Breakdown in France - thoughts? Options?
Discussion
Evening all,
Your thoughts on my present situation would be appreciated.
I'm currently end route to our holiday destination with my Shogun 40 miles or more behind us at a garage. Worth saying is that so far the Adrian Flux breakdown people have been superb.
My conundrum is twofold. Firstly, what is likely to have caused the breakdown? All was going well, until I briefly had a metallic tapping noise which rose and fell with engine revs, then shortly after the engine just died. On trying to restart it, I just got that solenoid clunk you get trying to start on a flat battery. The same happened when the garage put it on a starter, so definitely not a flat battery. The only things I could think of were either the starter motor has somehow seized, or it's a timing belt issue.
The importance of part one of the conundrum becomes clearer when I explain that I had the timing belt and water pump changed last week just to insure against this sort of risk!
The second part of the conundrum therefore is what are my options if it does turn out to be a timing belt problem? If this was in the UK, I'd go back to the original mechanic and expect him to fix it, but with the vehicle being in Southern Brittany, that's less of an option. Even if Adrian Flux agreed to repatriation rather than repair, it still leaves us without the truck for the rest of our holiday, plus the hassle of getting ourselves home.
On the other hand, if it is a timing belt issue, then it's going to be bloody expensive to fix here, and possibly beyond the point of economic repair. What do you think I could reasonably expect of the mechanic in these circumstances?
All slightly academic until the garage get it into the workshop on Monday morning, but at least with a bit starting the thread will hopefully keep me from getting too frustrated about it in the meantime.
Your thoughts on my present situation would be appreciated.
I'm currently end route to our holiday destination with my Shogun 40 miles or more behind us at a garage. Worth saying is that so far the Adrian Flux breakdown people have been superb.
My conundrum is twofold. Firstly, what is likely to have caused the breakdown? All was going well, until I briefly had a metallic tapping noise which rose and fell with engine revs, then shortly after the engine just died. On trying to restart it, I just got that solenoid clunk you get trying to start on a flat battery. The same happened when the garage put it on a starter, so definitely not a flat battery. The only things I could think of were either the starter motor has somehow seized, or it's a timing belt issue.
The importance of part one of the conundrum becomes clearer when I explain that I had the timing belt and water pump changed last week just to insure against this sort of risk!
The second part of the conundrum therefore is what are my options if it does turn out to be a timing belt problem? If this was in the UK, I'd go back to the original mechanic and expect him to fix it, but with the vehicle being in Southern Brittany, that's less of an option. Even if Adrian Flux agreed to repatriation rather than repair, it still leaves us without the truck for the rest of our holiday, plus the hassle of getting ourselves home.
On the other hand, if it is a timing belt issue, then it's going to be bloody expensive to fix here, and possibly beyond the point of economic repair. What do you think I could reasonably expect of the mechanic in these circumstances?
All slightly academic until the garage get it into the workshop on Monday morning, but at least with a bit starting the thread will hopefully keep me from getting too frustrated about it in the meantime.
God, what a start to a holiday 
First you need to know if it's related to the timing belt or not.
If it is, it really ought to be fixed by the monkey who b
ksed it up. Repatriating the Shogun will be awkward because you need to get home somehow. So I'd talk to Flux about getting it repaired in France and claiming the costs from your mechanic.
If it isn't related, there's no story - you'll just have to get it fixed in France I'm afraid. Maybe Flux can help with a hire car in the meantime.
Sympathies. Where's the car now, and where will you be for the holiday? Post in the International PHers -> France forum, someone might be able to lend a hand.
First you need to know if it's related to the timing belt or not.
If it is, it really ought to be fixed by the monkey who b
ksed it up. Repatriating the Shogun will be awkward because you need to get home somehow. So I'd talk to Flux about getting it repaired in France and claiming the costs from your mechanic.If it isn't related, there's no story - you'll just have to get it fixed in France I'm afraid. Maybe Flux can help with a hire car in the meantime.
Sympathies. Where's the car now, and where will you be for the holiday? Post in the International PHers -> France forum, someone might be able to lend a hand.
Thankfully I speak fluent French, which helps enormously, although it doesn't extend too far into the realms of automotive vocabulary!
We made it to the campsite, and thankfully our English neighbours helped get the tent up, which was a godsend, as we were the very last people served in the restaurant before they shut!
Anyway, the truck is 120-odd miles away, and it will be Monday before it gets looked at, so I might as well try and relax. The neighbours also provided the first beer of the evening, so well on the way in that direction! Fortunately my corkscrew is in the truck, so no risk of me breaking in to the bottle of red I got to say thanks! :here:
We made it to the campsite, and thankfully our English neighbours helped get the tent up, which was a godsend, as we were the very last people served in the restaurant before they shut!
Anyway, the truck is 120-odd miles away, and it will be Monday before it gets looked at, so I might as well try and relax. The neighbours also provided the first beer of the evening, so well on the way in that direction! Fortunately my corkscrew is in the truck, so no risk of me breaking in to the bottle of red I got to say thanks! :here:
swerni said:
On the bright side, the weather is awesome at the moment.
Got home from Cognac about an hour ago, it was 38 degrees yesterday and the same for the next few days
We were in the Dordogne last week. Temperature in the shade in my parent's garden was a frankly horrible 42 degrees. It's far nicer in Brittany! Got home from Cognac about an hour ago, it was 38 degrees yesterday and the same for the next few days
Kermit power said:
We were in the Dordogne last week. Temperature in the shade in my parent's garden was a frankly horrible 42 degrees. It's far nicer in Brittany!
Actually it's pretty nice in Britain right now, I've never understood why people leave in the middle of summer, January/February is the time to go abroad.(Sorry OP, I realise that comment is of no help to your problem)
WhereamI said:
Kermit power said:
We were in the Dordogne last week. Temperature in the shade in my parent's garden was a frankly horrible 42 degrees. It's far nicer in Brittany!
Actually it's pretty nice in Britain right now, I've never understood why people leave in the middle of summer, January/February is the time to go abroad.(Sorry OP, I realise that comment is of no help to your problem)
On the subject of the cambelt, I had the one on the Disco changed and a week\250 miles later it snapped. Luckily it was just 8 bent pushrods and a rocker arm that were needed.
That was down to it being over-tensioned when fitted. Apparently this makes them walk side to side on the pulleys. Couldn't really blame anyone as it was me that fitted it.
Still, you live and learn, and at least the new bits only cost £100 or so.
Good luck getting it all sorted. We had some guests last year that broke down with an electrical problem, the insurance\breakdown people insisted that the car was repaired here rather than being repatriated. The guests eventually had to fly home, so we never found out what happened to the car.
I had what sounds exactly like this on my old pajero 2.5 td (hateful thing!). Sold it for spares thinking the cambelt had slipped or broke but I think the guy said it was probably fuel pump related, so could be something to check out.
Last time I had a breakdown abroad, we didn't have breakdown cover. After a polish garage recovering us from the m'way, sorting us out a hotel for the night,transporting us to Krakow and then fitting a new head gasket, it turned out the bottom end had shot it.
We left them the car (an e34 520i, which cost less than the bill was up to...) to cover the bill and got flights home!!
Last time I had a breakdown abroad, we didn't have breakdown cover. After a polish garage recovering us from the m'way, sorting us out a hotel for the night,transporting us to Krakow and then fitting a new head gasket, it turned out the bottom end had shot it.
We left them the car (an e34 520i, which cost less than the bill was up to...) to cover the bill and got flights home!!
If the cambelt had let go I would have thought the engine would still turn over (that tell-tale fast turnover as there's no compression (valves not in sync with pistons/crankshaft). I wonder if it somehow seized from a piston/valve impact? Did it just die in a stalling way, or did it seem to seize? First thing to do would be to have a peer inside the cambelt cover...
I had a problem with my car on a recent holiday to France. I had AA European cover (I thought it was expensive at £60 odd for the 10 days cover) but they repatriated my car so it could be dealt with after the holiday back in the UK, and they also provided me with a French hire car for the rest of the holiday, which was swapped for a British hire car at Calais (so took the British car onto the ferry and back to home, then returned it locally). The whole thing was dealt with very well by the AA IMO. Does your EU cover provide you with a hire car to finish you holiday with? Would at least allow you to get the car back to the UK later without spoiling your holiday too much?
I wonder if the problem is tensioner related, and did the belt jump one tooth which may have allowed valves to just touch pistons and make the tapping noise, then belt comes off altogether and engine stops at point where valves and piston are in contact with each other and thus engine won't turn over.
Really not good news if this is the case, but whilst the garage responsible may be liable for a refund etc, I don't think any court would find them liable for much costs beyond that.
Really not good news if this is the case, but whilst the garage responsible may be liable for a refund etc, I don't think any court would find them liable for much costs beyond that.
NiceCupOfTea said:
If the cambelt had let go I would have thought the engine would still turn over (that tell-tale fast turnover as there's no compression (valves not in sync with pistons/crankshaft). I wonder if it somehow seized from a piston/valve impact? Did it just die in a stalling way, or did it seem to seize? First thing to do would be to have a peer inside the cambelt cover...
Just before my belt let go completely I had a burning smell in the cabin, then a small bang, then all the dash lights on as the engine died. Once i'd pulled into the handily placed lay-by i tried to turn it over but just got a click from the starter and with the bonnet up I could see smoke wafting up from the timing belt cover vent holes. Turns out the belt had wrapped itself around the crank pulley and had locked it pretty much solid.
penryar said:
Just before my belt let go completely I had a burning smell in the cabin, then a small bang, then all the dash lights on as the engine died. Once i'd pulled into the handily placed lay-by i tried to turn it over but just got a click from the starter and with the bonnet up I could see smoke wafting up from the timing belt cover vent holes.
Turns out the belt had wrapped itself around the crank pulley and had locked it pretty much solid.
Blimey! Only time I've had it happen the engine just died, no warning. Turned over very fast as no compression.Turns out the belt had wrapped itself around the crank pulley and had locked it pretty much solid.
NiceCupOfTea said:
Blimey! Only time I've had it happen the engine just died, no warning. Turned over very fast as no compression.
Not something that happens with the 300tdi engine, it tends to bend all 8 pushrods (@£2 each) and snap rocker arms (@£5 each) so you end up with an engine with 8 closed valves and lots of compression.Feel for you, had a nightmare when we broke down in France, despite having cover we ended up paying for a very poor repair that nearly ruined my engine block and a £250 car hire bill apparently because we dropped the hire car at the repair garaage where we got it from rather than the hire company office 25 miles away, would have done if anyone had told us to.
A lot really depends on if the car is repairable or not.
And how quickly.
How comprehensive is the cover from Adrian Flux?
A lot really depends on if the car is repairable or not.
And how quickly.
How comprehensive is the cover from Adrian Flux?
A couple of years ago I was in the south of France in an Isuzu trooper work about 2k and my caravan.
I had cover by a company called Insurance Choice, they were cheap.
The trooper blew the engine, head cracked, rad popped etc etc. Car was a mechanical write off.
They arranged for the car to go to a garage for inspection (0 cost to us), once that mechanic said it was not worth repairing they collected car and caravan, recovered it 400miles to Caen with us as we were on our way home after holidays.
Where it was towed on the ferry and collected the other side and delivered home.
The following day they called to arrange to have it taken to a UK garage if I wished. All I ever paid was the £60 insurance premium.
I had cover by a company called Insurance Choice, they were cheap.
The trooper blew the engine, head cracked, rad popped etc etc. Car was a mechanical write off.
They arranged for the car to go to a garage for inspection (0 cost to us), once that mechanic said it was not worth repairing they collected car and caravan, recovered it 400miles to Caen with us as we were on our way home after holidays.
Where it was towed on the ferry and collected the other side and delivered home.
The following day they called to arrange to have it taken to a UK garage if I wished. All I ever paid was the £60 insurance premium.
Well, we got home last night. Hire car for the remainder of the holiday, then we met up with the truck at Caen, offloaded all our stuff into it, and got towed on to the ferry. fully loaded Shoguns with no power are heavy as hell to steer!!!!!
Off the other side at Portsmouth, onto a flatbed, and delivered home around midnight. Now I just have to work out the best place to scrap it to get some cash back out of it.
Off the other side at Portsmouth, onto a flatbed, and delivered home around midnight. Now I just have to work out the best place to scrap it to get some cash back out of it.
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