Event Bulgaria Fest - Task complete

[Coprolalia]

Aye, bringing back great memories and gravel rallying our ropy A6 diesel 5-up.

 

I think they teach English in the schools there, and certainly most of the under-30s we met were fluent. As a nation it has a fascinating history.

[egg]

They've just done another video.

[dollywobbler]

[Saabnut]

Only starting when letting go of the key indicates ballast resistor failure

[dollywobbler]

Thanks. Could well be.

 

The number of stops is making me rethink Shitefest. I mean, this car just gets attention everywhere! Apart from Romania.

[skattrd]

It sounds like a better day today and that you're enjoying it again. It did seem like you were a tad downbeat in Bosnia.

Fingers crossed the attention from the rozzers will calm down now you're heading towards countries where bribery is less common.

[dollywobbler]

I think tiredness is a factor. Driving is hard work enough, with different rules and road layouts to cope with, in a car that still likes to hide second gear. Navigating is also a challenge, combined with trying to record interesting video footage AND take interesting pictures, and await inevitable flashing blue lights.

 

I hadn't really factored in just how disliked Romanians are across Europe. Immigration is causing serious concerns right across Europe, or certainly it is perceived as a serious concern. This isn't the thread for politics, even if I was wondering about putting a huge Union Jack on the bonnet with SORRY on it...

 

Anyway, lovely food at a pleasant eatery tonight, with a waitress who very nearly hid her amusement at out hopelessness.

[Slowsilver]

Only starting when letting go of the key indicates ballast resistor failure

 

Think this is the other way round.

The ballast resistor is in series with the coil connection all the time and is shorted out when cranking.

It drops about 3 volts to give about 9 volts onto the 9 volt coil from 12 volts in normal running.

The batttery voltage drops when cranking load is applied, so the ballast resistor is bypassed to ensure that the coil gets as many volts as there are available for better starting.

If the ballast resistor is open-circuit the car will start when cranked because it is bypassed then stop when the key is released because there is no longer any voltage supply to the coil. Have seen this several times.

I have never seen the opposite happening as you describe, but If it starts when the key is released it is more likely that the ballast resistor is not being shorted out when the starter operates and the car only fires up when the key is released and the battery voltage increases.

[dollywobbler]

I've been told it doesn't have one. So maybe academic. Ignition switch seems a likely culprit.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

....I hadn't really factored in just how disliked Romanians are across Europe. .....

It doesn't help that the apparent Romanian talent for criminal behaviour or non-respect for rules (right up to government level) tars honest Romanians with the same brush.

[dollywobbler]

Indeed. Doesn't stop people going to Italy on holiday does it?

[catsinthewelder]

We have noticed that most people here can speak English very well. All through the trip we have tried pointing and sign language and been asked what we want in varying standards of English.

[mat_the_cat]

I've been told it doesn't have one. So maybe academic. Ignition switch seems a likely culprit.

 

I've had the exact same symptoms with an electronic ignition system, where, dependant on battery voltage and what was switched on at the time, the ignition amplifier would sometimes be below its operational voltage. The fault was cured by a rewire, so likely a high resistance joint(s) in the loom. Could equally be the ignition switch as you suggest.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Indeed. Doesn't stop people going to Italy on holiday does it?

....and getting pickpocketed, etc.

[Scruffy Bodger]

....and getting pickpocketed, etc.

Aren't those Roma gypsys and not actual Romanians? Or so I have been led to believe.

 

When I first went to Slovenia about 5 years ago the borders to Austria were completely unmanned, they had obviously been that way for many years as the border buildings were in a state of disrepair and some of the smaller crossings completely non existent. That changed significantly a couple of years back. Armed guards on every crossing, passports checked every single time you cross even if they know you're English and semi permanent porta cabin installs on even the most remote points.

Unrestricted immigration is certainly more of a concern over there than you might think over here?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Aren't those Roma gypsys and not actual Romanians? Or so I have been led to believe......

 

Both.

 

I think the Roma as a group originate from the subcontinent (India, in other words) if you go back a few thousand years.

 

In more modern times, they have had a high concentration in Romania, but their diaspora also were in what was then Czechoslovakia, Hungary, etc. It's difficult to know where to start with this. Traditionally looked on as outsiders due to their nomadic lifestyle, they were rarely allowed the kind of privileges that others might take for granted. Viewed with considerable suspicion, they were certainly on Hitler's hitlist in his quest to create a master race. In the bad old days of Ceausescu, they probably came closest to having equal treatment - in the sense that Romanian citizens became equally miserable as the decades went on up to 1989.

 

All the old prejudices resurfaced after the fall of Ceausescu. Denied access to equal education / training / jobs, and in poor housing, many sought the usual prospects of "a better life" in Western Europe, which generally meant greater opportunities for begging or petty crime. Travel became even easier for them when the EU expanded to take in Romania and Bulgaria. It was certainly the case that they didn't integrate very well over here, which led to the same sort of vicious circle. Even so, what they could earn or steal in Western Europe was somewhat better than "back home", to the point that they could remit money back to Romania and build their own - quite grandiose - houses in places like Tandarei as symbols to encourage other Roma to make their fortune in the West.

 

As for Romanians generally, well, it's the bad hats that get all the attention - same as other nationalities - as well as their apparent fondness for re-registering UK cars on Romanian plates......

[dollywobbler]

The Roma are viewed with some serious dislike by Romanians. Lots of beggers, people trying to extract money for finding you a parking space (ie standing in the road and pointing at a space you could easily spot yourself, so more protection money) so it's a never ending cycle really. Hard to know whether they really are so poor that horse and cart is all they can afford for transport, or if it's all part of the show. Certainly, this is a trip that leaves you thinking about a lot more than just cars.

[dollywobbler]

Anyway, back to the trip. More Slovenia today, but we probably need to hop across a border to get closer to home. So, Italy and corrupt coppers or Austria and coppers who don't like old bangers?

[dollywobbler]

In terms of economy, I've just done some sums and it came to 45mpg! I can't quite believe that, but then we filled in Romania, then filled in Serbia and it took only 18 litres, which confused both us and the pump attendant who we'd told to fill the tank.

Certainly, it has felt like it was sipping fuel, but that economy was definitely not anticipated. Will do further calculations.

Those figures are from doing a fill that left me able to see the fuel via the filler neck, so I know it wasn't a short fill. It has a habit of clicking the pump off regularly anyway, so I guess there is no breather pipe.

[omegod]

A set of random UK plates stuck on it may have saved some hassle ? Great thread guys and I'd love to do something similarly random 

[Kringle]

A set of random UK plates stuck on it may have saved some hassle ? Great thread guys and I'd love to do something similarly random

Hmm? What do you mean? And how would that work in regards to insurance?

[catsinthewelder]

I think it would just cause more problems when they ask for the documents.

 

Since we left Bosnia the stops are hassle free and don't cost us anything but time.

 

The look of embarrassment on the Croatian cops face when it wouldn't start was priceless.

 

In other news Ian has found a cup of tea.

 

The Mighty Dacia has had fluids topped up and we are ready to go somewhere else.

[busmansholiday]

This post gets better by the day. I doubt there will be any other contenders for the post of year unless some daft twat tries to drive a Routemaster back from Sri Lanka.

 

Safe journey, as for Austria or Italy, which coppers are going to get the biggest surprise when they pull a Romanian reg car and find two of the UK's finest citizens in it ?

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I think Austria over Italy but by now you've already made your minds up and you're no doubt sailing through Northern Italy...!

[Wingz123]

How are you doing accomodation...? Are you booking each night via airbnb/book.com wherever you end up that day...?

[panhard65]

How are you doing accomodation...? Are you booking each night via airbnb/book.com wherever you end up that day...?

If you are using booking.com I can send you a link for £15 cash back when you book. It is quite handy if 2 of you have accounts and book alternativley as they send you a new link with each booking. It only works about 4 times each though. 

[Talbot]

I'm not sure what it is about the "face" of that Dacia, but from that angle it looks like it's a bit depressed. I can imagine it coming out with a quote along the lines of Marvin the Paranoid Android: "Here I am, 28 years old and being asked to drag myself all the way across Europe"

 

Also... what is the correct pronunciation of Dacia? I've heard all sorts. If it were an English word, I'd expect it to be "Day-see-ah", but often it's "Da-Chi-A"

 

45mpg economy is staggeringly good, but I can't imagine either of you are hammering it. I think I saw somewhere that you're keeping to about 100/110kmh most of the time, which is definitely economy-inducing. Have you wound it up to anything faster yet, just because?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I always said Day-see-ah but I note that DW has adopted the Da-ch-a way as heard on telly adverts by Ralph Ineson who as a professional Yorkshireman should know. Oh and probably millions of Romanians.

 

But , I've noticed Skoda ads say Schkudah, are we supposed to start pronouncing things foreign now? We're not the BBC with their stupid saying foreign words like foreigners so proper English people don't know where they're talking about on the news.

 

I say Owdi, but Germans say Ordi for Audi and one particular German I know refers to Porsche as Porschey, I say Porsh but posh people say Porscha.

[Wingz123]

^^^ that’ll probably be reserved for the M40 once they are a little closer to home

[dollywobbler]

Accommodation is either tourist info or AirBnB so far. Generally, early afternoon, we start thinking what we might do.