Jen65

ah, no , I will try that and see if makes any difference . People may ask why I then have a 4x4 but the reason for that is this !! which I need to tow plus put down and recover on a slipway !!

agreed , that's what I stated in my post because I have had American Muscle cars before and transmissions could only be repaired or opened by specialists - not the average mechanic here !

oh and yes it is a 4x4 1st registered 2005 This was special model then labelled as "Elegance"

many thanks for the info . I did also have a 6.6ltr Pontiac Transam when I lived in Canada !!! some motor !!

The "clunk " happens when in drive sometimes stopping ,sometimes starting off . I have been inclined to knock it out of drive in neutral when stopped for more than a minute or so - is this bad for transmission ?? as I would have thought it was better for the transmission rather than have it trying to drive the car forward with the brake on ??

thanks for that - will do that before plumping for what could be very expensive and unnecessary repairs

the mechanic put it on the lift and we checked the propshaft / diff for movement and we also checked the engine mounts - nothing there . I do have the workshop manual and do have a fair bit of engineering /mechanical knowledge and that's why I wanted to check under with the mechanic because I don't take their word as gospel !!!

Thank you , will give it a go !

I have a Toyota Vigo D4D in great condition but the transmission is giving me a "clunk" when I stop or start off so there seems to be movement in A/T box which is getting slowly worse . I have 200,000km on the clock and this is genuine because cars history was on Toyota's records when bought , although I tend not to use them now . My mechanic , who is really only a basic mechanic , quote 30,000 baht for parts and 3000 baht for labour but I can't understand how a figure can be given until the box is opened up to see where the problem is . Even then I am wary of of having a basic mechanic undertake the job as A/T boxes are really a specialized trade and best "repaired " by obtaining a service exchange unit - one that has been professionally rebuilt and guaranteed . Does anyone have any knowledge of aa) where a service exchange box might be obtained / fitted bb) a specialist/dedicated A/T repair shop to undertake the job ???

This topic is becoming very interesting and informative .The main problem with Moo Baans/walled estates is that when the Thai Government made the Condominium Act they never made one for walled estates . Thus it was up to the individual owners to set up whatever management they voted on . I understand that some Moo Baans set up a Juristic Entity with a Juristic Manager and Committee registered at the Land Office . I also heard that some estates are run as a "company" with each property owner a shareholder . I am not sure about so called "village co-operatives ?? I bought a house is a seemingly nice / maintained small Moo Baan and pleased with things until after the first year when my partner received a call to pay the communal fees into the given bank account . As my house is company owned I asked for a proper written invoice signed by the Juristic / Chairman however nothing has been forthcoming. I found the bank account account is a Juristic bank account so that is fine but then I decided to dig deeper and being an owner I was able to attend the Land Office and obtain the file on the Moo Bann as a listed Juristic Entity . Only problem was that since it's formation some 20 years ago , nothing has been entered , no minutes of meetings ,no accounts and no information on current Committee members . There was a copy of the Village Rues/Regulations as originally deposited /approved. I found the name/address of said person whom "running" the village and sent a registered letter asking why no entries in the Juristic Entity which is actually a legal requirement like annual company accounts .I also stated I was more than willing to help , join a Committee , help set up an emergency Executive Committee if need be and pay my communal fees but I needed a proper invoice to put through my "company account" ( as I said) . I also stated that with no legal Juristic / Committee or documents filed at the Land Office, then nobody had any legal powers to enforce anything ie Communal payments / Rules and Regulations . I'm still waiting for a reply . As far as I am aware , if there is a legally registered Juristic then action can be taken , through the courts , to recover non payment of communal fees from the Owner or whoever owns the property (even the bank) . This can only be done for up to five years as after that the debts are automatically removed so it pays to wait until year 4 to obtain a large amount and help offset the management charges .Sometimes it is necessary to set an example to force payment . I would be interested to hear other information/comments on so called " Village Co-Operatives " and what they are / what legal powers they have / if any . Lastly, I am informed that I can request the Land Office to take action on the absence of documents being filed in the Juristic Entity account .

Panama, Chile , Australia

oops sorry , I forgot to put my brain in gear first !

must be alzheimer's setting in !!

They have to keep filling all those brown uniforms and pumping out more gold braid and medals - someone has to pay for all those gold plated salaries and pensions and of course have to keep "their own happy" . Send the ordinary Thai back to work in the fields so we can boost our exports to pay for our lifestyle !

When will Thai's learn - don't argue with anything bigger than you !

" got caught in flood waters and overturned " !!!! the mind boggles ??? Tugs, boats, ships are all supposed to float with positive stability under normal circumstances and have proven stability data !! Seems like these tugs have non of the aforementioned and were probably constructed in some ones backyard !! I don't see any Classification marks on these tugs/river boats thus no set standards . Lack of standards, training and seamanship - what does one expect ?

who says ? King Canute ??

No, it's the government in the Coma ! This military government really does not like people enjoying themselves . They said it themselves - "Only business and tourism " . Entertainment is not on the agenda . It was always their intention to "kill off" Pattaya and make it "family friendly" . Unfortunately Pattaya has lost its identity as fun city .

Ah, so finally Thailand has realized in the outside world there is something called STCW Convention which most developed countries have been obliged to comply with for a LONG time !!

As a professional retired Master Mariner I watched the video of this accident and it was fairly evident that the term "girding" was never taught to the boat skipper !! Lack of seamanship, lack of marine qualifications and probable lack of training . Marine accidents will continue just as the atrocious road accidents do !!!

not sure whether Wise accepted in leu of the FET form - SWIFT definitely IS !

yes, same here , I am only charged 20pds for any transfer

so , as it says , if you do a SWIFT bank transfer , that is accepted as equivalent to the FET

Changes in Reporting Requirements of Foreign Exchange Transactions (2004) In order to reduce the paperwork required for foreign exchange transactions (buying, selling, depositing, withdrawing foreign currencies) between financial institutions and their non-interbank customers, the Bank of Thailand has consolidated and simplified all relevant Notices into a new Notice of the Competent Officer effective from April 1, 2004 Changes are summarized as follows: Revoke all Notices of the Competent Officer and related circulars by issuing a new Notice for easy reference. All types of transactions are to be reported in a single foreign exchange transactions forms replacing Thor.Tor 3, Thor.Tor 4, and Thor.Tor 5. Foreign exchange transactions amounting to an equivalent of USD 20,000 or over have to be reported in the Foreign Exchange Transaction Form. SWIFT documents that have all the information according to the Foreign Exchange Transaction Form can be used as the Foreign Exchange Transaction Form in order to facilitate nonresident customers. Exporters and importers are no longer required to submit Thor.Tor 1 and Thor.Tor. 2 as the information are already reported in the Custom Declaration Form. Foreign exchange transactions of exporters and importers arising from trade amounting to an equivalent of USD 20,000 or over have to be reported. Financial institutions will submit report on foreign exchange transactions and data to the Bank of Thailand in electronic forms instead of paper form. Reduce paperwork on foreign exchange transactions of government and government agencies. Source: Bank of Thailand

yes, exactly, they have an expiry date immaterial whether kept in a freezer or not !