HauptmannUK

Its certainly too good to be true if you can't get a decent signal. In my case I was finding with AIS that I was get fluctuating signal levels that meant frequent drop-outs - no good when streaming movies etc. You need to experiment with the different providers.

Probably an agent is the easiest way forward...?

Can you advise on how to identify 'good quality' plastic? As I posted earlier, we have galvanised metal wall boxes in our workshop in the UK that were installed in the early 1960's that basically look good as new. We also have plastic junction boxes installed about 30 years ago that have gone brittle. The plastic items are MK brand (a reputable UK brand).

In the UK it is usual to use galvanised metal back boxes let into brickwork or blockwork. The back box has an earthing terminal, however this is not normally used because the box will earth via the fitting's 3.5mm mounting screws. Boxes mounted into stud/hollow walling are normally plastic and come with anchor 'wings' to lock them into the wall. Metal boxes are more durable than plastic. I recently did some work on a property that was built in 1960 and the metal boxes were in perfect shape. In contrast some plastic junction boxes that were fitted about 25 years ago had gone brittle and had cracked.

They want council tax bill or utility bill showing your name and address. I used previous year's council tax bill and they accepted it.

Don't know if you are already seeing a doctor in connection with this but having previously used testosterone gel for several years my advice is to speak to an endocrinologist. Taking testosterone is not without side effects.

Surely if wanting to protect assets in the UK you need a UK lawyer?

There is a lot of hysteria in the media about 'paedophiles' - rarely a week goes by without some report of abuse (or historical abuse). And then of course there are fictional and non-fictional TV shows (e.g. Netflix about Jimmy Savile, Epstein etc). I think all of this makes parents overly sensitive and protective. True paedophilia is an attraction to pre-pubescent girls/boys and I think is relatively rare. Unfortunately these days the term often seems to be applied to any man who is with, or looks at, a girl who is significantly younger than he is. So a 50 year old guy with a 19 year old girl is now considered a 'paedophile'. And of course some well-developed mid-teens girls can look 20+ with a bit of makeup...

Family car sales/service business in the UK has a pitch with up to 40 cars max. We used to employ a valeter but now have a contract with a mobile guy who stops by about twice a week. Full valet inc engine bay is £36-50 per car (the higher price is for leather trim). Obviously he will charge more to his retail customers - prob twice that. There are 'detailers' around that do so-called 'paint correction', apply 'nanocoatings' and all manner of stuff for which you can pay a small fortune. Mostly its BS but a lot of people buy into it I guess.

To get a modern car started you need two things: 1. Enough battery voltage to drive the fuel pump, injectors and ignition system. 2. Turn over the engine. For (1) 6-7V is required. So even a very depleted battery will still provide sufficient voltage. For (2) a starter motor will probably need 11V or more. But you COULD manually turn the engine, as shown in the video. Its really just the equivalent of the old 'starting handle'. So yes this will work so long as you have enough juice to power the engine management. If the battery is completely flat then it won't work. The altetnator won't charge either because it requires a rotor excitation current from the battery to start charging. The little lithium booster packs will work if the battery is just a bit weak. If the battery is heavily depleted they do nothing. In the workshop we have several jump packs - these are basically just big high capacity batteries.

On this Isuzu the driver's lock is the Master Lock and the microswitches within it provide the lock/unlock signals to the other three lock motors (Slave Locks). The fault is likely to be dirty/worn switch contacts within the driver's door lock. A broken wire between the driver's door and A-post is another (less likely) possibility. A new door lock is about GBP200+ in UK. No idea of Thai price but won't be cheap. Maybe try a secondhand part. The central locking ECU responds to the signal from the remote and then fires off a pulse to the driver's door lock which then supplies lock/unlock signals to the other locks as described above. The key transponder relates to the engine start immobiliser system and is nothing to do with the door locking system.

The vast majority of automatic transmission have a pick-up screen (gauze) in the oil pan, rather than a filter as such. The pick up screen is there to catch large pieces of debris such as chips off gear teeth. It does not catch fine debris. In conventional Jatco autos the screen is not considered a service item. If there is so much debris that it becomes blocked then you already have major problems! Some people do like to change the pickup screen though, and it does no harm. Clean the magnets in the oil pan at the same time. CVT autos are a different ball game and they do shed swarf throughout service. The Jatco CVT7 (Almera, Suzuki, small Mitsu) has both a pickup screen AND an externally mounted paper element filter. The paper filter should be changed when the fluid is changed.

I find it hard to watch Scotty - with all the arm waving etc I think he's become a bit of a parody of himself. I agree with the broad thrust of his argument though, that Toyota and Honda are good, but there's only so many ways you can say that before it gets boring. He's also correct about the shortcomings of some German cars. Our family business in the UK tends to specialise in MB and BMW/MINI service and repair. Its a profitable market. In the UK there are large numbers of ex-lease/PCP MB and BMW on the market. The second/third owners invariably cannot afford franchise dealer maintenance costs and that is where we come in. We have the diagnostic tools and equipment to tackle these cars and its not difficult to comfortably undercut dealer prices yet still return a good margin. We repair other makes too, with the major exception of JLR products. Toyotas and Hondas seldom give much trouble - largely regular servicing (not much profit) and friction products (big profits).

Common thing with Hondas is that they get refilled with Dexron ATF because the genuine Honda fluid is expensive. Honda fluid is a bit more viscous and has additives to lubricate seals. Shifting is also a bit smoother with proper Honda fluid.

Your fluid is dark because it is carrying suspended debris (tiny particles of friction material and rubber from seals). ATF does wear out. It oxidises and the various additives degrade or evaporate. There is a theory the the detergents aNd dispersants in new fluid will disturb varnish and debris in an old gearbox. However in many years of dealing with automatic transmissions I have never known fresh fluid to harm a box that wan't already on its last legs. Problem is a customer will bring in a car that's playing up and ask for a fluid change in the hope that its a cheap fix. A month later the box dies completely and the customer blames the new fluid for 'making it worse'. For your gearbox I would suggest Valvolene 'High Mileage' Dexron ATF - its available in TH. It has additives to soften seals and less detergent than standard Dexron fluid. The gearbox holds 7 litres but you will only drain 3 litres. So do a drain and refill. Then drive the car few km. Then do another drain and refill. You will have changed 75% of fluid. Level is checked with fluid hot and engine running on level ground. Move selector through all positions. Return to P. Check fluid level. Don't overfil.

Speaking as someone who has had to diagnose many faults over the years I would say its probably not worth going to a mechanic at the moment. No disrespect, but the average driver is pretty poor at describing noises and faults on a car, and even location of a noise. If you listen to the driver you're quite likely to go off on a wild goose chase. E.g. they will report 'whine from gearbox' when its actually a bad rear wheel bearing etc. You will find that most vehicle technicians will want to hear the noise themselves otherwise it can be a waste of time and money for all concerned. As far as your gearbox in concerned check that the fluid is cherry red colour without any 'glitter' (metal filings) and to the correct level.

Given that the noise has stopped then locating its source is going to be difficult....... If the noise returns get the car straight round to a mechanic.

In the UK the K12 Micra was fitted with the Jatco RE4F03 - a conventional four-speed auto with lock up clutch. I assume Thai market cars would be the same. This gearbox was fitted on almost all Nissans of that era - including the Primera, Maxima/QX etc. Virtually indestructable. The only common fault was internal leak from the oil pump at high mileage leading to oil starvation and failure of various bearings - especially on the torque converter. IIRC we never actually repaired one. In your case (assuming the noise is coming from the transmission) then it does sound like failure of the TC bushing or possibly the front clutch bearing/assembly. On a car of this age the best option is probably to fit a secondhand gearbox. But get a decent mechanic to diagnose first. Schematic diagrams and repair procedures for the gearbox are available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12HxsHQXfMpF738Bz7ReKEp71Dt0kIWEJ/view

According to the strict letter of Thai Law (UN Traffic Treaty 1949 and Thai Traffic Act 1979), an IDP is not required if you are a tourist/visitor in Thailand as long as your license is in English, has a photo, and your country is a contracting state of the 1949 treaty. Under other circumstances you will require an IDP. My experience of bigger car hire companies (e.g. Hertz) is that they DO ask for an IDP. IDP or home country licence is valid for up to 60 days on a tourist visa or 90 days on a non-O. Beyond that you should get a Thai licence. Travel insurance is another matter and you need to read your policy. Some don't cover travel on two wheels, some cover up to 200cc etc..

A family member is flying into Chiang Mai for a holiday later in the year. He's renting a car and would like to spend seven days travelling to Mae Sot, Pai, Chiang Rai and then back to CM. He's asked me for itinerary ideas, but its many years since I was in that part of the country, so wondering if any of you guys familiar with the North have suggestions?

I need to park my car at Chiang Mai airport for about 7 days. I've only visited CM a couple of times and the airport only once (about 7 years ago), so not very familiar with it. 1. Is on-airport parking readily available (i.e. normally plenty of spaces so I can just turn up and be sure of finding a space)? 2. Can anyone recommend secure off-airport parking near to the airport? Thanks.

If its not too late then I suggest you switch to a different car hire company. Green Motion have a very bad reputation for 'finding' damage when the car is returned. Their damage charges are ludicrous. The premises of our family business in the UK (motor trade) is located a short distance from a Green Motion franchisee and I am very aware of their modus operandi. If you do hire a car from them then I suggest taking out excess insurance cover and thoroughly photograph every panel on the car. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-46974240

As I said, our business supplies and fits dashcams. Very few customers would accept an install using a cigar lighter adapter. They often want to use the cigar lighter socket for other accessories (mobile phone charging), running the wire from the lighter socket to where it runs behind the dash looks untidy, and of course on many vehicles (e.g. most VW/Audi, many Fords) the lighter socket stays live when ignition is switched off - potentially leading to a flat battery if the car is left parked for a long time. Most customers expect an 'invisible' install.

Free party snacks included........

Our family company in the UK is a long-established (101 years) car sales and servicing business with a good reputation to uphold. We install only NextBase dashcams. NextBase are a UK company with around 80% of the UK dashcam market and about 67% in Europe. Also available in Thailand I believe. They are good quality at a reasonable price and we've had very few problems. They perform well at low levels, with good resolution to read plate numbers. You really need to install front and rear cameras. Use a good quality genuine U3 Class 10 SD card (we use NextBase branded cards - never a problem). Using a cigar-lighter adapter looks messy and you end up with wire trailing across the dash. Hard-wiring is very easy. A NextBase hardwire kit should be less than ฿1000 and include fuse spurs in the three common automotive fuse styles. Connecting into the fuse box takes a matter of minutes. Route the cable behind trim using a set of plastic trim tools (฿50 from Mr DIY).