Car being repatriated from France - advice please!

Amanda65

Hi all

Have just returned from a fab holiday in France but unfortuantely on day one of our holiday (about half way through our journey), my car, an Alhambra, broke down. Basically the oil light came on so we pulled into a garage, checked the oil and OH topped it up.

We carried on for another few miles as light had gone off and then whe it came on again pulled over and called for help. The French garage man said (in his pidgeon English which was about as good as my pidgeon French) that the engine needed replacing, woudl be very expensive and advised we took the car home to UK to be fixed.

My breakdown company have been fab - organised a hire car for the rest of the holiday, ferry home (we were on the Shuttle but obviously couldn't get on that without a car) and another car from Dover which we have returned to a local Avis today. My Alhambra should arrive back at my local garage Weds / Thurs this week.

If the French guy is right, and the car needs a new engine (didn't drive it far with light on, temp gauge was normal, be drive it on and off the tow truck and our friends travelling behind us said there was no smoke or leaking oil from car so hoping he is wrong) it will be effectively a write-off as will cost more to replace engine than the car is worth. However to get the breakdown company to repatriate the car (it couldn't have been repaired in time in France anyway and they were quoting 5k - 6k Euros :eek: ) they said I had to agree to get the car fixed, or I'll be responsible for repatriation costs.

I just wondered how they can force me to get the car fixed and if anyone has any advice as to where I can go from here?

vikingaero

Can you tell us the model, year and mileage of your Alhambra?

Also where in France did you break down? The AA and other breakdown companies often have vehicle transporters drive back daily with repatriated cars (6-8 at a time) and if you broke down near the ports then it wouldn't cost that much to divert the transporter to collect your car.

Bob63

If the breakdown company repatriates the car to your garage of choice at home, as the breakdown policy says they will, then that's the end of their involvement. What happens after that is between you and the garage.

Amanda65

vikingaero wrote: »

Can you tell us the model, year and mileage of your Alhambra?

Also where in France did you break down?

The Alhambra is a W reg (2000) 1.8i petrol, manual car with 79k mileage. The repatriation is no problem - it's on it's way back and having just spoken to them again they now say I don't need to have any other involvement so now it's just what to do with the car if it is an ecomical write off!

vaio

You don’t mention rattling, seizing, huge oil leaks, overheating etc etc. I’d wait and get it examined properly when it arrives back.

I once had an Alfasud diagnosed with a broken piston by a French dealer. Like you we had had hire car for 10 days and when the car arrived back in the UK it turned out the problem was a failed exhaust gasket which cost pennies to repair

Amanda65

vaio wrote: »

You don’t mention rattling, seizing, huge oil leaks, overheating etc etc. I’d wait and get it examined properly when it arrives back.

I once had an Alfasud diagnosed with a broken piston by a French dealer. Like you we had had hire car for 10 days and when the car arrived back in the UK it turned out the problem was a failed exhaust gasket which cost pennies to repair

Thanks for that - that is what we are hoping!

The car didn't overheat (temp guage stayed at normal), the engine was a little 'tappity' but not rattling, didn't seize (was driven onto and off of the to truck quite happily starting each time), no oil leaks, no smoke (friends travelling behind us confirmed the last two points).

TBH I don't think the French garages wanted the work unless they could earn mega-euros from it by putting in a new engine and am really hopeful that our local garage will be able to sort it for us. Also don't know how I would have stood with regards to a guarantee??? Will either be very happy or miserable as sin by Friday I guess!

jonathon

did any one bother to check the oil level ?

zappahey

jonathon wrote: »

did any one bother to check the oil level ?

The OP's first paragraph has the answer.

Amanda65

zappahey wrote: »

The OP's first paragraph has the answer.

And car had had a full service 2 weeks prior to travelling - as we do every year before our pilgimage across the Channel