Are There *Any* Good Mechanics In Bangkok?!

[LeoViotti]

I do like to keep old card, they are sort of "Legos" to me... at the moment, I have two, a small Suzuki Caribian/Samurai/Jimny 1991, and a Nissan Sunny EX 1996. Both cheap, both basic. First one I got, the Suzuki, about 6 months ago, I really love it... I drove "all around" already, from Koh Chang to Chiang Mai, with a lot of things inside, and 3 people, etc... it goes anywhere, and if there's no way... well, it goes anyway. After the Christmas trip, with the GF and a friend from Brazil, I decided to give it some juice and stop it for "how long it takes" in a nice garage, to fix a few things and check some others. I left it in the habitual place, ..removed.. Garage in Sukhumvit soi 15, huge garage, I spoke to the owner before, veru nice guy who assured me they do ANY and EVERYTHING there, and I'm sure they can. I wrote a list of... I don't know... 20... 30 items, some to be checked, some to be fixed, some to be replaced. I didn't really ask for the cost, repair stuff here is very cheap compared to prices in Brazil or in the UK, so... well, "do everything it's needed, on those points I mentioned". I got the car 20 days later, noises where still there, and the

Edited February 13, 2011 by metisdead
Removed name as per no naming & shaming policy

[LeoViotti]

I didn't know I couldn't use names... oh well... I still have a lot to write. Here it goes then, without the names.

==============

I do like to keep old cars, they are sort of "Legos" to me... at the moment, I have two, a small Suzuki Caribian/Samurai/Jimny 1991, and a Nissan Sunny EX 1996. Both cheap, both basic. First one I got, the Suzuki, about 6 months ago, I really love it... I drove "all around" already, from Koh Chang to Chiang Mai, with a lot of things inside, and 3 people, etc... it goes anywhere, and if there's no way... well, it goes anyway.

After the Christmas trip, with the GF and a friend from Brazil, I decided to give it some juice and stop it for "how long it takes" in a nice garage, to fix a few things and check some others. I left it in the habitual place, in Sukhumvit soi 15, huge garage, I spoke to the owner before, veru nice guy who assured me they do ANY and EVERYTHING there, and I'm sure they can. I wrote a list of... I don't know... 20... 30 items, some to be checked, some to be fixed, some to be replaced. I didn't really ask for the cost, repair stuff here is very cheap compared to prices in Brazil or in the UK, so... well, "do everything it's needed, on those points I mentioned". I got the car 20 days later, one of the noises I complained about, in the transmission, was still there - obviously not checked - and the car was still "losing water", but much more than before - again, they OBVIOUSLY didn't test, as it expelled all of the water in the short 7km way between Soi 15 and Phra Khanong...

I'm still going back there, eventually, when I finish fixing it myself - which I know how to do, just prefer not to, as I have a "slightly broken right arm" - and I will talk to the owner about it, it's the least I can do, as I really don't want them to run out of business for lack of care. But unfortunately it's very noticeable they "look funny" at the old jeep, as if it shouldn't be there... and at the same way, they don't refuse the job, which they could do, and I would be happy to bring my car to a place where they will welcome the old crappy thing...

Ok... so... I decided to fix the jeep myself. Problem is, I need time, time with the jeep out of the streets, and I absolutely HATE public transportation, I do really have a problem with people around me, don't feel good - ever (better 5h stuck in my own card than 30min in the BTS squeezed between other people - some of them that don't know what shower means, hehe...)

Went to ThaiVisa classifieds, to look for a cheap "second little crap" to move around, market, etc... and found one, way under 100k baht, but all working, etc... I wasn't expecting perfection, and I didn't get it, but ok, all working.

This is the point where I show I'm a bit paranoid - I got the old Sunny, and as usual, I got new tires, brake fluid, all new oil and filters, new suspension... the first shop I went to, one of the dozens of Goodyear shops in Chinatown, they were always very helpful and friendly with the old Suzuki, alignment, tyres, etc... so there I went one more time.

-First problem noticed: mechanics don't know the correct order to screw the screws of the wheels (lack of vocabulary in English showing up, sorry...). Well... it was a young guy, but still... I know that since I'm 8 years old... any person could have the excuse to not know it, but not a PROFESSIONAL... right?

- Second problem: the mechanic that was checking my suspension told me I didn't have to change the springs, they were fine, no need to touch... I asked to change anyway, and when he took it out, they were cut in the bottom, to make the car lower, and one of them had a crack - maybe it would bust while I was driving, maybe not... who knows?

- Third problem: this same helpful mechanic, nothing against him other than the lack of knowledge, apparently noticed my car was missing two tiny metal pieces that hold the break pads so they don't vibrate, and instead of telling me and asking me what to do, he decided to WELD METAL on the break pads. Yes. Weld metal on a VITAL PIECE OF AUTOMOBILE SECURITY!!!!!! I saw that and I was shocked, I went to the admin and ask them to please ask the guy to stop, as I don't really speak Thai yet... One of the owners came out, told me he would deal with me, then he came back and said his mechanic was CORRECT to do that... when I asked him how many year of engineering school he attended to say such an atrocity, he said "four years!". UH!!!!!!!!!! WHAT KIND OF CLASSES TO THEY HAVE HERE IN THAILAND???? Are they SOOOOOO WAY different than the ones we have in Brazil?!?!?!?!?!??! I mean... he can defend the good will of his employee, I would get that, but tell me it's NOT A PROBLEM to do that, that it's the correct procedure when the metal is missing, hey, come on man... too much, too much.

Anyway, a bit of animosity there, but that was that... I don't know if I'm ever going back there, other than buying new tires.

Right... so today, I was driving the car for like 30min, and when I parked, I noticed water on the floor. After a quick analysis, I realized the water pump was gone... Sunday... almost 10am... "nice". Well, it's an old car, it happens. I called a huge garage in Patthanakan, they told me the could do the job, but today they had nowhere to get parts from, all closed....

I did some research, got part numbers, and went to Worachak, get the new parts... all stores closed, and after walking a bit, I found ONE store open, luckly, a Nissan part dealer! Nice guy inside, very good customer relation, ok English for the purpose, I got the water pump, the engine belts (I saw the old ones were cracked already, so they would need to be replaced anyway), and decided to buy all the bushings for the front and rear suspension, see if they could do it at the same time. Got there around 13:30, and the owner told me it was ok, they could replace all of it, but it would take 3-4h...

3-4h later, only the water pump (and belts) plus the 4 spark plugs (that I can do myself in 5min) were done... it was already past 5pm when they started working on the suspension, but hey... 10 people in the staff, thousands of Baht in tools... can't take that long, right? Humm... it can. It can, when your mechanics don't know how to use the tools they are given... it's like they have no instructions what-so-ever! No technical school, no NOTHING! At some point, I was stressed of looking and decided to chill out inside...

I came back 1h later, and saw FIVE PEOPLE staring to one of my suspension arms, I approached them, they looked at me in panic and said "I can't take this one out, I don't have a machine for doing that!". Oh boy... why not say beforehand "I CANNOT DO IT", or even when they first take the part out of the car "sir, I don't have the machine to take this bushing out". But no... they took one of the bushings out, and just sat there... with their brains frozen, looking at the suspension arm... no one told me anything, I was just there, on the other side of the wall!!! :o

If they told it was complicated for them, I would just have canceled the job, and back to the parts shop, and bought a new entire arm - which is more expensive, but comes with a few other things, and well... it's new. But no... now they have to use one of the new bushings, so the car can move.

Oh hell... ok... let's try the back bushings then, 1h to close, still plenty of time. HA! TRIPLE HA! (or 555)

They don't know how to operate the tools... they don't know how to fix the arm... they rely on 0,05mm of metal to hold a 1T pressure... it's just insane! And they have all the tools... after 40min trying to install... er... the FIRST bushing in the back arm (there are 4 arms, 8 bushings), I panicked... I went to the owner, still very understanding, and told him, straight "Sir, can you please ask them to mount the old bushing back there, and reassemble the car? This is not working, they seem to make an effort, but they don't know how to use the tools, and this is making me a bit stressed..." Done, and done... car reassembled, back to order, the guy goes out to test "burning some tire" and that's cool, good to see if the suspension is in order. That is 9pm already, time they close. I then left to go back to my house... after 7h30min there. TO have a water pump and 2 bushings changed.

On the way, Patthanakhan, I notice a strange "clec clec clec clec" noise on the right front whell... oh hell, there I go again, back there at 9am, to have this looked at... and there I go again, fixing a second car by myself. Eventually. When I put the Sukuzi back to work (water pump is also busted... )

Edited February 13, 2011 by LeoViotti

[Semper]

Yes, looks like you had a very bad day

Edited February 14, 2011 by Semper

[WarpSpeed]

Sorry to hear and feel your frustration... All I can say is TIT.. The word professionalism includes details, so it is going to be very seldom you can use that word here in Thailand even with those who are long time in their business..

[Murf]

Trying to find a good mechanic in Thialand is like trying to find a good woman... Few and fer between.

Even the Thai people i talked to agree with me... at least about the mechanic

I am seriously considering opening a garage in Bangkok and giving some much needed training myself. I think it could be a winner.

[WarpSpeed]

Trying to find a good mechanic in Thialand is like trying to find a good woman... Few and fer between.

Even the Thai people i talked to agree with me... at least about the mechanic

I am seriously considering opening a garage in Bangkok and giving some much needed training myself. I think it could be a winner.

Yes Murf but first you have to teach Thai and farang alike to pay the little extra for the higher quality or it won't survive or be profitable and that's the draw back..

[ExpatOilWorker]

A bit of Latin temper, a broken car and the Thai laid back attitude...perfect cocktail.

[LeoViotti]

Expat, you got that right... and I'm a very "calm" latino (even being "100%" latino, Italian and Portuguese mix, hehe). But oh man... I can't deal with that kind of attitude, just stresses me too much... I was "biting my teeth" walking around the parking area in _______, while they were literally playing with the tools, sweating, checking who would be able to do it...

Ah, I went back there on Monday morning, check on a "new noise" they "installed" on my front right wheel, and guess what, some "monkey" (IQ-wise) installed the screws of the wheels all wrong, and damaged the threads on them, probably in a rush to go home and... eat some banana, maybe...

They gave me new screws, and asked me to go back and talk to the owner, but I have a feeling I'm banned from the shop, hahahahaha

[WarpSpeed]

Expat, you got that right... and I'm a very "calm" latino (even being "100%" latino, Italian and Portuguese mix, hehe). But oh man... I can't deal with that kind of attitude, just stresses me too much... I was "biting my teeth" walking around the parking area in _______, while they were literally playing with the tools, sweating, checking who would be able to do it...

Ah, I went back there on Monday morning, check on a "new noise" they "installed" on my front right wheel, and guess what, some "monkey" (IQ-wise) installed the screws of the wheels all wrong, and damaged the threads on them, probably in a rush to go home and... eat some banana, maybe...

They gave me new screws, and asked me to go back and talk to the owner, but I have a feeling I'm banned from the shop, hahahahaha

Yes it's certain it's YOUR fault in some way ...

[MaiChai]

This is why I do my own bike and car repairs (but I always buy new pickups: low maintenance; new=no problems).

The problem you experience is that Thais (and alot of other Asian countries) have 0% respect for engineers. No one here wants to do technical at Uni because its below them. So what happens in these car repair places is that they hire anyone to do the work; on the basis that they are not prepared to pay decent money for a proper mechanic, so thus anyone can do the job, and thus they give the job to a relative. The only exception to this is small garages where the boss is the guy who does the work. In this case the boss is generally quite experienced and knowledgable, and as he is small he is reliant on return business and referrals. Thus my advice would be to try and find a small garage to do the work, rather than a big place.

I class myself as an engineer, but would never work in Asia again!!! I am proud of my desire for excellence in my area.

The exception to this is the Japanese and Koreans; they do respect engineering, and guess what they rule the world when it comes to engineering and electronics (funny that?).

A tip: this is what the Thais do: They watch the mech doing the work. You see it in bike shops also. However you could argue if you are prepared to sit and watch them then you might as well use the time to do it yourself!

Edited February 16, 2011 by MaiChai

[mca]

A tip: this is what the Thais do: They watch the mech doing the work. You see it in bike shops also. However you could argue if you are prepared to sit and watch them then you might as well use the time to do it yourself!

Yeah I could see my MIL changing the timing belt on a 24 valve engine.

[VocalNeal]

Bom Dia,

The Suzuki I would take to Suzuki Main Dealer on Sukhumvit +/- soi 64/1 opposite Piyarom Sports Club. The workshop manger there is very helpful. speaks English.

Have never paid what I thought was too much for anything.

Edited February 17, 2011 by VocalNeal

[Velocette]

Bom Dia,

The Suzuki I would take to Suzuki Main Dealer on Sukhumvit +/- soi 64/1 opposite Piyarom Sports Club. The workshop manger there is very helpful. speaks English.

Have never paid what I thought was too much for anything.

What a depressing and scary scenario. VNeal suggests using a Main Dealer, he's obviously satisfied with the quality of the work there. But are Main Dealers generally a safer bet than a no name garage ? I've heard some stories that suggest otherwise.

[Shipwreck]

Well, Suzuki is currently trying to expand their market share by introducing new models - Swift and SX4 - so the best way to get their customers to recommend a Suzuki would be to offer good dealer service - no?

[Semper]

A tip: this is what the Thais do: They watch the mech doing the work. You see it in bike shops also. However you could argue if you are prepared to sit and watch them then you might as well use the time to do it yourself!

Yeah I could see my MIL changing the timing belt on a 24 valve engine.

The amount of valves has little do do with Changing the belt

[kandalgirl]

Thai mechanics sound as uselss as cambodian mechanics.

I was a partner in a garage in phnom penh for a while.

My mate the alleged mechanic recruited the staff who were mostly lazy and stupid.

Best mechanics here are vietnamese.

Cambodian mechanics specialise in walking round and round the vehicle and then four or five of them watch while one works.

[LeoViotti]

I did study Engineering for a while, probably in the best Automotive Engineering college in South America (FEI, Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial, in São Bernardo do Campo-SP), but I have good notions of mechanic much before that, by helping my father study repair manuals and do repairs by himself. Maybe that's why I feel so bad when I see some crap being done... :\

MaiChai, I was already trying to do that, repair everything by myself, but as I need at least one car functional, I decided to "bet" on an experienced mechanic to do basic maintenance and review of everything. Big mistake apparently. All crap.

Bom dia, VocalNeal!

I don't know if an authorized dealer would really like to work on a 20 year old car... what I've been told on the Sukhumvit Soi 15 garage was that only ONE of the mechanics there know how to deal with old cars, all the new ones only know current cars, where they... well... don't have to do much, just exchange some sensors and keep the IE controlling the car, hehehe

Kandagirl, that's the same as what I saw here, a lot of them looking at the repair, and one of them doing the work. I mean. Seriously. You're being paid, the least you can do is... WORK!