YORKSMALE82

this august im driving to france in my 51 uk300 and im unsure of what im going to be faced with and what to be aware of heres a list of things i know and im unsure of

things im aware of .

-i need a warning triangle , bulbs , gb sticker , hi vis jacket
-eu breakdown cover
-arrange cover with insurance

things im unsure of and want advise on

-i need to alter my lights for french roads but as ive got a uk300 my headlights are a bit strange to to so , anybody got any ideas how best to approach it
-is there any rules regarding decat pipes in france ?
-what fuel would be available over there
- are the french police quite vigilant regarding roadside tests and pulling over for documents


if any body has any ideas on things i could do with taking with me or advise in general pls post as id like to be as prepared as possible for this journey

cheers in advance

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

You need GB badge unless you have GB number plates. You need headlamp deflectors spare bulbs and warning triangle in France
Super is available at most petrol stations. In remote areas petrol stations are shut on Sundays
The French do not have Subarus. You get lots of waves and flashes....
French cops are strict on speeding. Road Angel etc are confiscated and around 700 Euro fine for possession of the said item if you get caught.
On Autoroutes you are timed between getting on and off. If you exceed the 130kph between points you may be fined.
Theres a 110 kph speed limit on the autoroutes in the rain.
Their lane discipline puts the UK roads to shame.
Don't know about de cats
Enjoy.

mgcvk

I've taken mine to France a few times. Went a couple of weeks ago drove just south of Paris for a week. You are meant to have the bulbs, triangle, high vis jacket, first aid kit etc. Best get a magnetic GB to save your paint. I barely saw any Gendarmes and none on the autoroutes. I'm pretty sure I was bombing along over 130kph a lot of the time. All you have to do is stop for a wee wee or a tout petit cafe so I don't see how that system of fines can work. Can't see the french plod being bothered about UK emissions if you look at the state of some of their old bangers. Scoobs very rare in France. I didn't bother with headlight stickers as I was only driving briefly on country roads at night. Just dialled my dipped lights down as far as poss. 98 ron fuel available everywhere. You should drive on the right though...they get quite cross about that if you don't!

boardracer

The instructions with the headlamp converters cover pretty much every light imaginable so the standard ones should be Ok.
The difference in price between normal and super unleaded is generally much less than in the UK which is great.

GeeDee

iTrader: (2)

See link re headlight suggestion.

https://www.scoobynet.com/lighting-o...adjusters.html

Now, does anyone know how to do this with HIDs?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Should be just the same if you've fitted an aftermarket HID conversion. AFAIK, proper (OE) HID dips don't have the assymetric dip pattern, so don't need adjusting?

Alcazar

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

More about driving in France:

Firstly, I'm pretty sure that the bit about being timed between toll booths is a modern myth. If you do the maths, and include accelerating up to road speed and slowing for the toll booth, plus queuing at toll booths, it'd be ONE HELL of a speed you were doing to get caught. Not that people don't, mind.........

What IS certainly true is that the French police set up radar and laser traps a few km BEFORE a toll booth, then pull you at the booth.

They also set up speed traps in apparently broken down cars on the hard shoulder, and often in the tourist season, anywhere where the road speed is reduced, like tunnels, bendy bits, etc. I've seen cops lying down with lasers in open hatchbacks.

French speed cameras are not easy to spot, but the legislation IS going forward so that if you get flashed over there, in the future it will be possible to have the fine AND the points They are signed up though:

is what the sign looks like, and they ARE found on motorways, main roads and in towns, so know what speed you SHOULD be doing

STOP signs, the red octagonal ones, mean just that, like in the UK, but MUCH more rigidly enforced. A Gendarme would expect that you approach the sign, stop behind the lines, count five seconds, then pull away if it's clear. They often hide and stop you if you don't come to a complete stop, or even if you stop and then go straight away. The fine, I believe is €90 on the spot, easy money for them.

You can get the same fine or worse for crossing an unbroken white line in the centre of the road.

Speed limits of 50 kph, (30mph) are in force from when you pass the town/village sign showing it's name, to when you pass the one showing it with a red line through it. Speed traps are often hidden JUST inside the limit

If you get cars coming towards you flashing, it's more likely that there's a speed trap ahead than they are flashing a Scoob

French road signs often point AT the road, rather than down it. This can be difficult to get used to especially at crossroads.

A yellow diamond means you are on a "priority route" and vehicles joining it musdt give way to you. Some still don't, especially after a few apertifs at lunchtime.

A yellow diamond with a line through it means you are NO LONGER on the priority route. Expect vehicles coming from your right to have priority. If in doubt, in towns and villages, look for THEIR road markings, stop signs give way signs etc, and be prepared to give way to them. Better a mix up and both stop than a prang.

98 ron fuel is available at even tiny filling stations at tiny supermarkets, as is 95 ron. Expect to pay between €0,20 and €0,10 cents a litre LESS there than on motorways, with roadside garages about in between. I've used their supermarket 98 stuff for years with no adverse effects.

Driving on the right becomes second nature very quickly, (in fact I've been more likely to do it in the UK the day after a return ), but watch out when leaving fuel stations, ESPECIALLY if you use one on the "wrong" side of the road, and first thing ion the morning on quiet roads eg: near an hotel.

Overtaking on the left is NOT easy, if you have a front seat passenger it's obviously better, but arrange TWO words, one to mean "yes, go ahead and pass", and the other to mean "wait". I don't use "No" for the second, it sounds too much like "go". "Yes", and "wait" are my two.

If on your own, it's hard, especially lorries/vans/caravans/campers. You have to hang back, then use the Scoob's power when you CAN see. Be prepared for slower cars to overtake you AND the lorry at this point because they CAN see. You often have to wait until you're coming out of a nice left hand bend.

At 99% of roundabouts now, the traffic ON the roundabout takes priority, and the roads approaching the roundabout will be signed, "Vous n'avez pas la priorite". The French are still p*ss poor at indicating on roundabouts, and some older ones still expect YOU to give way as THEY join from your right, so take care.

You should carry the following documents with you in the car AT ALL TIMES:
Driving license,
Car's logbook, V5 etc,
Insurance documents,
MoT if applicable.

Again, it's a large fine if you don't have them.

There have recently, (during this last year), been instances of the French police checking all UK cars arriving at entry ports for visible signs of headlight adjusters. If they are not visible, you will be asked what method you are using, and again, a nice fine for NOT having done it.

Can't think of owt else that hasn't been mentioned, but will repost if I do.

I've been going every year in my own car since 1973, and over the last 5 years we go 5-6 times a year, so if you have any questions, post or PM me.

Alcazar

boardracer

Excellent post by Alcazar. Yeh the important bit to remember is when you pass the sign with the town / village name you are into the lower speed limit (50kph). It doesnt have a speed on the sign so easy not to know the limit has changed.

Infractme!

This is not true. In fact it's a load of old Bolleaux- vintage early 90's I believe.

The reason it's not true is that in order to prosecute the machines that issue the tickets would need to be synchronised and accurate- which they are not

Don't believe anyone who tells you this, however do believe anyone who tells you that speeds in excess of 160kph can lead to on the spot confiscation of your car, driving licence and the opportunity to learn the French for 'bend over and squeel piggy' in one of France's delightful penal institutions.

Izzy

Great info & post Alcazar

Knew most if it but off to France in a couple of weeks & greatful for the refresher lesson !

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Happy to oblige.

Personally, I LOVE driving over there, and if my experiences, passed on, make it any easier or more enjoyable for others, that's a good thing, isn't it?

I have to do 500 miles to our house in France from Calais, and I'm always, without fail, less tired doing that than I am the 240 miles I have to do in the UK

Alcazar

markGT

I don't want to confuse you but most of the stuff is just propaganda hype. As for the timing between auto route ticket booths I've never heard anything so laughable. I've lived in France for fours years and have never even heard of it. As for light bulbs etc I'd carry some if I were you plus the triangle, never heard of the jaket thing though. As for light deflectors I wouldn't bother; my STI is on French plates with the original uk lights still fitted. My friend is a policeman and he asked me why all English cars have them fitted; somes it up really!

Be prepard for everybody staring at you as Scooby's are a rare sight on French roads unless you go to Paris. If you drove past a group of kids behind a Ferrari they'd ignore the fiat and be all over you, they are that rare. That's my experience anyway. Keep to the country roads and you'll have a blast!

Infractme!

That's because a reflective jacket isn't a requirement in France despite the mis-information on this thread.

The beam deflectors on the other hand are required and the police at the ports are clued up about it and love nothing better than to fine hapless rosbifs.

bootsy

i was told to photocopy all documents to make life easer for when dealing with the law over there

GeeDee

iTrader: (2)

They are standard 06/07 STi self levelling HIDs and they appear to have a Z pattern. ie horizontal but with a step up in the middle to the left.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

If there are no deflectors made for them, use black tape, cut to shape.

Stand car against wall with lights on. Mask off various parts of lens, watching beam pattern, by trial and error, until you block off the step up.

Stick tape on the lens to keep it blocked.

Repeat on other side.

It's harder to explain than to actually do it.

Alcazar

GeeDee

iTrader: (2)

That's basically what I said in the link to my previous post!

It's just that the HID is so completely different with the lens being behind the front glass. I'll give it a try, anyway.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Re-reading your post, I'm not convinced that HIDs actually NEED altering. The extra light seems to be right in the centre, if your description is correct, and just used for a bit of extra "throw".

I'm NOT sure whether M. le Gendarme would accept that though. They aren't easy to argue with, even if you're fluent

Alcazar

noobyscooby

Having averaged, yes, averaged, 160 MPH between toll booths in Northern France taking a Jaguar pace car to the Nurburgring, I can tell you that not only do they check your speed at the toll booth, with klaxons, bells and whistles, they turn out an entire gendarme station even at 3 in the morning to deal with you! Be sensible!!
As for Road Angels, etc, I lifted this from the AA: "The mere existence of a radar detector in a vehicle, even if switched off or packed in luggage, attracts a fine of up to €3000 [PAYABLE ON THE SPOT I MIGHT ADD!], confiscation of the device, potentially also of the vehicle, and in some cases a prison sentence." The French police WILL search your vehicle without any qualms, so don't say you have not been warned. Also the favourite place for traps is on the way back to the ferry ports: they pick up loads of Brits chasing their ferry/train departures. All French camera sites are on the Michelin maps now. Some SATNAVs have camera locations as a consequence and I not sure how the police view these. Bon voyage!!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

So..........you AVERAGED 160MPH, which is 256 kph between tolls where the limit is 130 kph? Only 126 kph over then. Not even double the limit
Can we be told what penalty you got?

As these are sold IN FRANCE, and advertised in French papers and magazines as having all the speed camera sites on them, I don't think they are illegal over there, do you?

DETECTORS, on the other hand............

rkbycrof

To add my experience, I've lived in Lille but worked in Belgium since November and travel back to the UK almost every weekend. This means I've crossed border control into France atleast 10 times a week for the last 9 months and never been checked by the police for car related documents, bulbs, triangles etc. I also made the decision last year that instead of paying out for headlamp deflectors every week I would do without, again, never been a problem, although I do drive with them pointing to the lowest position.

Not sure if its a myth or not but is believeable, if you have a bump and the other party notices you haven't got deflectors it could invalidate your insurance.