Last year did Santander > Basque Country > Spanish Pyrenees ( Vielha for a weeks walking) > Costas > leisurely return to Santander avoiding motorways. Had a great trip.
Apart from the obvious, checking tyres and wiper blades , is there any advantage in buying premium filters ( air, cabin (pollen) oil) such as K & N ? I’m expecting hot and dusty conditions on parts of my 6/8 week trip, and I’ll regas my AC before departure.
Plan at the moment is to stay with friends in Crowborough then sail Newhaven > Dieppe. A week heading off the beaten track to stay with French pals who live near Foix, via the Millau viaduct. Then join other friends 150km away for a weeks walking in Andorra, based in Arinsal. Then SW to the Competa walking festival near Malaga before turning north and sailing back from Santander avoiding all major roads.
I’ve got the mandatory safety kit , I even carry a spare half worn tyre to supplement the space saver in case of an unrepairable puncture !
|
Not been away much more than a fortnight and I', mot sure how far Southern France would be somewhere I think of as dusty but OEM filters etc would be fine for me.
Obvs make sure that if it's near a service that gets done before we leave and that tyres and brakes have ample wear left. Wipers I'd check for obvious splits etc but Valeo and similar are, or used to be, way cheaper in France - I'd stock up over there!!.
Had an exhaust issue once with the Xantia. Essentially it was inadequately supported and flexing ceased fatigue around the entry end of the rear box. Local garage sorted it for a bout E300 but a wait for the part to come, on the bus!!, was a bummer.
Intending to repeat a thing we did several times with the kids combining Auvergne - Le Mont Dore - with Val De Cantobre. Need to get the booking done though!!
|
Do you have emissions sticker?
Drivers travelling to France must display a clean air sticker in their vehicle to comply with local low emission zones. The stickers - known as Crit'Air vignettes depict the EURO standards of the vehicle. Failure to display the sticker will result in a fine of up to €180 (£155).
|
Good shout on the emissions sticker. Easy to get online. Only needed in certain cities but worth having. If your headlights can be reset to driving on the right then fine, but otherwise you might want some beam bending stickers. Some insurance policies only cover 30 days away at a time so check the terms of yours. No special filters needed.
Enjoy!
|
|
Don't bother with K&N air filter, they're for the boy racers. They allow more air to pass through larger holes and the kids think they make their motors go faster.
|
>> Good shout on the emissions sticker. Easy to get online. Only needed in certain cities
>> but worth having.
Much like the German Umweltplakette, whilst not a legal requirement unless you want to enter a restricted area (and the French change the rules dynamically dependent on air quality) the cost is so low, and they last the life of the vehicle (or at least the windscreen ;-) ) that it is worth having.
As Runfer says, easy to get online, delivered to the UK cheaply and quickly. but as in many of these things there are "agencies" that offer to act as an intermediary, and those routes will cost (much) more.
For France, use:
www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/
....and if anyone is interested, for Germany I buy from the Berlin authorities at
:www.berlin.de/labo/mobilitaet/kfz-zulassung/feinstaubplakette/shop.86595.en.php
|
|
Don’t bother with any boy racer filter. Just get standard parts from somewhere like this . suzuki-shop.co.uk/ . If the wheels haven’t been off for a while, I’d check the locking wheel nuts to make sure they can be removed easily.
|
Re the air filter, if it was already clogged you would see a problem with mpg. Assuming it’s still running economically I would leave it for now.
If you do cover a lot of very dusty roads when you are away you could change it on your return.
On the wider point I do think most routine air filter changes are mainly a money maker for the garage, especially main dealers.
Best of luck with the trip. Who knows you might even come back with a fonder view of the car.
|
>> If you do cover a lot of very dusty roads when you are away you
>> could change it on your return.
Yeah if going somewhere dusty, change them when you come back,
|
Yep got both of my stickers using the links - came super quick, dead easy.
Last edited by: Rudedog on Thu 25 Apr 24 at 12:25
|
|
I'd ditch the tyre personally. I'm sure they sell such things over there.
|
A rolled up tight long ratchet strap tucked away in your spare wheel well can sometimes be handy for holding up a broken exhaust.
As my mate found out.
|
>> I'd ditch the tyre personally. I'm sure they sell such things over there.
They do, but in France they are obliged to sell tyres in pairs for the same axle. Which can be expensive.
|
As a friend found out. Local small garage may be able to order in a new tyre, but it will take 24 hours and won’t be Black Circle prices.
Last year I was surprised just how many bottles of wine you can securely stand upright within a tyre.
|
Along the same lines as the racket strap a good selection of zip ties can be a life saver.
|
>> >> I'd ditch the tyre personally. I'm sure they sell such things over there.
>>
>> They do, but in France they are obliged to sell tyres in pairs for the
>> same axle. Which can be expensive.
>>
There have been many debates on motorhome forums regarding this, and the conclusion (backed by quoted official wording) is that this is not the full story.
Effectively, tyres across an axle must be of the same type (radial, crossply, etc.), have the same "E" number for approval, and be no more than 5mm different in tyre tread.
Taking a spare that met these criteria in regards of the existing tyre(s) should give a legal option for replacement.
Jacques Bonhomme at Pneu depot might disagree, though ;-).
|
My spare meets these criteria..also a Continental with very similar tread pattern to my two new Contis, so Jacques can allez foutre himself.
I’ll have fun this weekend planning a very leisurely drive over several days from Dieppe to Foix via the Millau.
As per Spain I use the Michelin spiral bound 1/250 000 which, unlike the Spanish version, can be purchased with laminated pages. Great for drawing out the route. For a larger overall view I use the Michelin 1:1,000,000 ( map 721, Spain/Portugal is 734).
|
|
Maybe put your spare on a cheap steel wheel so you wouldn’t have to involve Jacques at all?
|
|
According to the AA company, a spare wheel is a requirement in Spain.
|
>> According to the AA company, a spare wheel is a requirement in Spain.
>>
Whereas the RAC say:
For Spanish residents, a spare tyre or puncture repair kit must be carried in the vehicle, but if your car is registered outside Spain this is not obligatory.
Given the proliferation of "fix-n-go" solutions with no spare*, the requirement to carry a spare would surprise me.
(particularly common on motorhomes, Runfer! ;-) )
|
>> Maybe put your spare on a cheap steel wheel so you wouldn’t have to involve
>> Jacques at all?
>>
That would screw up the wine cellar arrangement big time :-)
|
|
..just use the combination as a big "wine-box". (Pressure dispense) ;-)
|
Motorhome forums? Cor, I’ll bet they’re a wild bunch eh?
Lots of discussion about where to source matching fleeces, how to get the best out of your chemical toilets and of course the vagaries of awnings in high winds I’d imagine?
;-))))
|
|
....and considerably better information on French tyre laws than some underinformed motoring forums.... :-Þ ;-)
|
|
...well, they don't give me "frownies" over there... ;-)
|
Carmalade made a suggestion about testing locking wheel nut removal. Id go as far to suggest all wheel nuts and the wheels which can weld themselves to the hubs requiring maximum assisted (big hammer) removal. Not necessarily available at the side of a wet autoroute.
Maybe carry a 12v air pump which are cheap enough and one of those kits for fixing a puncture by inserting and gluing in a piece of rubber.
|
>> ...well, they don't give me "frownies" over there... ;-)
>>
Not guilty M’lud!
|
>> Effectively, tyres across an axle must be of the same type (radial, crossply, etc.), have
>> the same "E" number for approval, and be no more than 5mm different in tyre
>> tread.
Would that make temporary spares illegal?
|
|
..dispensation for temporary/spacesaver.
|
Apologies to LL for hijacking his thread but it is related (sort of).
We're toying with the idea of throwing a couple of bags in the car and going to visit some friends in Greece in Aug/Sept. The plan is to drive down through France and Italy, catch the ferry from Ancona, spend three or four weeks in Greece and then head back. The intention is that the drive there and back takes as long as it takes.
I've been to France and Italy lots of times but it's always been Airport, Hotel, Customer, Airport, with very little time for sightseeing other than major cities.
Are there any suggestions for a route and stopoffs? Recommended sights off the beaten track?
Last edited by: Kevin on Sat 27 Apr 24 at 21:33
|
Suzuki - Long trip preparation - Bromptonaut
