I Just Let A Thai Mechanic Fix My Bike, How Do I Get It Back?

[OneeyedJohn]

Lots of u say to take it back which is all well and good, but where do i go from there, because the real problem is inherited from the previous mechanic's cock up.

[Donz]

Lots of u say to take it back which is all well and good, but where do i go from there, because the real problem is inherited from the previous mechanic's cock up.

Maybe try taking it to a different place

[jdinasia]

There IS more than one mechanic around ... find one that is reliable

[thankuverybig]

i spose it always sounds easier when its not actually your own problem,but my advice is go in there & keep questioning him until he gives you a reason to why he still has your bike,until HE HAS to admit that either,he doesnt know how to fix it or hes a rascal.& dont leave until you get an explanation,& not just the famous blank look.

if it looks like that he is indeed a bit dodgy,then maybe you can move onto more serious measures,& warn him about the police.

if that doesnt work,them maybe as suggested before,

run in there starsky & hutch style with the spare keys,& as your leaving with the bike pull a wheelie with one hand ,& look back & give him the finger,with the other.

[Postie]

I would find a proper (expensive) Kwacker dealer. Their boys would know the model and be able to compare your delighful beastie with the others one hand. Bikes can be dropped etc...

True tale:

A workshop rebuilt a stroked Nitrous Harley Drag bike.

It went like stink until the front piston EXPLODED through the front head!

Problem? Component fitted wrong way round,broke, locked up engine...inertia had to go somewhere.

Confided to myself by the Secretary of the England "81 Club", a client of mine.

81 Club(Take the 8th letter of the alphabet...The first...end with 'Motorcycle Club')

Bike was in a race too!

The drag bars appeared to be a piece of s@@t. Are your bars stock? Try some others...Test ride.

"Factory Customs" are a compromise design. Easy Rider had US bikes designed to go in a staight line (until it had to be rebuilt.) If it's got buckhorn/apehangers they've got to be spot on etc.

My Hogs are all flat tracker style.

Get a pencil/screwdriver and probe the running (If only!) bike. Work out where the vibration source is.

Most people are not getting to the point. You want it mended, sold, EXCORCISED!

Next mechanic...Kawasaki

Chok dee

[kozi]

Oh dear, oh deara deara.

I`ll pray for you my son and may your bike, rust in peace.

[jdinasia]

i assume the OP has gotten his bike back by now

[Gumballl]

Just go get the ###### bike. What difference does it make if you are in LOS or another country. The mechanic owns a business and you are the customer. The customer always has the upper hand.

If you owe the mechanic money, pay him for whatever services he has performed thus far. Otherwise you are under no obligation to remain with this person.

Screw face. Let your principals guide you.

[John_Betong]

Here we are 8+ weeks later and still no Set laeow every time we call.

Hi OneEyedJack,

I had a similar experience and can definitely sympathise with you.

I moved last year from an apartment to a house. My 650 Honda Bros had a flat battery and I put it into a local repair shop during the Christmas holidays.

When I went to see the mechanic he had a new battery and was trying to get it started. He had not bothered to replace one of the two missing spark plug caps and the lead was still hanging. Instead he had the handlebar switch off and in the process of stripping and remaking the connections! I left him to it and hoped it would be available next visit.

Needless to say and numerous vists, this dragged on until I eventually went down, last month with an interpretor, got the bike dropped off at my house.

It cost me 1,200 baht. The mechanic had wanted to strip the engine down to try and get the bike started and I refused! The spark plug cap is still missing, switch hanging off and I cannot start the bike.

The bike was purchased from a farang in one of the largest bike shops in Bangkok. The registration documents were promised and despite numerous visits to the shop it is still not @$@$@$ registered.

I bought the bike 4 years ago, have only ridden it for less than 5,000 kms because I was fed up getting stopped by the MIB requiring their Tea-money fund to be topped up.

Meanwhile I have purchased a Honda CBR 150cc and still get stopped but not as often.

Anyone want to buy a Honda Bros 650cc? It cost 65,000 baht and has had about 12,000 baht's worth of repairs for a new chain, etc. Receipts available.

Cheers,

John_Betong

[Johpa]

There are two requirements to owning a big bike (larger than 250cc) in Thailand. First, you better speak Thai with some fluency. Second, you should have been in-country long enough to have established a trusting relationship with a competant mechanic.

Until you reach that point, might I suggest a Honda Dream. They can be repaired anywhere. And as long as you are wearing a helmet, the MIB are not going to stop you.

[John_Betong]

There are two requirements to owning a big bike (larger than 250cc) in Thailand. First, you better speak Thai with some fluency. Second, you should have been in-country long enough to have established a trusting relationship with a competant mechanic.

Hi Johpa,

As I mentioned in my post:

>>> The bike was purchased from a farang in one of the largest bike shops in Bangkok.

>>> The registration documents were promised and despite numerous visits to the shop

>>> it is still not @$@$@$ registered.

I could converse with the farang very easily even though he was not from UK. We swapped stories of the times he spent in Malaysia. When I was in KL and Kuantan, I rode a Kawasaki 600 ZZR for over 30,000 kms before coming to Bangkok. The long rides were to Thailand southern border towns and the west coast islands.

Until you reach that point, might I suggest a Honda Dream. They can be repaired anywhere. And as long as you are wearing a helmet, the MIB are not going to stop you.

As I mentioned in my post:

>>> Meanwhile I have purchased a Honda CBR 150cc and still get stopped but not as often.

The bike can be seen in the photograph. I don't exactly know the size of a Honda Dream but the CBR 150 is small and cannot be much bigger.

Cheers,

John_Betong

[qualtrough]

Why would anyone advance money for parts when the mechanic has possession of the bike? That kind of cash flow problem should be a tip-off, and also puts you behind the barrel if the repairs are not completed on time.

I don't understand why vibration is an issue, but then again I used to ride Triumphs (the old ones).

[Phil Conners]

Why would anyone advance money for parts when the mechanic has possession of the bike? That kind of cash flow problem should be a tip-off, and also puts you behind the barrel if the repairs are not completed on time.

Do you live in Thailand? It is actually quite common in the smaller "garages", both with car and bike repair anytime parts are more than a few hundrede bahts.

[OneeyedJohn]

I'm off to garage today , will post update fingers crossed later.

[OneeyedJohn]

The mechanic has just phoned wiv the joyous news.....

oil is leaking, not ready yet.

This is a shop front type garage in town so I am dealing with the guy face to face.

There is no skulduggery GH tho that might be easier to deal wiv. I think like Samran says its really all too much for him.

There is nothing criminal here so <deleted> can the police do.

Thanks for the sweet sentiments from Mr popular in C Mai, I'll make a point to avoid Post Offices in C Mai, and any iffy looking englishmen trying to chat me up

Bottom line is I'm going in wiv pick up to call it a day.

Thanks every one

[qualtrough]

[Do you live in Thailand? It is actually quite common in the smaller "garages", both with car and bike repair anytime parts are more than a few hundrede bahts.

Yes, lived here 17 years since first arriving 25 years ago-thanks for asking! I do most of my own repair work to avoid the kind of problems the OP is facing. Over the years however I have used the services of a number of different small garages and have never been asked to advance money for parts. I suggest you might be visiting the wrong garages if you have been asked to do so.

[OneeyedJohn]

HAPPy ENDING I rode my bike home today

The only funny anecdote to add is my wufe took the phone call this morning that the bike us ready and misunderstood the bill thinking I had another 15K to pay.I say NO WAY and set about rounding up some police buddies to accompany me to the shop. Fortunately they advise caution , better for me to go and find out for myself before ddragging the police along.

This I do , then discover the total is 15k not an extra 15k.

I am as happy as rhe proverbial pig....

Just goes to show as my best buddy said wots the point in learning thai when even 2 thais cant get it right

P.s. C',Mon England

P.p.s. Check out he new WC standings when Chonners sobers up

[qualtrough]

Glad to hear you got your back back and that it is running! But promise us that if, God forbid, it does break down again you won't bring it back to the same shop!

[OneeyedJohn]

Deal

Thx

[SnakeBite]

I would be interested to know what was replaced for 15,000 baht.

[Totster]

I would be interested to know what was replaced for 15,000 baht.

Or.. which original part is remaining....

toster

[LivinLOS]

You want a mechanics tale.. I will see your slow work and raise you a total idiocy..

Posted this on another forum when it happened to us last weekend.. This si the cut and paste..

No amount of lazy incompetant disorganised 'service with a smile' will ever surprise me in this country again.. And if an item has any safety aspect whatsoever then I can only advise to check check and triple check, all yourself, and never trust any shit eating grins or mai pen rai comments. Do not take anything as too stupid for them to do or too unbelievable for them to skip.

As I have mentioned in some of my posts I recently had my jeep all refurbed up.. Decided to take it round krabi and lanta and use it a bit more.. Had a great time touring about and today was returning from Ao Nang in Krabi.

Well one of the tasks that the mechanics did during the rebuild was to replace the windscreen.. So I am driving out in krabi, starting a leasurely return journey home planning to take all day. So me and her indoors are cruising along, about 50 - 60 mph or so and the winscreen just implodes !!! Now I have been in cars when the windscreen catches a high velocity stone and shatters but stays in place, this was nothing like that this was an almighty bang then flying shards of mental razor sharp glass !! I caught one in the cheek which sliced in but lucked out considering the possibilities. Spinner again luckily was 100% not a scratch. I had some minor nicks at scalp level and sliced my ankle stopping the car under control so blood started to flow. The jeep only has these convex mirrors so I was having a hard time assessing how injured I was, spinner FREAKs out, crying and wailing, looking at me like I am hanging apart, standard 3rd world brass panic reaction !! Not helping thanks love.. I have blood streaming down my face, on my shirt, in my mouth, spitting lots of foamy blood, I take my hand away from my cheek and it seems like a lot of blood (its not bad in truth) welling up out of this hole but the combo of accident, blood, and most of all not being able to know how bad I was hurt did give me the shakes and dry heaves for a second of two as I pulled my shit together.. Knowing your cut and bleeding (face especially) but unable to know how bad it is or what your reaction and course of action should be was the real kicker !!

Anyway it takes me a second but then I twig whats happened.. The ****ing mechanic muppet has put a piece of plate glass in as a replacement windscreen !!! For the last 1000 miles I have been sitting open eyed and facing a goddamn timebomb. When I consider the possible injuries, sliced face, lost eyes, jugular and other arteries etc it just boggles the mind. I mean hes a mechanic, he has to have known !! He must have just gone down the glass shop and asked for the cheapest bit of plate glass they had.. I will lay money on thats how it worked out !!! I assume he knew the danger that meant to me, as a child would know that whole issue.

Of course as I realize this, is at a time that heart is pumping, adrenalin was flushing through the system, and I was injured.. The thought of choking the little bastard for the risk he put me under was high on my 'things to do list' and I was having a bit of a rage reaction.. Now I have had some time to calm down I doubt I will do anything other than give him a firm verbal roasting but he deserves a cuff round the head in my book, of course the way Thais work is all no confrontation, no anger etc.. No wonder nothing gets solved or done !! Things like this just are another symptom of why Phuket Air dropped off the radar and are blacklisted all over, it will be ok, mai pen rai.

Anyway, we are out of the tourist zone somewhere between Karabi and Phang Nga, a Thai fella on a bike stops and says that the local doctor / medicine man is up the road but I didnt much fancy having it messed with and maybe sewn up by the local witch doctor in ****knowsaburi.. Considered turning back for Krabi hospital but thought sod it.. By the time I did that and messed around finding it I would be wasting the whole day and Phuket was only a couple of hours away.. So I clamped a rag to my face and drove (in the rain) back from krabi with no windscreen.. Quite an trek in a slow jeep with stinging rain and a cut face.

Once we get back on the island I made a wasted journey to the hospital.. The cut had closed and being a glass cut was very clean slice, so by keeping real firm pressure on it for the first hour it sealed pretty tight already and from what I could see had closed up all nice and pretty clean. I had sorted in my mind to just get some paper stiches (setures ??) to keep it closed and it would be fine. When I get to the hospital I explain all this to the first medic / nurse and his instant reaction is to open the wound and look how deep it is / assess it.. I understand this, but it had closed nice and clean and I didnt want him breaking it open and increasing the scar etc.. Despite me clearly saying not to reopen the wound in he kept coming in to do exactly that, over and over hes just smiling and reaching in with 2 hands to grab both sides and I even had to grab his hand as he was just going to do it while smiling and agreeing. Then had the same story with the doc attempting to open it and who wanted to real stitch it.. I debated this with him and had a close look myself in a mirror (at last) and decided against letting him local me and muck about. Doctors the world over dont like being debated or having thier opinion challenged as I guess it challenges thier authority but then you get a Thai for whom thats also a social no no and where most Thais just will agree anything the doctor says because hes the 'official' and he kinda got the **** with me and left. I guess he was thinking awkward bloody farangs always think they know better so all in all I paid a grand to argue with a doctor for 10 mins but I had some paper setures slapped on there and it fells nice and tight / closed now.. Just take care not to re open it for a few days and I am pretty sure I made the right call.. Not the first time I have had my boat race split and I somehow doubt it will be the last.

Still mad at the mechanic, still not sure how much I should let myself lose it when I give my safety education speech !!! Thais are great people for sanuk.. Great people for sabai time.. But some things they are worse than useless at !!

Anyone know a good car window fitter ??

[OneeyedJohn]

You want a mechanics tale.. I will see your slow work and raise you a total idiocy..

Ok I fold

To be honest apart from a new rad , some gaskets , nuts bolts and an engine cog, plus a few litres of oil, eeerrrrmmm Labour 3500

The guy must have worked flat out for 20 plus days, whilst he was waiting for parts the other 40 days.

Less ten days holiday Song kran / Kings' 60th.

Seems completely reasonable to me...NOT

Should I recommend him to people I don't like?

[qualtrough]

LivinLos, Wow, what an incredible story! I find it truly amazing that someone would do that even here. Window glass isn't that bad so either he was too lazy to find the right one or just wanted to make a few more Baht. I am sure you can get a new windshield off the shelf somewhere. There is an outfit near Don Muang airport that has safety glass windows made as well. I made a partition for my Land Rover and they had the glass treated. Well, at least I think they did...

[lopburi3]

Thread closed per OP request.