Lengthy Road Trip - Help Me Avoid a Breakdown!

[Jembo]

+1 for booking a hotel @ 4-5pm. My favourite choice is trip advisor

+1 for RAC European breakdown recovery 2 U.K. , peace of mind’s everything & if real sh@t happens you should be in good hands

[Worcester_spoon]

Have a great time. I’m off for my second Euro road trip mid June too (I’ll wave if I see you). Hitting the Grossglockner, Stelio and Furka , Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and France.

[Ruofdez]

Thanks for all the replies once again, very useful.

If you don't know the history of your coils, leave a spare in the boot, they're about £20 from ECP, and learn how to change one, takes about 3 mins on an E85 and is very very easy.

Tip - when route planning, do a little less and enjoy more, chasing miles and doing too many soon becomes a chore. I've personally done in the region of 50-60 European roads trips and very very rarely book hotels in advance, meaning I can stop when I want rather than having to be somewhere particular on a certain date. I tend to start looking out for a hotel 4-5pm and am usually in one within an hour.

Good luck

Rear springs have been replaced with Eibachs so hoping these should be ok? Fronts appear to be standard or at least no markings on them but I understand the rears go more than the fronts, is that right?

Thanks for the advice on the trip. I was planning on booking hotels beforehand but you make a good point and perhaps the flexibility of doing that would be a good move. Did you not find you were paying more for hotel rooms booked on the spot than in advance? I guess it's negligible.

If you don't have a code reader then it might be worth getting one in case you do break down.

Even if you don't know what any error codes mean there's a wealth of information on the forum to point you in the right direction.

Also post any issues while you're away. We might not be able to help but it'll give everyone a laugh!

I've got a code reader and will make sure to take that cheers. Thanks for the kind words

Always wanted to go on a European road trip and now I feel I finally have the car to do it justice! So I'm off to the mountain passes mid June. I'll try and get some good photos and videos for anyone interested.

Besides the usual servicy bits, any suggestions on preventative maintenance to do before driving thousands of miles? For example I'm thinking I might swap over the expansion tank. Gearbox/diff oil is being done too but I'm thinking more the stuff that could lead to a full breakdown as that's my biggest concern.

Any suggestions would be brilliant

I did a Euro trip in my E86 around this time last year (see the YouTube link in my signature).

In terms of prep for the trip I would do the following:

Car related

• Engine oil and filter

• Coolant flush

• Check tyre tread

• Check brake pads, discs and calipers

• Check battery

• Gearbox oil (but not necessary)

• Differential oil (but not necessary)

• Brake fluid (but not necessary unless you plan on doing track driving).

Trip related

• Ensure you have fully comp insurance and breakdown cover

• Ensure you have in-car media connectivity (eg a GROM or an aftermarket radio)

• Get a Sat Nav with Euro Maps

• Plan your fuel stops and on journey food stops to save time

• Get a RAC euro pack (which should include items such as visibility jacket, eurolites, breathalyser etc)

• A competent co-driver.

Enjoy!

That's a great list. Done most of those now but will have a good look at the brakes and maybe connect up my CTEK charger and do a cycle though the car does get used plenty so thinking battery should be ok. Tricky to decide how much to plan in regards to fuel stops, eating and hotels. I guess it makes sense to at least have a list so when we're nearby we won't be wondering where they are

[Ruofdez]

+1 for booking a hotel @ 4-5pm. My favourite choice is trip advisor

+1 for RAC European breakdown recovery 2 U.K. , peace of mind’s everything & if real sh@t happens you should be in good hands

Will check out the small print and ensure I've got full recovery in case the worst happens thank you.

Have a great time. I’m off for my second Euro road trip mid June too (I’ll wave if I see you). Hitting the Grossglockner, Stelio and Furka , Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and France.

Thank you. Those are all on my list too, so may well see you there!

[Lance]

Coils, I was talking ignition coils, as they can fail at any time and with no warning. But, don't fret over them, I've had just one failure in almost 10 years of Z4 ownership. I just carry a spare in the boot now, along with the very basic tools (a 10mm socket) required to change one if another was to fail.

As for hotels, I did 25 days across 11 countries last summer and most hotels were around €50-60 a night, most were pretty decent too. I think the most I paid was €90 for a Best Western in Zagreb, city centres are more expensive, rural are more reasonable and for me are preferable.

I generally just ride (motorbike) or drive until I see somewhere I like, or if I feel that time is getting on I'll look at apps like Trip Advisor or Google Maps and see what's about. You'll probably be surprised by the amount there are about, and some stunning places and locations too.

Going in June works for you as well, as you'll be out of main season so lower rates and more availability.

[Ruofdez]

Any suggestions would be brilliant

Don't forget to check that your insurance covers you fully comp in Europe. Most UK policies only provide 3rd party cover on the continent unless you pay for the fully comp extension. They also limit the fully comp cover to a maximum of 90 days per year.

It might be worth checking that cover also includes recovery of your damaged car back to the UK.

Will check my insurance to make sure I'm fully covered

Ancillary drive belts ok? All coolant system hoses in good cond?

Something I've not checked out yet actually, will have a good inspection cheers.

[Ruofdez]

Coils, I was talking ignition coils, as they can fail at any time and with no warning. But, don't fret over them, I've had just one failure in almost 10 years of Z4 ownership. I just carry a spare in the boot now, along with the very basic tools (a 10mm socket) required to change one if another was to fail.

As for hotels, I did 25 days across 11 countries last summer and most hotels were around €50-60 a night, most were pretty decent too. I think the most I paid was €90 for a Best Western in Zagreb, city centres are more expensive, rural are more reasonable and for me are preferable.

I generally just ride (motorbike) or drive until I see somewhere I like, or if I feel that time is getting on I'll look at apps like Trip Advisor or Google Maps and see what's about. You'll probably be surprised by the amount there are about, and some stunning places and locations too.

Going in June works for you as well, as you'll be out of main season so lower rates and more availability.

Oops I did think changing a spring in 3 mins was going some

I'll grab a spare one just in case. Recently changed the spark plugs so familiar with how to do it should one go.

[Rucky]

I went with the wife last August down to Lipica in Slovenia on a Alpine pass tour. We did 3000m in 10 days in an 04 2.5 auto. Didn't need any parts, didn't even need to top up the washer bottle. I did take a small socket set and bulbs.
More important is the list of stuff you need to carry legally in case you get stopped.
Hi viz, alko tester, bulbs etc.
Stelvio was amazing did it both ways stopping in Bormio 2000. We did every alpine pass we could fit in
Hotels were about e100 a night on average. Italy was best.
Don't forget to buy your vignettes either online before you go or at the first petrol station in each country.
I pre programmed my Garmin satnav with the route to avoid motorways as much as possible.
Message me if you want some suggestions otherwise follow your nose
(and having downloaded Google maps onto a tablet for each section was a bonus)

We are definitely going to do it again. The Z4 was perfect for the job!

[Rucky]

[Lance]

Spare bulbs are not mandatory anywhere in Europe, here's a list of what is actually required, it's not as much as you might think -

https://www.theaa.com/~/media/the-aa/pd ... .pdf?la=en

[Rucky]

Depends who you check with RAC say says its mandatory in France but its common sense anyway even for the UK

[Lance]

Depends who you check with RAC say says its mandatory in France but its common sense anyway even for the UK

Nope, there's the RAC list, clearly says recommended https://www.rac.co.uk/pdfs/driving-abro ... -checklist

[Rucky]

No point having an argument about it I was just trying to be helpful -
Just depends where you look as to what you believe :https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/country/france/
clearly says mandatory here - carry spares to avoid a fine!
I have mine already so its up to Ruofdez - but like I said its also common sense.

[andyf1140]

Carrying bulbs is pointless as you cant change them on the side of the road any more

[Lance]

No point having an argument about it I was just trying to be helpful -
Just depends where you look as to what you believe :https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/country/france/
clearly says mandatory here - carry spares to avoid a fine!
I have mine already so its up to Ruofdez - but like I said its also common sense.

The French gov site, the European Commission site, Green Flag, Brittainy Ferries, AA and RAC all recommend spare bulbs, none quote them as being mandatory. Your link is to a particularly carefully worded document, pushing you towards buying something you don't need or have to, it's just pushing sales, hence the link mid paragraph.

I have no argument with you whatsoever, just the companies that maintain this false marketing to boost profits. Then pressuring less experienced travellers at the ports with their craftily worded flyers.