Is anyone else so OCD when going on a family road trip.....

Is anyone else so OCD when going on a family road trip.....

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Discussion

Disastrous

10,072 posts

216 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
P-Jay said:
Me, obsess? No, I just take sensible precautions any in no way over think it....

Driving to Morzine I the Alps on the 23rd of August.

2 new front tyres, there's a small cut in one of them, the MOT guy said it was cosmetic, part of the bit that protects the rim and they're only 2 months old - but hey - I'm taking a tiny little baby - MY tiny little baby.

Even though it's mid-point through it's service interval, I'm changing the air filter - because I somehow know it needs it.

I know the exact time we need to leave, the exact time I need to wake up and the exact order I need to pack things in the boot - both the things I can pack the night before and the things we need the morning before we go.

I've pre-programmed the sat-nav with the ferry port, the supermarket in Calais we're going to fill up at and the final destination - I don't really care too much about the cost - but I can't make the trip on a single tank with a bike on the roof so.... if you're going to stop - lets optimise it! I've told the guy who we've rented our chalet from the approximate time of arrival - I say approximate - it's be +/- 15mins if I have may way.

I've made a mental note of the intervals between service stations and the ones with baby centres I want to use to stop for feeds etc.

I know the tyre pressures I need for the extra load (in fairness they're inside the petrol cap cover)

I'll give it a good clean inside and out and fill the washer bottle before we go.

I know exactly what things I need to comply with French driving rules, AND all the BS ones that people trying to sell you stuff tell you, you need.
Did your missus fall for your devil-may-care approach to life? hehe

chevronb37

6,471 posts

185 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
I think this is just prudent planning. Saying that, on our trip to Spa this weekend, I did oil check, tyre pressures and screen wash while we were in the Shuttle, a mile beneath the English Channel, but better late than never. I actually think a bit of grime, a few squashed flies, etc. are part of the appeal of a well-travelled car.

I do like to plan properly, though. Before a big trip, I produce a 'bible' containing any relevant information. This will typically include booking confirmations, maps, timetables, places of interest, etc. I would feel deeply uncomfortable going on a foreign motor racing trip without a bible of some kind. The main issue is allowing opportunity for any spontaneity when thoroughly planning a trip.

ecs0set

2,470 posts

283 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
chevronb37 said:
...on our trip to Spa this weekend, I did oil check, tyre pressures and screen wash while we were in the Shuttle, a mile beneath the English Channel
You reckless hooligan! smile

We attempted to invoke the Euro cut-out on the lights of an Audi A6 whilst mid-tunnel and got pounced on by the guards for having the bonnet open. "It's a fire risk Sir". rolleyes

Attempts to debate why an open bonnet constituted a fire risk were shut down promptly.

P-Jay

10,550 posts

190 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
Disastrous said:
P-Jay said:
Me, obsess? No, I just take sensible precautions any in no way over think it....

Driving to Morzine I the Alps on the 23rd of August.

2 new front tyres, there's a small cut in one of them, the MOT guy said it was cosmetic, part of the bit that protects the rim and they're only 2 months old - but hey - I'm taking a tiny little baby - MY tiny little baby.

Even though it's mid-point through it's service interval, I'm changing the air filter - because I somehow know it needs it.

I know the exact time we need to leave, the exact time I need to wake up and the exact order I need to pack things in the boot - both the things I can pack the night before and the things we need the morning before we go.

I've pre-programmed the sat-nav with the ferry port, the supermarket in Calais we're going to fill up at and the final destination - I don't really care too much about the cost - but I can't make the trip on a single tank with a bike on the roof so.... if you're going to stop - lets optimise it! I've told the guy who we've rented our chalet from the approximate time of arrival - I say approximate - it's be +/- 15mins if I have may way.

I've made a mental note of the intervals between service stations and the ones with baby centres I want to use to stop for feeds etc.

I know the tyre pressures I need for the extra load (in fairness they're inside the petrol cap cover)

I'll give it a good clean inside and out and fill the washer bottle before we go.

I know exactly what things I need to comply with French driving rules, AND all the BS ones that people trying to sell you stuff tell you, you need.
Did your missus fall for your devil-may-care approach to life? hehe
Believe or not - yes, ha ha.

Since we've met, I moved in, took her Son as my own, got married and eventually had a baby together my attitude has done a complete 180, well when it comes to the kids and stuff - left to my own devices I'm still a 36 year old teenager who thinks farts are funny and most things will "work themselves out in the end" but I can't stand the thought of letting them down so I tend to massively over-think these things - thankfully I'm okay when things don't go to plan - my Dad isn't like that, he's exactly the same with planning family trips, but goes supernova if the slightest detail goes wrong, that's the trait I will hopefully never get.

g3org3y

20,606 posts

190 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
Depends on the car - if you're using a daily driver you're already aware of any issues/foibles so that makes it a little easier. If you're regularly putting hundreds of miles on the car every week, a big trip isn't such a big deal.

My gf is Scottish so we're frequently doing drives from London to the Scottish borders. 400 miles or so. Check tyre pressures, check/top up water/oil/screen wash as well as a cursory glance for anything out of the ordinary (leaks etc). Interior is usually clean anyway so won't make any special effort on that. Windscreen gets cleaned (both in and out). Winter may require front/rear lights to be cleaned as well. Exterior otherwise I'm not bothered about. I also like to have a full tank of petrol from the night before.

For a Euro road trip, worth having a bit of oil and water in the boot. I did for the E30 (as well as jump leads). Documents (passports, hotel booking print outs, insurance docs etc) in a plastic wallet which goes in the glove compartment. Road map down the side of the seats.

I quite enjoy the prep but certainly don't go overboard.

Dapster

6,866 posts

179 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
Our family car, an SMAX, is my wife's daily drive and kiddy bus so whenever I get in it, whether going on holiday or to the shop, I have to clear it out of all the st that she somehow amasses - empty water bottles, banana skins, parking tickets left on the dash, the lot.

When going on a road trip the car gets an inside and out clean (not a concours prep, just a tenner at the local hand car wash will do). I then enjoy it getting splattered with flies and road dirt on the holiday - the point is the battle scars have to come FROM THE HOLIDAY, not carried over from the proceeding weeks if you know what I mean.

Part of the holiday ritual from when I was a kid was helping my father paint the headlights yellow - when I'm President of the EU I'm going to give the French their yellow headlights back!

strummerville

1,014 posts

126 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
g3org3y said:
Depends on the car - if you're using a daily driver you're already aware of any issues/foibles so that makes it a little easier. If you're regularly putting hundreds of miles on the car every week, a big trip isn't such a big deal.

My gf is Scottish so we're frequently doing drives from London to the Scottish borders. 400 miles or so. Check tyre pressures, check/top up water/oil/screen wash as well as a cursory glance for anything out of the ordinary (leaks etc). Interior is usually clean anyway so won't make any special effort on that. Windscreen gets cleaned (both in and out). Winter may require front/rear lights to be cleaned as well. Exterior otherwise I'm not bothered about. I also like to have a full tank of petrol from the night before.

For a Euro road trip, worth having a bit of oil and water in the boot. I did for the E30 (as well as jump leads). Documents (passports, hotel booking print outs, insurance docs etc) in a plastic wallet which goes in the glove compartment. Road map down the side of the seats.

I quite enjoy the prep but certainly don't go overboard.
This is the most sensible compromise IMO and how I go about long trips.

996TT02

3,308 posts

139 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
P-Jay said:
Driving to Morzine I the Alps on the 23rd of August.
Enjoy. Pleney lift is all-new, just over 3 mins to the top and bikes go INSIDE the large cabin, 2 at a time.

Lots of trail development on the Supermorzine side and also Mont Chery.

Got almost a week of solid rain, braking bumps became stepdowns on Pleney... so as usual prepare for the worst.

sparks_E39

12,738 posts

212 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
The night before I make sure the tyres are at the correct pressure, I check the fluid levels and fill it right up regardless of how much petrol I have. I always have a litre or so of oil and some water in the boot just in case.

P-Jay

10,550 posts

190 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
996TT02 said:
P-Jay said:
Driving to Morzine I the Alps on the 23rd of August.
Enjoy. Pleney lift is all-new, just over 3 mins to the top and bikes go INSIDE the large cabin, 2 at a time.

Lots of trail development on the Supermorzine side and also Mont Chery.

Got almost a week of solid rain, braking bumps became stepdowns on Pleney... so as usual prepare for the worst.
Thanks, as usual I've been all over YouTube since the lifts opened looking at the trails! I haven't rode the Pleney side since 2008 for various reasons! Lots of changes.

threesixty

2,068 posts

202 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
P-Jay said:
996TT02 said:
P-Jay said:
Driving to Morzine I the Alps on the 23rd of August.
Enjoy. Pleney lift is all-new, just over 3 mins to the top and bikes go INSIDE the large cabin, 2 at a time.

Lots of trail development on the Supermorzine side and also Mont Chery.

Got almost a week of solid rain, braking bumps became stepdowns on Pleney... so as usual prepare for the worst.
Thanks, as usual I've been all over YouTube since the lifts opened looking at the trails! I haven't rode the Pleney side since 2008 for various reasons! Lots of changes.
We did the first weekend of the season, it was beautiful for about 4hrs then the braking bumps started, I bet its totally fked by now. All the best stuff remains off piste!

I drove out in an e92 M3 a few years back, threw the bike in the boot and headed for dover, great times.



Adenauer

18,564 posts

235 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
P-Jay said:
Me, obsess? No, I just take sensible precautions any in no way over think it....

Driving to Morzine I the Alps on the 23rd of August.

2 new front tyres, there's a small cut in one of them, the MOT guy said it was cosmetic, part of the bit that protects the rim and they're only 2 months old - but hey - I'm taking a tiny little baby - MY tiny little baby.

Even though it's mid-point through it's service interval, I'm changing the air filter - because I somehow know it needs it.

I know the exact time we need to leave, the exact time I need to wake up and the exact order I need to pack things in the boot - both the things I can pack the night before and the things we need the morning before we go.

I've pre-programmed the sat-nav with the ferry port, the supermarket in Calais we're going to fill up at and the final destination - I don't really care too much about the cost - but I can't make the trip on a single tank with a bike on the roof so.... if you're going to stop - lets optimise it! I've told the guy who we've rented our chalet from the approximate time of arrival - I say approximate - it's be +/- 15mins if I have may way.

I've made a mental note of the intervals between service stations and the ones with baby centres I want to use to stop for feeds etc.

I know the tyre pressures I need for the extra load (in fairness they're inside the petrol cap cover)

I'll give it a good clean inside and out and fill the washer bottle before we go.

I know exactly what things I need to comply with French driving rules, AND all the BS ones that people trying to sell you stuff tell you, you need.
P-Jay, are you me? laugh

Driving to Italy on August 16th (1250kms). My two front tyres were near the wear bars so I've had two new ones fitted. I pre-programmed the Satnav with the Villa address about 6 months ago biggrin Have had all the hi-vis vests, spare bulbs etc. in the car since Christmas. We are leaving at 5am and I have told the owner of the villa that we will be there between 18.00 and 18.30, and barring a nuclear war, we will.

longblackcoat

5,047 posts

182 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
P-Jay said:
Me, obsess? No, I just take sensible precautions any in no way over think it....

Driving to Morzine I the Alps on the 23rd of August.

2 new front tyres, there's a small cut in one of them, the MOT guy said it was cosmetic, part of the bit that protects the rim and they're only 2 months old - but hey - I'm taking a tiny little baby - MY tiny little baby.

Even though it's mid-point through it's service interval, I'm changing the air filter - because I somehow know it needs it.

I know the exact time we need to leave, the exact time I need to wake up and the exact order I need to pack things in the boot - both the things I can pack the night before and the things we need the morning before we go.

I've pre-programmed the sat-nav with the ferry port, the supermarket in Calais we're going to fill up at and the final destination - I don't really care too much about the cost - but I can't make the trip on a single tank with a bike on the roof so.... if you're going to stop - lets optimise it! I've told the guy who we've rented our chalet from the approximate time of arrival - I say approximate - it's be +/- 15mins if I have may way.

I've made a mental note of the intervals between service stations and the ones with baby centres I want to use to stop for feeds etc.

I know the tyre pressures I need for the extra load (in fairness they're inside the petrol cap cover)

I'll give it a good clean inside and out and fill the washer bottle before we go.

I know exactly what things I need to comply with French driving rules, AND all the BS ones that people trying to sell you stuff tell you, you need.
Blimey, that's a lot of palaver. I drove to Morzine last weekend, and my preparations consisted of, er, filling the tank.

Everything else (oil level, washer bottle etc) is just part of the normal weekly check.

I can do the whole journey on one tank if I keep below 80mph, so refilling's not an issue. I have a tag for the peage tolls, so none of that collect-a-ticket-and-then-find-it-again stuff, which always seemed to occur when my wife was asleep. Now I just slow to about 10mph and keep rolling.

Packing the car - took an hour before we left, including putting a rack of 3 DH bikes on.
Timing - it's Eurotunnel, so turn up whjen you like, within reason.
Arrival - it's my own chalet, so who cares when I arrive.

In short, a truly stress-free journey. And I got to drive through the night and watch the sun come up, which is always a wonderful sight.

996TT02 said:
P-Jay said:
Driving to Morzine I the Alps on the 23rd of August.
Enjoy. Pleney lift is all-new, just over 3 mins to the top and bikes go INSIDE the large cabin, 2 at a time.

Lots of trail development on the Supermorzine side and also Mont Chery.

Got almost a week of solid rain, braking bumps became stepdowns on Pleney... so as usual prepare for the worst.
I rode the new trails off the Zore lift on Sunday - very muddy in places, but surprisingly rideable. It was grim over in Chatel though - really sticky through the trees and a lot of people crashing on roots.

GR5 was riding well - not too many people on it , and it dries quickly, but the National run down to the Lindarets bowl area by the goat village was pretty much unrideable.

Edited by longblackcoat on Tuesday 29th July 14:14

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
I always plan well ahead, well, when I say plan, I make sure I have left the house by 10 so I can grab a double sausage muffin with no cheese before the 10.30 cut off.
Well the Maccy Ds on route is 25 minutes away, so you can't just start these journeys Gun Ho!!

Riley Blue

20,907 posts

225 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
We've just taken our '63 Riley on a week long, 632 mile tour. I just checked the oil and water before we left then called in to Tesco to fill up and away. I opened the bonnet twice to check fluid levels during the week (both OK). No fuss, no worries, just enjoyable motoring for the sake of it.

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

254 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
Not quite sure why anyone thinks that properly preparing a car for a long trip means you must suffer from a mental health issue like OCD...

Fleckers

2,851 posts

200 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
quotequote all
I do all the cleaning and checks as everyone says

I always clean the car on arrival to make sure it's clean while there and as necessary when there, including Spain, France Cornwall

It's just me and the misses is now used to it

DJP

1,198 posts

178 months

Sunday 3rd August 2014
quotequote all
Like most others, I just check the tyres and fluids before I go.

That said, I self-maintain my vehicles and usually check all the above every few weeks anyway.

This time around I did clean the car but wished I hadn't. I'm currently in the south of France and the car was filthy before we left the UK!

DJP

1,198 posts

178 months

Sunday 3rd August 2014
quotequote all
Double tap.

Triumph Man

8,669 posts

167 months

Sunday 3rd August 2014
quotequote all
996TT02 said:
P-Jay said:
Driving to Morzine I the Alps on the 23rd of August.
Enjoy. Pleney lift is all-new, just over 3 mins to the top and bikes go INSIDE the large cabin, 2 at a time.

Lots of trail development on the Supermorzine side and also Mont Chery.

Got almost a week of solid rain, braking bumps became stepdowns on Pleney... so as usual prepare for the worst.
I came back from there 3 weeks ago! Lovely area, didn't go for the cycling, but the views and alpine air. Lovely. Which hotel are you staying at? We stayed at The Ridge.