Stuck in France towing boat. Awful chunking from underneath!

Hi all... 2003 td6 Vogue
Towing a boat 3.5T from South France. Got as far as Orleans and started to hear a noise.
Here is a video I took of the noise... Get worse after 20 seconds.

Truck shifts fine and engine good. .
Any suggestions thanks..

look at the rear prop

It sounds quite a tinny sound, not like a diff. Anything catching in the wheel or prop as Mr jamesmartin suggested. Is it from the car or trailer?

Hard to say but sounds like the frequency of a wheel, prop would be faster
Bit of rust hanging off a disc, catching on the back plate?

Disconnect the trailer and see if it still happens. Process of elimination.

Hi all...
Got an update.. The boat and truck were rescued from the motorway(AA Euro cover). Boat in storage and the truck was sent to a garage someplace and myself to a hotel.
I just a had a call from AA Euro Breakdown to say the gearbox and clutch has broken.
I asked her the name of the garage, I checked them out. They are an auto electricians.
Tomorrow I get a quote for a new gearbox..
I am in a real pickle here..

Thanks for all the replies...

speechless
second opinion? can they give you proof on what exactly is broken?

Thanks for the reply...

I'm gonna take a cab down to the garage tomorrow morning. I need some kind of proof here.
Without being too pessimistic, could it be the TC broken?
Thanks....

Ask for a tow back rather than repairs if you think you're being ripped off.

I broke down coming back from skiing and AA were brilliant. Got the vehicle towed back from near Lyon, flights for me and Mrs and taxi onward to home. That was after a new set of dics on the way down as they'd warped

I then used my UK cover to help pay for costs of a new gearbox. When that failed it didn't sound like what you've got.

Does the breakdown co cover repratriation?

Hi..
I think the procedure is wait for the quote, then I turn it down.
Then get the truck back to UK.
So frustrating as I have to come back for the boat and it's so complicated to get here right now. You won't believe the hoops I had to jump through!
I have even been considering buying a 4x4 locally and pulling the boat back that way but wow, the second hand market is a lot different to UK!

RanjRova said:

Hi..
I think the procedure is wait for the quote, then I turn it down.
Then get the truck back to UK.
So frustrating as I have to come back for the boat and it's so complicated to get here right now. You won't believe the hoops I had to jump through!
I have even been considering buying a 4x4 locally and pulling the boat back that way but wow, the second hand market is a lot different to UK!

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Not only that, but Iirc it is illegall for a UK citizen to drive a non UK regd foreign plated car in the UK?

Have you got to pay vat on the boat as well?

lynall said:

Not only that, but Iirc it is illegal for a UK citizen to drive a non UK regd foreign plated car in the UK?

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Really?
Oops then when I can home for xmas in my Renault 6, back in 1978, I broke de lor!
And a burd I know who drove an Italian reg Mercedes for years over here, broke the law too.
well actually she must have.
But seriously it is quite complex and you need a residential address of some sort in France to reg it in your name.
Plus they are all overpriced to feck.
+1 to all those who said just get the whole kit and caboodle towed over here, and no idea why they shouldn't bring the boat over too.
Read the small print in the recovery paperwork.
Otherwise try to find a secondhand box.
Imagine it is a caravan. I don't think they can force you to leave it there.
Best of luck, what a nightmare.

RanjRova said:

Hi..
I think the procedure is wait for the quote, then I turn it down.
Then get the truck back to UK.
So frustrating as I have to come back for the boat and it's so complicated to get here right now. You won't believe the hoops I had to jump through!
I have even been considering buying a 4x4 locally and pulling the boat back that way but wow, the second hand market is a lot different to UK!

Click to expand...

Can you hire one ?

Stanleysteamer said:

Really?
Oops then when I can home for xmas in my Renault 6, back in 1978, I broke de lor!
And a burd I know who drove an Italian reg Mercedes for years over here, broke the law too.
well actually she must have.
But seriously it is quite complex and you need a residential address of some sort in France to reg it in your name.
Plus they are all overpriced to feck.
+1 to all those who said just get the whole kit and caboodle towed over here, and no idea why they shouldn't bring the boat over too.
Read the small print in the recovery paperwork.
Otherwise try to find a secondhand box.
Imagine it is a caravan. I don't think they can force you to leave it there.
Best of luck, what a nightmare.

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Yes really, its not 1978 anymore you know
Have a google.

I used to know a interesting guy who drove an italian regd car many years ago, he said it was great as you could literally park it anywhere and you never got a ticket!

lynall said:

Yes really, its not 1978 anymore you know
Have a google.

I used to know a interesting guy who drove an italian regd car many years ago, he said it was great as you could literally park it anywhere and you never got a ticket!

Click to expand...

You are a cheeky fecker!
I have been towing our 3.5 tonne trailer back and forth to our place in France since 2004, so I know how this poor member must be feeling.
(I just ain't done the illegal since 1978!)
But having had an accident over there, which necessitated repair and a long convo with both recovery and insurance, I have walked in his shoes.
The long and the short of it was that they were happy for me to get it repaired with secondhand parts (being a Disco TD5) as that was going to be cheaper than hiring a powerful 4x4 to tow my trailer back to the UK. plus getting the Disco repatriated.
So if that help's, OP, there you go!
Either of the above situations would do for you.
But they should have access to bigger recovery vehicles to get both you and your boat back to the UK. After all, you have paid for a service so they should ante up.
Best of luck mate!

I can see difficulties regarding getting the boat trailer on/off ferry or train. Its not as if the one truck and driver are going to do the whole journey. It's called relay for a reason.
There are private companies/individuals that do repatriation work - can usually be organised through insurance rather than breakdown cover.

Hi All...
I will take a taxi down to the garage in the morning and find out what exactly the problem is. The woman on the phone mentioned gearbox and clutch.. Maybe they mean Torque Converter? Surely if the box was gone i would get slippage? I had no slipping & forward reverse no problems.. If it turns out to be the TC. Can that be changed or is it part of the gearbox?
Thanks!

I Just don't want to go back without the boat.. It's horrible trying to leave UK at the minute.. I just don't want to go through that again... What a pickle..

RanjRova said:

Hi All...
I will take a taxi down to the garage in the morning and find out what exactly the problem is. The woman on the phone mentioned gearbox and clutch.. Maybe they mean Torque Converter? Surely if the box was gone i would get slippage? I had no slipping & forward reverse no problems.. If it turns out to be the TC. Can that be changed or is it part of the gearbox?
Thanks!

Click to expand...

Don't cross your bridges till you come to them.
Could just be a knackered U/J, easily repairable, and even if you need to renew a prop-shaft, still not the end of the world.