Spare for a trip to France

[itchyfeet]

What did I miss?

P1100407 by Paul_Barr, on Flickr

[R0B]

A spare ECU.

What did I miss?

[itchyfeet]

A spare ECU.

What did I miss?

It's under the AFM, you can just see the corner

[itchyfeet]

While going through the van I found the spark plug leads and throttle cable.

[R0B]

My throttle cable snapped last week seven miles from home. (Actually, the cable came out of the bit on the end)I bet baxters ears were burning :)Had to do a bodge on the side of a busy main road(garden wire and a zip tie) I wouldn't mind but it was less than a year old.

[weimarbus]

tool box to fit parts!, pre timed clamp on distributor

[itchyfeet]

tool box to fit parts!, pre timed clamp on distributor

You don't need many tools to fit these parts, I have a small socket set some screwdrivers pliers etc and a set of combination spanners.

[Mr Bean]

In the albeit small chance you can't fix it:
Documentary evidence that your breakdown/recovery service will repatriate your van - it being by definition circa 30 years old.
ADAC for instance, made reference to their build records for my van - a UK Leisure Drive conversion and classified it as having only scrap value. During my trip home having arranged my own repatriation I was contacted by them three times demanding it be surrendered.
Like I was told afterwards - read the small print for where you are going.

[itchyfeet]

In the albeit small chance you can't fix it:
Documentary evidence that your breakdown/recovery service will repatriate your van - it being by definition circa 30 years old.
ADAC for instance, made reference to their build records for my van - a UK Leisure Drive conversion and classified it as having only scrap value. During my trip home having arranged my own repatriation I was contacted by them three times demanding it be surrendered.
Like I was told afterwards - read the small print for where you are going.

Only take you home if it's not fixable locally in the duration of your holiday, I have heard stories of a 5000 euro engine replacement from a local garage, take it or leave it, if you leave it you are on your own.

As you say same goes on van value which was a problem for my tin top but the pop top is worth bring home.

[Mr Bean]

Well as it happens my breakdown was for a gearbox which was under warranty in the UK three months after a £750 repair job - not one of Aidans I hasten to add, although I did not think my re-builder - a small firm in Essex could be convinced to come and fix/recover the van from Dijon in France although they did fix it for me when I got it home. The french garage would fix it for 2,700 Euros but would take over three days so I qualified for repatriation - us that is and not the van which they wanted to scrap for me on their zero book value based on a 30 year old panel van. As I said in my post I ultimately managed to get my original insurer to bring it home for me. Note: this was about 8 years ago

That poses the question as to how much would it cost these days to have a van like ours brought home from Europe should one have a difference of opinion on in-country repair cost. Anyone done it?