European requirements

S

speed12

Member
Hi All,

Well, this september I am thinking of taking 3 weeks off work and doing a Euro Road trip, initially heading down to the South of france, then across to Italy. May also stop off in switzerland.

I am not too worried by the fuel cost, I know its going to be expensive, but with two of us going and a combined MPG above 35 (probably more like 40 on a long run) the costs should not be that scary.

What I was not sure about though, was the requirements for driving abroad these days. I knw Hi Vis jackets are required, as are spare bulbs and a first aid kit. But are those headlight deflectors still necessary? I remember on holiday with parents many years ago we had to have horrible yellow covers on the head lights.

Also has anyone else done much in the way of a grand road trip like this? I am thinking I will cover the best part of 3000 miles in the three weeks. Luggage could be a problem!! lol.

Regards
 
officially you need .....

Hi vis something or other ...... waistcoats work
Warning triangle is a defo - used to be standard in the boot of every BMW
first aid kit (I was never checked in 29 years living over there)
Spare bulbs.... never been checked for those either (they have to sell them at every gas station)
Head light deflectors......... for a few quid you can buy stickers on the boat / station that go on the lenses
No dreaded yellows any more ....

Bear in mind, when ur on the motorway toll routes - nobody except the toll route breakdown service is allowed to assist you. International AA cover for instance is an insurance cover, ie you pay first, claim later.
Its a great trip .... do it
 
The high vis jacket must be in the cabin, not the boot.

light deflectors may not be necessary if you have the xenons (they're totally flat), but a pack of stickers to appease the gendarmes can't hurt.

You can get a French autoroute peage badge even with a UK address. http://www.sanef.com/fr/ecommerce/particulier/souscrire.jsp?offre=fm

Formule mensuelle means you pay a deposit of €30 for the 'badge' €2 for each month you use it, then the costs of the peage billed direct to your credit / debit card. It means you can sail through the peages and not have to mess around with cards + cash.
 
speed12 said:
Hi All,
I knw Hi Vis jackets are required, as are spare bulbs and a first aid kit. But are those headlight deflectors still necessary?

Also has anyone else done much in the way of a grand road trip like this?
Click to expand...

I've done the 'Ring a few times and also France/Belgium/Germany/Czech/Austria/Hungary/Serbia/Bulgaria/Turkey last year in 5 days. Never been stopped on any of those trips, but technically the high viz vest, bulbs, first aid kit etc are all requirements. I've never carried any of them TBH...bad I know. BMW Xenons have a switch on the back to flip them over to LHD, but it's fiddly as hell. You do get the odd flash from people at night if you don't.

Be careful on Vignettes for certain countries (road tax bought at the border). it's not always obvious you need to buy one - a little sticker for your windscreen - and if stopped without it, big fines apply....but I don't think you need this in France or Italy. German service stations are immense if you are camping (they have showers).
 
Not sure what engine you've got but I ran a 2000 mile trip last year from Spain to Monaco and then up through the Alps and averaged 20.3 mpg in a 3.0 and fuel is just as, if not more expensive, on the continent. Depends if you will be if you pushing on up the likes of Col du Turini/Col du telegraph, etc where the mpg drops towards single figures or mainly sticking to the main routes. Having said that it will be a blast :driving:
 
Fuel is defo more expensive in Europe these days than the UK if thats possible!! And just been checking the handbook - the lever adjustment doesn't seem to be Xenon-specific?

Personally I just use the dashboard adjuster on halogens and drop them a tad...never been stopped in eight years of frequent driving like that in various cars.
 
lacroupade said:
Fuel is defo more expensive in Europe these days than the UK if thats possible!! And just been checking the handbook - the lever adjustment doesn't seem to be Xenon-specific?

Personally I just use the dashboard adjuster on halogens and drop them a tad...never been stopped in eight years of frequent driving like that in various cars.
Click to expand...

Xenons can't be adjusted, other lights have a lever accesible through the wheel arch to flip them round for continental driving.
 
Thanks for all the great info, its pretty much what i expected then. I did read about the vignettes probably wont go into the affected areas.
As for fuel economy, i have a 3.0i but honestly after a year of mixed driving with weekly b road blasts my average on the trip comp refuses to go below 35. Of course, if im hammering it up a mountain i expect a drop, but cruising i reckon 40 mpg should be ok. I managed 41mpg down to southampton, but confess to sitting at 70 the whole way.
 
Here the link for all requirements........

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/countrybycountry.html?mySelect=%2Fmotoring_advice%2Ftouring_tips%2Ffrance-monaco.pdf&go.x=48&go.y=12&go=Go!
 
If you do change your plans and head into a vignette area you can buy them from motor way services/fuel stops so I wouldn't worry about them anyway.

speed12 said:
Thanks for all the great info, its pretty much what i expected then. I did read about the vignettes probably wont go into the affected areas.
As for fuel economy, i have a 3.0i but honestly after a year of mixed driving with weekly b road blasts my average on the trip comp refuses to go below 35. Of course, if im hammering it up a mountain i expect a drop, but cruising i reckon 40 mpg should be ok. I managed 41mpg down to southampton, but confess to sitting at 70 the whole way.
Click to expand...
 
I have done this a number of times, we normally go through the tunnel across the top of Paris then on to the Swiss border, over the St Barnard pass (right over the top not the tunnel) down into Tuscany for a week or two, back along the south coast of France as far as Marseille then north to Orleans and back to the tunnel and home.

Last time we did this was in a 3.2 Crossfire that managed 25mpg on the motorway!

Best tip, stay off the toll roads as this will add a lot to the cost of the trip, the old national road network is very good and you will pass through some great countryside.

Good luck and have a great time.
:thumbsup:
 
I am off to the Alps in a few weeks!

Think I have everything ready:
Triangle, Firts Aid, Bulbs, Tyre Foam, Compressor, Breakdown Cover, 2x Hi Viz Vests, Oil.
I purchased a Swiz Motorway Tax Sticker on the internet - it came next day!
I will probably beed one for Austria too but will get this on the boarder. I decided to get all the tax just incase my plans change and I need the main roads.

So, just to confirm... I can't and don't need to adjust my Zenons..?
 
Ben. said:
So, just to confirm... I can't and don't need to adjust my Zenons..?
Click to expand...

Yup. If your beam pattern is flat, then you have Xenon's and cannot (and don't need to) adjust the throw.
 
Not sure about that one? We (Xenons) still have the beam adjuster switch behind the wheel.

And one thing is for sure - with the Xenons on my X5 I blind everyone on the continent (either that or they all want to compliment me on my car when they pass).
 
I spent ages pulling the plastic access hatches away in the wheel arch only to find no switch. So I took it to the dealers to check and they confirmed that my lights cannot (and don't need to be) adjusted.

There's definitely no switch inside the car.
 
Raify said:
Ben. said:
So, just to confirm... I can't and don't need to adjust my Zenons..?
Click to expand...

Yup. If your beam pattern is flat, then you have Xenon's and cannot (and don't need to) adjust the throw.
Click to expand...

Sorry Raify but the beam will definitely NOT be flat, there are diagonal cuts on the dipped beam's mirror plate which make the beam raise at the far left side (for us RHD car drivers to light up the side of the road). They are more dangerous than halogen reflectors on the continent by far and must be 'blocked'.

Its be good if you could just swap which way round the mirror plate was!
 
Im driving south of France in a couple of weeks and have got deflectors ready to go on the headlights. I have been flashed before driving over there without them. Oh i have xenons btw.
 
Raify - the same dealer that sold you the OEM wheels? :P

This is a picture of a Xenon light (LHD):

hid3.jpg
 
pvr said:
Raify - the same dealer that sold you the OEM wheels? :P
Click to expand...


:D No, a different one that I mostly trust. Interesting all this. I was very clear in the dealers that I wanted to adjust the lights for the continent. They put the car in the garage, pointed the lights at a wall and told me "the lights are completely flat and require no adjustment."

I also thought that stickers on the lenses were pointless with Xenons.

Has anyone ever seen a French car over here with headlight stickers adjusting the beam pattern?
 
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