Vehicles breaking down when abroad. Your experiences.
Discussion
put the spare on?
assuming the car came with one but it sounds like it doesn't
Seriously, I am flabbergasted at how a puncture and the local tyre shop not stocking the specific tyre can stop a 750 mile Euro trip.
How about put a similar tyre on and carry on or, more importantly, prepare for a long Euro trip by buying a jack, a wheel brace and a cheap second hand wheel/tyre and carrying it in case of a puncture.
BMW assist? to change a tyre?
Sorry to sound harsh but I'm a bit surprised at the lack of preparation and planning
Just to add, when I planned my Euro trip I got RAC European cover. Worth it for peace of mind. For more terminal problems you can't really plan but I think, from memory, they would give me a hire car to continue my journey, not sure though.
I went ~3000 miles to, roughly, Nice/Monaco, Lake Como, St Moritz, Montreux, Dijon, Paris and home in a 94 Lotus Esprit with about 110,000 on the clock. (And I took a spare wheel).
assuming the car came with one but it sounds like it doesn't
Seriously, I am flabbergasted at how a puncture and the local tyre shop not stocking the specific tyre can stop a 750 mile Euro trip.
How about put a similar tyre on and carry on or, more importantly, prepare for a long Euro trip by buying a jack, a wheel brace and a cheap second hand wheel/tyre and carrying it in case of a puncture.
BMW assist? to change a tyre?
Sorry to sound harsh but I'm a bit surprised at the lack of preparation and planning
Just to add, when I planned my Euro trip I got RAC European cover. Worth it for peace of mind. For more terminal problems you can't really plan but I think, from memory, they would give me a hire car to continue my journey, not sure though.
I went ~3000 miles to, roughly, Nice/Monaco, Lake Como, St Moritz, Montreux, Dijon, Paris and home in a 94 Lotus Esprit with about 110,000 on the clock. (And I took a spare wheel).
Edited by Oilchange on Sunday 17th August 10:24
I had a puncture in my hired Nissan in the states last year. I was virtually in the middle of the desert in Arizona. Managed to get to a truck stop garage who did a patch repair for $20. The place was like something out of the hills have eyes but the chaps at the garage were really helpful and polite. Kevin and (I kid you not) Randy. Randy was a part time Alpaca Rancher! Yep, that was a new one on me too.
The patch did not work completely but held sufficient pressure to get the remaining 180 miles back to our hotel with only 2 pit stops to top up the air pressure.
Not a completely stress free journey but it certainly made it more interesting.
The patch did not work completely but held sufficient pressure to get the remaining 180 miles back to our hotel with only 2 pit stops to top up the air pressure.
Not a completely stress free journey but it certainly made it more interesting.
I've had a fan wear through a poorly secured radiator hose in Italy. Used smart phone to find nearest dealer and luckily they had the part in stock, then fitted it in the car park. Second was a failed fuel pump, got the car recovered to a local garage and hired a car for the remainder of the trip then picked my car up on the way back.
Apart from the delays and inconvenience I don't think there's anything particularly challenging about breaking down in Europe. The thought of breaking down in a remote part of Russia would scare me a bit.
Apart from the delays and inconvenience I don't think there's anything particularly challenging about breaking down in Europe. The thought of breaking down in a remote part of Russia would scare me a bit.
Oilchange said:
Seriously, I am flabbergasted at how a puncture and the local tyre shop not stocking the specific tyre can stop a 750 mile Euro trip.
It can delay it - oooh, a whole day or two - but these wonderful things called "couriers" can get all sorts of stuff to all sorts of places in 24hrs. Magic!TooMany2cvs said:
Oilchange said:
Seriously, I am flabbergasted at how a puncture and the local tyre shop not stocking the specific tyre can stop a 750 mile Euro trip.
It can delay it - oooh, a whole day or two - but these wonderful things called "couriers" can get all sorts of stuff to all sorts of places in 24hrs. Magic!
that's some serious out of the box thinking 
Edited by The Moose on Sunday 17th August 17:43
Several years ago our month old freelander ground to a halt in rural France on our way to the ferry. Me the wife and our 2 boys under 3 years old, car packed full of holiday crap the worst possible time. Call Land Rover they send a local recovery he tows us to a garage. As it's Saturday afternoon they can't look at it until Monday. Land Rover arrange for a taxi to take us to a local airport we fly to Paris then Paris to Manchester where a limo is waiting for us to take us home. In the mean time the car has been moved to a Land Rover dealers in Nantes they repair and Land Rover fly me back and arrange a ferry for me to bring the car home. OK so new cars shouldn't break but when they do it's how your dealt with the matters. Land Rover did an excellent job of getting us home.
I was thinking my post was a little harsh but look, car companies want us to be reliant on them. They want the revenue, simples. I and my generation are more self reliant which means the revenue stream is smaller, slower and less lucrative. I can't really blame the naughties yuppy lot as that's what they know but f
k me, if I was going round France and worried about a tyre change I'd carry a spare and a jack.
If I worried about a new car (BMW120) breaking down I would have Euro breakdown cover. It's not rocket science, is it?
Some chaps at work wouldn't dream of putting non runflats on their beemers as they want the resale value kept high or something, who gives a st, really? They pay eyewatering amounts for two tyres and wonder why I can pay less for 4.
It's all bks.
People have too much money to fritter away on irrelevent tosh.
If I was stuck by the side of the roaf as much as half of these cars I would scrawl 'unreliable BMW/AUDI/WHATEVER tosh' on the side of the car. They'd soon get the message.
Now I have had a few but hey, in vinho veritas, as they say in Latin speaking countries.
Dom... OUT!
k me, if I was going round France and worried about a tyre change I'd carry a spare and a jack.If I worried about a new car (BMW120) breaking down I would have Euro breakdown cover. It's not rocket science, is it?
Some chaps at work wouldn't dream of putting non runflats on their beemers as they want the resale value kept high or something, who gives a s
t, really? They pay eyewatering amounts for two tyres and wonder why I can pay less for 4.It's all b
ks.People have too much money to fritter away on irrelevent tosh.
If I was stuck by the side of the roaf as much as half of these cars I would scrawl 'unreliable BMW/AUDI/WHATEVER tosh' on the side of the car. They'd soon get the message.
Now I have had a few but hey, in vinho veritas, as they say in Latin speaking countries.
Dom... OUT!
2007, Bastille weekend, we had 500 miles to get to the ferry, steaming hot day in the Z3 to which we had fitted staggered M wheels, back tyre blew itself to pieces, easy enough to pop the space saver on, problem arose in where to put the blown alloy, about 3 times wider than the spare (bolts on under the car) ended up with the roof down and the alloy wrapped in towels and fastened to the roll hoops, we had Greenflag cover, not a soul in France was answering the phone that weekend, GF UK tried to find someone as well,
We slowly made the journey and just made the ferry, thought about doing the 300 miles overnight back to Bolton, bucketing rain in England, roof down, no way, rang GF who said 6 hour wait for a recovery, I suggested they put us in a hotel and we would sort a tyre in the morning, they eventually agreed.
We slowly made the journey and just made the ferry, thought about doing the 300 miles overnight back to Bolton, bucketing rain in England, roof down, no way, rang GF who said 6 hour wait for a recovery, I suggested they put us in a hotel and we would sort a tyre in the morning, they eventually agreed.
I must say, I think the bashing the OP is being given is totally out of order and not necessary at all.
Most cars these days don't come with a spare wheel - a lot of cars don't have the interior space to take a spare (or the real wheel if the spare needed to go on). Take motorbikes for example.
I don't see what the issue is.
I take out RAC cover before I travel into Europe. It's not expensive and is an added peace of mind.
Most cars these days don't come with a spare wheel - a lot of cars don't have the interior space to take a spare (or the real wheel if the spare needed to go on). Take motorbikes for example.
I don't see what the issue is.
I take out RAC cover before I travel into Europe. It's not expensive and is an added peace of mind.
iva cosworth said:
Assuming from first reply the OP got a puncture...???
All 3 of my cars came with a spacesaver.
All 3 of my cars now has a full size spare.
All 3 have been on 2000 + mile euro trips.
That's great when all 4 wheels are the same size. 2 out of my 3 cars have different sizes front and rear. All 3 of my cars came with a spacesaver.
All 3 of my cars now has a full size spare.
All 3 have been on 2000 + mile euro trips.
stumpage said:
iva cosworth said:
Assuming from first reply the OP got a puncture...???
All 3 of my cars came with a spacesaver.
All 3 of my cars now has a full size spare.
All 3 have been on 2000 + mile euro trips.
That's great when all 4 wheels are the same size. 2 out of my 3 cars have different sizes front and rear. All 3 of my cars came with a spacesaver.
All 3 of my cars now has a full size spare.
All 3 have been on 2000 + mile euro trips.
That's what my RAC card is for
With respect I don't think I bashed him, I just answered his question with a little sarcasm.
I have to say, though, that going around Europe with just a can of tyreweld and no spare is asking for trouble. How long does it take to change a wheel at the roadside? About 15 minutes from memory, then carry on with your journey as if nothing had happened and fix it on your return...
If my Lotus had a rear blowout, I would have had to bungey it to the bootlid
Oh, and I took out Euro recovery too.
I have to say, though, that going around Europe with just a can of tyreweld and no spare is asking for trouble. How long does it take to change a wheel at the roadside? About 15 minutes from memory, then carry on with your journey as if nothing had happened and fix it on your return...
If my Lotus had a rear blowout, I would have had to bungey it to the bootlid
Oh, and I took out Euro recovery too.
The Moose said:
I must say, I think the bashing the OP is being given is totally out of order and not necessary at all.
Most cars these days don't come with a spare wheel - a lot of cars don't have the interior space to take a spare (or the real wheel if the spare needed to go on). Take motorbikes for example.
I don't see what the issue is.
I take out RAC cover before I travel into Europe. It's not expensive and is an added peace of mind.
Most cars these days don't come with a spare wheel - a lot of cars don't have the interior space to take a spare (or the real wheel if the spare needed to go on). Take motorbikes for example.
I don't see what the issue is.
I take out RAC cover before I travel into Europe. It's not expensive and is an added peace of mind.
Edited by Oilchange on Tuesday 19th August 20:50
Coming back from nuburgring this year, car in our convoy got a puncture (v10 M5).
No spare wheel, no tyre foam.
Tried some gunk on a compressor line from a corsa Vxr.... No.
Tyre foam? A bit better.
In the end we removed offending object, stuck in a bigger self tapper screw, another can of tyre foam.
Job jobbed, home fine.
OP ain't trying hard enough.
In my streetwise, I snapped the nipple off my radiator near bottom of stelvio. Bodged it on, and did another 1500 miles before home to fix it.
No spare wheel, no tyre foam.
Tried some gunk on a compressor line from a corsa Vxr.... No.
Tyre foam? A bit better.
In the end we removed offending object, stuck in a bigger self tapper screw, another can of tyre foam.
Job jobbed, home fine.
OP ain't trying hard enough.
In my streetwise, I snapped the nipple off my radiator near bottom of stelvio. Bodged it on, and did another 1500 miles before home to fix it.
I always travel with european breakdown cover, its too much of a risk, id hate to think how much it'll cost to have a tow from Gibraltar or Sweden or Italy back to the uk. Id say you could drop £250 just to get back from Calais to the UK. I had a tyre blow out in Ostende and had to drive back on the space saver,that was a slow ride home. In the kit i keep in my boot is a few screw-in plugs that you screw into holed tyres then snap off once there tight.
Edited by gtidriver on Tuesday 19th August 22:37
There seams to be a design issue from manufactures concerning the spare wheel.I had a E46 325ti sport, that had quite wide rear tyres,it also had a space saver spare wheel. Now if the car was fully loaded with people and luggage where would the damaged wheel be placed if i had a puncture, passengers lap maybe.
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