Overheated in France...

[mouldy]

My poor old 2.4TD Surf died on the last leg of our caravaning holiday on the continent, spouting steam & refusing to go. Seems the radiator sprang a leek & I didn't notice the temp gauge till it was too late. The RAC got us home by hire cars but the car & van are still out there & the lazy French mechanic can't be bothered to check out properly what's wrong. He just says it'll cost between 3000 to 10000 euros to repair! The b***dy RAC say that's too much & are refusing to repatriate it - no I don't see the logic either.

Apart from using the forum to vent my feelings about French mechanics & the RAC, I'm hoping someone could give me an idea on quite how bad it might be. When I refilled the radiator & tried to start it water was pouring from the engine, but I couldn't see where from exactly as it was pitch black & p***ing with rain. The engine turned over fine, but wouldn't fire. Could it be just the head gasket, or is the head itself likely to be warped or cracked. Is it possible that the engine block is damaged, which would make it a write off as I'm concerned - the poor thing's only worth about £2000.

Any advice greatly appriciated.

[TonyN]

99% of the time the head will crack after and trip into the red zone on the temp guage.

It unlikey to be just a headgasket, and it rarely damages the block but it does happen now and again.

A new head supplied and fitted (by me, can't speak for other garages) comes to just over 1K usually. Obviously you'll need a new/recon rad as well to ad to that.

You'll only really know for sure once the head is off and you can measure the block deck for flatness to be sure the block is OK.

[mouldy]

Thanks Tony. If the block deck isn't flat is the block repairable, or are we talking a new engine. How much is that likely to be?

[Diezel Weazel]

Thanks Tony. If the block deck isn't flat is the block repairable, or are we talking a new engine. How much is that likely to be?

Sorry to hear of ya pain bud, have I missed sommat or do the RAC not repatriate yer Motor & Van or ya Gotta pay extra for Europe Cover ????


There's Always a Payback.... You just can't see it Comin !!!!

[mouldy]

Sorry to hear of ya pain bud, have I missed sommat or do the RAC not repatriate yer Motor & Van or ya Gotta pay extra for Europe Cover ????


There's Always a Payback.... You just can't see it Comin !!!!

We paid £142 for the RAC European Breakdown Comprehensive Cover, which the guy from the RAC assured us would cover the cost of getting the car & caravan back home if it's too difficult/expensive to repair abroad, regardless of the age of the vehicle. What the policy says is '... providing the cost is not more than the UK market value'. They say the UK market value is £3000, & the repairs will cost £2000 to £6500 (French mechanic sticking his finger in the air cause he couldn't be bother to actually see what's wrong). But it's not like an accident insurance policy where they give you the book value is it's too expensive to repair after an accident - they just wipe their hands of the problem. So we've got a car stuck in France which will cost us £1000 to get back, then £1000 to repair probably. Basically, don't bother with the RAC european cover. The sales people will say anything to get you to sign up, then shrug their shoulders when you get a problem.

[Sancho]

Not that it's a massive help, but when mine did the same thing in France (it's the garlic and pollution in the air that oveheats them) I got it repatriated no problem at all with Britannia Rescue. They offer the choice of having it fixed there or getting it repatriated. As long as it costs no more than half the market value of the vehicle to bring it back.

If I was you I'd give the RAC a hard time until they bring it back. If they won't, stick it on ebay and say it's in France - someone will want it at some price. Then buy another ( mine's in the For Sale section.... ) and go get your 'van.

[mouldy]

Not that it's a massive help, but when mine did the same thing in France (it's the garlic and pollution in the air that oveheats them) I got it repatriated no problem at all with Britannia Rescue. They offer the choice of having it fixed there or getting it repatriated. As long as it costs no more than half the market value of the vehicle to bring it back.

If I was you I'd give the RAC a hard time until they bring it back. If they won't, stick it on ebay and say it's in France - someone will want it at some price. Then buy another ( mine's in the For Sale section.... ) and go get your 'van.

Funny thing is, we're with Britannia Rescue here at home, but went with the RAC as we thought a bigger organisation would be better on the continent - big mistake. The lazy French mechanic claims now to have examined it properly, & is quoting 11,000 euros as it supposidly needs a new engine. Says it siezed - funny thing is it was turning over fine when is died, just wouldn't fire. Got us over a barrel as we can't go & look at it ourselves.

[Sancho]

Funny thing is, we're with Britannia Rescue here at home, but went with the RAC as we thought a bigger organisation would be better on the continent - big mistake. The lazy French mechanic claims now to have examined it properly, & is quoting 11,000 euros as it supposidly needs a new engine. Says it siezed - funny thing is it was turning over fine when is died, just wouldn't fire. Got us over a barrel as we can't go & look at it ourselves.

Britannia Rescue just sub-contract it out to a bunch called IMA on the continent. RAC probably do the same....

Guess what? Mine also 'needed a new engine'. Must be a French thing.

Anyway, according to the wording of the policy you gave us before, the cost of repatriation at, say, a grand is much less than the market value of the car at 3 grand and the cost of the repair at about 7 grand (according to your mechanic's random number generator) so the RAC should bring it back. Phone them and give them $hit. It doesn't cost that much, they chuck it on the back of a transporter with all the other tow cars at the end of the summer.

[Diezel Weazel]

Funny thing is, we're with Britannia Rescue here at home, but went with the RAC as we thought a bigger organisation would be better on the continent - big mistake. The lazy French mechanic claims now to have examined it properly, & is quoting 11,000 euros as it supposidly needs a new engine. Says it siezed - funny thing is it was turning over fine when is died, just wouldn't fire. Got us over a barrel as we can't go & look at it ourselves.

Sorry to hear ya still not got any result yet Mouldy !!!!
That sound like the French, on to a good thing & not doing anything for it.
I can't get a grant under the C.A.P, (Common Agricultural Policy) even tho I run a farmyard in me Back Garden.......But they can .................
Could we not organise a Posse, take a Weekend Break/Trip & recover em both ?

There's Always a Payback....You just can't see it Comin !!!!