Driving Holiday in Northern France
Discussion
Hi,
Has anyone recently been driving in France. I understand there are certain documents required and accessories like, Insurance cirtificate, MOT dertificate, beam defelectors, triangles etc. Has anyone got a list of things I'll need.
Also, has anyone got any experience of driving on the northern coasts of brittany and Normandy? Any good roads to drive along will be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Martin
Has anyone recently been driving in France. I understand there are certain documents required and accessories like, Insurance cirtificate, MOT dertificate, beam defelectors, triangles etc. Has anyone got a list of things I'll need.
Also, has anyone got any experience of driving on the northern coasts of brittany and Normandy? Any good roads to drive along will be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Martin
If you break down and cannot fix it yourself you will be completely stranded, so AA cover with roadside recovery is vitally important insurance against avoid potentially huge transportation and storage costs.
I think the likelihood of repairing major mechanical faults is remote as you'll not have the access to spares. I'd concentrate on fixing minor electrical faults, engine belt failure and punctures.
I'd therefore take a drive belt, cans of foam, (maybe even a small fuel can full of fuel and a few litres of engine oil?), one spare HT lead, a torch with spare batteries, a small supply of automotive wire, a reel of gaffa tape and a supply of different fuses. Take whatever tools you think you might need but I'd restrict myself to a small set of ring/open ended spanners, (plus whatever else you might need to change the drive belt without too much hassle) , screwdrivers, pliers and wire cutters. A small multimeter would potentially be of use too.
And, of course, a tyre pump - electric or foot operated.
You are not going to be up to doing a top end overhaul on the hard shoulder but you should avoid being trailered home because of something minor. As an example I recently drove across France in my Chim. It got dark and I found I had no dipped beam at all. The reason was I had recently replaced the main beam/turn switch on the steering column with what turned out to be the wrong part number and because the car had not been driven in the dark for six months I had not noticed. I had to jury rig the headlights by the light of a torch... but at least I had the wherewithal with me!
Enjoy!!
I think the likelihood of repairing major mechanical faults is remote as you'll not have the access to spares. I'd concentrate on fixing minor electrical faults, engine belt failure and punctures.
I'd therefore take a drive belt, cans of foam, (maybe even a small fuel can full of fuel and a few litres of engine oil?), one spare HT lead, a torch with spare batteries, a small supply of automotive wire, a reel of gaffa tape and a supply of different fuses. Take whatever tools you think you might need but I'd restrict myself to a small set of ring/open ended spanners, (plus whatever else you might need to change the drive belt without too much hassle) , screwdrivers, pliers and wire cutters. A small multimeter would potentially be of use too.
And, of course, a tyre pump - electric or foot operated.
You are not going to be up to doing a top end overhaul on the hard shoulder but you should avoid being trailered home because of something minor. As an example I recently drove across France in my Chim. It got dark and I found I had no dipped beam at all. The reason was I had recently replaced the main beam/turn switch on the steering column with what turned out to be the wrong part number and because the car had not been driven in the dark for six months I had not noticed. I had to jury rig the headlights by the light of a torch... but at least I had the wherewithal with me!
Enjoy!!
Just got back from my hols and had a great time. the only problem I had was the well known hot starting problem which was interesting when I got stopped at the british customs on the way out and couldn't restart her. Anyway, 10mins later and we were away and on to the boat!
The best thing about touring with a CHim is the boot. I had all my tools packed to one side, had two large soft bags, a small 'hand luggage style' bag, a box of 6 french cidre bottles, a bag of French Cheese (I used a cool bag to muffle the smell a little), the space saver tyre, the targa panel and a few more bits and bobs. It was only when I had this lot packed that I realised the hinge's pivot pin was broken on one side! Fortunatley it held and the boot didn't go flying off onto the motorway!
If your thinking about taking your TVR on a trip,stop thinking about it and just do it. The best holidays are open top holidays!!
Martin.
The best thing about touring with a CHim is the boot. I had all my tools packed to one side, had two large soft bags, a small 'hand luggage style' bag, a box of 6 french cidre bottles, a bag of French Cheese (I used a cool bag to muffle the smell a little), the space saver tyre, the targa panel and a few more bits and bobs. It was only when I had this lot packed that I realised the hinge's pivot pin was broken on one side! Fortunatley it held and the boot didn't go flying off onto the motorway!
If your thinking about taking your TVR on a trip,stop thinking about it and just do it. The best holidays are open top holidays!!
Martin.
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