Long drive checks?

[toseland]

ensure your breakdown recovery has something similar to AA's relay..

normal AA and RAC breakdown cover will take you to a local garage only, with the relay (about £50 extra) they will take you to one single final destination of your choice if they cannot fix it at the roadside, rather than to a garage.

obviously a full set of bulbs, at least a couple of H7's, and the break light and indicator bulbs, take a full set of fuses, electrical tape, litre of oil, basic spanners and allen keys.. if you can get hold of one of those little motorbike toolkits then that would be great, there arent many emergency tools you would need that these kits dont have and they are small.

WD40, and some hand wipes/gloves too in case you need to do some work at the side of teh road or change your tyre.

definately fluids.

ensure you rotate tyres before they go in, and torque bolts up properly, check them before you set off too. If i am going on a really long drive i check the tracking too (but i have a mate who works at a tyre place)

[Toms306]

Mines roadside and recovery anywhere in the uk for me in any car...argue with them and say AA looks better and the price drops significantly.

[Redordead89]

Mines roadside and recovery anywhere in the uk for me in any car...argue with them and say AA looks better and the price drops significantly.

I like this! I got lots a kids so fk standing with them at the side of the road although in all my years driving 306's it hasn't happened yet! Dunno how right enough but I have a 307sw 110 53 plate so it's in the post and I might as well indulge the recovery boys after many years of artful dodgery!

[Toms306]

The RRP for it is quite high, but as I say got it for about £40 in the end. I don't bother with Homestart though, which may cost more.

Tbh I hope I never have to use it again, the 2 times I have used it were horrible, so much so that when I could've done with it a 3rd time (blown turbo) I just drove it 12 miles home blowing plumes of smoke lol. Just dreading the day I get another undriveable fault really, it's always a possibility though of course.

[RetroPug]

I've been driving without breakdown cover for years #yolo

Snap. Figure if i have to pay for recovery now its still money saved from not paying for cover for so long.

That's the principle I work on.

If I have to pay someone a fair bit of cash to recover a car after saving on quite a few years' worth of breakdown cover then so be it, money still saved.

If I really have to I'll push the car somewhere and abandon it and see if I can get a friend or colleague to tow it later if I'm relatively close to home, or get cheaper recovery etc.

I've saved probably more than a roadside recovery over the last 3 years of having no cover. I probably should get it but oh well!

If it's a fault I can't fix myself nor identify myself loads of local garages around here recover to their workshops anyway.

I've been driving without breakdown cover for years #yolo

I can only assume this also means you've never needed it? In which case, can i suggest you're doing french cars wrong. 

I have broken down at the side of the road once. That was in my first car, a 106 where I'd let a halfords autocenter service it at the same time as the MOT as I had virtually no tools at the time. They did the plugs up finger tight, then on a wet day water got in around them and it started misfiring badly. I did have breakdown cover through my insurance so that did help. However, I'd have been going back and asking that they pay for all that if I hadn't have had it given that they essentially caused the issue.

There aren't that many problems that could totally strand a 306 other than huge events like wishbones dropping out or throwing rods etc. The 306 has been maintained and rebuilt by myself so most of that stuff should be fine, so unless the engine spontaneously dies I'll be getting home to take a better look regardless!

[Toms306]

There are loads of faults that can make the car undriveable, even on a simple car! The breakdowns I've had could've happened to any car - rad hose exploding and brake seizing... With modern cars its often still physical things causing breakdowns despite all the electrics that people reckon are the problem lol.

Just two days ago I came round a bend at 60 and hit what looked like a breeze block as it was unavoidable - that would've almost certainly caused a breakdown that couldn't be planned for. Thankfully it was a block of wall insulation (presumably from a builders lorry or skip) which basically exploded on impact lol, but it really shit me up tbh!

[Redordead89]

You just reminded me that I hit something big and square in the 307 the other day, looked and sounded like a metal biscuit tin or similar so I s'pose I better go have a wee look eh?

[Toms306]

Does it still drive? Yes? It'll be fine then.

[Redordead89]

Yup sol goodman

[Magenta Sunset]

my (solo) trip (Europe) I took small toolbox (12"), (screwdrivers, pliers, Torx, Combi spanners ec.) Gaffer tape, gallon each derv & water, bulbs, fuses, hi-vis, triangle (usual EU req*), passport, licence (both parts) & photocopies, cash, roadmap, gloves - mat etc, torch, batteries, satnav, chargers, waterproof jkt & troos. (car serviced before departure).
I also notified my insurers (incs breakdown on my policy), and checked with mobile co. for associated networks. Plus next of kin, cono's, contact times. and - -
Meds!
*(some now req self breathalizers)
does that help?

[tigerstyle]

*(some now req self breathalizers)

No longer required, and never really required either

[RetroPug]

There are loads of faults that can make the car undriveable, even on a simple car!  The breakdowns I've had could've happened to any car - rad hose exploding and brake seizing...  With modern cars its often still physical things causing breakdowns despite all the electrics that people reckon are the problem lol.

Just two days ago I came round a bend at 60 and hit what looked like a breeze block as it was unavoidable - that would've almost certainly caused a breakdown that couldn't be planned for.  Thankfully it was a block of wall insulation (presumably from a builders lorry or skip) which basically exploded on impact lol, but it really shit me up tbh!

Oh yeah, all of those things would be shit and ruin my day, and I'd have to pay for expensive roadside recovery. However, none of those things have happened to me in several years of driving so the money saved from coverage would make up for that.

I just realised that when the Fiesta was serviced at the time I bought it it does actually have a free 12 months of roadside assistance, which as far as I can work out means "we recover you to a main dealer and then take you for everything you've got"

[Toms306]

Yeah that's a fair point I guess!

'Roadside assistance' is just that...a guy turns up in a van, pokes the things you've already poked and tells you it's broken then leaves... Unless it includes recovery as well lol?

[RetroPug]

I think from memory they will recover it to the main dealers to fix it, which means a wallet raping.

[Toms306]

Ah I see, slightly better than just roadside then lol.