connda

sorry for invading this thread, but im looking for a good car mechanic as well? i driving a 1st gen kia sportage, a complete bltch to be honest, initially no issues except the 4x4 not working.

bunch of problems now, jerking while accelerating, engine light coming on out of no where, 4x4 doesnt engage, both abs and airbag light flicker at times and the dam_n window winder button doesnt even work. its at a point that i will decide to drop a toyota or some other engine in, any recommendation for a place who are familiar with sportage?

@barefoot1988

Looks like CM TV members don't go to mechanics. I'll check with some Thai friends and see what I can find. I'll PM you if I find anything.

Hi! i got this reply earlier in other thread when i asked for recommendation. you might want to try it out. apparently he got his old toyota fixed, so it might be helpful to you

from what seeker108 wrote

"My favorite mechanic so far is on the canal road going north toward Mae Rim on the left side about 5 or 6 km up from Huey Kaew. Very basic with no English and no hydraulic lift, etc. I think he can do any cars but seems to specialize in European cars like Peugeot and Citroen. I have not yet used him this year (except to vet 1 car for me) but he worked on both my 20 year old Toyota Crown and my 7 year old Toyota Soluna about 9 and 7 years ago respectively. I found him to do good work, reasonably quick, honest and very inexpensive. His #s are 053 214610 & 087 1757416. Good luck with the Kia"

Thanks!

It's my understanding that prior to teaching at a government school, the school will need to apply for a provisional teaching license for the foreign teacher.

If the school fails to apply for the provisional teaching license, or the license is not issued prior to my start date, what are my risks. Is it against the law? If so, what are the penalties?

You know it's hot in Thailand when you look at Dean999's avatar and mistakenly think you're viewing the Colorado River flowing through the Grand Canyon, and on closer inspection find it's a rivulet of sweat flowing between two boulders.

You know it's hot in Thailand when you buy a large bottle of Leo from the 7/11 and stand outside with the bottle unopened and roll it over your body to cool down.

sorry for invading this thread, but im looking for a good car mechanic as well? i driving a 1st gen kia sportage, a complete bltch to be honest, initially no issues except the 4x4 not working.

bunch of problems now, jerking while accelerating, engine light coming on out of no where, 4x4 doesnt engage, both abs and airbag light flicker at times and the dam_n window winder button doesnt even work. its at a point that i will decide to drop a toyota or some other engine in, any recommendation for a place who are familiar with sportage?

@barefoot1988

Looks like CM TV members don't go to mechanics. I'll check with some Thai friends and see what I can find. I'll PM you if I find anything.

Hide in the aircon until around 6pm... not exactly fun, but it's what I've been doing lately.

You're right though... burnin up today!

How did you handle Iraq?

I usually go for a walk around midday, don't get burnt when sun is directly overhead, otherwise we head to KSK or Airport Plaza for kinkao and browse the stores.... that can get exxy as TW cannot resist the SALE signs.

In North Yemen, I used to stop sunbathing when the temperature passed 110*C, which was usually about 10.00 am during the hot season, but that was dry-heat, not the murky humidity we're currently experiencing here.

110C? I think you mean 110F.

I'm meltinggggggggg.

How do I beat the heat? By beating my feet in the Mississippi mud. (...well, River Ping mud) But it's a treat!

You know it's hot in Thailand when you are enjoying a nice hot shower and you realize that you don't have a hot water heater in your apartment.

You know it's hot in Thailand when your clothes dry on the cloths line in less than 20 minutes.

Yeah...I'm sure Taskin and the other folk in the Thai elite 1% club have no foreign investments. Interesting how laws are made for the 99%. It's pretty universal.

Actually this is an interesting topic.

What if you are a farang who retired here, and then decided to go home for whatever reasons. You want to take your assets with you including the 800K in your bank account to fund your visa. Is what I'm hearing is that the Thai government will not allow you to move your own money back to your home country via SWIFT transfer?

I see some Thais who are very fit. That said, the Thais I know are the most unfit people I've ever seen in all my life. Walking up 2 flights of stairs leaves them knackered.

That is the remarkable thing about it, and in my case I am talking about people I know in their twenties who are so cardiovascularly unfit. It doesnt bode well for the future.

What doesn't bode well are the increasing number of plump little Thai kids I see in the cities. It seems to be a relatively recent change, as I often see a couple of "slender" Thai parents with their "fattened" children. Unfortunately, obesity can be seen as an indicator of wealth and status in Asian countries, which then promotes more obesity. (No wonder Thais think farang are all rich -- considering the fat sots that most of my friends and family are back in the "Home Country" I can easily understand the perception). Add that to the lack of exercise and.....well I'd consider buying stock long in private coronary care facilities in Thailand. These young, sedate Thai butterballs are going to start keeling over in their 40s from heart disease. Welcome to the developed world.

walking is something only poor people do (school children dont even walk to school )

i used to live a mile from the MRT

every few minutes another taxi ,tuk tuk or motorcycle would stop to offer me transportation

they could hardly believe someone would walk a mile ........

This probably explains why Thais may think I'm a little weird. Unless I'm in a hurry to go somewhere, I walk. I've been refusing rides from tuk tuk and songtaw drivers for so long that the local tuk tuk drivers don't bother asking me. Everyone in my apartment knows the farang is going dern awk gamlang gai.

I live in Chiang Mai also and am also a keen walker, but one of the first things that struck me about the city when I arrived was that it just isn't designed for pedestrians. Unnecessarily high kerbs, potholes, poorly maintained infrastructure, ignorant parking of cars and motorcycles and in many cases, no pavement whatsoever all led me to believe that Thai people simply don't walk anywhere. When was the last time you ever saw a Thai with a pram or a pushchair in Chiang Mai? They'd be carrying it more often than they'd be pushing it. And as for disabled Thai's in wheelchairs...? Oh wait, they don't exist. Phew.

<snip>

This is something i find very sad about Chiang Mai. Its a beautiful city, but near impossible to walk around. Tried it a couple of times, but just no fun, because my eyes had to be everywhere in order to prevent damaging myself. Metal bits of whatever poking out the ground tripping me over or stabbing me, broken bits of pavement or curb, etc. ..and thats just at ground level. Of course, if im looking down, the metal sign placed at 5'4" is going to slap me right in the face. Then theres the cables of course, including the lovely jutting electrical wires occasionally poking out from the lamposts and electrical boxes etc.

I cant stroll and people watch. Too busy just trying to get from A to B without injury. :/

Walk around the moat. It's the flattest ground around. I walk it 4 or 5 times a week.

I'm always amazed while exercising at Fitness Thailand. I climb on a treadmill for a 30 or 40 minute run. While exercising, I'll watch half a dozen Thais get on the machines, exercise for 5 to 7 minutes, and leave.

Yeah, good for a laugh.

For tires, shocks, suspension problems, wheel alignment, etc. I highly recommend the large tire shop just past Tesco Kamthieng on the same side of the road before the Volvo dealer. Huge Michelin sign on top. Very good prices, top quality work, friendly owners. No BS, dual-pricing, or scams there. The family who owns the business are a rich Chinese family and don't need to scam a few Baht off farangs. The son who runs the place is highly educated and speaks fluent English. If you buy Michelin tires from them you get a coupon book sent from Michelin and for 2 years can get free rotations, balancing, and wheel alignment at their shop.

For mufflers, the shop just past the large pet shop near Makro Super Highway does very good work and uses either factory mufflers or mufflers made by a company which gives a 2 year warranty. I learned my lesson on buying a muffler from one of those shops that fabricate them on-site from cheap metal parts. They last all of about a year and then corrode and fall apart.

For engine work I think you just need to try different mechanics and find one who is best for you/closest to you, etc. There are so many good ones. I use different ones for different repairs. Works best for me.

Looking for a mechanic that can check out the transaxial. I've got a vibration in the left front of the car that isn't "engine" noise and increases and decreases with speed, and is more apparent when turning.

The reason I'm asking about mechanics is because I'm trying not to get ripped off. If someone has had good service with a specific mechanic, I'm willing to give them a try as opposed to just picking a mechanic at random.

Thanks!

No suggestions?

Fan only in my apartment. Routine's like this: shower, fan, shower, fan, shower, fan........Repeat until temperature in apartment is bearable (around midnight). Sleep.

Rinse and repeat.

Thank goodness I'm pretty well acclimatized. It's really not all that bad. Use to live in Korat -- now that was hot!

I'm buying up a used Toyota. Occasional repairs on used cars is just a fact of life. Can anyone recommend a mechanic in town that works on Toyotas

Thanks!

Dan

Wow, got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning 'eh?

I seem to get along just fine with Thai folk here in CM as well as in rural Lamphun where we have our home. You sound like you're "hitting the wall": time to accept what is, or find a new home.

Really! It's not that bleak. Cheer up.

What on earth is a 66 year old man doing in a bar in that area with his wife!

What on earth are guys like you doing in such a forum?

Interestingly enough, I often see farang couples in the "girlie bars" on Loi Kroh here in Chiang Mai. Usually younger couples, but sometimes couples that look like they are retirement age. Just a guess, but they might like hanging out in bars, pubs, and taverns in there own countries and might feel right at home. I don't think it's that unusual. It's not where I'd take my wife, but we didn't hang out in bars in our home country either.

My wife cleared this up. The owner and the lien holder are coming with us to the Department of Licensing. Everyone can sign whatever paperwork needs to be signed before we exchange money. Hopefully it will go as easy as that.

I'm planning to buy a used car. Test drove it today and for the price it fits my needs. However, after discussing a price, the owner asked for a "cash advance" in order to pay off a debt that the car has been used as collateral. The "red flags" went up.

Giving him money is out of the question, but I told my wife that we could meet with him and the individual holding the loan. We could pay the owner and the owner could pay the person holding the loan. But this still does makes me very cautious.

If the owner physically has the title (I'm assuming this is a "green book") can I assume the title is clear and there is no lien on the car?

If not, what will I need to do in order to protect myself from being rippped off. What should I do prior to purchasing a used car in order to make sure the transaction is legal and binding?

Thanks

Another crime in Pattaya. Sam old, same old

If you want to avoid brainless crime like this, don't vacation at Pattaya or Puket. There are too many other laid-back places to visit in Thailand.

BTW, considering two young Thais were hit, and a total of 5 young Thais were involved in the shooting, this was probably not so "random". Although, unfortunate that Mr. Michael caught a stray round.

Condolences to the victims. Hope the BIB find the assailants.