CT done for another year....

[Sunday Driver]

Just had the annual CT done on my old camping car.  It's a 4.6 tonner so it's classed as a poids lourd which means I have to trek on down to the DEKRA PL testing station at Mazieres en Gatine, about forty five minutes away.

It's always busy and when I walk into the office and it's brim full of truckers so it's handshakes all round and "Bonjour Monsieur Sunday, ca va?" from all the staff.

Having done the initial paperwork bit in the office, the tester hands me a two-way radio and I get into the van which is parked in amongst all the artics.  He radios me to run through the quick check of all the lights/horn etc then calls me forward into the giant inspection shed, over a long pit and onto some big steel plates. 

He goes down into the pit and sets the plates oscillating to test the suspension. He calls me to come down into the pit (all immaculately tiled out just like my bathroom) and points out a steering ball joint that's getting a bit marginal.  The underside of the van is still virtually as new (it's a 1993) and he comments on how nice it looks.

Back up into the cab, then it's forward again onto the brake testing rollers.  Front brakes test fine.  Rear brakes next, but the machine drops out and he has to pop off for a couple of minutes to reset it.  Emissions test goes fine, revving the guts out the engine.  Finally, headlamp alignment check shows they're set a bit low.  " Do you ever go out at night?" he asks. I reply "Not me, I prefer to stay in and drink".  "Me too," he laughs.

Back into the office, he issues me with the new certificate (the lights and ball joint noted as observations only) and asks me for the usual 91€ - "includes the charge for busting the brake tester".......

Outside, he hands me the CT sticker, saying "do me a fvour and stick this on your screen - saves me walking all the way across to your van ."  We do the handshakes and the 'à la prochaine' bit and I head off home.

All very painless and amicable.

 

[woolybanana]

Well done SD. Relief. You gonna use your girl this year?

News on Sabrina later tonite

[Sunday Driver]

I think so.  Mrs Sunday has started making noises about hoovering it out and clearing the botulinus out of the fridge, so it looks as if wheels will be rolling at last.  Probably start off with a few long weekends away to get back into the swing of things. 

I'm a member of a German motorhome forum and they're having a big meet-up in June at a campsite near Kassel in Hesse. Over seventy German, Dutch and Belgian Hymers have booked up so far and they're pressing me to come as well. 

I may have to start some serious beer and bratwurst training shortly.

Gruss Gott....

 

[Benjamin]

Getting itchy feet here also as we didn't get a lot of use out of the Dethleffs we bought last Autumn. We've had the solar and inverter fitted and had a few days out but a long weekend looms.

Mme Poivre said they were interesred in a run out when they're over so perhaps a meet could be arranged.

What about Sabrina Wooly. Oh, tell Randy after the last time she'll need to be on hger best behaviour.   [8-|]

  

[Beemer1150]

SD's post reminded me of a query I posted way back in January '09:

'Also is it necessary to produce the old Process Verbal at the subsequent tests - particularly relevant as the current CT tester remarked on excessive wear in one component on our camping car which I dispute and certainly cannot detect!'

As an update I didn't take the Pricess Verbal to the next CT (at a different station, having moved 20kms in the meantime) and they made no mention of the supposed fault, giving the Camping Car a completely clean bill of heath and spending some time saying what excellent condition it was in for the year ...

I still can't fathom why the first test station should have thought this ome up, unless they have links with the local FIAT agent who they said could help with this mysterious fault!

 

[Sunday Driver]

When I took the van for its initial PL CT test, the first thing the guy asked me for was my record book.  When I looked suitably blank, he explained that PLs are required to carry a record of their maintenance and inspections which they may be asked to produce in the event of a roadside check.  He asked one of the waiting drivers to show me his - a neat bespoke plastic folder containing service/maintenance record book plus carte grise, barré rouge and previous CT PVs.

He went on to say that it wasn't a big deal for my 'tiddler', but I decided to scrounge one from my friendly Merc truck dealer so that when I now turn up for the test I don't look like a newbie....

Besides, it's a cool way of maintaining a record of the van's oily bits which will be quite useful when I eventually come to sell it.