moonoi

But you do here...so get used to it and learn how to drive and survive in Thailand.

Expect the unexpected..

I agree with this, although I don't necessarily agree that the worst drivers in Thailand are farang. There are too few foriegners driving here to have any meaningful impact on accident rates etc.

Maigo6 you say 40000 death occur on US road every year compared to 14000 (US data from 2002, Thai data from 2000) in Thailand even so compare to the UK which only had 3508 deaths (2003) on the road. So you can hardly say thai roads are safe.

The problem with quoting numbers like this is that its not really accurate, really we should be comparing the numbers from the same years to make a fairer comparison. And what would be more interesting is a breakdown of the causes of these accidents (I suspect a lot in Thailand are due to drunk driving)

There are far more cars on the road now in thailand than in 2000 and I suspect somewhat more road deaths last year than 14000 however the MIB haven't released data since 2000 so for now you can't do an accurate comparison.

So based on the above data, I surmise that Thai and US Citizens should not be allowed to drive in Thailand, only UK drivers in order to make the roads safer

Actually my own personal view on driving here is only that if Thai drivers were more aware of what is going on around them whilst driving and were a little more courtious (it would be nice to be able to merge with traffic without having a battle of wills against another thai driver that "just has to be in front" because I might delay them arriving at there destination by 5 seconds) then there would be less accidents, freer flowing traffic and happier people all around

I wouldn't listen to anyone knocking the idea of a front bar, The main purpose of those bars is to keep your truck from getting scraped by passing motor bikes and to keep front end damage down on very low speed collisions, I.E. bumping something with your trucks front end.

I for one am FOR them, they DO keep that damage down.

As far as other accessories you can get them down at the chinatown area pretty cheap. lots of sellers there so you can bargain ;-)

Greg

I suppose they might have some advantages. It will keep that front bumper scratch free, so that you can go into your head on collision with the drunken bus driver with a pristine bumper. Then the front end bars force the engine to be pushed into the passenger compartment, along with some of the aforementioned front bumper.

Makes sense, In a weird twisted warped kinda way.

Man,

You are really in fantasy land here.

How would having a front bar cause the engine to get pushed back into the passenger compartment?

If you care have a look behind the plastic bumper you will see a....big steel bar!

It is impossible to be able to judge how a car will react in a real world accident, there are too many variables. That is why you will hear of some people having a "miraculous escape" and walking away from a wreck and others not being so lucky.

Bung

I know what he is talking about.......not in fantasy land at all.......a few years back in the US/UK there was lots of talk about just this as the non manufacturer approved bars mounted onto engine mounting points and not chassis frame which in the event of an accident it pushed the engine into the passenger compartment. I believe that these are banned now........can't remember how long ago it was though.

To griser

I understand your point, but can you understand the problem I just described. Can you be sure that all bars made here in thailand mount to points on chassis where it wouldn't bypass the crumple zones etc.

We're just having a discussion so no need to be so touchy about it!!!!

Im certainly not a mechanical engineer, but I am trying to wrap my brain around how the bars would fall off during a front end collision. Wouldn't they be pinned in between the two objects be it vehicle vs vehicle or vehicle vs. solid object? Perhaps after the accident, when you are towing it, it might fall off, causing several more accidents in the process (this is Thailand, after all) .

I'm with you on this one.

I fail to see how having an additional lump of metal.....no matter how strong or weak.......does not inhibit the effectiveness of the crumple zones

I can understand nokia wanting them for offroading though if these ones available in thailand are so bad, have to wonder about there effectiveness even for keeping tree branches away from you paintwork (or motorcycles).

Great stuff, ABS. Even top of the line motorcycles have them now, if you're already spending over US$11,000. And the new Honda Gold Wing 1800 is available with an airbag!

Yeah but the Gold Wing is just a car with two wheels innit

I've no problem with ABS when it works properly, its just here the braking force when applying them hard does feel as strong as with the cars I owned in Europe and the ABS feels like it kicks in way to early.The Mazda3 and Civic when the ABS engaged didn't feel like it was cycling several times a second more like several times a minute.

Anyway I'm getting used to it now still prefer the setup in my old european cars

I once drove a Kia Sportage that had ABS and brake power was completely appalling. It seriously would not do any kind of emergency stop. Terrible.

An Isuzu truck I drive occasionally doesn't have ABS but brakes noticably worse than other vehicles (also pickups) I drive. It has done so from the start (bought new) and through loads of services and brake-pad changes. Wonder if anything could be done about that?

My Toyota Corolla T-Sport in the uk had great ABS. My Mazda here is terrible when the ABS kicks in I seriously wonder if it is going to stop in time!!!! But this doesn't seem any differant to the Honda Civic I owned previously here or my friends Altis. I'm coming to the conclusion that even though they claim the equipment used in the SE models is the same standard as those used in models exported to the US and Europe that in fact this isn't true.

In fact I'd love to disable the ABS in my car as I think its more dangerous with it active in its current setup.

Now where Emilio to advise on what Brembo setup can be fitted to uprate the system

Unless you have some special skill, that is not available in the Thai labour

market, you will not get a job.

There are many skilled IT people in Thailand.

It is as simple as that.

That's it Astral ... you tell im. And tell im bout all the world class Thai software companies

who sell their products all around the globe. Let's see, Oracle , naw thays Yanks, SAP, nope

think theys Krauts, Cmon help me out here.

Actually the company I work for is world class Headquartered in Bkk with parent group in the UK, 2000 employees locally and a MS preferred solution provider. We mainly use Thailand for C&M of our mature products and some product support.

You don't want to hire foreigners because the salary is too low for us and because of the unfair labour regulation that requires a company that hires a foreigner must employ 5 locals.

Well I can assure that isn't the case. Its simply because we don't need to go outside of thailand for these particular skills. In fact its the same in the US/UK for getting foreigners permits to work requiring that you demonstrate a skillset that is not available locally, and it can be just as difficult to obtain as here.

I think the roads are a lot more slippery here in Thailand than Australia so the moment the computer senses the wheel slipping the ABS will cut in giving you maxim braking with out locking up so I think thats why it cuts in a lot earlier in Thailand and giving you the sense of less braking power

Or I could just be full of shit

No you are not full of shit, the road surfaces here feel as thou they are covered in sand compared to the UK ones.

My tyres last at least twice the mileage I used to get back home which would support your idea.

Perhaps made worse by all that diesel, cooking oil and other crap that gets baked into the surface of the roads here

Although I still feel the ABS comes in too early.....I'm sure I could brake harder without locking up. Or could it be the braking system is setup differantly on autos from manuals? This is only the second car with an auto box I've driven (the other being a Land Rover Discovery back in the UK/France).

In another topic I mentioned that I had noticed the following on my cars in Thailand:

On a side note I have noticed that the ABS on cars here seems to activate earlier and the braking force is not as strong than cars I've driven in europe and the US. Anyone know if this is due to the road surface or are the brakes just not as good? In both my madza 3 and my old civic rx I can push the brake pedal to the floor quite easily, something that wasn't so easy in my european model cars

Looking deeper into this, I noticed that I get huge brake dust deposits on the rear wheels but not on the front. My cars in europe the opposite was true.

To me this suggests that the braking systems here are setup with nore of a bias to the rear......it would also explain why I feel the braking force is not as strong. Also the ABS seems to come in early too.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to change the brake bias more towards the front? Or to improve the performance without uprating calipers etc etc. I'm not sure of the benefits of cross drilled discs and sports pads (I made this modifcation once to an old E36 BMW back in the UK and didn't notice much of an improvement).

FYI My car isn't modified at all, everything manufacturer standard

Oh and before this car I had a Honda Civic RX and that was exactly the same, so I don't think its a problem with the braking system.

I got a loan 50% down, no thai guarantor and registered in my name. I think at the end of the day it depends on the finance company. Get the dealer to call them and ask, rather than take there word that it can't be done (they seem to be lazy to do any footwork to get a sale here!)

The finance company I use is GE Capital.

I managed 30% down but don't have a wp hence they insisted on a Thai's name....

Did you have to produce a wp ?

Yeah I had to produce a work permit. I guess that gives them some sense of security

5. Break lights that flash 4 times automatic when you just break once.

I have one of those brake lamp flasher installed on my car. I thought it's more eye-catching and noticeable from the distance when on highways, therefore reducing the chance of rear collision. You can set the number of times it blinks BTW. Perhaps up to 15 times or so in the interval of 4 - 5 seconds. It only flashes for that long and will stay lit for as long as you leave your foot stepped on brake pedal.

I agree with chanchao, they are really irritating. I have no idea whether your braking or just playing with the brake pedal. The light should go on and stay on, not flash like a disco!!!

I hate those huge rear wings that are clearly not designed for the car they have been attached to

Thanks for your latest comments moonoi which i for one appreciate.

I am at this time researching the export of my Thai Dmax and what mods will be required to get it certified there for registration.

I hope to get some feed back eventually with details and also much it,s going to cost me.

I,ll will post any feedback as and when i get it.

I got some useful advice from another thread in the motoring section i started on the subject and will follow that up at the same time.

marshbags

No problem!

From the top of my head you'll need glowplugs (for those cold uk mornings) and I believe the thai dmax doesn't have a heater in the cab. or you could just buy a nice warm ski jacket instead

There wasn,t a mention of what you refer to and in fact the rating for safety was excellent.

I also did not find any detrimental from U.K. sources.

One friend is a long distance lorry driver and travels world wide on various duties,

You should hear some of the stories he tells about " vegetables " driving about.

He reckoned that that the later Dmax is sound from a safety point and even downloaded a report feature from one of the top auto magazines he,d actually read and had saved from a couple of months previously.

Looking at the last few posts regarding drag racing ect. I,d like to hope your joking.

If not, these comments say volumes for your driving mentality and puts you in the catergory

along side all the very people that are responsible for lots of the accidents in Thailand.

These type of drivers speed off oblivious to the chaos the leave behind along with all the zombies stupid enough to follow................................. yes we,ve all witnessed this.

marshbags

Yes I was joking, You'll notice the comments about drag racing etc were not made by me. I don't advocate drag racing on public roads. However I do believe most people have partaken in that particular activity from time to time for whatever reason. May even have done it myself in my youth

What I would be careful of is using UK based sources as vehicles sold there are not the same as those for the Thai domestic market.

My brother-in-law works in the car industry back in the uk. Its well known that a ladder frame chassis with a body bolted on top is not as safe as a monocoque construction in the event of an accident. Yes the current crop of pickups are about as safe as you can get, but they still don't offer anywhere near the level of safety as a car. Obviously the one thing that gives its ability to carry heavy loads is the same thing that makes it more dangerous.

Anyway I'm not knocking trucks, I quite like the styling of them myself. I just personally think that they are not suitable as everyday family transport. Without a load in the back your likely to loose control much more easily under heavy braking. That coupled with a high centre of gravity......well you know what I think by now

I was going to get a honda jazz and spotted one off the Nong Khai Udon highway near the police

control.

It was in a very sorry state when i looked at it and no way could the occupants have got out of it safely.

I sought and received advice on something safer for my family.

The Isuzu Dmax Hi lander was the most suited for my requirements.

Don,t you think it,s mostly down to the person behind the wheel that determines most of the

accidents with pick ups and unofficial modifications on them, along with the loading.

Some are higher than a single decker bus and have more passengers, but then that,s not as serious to the police as the wearing of a helmet, plastic of course.

I have seen several newer pickups with varying degrees of damage at the garage just below Lotus

in Udon who get some in an awful state. They get Isuzu and Toyota, most not very old.

However i have not seen much evidence of human damage in them and i feel reassured from this in my own mind and also what i was told.

If we drive at a reasonable speed and always assume most Thai drivers do not recognise the existence of the highway code and drive accordingly, then maybe.......................

our safety improves immensely.

Take care.......... marshbags

Again I think you'll find the information you've been advised is not correct. A pickup is probably one of the most dangerous vehicles to use just for your family (ie if your not using it for its designed purpose). Theres no way I would use a pickup as my main form of family transport. If I lived out in the sticks then I would buy a 4x4 SUV (not anything with leaf springs at the rear mind). Fine if your actually using the pickup shifting loads, but as previously you were considering a Jazz I doubt that you are.

Just because the pickup is structurally intact does not mean the occupants survived, in fact its precisely the "Strength" of a pickup that makes them more dangerous than cars in an accident and also why people think they are safer. You'd also be suprised at how deformed the structure of a car can get and the occupents still survive, the point is to make sure you survive the impact (and not to make sure the vehicle is still drivable afterwards!).

Just to reinforce my point in a pickup, as they have very little in the way of crumple zones (this is due to the construction, body ontop of frame as opposed to a monocoque used by most cars) the forces of the impact will be transmitted through your body instead of being absorbed by the vehicle. So your insides get rammed against the inside of your ribcage at a force not much less than what the pickup got when it hit the wall. And thats what kills you. And thats why most accidents in which people die here in thailand are in pickups. But don't worry, your safe because its "Strong" right

Still at the end of the day the best thing to do is as you say drive carefully and try not to hit anything or if you do, don't hit it hard

I got a loan 50% down, no thai guarantor and registered in my name. I think at the end of the day it depends on the finance company. Get the dealer to call them and ask, rather than take there word that it can't be done (they seem to be lazy to do any footwork to get a sale here!)

The finance company I use is GE Capital.

They are "good value" because they are of a simpler construction than a family salon/sedan and do not have the same in-built safety features

Nonsense. Pickups are excellent value because they are taxed at a much lower rate than sedans, as simple as that.

Compare a Toyota top-end Vigo pickup with the Fortuner SUV. Exactly same car, only difference is the Fortuner has a closed bed and cost nearly twice the price of the pickup mostly due to different taxation.

The examples of going 180 or 200 km/h in a pickup is also nonsense, no standard diesel pickup will go faster than around 130 km/h even with the biggest 3.0DT engine available.

Actually what you say is nonsense. Pickups are built to a more simple design. Its basically a ladder frame with a body bolted on top. Yes the structures maybe stronger that a car, but in the event of an accident you don't want strength...you want to be able to dissipate the forces of an accident away from the passenger cabin. Hence cars have crumple zones along with the active safety measures such as ABS.

So loose control of your truck and plow into a wall at 100kph, and it might not be too badly damaged but all the forces involved will be absorbed by your body instead....end result is your dead in an accident that would most likely have been survivable in a car.

Oh and standard top model trucks (triton 3.2 GLS / vigo 3.0)can push 180kph very easily indeed. I think manufacturers should actually fit limiters to them........but then I guess you'd create a whole new after market in derestricting pickups

On a side note I have noticed that the ABS on cars here seems to activate earlier and the braking force is not as strong than cars I've driven in europe and the US. Anyone know if this is due to the road surface or are the brakes just not as good? In both my madza 3 and my old civic rx I can push the brake pedal to the floor quite easily, something that wasn't so easy in my european model cars.

Nice looking car... will the same model be released in Thailand?

A word about sunroofs... I currently have a car with a sunroof, and it never gets opened... it's simply too hot here to use one.

Another disadvantage is, although the sunroof glass does have a sliding plate under it, if you are driving at or around midday, it gets bloody hot underneath it... no insulation.

Funny my car has a sunroof too, but.......I use mine quite often. It only gets hot when your stopped in traffic, but when your moving its great. Get less of the BKK "perfume" coming into the car than when using the side windows!!!!

I prefer it to using the aircon but then maybe thats because I'm cheap and want my tank of fuel to last as long as possible

Hi

What I mean is that for the vacancies we currently have we will not sponser work permits. Therefore you have to be able to legally work in thailand without a wp.

I only posted the salaries to give you a guide to what you could expect in the local market should you be able to find employment.

best regards

mn

Hello

I'm currently looking for a job as a .NET software developer (that's more sophisticated stuff than just a plain web designer...).

Does anybody know what salary I could expect in Bangkok?

Thanx!

Depends on whether its a thai software house or an international company.

Our place is the later and we pay between 25k (for new grad) upto 50-60k for experienced (Senior)developers. Doesn't matter if its .Net or C++ same rate. According to the staff that work here thats a pretty good rate.

All rates are in baht per month and we only take people that don't need a work permit to be employed in bkk.

No vancancies at the moment though in your field but at least you have a guide to the going rate now

There's a car around with an Isuzu badge, yet it's a Honda Civic. I've seen a few, what's the deal with that?

I believe they were built under license from Honda. Not very popular though...

Can anyone confirm that?

Do you guys not see this all over where you grew up?

In NZ it is commonplace; certainly not unique to Thailand?!

Agreed its the same in the UK

Loads of Ford Escort 1.3L badged as RS or XR3i or Ford Sierras' with Cossie badges or BMWs' with Alpina or AC Schnitzer badges (why only upgrade to an M3?)

For me my dream machine would be a Koenigsegg CCR, quite some machine and it comes from the home of Volvo Check it out:

Performance

Acceleration: 0-100 km/h (0–62 mph) 3.2 seconds

Top speed: 395+ km/h (242+ mph)

Standing quartermile: 9 seconds, end speed 235 km/h (146 mph)

Braking distance: 31 m (100–0 km/h)

Lateral g-force: 1.3 g

Fuel consumption: Highway travel: 13 l/100 km

Combined: 17 l/100 km

Aerodynamics

Cd. 0.297. Frontal area 1.825 m2. Completely flat underside of chassis. Venturi tunnels at the rear of chassis/body.

Engine

Type: V8 cast aluminium, 4 valves per cylinder, double overhead camshafts. Cam cover of carbonfibre.

Displacement: 4.700 cm3.

Compression: 8.6:1

Weight: 215 kg

Lubrication system: Dry sump with unique oil spray piston cooling. Oil cooler.

Oil: SAE 10W60 fully synthetic racing.

Oil tank capacity: 12 litres (2.64 gallons)

Induction system: Sequential, multipoint fuel injection. Dual Rotrex centrifugal compressors with 1.4 max boost pressure. Intercooler.

Fuel: 98 RON unleaded.

Ignition system: Direct coil on plug. Transistorised.

Power output: 806 bhp at 6.900 rpm.

Maximum torque: 920 Nm (678 ftlb) at 5.700 rpm.

Maximum rpm: 7.600 rpm.

Transmission

Specially developed 6-speed gearbox by Cima. Incorporated internal oil pump and oil cooler. Torque sensitive, limited slip differential.

Clutch: Dual Plate, organic or cintered ุ 215 mm (8.46 inch). Oil-cooled and electronically operated

Mean machine Doubt could drive it around BKK though

Next time I'll take some pictures and post it! Most wasnt 150km/h it was 165-170kh/m! Ok whatever!!!!

Hmmm.....that'll make an interesting excuse to the insurance/police should you crash

"Sorry officer, this person on thai visa motoring forum didn't believe I could average a 134+kph from bkk to chang mai, so I took my hands off the wheel to video/take pictures as proof" assuming you'd survive of course.

Still I can remember way back when crossing Germany from Netherland to Denmark on my way to Finland in my Seat Ibiza GTi F2 rally car (the real thing not a replica with an aftermarket body kit) took me just 2-3 hours including a stop for fuel and a bite to eat. Really miss the autobahns.........

Nice wheels Emillio.

Maybe Terdsak or someone can give a difinitive answer but I think that changing the size of the wheels/tyres can/does affect the speedo reading, I also think it can affect the suspension as well but I'm not sure.

Yeah thats right. When increasing the rim size you have to keep the rolling radius the same (or as close as possible) to the standard fit rims, in general I believe if you had 195/55/16 and want a 17 inch the tyre size should be 205/45/17 or 215/40/17. At least thats what the garage in the uk told me where I used to have all my cars sorted Or......get the speedo recalibrated to your new setup, which is what I think Emilio would have to do to get it accurate as I reckon 22" rims without rubber are probably almost as big as the old ones with rubber

I've been told that, apart from insurance, I may have to pay some kind of transfer fee when I buy. I think that this is on a sliding scale depending on the price.

If you're thinking of buying more upmarket, my son has just bought himself a Mitsubishi Strada. I think it cost around 3-400,000 baht and he got it on some kind of credit agreement. The problem with one of those is that you need a Thai guarantor and the interest rate if sky high.

Yes you do have to pay a transfer fee for the registration.

Your information on credit is not entirely correct though, it is not necessary to have a thai guarantor if you put 50% deposit up front (this is what I did)

All registered in my name

Great, only one problem

The holiday on 3rd of Jan was cancelled and replaced with 19th April

"The Bank of Thailand have recently announced that the public holiday that was originally planned for 3 January has now been replaced by a holiday on 19 April for the Senate Election Day."

Can the calender be updated to reflect this?

Cheers :-)

Sorry, but that information is wrong. Jan 2 & 3rd were official goverment holidays announced by the Thai government. Only thing I can think of is there is one banking holiday each year (fiscal settlements) and is usually in June or July. At any case the calendar is correct for the 3rd.

As for Songkran, the offical days off due to one day (15) being on a weekend will not be announced by the government until closer to that day. May be the previous Wed (12) or the following Mon (17). The gov decides based on various balancing variables.

Just looked at the bot site. Those holidays only apply to commercial banks and finance companies. April 19 is marked as "special holiday" is probably the fiscal year bank holiday. Jan 3 apparantly wasn't a bank holiday but it was a government holiday (our university was closed those days 2,3)

So in fact what your really saying is that I'm not entirely wrong My company cancelled the 3rd Jan holiday and replaced it with the 19th April. I also know people at other companies that are not banks or finance companies that also did the same.

Quite confusing and I know this annoyed alot of people as they had already planned there Christmas/New year break and return to find they had taken an extra days holiday instead!!!!!