dave21478

DEFINITELY check that first, especially as its a van variant. I have a Freelander van variant, which is a proper Land Rover conversion done at the factory when new and it was a massive pain in the balls to re-register it in France. I paid through the nose to LR and got a letter saying it was exactly the same as Type Mines XXYYZZ as far as mechanicals parts, safety etc were concerned, only difference being it is a 2 seater rather than the standard cars 5. Would the prefecture just change the number of places? no, they wouldnt. So I jumped on the DRIRE merry go round and after a few months, trips to a weighbridge, some maths and some specs from LR I finally got an appointment for inspection. I had assumed he would just count the number of seats but he went into a bit of detail checking lights and glass were all E-marked, checking seatbelt mountings hadnt been altered and finally almost failed it because the oddometer doesnt specify if it counts in miles or kilometers. I got the pass with the absolute promise that I must affix a wee sticker to the dash stating it counts in miles! Another 100 euros or so lighter and a few more weeks I finally got the papers to register it. And then a few weeks later met a guy with one the same who bought it in France without hassle and registered as a 2 seater with no problems since new. As usual the left hand doesnt know what the right is doing...... Once you have that checked, I doubt it will pass emissions testing without a cat. There are plenty of aftermarket cats available on Ebay UK, although they are generally much, much less effective than an original due to having much less of the expensive metals inside. A "clean" car should be fine but if emissions are marginal anyway it might not be enough. If your OE cat is still available, any garage worth their name "should" be capable of sleeving and welding it back into the exhaust pipe. Go for a small place rather than a big chain as they will want to just try to sell you a new one.

The next step is you have a gin and tonic and carry on with your life. Yes, there is a small claims court. It will take literally years to even get to a hearing and cost literally thousands, which you might, or might not, get back even if you "win". If the garage wont do the right thing and if its a main dealer franchise if the Citroen head office wont help either then there is little more you can do. Customer is NOT king in France, customer service is an utterly alien concept and you will never win against the utter indifference and apathy that every level of most businesses exudes.

Since continuous insurance rules were intoduced, MOT and insurance are no longer checked or even required when purchasing road tax. Road tax is also no longer transferrable after a sale, so when buying a car the tax theoretically expires at handover and the new owner is required to tax it to drive away, which can now be done over the phone or online. The reality is that the previous owners tax will remain in place until the V5 lands in Swansea and Iwan gets his finger out and enters the change of keeper - during this period the car will still show as taxed on ANPR so gives plenty of time to drive it home after purchase. As for insurance, the database is rarely updated in realtime so the previous owners cover will likely still show up on ANPR for a few days. Whether you choose to take this risk is up to you. Obviously a policy covering the new owner would need to be in place for third party risks at least, but a French policy will obviously not go on the UK database. In reality, road police patrols are rare and while there is ANPR at the ferry terminal its more to do with tracking movements and matching cars to pre booked ferry tickets than catching road tax evaders. I regularly pick up UK cars on temporary French insurance and have never had a problem, but I always have a carte verte with me in the car to prove insurance should the need arise.

I have no idea where they are based, but have used them several times. Done in a few clicks, print out the carte verte straight away, no hassle, no having to explain your last 7 years driving history and reasonable pricing. They will even cover foreign registered cars without batting an eyelid.

No carte verte, no provisional contract, no confirmation that they even can or will insure the car, not even confirmation they have received your email...... yeah, you are not insured. You can buy a single day (or up to a couple of months) cover for your journey. http://www.assurance-voiture-temporaire-provisoire.com/m-index.html There are plenty of other companies that offer this too. Google "assurance temporaire" for more names, but check that it is all done on line....some require you to call them and email copies of documents etc. The one I listed above is all online and instant.

OH FFCK THIS FORUM AND ITS FFCKING USELESS CODING THAT CANT MAKE A SIMPLE QUOTE WORK. Im done. Im "out" of here.

[quote user="NormanH"]In the process of shifting blame for the consequences Neo-Con economic madness onto others we have seen the unemployed, benefit 'fraud', the disabled, and the EU all accused. There was also the history of blaming the last Labour government (poor old Gordon Brown) then the Lid Dems in the Coalition, and then the EU Now that Brexit has won and Europe is no longer in the line of fire it looks as if it will be the retired who are going to be blamed next.. From an article today " the next big decision for baby boomers will be how to pay for their pensions when my generation pack up their bags to abandon the sinking ship that the U.K. has just become." [/quote] Good. The generation that ffcked the economy up. The generation that ffcked the housing market up. The generation that says "Im alright, Jack" while sitting pretty on their gold plated final salary pensions. The generation that has now ffcked up the future of those behind them. For what? for a bit of Rule Brittania tub thumping, and dreams of a return some kind of mythical pre EU Glory Days? The headlines are full of stories about the richest loosing 8 figure sums overnight, well boohoohoo for them, but I see nothing about how this mess is starting to affect us "little people". Peronally I have just had six weeks worth of work cancelled by a client due to "uncertainty". A guy I know was talking about a girl at his workplace yesterday in tears all day as her husband had just had his job offer retracted due to "uncertainty" which has skuppered their imminant house purchase plans....... Its starting, and its not going to stop any time soon. I hope the imbeciles who voted to leave live long enough to see how badly their decision hurts their own children and grandchildren.

I am caretaker at a chateau these days. A mixture of under floor heating and normal radiators fed from an oil fired boiler goes through 5000 litres of fuel every three months in winter. The extension currently under construction is likely to double that consumption. Thats with an insulated roof, thick stone walls and crummy single glazed wood frame windows though.

Hi, Thanks for the replies. Its a "marbelite" finish, similar to concrete, which has been painted over with an epoxy resin paint, with a band of tiles around the upper 60cm or so. There is an infinity edge and shallow "beach" areas that are granite flagstones. Typically I have forgotten the bit of paper with the chemical values on it, left it at the pool. I uncovered it about 3 weeks ago and the water was green, but not too bad after the winter. Normal filtration, bromine and the hopping robot vacuum sorted it out in a couple of days. PH is stable and I have not needed to add anything else at all. The heating is running and its up to about 25 degrees already. In previous years, the total alkalinity has always been at the low end of the acceptable range according to the tester, but this year for reasons unknown it seems to have dropped off a fair bit. Every year I reduce the level before winter by pumping into an underground storage tank and then pump it back in spring to get the level back to normal. There is a slight and unrepairable leak so there is a steady trickle of tapwater going in through the float valve. With this type of pool construction, will low alkalinity risk damage or deposits on the surfaces? I would rather not get into a chemical war with it, having to adjust and readjust.....whether by luck or design (probably luck, the design of the pool seems terrible to my untrained eyes) it has always needed very minimal chemical intervention, with just a regular-ish 5kg bucket of bromine tablets into the distributer thing. Thanks,

Hi. On a 30k gallon pool using bromine, my tester suggests total alkalinity is much too low. The water is perfectly, incredibly clear ( at first glance this morning I thought it had all leaked out!) The instructions are rather dog-eared but suggest it should be raised with sodium bicarbonate.....thats baking powder? I can get 10 kgs on ebay for about 20 euros delivered. I asked how much it would be in the pool place but the guy seemed confused. Is that an outrageous thing to ask for in a pool shop? The ebay stuff is advertised as food grade...is this the right stuff? Thanks.

If you live somewhere rural, ask a nearby farmer - they are often happy to take rubble and soil to fill in holes in tracks or boggy bits at field entrances. They will also have a big trailer to shift it if needed. A while back when I was re doing a roof the local farmer parked an empty grain trailer tight to the side of the house and I flung the old tiles into it. When finished he towed it away and dumped it along the length of one of his farm tracks, running back and forth with the tractor to break them up and compact them. Total cost to me - zero.

In Albi this morning the fuel stations were queued out for a few hundred meters down the roads. I dont know if they are rationing or not, I never stopped.

Does the engine ACTUALLY have to come out? A lot of engine out jobs...timing belt on Fiat Coupe or V6 Laguna, Turbo on D3 etc etc....can be done in place with a little knowledge and patience. If it has to come out I genuinely think you wont find anywhere in France willing to do it unless there is a Saab specialist somewhere. Very few garages can be bothered with that amount of work and potential for other problems. If the engine does come out, budget a new clutch while you are there....be silly not to change it at the same time.

Re Saab timing belt - I could, but I wont. Nothing personal but I have long since stopped doing work for strangers.

Sick of it. Sick of it. Sick of it. Sick of it. My trolley of shopping is rarely under 100 euros now. I get really quite angry in the shop now...since when does a packet of ham cost a fucking fiver? Just under 5 euros seems to be the new "psychologically acceptable" price point.....have a look and see how much stuff costs 4.75 or similar. Last shop, I went to Lidl as its supposed to be Supermarket of the Year blah blah blah but I wasnt impressed. Savings were not huge and negated by having to go to Intermarche anyway to buy the stuff Lidle dont sell. Cars are my hobby....buying, repairing, restoring..... The prices for parts here are just beyond a joke. I can buy "French made" parts for a French car cheaper from the UK including postage than buying locally by a significant margin. There are a lot of times when I need to buy a tool for example, but dont use it enough to justify paying out for a big brand so I end up with some no-brand sh1te from China that is of such low quality its barely useable. I get it...im not retarded.... I understand that the cheap version is never going to be as good/powerful/fast/quiet/comfortable/long lasting/whatever as the big name equivelant, but by fucking Christ it should at least WORK. It should be fit for purpose but so much stuff now literally isnt. Even cheap Chinese sh1t isnt so cheap any more, either.

Its been pretty good to be honest. There are a couple of palm sized bits where it has worn off but this was due to the cleaning robot flipping upside down and thrashing about on the spot overnight. Otherwise its fine, resists staining, has held its colour well..... I have no complaints.

And 0022 numbers are always fun. I get a regular one where the guy always introduces himself with "Good day sir, I am a legitimate businessman and my father is the village preacher....." With credentials like that it cant possibly be a scam eh?

When I went to the Post Office to send 1000 euros by mandat postale they were very alarmed. It was for a genuine reason (wasnt even my money) but they were very unwilling to do it for me. Apparently this is a very common thing as so many people fall for this sort of scam. But then when I paid with two 500 euro notes, they became unsure of who was scamming who! Surprised they accepted them to be honest as even my own bank had refused them "just in case".

When I was doing the restaurant one of the chefs went by a very Italian sounding name but admitted that his real name was Mohammed. His dark skin could pass for well tanned and he oiled his hair back in a typical "greasy Italian" style and had learned enough of the lingo to pass himself off to the French as being of Italian origin. He had to do this as nobody would employ him otherwise, either due to the employer not wanting him, or the emplyer being indifferent themselves but knowing that their clients dont want their food cooked by a dirty Arab. This was a few years back too, so I assume things have only got worse since the recent unpleasantness.

A scrapyard will definately take them. The value of scrap steel is at an all-time low just now but other metals are doing ok. At worst they will take them for free, at best you might get a fiver or so per battery.

I dont know but I have had my email junk filter set very tightly and havent had anything for months, but the last two weeks I am getting one every couple of days, the usual "your payment bounced, click here and confirm your details to prevent your account being suspended...." type of thing from various people from EDF to phone companies. I assume they are getting smarter / more persistant.

Thats just zooming in and displacing the adverts. If you dont block them they will continue to slow things down. Anyway, I would rather gouge my eyes out with a spoon than buy a Mac.

Just as an example, this is how I see the forum using Ublock through Chrome..... [img]http://s27.postimg.org/8zbbrh0nn/Sans_titre.jpg[/img] and this is everything unblocked (firefox) [img]http://s21.postimg.org/m8vpxvpev/Sans_titre2.jpg[/img] You cant even see the first post yet without scrolling down through an entire screen sized header of adverts and useless junk. Its all that sh1te that takes so long to load and kills the page load speeds.

If you use Firefox or Chrome, download an addon called Ublock Origin. This is an ad blocker that stops most pop-ups etc. You can also set it to block certain elements on pages. Right click on all the p1sh down the right hand side and select "block this element" it will then let you select in a red box the items to block, you can click around with the left button to change your selection, then click on "block" in the text box. the computer will no longer load that object when you visit the page. It takes a couple of minutes to select and block everything on here but its well worth it and only needs done once. I have blocked pretty much everything on this forum, the headers, the logos, all the newsletter stuff down the right hand side, the links to articles nobody reads and all the footers too. Not only is it easier on the eye (plain white page with the posts and nothing else), it loads pages at a decent speed as it no longer tries to load all the superflous sh1te that appears to be badly coded and takes up way too much bandwidth. Sadly you cant expand the posts to cover the empty space, but you cant win them all.

I have fitted about a dozen for various clients. I specifically avoided the cheapest ones for obvious reasons. Over the last couple of months I have been back and changed over half of them since they all failed, beeping error codes and wont reset. My own house has one of a different brand and I just accidentaly left the door to the wood stove in the kitchen open and smoked the whole house out - not a peep from the "detector". Waste of time and money.