Siam_Sam

I like that rat guard a lot. I'm definitely going to get one. Have you already used it and is it effective? It'll have to be something very resilient to withstand the wind through an entire rainy season. I'm going to buy one but if it doesn't work I'm going to think of a way to make my own. How bad was the damage that the rats caused to your car and how much did it cost to get it fixed?

I had my tyres rotated today and the manager there also thinks that flat spots on my tyres are unlikely after six months. He said that even if that happens and they're not too bad the tyres should return to their usual shape once the car has been driven a little. He also said that he wouldn't bother with fuel stabiliser in a diesel car because the fuel should be fine after six months. This is another reason why I'm glad I bought a diesel car. I don't think I'm going to bother with a battery maintainer if I have to leave it plugged in in my house while I'm away for six months. I don't think that's a wise thing to do because if something goes wrong the consequences of that could be massive. I don't trust Thai products at all. Instead I'm going to disconnect the battery and leave it, hopefully it'll still charge up when I come back. The worse case scenario is having to buy a new one and at around 3,000 baht they're not as expensive as I first thought. I'm still unsure what to do about a car cover. Apparently car covers can also create fungus in the car which could cause more damage than the layer of dust accumulated after six months. Maybe a good clean of the car with a clay bar, followed by waxing will be enough to preserve the paintwork. Everyone I've spoke to about car covers has a different opinion so I'm still trying to decide what to do.

The NOCO 10 looks like a great piece of kit. You don't think I need to bother with fuel stabiliser if I have a diesel car? And you don't think my tyres will develop any flat spots after six months?

I'm no expert but I think if you add fuel stabiliser to the tank and then drive the car for a bit so that the mixture is drawn through the engine, it prevents the fuel injectors from damage. My car is also a diesel. I can leave the handbrake off but I don't think it would be a good idea to leave the car in gear? Our carport is perfectly flat anyway so there's no chance of the car rolling away. I'm definitely going to cover the car. As it stands there's going to be nobody to check on the car but I have neighbours both sides of our house. We have security cameras all around the house that I can access from my phone. We also live on a one-road-private estate with a gated entrance and 24 hour security. It's very unlikely the car will be stolen.

It sounds like you have the same problem as me but the opposite way round - you leave your car for long periods in your home country when you're in Thailand, right? Do you use a battery maintainer? Thanks, I was hoping that somebody with personal experience of this scenario would reply. I'm yet to see a rat in our road and we haven't had any issues with them since we've lived here so I'm hoping things will stay that way. How come you don't bother with a car cover? And is it safe to leave a battery maintainer plugged in for that long while we're away? There is much that could go wrong with a car after this long but your post gives me hope. I have a neighbour that leaves his car here for up to nine months of the year and he hasn't had any major problems either. Thanks for your reply. This is another option I could look at although the OBD2 port for my vehicle is inside the car. Where is yours? If it's inside the car how do you run the lead for the solar panel?

Yes and this is why it's a source of anxiety for me at the moment because I bought the car new three years ago and it's my pride and joy. What's the worst case scenario after leaving it for six months? Very painful financially I should imagine! The vehicle will be parked in our drive which has a huge canopy so it's completely covered and protected by the sun. That looks like a quality car cover, do you recommend it because you've used the same one? No and that's one of the advantages of living out in the boonies because it's very unlikely it would be stolen. We've got some great cameras and we live on a private, gated estate that has 24 hour security.

We've got to go back to the UK for a while, probably for about 6 months, but perhaps as long as 9. I don't have anyone I can rely on to maintain my Ford Ranger while I'm gone so I'm going to have to leave it parked up in our drive. Obviously there's several precautions I'll need to take to preserve the vehicle as effectively as possible but I have no experience of this and I'm unsure about what to do exactly and what to be most concerned about. I would really appreciate any advice from people who have experience of this particular scenario. The research I've done so far has bought me to the conclusion I should: 1) Disconnect the battery at the negative terminal. 2) Over inflate the tyres slightly to prevent flat spots. 3) Block up the exhaust and AC pipes to prevent rodents getting inside. 4) Fill the fuel tank, add fuel stabiliser, and then drive the car for a while before I park it up for the last time. 5) Cover the car. Are there any further steps I should consider taking and is using a fuel stabiliser something I should definitely do? I'm going to buy myself a battery charger so I can charge the battery on my return but what is the likelihood of my battery being ruined after this long and failing to charge? I've heard that after this long the car's fluids can degrade, and so could the rubber hoses and pipes, especially in a country as hot as Thailand. What is the likelihood of this happening? And if the fluids have degraded badly how much damage could that do to the engine? I'm thinking that the only definite way to prevent damage to the engine by degraded fluids is to drain and replace them all before starting the engine but is this being over precautious? The mechanic at the Ford garage in our province seems to think so, he said after the battery is charged the car will drive fine but he didn't sound very convincing. I've spoken to a neighbour that often leaves his car for long periods and he says he doesn't bother with replacing fluids, once he's charged the battery the car drives fine and I'm overthinking this but I'd like some further advice on this.

I had a feeling I'd been lied to. Corruption and lies as standard in Thailand. Where can I find the official criteria for the marriage visa?

You're right. My last one cost me 2,500 but the extra 600 baht went in the immigration officer's pocket. The one before that cost me 18k because I didn't have the 400k in a bank account from the province I was living in, it was in a bank account I opened in Bangkok. I'm not sure if that is one of the conditions? Maybe that's not true and I was lied to? When I go back I won't have the money in my account for six months prior to the application (another condition) so I'll get charged 18k again I expect.

Yes the criteria is similar to a marriage visa but they cost a lot less which is why it makes more sense to get one of these. So with the Non O now you only get one entry of sixty days, with the option to extend it a further sixty days? I currently have a marriage visa. I had a Non O when I first entered Thailand back in 2022. It's cheaper for me to get a Non O before I go back but by the sound of it this will only last me a maximum of ninety days, with the option to extend it another sixty days. That would give me five months stay. We're planning to go to Hong Kong for a short trip so I'd get another sixty days when I return and that way I could stay for six months in total. Like you say though, if I renew my marriage visa that'll guarantee me six months stay each year without having to lave the country or extend my Non O. It's more expensive to renew my marriage visa but it's now looking like the most sensible way of doing it.

Yes but the marriage visa costs me 18k baht, whereas the Non O is only £150 (approximately 6,500 baht) as I remember, plus I don't have to show proof of 400k in my bank etc. Yes it was a multi-entry Non O that I had when I first moved to Thailand. So there's no such thing as a multi-entry Non O visa anymore?

So the amount of time you get on a Non O has been changed to 60 days? The last Non O visa I had gave me three entries of 90 days each. It's looking like it'll be six months in Thailand and then six months in the UK, alternately.

I was living in Thailand through an annual marriage visa but I'm back in the UK for a while. I have a re-entry permit and my visa runs out in November, which is when I am planning to return and renew my visa. However, I'm only planning to stay in Thailand for 6 months maximum before returning to the UK again. It makes more sense for me to apply for a Non O visa and do a a visa run 3 months after I go back to Thailand because a) I don't have to pay the fee for the more expensive marriage visa, and b) I won't have to provide all the documents they'll need for that. My query is - if I apply for a Non O visa before I go back to Thailand, will the embassy reject this request because they'll see I already have a visa when I send them my passport?

Ok cool, if I'm going to use their nutrients then I best be buying myself some containers to store it in. Have you used their powdered nutrients for the soil too?

Thanks very much for your advice. The nutrients on the Exotic Chilli Plants website are good value but I was looking last night and the powder that you buy from them has to be used to make up 5 gallons of liquid, which doesn't seem like a practical or professional way of doing things and puts me off buying any? No it doesn't and to think it does and that you can calibrate a PH pen in it is laughable. Especially when you claim that "PH is more important than nutrients."