Does Anyone Do Their Own Auto Repairs?

[Thaiboxer]

Is there anyone on here that does most or all of their own repairs on their car/truck/etc?

I figured with the cost of labor being so low (compared to Western countries) that most would opt for either a dealership or a local, trusted mechanic to do the work. In the States, there are chain auto parts stores everywhere but here in Bangkok it seems one would have to venture far downtown to find spare parts. I live in the suburbs and I have yet to see a store around here where you can find auto parts.

[rcalsop]

Is there anyone on here that does most or all of their own repairs on their car/truck/etc?

I figured with the cost of labor being so low (compared to Western countries) that most would opt for either a dealership or a local, trusted mechanic to do the work. In the States, there are chain auto parts stores everywhere but here in Bangkok it seems one would have to venture far downtown to find spare parts. I live in the suburbs and I have yet to see a store around here where you can find auto parts.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Having always enjoyed car maintainance and the challenge of cheap motoring including building my own kit car in the UK . I never personally bought a new car until I came to Thailand ,even in Morocco I maintained Landrovers a Discovery and a 110 with little problem ...But here the car market seams to follow other rules , Auto parts suppliers are full of stickers ,oil and filters but try to order parts it is a struggle they do not operate as motor factor shops .Even the scrap yards here are no fun, no leaving with one part in your hand to pay for but and screws plastic clips bulbs etc stuffed into your socks for those extra free bee jobs .

Trying to order parts at a maindealers is a nightmare. The days of talking to the parts foreman whilst looking at an exploded model on a micro fiche screen to identify the part plus any washers and gasgets and getting some free advise are long gone and add to that it is bloody hot here sweat pouring into your eyes whilst fighting with a difficult nut or bolt takes some of the fun out of it .

So express service sitting in an aircon glasswalled waiting room with a coffee watching your Honda or Toyota have a 30 minute service and then a wash- pay 800 baht and drive away !!!! . A lttle sad in some ways but a lot less hassel .

[Gazza]

I find it too hot during the day and the simplest of jobs will have streams of sweat pouring off me. It's cooler of an evening but then there'll quite often be mozzies biting my ankles and arms.

Then there's the reluctance of starting work on my bike not knowing if I'm going to come across an awkwardly placed or sized bolt that I don't have the tool for or, that a gasket that I hoped could be re-used, comes off in twenty little peices. Then it would become a major hassle with time, effort and travel costs.

Taking my bikes to a shop just has the edge over doing my own work. Replacing batteries, plugs and other little things I do myself but engine work or anything involving electrickery, I prefer a shop to do it.

A problem with alot of mechanics I've found is that they've usually only learned their trade from stripping something down and putting it back together in reverse order. So they're no more qualified than me, but they'll have more experience and will be alot more used to the working in the heat.

They can replace a broken or worn out part decently enough too but, what they fail to do is, find out what caused the part to wear out before its time or why it broke in the first place. Basically, they solve problems but don't look for the causes.

If possible, I prefer to be there while they work on the bike and if necessary, even help out if they're scratching their head wondering how to remove part of a fairing or a saddlebag or whatever.

[jing jing]

I'm a serious do-it-yourselfer back in farangland where parts are readily available at the corner Kragen or at the dealer, and where I had a fully outfitted garage with several rollaways full of tools, plus compressed air, welding equipment, vises, floor jacks, taps and dies, boxes of spare bulbs, fuses, and fasteners, etc. etc. Now that I live here in an apartment with nothing but a small box of emergency tools, doing my own service is out of the question.

From what I've observed, the local garage mechanics work with very rudimentary tools like box wrenches, vise grips and hammers, with no regard for delicate fittings that require something more specialized like a flare nut wrench. Consequently, all fasteners get promptly buggered up, especially since they have no concept of how much torque to apply to nut and bolts.

Watching some fellas do a brake job on my truck was a very stressful experience for me, as I was hoping they would do things properly. Ultimately I had to just walk away, down a few Sangsom sodas, and repeat to myself 20 times "mai pen rai."

[RamdomChances]

I do some of my own stuff depending on what it is. I dont do any regular servicing on my Isuzu as its fairly new , so it goes to the dealer. My other pick up (for the farm) I fix if it breaks down and do some of the stuff, oil changes I never bother, as the shop we buy it from will change it in the price.

I nearly always do my tractor myself as it needs to be in use everyday and usually its quicker to do it myself than get someone else to do it. I also help my brother-in-law with his 10 wheeler Isuzu.

As someone said the cost of labour here is cheap in comparisen to western countries and on top of that most people have'nt got the tools they spent years aquiring back home to do the job, so its usually easier to send it to a garage.

RC

[corkscrew]

I have no mechanical skills. I am not sure that I would even be able to operate a tire pressure gauge.

I would rather do my own dental repairs than attack something under the bonnet.

Do cars still have spark plugs and air filters?

[Plus+]

Yeah, tire pressure and changing spare wheels is all I ever do here. "Jet" stations usually have self-service air pumps.

For new cars - there's warranty and insurance if anything gets broken. For older cars - I see my neighbour fiddling with his old Honda every morning and it doesn't look like something I would want to do.

[Thaiboxer]

After reading the responses so far, I figure that the average auto mechanic (at least in Bangkok) is pretty busy. Since parts are often hard to find and with the heat/mozzies such a problem, I can see where most folks would just let the local mechanic do it. The tools are another issue; you would need a good sized chest full of them to do most things on a car.

I do agree with what somebody said regarding the cause of a mechanical problem; the mechanics often don't explain the reason behind what they've just fixed or didn't fix. An example is the brake system on my Toyota Corona. When breaking, I usually hear a dull knocking sound coming from the front end. I also feel a little "tap" through the break pedal with each sound. I had the mechanic work on the front breaks and test drive the car. The car/brakes work fine but the little "tap" is still there. No explanation for the tap was given.

I saw an excellent car maintenance book by Popular Mechanics recently. However, much of the information pertains to modern cars which use power steering and fuel injectors; two things my old tank doesn't have. Other than that book I haven't seen any good mechanical guides except for specific models (often the Audis or BMW's).

[rcalsop]

After reading the responses so far, I figure that the average auto mechanic (at least in Bangkok) is pretty busy. Since parts are often hard to find and with the heat/mozzies such a problem, I can see where most folks would just let the local mechanic do it. The tools are another issue; you would need a good sized chest full of them to do most things on a car.

I do agree with what somebody said regarding the cause of a mechanical problem; the mechanics often don't explain the reason behind what they've just fixed or didn't fix. An example is the brake system on my Toyota Corona. When breaking, I usually hear a dull knocking sound coming from the front end. I also feel a little "tap" through the break pedal with each sound. I had the mechanic work on the front breaks and test drive the car. The car/brakes work fine but the little "tap" is still there. No explanation for the tap was given.

I saw an excellent car maintenance book by Popular Mechanics recently. However, much of the information pertains to modern cars which use power steering and fuel injectors; two things my old tank doesn't have. Other than that book I haven't seen any good mechanical guides except for specific models (often the Audis or BMW's).

Slightly off topic but for info last year I ordered a Haynes Manual for a Suzuki Jeep from BOL UK  via the internet amazingly 5 days later it arrived in my post box in Bangkok ...they only promised 5 days uk delivery at the time . I struck lucky .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Thaiboxer]

If you do your own repairs here you would definitely need some sort of overhang; that sun is way too strong after 10am.

[qualtrough]

I do all my own repairs on my old Land Rover. I have on rare ocassion gotten weak and used the services of local garages, but like a previous poster I was not impressed with what I saw. If they didn't have the right size socket for a large nut they would chisel it on and off, fasteners disappear and get mixed up, oil filters lay in the dirt before they are installed--no torque wrenches in sight, etc. The other reasons I like to do it myself are because I like it, like a hobby, and because I know exactly what was done, what was replaced or not replaced, etc., and don't have to wonder if a mechanic was telling me the truth or not. Final reason, knowing how to repair my own vehicle is useful if/when it breaks down in the sticks or miles from anywhere.