Advice required

[dainelr]

HI

This is my first official post on the main site and i am going to start with a request for help and advice.

As i am sure you have all seen on the for sale section Rowan has a 4 awaiting someone brave to fly down to italy and collect it from umbria.

I think i am that person


However


i have a couple of questions for you seasoned owners.

I am contemplating flying down with my other half and spending a week in Umbria and getting a local garage to service the car and replace the tyres before driving home.

Firstly do i need a continental version of an MOT done pre driving home ?

If so what is it ? what should it cost ?

If no, can i just start driving it home subject to my insurance co being happy ?

when i get back (please note level of optimism) to the uk what do i have to do upon arrival in the uk?
can i get off the tunnel and go home then mot it?

Do i have any duties/taxes to pay ?

as you can see i am a little green when it comes to things like this but i have the scent of adventure in my nostrils and can not wait.

Please repond! the more advice i recieve the happier and more confident i will be about going to umbria

Dan

 

[The_Blacksmith]

Having the car serviced before setting of to the UK is very wise.
Might I suggest you bring a basic tool set along so you can fix any problems that may occur while driving across Europe?
A fresh set of points just in case. If you run into a problem at least you can fix it along the side of the road. I've had to do that once when I first started driving R4 by myself. Bring a guide on how to replace points and adjust the ignition if you have never messed with points before. Once points are set properly they shouldn't give you any grief. However, you ARE driving a Renault 4 and not all mechanics know how to adjust the ignition any more with modern cars having electronic fuss-free ignition. If they don't do it right you'll have to manage yourself.

I would expect the car to have the local equivalent of an MOT.
If it doesn't have an MOT then I would expect there to be "problems". That could get expensive and might take some time to put right. Try to find out in advance if you can if there are any surprises.
If the car has a local MOT equivalent that should do for your trip home.
Europe is one big, happy family nowadays respecting their cousin's MOT even if it's not worth the paper it's printed on. Normally you won't be stopped unless the car is really falling apart.
The MOT only becomes an issue again once the car gets a British license number. It then becomes subject to British laws and regulations. Until then it's just a tourist and you should not have to pay any duties. If you are asked to pay duties for the car call your solicitor and stick to name, rank and number.
However, I think your insurance company should be able to tell you exactly what to do in the shape of paperwork to get the car to the UK.

As for driving the car I can give you the following advice. If it purrr's your doing great, if it roars you are probably pushing it a bit. You should be able to do 600 km per 34 liters of fuel. The fueltank only holds 34 liters of fuel. This can come as a bit of a surprise when you're not used to the R4.

If you are driving a R4 GTL stay around 100-110 km/h for fuel economy and overtake downhill. Should you find you are not getting much more than 100 km/h on the speedometer despite flooring it you are experiencing a headwind. Just settle for 90 km/h for fuel economy.
When going downhill keep the speed in check. Do not go beyond 135 km/h to prevent overrevving.
Speaking of the speedometer. The speedometer has the range from 0-160 km/h divided in 4 regions with "flags". This is to help you with shifting gear. From 0 km/h until the 1 flag is the range of 1st gear. At the 1st flag you shift to second gear, at the 2nd flag you shift to 3rd and so on. Having said that, it is possible to shift gear a little earlier when you are driving on level terrain. It's a guide, not a hard rule.

To conclude I can only say Enjoy the ride!

 

[The_Blacksmith]

I've taken a look at Rowan's post.
Get new sparkplugs, ht leads, distributer cap and ignition points. I noticed the lefthand side headlight is a bit rusty. Over here that would be an mot failure so you'll need to have that changed.
The wiper blades are shot and need to be replaced.
Check the condition of the brake lines. My R4F4 had been sitting for 6 years before I bought it and rot had set in. The brake lines where so far gone they failed without applying any pressure to the brake system. I know Italy is a lot better with corrosion because of the warmer climate as in there is less of it but it is better to make sure everything is good before setting of for a 1500 mile voyage. If you are going back through France the good news is there are plenty of Renault garages. Almost every town or village has one.
Take the car for a quick test drive to check for defects in the steering.
If the car has difficulty going in a strait line or it seems there is play on the steering wheel simply replace upper and lower balljoints left and right and the trackrod ends. Once those are replaced you are good for 18 years unless you hit a kerb. Trackrod ends are expensive.
Check the rubber dust covers of the driveshafts. Look for wet patches and tears. If one of those is torn dust gets in and your driveshaft is toast. However, you can patch a damaged dust cover with the tape athletes use to tape off injuries. It will hold for about 250 miles. If you need to use this method of repair give it 3 layers. Replacing a damaged dust cover will cost like 30 minutes labour and € 6,- for a new dust cover as opposed to € 260,- for a new driveshaft.
Don't bother driving around with a damaged driveshaft simply replace it with a new one. Saves you a lot of grief.
The front engine mount deserves checking as well. If it is past it you will hear a knock when engaging the clutch. Feel free to be a bit brutal when testing for this.
Check the exhaust for dark streaks and repairs. If you see dark streaks it leaks exhaust fumes and is to be considered past it. Dead, expired, pushing up the daisies. Considering the distance you have to cover replace it.
Check the shocks. You'll want good ones on the car for the long voyage home.

Tools.
Spanners 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 19 mm preferably 2 of each. In addition to this you will need 7 and 8 mm for replacing ignition points.
Feeler gauges for setting the gap when replacing points.
Get extra lightbulbs and fuses.


I think that about covers it.