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tallblondkid
06-20-2008, 04:28 AM
i have been in thailand for about a month now and i see some crazy "jdm" parts here. Mugen wings, bumpers, lips. volk te-37s, mugen wheels, and a bunch of other stuff... knowing that everything in bangkok is fake, i just wanted to know if these parts are fake as well?

essraverone
06-20-2008, 04:53 AM
all jdm parts in thailand is real man...cuz we kinda tired to use all jdm parts....most of the peple over there they like usdm parts bro....

tallblondkid
06-20-2008, 05:07 AM
no, its not like the US.... cars are EVERYWHERE with mugen parts that are otherewise stock cars... its almost as if they are dealer add-ons or options... in thailand, importing fees are crazy. a civic equivelent to a $18000 civic in the US costs 30k+, a 50k BMW costs 200+K here, and pair of $400 dress shoes costs 800 here... if its not made it thailand, its really expensive.... this is one of the reasons everything is knocked off in thailand, which drives me to say that most of the performance parts and aftermarket parrts are fake...
i mean they all have those Brembo brake caliper covers.

20CiviC02Si
06-20-2008, 07:31 AM
Most of those parts in Thailand are authentic. The thing is Thailand tuners don't buy new parts. They only buy used parts imported in from Japan and other neighboring countries. I know this because my buddy in Chicago lives out there as well. He is a member on ephatch. He'll be moving back there sometime next year, once he does he said he'll be keeping me in mind when he finds some good deals.

I will eventually go out there to visit, as well as buying parts and shipping them back to the states. I am currently researching on what it'll take to get a container for shipping some goodies back to the states!

tallblondkid
06-20-2008, 05:28 PM
thats quite interesting... i could understand if they are used, just like most of the JDM parts in the states are used, but what about brand new civics and Fits with mugen aero parts? i saw one wing that was ripply, but i dont recall whether it was paint ripples or craft ripples... i have some pics of the cars there and ill post them when i get home, in a couple days.

Dorachagi
06-21-2008, 12:44 PM
I lived in Bangkok for about a year and a half, so I know exactly what you mean. I wrote a real similar post on my local car website the first time I went over there. The car culture there is insane, and what you might not be noticing is all the crazy engine swaps. Thai mechanics will drop a 1JZ or 2JZ into almost anything from pick-up trucks to police and emergency vehicles of ANY brand (anything japanese, LOTS of BMWs and Mercedes, probably more), so most anything you see with an intercooler sticking out is likely running one of those. I saw a Volvo sedan with a kiddie seat in back at the Bangkok Motor Show with it's dyno sheet stuck to the window. It had a 2JZ running 970hp at the wheels. Also, HKS has a large HQ there, so if you make it out to the drag strip outside Bangkok called Bangkok Drag Avenue you might see the HKS 180SX: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCHexv0YVKs , it's a very cool and LOUD thing to see, apparently their driver is mostly deaf.

As for the authenticity, just be smart about it. If it's a badge or part on one of the taxis, then no, it's not real. The little bits and pieces of Mugen and TRD on otherwise normal looking cars...again, probably not real, just like people in the states who go to AutoZone and put a Type R sticker on a truck. Thais have things that they are REALLY into, and car culture is very pervasive there so alot of people want the bling factor but arent really that knowledgable about cars.

But if you find a really respectable shop, and if it's clearly sealed and packaged in the manufacturer's packaging, AND (and I'm serious) everything is spelled mostly correct and doesn't look shoddy (allowing for a little engrish since it is Japanese), then yeah, it's probably real. It's the same story with the watches and suits and clothes and jewelry and antiques and everything else. Bangkok has some incredible deals on the real ones and the fake ones (and sometimes the fake ones work just fine), but you have to work a little harder to find the real ones. If you see some car guys with VERY nice cars you could ask them about where to get parts, but it's easy to walk around the pit area at Bangkok Drag Avenue, so maybe ask some of the more serious racers there where they got their parts or if they have a shop, they'll probably give you a card. Also the ads in the Thai magazines are probably on the up and up and all have little maps and addresses to their locations so just show a taxi driver.

If you have any kind of questions or want to know some really cool places to go that may be off the tourist track a bit, pm me or I'll just check here. I worked as an English teacher in a Bangkok suburb and went all over the country several times and I'd be glad to help.

Mickey
06-21-2008, 01:22 PM
Go buy JDM parts in Patpong. LOL!!!

Dorachagi
06-21-2008, 01:26 PM
Patpong is fun for the classic southeast asian freaky deaky factor, but if you want a much better experience go to Soi Cowboy and look for the Baccara bar. Also a neat spot on Cowboy, at one end of the street there's a hotel on the corner, go to the third floor around 2am when the shake joints close and there's an all night bar with 2 pool tables called Penny Black (there's a sign for it on the street, smallish and round). Playing drunk ass pool all night with off work hookers, dancers and kathoey never stops being fun.

Oh, and no matter what the sign or tout outside tells you, you will have to pay a fee in all of the bars on patpong (Cowboy you should just buy some drinks and a lady drink or two, which are for the ladies they aren't fru-fru drinks for you). The Patpong shows are NOT free, expect 400-800bt depending on how much they feel like trying to take your for. I'd give it a miss, had to actually fight my way out of one of those bars, literally, with knees and elbows, not good at all.

bphom
06-21-2008, 01:28 PM
can i get a tranny there? non-car wise. haha joking.

yeah i saw alot of l337 jdm cars when i was in thailand about 3 years ago and then about 8 years ago?

Mickey
06-21-2008, 01:28 PM
Patpong is fun for the classic southeast asian freaky deaky factor, but if you want a much better experience go to Soi Cowboy and look for the Baccara bar. Also a neat spot on Cowboy, at one end of the street there's a hotel on the corner, go to the third floor around 2am when the shake joints close and there's an all night bar with 2 pool tables called Penny Black (there's a sign for it on the street, smallish and round). Playing drunk ass pool all night with off work hookers, dancers and kathoey never stops being fun.

haha. I should go back to Thailand on my next vacation. Thailand is awesome place to visit.

Dorachagi
06-21-2008, 01:36 PM
Oh, I should mention, Baccara has the poles and little stadium seating and all downstairs with bikini girls, but the ceiling is glass and on the second floor is another dance floor with girls in japanese schoolgirl outfits who all forgot a certain article of clothing.

Windchaser
06-21-2008, 02:13 PM
I love Thailand.

jaeguyoon
06-21-2008, 04:55 PM
man i miss bangkok!! i love the motorcycle taxi's. gets u places real quick.

loved buying shit at MBK too....god ure making me want to go back!

tallblondkid
06-23-2008, 11:24 AM
well i just got back home... i should have made this thread when i first got there.... for anyone that likes traveling... thailand is an amazing place and endless shit to see. i absolutely love it, but like on this thread, get feedback because its very easy to get ripped off and/ or lost. luckily, i didnt.

Dorachagi
06-23-2008, 01:25 PM
What were your favorite parts? I'm guessing if you were there a month or more you got outside of Bangkok. I really wanted to live in Chiang Mai, but the Bangkok job was too good to pass up. And my favorite spot, really in the entire world, is Hat Yao (North Beach) on Koh Phangan. Koh Samet is pretty nice too, and a shorter trip from BKK. Oh, and MBK mall, damn if that isn't the craziest mall ever!! I went there dozens of times, and everytime I left I would just look for the nearest exit so I could get my bearings outside and then walk around the building to the National Stadium BTS stop, never could figure out where I was inside that place or find the right exit. Pantip Plaza is almost the same way but all computers and electronics, great place for discount gizmos.

jaeguyoon
06-23-2008, 01:41 PM
What were your favorite parts? I'm guessing if you were there a month or more you got outside of Bangkok. I really wanted to live in Chiang Mai, but the Bangkok job was too good to pass up. And my favorite spot, really in the entire world, is Hat Yao (North Beach) on Koh Phangan. Koh Samet is pretty nice too, and a shorter trip from BKK. Oh, and MBK mall, damn if that isn't the craziest mall ever!! I went there dozens of times, and everytime I left I would just look for the nearest exit so I could get my bearings outside and then walk around the building to the National Stadium BTS stop, never could figure out where I was inside that place or find the right exit. Pantip Plaza is almost the same way but all computers and electronics, great place for discount gizmos.

MBK and Pantip is the only 2 places i need to survive!!!!!!!

humpmasterflex
06-23-2008, 01:52 PM
My g/f is Thai... and we goin to Thailand fo vacation on aug 4th.... never been ther!

jaeguyoon
06-23-2008, 03:28 PM
My g/f is Thai... and we goin to Thailand fo vacation on aug 4th.... never been ther!

oh you will love it! shoping and party paradise.

and if u get out of bangkok, lots of places to go see!

tallblondkid
06-24-2008, 04:27 PM
What were your favorite parts? I'm guessing if you were there a month or more you got outside of Bangkok. I really wanted to live in Chiang Mai, but the Bangkok job was too good to pass up. And my favorite spot, really in the entire world, is Hat Yao (North Beach) on Koh Phangan. Koh Samet is pretty nice too, and a shorter trip from BKK. Oh, and MBK mall, damn if that isn't the craziest mall ever!! I went there dozens of times, and everytime I left I would just look for the nearest exit so I could get my bearings outside and then walk around the building to the National Stadium BTS stop, never could figure out where I was inside that place or find the right exit. Pantip Plaza is almost the same way but all computers and electronics, great place for discount gizmos.

indeed MBK is crazy... i got so frustrated in there so fast. i cant understand how they make a living with the same 5 stores on all 8 floors 100 times... haha...
we went to chiang mai, which was amazing and then head to the beaches, ko phi phi, then koh tao for some diving, and finally a full moon party on haad rin in ko phangan.