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!