breaking down on the road

Driving and riding in Hua Hin and Thailand, all topics on cars, pickups, bikes, boats, licenses, roads, and motoring in general.
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tood ling
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breaking down on the road

Post by tood ling »

hello everyone, lm real enjoying this forum. l think lm going to ask a lot of silly questions that seem commen practise. you may laugh but l dont know. o k what happens if your car quits in the middle of no where thailand. do you call your girlfriend (wrong)or do you just wait for police.
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PeteC
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Re: breaking down on the road

Post by PeteC »

The big car makers here, at least Honda and Toyota and probably others, have service networks throughout the country that can be called on an emergency number for dispatch. Pay or not depends upon the problem and if the car is still under warranty. When you buy a car here new or used, check what kind of emergency service the manufacturer offers.

Unless you are totally off the beaten track, almost everywhere is close to a service station where there will be someone who can help you change a tire or try to diagnose an engine problem. Many of the Thai boys working in these places are really inventive when it comes to car repairs, or at least temporary repairs to get you running. Proof of this is how many tow trucks you see on Thai highways, virtually none, and how many broken down cars do you see at the side of the road....very few. The biggest fear is breaking down on an expressway where there is never any room to pull over, mainly because they've turned the shoulders into driving lanes. :roll: If it happens there, you may very well see a tow truck show up, and be prepared for nasty looks and perhaps throwing of things at you from cars trying to get around you. :laugh:

The MIB are not going to get their hands dirty in most cases, but they will know who to call locally to give an assist.

Just make sure you have a cell phone with you at all times with the car manufacturer emergency number in the address book, and the number of a Thai who you can call to help you translate if you're driving alone. Pete :cheers:
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poosmate
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Re: breaking down on the road

Post by poosmate »

Many insurance policies come with roadside breakdown assistance. I have an Axa policy from Matt at AA Insurance. The 24 hour hotline is multi lingual.
The police also do a lot of recovery and have their own tow trucks with police numberplate.
I have noticed these towing damaged cars and parked near to toll booths on the expressway .
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ste860
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Re: breaking down on the road

Post by ste860 »

as mentioned above ,i broke down right at the toll booth on the express way,and the police called a tow truck, they tried taking my car to his friends garage,i had tried to start it again and flatened the battery,it took my other half to explain all it needed was a bump jump/start , then we were off again, i always have leads etc with me
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crazy88
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Re: breaking down on the road

Post by crazy88 »

Never broken down in a car but have run out of fuel a couple of times :oops: Also have broken down on bikes. The scenario has not arisen since I have had a Thai partner so I guess I would phone her to sort it. The bikes were on a small island with plenty of mechanic places so I just pushed it until I saw a workshop. With the fuel thing I was on the mainland and reasonably remote so I just walked up to the first Thai person I could find and explained, in my very limited Thai combined with showing them the car keys that I had run out of fuel. Got help both times. One took me on a bike and I of course gave him some money which he was very reluctant to take. The other time I did not think I had been understood and tried walking in the other direction and a truck picked me up with a can of diesel, took me to the car and and laughed at me a lot while they put a couple of gallons in. They would not take anything so I drove back the next day and gave the guy I had disturbed having a nap in his hammock a bottle JWB as a thank you. Good luck if it happens to you on the expressway :shock:

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STEVE G
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Re: breaking down on the road

Post by STEVE G »

Drive a Toyota pick-up or a passenger vehicle derived from one!
I drove them for six years solid in Indonesia and I now still manage 10,000 km a year in the three months I spend in Thailand and I've never had one leave me stuck at the side of the road.
I was once driving in a flood in Java where water was coming up out of the gear lever gaiter like a fountain and the thing still kept going.
My insurance also has some kind of roadside assistance but I've never used it so I don't know how good the service is.
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hhfarang
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Re: breaking down on the road

Post by hhfarang »

^ Ditto for any Honda, and every insurance policy I've ever bought here has a roadside assistance clause. Never had to try it out though (touch wood).
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MikaQ5
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Re: breaking down on the road

Post by MikaQ5 »

Does anybody have a number of a tow truck in Hua Hin area ??
Thanks
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Nereus
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Re: breaking down on the road

Post by Nereus »

MikaQ5 wrote: Wed Jan 03, 2018 1:50 pm Does anybody have a number of a tow truck in Hua Hin area ?? Thanks

K.Pichai, 086 339 9491, 080 209 2362, 032 51 1790
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StevePIraq
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Re: breaking down on the road

Post by StevePIraq »

Waste of time waiting for the police, they hardly ever do road patrols.
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MikaQ5
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Re: breaking down on the road

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Thanks
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