I’ve just about had it with Taiwanese auto-mechanics who merely listens to my car’s engine and then proudly proclaims the quote which is ALWAYS way up there with ye angels! What the f#ck! :fume:
Do you know any Western Auto Mechanic or at least an English-speaking Taiwanese mechanic who would at least attempt to make a proper diagnosis OR better yet attempt to actually REPAIR the problem instead of just REPLACING the broken part?! I’m driving a VW Vento (automatic transmission) and while I know the parts may be on the expensive side, it justifies my request to REPAIR what can be repaired. If my car was a manual (gearbox) I’d have a go myself if I had access to a workshop, but alas, I don’t know much about auto gearboxes.
Dear Taiwan Saffies, If you would like to give me a call and arrange a time I would be more than happy to let my mechanic (who trained as a car mechanic ) to take a quick look at your car and I will give you the diagnosis in English.
[quote=“Jeremy@Bikefarm”]Dear Taiwan Saffies, If you would like to give me a call and arrange a time I would be more than happy to let my mechanic (who trained as a car mechanic ) to take a quick look at your car and I will give you the diagnosis in English.
Please call first
Jeremy[/quote]
May I apologize for Jeremy. He’s not very good with the intraweb.
Jeremy’s the guy who runs Bikefarm, and a dab hand with a spanner himself. He has this dude working for him who doesn’t speak English but always manages to get my bike going again. Jeremy speaks Chinese, so between them there’s a fair chance of figuring out what’s wrong and actually being able to tell you.
His number is 02 2930 1002, unless he’s changed it again. He’s open afternoons and evenings and the shop is close to Xinhai MRT stop, which is not much use if you’re in a car but I haven’t got a map handy.
saffies - there’s a guy on the way to da ju from taoyuan that i used to go to - took about 15 minutes from tesco/carrefour on jing gwoh.
NOT a foreigner, and didn’t speak english, but he was honest. another poster introduced me to him, and i’ve never had a problem with them in three years.
Look no farther than our own Vroom vroom mod. Send Redwagon a PM describing your problem, and I’m sure he’ll get back to you straightaway with some suggestions.
One peice of advice I’d give is to start canvassing the local junkyards. They are littered with the bones of VW’s deemed too expensive to repair.
If the problem requires a rebuild, don’t do it. Either pluck down the money for a new slushbox, or replace it with a junkyard special. Some of them even offer warranty for transmissions.
I offer this advice as a result of expensive, first hand experience. Two years after buying my truck, I blew the transmission. Against my own advice, I opted for the rebuild, which at nearly 60,000NT wasn’t cheap. The first attempt lasted 3 weeks. Rebuilt again under warranty. I didn’t want any further transmission problems, so I installed a separate transmission cooler to keep the temps down on hot summer days.
It lasted exactly 2 years and 9 months. Facing another huge expenditure, I decided to go the distance and install a fresh, out-of-the box transmission. Looking back, I wish I had done that the first time around.
[quote=“tmwc”][quote=“Jeremy@Bikefarm”]Dear Taiwan Saffies, If you would like to give me a call and arrange a time I would be more than happy to let my mechanic (who trained as a car mechanic ) to take a quick look at your car and I will give you the diagnosis in English.
Please call first
Jeremy[/quote]
May I apologize for Jeremy. He’s not very good with the intraweb.
Jeremy’s the guy who runs Bikefarm, and a dab hand with a spanner himself. He has this dude working for him who doesn’t speak English but always manages to get my bike going again. Jeremy speaks Chinese, so between them there’s a fair chance of figuring out what’s wrong and actually being able to tell you.
His number is 02 2930 1002, unless he’s changed it again. He’s open afternoons and evenings and the shop is close to Xinhai MRT stop, which is not much use if you’re in a car but I haven’t got a map handy.
Hope this helps.[/quote]
Thanx all! I heard Jeremy on ICRT last week and actually considered giving him a ring. I’ll PM for all the offers of help in the course of the day.
[quote=“TaiwanSaffies”]I’ve just about had it with Taiwanese auto-mechanics who merely listens to my car’s engine and then proudly proclaims the quote which is ALWAYS way up there with ye angels! What the f#ck! :fume:
Do you know any Western Auto Mechanic or at least an English-speaking Taiwanese mechanic who would at least attempt to make a proper diagnosis OR better yet attempt to actually REPAIR the problem instead of just REPLACING the broken part?! I’m driving a VW Vento (automatic transmission) and while I know the parts may be on the expensive side, it justifies my request to REPAIR what can be repaired. If my car was a manual (gearbox) I’d have a go myself if I had access to a workshop, but alas, I don’t know much about auto gearboxes.
Please! [/quote]
I hate to say this, but if your transmission is bad, there is probably nothing left to do except get a new transmission. Not that you CAN’T repair an automatic transmission, but the majority of the time, it is more cost effective to replace it with a new one. Remember, you’re paying for parts AND labor when it comes to a transmission. That and the fact that most garages won’t want to tear apart a transmission, fix one part, have something else wrong in the transmission, then be responsible.
As someone who worked on cars for years, this is about your only good option. But…if you’re not comfortable with your mechanic, it is better to find a mechanic you are comfortable with.
Good luck either way. Just letting you know what you are in for up ahead.
