Well as a brand new resident to CM and Phuket refugee I am going to need one of the above.

I am unsure why but on Phuket Thai mechanics seemed highly afraid of going near a euro motor (one air co man backing away as tho I was trying to show him a corpse.. I mean an engine is pretty much an engine) or had no way of getting parts, and the yontikrit main dealer / parts supply there was one of the worst customer service experiences ever, and I have had some doozies In the end I found a great guy, who could get all parts either new or second hand, and was superb for me. As I see many VW bugs and busses up here, I am hopeful there will be someone similar.

Its only a VW golf, nothing complex or valuable, I just want to find a half decent, reliable mechanic for it who doesnt think all farangs have to pay 3x as much. That way I can test him with some easy stuff like brakes pads and an oil change service, before I might actually need him for anything serious.

Any hints or clues to a good contact appreciated.

Welcome to the cool part of Thailand. Cool in every way, especially cars.

You need Thai 'Jimmy' at J & N Autos on the southern ring road. Go past Global House, over the river and after 1km slow down on the long straight, looking out for the Total Oil sign on the left. If you go under the Old Lamphun Rd fly-over you've over shot.

Jimmy has fluent English, having run a sports car garage in Las Vegas for many years. Over-worked and under-staffed at present, but excellent. Closed on Sundays.

My only connection is as a happy customer for several years.

Sounds like just what I was after.. Thanks so much..