lesapandre Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Bloody Hell Eddie! Original content... Yeeeeees... Upcoming European Road Trip planned...but First thing - find a battery with a charge...having used all the fancy battery chargers I have and having no luck at revival - I've got my quality Babcock out... I hums like an electricity sub station, has a dangerous aura and gets very hot but maybe it will revive one of the half dozen flat batteries I have... chodweaver, stripped fred, Coprolalia and 13 others 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 So what car am I hoping to take? Hoping is the word...let's see...for extra amusement I am going to take my potentially least reliable. It's French, 90's, almost 200,000 miles, turbocharged, needy and well... Will it do it? Da da da - anyway I've bought a folding bike to put in the back... Matty, djim, Shite Ron and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 Can you guess what it is yet? wesacosa, HMC, chodweaver and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 Battery out and battery in - the captive nut (not me) in the battery holder is mounted in plastic - which wears and turns in it's surround - you can't get at it easily because it's shrouded in plastic too...nil points Andre... HMC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 There is some lovely (factory) welding on the car too - this is the bonnet catch...some of the car is surprisingly agricultural where it's unseen. Had to pop the bonnet through the grille as one of the latch armatures (of two) has failed. HMC and Yoss 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 Ah...ready for Les Vacances De Monsieur Hulot... Will I get that sinking feeling..? Well battery on - it started first pull... Tadaaa...brrrm brrrm...it's diesel. Suspension up... Dave_Q, Saabnut, Fumbler and 26 others 29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 There has been a rat living under the bonnet- only ate the sound deadening...least I gave a mammal a nice winter home.. Lacquer Peel, tooSavvy and Saabnut 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 Here is the bonnet latch - parts bin Citroen - it's easy to forget whilst an executive car XM were seen as family transport in France - base models were half the price of a Mercedes E-Class and it shows in the details. Lacquer Peel and Shite Ron 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 So will I? Well who cares - it's going back to meet it's maker...just like me... Shite Ron, Nullzwei, Matty and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Jetter Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 1 hour ago, lesapandre said: I've got my quality Babcock out... Fnarrr! Chodspeed, are you going far or collectioning anything interesting while away? tooSavvy and lesapandre 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 1 hour ago, High Jetter said: Fnarrr! Chodspeed, are you going far or collectioning anything interesting while away? Yes I'm really going as far as the car will take me - probably the hard shoulder of the M2 - I can probably snarl up Dover... It's France and then down into Spain possibly - I've owned this car 5 years but never used it -bought on a whim so it's time to use it up - but if it proves problematical I will take one of my others - I have a W124 which featured here last year. It's also the maddest choice really - plenty of fun. It's certainly the most glamorous car I own. An ageing Bardot... But frankly the Citroen is less of a worry because if it FTP's in France I won't bring it back...it can join all the others there... After that there is a trip to the Baltic possibility - right up to the Russian border depending on the politics. But I may take something else then - like a Landcruiser. I want to be in France for the election...🇨🇵 I'm off next week - waiting for the tourist mayhem to subside. Saabnut, Rust Collector, Matty and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Jetter Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Looking forward to the updates! lesapandre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Excellent! I have my own roadtrip planned for June, aiming for Italy, will either be in something mega-mile and German, or wholly impractical but pristine and British. lesapandre and Barry Cade 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyersey1234 Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Chodspeed with your road trip lesapandre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 Continuing the 🇨🇵 theme - I just dug this out of the boot of the XM whilst sorting the car - cast-iron. Monsieur Bibendum. 57cm tall and a heavyweight. His hand is off - Araldite to the rescue. Kringle, Shite Ron, Yoss and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 Last time I was away I saw this disused petrol station for sale. I quite fancied having Bibendum on the desk in reception whilst I pottered about out back with old Citroëns in my dotage. I'll see if its still available when I pass by next - though I'd only rent it mind... Shite Ron, Essex V6, Sunny Jim and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 And I've downloaded a manual off the t'web this afternoon - together with a lot of other technical stuff...so now I know where everything goes...I don't want to put LHM in the wrong place. There is some in the boot. I'm going to buy a few litres more... Lacquer Peel, Sunny Jim, Shite Ron and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 And I'm taking a UK RHD clutch cable with me - the one thing which I think would be difficult to source in France. These have a fairly nasty cable-operated clutch - and of course a foot operated parking brake... Plenty on the road in France - even more parked in fields and gardens these days... Asimo, Sunny Jim, Shite Ron and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunny Jim Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Bonne route! lesapandre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 And found the all important Haynes - hope I don't need it. Shite Ron and Dyslexic Viking 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Jetter Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 J W Pepper, CaptainBoom, lesapandre and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 13 Author Share Posted April 13 Well Babcock (they were and are a high-class engineering firm so there is some quality there) did the works - reviving my dead battery. Olde Skool chargers really are good for pancake flat batteries - look out for one next time you are at the local car boot etc. So no more battery swapping I hope... Talking of car boots - this is now back from the bike shop after a complete overhaul. It rides very nicely for what is - I took it for a spin just now - I'd never used it before - it's a Taiwanese knock-off of a Brompton -type thing - but dumping the mudguards, stand and stupid rack has lighted it considerably. Just hope I don't need it... Shite Ron, JackThrust and Lacquer Peel 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 13 Author Share Posted April 13 Am I in the South of France yet - no just Saaaf Londin - amazing what you see on a short bike ride. Mostly immaculate - with Rover 75 seats up front... Renault Estafette. Quite dinky. Shite Ron, CaptainBoom, eddyramrod and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 Should be mint this. Watching closely 😶 lesapandre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 17 Author Share Posted April 17 Well just a little preparation going on. These have an underslung spare - and a nasty dusty horrible process it is to get to it...but worth a check just in case (I once had a flat on the M20 where I could not the spare out of it's cradle). New tyre is going on to just in case it has to go back on the car. Nice to see the tools present. Just needs the whole lot oiling and going back on. Apart from that a top-up of LHM (woefully low when I checked - they have to go up to full-ride height to check - which gets missed when casually looking under the bonnet at the little float... These have a lot of glass so get very hot inside - I discovered why the sun-roof doesn't work...the motor is in the boot...and the eclectic windows are well eclectic...I could end up a rosbif Rosbif on the Corniche... These people did not have to change a wheel too busy changing girlfriends...oh those French. Shite Ron, Lacquer Peel, Saabnut and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 17 Author Share Posted April 17 Just dickering about looking at any breakdown cover - I think it's non mes amis...fair enough this is for a year but any repatriation is based on market value - what's an old XM worth - sensibly not a lot...OK we could argue the toss.. But the clincher is here - service history...he he it came with nothing and I may be fettling it before departure and it has had it's belts done - I have the invoice but there is nothing else. Be very easy to get my claim rejected... So I may try something the French end - all I want is towing off the Autoroutes - nothing fancy...I will get towed somewhere like this maybe...France still has some great rural garages... Yoss, Lacquer Peel, mat_the_cat and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saabnut Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 I have not found a French recovery policy, it appears all French insurance policies include breakdown cover so there is no need nor demand for a stand alone policy. lesapandre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandersnatch Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 I came home to Essex from near Venice (1015 miles) in sixteen and a quarter hours I’m my XM some years ago. Best car I’ve ever owned. Enjoy the trip. lesapandre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamescarruthers Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 Aren’t RAC the only option for older cars abroad and breakdown cover? They are certainly all I could find when the C70 (RIP) was taken over a two summers ago. Good luck with the trip. How is the ride… can you stretch to a sphere re-gas to really enjoy what an XM can do? lesapandre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesacosa Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 good luck with the trip. Haynes manual is pretty useless to be fair. much better to sign up to club-xm website. I shit myself driving mine from Eltham to Dagenham for MOT after it sat for years before I bought it so cap doffed for you taking it on a European adventure lesapandre and grogee 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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