car recovery

car recovery

Author
Discussion

STIfree

Original Poster:

1,903 posts

158 months

Monday 15th June 2015
quotequote all
Bit of a predicament. We've broken our bmw 335i in le mans in the campsite with no breakdown recovery. Looking for suggestions for help. Looking around 1500 euros to get to Calais or a replacement clutch for 750 euros but takes 3 days to get part. If we get in the UK we have free recovery.

Thoughts or suggestions whilst we sit here drinking beer at the side of the road?

DJFish

5,917 posts

262 months

Monday 15th June 2015
quotequote all
Find someone who can speak German, ring the adac and ask if you can join straight away?

0049 897 676 6632

DJFish

5,917 posts

262 months

Monday 15th June 2015
quotequote all
Or ask around and see if someone with euro breakdown cover is willing to join your group?

t1grm

4,655 posts

283 months

Monday 15th June 2015
quotequote all
Try these:

http://www.shiply.com/

I also broke down yesterday and have just been quoted £633 to get my car from Chalons en Champagne to High Wycombe on a flatbed. That's a similar distance to Le Mans. Would probably be less to Dover.

lowdrag

12,868 posts

212 months

Monday 15th June 2015
quotequote all
I wouldn't trust Shiply frankly. I paid to have something delivered here to Le Mans from the UK and it never arrived. Shiply disowned me, saying they were only an agent and the problem lay with the contractor. Here in Le Mans there are plenty of breakdown people - Arnage, Le Mans, Mulsanne, and so on - who will quote you.

Jmracing66

784 posts

238 months

Monday 15th June 2015
quotequote all
How do you break a car in a campsite ?

ph1l5

5,024 posts

201 months

Tuesday 16th June 2015
quotequote all
I too have broken down this weekend.
Car is still in Le Mans while I am now sat at work. it cost £80 thank god for AA euro breakdown.

perdu

4,884 posts

198 months

Tuesday 16th June 2015
quotequote all
ph1l5 said:
I too have broken down this weekend.
Car is still in Le Mans while I am now sat at work. it cost £80 thank god for AA euro breakdown.
Thank god indeed but I'm biased

Two years ago they saved my bacon with everything done for me including stay at hotel overnight, ferry home and hire car followed by repatriating the clutch busted Midget later

It cost me about sixty five or seventy pounds then to get amazing service, I didnt hesitate to pay the 85 or so this year

OP I'd advise you to ask ADAC if you can, they have a very good reputation for helping folks in the mire like you

gingerprince

571 posts

240 months

Tuesday 16th June 2015
quotequote all
My MK got me to within about 20k of Allencon on the N12 on Thursdat before throwing the propshaft in a cocophany of clatter! Thankfully I bought RAC cover for about 50 quid so recovery to depot was free, my 175 euro taxi to destination was prepayed and hire car home sorted. Just got to wait a few weeks for my car to be repatriated now to see how much damage the flailing prop did!

Was originally going to go for the cheapo unnamed 25 quid cover but glad I plumped for RAC - can't fault them. Won't quibble over paying that bit more in future it's already paid for itself many times over.

The local company that picked me up from the SOS company were very helpful too liaising with RAC direct. But was a bit unnerving having to used Franglais and say "mon voiture est kaput" down the phone and hope they comprende!

Just hope my car gets back with all the tools and spares unsecured in the footwell!


Edited by gingerprince on Tuesday 16th June 11:12

perdu

4,884 posts

198 months

Tuesday 16th June 2015
quotequote all
gingerprince said:
My MK got me to within about 20k of Allencon on the N12 on Thursdat before throwing the propshaft in a cocophany of clatter! Thankfully I bought RAC cover for about 50 quid so recovery to depot was free, my 175 euro taxi to destination was prepayed and hire car home sorted. Just got to wait a few weeks for my car to be repatriated now to see how much damage the flailing prop did!

Was originally going to go for the cheapo unnamed 25 quid cover but glad I plumped for RAC - can't fault them. Won't quibble over paying that bit more in future it's already paid for itself many times over.

The local company that picked me up from the SOS company were very helpful too liaising with RAC direct. But was a bit unnerving having to used Franglais and say "mon voiture est kaput" down the phone and hope they comprende!

Just hope my car gets back with all the tools and spares unsecured in the footwell!


Edited by gingerprince on Tuesday 16th June 11:12
I wouldn't worry too much about that, the Midget I mentioned /\ up there had almost all of my worldy goods in it when I left it for the repatriating lorry, and you can guess how secure a rag top old car is

It made its way home with everything still in place

frown

You'd think they'd at least shake the dead flies out of my tent for me, wouldn't you


wink

surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Tuesday 16th June 2015
quotequote all
ph1l5 said:
I too have broken down this weekend.
Car is still in Le Mans while I am now sat at work. it cost £80 thank god for AA euro breakdown.
I'm being told by Paul that we should be posting the 'before' picture..... Seem's a bit harsh.

We were neighbours to Phil and one thing that is worth a note is that AA have breakdown patrols at the event - and the AA breakdown chap tried bloody hard to get Phil back on the road. - I think it cut a stage out of the messing around taking it to a garage etc. I'd seriously consider AA cover next year.

Phil - Hope your baby makes it back safe and I'm sure get restored to the flame snorting beast that it is.

Robscim

792 posts

255 months

Tuesday 16th June 2015
quotequote all
As always, I booked cover with the RAC, and I've never used them before.

However, this time, the engine decided to paint the French countryside in oil and that was it. A few calls to the RAC and the car is recovered to a local garage (Abbeville), a taxi took us to Calais and another took us from Dover to home (it was easier than getting a hire car).

I'm now waiting to hear from the garage if they can fix it (I very much doubt it), or if it will be brought home over the coming 2-3 weeks.

I'll keep you informed of progress!!!

On current experience, I would recommend the RAC cover and will continue to use it.

Cheers

Rob

pete

1,586 posts

283 months

Tuesday 16th June 2015
quotequote all
We didn't need recovery, but one of our team did manage to lock both sets of keys in the boot of their Audi on Friday morning. After a few calls to the AA, a two-man AA patrol arrived at Houx (in a British AA van liveried up as "Dépannage Automobile"), and spent over an hour breaking into the car, eventually picking the door lock with no damage caused - amazing service.

Apparently the AA have two patrols stationed at Le Mans for the event, camping with the rest of us. They have about a dozen vans in France over the summer period to help stranded British holidaymakers; they save a fortune in payments to local breakdown firms if they can fix members' cars themselves, so it's worth the cost of stationing people in France for part of the year. Not to mention the PR value at an event like Le Mans, our entire group was converted then and there! It's interesting to learn that if you do break down and have to call the AA in the summer, you can ask specifically for a British patrol, as long as you're prepared to wait for them to arrive. Could be useful if you're that worried about explaining a problem to a French recovery company.

Pete

paul_bish

18 posts

202 months

Wednesday 17th June 2015
quotequote all
I had issues at Houx - drove into campsite and gate post slashed my front tyre with a bang and flat in 20 seconds. I have to say Porsche Assistance (which is the AA) were great, car was collected to safe location in about 90 mins. Drove back yesterday after getting it fixed in Tours. Also helpful people in the camp offering tyre weld etc. So not great and annoying but sorted in the end

http://www.modernforces.com/img/new_site/IMG_9792....

Edited by paul_bish on Wednesday 17th June 12:41


Edited by paul_bish on Wednesday 17th June 12:42


Edited by paul_bish on Wednesday 17th June 12:42

IforB

9,840 posts

228 months

Wednesday 17th June 2015
quotequote all
Check your insurance policy. Some have breakdown cover for when you are abroad included. Not many, but some do.

It saved our bacon when my Spitfire decided to eat it's fuel pump a few years ago.

gdaybruce

753 posts

224 months

Wednesday 17th June 2015
quotequote all
This might not be helpful but the clutch master cylinder in my brother's MG ZS180 failed at the Classic last year and he ended up driving home to Yorkshire clutchless, starting on the starter motor while in 1st and then changing gear by rev matching. Some nervy moments (navigating Rouen and loading onto the ferry in particular) but he made it OK.

Pompeydave

47 posts

209 months

Friday 19th June 2015
quotequote all
We pushed the boat out this year and hired a motorhome for me and Mrs Pompeydave. Found an outfit in the Chichester/Bognor area that seemed pretty cheap- £500 for five days inc european recovery and all insurances. Newish vehicle too. Ok, we thought, lets go for it.

Turned up to their yard on the Thursday and alarm bells start to ring. It's a field at the end of a farm with a load of half bricks bashed into the ground to form a makeshift 'road'. Anyway, the owner is there. Polish guy, all very polite, nice vehicle- quite well used, but genuinely modern and all seems ok.

So we get on the road and head for Newhaven as Brittany are now charging the equivalent of the Greek national debt to go across from Pompey to Cherbourg frown . By the time we get to Newhaven we realise that the A/C is a non runner and so is the cruise. No matter, we think, it's not hot anyway. On and off the ferry and after a pleasant night on Dieppe seafront, all is ok down to Le Mans with the only bugbear being a 41 EU charge for the toll road. Total rip off or what? Anyway, we get onto Terte Rouge and find a spot, er, next to the bogs in the middle of the site. Turns out fine, no smells, but the site is noticeably noisier than last year as we seem to have inherited some of the displaced kiddies from Maison Blanche, including Mr Tannoy with his delightful "Make some fking noise" shrieking at 4 am on the Saturday morning.

Great race as ever, and we decide to take the slow road back to Dieppe for the 02:00 Monday ferry back to Newhaven to avoid the tolls. First indication that all is not well is a near miss whereby we nearly rub out a bloke and his kid on the track down to the site exit after being unable to disengage the clutch. The pedal stayed resolutely jammed in the fully pushed down position. Managed to get my foot behind it and lift and a couple of pumps got the clutch disengaged. All seemed ok again and we nervously got on the road. Anyway, you guessed it, 30 clicks outside of Le Mans the clutch goes for good this time. Master cylinder gives up the ghost. So then we try to invoke the 'European breakdown cover' trumpeted in the hire companies 'brochure'. A quick call to said Polish gentleman revealed that "Euro cover doesn't work very well in France at weekends". "WHAT?" I reply. Turns out there was no breakdown cover of any kind, and the Polish man said he'd come and get us- from, get this- Dusseldorf!!! So he turns up 7 hours later with a very pissed off looking girlfriend in tow in an old nail of an Audi A6 2.4, with added LPG conversion, and the additional luxury feature of the starter motor-on-a-switch-hanging-from-the-dashboard. He also topped it up with oil, which started burning off the exhaust manifold immediately frown.

Bottom line was that we ended taking the A6 to Calais- DFDS wanted £180 for a later Dieppe-Newhaven ferry. So £92 later and we're rolling off the ferry at Dover, and sure enough we get pulled by customs. Not surprising really. The A6 had lowered (or knackered, I'm not quite sure) suspension, Blacked up 'drug dealer special' wheels, and tinted glass. Did customs believe our story? Not a bit of it. Ten minutes pleading with them that yes, we know it's not our car, but this really is what happened officer, is not cutting any ice, and we're getting towards rubber gloves time. They evenetually believed us after we managed to dig out our Le Mans tickets from the depths of the boot, but it was a close run thing.

We got back to his yard at 11:15 Monday morning, got our gear out of his car and came back to Pompey for about midday. Disaster, utter disaster.

Pompeydave

47 posts

209 months

Friday 19th June 2015
quotequote all
We pushed the boat out this year and hired a motorhome for me and Mrs Pompeydave. Found an outfit in the Chichester/Bognor area that seemed pretty cheap- £500 for five days inc european recovery and all insurances. Newish vehicle too. Ok, we thought, lets go for it.

Turned up to their yard on the Thursday and alarm bells start to ring. It's a field at the end of a farm with a load of half bricks bashed into the ground to form a makeshift 'road'. Anyway, the owner is there. Polish guy, all very polite, nice vehicle- quite well used, but genuinely modern and all seems ok.

So we get on the road and head for Newhaven as Brittany are now charging the equivalent of the Greek national debt to go across from Pompey to Cherbourg frown . By the time we get to Newhaven we realise that the A/C is a non runner and so is the cruise. No matter, we think, it's not hot anyway. On and off the ferry and after a pleasant night on Dieppe seafront, all is ok down to Le Mans with the only bugbear being a 41 EU charge for the toll road. Total rip off or what? Anyway, we get onto Terte Rouge and find a spot, er, next to the bogs in the middle of the site. Turns out fine, no smells, but the site is noticeably noisier than last year as we seem to have inherited some of the displaced kiddies from Maison Blanche, including Mr Tannoy with his delightful "Make some fking noise" shrieking at 4 am on the Saturday morning.

Great race as ever, and we decide to take the slow road back to Dieppe for the 02:00 Monday ferry back to Newhaven to avoid the tolls. First indication that all is not well is a near miss whereby we nearly rub out a bloke and his kid on the track down to the site exit after being unable to disengage the clutch. The pedal stayed resolutely jammed in the fully pushed down position. Managed to get my foot behind it and lift and a couple of pumps got the clutch disengaged. All seemed ok again and we nervously got on the road. Anyway, you guessed it, 30 clicks outside of Le Mans the clutch goes for good this time. Master cylinder gives up the ghost. So then we try to invoke the 'European breakdown cover' trumpeted in the hire companies 'brochure'. A quick call to said Polish gentleman revealed that "Euro cover doesn't work very well in France at weekends". "WHAT?" I reply. Turns out there was no breakdown cover of any kind, and the Polish man said he'd come and get us- from, get this- Dusseldorf!!! So he turns up 7 hours later with a very pissed off looking girlfriend in tow in an old nail of an Audi A6 2.4, with added LPG conversion, and the additional luxury feature of the starter motor-on-a-switch-hanging-from-the-dashboard. He also topped it up with oil, which started burning off the exhaust manifold immediately frown.

Bottom line was that we ended taking the A6 to Calais- DFDS wanted £180 for a later Dieppe-Newhaven ferry. So £92 later and we're rolling off the ferry at Dover, and sure enough we get pulled by customs. Not surprising really. The A6 had lowered (or knackered, I'm not quite sure) suspension, Blacked up 'drug dealer special' wheels, and tinted glass. Did customs believe our story? Not a bit of it. Ten minutes pleading with them that yes, we know it's not our car, but this really is what happened officer, is not cutting any ice, and we're getting towards rubber gloves time. They evenetually believed us after we managed to dig out our Le Mans tickets from the depths of the boot, but it was a close run thing.

We got back to his yard at 11:15 Monday morning, got our gear out of his car and came back to Pompey for about midday. Disaster, utter disaster.