Don't break down in south of France

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BryanH

Member
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40
Location
Kent
:mad: A cautionary tale...
On Saturday 1 Sept, Disco 2 started misfiring & smoking, then stopped near Beziers (S France).
Towed by AA Europe Breakdown (who are also LR Assistance) to local Land Rover main dealer - branches across S France.
Monday 3 Sept: AA told 'we'll look at it Wednesday'.
Wednesday: AA/LR Assist techie told 'battery needed :confused: call us again tomorrow'.
Thursday: 'engine still won't turn, will change starter motor, if that doesn't work we'll need to take engine out. That will be next week at least!'
At that point AA techie demanded to speak to actual mechanic rather than Service Reception. Mechanic it appears had not been told symptoms by 'management', despite recovery drivers report reinforced by AA techie.
All he knew was that engine would not turn!
AA suspect cause based on symptoms, so ask 'have you checked timing chain?' - 'no, I've been told to get the engine out to investigate'!
AA decided to take car away from main 'stealer' and repatriate to UK for repair - currently car (and caravan) are somewhere in France on a flat bed!
AA/Eurotunnel/LR Assist have been brilliant - helpful to the nth degree, 'negotiating' with the garage, providing rental cars to continue our holiday and come home in, even a cab to the car rental depot. However as for LR Beziers - its been a tale of delays, lack of communication and extortionate charges. Talking to locals it appears that 'reaming foreigners' is common practice among garages in S France, which surprise, surprise, appears to be most apparent among main dealers...
Beware!
 
Ah yes - the Big Happy Euro-family! :hippie: An absurd concept to the very last. :mad:

Hope you get sorted out man. Bloody nightmare with your family there.

(And just in case anyone accuses me of being a scornful little Englander....I'm half Bavarian. :D )
 
The French hate us, give them a reason to rip us off and they will

I took the kids to Disneyland , got a taxi from the airport to our hotel at night , he drove round for 20 minutes in the dark then charged me €20

In the morning I could see the airport from the window, they're all the same
 
Just thought you might like an update...
3 weeks to repatriate car and caravan to UK. Local recovery firm appear to have caused damage to caravan and car, tried to start seized engine, probably to move car round their yard - ruined battery and starter motor!
On Time collected from France and brought to UK (they noted damage on pickup!). They were very good, very professional and helpful.
My local 4x4 garage diagnosed 'engine stuffed'!
A valve spring broke, result - hole in piston, head waterways wrecked (more water than oil in sump), con rod twisted and jammed on crank.
Just fitted s/h engine (garage say it looks/feesl/sounds good). Bought from Hi Range -12 month warranty plus they take a credit card so don't anticipate come-back (most recon and breakers will not take credit card) and 30 days appears to be the average warranty! So fingers etc. crossed
 
doodle bug said:
are you insinuating we french are dishonest.. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

The only honest French person I've met was a lass from uni who said "never visit France if you can't speak fluent French, or they'll rip you off every chance they get. Especially in the South."
 
doodle bug said:
are you insinuating we french are dishonest.. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
No - if I thought that I wouldn't go back year on year.
HOWEVER the 'main stealer' was either dishonest or incompetent (you choose) - failed to diagnose the problem in five days, when my local garage took two hours! But charged 400 euros for 'diagnosis' and a battery! It was a garageman from Toulouse who said "French garages, especially main dealers, set out to exploit foreign motorists".
And the dépannage guys were definitely incompetent - first they send a tipper lorry with the wrong towball so the caravan becomes unhitched from the lorry within 200 metres; then they damage the caravan and its contents either en-route to their depot or in their depot!
And so far despite (before and after) photographic evidence they are denying any responsibility - so perhaps dishonest could be added to their credentials too.
Je suis desolee - mais si le béret s'ajuste...
 
Had mixed experiences in France, and in Italy, Wales, Scotland...... Even in England!
Brilliant tractor mechanic in Chartres mended a broken brake pipe on a Scimitar with the instruction "vous pumpez" to bleed the system. Expert main Mercedes dealer in St Etienne changed an alternator on an old SL on a Saturday, "traveaux publique" mechanic recored the radiator on same SL, on same trip (classic car touring always exciting), but idiot mechanic took the electrics apart on a Manta when it was a loose earth, when an EGR valve went on my xj I drove back 750 miles on restricted performance rather than take it to a French Jaguar dealer. It would still do 90 fully loaded.
 
Further to this 'thread'.
This month's Caravan Club mag has a letter from another Disco owner whose vehicle also broke down in Southern France last summer. This poor soul had to wait 12 days before the local LR mainstealer even looked at the vehicle. The aforementioned then pronounced "c'est mort. Nouveau moteur!".
Needless to say, like me, he had the vehicle repatriated to the UK!
It was dead, it did need a new engine but it cost a fraction of what Land Rover France would have demanded.
Are they still trying to get their own back for Agincourt - or do they just resent the fact that we've saved their Gallic rear ends at least twice since then?
 
BryanH said:
Further to this 'thread'.
This month's Caravan Club mag has a letter from another Disco owner whose vehicle also broke down in Southern France last summer. This poor soul had to wait 12 days before the local LR mainstealer even looked at the vehicle. The aforementioned then pronounced "c'est mort. Nouveau moteur!".
Needless to say, like me, he had the vehicle repatriated to the UK!
It was dead, it did need a new engine but it cost a fraction of what Land Rover France would have demanded.
Are they still trying to get their own back for Agincourt - or do they just resent the fact that we've saved their Gallic rear ends at least twice since then?
Click to expand...

they are just cnuts the lot of them.except the good ones on lz.;):p
 
We went to France in a VW Camper (paid £16 for Travel Insurance)...Said camper then broke down on day 4 i think it was. It was recovered to a local garage who had no idea what was wrong with it, they didn't even look at it... They said it was worth £600 so the insurance should pay that out that and they would keep the camper. I've been told they like to undervalue as they get cheap cars out of it. The mechanics don't seem very knowledgeable and they charge a fortune, they wanted to be paid 2 days labour just for removing the engine (all four bolts!)

After kindly explaining it had an agreed value of £6000 it eventually ended up being shipped home. In the end the insurance covered the shipping of the camper, a night in a hotel, around 400 euros of Taxi fares and flights back the to UK.

Best £16 I spent, although the Mrs was happy ending up staying with my ex-wife at her mother in laws....lol

Campers gone now I am relieved to say although it was fun! (Blog - Si & Kels 'Daisy' Blog)
 
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