Topic

Morning All

After some advice/help.

Later this year my partner and I are going to the South of France for a 2-3 week holiday. This is something she has been doing with her family for a good number of years and she normally goes in her Dad's car with her mum and sister. Over the years she's had enough of the new car smell, petrol fumes, acceleration and smoothness of the particular automatic gearboxes in her dads various cars over the years. Personally I love all that BHP and new car smell. So for the last couple of years we have been flying and last year we hired a Renault Clio which seemed quite expense between 4 of us - nice car but not really my cup of tea. We will be taking in a few sites in germany before crossing over back in the south of France.

I've always been a fan of driving on the continent and have done it a few times from the UK over to Belgium and France in my 2006 Mondeo ST TDCi and another time in a friends brand new Saab 9-3 at the time.

Now the for the dilemma. I want to go in the TF! In principal all have agreed that we can drive there and for me it has to be the MG. Yes we could go in the Mondeo I still have but it wouldn't be the same or we could even go in my latest toy of the Mercedes C250 which would probably eat 20k miles and ask for more and still return 55MPG.

I've had the TF nearly 3 years, its a 2002 on about 64k - never really caused any major problems and is an reasonable state. Service history isn't great and it is severely over due a cambelt. 4 Years or 60k....try 14 years and 64k. I would of course get the cambelt done ASAP (with tensioner and water pump) and a major service. Oil, Brake Fluid, All Filters, Spark Plugs etc. Brakes are good as had new discs and pads fairly recently. Can't find in the history it has had a new belt. I feel like I'm familiar with the car as I have drained the coolant and refilled a number of times due to various leaking pipes, I've done the discs and pads, I even changed the alternator and belt in the work car park when the belt went.

I have been quoted upto £375 for the cambelt change with water pump, tensioner and new coolant. This includes parts and up to 5 hours labour. They're a reputable garage and local who I have used before and trust. They have said if it doesn't take this long they will charge the actual amount of time it takes but. Any one have any thoughts on this?

On paper and to the various motoring authorities it is sad to say the poor MG isn't worth a lot perhaps £1,000 if lucky and allegedly a Cat D after a lady bumped the bumper and they didn't want to pay out to repair it. Not sure it is actually written off as no transfer of ownerships took place and I still have the original V5 just had to get it re-mot'd for insurance to be valid.

This throws up a few issues. I would take out European breakdown cover on whichever car I went in whether your talking 2002 or 2015. The way I see it a brand new car out of the factory has as much potential to suffer a problem as a looked after older car.

I would take a basic tool kit with me on the trip - self amalgamating silicone tape, vise grips, screwdrivers, sockets, jack, tyre foam and spare wheel, footpump, knife, spare coolant, spare oil, tool for circlips, possibly a selection of jubilee clips, spare radiator bleed screw.

If the car is only worth say £1,000 and it suffers a problem the breakdown cover may be able to repair it at the side of the road or at a local garage. The first problem is that if a repair comes in at say £800 at a local garage in France or Germany I'd seriously have to consider whether that is something I'd want to proceed with. Secondly if they can't fix the car and repatriation cost's say £1,200 they will only cover the repatriation up to the value of the vehicle.

So to go in the MG it would cost £500 up front to make it in my opinion reliable for the cambelt and decent service. If the MG became damaged abroad I may be a little annoyed but it wouldn't be the end of the world plus the MG is more for the adventure and experience I think. The Mondeo might require a bit of work and is just as likely to breakdown as any other car as it hasn't been driven much recently. And then there is the Mercedes which on the whole I think wouldn't cost a penny up front and would take the whole trip in it's stride - however if something went wrong with the Mercedes or it became damaged this would be a more of a major concern but at the same time there's £500 in the bank which hasn't been spent to fix things on the other cars.

Now that I've bored everyone I suppose these are the main points:
1. TF, Mondeo or Mercedes
2. The MG is worth the servicing right to keep it going a bit longer? It's quite low mileage and enjoyable.
3. What happens in the instance of a breakdown that cost s more than the car.

Any thoughts or experience much appreciated.

Hello.
I appreciate your dilemma I have set off on trips with similar concerns. You are aware of the condition /reliability of your cars and by the sound of it you will be dong several hundred miles over a few weeks.
Some on here will have no hesitation about taking their F/TF on such a trip and others would be more cautious. Road side repairs are never fun and often you never have that other bit Local French garages may be excellent or of little use with big bills I am sure many have mixed experiences of such trips.
Sorry to sound like an Agony Aunt but it depends what you are wanting to get out of the trip.
The Merc' may create what you are after???

You can have lots of fun and enjoy driving the TF without going great distances. The hood down and a couple of hours motoring is great. Maybe even an over night stop. And still not much of a risk.

What ever you choose ENJOY it and keep us posted.

Tony

Hi Tony,

Thanks for your response, appreciate your thoughts like you say you've had similar concerns but there are others who have no problem going on trips in their F/TF's. I think an agony aunt is what I need!

The other half isn't too keen on going in the Merc' ...it's too like her Dad's cars whereas the MG has no hint of new smell or gut rumbling power so we're at least safe in those departments.

I think with the TF for me it's just that little bit more adventurous and the fact you can put the roof down and enjoy the nice country roads through the mountains etc. We went to Norfolk in it once from where we are in the Midlands near Northampton and although it wasn't far it felt like an adventure as I'm sure many fellow TF owners will appreciate

I did find one company which will repatriate up to the value of the car but will then allow you to top up beyond that.

Will have to continue discussing it with the family.....If we do go I'm hoping to do some shots with the GoPro to put together a video of our trip.

Thanks again

Have an adventure - go in the TF. Sort the cambelt first, service it, check the cooling system carefully and buy one of those quick fix clip things for the wiper arms - no wipers can be a problem.

Richard

Liking your logic I do have a bit of a list I'm thinking of taking with me. One of the wiper things is definitely on there as got hit towards the end of last year with that one.

Coolant Expansion Tank Cap
Windscreen Wiper Linkage
Radiator Bleed Valve
Alternator Belt

Cable Ties
Metal Putty
Self Amalgamating Silicone Tape
Jubilee Clips
Throttle Cable
Bonnet Release Cable
Insulating Tape


Oil
Coolant Bottle
WD40

Large Socket Set
Small Socket Set
Multimeter
Fuses
Vise Grip
Screwdrivers
Knife
Spanners
Snips
Pipe Clip Tool
Foot Pump
Torx Bits
Adjustable Spanner


Jack
Locking Wheel Nut
Spare Bulbs
Tyre Foam

I take my car abroad regularly, and can cover 2000 miles in a trip.

But I have confidence in the car, as it is used regularly on long trips.

I would suggest work out your planned mileage, then work out how many miles you are doing now between problems. If you currently drive up to 3x your planned trip without problems, then maybe the car will be reliable enough...but it can never be guaranteed! (I always worry about the 300 mile drive to dover...hate the car to breakdown before i even got on the ferry

Also never do big jobs before you leave, without having some time to prove everything is OK.

Breakdown insurance in Europe is a bit of a lottery. Would be a god send if you broke down on a motorway with something relatively minor, but isn't going to help with HGF. I am covered with Pete Best insurance breakdown cover, but who would I call if I broke down on a motorway in france! Fortunately never had to test it.

If a breakdown would ruin your marriage, then go in something reliable. If you think you both can laugh about it in the event, then have fun in the TF. Its about what you can afford to loose against how much fun you can get. Yes ultimately you could loose the car, but you could also have a minor accident at home and have the car written off.

Life is full of too many "if only" to worry about. Make the right preparations, feel confident, then take the chance and enjoy your drive.

For me its the TF every time.

peter

I think you would not get much cloths for 3 weeks in the MG TF perhaps you should take Merc and put the MG on trailer or cut the roof of the Merc and perhaps .take 2 cars


or take somebody else wife

Thanks for the feedback. I like that take someone else's wife! As it happens the Merc does have a panoramic roof.

The place we're staying in France has washing facilities and that is our destination for the majority of our time over there. We can backpack the rest. So clothes will be ok.

I think we could both laugh a disaster off and there would probably be a few told you so's but that just makes me want to take it more.

Haven't had a problem since the alternator which must have been last summer and brought on by myself not following the suitable belt recommended replacement times.

Car has been used for a daily driver when the weather is nice, 40 miles a day for a few weeks at a time without any niggles.

Would get the cam belt, service and a good going over done ASAP. I'm a firm believer in not making changes before a trip as it may introduce problems.

I would not hesitate to go in the"TF". As long as you're confident the car has no problems, why not?
I'm 78 & have taken my previous F & present TF abroad for the last 6 years,.obviously with B/D insurance, but had no problems.
As you say driving in France/Germany is a pleasure, especially in a MG
I'm off to Germany in August.

That's awesome Forrester. Hope you have a good time August. Who knows if this trip is a success it could be the start of something. I'd trust the car to get to work in and on a UK trip.

howstar wrote: wrote:

I think you would not get much cloths for 3 weeks in the MG TF perhaps you should take Merc and put the MG on trailer or cut the roof of the Merc and perhaps .take 2 cars


or take somebody else wife

South of France, mid summer, how many clothes are you going to need?
We get sufficient in our F for 2 weeks in Italy.

Have brought a wind break and have booked leave off work. We could be in business! Best get on the phone to the garage and get the cambelt sorted. Got some uk top down motoring to do if the sun comes back out to play.