emilymat

20 hours ago, NanLaew said:

The OP talks about transferring ownership of his property but the post suggests that he doesn't have anyone here in Thailand that he would be transferring ownership to. If there is someone, either a trusted friend or a partner, keep them advised of your situation but right now, the priority is your own health.

Sorry if misled on this. I rent a bungalow from a Thai lady who is married to a UK man. She knew I was coming back on an emergency visit but I don't think she realised how much pain I was in. Rent is no problem as I have dd with Bangkok Bank.. It's really so she can dispose of 3 TV' 2 sets of golf clubs and more importantly the car and the motorbike, without me being there to sign the books. As I said  I have lost confidence in Thai hospitals  and will listen to my doc  here who thinks I might be in hospital soon. Thank you for the replies, as an earlier poster said ':you are 78 and you health comes first'   I just don't want the local government grabbing my car and bike when I would rather give it away but have no idea how to transfer, if at all possible from here, even though the book is over her. I left my phone over there in the confusion so losing all my contacts. I thin I can sort something out.

No, not a criminal but I would be grateful for any advice.

I'm in the UK now under doctor's orders, and possibly going into hospital soon. Briefly I had an attack of numbness all up my right cheek. (I won't bore you with the details of the side effects)

Anyway I went to Pattaya Int Hoslital, saw the dock, who suggested I should stay overnight for tests and observations  These tests resulted in a CT scan, numerous blood pressure  tests a visit from a dccotor

speaking from behind a mask, tellin me the did no have the neurological expertise to analyse the finding.I was the discharged with a 35,000 baht bill. I felt worse than when I went in.. Over £700 seems al lot for an over night stay - and the usual pills.

Any way I went home and booked a flight to the UK. I was feeling really rotten forgetful, but I had a return to BKK in March,

MY doctor has advied me to forget that and I have decided to stay with my  daughter here indefinitely. 

Now the advice if poss....

I have left a host of items including TV's etc. My main worry is my car and motorbike. I'm not concerned about money but how can the have change of ownership without me being there. The necessary books are in the house

I even left my phone on the table - so confuse and miserable did I feel.   Thanks for reading, I had to set it all out.

Back to topic of Brexit.

The Irish border still presents a massive problem, even though T May says it will be easily resoled.

OK then, but no-one bothers to mention Gibraltar, where we have another land border and where the vote for remain was in the 90's %.  Given Spain has been pretty firm about recent events on independence, does anyone believe they will simply say trade and movement remain the same between the mainland and Gib - particularly if there is no deal. Also of course they regard Gib as Spanish territory.

Another Berlin air-lift?

I bought a washing machine from Numchai for 8000 baht. Just over one year old it packed in, with the control panel flashing all over the place. Called in Numchai  'experts' for 400 baht call out fee.  They took a look at it with a hand held gizmo and announced it needed a new panel and quoted me 6000 baht. They suggested I might be better off buying a new machine. I declined.  Then investigated and repaired it myself for 350 baht part obtained on line from China.  (Water level sensor).

Maybe Numchal is the bees knees for sales but watch the 'after sales service'

In one of the Sunday 'quality' papers there is a YouGov poll that shows around 57% for remaining in the EU and 43% to continue Brexit.

Obviously people will have changed views over the last 18 months as what Brexit means becomes clearer - and also what it doesn't mean.

My question therefore is this. If the polls continue that trend (and of course they may not) and the government insist on Brexit in 2019 can I argue that we are being taken out of the EU 'against the will of the people' ?

I ask this as an ardent remainer who has had over 12 months of constant accusations that I cannot accept the will of the people. Or, is a binary answer referendum on a complex matter more precise than opinion polls?

One wonders if this was all a set up. No agreement with DUP until the last moment, then dramatic early morning flight to Brussels, showing what an 'ace' negotiator she is.

My only surprise she did not return and wave a peace of paper on the tarmac like Chamberlain. Cynic? maybe.

9 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

May and Davies are spectacularly out of their depth. Their government, MPs and political party are far from being united and have several agendas being actively pursued.

 

And in all this, they now show themselves to be totally inept and having no concerns about anything but themselves. 

 

And sadly, there's no viable constructive opposition with balls enough to say 'enough is enough". 

Agreed. Your last  sentence is so correct. I've voted labour all my life but cannot believe the current front bench have any more chance of resolving all these issues.  What a choice!  The fact is, Labour could have won that election earlier this year with a different team.

I've followed Brexit very closely and watched most of the debates etc on BBC Parliament. I simply cannot believe the inflexibility of May and the arrogance of Davies in the way they are treating the future of this country.

I've avoided comment on Brexit, as experience leads me to believe that if you voted 'remain' and still believe this is/was the best way, then you are an enemy of democracy. The answer I always get is 'you can't accept the will of the country', ignoring the fact that around 48% are deemed ignorant.

No-one will ever persuade me that Brexit is good for the UK. I've tried to reconcile my views with the need for 'us all to pull together for the best deal' etc. etc.  The fact is, it's all about individual political careers as the vultures circle the May corpse. Nothing to do with what is best for the country.

For the first time in 3 years I managed to drive from one end of SCC road to the other with no diversions. OK, it was done on motorbike but could almost have been done in a car with a couple of small diversions, where they were finishing off the manhole covers. Red letter day!.

19 hours ago, kartman said:

New aftermarket CV joint approx 800 baht plus fitting total probably 1500 baht if you pay a little over the top on labour.

Well, would you believe it!. I took the car to a local shop this morning to book it in and he said 'I'll do it today'. Delivered the car back at 4pm and said precisely what you have in this post. He sourced a second hand CV joint and fitted it. Problem solved and the bill was 1700 baht!. 

Thanks VM to you and all the other contributors. Just shows you what rob dogs the Toyota main dealers are.  I suppose they are only interested in selling new cars and then the routine services - nothing complicated .

Thanks Jay - really helpful. I'm not sure I can figure out the second Google map in your first post, giving the new location, but I'll work on it.

It's the old dilemma. Two years ago I was planning to re-locate to Spain and sold my 4 year old Vios. All my plans fell through with Brexit and the drop in the pound, so I came back here last December, needed a car, and so bought this Soluna for 80,000 baht. I've looked after it and it runs really well and has one or two marks etc on the body but what the hell. New battery, radiator, oils changed in engine and gearbox etc etc.  'Buy a new car' my mates say  - but that's not easy for me as I would have to go into 3/4 years finance etc and I might not be here that long!  Another second hand car might just throw up a host of other problems, so I would rather stick with the devil I know. What Thais ask for seond hand vehicles is often ridiculous and they never seem to put prices on them.

Although I've been in Pattaya dark side for years I have not really looked for repair shops of the more sophisticated type that can do the bigger jobs. That's why your posts have been helpful. The car drives OK as long as I don't engage in violent turns, which sets off the noise.

I'll keep you posted when I've sorted things out this week. 

Thank you very much for those replies. I'll follow the advice.

I realise it is difficult for any reader to comment too much. However, I would welcome a view - particularly on quoted prices.

I have a Toyota that is 17 years old and has done 240,000 km. In most respects it runs great and the engine, gearbox etc are as smooth as a nut,. I have changed oils regularly etc etc but recently I developed a knocking noise on the steering, mainly on R/H full lock.  Apart from that I have no problems with the steering and no 'wander' or anything like that. (p.s. no power steering).  I know a bit about cars and have had it up on axle stands and checked around the transmission drive shafts and steering arms etc. No slack and everything seems 'firmly' in place. No movement of the wheels when I try to rock them. I've also seen quite a few video's on U Tube about this broad subject and realise there could be a variety of causes and solutions.

Anyway, here's the rub.  I decided to take it to the Toyota main dealer in Pattaya for an assessment and quote. They said I needed new drive shafts and a new rack and pinion assembly. This was after a pretty cursory inspection which I observed.   The quote they gave me was 30,000 baht and 26,000 for the drive shafts and 35,000 for a new rack and pinion assembly. That's 91,000 for starters without labour etc.

I also detected a reluctance to even consider doing the job as they would have to take some time to order the parts, and also being quietly advised to buy a new car - Toyota presumably.!!

I really would welcome a view on these parts prices. Am I being misled?.  I would really want a second opinion and I will try and get it looked at somewhere else.

With many thanks if you are able to give me steer on those part replacements prices in particular.

Not much help I know. But, the plastic lever on mine bust and you couldn't operate the mechanism. However, I soon discovered a screwdriver inserted into the mechanism where it joined the lever, did the job fine.

21 hours ago, Mattd said:

@emilymat is this the last / first bridge by the crossroads at the Seven Eleven (By the big house) ? 

I noticed at the weekend that there was some excavation equipment lakeside of this bridge and wondered if this meant replacement.

I'm not there weekdays so not seen what went on, my house is just 400m from this bridge

Yes. The first bridge when you swing left off SCC road at 7/11. Why it needs re-building I have no idea.

There is still the one section to finish. We are told that the contractors have promised to complete this section by early December. The manager of the new supermarket is also under this impression as the continuing roadwork's are really affecting his number of customers, as people divert off SCC and miss that store - also the new  petrol station.

Living by the lake it's been hell for the last 2/3 years - particularly when it's been raining and the 'diversions' have been mud baths but there might be light at the end of the tunnel at last.

However, I now notice a 'diversion' around the first bridge on the lake road is being constructed. It looks like a pretty hazardous diversion, particularly as its right after the bend off SCC road. Why oh why didn't they replace this bridge at the same time as when they did the other two earlier this year???

I suspect to most of us who live here, it's more about humidity than temperature. Since the original post on Sunday I don't think I've seen a cloud, but as other posters have said, it's been lovely and breezy.

 p.s. That's because I'm often having to trample through the long grass looking for my ball!.  Safer than shorts.

Should be OK. The rainy season seems to be finishing here and it will get less humid next month - I hope!

5 hours ago, jay1980 said:

You need to take the car to a testing centre and get the paper from there, you can indentify a testing centre by having a sign like this outside:

 

 

As you mentioned highway 36 I assume you are in the pattaya area?

 

If so there are several testing centres about but I have used one located here before:

 

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@12.9240595,100.8982413,3a,37.5y,0.03h,97.22t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soMI36_HGshax_hooMWvucA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

The testing centre can also sell you the compulsory government insurance. You then take the test certificate and the government insurance certificate to the  land transport office (pattaya its the one on highway 36 near regents school) and get the tax sticker. Alternatively I think you can buy the tax sticker in Big C South Pattaya on Saturday mornings but I am not sure if this is still possible.

 

Just to note this is not a new requirement, this has been the case for cars over 7 years old and motorbikes over 5 years old for some time.

 

Hope that helps

Thanks for that. I will give that one a recce. I'm sure I know where it is, thanks to your map. Between Pattaya Thai and Central.

Thank you for those replies. Most helpful. I should have said I live near the lake outside Pattaya and I'll now check out some of the garages for the sign you have kindly posted.

I've been here 11 years and have had two new cars, but two years ago I decided to re-locate to Spain and sold my 4 year old Toyota.   Brexit ruined everything in respect to the fall in the pound against the euro, so I came back to Thailand last December and picked up this 17 y,o. Toyota, as I needed a car. It's done 240.000 km but purrs along and is in good shape.  I only mention this because for all those previous years (as I said earlier) my private insurance co-incided with my tax renewal and I simply asked my broker to tax the car at the time of insurance renewal.

(Didn't want to give the impression I was some helpless wimp!!)

Thanks again.

I've read and re-read many of the posts on this topic, but  it merely 'confuses' me at times Sorry - it's probably age!.

Anyway, my car is a 1999 Toyota and is due to be re-taxed on Dec 8. I read of people taking the car to a garage and getting an MOT type certificate and then getting the tax.

As I do not know a garage near me that does that, can I simply take the car to the centre on Highway 36 and they will test it and tax it all in one go?.  Also, can I do it before the expiry date or does it have to be on the day?.

Will one of those shacks opposite do the paperwork for me? No Thai wife/gf etc.

Sorry for such a simple question but it's the first time I have had to do this, as before I've always had the private insurance shop do it for me - as my previous cars were all fairly new and didn't need the 'test'

Many thanks

I know it's unfortunate circumstances that have required the local stations to change their profile of programmes and music during the period of mourning. I understand that and, oddly I welcome it, after listening to 103fm this morning.  (It's not the presenters etc. but the music). I think, but cannot be sure, that most people have the radio on as 'background' whilst they get on with other things.

It was so much easier to listen today with a variety of more relaxing music, rather than that 'mid-Atlantic' stuff normally banging away. Keep that for the evening's.

I know, I know it's age, but I hope the radio station might take this opportunity to survey listeners on this matter, whilst they have an opportunity.

Hmmmm....guess I'll get it in the neck!

It's not really relevant to compare rates to the mid 90's. I first came here in 1989 and recall it was about 40 then. But, of course, things here were much cheaper then and my income much higher as I was still at work on paid holiday

I'm sure this applies to many retirees etc .  We are where we are, and although it's no good re-hashing all the referendum divisions I still cannot understand how anyone living here could argue 'we now have our freedom back' when the Brexit  talks are gong down the pan. (Clearly I voted remain as I believe narrow nationalism is the scourge of the world.)

I'm afraid this latest 'no deal' scenario is likely to impact once again on the devaluation of the pound.

Personally, and I know I'll get it in the neck, but I would support some form of second referendum when the actual outcome is absolutely clear, but before ratification by the UK and EU parliaments. If the 'Brexiteers' are so confident then they will simply win again and that's that.  

Prior to the vote, I remember having rather heated discussions with some of my friends in Birmingham who were adamant that immigration was the big issue. But.....it was not EU immigration, it was the flow from the sub continent they were passionate about. Some even believed we could send people back to those areas once we left the EU.

It's all such a mess now. So sad. I suppose I should feel pride in having my freedom back, given I live in a country where I have no vote and which is run by a military government, not that I'm really affected in my daily life by that. That's a matter for the Thai people.

Although I don't drink, I heard on the radio that they are closed until midnight. End of Buddhist lent or something.