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• Citroen C5 Mk III - Suspension issues 10 Apr 2016 (Forum)
  To get back to "true" Normal, I have to press 'raise' again to take it (successfully) to the Mid-High position, then lower it back to Normal. The car then drives/rides as normal. (2) Driving just after Easter in France on good A roads (130 kph), the car would sometimes ride as if on the bump stops, i.e. every bump or undulation in the road would be felt with a little bump and a small upwards reaction. When I stopped and checked the height, it was clear that it was indeed low at both front and rear.
• Jaguar X-Type 2.0d 157k - Random thoughts on driving an old car - and 'trust 9 Apr 2016 (Forum)
  About 6 weeks ago, I had it serviced and MoTd, asked for tracking etc. to be done, they switched wheels front to back, re-balanced them, etc. (£300) And I set off for a trip to France, did 1150 miles, including motorway at 80+ mph.  50 miles from home, overhesating, rescued.  My indy changed thermostat (£90) but this didn't fix it.  Then he changed water pump (£140), seems to have done the job.
• none - The case against electric vehicles. 3 Jan 2016 (Forum)
    For the electric car in  France  can be regarded as a "nuclear drive": almost all of the installed charging stations are connected to the regular power grid, 80%  nuclear.
• Roads in Rhodes 20 Oct 2014 (Forum)
  Roundabouts are in a state of flux between "give way to the right" and "give way to the left"  - France changed overnight; in Greece it's been a few years - but luckily *most* drivers slow down and even stop for a rest while they decide what to do. The approach to a typical roundabout shows, at 50m gaps, a sign for a non-existent staggered junction, a STOP sign (these are usually placed up to 200m in advance in Greece and there is no line to indicate where to stop), a roundabout sign and finally a give way sign.
• Review Fiat Doblo 2002 JTD "the Fault-Master" 13 Apr 2010 (Forum)
  Byy this stage Mrs O was refusing to even be a passenger in it and it was flogged back to the dealer at a great loss - but a clear conscience. Pity about all of that - because it provided great transport over into France and Germany - but there was never any peace of mind while in it and you took great care to have a transport `plan B`  +  coats, food and so on - if you went further than walking distance of home.
• Citroen Berlingo Multispace (1998 - 2010) - 15K and one year in. 22 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  Overall, I am satisfied rather than either delighted or disappointed. Practicality. This is where it holds all the aces. We have a house in France and the amount of stuff we take is swallowed by the various lockers and the huge boot. the modubox has proved useful as well. My son is 15, 6ft 4 and growing, so he played a big part in eliminating alternatives 12 months ago.
• Honda Accord Tourer Diesel: 20k report 13 Sep 2006 (Forum)
  There's plenty of power to overtake, and even fully loaded with a 350 L roof box and four people, it pulled hard on the mountain roads in France. Cruising at 90 with a box on top it still did 38 miles per gallon over 500 miles, so I guess the thirst cuts both ways. It was a shame the voltage regulator failed on that trip, but therse things happen (to me).
• For Volvoman 14 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  For variety, we tend to come back by driving away from the UK in to Poland, up into what was East Germany, past Dresden, then straight across Germany to Luxembourg, Belgium, France, and home. Difference is about 90 minutes driving time (quicker via Poland for us, but not for you I suspect from Slovak Republic). Either drive is great fun, with a sense of adventure. We tend to pit stop a good five times to relax and unwind, which probably adds well over an hour on top of what you would do if only stopping for fuel, but what?
• Jaguar S-Type (1999 - 2007) - Long term running report on an 04 diesel auto. 1 Aug 2008 (Forum)
  Tyres were needed all round at just under 60K and these were Pirelli Powergys at £130 each fitted. The only other trauma was in France I managed to fill it with unleaded (badly marked pump is my excuse!) & I then drove it 35-40miles. It sounded unhappy so I investigated & doing the sniff test found what I?d done. Phoned Jaguar Assist & they had someone out in 90 minutes, he took me to Calais where Jaguar Assist had got me a booking (I was on the tunnel originally) & they had me collected in Dover & taken home all at no cost.
• Next fill of biodiesel 24 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  Have a look at these two sites to see if there are any near you: http://www.biofuels.fsnet.co.uk/biobiz.htm http://www.biodieselfillingstations.co.uk/outlets.htm The type of biodiesel can vary between them - some sell a blend of 5% biodiesel and 95% ordinary diesel, which is just like what is sold in every filling station in France. Some is biodiesel which has been produced in the same way as mine is, ie by reacting used filtered cooking oil with methanol and lye, which takes out all the waxes, tallows and lacquers that can sometimes gum up injectors.
• Citroen Grand C4 Picasso - Liability for gasket head, cambelt, water pump etc 2 Nov 2011 (Forum)
  I had been told by an AA man that saw to the overheated car in August, that the clip on the coolant pipe had come loose, the clip was tightened and the AA man followed us for 5 miles before letting us go on our way to France.   The car was fine until the hot spell at the beginning of October when it overheated again.   Once at the garage I was told that they had run a diagnostic test and there was no leak in the coolant system(I was also pressured into replacing my back break pads even though they had passed with no warning in the MOT 2 weeks earlier - I said no to the pads), so they went on to run the engine to get hot and they said the coolant sprayed out and said it was the head gasket that had broken and needed to be replaced, which would cost my around £100 + vat for the part and 10 hours labour, which was offered at a reduced price of £890 + vat (due to the fact I had become very upset, not having that kind of money spare).
• The car you drive.. 21 Oct 2006 (Forum)
  You believe you've made the grade, but everyone else knows you've got a long way to go. Peugeot Thinks France is the best country in the world and bores everybody with your limited French knowledge and tales of the Louvre and the Sourbonne. Porsche Small penis or mid-life crisis. Renault An eccentric who likes doing things the wrong way around.
• 150 k Miles in a Berlingo 31 May 2021 (Forum)
  Due to problems with the Xantia in July 2005 it got ‘bumped up’ the running order and was used for the family camping holiday in France. So successful was it that the Xantia never went abroad again and was demoted to station hack and bike carrier. As a result Berlingo went way over the mileage for the PCP and we bought it outright in 2008.
• Vauxhall/Audi/Seat - Changing my 2 cars 27 Feb 2015 (Forum)
  The high up seating position of this car is great, I can see why these SUV's are popular. As a motorway cruiser it is great. We took it down to the South of France whilst my wife was 6 months pregnant and founds it capable and comfortable. I (perhaps wrongly) think that is where the supposed prestige brands show there worth. It is far more refined and comfortable than the Toledo as an example.
• 2 weeks in the US - observations motoring & other 13 Nov 2007 (Forum)
  On a non-motoring observation - recycling does not appear to have been heard about. It did annoy us that all our rubbish ends up in one bin, I accept that in the UK and more so in France recycling is part of our cultureor soon to be tax structure, but the whole disposable society thing is alive and thriving in Florida. Although your garbage is emptied twice a week. It did make you think that if the US and other countries are either unaware or don't care about these issues then what is the point in the rest of us feeling guilty for putting out half a bin bag every 2 weeks.
• Seat Altea XL - first impressions 21 Jul 2007 (Forum)
  For a car that should be £17.5k, surely you would expect 2 remote control keys? That?s what my Skoda has. Shortly will be taking it to France and back so will report back in a few weeks how living with the car is.
• Skoda Yeti - My third Yeti 22 Sep 2015 (Forum)
  Overall a great and flexible family car. My latest Yeti is a 2.0 TDi 4x4 (140 BHP). It is a "Tour de France" special edition and is apparently based on an SE Outdoor. The cost was broadly similar to that I’d paid for the 2WD Urban 2 years earlier. I have a theory that 4x4’s may well offer better residuals, compared with 2WD’s, although I’ll not know for certain until “trade in time”.
• BMW 3-Series E91 Touring (2005 - ) - 320d : ownership report 16 Jun 2009 (Forum)
  The low-profile run-flats are sensitive to road surface irregularities; sometimes you have to work at keeping the car on course. This is a bit of a disappointment, although I found this less of an issue on roads in France and Belgium than in the UK. And the ride is maybe a bit too firm, especially on our lousy non-M/non-A roads (I never thought I?d be saying this!). I suspect the standard suspension set up works rather better.
• Cheaper than cycling - Recommended to Merc owner 27 Apr 2013 (Forum)
  Yes it is, and it’s… really good I say in a way that I hope didn’t sound patronising. ‘Is 90 percent France,’ he grumbles, pulling a nonplussed face. I didn’t know what to say after that. Don’t worry mate, we sold all our car industry to foreigners too and now our cars aren’t crap either?
• Review of 3 Scenics 8 Sep 2004 (Forum)
  s, the versatility these cars have are amazing. Whether it be taking a full car Inc pram to the South of France, or taking bikes, or rubbish to the dump, the flexibility of the seating layout is excellent. The dash and trims held up well even though they were subject to the usual mess you get with kids in the car, food on the go etc.