Cidermonster II wrote:

I love the Millau bridge, got some great pics of it from the viewpoint. Quite looking forward to crossing the bridge at Le Havre though, looks a smasher!
Thanks for the advice, i had planned on using my card but will keep the option of both handy. Thank god i don't have Scottish Euros or i'd get nowhere!!! ;)

We did neary 3000 miles in France this year. The telepeage was a godsend. Not only did it keep our stops at toll booths to a few seconds (There were a few where we didn't stop at all)! it was really useful when I had to do two solo journeys to Toulouse and back again.

What was funny was to looks on the faces of the French drivers as they queued and I just drove up the side of them. You could see it in their faces that the Brit didn't know what he was doing!

Cidermonster II wrote:

It's very confusing when you look at certain sites to see what is compulsory to take whilst driving in France. The AA doesn't even list spare bulb kit as compulsory???

So far i have:

Compulsory:
Original registration document

This could have been a problem as I don't have one for my car as it is leased. I had everything else.

Hi De Hi wrote:

Cidermonster II wrote:

It's very confusing when you look at certain sites to see what is compulsory to take whilst driving in France. The AA doesn't even list spare bulb kit as compulsory???

So far i have:

Compulsory:
Original registration document

This could have been a problem as I don't have one for my car as it is leased. I had everything else.

Part of a previous job I had was that I was the company fleet manager. Most of our vehicles were leased and if one of the drivers wanted to take his/her car abroad we always got a copy of the registration document along with a letter from the leasing company giving their permission for the vehicle to be taken out of the country.

I have just renewed my annual contract for the telepeage machine ( £6.08) As we are doing France twice this Summer (1st time to Spain and Back and 2nd time to Beaune and back) it will be doing a lot of duty. We plan to do some of the driving on the local roads but when we do the longer legs it is a godsend at the booths as it can turn a 20/30 minute wait into a 10 second tootle in 2nd gear. If you are a regular visitor and do a lot of miles I can recommend them

https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/

The toll charges are the same as cash. There is a small set up charge and an annual fee. However the tolls are taken by direct debit so you are not handing over cash all the time and if you are driving solo you don't have to get out of the car at toll booths. My french friends also tell me that many car parks now use the same technology and that they work in those as well. I have not tried that yet.

Worst thing is that between the two trips we are in the UK for 4 days during which time my car has to have its MOT. This means that I shall have to remove the lens beam benders and then apply a new set for the 2nd trip!

Hi De Hi wrote:

Worst thing is that between the two trips we are in the UK for 4 days during which time my car has to have its MOT. This means that I shall have to remove the lens beam benders and then apply a new set for the 2nd trip!

There's a solution to that as you are supposed to remove the beam benders on the ferry as would you believe it they are illegal in the UK and Foreign cars are supposed to fit them when arriving here to bend their headlights to the kerb edge

the solution is to fit headlamp protectors with the beam benders fitted this means you only have one set and they are perfectly fitted every time you board the ferry/tunnel

True,

last time I enquired about headlamp protectors I had a Renault and they wanted £370 for a pair. back then though it was OK to use 2p worth of black tape on your lights! beam benders now cost about £7 a pair.

Alternativly I might see if I can get the MOT done before I go away for the first time. The rules on this are abit unclaer but it is the car's first MOT. It was registered on Sept 1st 2011. I have seen in some sources that the MOT can only be done in the month before it is due but this seems only to apply to cars that already have an MOT that is about to expire. I can't find anything about first MOTs.

I guess I'm never too old to learn something new.
Over 40 years of visiting the UK with my foreign registered left hand drive cars and I never knew that I had to have beam benders on my car headlights. Have just asked some other expats and none of them knew either.

Now I wonder what the rules will be or are for motorcyclists ?

Oh yes! I know all about beam benders but my problem is when I go to the UK!!! However, I try to avoid the problem by not driving in the dark!!!!

Re Beam Benders

We had them on the Kia Sorrento (still got them going on Ebay soon £20) but they cost £39 but the Lagunas only cost £49 so they have come down in price a lot

Pity it wasn't a Sportage or I would have bought them off you!

This might be the last time I need beam benders. Looking at my new Sportage that I am picking up in September it comes with a device for altering the headlight beam to comply with European rules.