared as for last year only to get caught out and send "er indoors" (who is far younger with very shapely and beautiful working legs) down for more copies. Yes - not millions, just a slight exageration but it is a serious amount of paper mostly repeated every year, and in the case of passport pages every 3 months with the posted 90-day report. Incidentally signed up for internet reporting in spite of the Royal Thai Embassy warning foreigners not to trust their internet - sites nor software. I kid you not, they actually say that. Immigration assert they posted the receipt last month, still waiting! They blame the postal service but even so it took them 2 months to post a reply as it arrived at CW on 22nd December 2022 (tracked) and to date the receipt has not arrived. Back on topic - extension based on marriage Dr Jack, but if you think it won't also apply to one based on retirement do please let us know if you go to CW with only one copy of everything and get a "flea in your ear" huh?

Where before Chang Wattana Immigration wanted one copy only they have now only recently changed that to 2 copies. So all the millions of papers needed for an annual extension must now be submitted in duplicate. Anyone who was in Chang Wattana today around 1.30pm might have heard an exasperated farang, on being given the less than welcome news causing him to miss his pre-booked slot, loudly exclaim "Fer fecks sake, what is WRONG with you people?" He (I really of course) was not alone in his frustration and the photo-copy booth downstairs has been doing a roaring trade for angry applicants caught out by this sudden change of requirement that no one told us about.

I had never used the on-line app for 90 day report as I felt I simply could not trust them to do it properly. I've lost count of the times CW in Bangkok recieved a 90 day report from me, proven by postal tracking receipt, yet failed to respond meaning I have to drive all over Bangkok from outside simply to get a receipt. Not helped by them moving offices from CW and back again. This last time expiry was 7th January 2023 so I posted it tracked and signed for as usual, and have the print out from tracking received on December 22nd 16 days before due date but allowing extra because of Christmas and New Year. To date I'm still awaiting a receipt and in 2 weeks I will need to consider sending in the next application. I refuse to spend over 1/2 day and expensive petrol driving all over simply to get a receipt, I have prints of the postal receipt and the tracking page so can prove delivery in time so I consider it is their fault not mine. So I tried to sign up finally for email notification but it has no record of my postal effort, and allowed me to apply again but as of today's date. I suspect they will say it is out of time and reject it and frankly I am so fed up with their hit and miss operation I am going to do nothing for another 2 weeks when I and my wife are going in to CW for the annual extension 1st visit/application. As 90 day is apparently once again in CW I'll take all the papers of proof etc and go see them then. Next time I'll try the on-line again but as clearly it is not tied to the computer system or my previous postal application was simply swept under someone's desk so rejection and big argument expected!

Was really hoping someone would point me to one of those back-street cowboys who respray taxis for car sales people. No-one would buy an old taxi if it was green and yellow, or orange, blue, yellow or red because they'd think the vehicle was worn out but looking almost new in white or cream is a different kettle of fish. My own feeling on taxis is they are in constant use cruising around and are seldom thrashed, looked after because they are the cabbie's livelehood but that's by the by. But someone is painting them and I doubt it is a top dollar firm doing it as there wouldn't be any profit for the dealers so if anyone sees such a company, please post me a link. We are in Sam Wa Tawan Ok so not anywhere 50km away please. Thanks guys!

Need to get an older saloon resprayed as the sun has destroyed it's paintwork. Don't want to pay 3X what the car is worth, just want a back street spray booth guy who can sand it down and prime/paint/lacquer to a reasonable standard. Can someone please advise?

Minburi Market, as you enter and collect parking card about 100 metres down on the left just before a small side road where the bikes park is a bakery shop selling all manner of implements and tins, flour and yeast etc, everything for making bread and cakes. Down the end on the left in the fridges grated cheese, and salted or unsalted Alloway butter for 250 baht/kg. You pass shelves with all manner of bulk cereals, herbs and spices. Bread flour is 38 baht/kg only - half Big C's price, if you buy a box of 10 bags 300 baht, 30 baht/kg Shoppee sell it for 1010 baht per 5kg. Also another fine shop is Chuanchom bakery in 75. 1 Thanon Rom Klao, Minburi. They sell pretty much the same lines but more utensils and machines - a bigger store. Easy parking to rear, side and front.

Looking for advice on likely prices - and recommendations for where to go here. We got a 2007 Vios, colour black, that unfortunately has to live outside. The sun has baked it's paint to the boot, bonnet and roof (yes, I'm English, not trunk, hood and roof!) flat and in places starting to lift. We live just North East of Minburi between that and Lamlukka. We would like to paint the car in a dark grey pearlescent but if too expensaive just a dark grey metallic. My wife says it would cost 15000 to respray it black, but 45,000 - 50,000 in any other colour. This she says is because they would need to blank the door openings in masking sheets and also mask the insides of the doors in order to paint the frames and door edges. I say this extra masking cannot possibly cost 30,000 to 35,000 - that's insane but those married to a Thai know the futility of arguing. I say the outside has to be masked and primed in the 15,000 already so are they insisting they only respray for 15000 in the same colour because thay don't repair blistering, and sand the flat areas and prime - just do a cowboy job of "blowing it in"? I got spray equipment and a compressor - I could do that for the price of some paint and thinners but for 15,000 I would expect some sort of professional job exceeding my feeble efforts. So please - can anyone advise likely costs in my area, and recommend a body shop place who can respray it fairly cheaply. There have to be places because we see many former taxis which as we all know come in a variety of colours offered for sale all beautifully resprayed in white or other colours. I don't mind spending 20,000 on a paint job, the little car is not high mileage and is in good mechanical order having cost a fortune in remdial work when she chose it so worth doing in my mind. Thanks guys!

Thanks for that but the English ones are the mini-trucks 1.3 litre, not my 1-tonne dropside Carry in Thailand. I did get one from the Rhino site but again it bears little or no resemblance to my own. My head hurts lol. Got a feeling I'll have to take it into a garage in the New Year and get them to identify the stored codes and if not sorted already just clear them. Need some front bushes replaced anyway - not sure I want to tackle that myself at my age. It's a <deleted> not being able to find a scan-tool to connect to my lap top so I can scan and check what's going on nalthough with no voltage on pin 16 it might not work anyway! I need to hibernate!

Right, got out this morning and in spite of chronic arthritis managed to unhook the socket behind the dash. I cannot get it back so I'll have to zip-tie it somewhere. Anyway, good ground on pins 4 & 5, but nothing on pin 16 with ignition or engine on or off. Configuration is in fact as someone else suggested as OBD1 and not Suzuki's SDL arrangement. So - now need to find (a) where the hell pin 16 goes to and why it has no voltage or can I jumper it from another 12v under the dash somewhere? And (b) I need a suitable OBD1 interface and software unless the reason my TOAD doesn't see it is because of that missing 12volt on pin 16? Anyone know? Picture and modified image attached show what I actually have.

Possible correction to my post as I have not as yet verified the pin connections (it's dark and mosquitoes are out in force and we avoid those biting buggers because of the real risk of dengue fever or malaria so stay indoors at night with screens firmly closed!) I am reliably informed that Suzuki are in a world of their own with older models and use their own SDL system of OBD connections. I have sourced a UK company who claim to sell a (out of stock until Dec. 15) 16 pin to USB tool that uses the SDL system of Suzuki. Company is called Rhino Power, (www.rhinopower.org) and I have written to them via email. They say the SDL connection is as this image:

Thanks Seedy but sadly it is of little help. I do have the TOAD scan tool but of course it is OBD2. The article you linked talks about using a scanner or a paper clip to check the flashes, but does not say which in places to put the paper clip to start things off. My car has the same connector as the 16 pin OBD 2, but only 3 pins are used, ground on 4 and 5, 7 to the computer I assume and 16 permanently live. It is mosquito alley and dark here now and only an idiot risks going outside so I won't be checking anything now until Monday. Picture below is what I was sent, if you know what pins to link I'd be happy to hear, I'm not going to link random two out of the4 3 incase I melt something vital.

Update on mis-fire etc engine problems - changed the coils and leads on a "sh%t or bust" basis and problem cured - runs like a (noisy rattling) top. Seriously, sounds like ball-bearings rattling in a can. Really must sort that valve lash issue as the tappets are off in a in a world on their own! Still, thanks for that advice Seedy. BUT the OBD codes are a real problem. This truck has a 1.6 fuel injected 16 valve engine and runs under an OBD1 system. It actually does have a 16-way OBD socket under the dash in front of the gear lever position - thanks for that heads up "In the Jungle" but only 3 pins are connected, ground pin 5, pin 7 and always live Pin 16. I have yet to check if pin 5 is actually grounded or if pin 16 actually has 12 volts on it but my 16 pin OBD2 scan tool does not recognise anything plugged in to the socket of course. Anyone got a working hack to read the codes on one of these trucks please?

Mine is fuel Injected Seedy, and it is OBD1 for the 2007 model for some reason In the jungle. Suzuki were very slow to install OBD2 into the Carry models.

Has anybody in Thailand owning an older Carry managed to access the OBD1 codes? I understand you put a fuse in the left-hand empty spot in the fuse panel and count the flashes on the instrument cluster - so 5 flashes followed by a 1 second pause and 4 more, then a 3 second pause before the next series would indicate code 54. Downloaded a list from a web-site but have not as yet tried it. Shame the car never had OBD2 as I have a OBD2 scanner. I have had a check engine light on for the last 3 years - the original owner told me it came on when he added the LPG system and it made sense. Got rid of the LPG when the tank etc needed expensive replacement - the code remains. Would have cleared it by removing the negative battery connection for 3 minutes as according to Google that clears all stored codes but now got some nasty running problems so need to read the codes. The car misfires badly once it warms up, one cylinder drops out completely it seems when accelerating, coming back in if I reduce throttle, thereafter top end revs don't hesitate and the truck goes as fast as it ever did - not saying a lot I know as fast is never a word to apply to the geared-down Carry which is pretty nippy up to max engine-howling 90km/hr. So it has a nisfire and mega-flat spot. My thoughts - it has over 325k km on the clock so the likelihood of all sorts of failures are on the cards. On the Suzuki Forum the suggestion was fuel pump - low fuel pressure which I cannot check anyway, My own thoughts ran to failure of ignition coils. I've given it an oil and filter change, new iridium spark plugs and a replacement Chinese airfilter that is an exact mirror of the original so didn't fit (warning - don't buy after-market air filters from Lazada.) I wound up heating the plastic filter housing box to just under melting point and forcing in the new filter to make the air-filter box shape conform - I'm a tight-wad! It works anyway! Anyone done the codes on one of these lovely little trucks or got any ideas on the problems with mine? It has been a good little truck, all I've done is change the stupid low-profile wheels and tyres - instant ride improvement - fitted a new radiator cap (thank you for that diagnosis lads as it no longer over-heats), new brake pads, new battery, and plugs and filters. Not bad for a well-worked cheap truck I'd say. That's in 3 years! My UK- owned BMW and Jaguar couldn't go 3 months without issues!

My mil took affirmative action with the hospital holding the family bookings for Moderna for the last 8 months by phoning them daily demanding they give her the vaccine jab - free because of pre-existing health conditions in her case. She was so persistent that the hospital got to recognise her voice, she said she could hear the person answering sigh when they heard her voice. She kept it up for a few weeks driving them mad (this is Central General Hospital in Pahonyothin) and in the end as they had a delivery they gave in and told her to come in the next day and they'd jab her. She immediately switched tactics, saying that her jabs were free and they'd jab her the next day, but what about her younger sisters who had paid 8 months ago but were denied the jabs. Hospital in abject surrender knowing by now that this maniac woman would give them no peace and promptly asked for the sister's details, and booked them in for the following week. Seems they had the vaccines all along perhaps? Anyway, wife and sil now got their first jab, 2nd booked for next month. In passing and possibly not related, sil had no ill effects for 24 hours, then came down with nausea and raging fever of 39.4c so not sure if that is related. She refused to go to the hospital although I believe having a fever so soon after a jab is covered by liability insurance of the hospital? As for me, got my wife to call Med PArk on my behalf, got a filipino guy who answered in English, passed the phone over and asked him about a booster for me having previously had the free Pfizer shots there. Guy spoke really good English, came from an area in Luzon I know well, so we chatted a bit. Told me to simply download a link and complete registration - gopt an appointment the following day for a free booster. Said they are still working on the 6 month for boosters although aware of Anutin changing it to 3 months the hospital have not caught up. Went in, got my free booster, and told to go back in 6 months for another one. 2 pretty giggling nurses didn't give me either a kiss or a candy though - big disappointment there! So finally we all got jabbed!