Foreign Trip!!!

[Dave Milner]

I am after some advice please.... I am in the process of arranging a trip with a few friends to the south of France and wondered what spares people recommend shoving in the boot in case of emergency!! The car has been recently serviced and runs perfectly, but any suggestions as to bits to take would be appreciated!!



Thanks ,

Dave M

[Phil]

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Hi Dave

Welcome to this mad house

I did a trip to the Dordogne just before Christmas and asked the same question.

I ended up taking a drive shaft, belts, hoses and a fuel pump. I also took oil and coolant. The only thing I needed was a Windscreen wiper as one broke on the way back to Calais. As long as you check everything including your breakdown cover a wing and a prayer then it should be fine.

Make sure you tell us all about it

Phil

[StagnJag]

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For France you need to cary a full set of lightbulbs by law, along with a Hi viz vest in the car for each person in the car, and some other bits I am sure!

I would go for Oil/Coolant, a copy of the ROM and good breakdown cover. (With the ROM you are carrying the torque settings should you end up in a Garage with someone fiddling with your Stags delicate bits:shock.

Save the space in the boot to bring the booze back :P.

Dave

[STAG1973]

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Hi

Warning triangle, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, rac or aa membership, and last but not least have fun

Adrian

[Crocodile Gunn D]

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Shazamm, Zardoz reappears!
Hi,
I've done several of these trips, the last one to Rome in 2007.
I would take very little. If you've had your car a while then you know it reasonabley well, so, do you trust it when you use it here? Has it given you any problems? This is your starting point.

If it's been reliable, you don't need a second car as spares. Consider your hoses, how old are they?If you don't know change them. Same with dizzy cap, rotor arm, HT's & plugs.
Take engine oil, (you will need it), power steering oil, brake fluid.
Jubilee clips, bits of elec wire, rad weld. this kind of thing.
If you can't fix it by the side of the road you'll be coming home on a truck anyway.

Something that may upset a few of you, I never have a thermostat in when abroad. The car will run cooler obviously but that puts less stress on the engine, (With stat fitted , even wide open presents a significant restriction to coolant flow), and, if you go mountian climbing or it's particularly hot you'll be grateful for the elbow room.
Incidently, if you do go on a long climb, the engine may well still get very hot, do not stop at the summit, keep going on light throttle to keep air flowing through the rad, even better if there's a decent.

Bulbs as mentioned, Hi Viz per person, first aid kit, fire extingusher.

[Tdm]

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See former thread "what spares to carry" for some ideas. My advice would be to carry as many as you can plus the tools to fit them. Sods law says that whatever spares you don't take will be the ones that you need. Check what the Country you are visiting demands that you carrfy - such as :- flourescent waistcoats, triangles, spare bulbs etc.
Good luck

[Crocodile Gunn D]

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Oops, forgot to say, check / change gearbox and diff oil, things are going to get warm.

[Phil]

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I agree with all of the above I was kindly offered the loan of a selection of spares and it was no trouble to put them in the soft top well. As predicted I didn't need any of them but would have used the wiper if I had it. Kevin Garrod did comment on my return " why are we surprised when the car does exactly what it was designed to do"

re the legal requirements in France the AA do a pack we bought it from Tescos it had all you need except the bulb set

Phil

[Kevin Garrod]

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[jbuckl]

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Generally do/check all the iffy stuff before you go......hoses, plug leads, fuel supply, brake fluid for weeps, check wheel bearings&U/Jsfor play; Larger failures will mean breakdown recovery in any case. Take oil / water or receptical, £5.99 air compressor, fuses & bulbs, plan your route along a bus route, take care with the natives, enjoy the trip, full report back here!

[Dave Milner]

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Thanks for all you advice guys, i will take it on board and keep you up to date with how the trip went!!



Thanks again,



Dave

[Dave Milner]

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Thanks mate, i will let you know how it went!!



Cheers,



Dave

[StagnJag]

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Why follow a bus route? I'm afraid I don't get that one:shock:

Dave

[Phil]

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I would imagine if you have no mobile phone signal you could hop on a bus