Driving in France kit.

[Nigelblandin]

Early next month I am off to France with Clade the GTL. My 3 brothers and I are going from Saint Malo to the Swiss border and back in a week…Should be fun!
So, what is A, a legal requirement and B, recommended car kit.
My lists are, so far;

Legal stuff;
Paperwork
Triangle
Viz vests
What’s this crit air thing? We aren’t going anywhere big ( Paris etc)
Avoiding big roads too, so no tolls.

Car stuff;
Bulbs
Plugs
Points & condenser
Drive belt
Tools & tester
Clutch cable ( I had one go in a Caterham in Italy yonks ago and had one…half hour fix outside a bar)
I’ll take my “ box o’gubbins” that goes with me to track days lots of twiddly bits in there.


What have I forgotten?

 

[Andy McGhee]

Hi Nigel
Unless your headlights are adjustable, you'll need beam deflectors. You'll also need a UK sticker.
Your car will be too old to qualify for a Crit'Air sticker, but may still be banned from low-emission zones at certain times/on certain days. If you like D roads, no worries..
The hi-vis vests/triangle need to be accessible from inside the car - a pain if there are 4 people in an R4!
You'll need a paper copy of your insurance document - it's worth having a photo of all your documents on your phone as well, just in case.
I used to go to France two or three times a year, and got stopped a lot (R4 van in distance...). I always found the French police great - even the bureaucrats - provided you had all the necessary paper documents and the safety stuff (I was never asked if I had the latter). They were often intrigued to find a RHD F6....
If your R4 is RHD, a clutch cable's a great idea - hard to find here, let alone in France!
If you use a Sat-Nav, speed camera detection devices are illegal.
If you're going into Switzerland, a first-aid kit is a legal requirement.
Have a great trip!

 

[Nigelblandin]

Thanks Andy, great advice.

 

[Thierry]

( apology for my poor English) Congratulations Andy, looks like you have a strong expérience about travelling in France. Just a word about crossing cities with " active ZFE": authorization for old cars ( before 1997): It's a local decision but may be a problem ( risk of fine). The workaround, not applicable for you, is to apply for a "collection" type of car registration document wich give us a waiver for ZFE criteria. My advice : look on the internet for " ZFE actif?" with the name of the city ( list below are cities with active ZFE, potentially on your way between Saint Malo ans Switzerland) you want to cross and if yes, find an alternative road: not a big deal!
List: Rennes, Caen, Rouen, Reims, Nancy, Strasbourg, Lyon, Grenoble, Saint-Étienne, Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy / Grand Annecy, Annemasse
Thierry (Strasbourg in France)

 

[Thierry]

Note : cars before 1997 cannot get crit'air category...

 

[petak]

Hello.
Iam jumping to subject but interested in this matter.
Please, can you explain.

cars before 1997 cannot get crit'air category

what that actually means?

You are not alowed to enter this cities with R4?

 

[Thierry]

Hello, it means that it is not possible, by law, to get the crit'air categorization for old cars. i.e. for cars before 1997. Don't ask me why. The consequence is that, unless you have the "collection " type of registration, you will face restrictions to cross those cities applying ZFE ( Zone à Faible Émission) . All in one, you are correct, no old cars in those ZFE cities!!!