Greetings!

I m looking for a small, independent shop - or even just a street mechanic in or close to Pattaya, to take care of my 2nd hand car that I just bought and that does not have representation in TH - I may have to order parts from abroad. Simple maintenance tasks first (replacing all fluids, checking brakes and belts) and repairs as needed. Looking for a local mechanic that prides himself in doing a decent job and uses torque wrenches and gauges, rather than his thumb as the sole instrument. Thank you!

Over the past eight years I have used Mr Sakda to keep my ancient Mazda 626 on the road. He provides excellent service and charges foreigners Thai prices. His number is : 081 7156819.

You say you might be interested in a street mechanic, but then say you want one who uses proper tools. I don't think those two go together...at least from what I've seen.

Hopefully Rimmer will jump in here. He seems to have found a very good shop for his older Honda CRV.

What kind of car do you have?

Over the past eight years I have used Mr Sakda to keep my ancient Mazda 626 on the road. He provides excellent service and charges foreigners Thai prices. His number is : 081 7156819.

Sounds excellent! Can you tell me where the shop is located, please!

Thank you!

craigt3365, on 20 Oct 2014 - 08:26, said:

You say you might be interested in a street mechanic, but then say you want one who uses proper tools. I don't think those two go together...at least from what I've seen.

Hopefully Rimmer will jump in here. He seems to have found a very good shop for his older Honda CRV.

What kind of car do you have?

Plenty of street mechanics in the US carry their tools in their vans/trucks and do a decent and often a better job than fancy shops. The savings on their overhead are passed on to the customer. They can handle common repair and maintenance jobs. They depend on repeat business and a loyal customers base. Had one street mechanic taking car of my beloved Subaru station wagon (approx. 200 000miles) for 5+ years. I guess this business model is not popular here (yet).

If I were to tell you the brand name of the car I bought, I would definitely set myself up for ridicule, and

that for good reason 55555! I made a costly mistake, let's leave it at that!

craigt3365, on 20 Oct 2014 - 08:26, said:

You say you might be interested in a street mechanic, but then say you want one who uses proper tools. I don't think those two go together...at least from what I've seen.

Hopefully Rimmer will jump in here. He seems to have found a very good shop for his older Honda CRV.

What kind of car do you have?

Plenty of street mechanics in the US carry their tools in their vans/trucks and do a decent and often a better job than fancy shops. The savings on their overhead are passed on to the customer. They can handle common repair and maintenance jobs. They depend on repeat business and a loyal customers base. Had one street mechanic taking car of my beloved Subaru station wagon (approx. 200 000miles) for 5+ years. I guess this business model is not popular here (yet).

If I were to tell you the brand name of the car I bought, I would definitely set myself up for ridicule, and

that for good reason 55555! I made a costly mistake, let's leave it at that!

Having spent a lot of time in Mexico, I'm well aware of what street mechanics can do! They've saved my huevos many times. I still laugh at the solutions they came up with. Absolutely brilliant.

For an older car, they may just be the trick! No guarantees though....