Touring in Europe in a 996T: Vital Spares
Discussion
I enjoy the occasional excursion to Italy (very occasional these days with young children) and was wondering if there is a shortlist of inexpensive high consequence items I could fit in a shoe box as vital spares for when stranded somewhere they don't speak English. Things like ignition relay units, that sort of thing. Spares like this can make or break a trip and if they don't cost much or take up much space seem like a no-brainer. All suggestions welcome.
Amusing enough, but knowing what can go wrong with the car and having the spare might mean the difference between abandoning your car at a local garage / having it transported to the nearest OPC (a long way...) having a faulty diagnosis followed by a long delay for the wrong parts. As an example, the brake pad warning light can go on due to upstream rubbing on the steering rack of the wire. I have had this intermittently. Similarly, headlights suddenly going off due to the unit not being installed tightly. A two minute free fix to those in the know; hours of wasted expense to those unfamiliar. This site is very helpful in this regard.
I want to know a list of high consequence items that can fail, which can be checked or replaced before a long trip, or spares brought just in case. I don’t much like the idea of leaving my car at a garage in darkest Sicily.
PS I do like to have full repatriation roadside assistance - this is expensive from memory.
I want to know a list of high consequence items that can fail, which can be checked or replaced before a long trip, or spares brought just in case. I don’t much like the idea of leaving my car at a garage in darkest Sicily.
PS I do like to have full repatriation roadside assistance - this is expensive from memory.
I tend to carry the following:
1. Assume you have a spare wheel and jack, but I'd consider taking a puncture repair kit and some gunk to give yourself plenty of options.
2. Foot pump just in case the compressor fails - compressors are not usually the best quality I find.
3. Various cable ties and gorilla tape to hold your bumper in place if you have a nasty knock.
4. Jump leads so that you can ask someone for help rather than wait 4 hours for the AA/RAC.
5. Small toolkit - spanners/screwdrivers/torx/allen and some pliers.
6. Fuses and relays as you've said.
7. Oil 1L topup.
8. Gloves and cloths and small piece of cardboard to kneel on.
Bit excessive maybe, but based on experiences I've had.
1. Assume you have a spare wheel and jack, but I'd consider taking a puncture repair kit and some gunk to give yourself plenty of options.
2. Foot pump just in case the compressor fails - compressors are not usually the best quality I find.
3. Various cable ties and gorilla tape to hold your bumper in place if you have a nasty knock.
4. Jump leads so that you can ask someone for help rather than wait 4 hours for the AA/RAC.
5. Small toolkit - spanners/screwdrivers/torx/allen and some pliers.
6. Fuses and relays as you've said.
7. Oil 1L topup.
8. Gloves and cloths and small piece of cardboard to kneel on.
Bit excessive maybe, but based on experiences I've had.
Full roadside and recovery (if needed) to home should not be expensive.
I’m with Classicline and this and a courtesy car for the remainder of your trip is included in my premium.
I drove to Tuscany and back in the summer in my 993. I took my phone, a tyre sealant and two litres of oil. I didn’t require any of them thankfully.
Though I did lock myself out of my car at a toll booth in Italy and have to smash the quarter light to get back in
I’m with Classicline and this and a courtesy car for the remainder of your trip is included in my premium.
I drove to Tuscany and back in the summer in my 993. I took my phone, a tyre sealant and two litres of oil. I didn’t require any of them thankfully.
Though I did lock myself out of my car at a toll booth in Italy and have to smash the quarter light to get back in
nw942 said:
I tend to carry the following:
1. Assume you have a spare wheel and jack, but I'd consider taking a puncture repair kit and some gunk to give yourself plenty of options.
2. Foot pump just in case the compressor fails - compressors are not usually the best quality I find.
3. Various cable ties and gorilla tape to hold your bumper in place if you have a nasty knock.
4. Jump leads so that you can ask someone for help rather than wait 4 hours for the AA/RAC.
5. Small toolkit - spanners/screwdrivers/torx/allen and some pliers.
6. Fuses and relays as you've said.
7. Oil 1L topup.
8. Gloves and cloths and small piece of cardboard to kneel on.
Bit excessive maybe, but based on experiences I've had.
This is very almost precisely what I carry. Puncture kit, one of those gunky-rubber string kits. Tapes, I also pack some self amalgamating, should work at sealing hoses when subsequently reinforced with the duct tape. As far as toolkit - I take all the main spanners, sockets, and misc hand tools too. And spare bulbs. And a length of webbing for any necessary impromptu towing in the countryside. If space allows, an empty 5L jerrycan for water. Any collapsible bags would be better of course. And charged up cordless workshop light.1. Assume you have a spare wheel and jack, but I'd consider taking a puncture repair kit and some gunk to give yourself plenty of options.
2. Foot pump just in case the compressor fails - compressors are not usually the best quality I find.
3. Various cable ties and gorilla tape to hold your bumper in place if you have a nasty knock.
4. Jump leads so that you can ask someone for help rather than wait 4 hours for the AA/RAC.
5. Small toolkit - spanners/screwdrivers/torx/allen and some pliers.
6. Fuses and relays as you've said.
7. Oil 1L topup.
8. Gloves and cloths and small piece of cardboard to kneel on.
Bit excessive maybe, but based on experiences I've had.
ScienceTeacher said:
Amusing enough, but knowing what can go wrong with the car and having the spare might mean the difference between abandoning your car at a local garage / having it transported to the nearest OPC (a long way...) having a faulty diagnosis followed by a long delay for the wrong parts. As an example, the brake pad warning light can go on due to upstream rubbing on the steering rack of the wire. I have had this intermittently. Similarly, headlights suddenly going off due to the unit not being installed tightly. A two minute free fix to those in the know; hours of wasted expense to those unfamiliar. This site is very helpful in this regard.
I want to know a list of high consequence items that can fail, which can be checked or replaced before a long trip, or spares brought just in case. I don’t much like the idea of leaving my car at a garage in darkest Sicily.
PS I do like to have full repatriation roadside assistance - this is expensive from memory.
Slightly OT, but my 996T had that problem and it was nothing to do with the headlights not being tight - it was a faulty light switch, which I understand to be a fairly common problem.I want to know a list of high consequence items that can fail, which can be checked or replaced before a long trip, or spares brought just in case. I don’t much like the idea of leaving my car at a garage in darkest Sicily.
PS I do like to have full repatriation roadside assistance - this is expensive from memory.
(I had the brake pad warning one too).
can't help on what else to take (agree on the stuff above). instead of jumper cables I always carried a battery pack in my 355 to be able to jump it myself
Make sure you carry all the stuff you are required to have with you in the various countries
Obviously make sure the have the car checked over/serviced prior to departure to identify anything that might go wrong/preventative repairs etc
Make sure you carry all the stuff you are required to have with you in the various countries
Obviously make sure the have the car checked over/serviced prior to departure to identify anything that might go wrong/preventative repairs etc
996TT02 said:
This is very almost precisely what I carry. Puncture kit, one of those gunky-rubber string kits. Tapes, I also pack some self amalgamating, should work at sealing hoses when subsequently reinforced with the duct tape. As far as toolkit - I take all the main spanners, sockets, and misc hand tools too. And spare bulbs. And a length of webbing for any necessary impromptu towing in the countryside. If space allows, an empty 5L jerrycan for water. Any collapsible bags would be better of course. And charged up cordless workshop light.
I can vouch for this kit - http://www.silverlinetools.com/en-GB/Products/Auto... used it in anger once to repair a not so slow puncture, about 10 minutes work.Even if you have a space saver spare, you'd only really have room to store a punctured rear wheel in the car if you had no passenger or luggage I would think ??
davek_964 said:
Slightly OT, but my 996T had that problem and it was nothing to do with the headlights not being tight - it was a faulty light switch, which I understand to be a fairly common problem.
(I had the brake pad warning one too).
I also have a somewhat faulty / difficult headlight switch - the rotatey sort. Requires an aggressive turn to work. Is this an easy fix?(I had the brake pad warning one too).
FarQue said:
OP - you're a 'glass half empty' type of person, aren't you?
In our 997 I take a battery booster/jump leads (she's a tip') and a tyre plugging kit. Apart from that, it's mobile 'phone and credit card.
Agreed, I am. I have found 996T ownership to be shatteringly expensive. I drive 3000 miles a year, the car is ‘04 and very well maintained and driven wisely, but it still throws bills for 5 figures or nearly almost at random. It is next to impossible to justify. I used to be worried about IMS and d-chunking in my old Carreras - oh for the good old days. The T is so much better a car, though. I can’t give it up.In our 997 I take a battery booster/jump leads (she's a tip') and a tyre plugging kit. Apart from that, it's mobile 'phone and credit card.
Based on the front half of a 996 being the same as my Boxster..
- The Fuel flap release solenoid can stick. Ensure it has been checked and the plunger lubed. If you open your drivers door, sit in the seat and look forward, hidden in the darkness should be a plastic ring pull to release a stuck plunger.
Ensure that this is accessible and hasn't disappeared down into the front wing. A bit of bent wire (bike spoke) can be used to fish it out.
This will stop you being able to refuel the car if the solenoid sticks and the release cable has vanished.
- A similar manual release cable is present on the front trunk. As built, it flaps about under the RH headlight. If you have a facelift 996, you need electrical power to open the frunk. If you have a flat battery, you need to open the frunk to charge it.
The release cable, is under the headlight, which you remove by accessing from inside the frunk.... etc etc.
Re-route the cable up under the front undertray, accessible from outside the car. Then you can open the frunk in the case of a flat battery.
- The Fuel flap release solenoid can stick. Ensure it has been checked and the plunger lubed. If you open your drivers door, sit in the seat and look forward, hidden in the darkness should be a plastic ring pull to release a stuck plunger.
Ensure that this is accessible and hasn't disappeared down into the front wing. A bit of bent wire (bike spoke) can be used to fish it out.
This will stop you being able to refuel the car if the solenoid sticks and the release cable has vanished.
- A similar manual release cable is present on the front trunk. As built, it flaps about under the RH headlight. If you have a facelift 996, you need electrical power to open the frunk. If you have a flat battery, you need to open the frunk to charge it.
The release cable, is under the headlight, which you remove by accessing from inside the frunk.... etc etc.
Re-route the cable up under the front undertray, accessible from outside the car. Then you can open the frunk in the case of a flat battery.
ScienceTeacher said:
davek_964 said:
Slightly OT, but my 996T had that problem and it was nothing to do with the headlights not being tight - it was a faulty light switch, which I understand to be a fairly common problem.
(I had the brake pad warning one too).
I also have a somewhat faulty / difficult headlight switch - the rotatey sort. Requires an aggressive turn to work. Is this an easy fix?(I had the brake pad warning one too).
I replaced mine myself but it was quite a few years back so can't remember the details. It wasn't difficult though.
Took my TVR to France last summer. Didn’t occur to me to take anything.
Drive to France skiing most winters. Usually take the kids but nothing more than the regulatory safety stuff.
I recon we have driven well over 10,000km in France and never needed a tool kit.
Whenever our cars break down, they have never needed something small. The current problem in the Cayenne is a failed alternator, which I would not have thought to take to the Alps. The 997 had a new window regulator recently, which I understand may be a bit more portable, but equally unpredictable.
BTW it’s illegal to do any work on a car on the Autoroutes - even changing a tyre, I think? You have to be recovered to an Aire or a garage to do any work AFAIK.
Have faith - just take a phone, credit card and breakdown insurance. You’ll be fine.
Wife and girlfriend optional - maybe not both though?
Rich
Drive to France skiing most winters. Usually take the kids but nothing more than the regulatory safety stuff.
I recon we have driven well over 10,000km in France and never needed a tool kit.
Whenever our cars break down, they have never needed something small. The current problem in the Cayenne is a failed alternator, which I would not have thought to take to the Alps. The 997 had a new window regulator recently, which I understand may be a bit more portable, but equally unpredictable.
BTW it’s illegal to do any work on a car on the Autoroutes - even changing a tyre, I think? You have to be recovered to an Aire or a garage to do any work AFAIK.
Have faith - just take a phone, credit card and breakdown insurance. You’ll be fine.
Wife and girlfriend optional - maybe not both though?
Rich
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