Lengthy Road Trip - Help Me Avoid a Breakdown!

R

Ruofdez

Member
 Southampton
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 :driving:
 
Look into the Euro paperwork required just in case as the UK might be out of Europe come 1st June if there's not satisfactory progress on whatever the leave deal or no deal disaster may or may not be.

Also, if agreement is made on the withdrawal from the EU then the UK could leave at any time between now and 31st October.

So the paperwork is probably a good idea to look into.
 
Check tyres, check brakes, top up fluids and start driving :thumbsup:

No guarantee that your brand new part won't fail spectacularly after only a couple of miles. Best bet is to spend the money on appropriate breakdown cover instead.
 
Last October I went to Gotheburg, Sweden. I checked all the usual, made sure I had breakdown cover and a can of tyre weld and off I went with no worries what so ever.
My car is a 2004 with 140,000 miles on the clock, it didn't miss a beat.
 
I'm with the basic precaution brigade, don't overthink it, check and replace the obvious if required and go.
 
Same sort of trip here in the near future. Drive train oils were done last summer so no need to change them, as was the cooling system.

My prep for this trip is genuinely just check tyres, check oil levels, throw a few bits in the boot (1l oil topup, tyre sealant) and then all the legal stuff you need for France (headlight deflectors, high viz vests in the cabin). Oil was changed last weekend along with all filters.

Breakdown cover, my UK one extends to Europe so no worries there.

Rather excited, I must say!
 
I am hoping to drive over to Italy (lake Garda) in June and also wondering how much stuff to take, all good information so far.

I am getting my car checked out by friend mechanic but still no certainty all goes according to plan, fingers crossed :D

Like others suggested I will ensure good breakdown cover with full recovery if required, although I see most companies only recover to the value of your car.
Let me know how the trip goes and Bon voyage.
 
Thanks for all the replies:

Skelters - Will look into the paperwork. Looks as though until we're further along nothing has changed but I will keep checking so there are no nasty surprises, good point.

Will make sure to get decent breakdown cover and takes the basics like socket set, oil and puncture repair kit (I'm not on run flats).

jennings23 - Where are you planning on going? I'm still in the process of putting together a route but it's made quite tricky by the fact all the online mapping tools don't allow you to include the alpine passes that are currently closed, so having to do it the old way by map!

BTW is there a way to tag in members so they get notifications or is the best way just to quote each reply?

Had a better look under the car last night before I get it raised up properly this weekend and the exhaust isn't looking very good so that might need some attention :o

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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 :thumbsup:
 
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! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
Ruofdez said:
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 :driving:
Click to expand...

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!
 
Ruofdez said:
Any suggestions would be brilliant :driving:
Click to expand...
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.
 
+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
 
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.
 
Thanks for all the replies once again, very useful.

Lance said:
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 :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
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.

skelters said:
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! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Click to expand...

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

R60BBA said:
Ruofdez said:
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 :driving:
Click to expand...

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!
Click to expand...

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 :thumbsup:
 
Jembo said:
+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
Click to expand...
Will check out the small print and ensure I've got full recovery in case the worst happens thank you.

Worcester_spoon said:
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.
Click to expand...
Thank you. Those are all on my list too, so may well see you there!
 
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.
 
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