Disaster after Disaster Help please

[Dog lover]

Hi all
Some of you may remember that we had planned our attack on Europe for over 2 years. Well here we are on an Aire in france 50K from Bordeaux.So far we we have already had 2 punctures, at a repair cost of 404E a new alternator at a cost of 0ver 400E, I know we are getting ripped off but we are trapped. Now our water heater has sprung a leak. This is all in 10 days.
Can any one please advise us on repair or replacement in the Bordeaux area of on board water heaters
We would be extremely gratefull. Although we wanted to help the French economy we had fine wine and food in mind.
We drive a chevrolet Rockwood but I'm sure waterheaters can be adapted, like the alternator.
Thanks
DL

 

[vwalan]

hi . dont panic , wash in hot water from your kettle. when you get near spain google fagor electrodometsticos .they make the best water heaters in europe . you can buy them all over spain . but in northern spain is the factory. its in guipvzcoa or something like that. i visited the factory years ago when my morco heater played up . they make the uk morco water heater. i,m sure they will help or give you a good deal on a new instantanious water heater.
it never rains unless it pours.
smile . bucket of hot water strip washes will do you no harm. just like olden days.
but lpg gas water heaters are all over spain . even carrefour do a cheap one . or look in a leroymerlin store .
spain cant live with out lpg. let us know how you get on . cheers alan

 

[Northerner]

404 Euro to mend two punctures? Don't you have breakdown cover? Last year I'd a puncture in France and the total cost was 18 Euro and that was for repairing the tyre that had the nail in and putting the repaired tyre back on the 'van and the spare back in the garage, neither of which they were obligated to do. If I'd just asked them to swap the wheel and was prepared to get the punctured tyre replaced later the cost would have been zero!

I must also add that we were in an out of the way place as well and thirty minutes after phoning ADAC, our breakdown insurer, a man with a van from the Peugeot dealer a few miles up the river, rolled up, changed the wheel, gave us directions to his garage and by the time we got there he'd mended the tyre!

If you haven't got cover, have a look at ADAC.

 

[cooljules]

yup im shocked at how much to sort out the tyres. as said, ADAC are good.

 

[Dog lover]

Thanks for the advise so far.
we should be in Spain within the next 10 days so we will certainly take the advice.
On the tyre Front we needed to replace the tyres one was shredded and the other was beyond repair. Each tyre was £159 which we would have had to pay for wether our breakdown recovery took us or not, I don't think I explained properly
Thank again
DL

 

[Northerner]

Thanks for the advise so far.
we should be in Spain within the next 10 days so we will certainly take the advice.
On the tyre Front we needed to replace the tyres one was shredded and the other was beyond repair. Each tyre was £159 which we would have had to pay for wether our breakdown recovery took us or not, I don't think I explained properly
Thank again
DL

Well, that makes more sense! You did actually say at a repair cost of 404 Euro! Were you ripped off? When I think of the cost of motorhome tyres it doesn't seem too bad, depending obviously on how big yours are.

 

[Dog lover]

I knew I hadn't explained properly, The tyres are large.

 

[vwalan]

hi, if you look on ebay or a local farm supplier . you can get push in repair sticks .for tubeless tyres.
we call them chewing gum repairs . not legal here suposedly but have had them fitted in morocco and got back with them then done it again for another two trips . so dont think they are that bad. i carry a full kit of them . you could ask in your local tyre shop mine was made for tip top a well known puncture repair firm. goodrich also make them. pump up tyre use a file type tool on the hole then fit the stick from outside . cgheck tyre for pressure. sometimes there is no need to remove wheel if you have a compressor on board . have had as many as 11 in one tyre after a desert crossing . thorns are a problem in the sand. about 60p a repair in maroc . but now we do our own.

 

[vindiboy]

Water heater leaking, just by pass it, plug of the pipes,get it fixed back in the UK , you will probably be really ripped off here, that's a minor problem solved, new Alternator, well it sounds like you have an American van, did you ever expect repairs to be cheap on that, the up side is that now it's been replaced you should have several years of trouble free times from that,punctures ? well again on an American van. almost a lorry I expect the tyres would be very big and if the wheels and tyres had to b removed it would be expensive. Joys of motoring ??