advive needed please - preparation for a long trip

Back again and looking for expert advice

Hi, I am going down to the south of Spain next month on my own (driving on
the wrong side of the road) and I will be there until Christmas.Its a one
way trip of almost 1900 miles (3/4 days) including the mileage in the UK
getting to the chanel tunnel - having my gap year almost 40 years late

My cars' a 1.8 roadster, one of the first mk2s, 70,000 miles serviced 6
monthsand 1500 miles ago, just regular servicing over the years (new cam
belt at the last service ) and the year before the FULL service - oh and and
a radiator cap after advice here

I had the air con serviced a couple of years ago and when it was 3 it had
new plug leads and a coil (?) as you can see no mechanic - all I do is look
at the reservoir things when I check the oil and water levels under the
bonnet/hood

Is there any "preventative medicine" I can take to avoid any possible
problems do you think considering its age and its intended use
(or will it flourish in the warmth and a bit of proper use ?)

thank you

thomas wrote:
> Back again and looking for expert advice
>
> Hi, I am going down to the south of Spain next month on my own (driving
> on the wrong side of the road) and I will be there until Christmas.Its a
> one way trip of almost 1900 miles (3/4 days) including the mileage in
> the UK getting to the chanel tunnel - having my gap year almost 40
> years late
>
> My cars' a 1.8 roadster, one of the first mk2s, 70,000 miles serviced 6
> monthsand 1500 miles ago, just regular servicing over the years (new cam
> belt at the last service ) and the year before the FULL service - oh and
> and a radiator cap after advice here
>
> I had the air con serviced a couple of years ago and when it was 3 it
> had new plug leads and a coil (?) as you can see no mechanic - all I do
> is look at the reservoir things when I check the oil and water levels
> under the bonnet/hood
>
> Is there any "preventative medicine" I can take to avoid any possible
> problems do you think considering its age and its intended use
> (or will it flourish in the warmth and a bit of proper use ?)
>
> thank you

I am no expert, but your car sounds fine to me.

I would check the fluids and air pressure, including the spare tire, and
then get ready to have some serious fun!

Pat

On 4/10/2010 1:43 AM, thomas wrote:
> Back again and looking for expert advice
>
> Hi, I am going down to the south of Spain next month on my own (driving
> on the wrong side of the road) and I will be there until Christmas.Its a
> one way trip of almost 1900 miles (3/4 days) including the mileage in
> the UK getting to the chanel tunnel - having my gap year almost 40 years
> late
>
> My cars' a 1.8 roadster, one of the first mk2s, 70,000 miles serviced 6
> monthsand 1500 miles ago, just regular servicing over the years (new cam
> belt at the last service ) and the year before the FULL service - oh and
> and a radiator cap after advice here
>
> I had the air con serviced a couple of years ago and when it was 3 it
> had new plug leads and a coil (?) as you can see no mechanic - all I do
> is look at the reservoir things when I check the oil and water levels
> under the bonnet/hood
>
> Is there any "preventative medicine" I can take to avoid any possible
> problems do you think considering its age and its intended use
> (or will it flourish in the warmth and a bit of proper use ?)
>
> thank you

If your car has been well-cared-for then I can't see that anything is
needed beyond checking the tyre pressure regularly. Oh, and try to
pre-adjust your road sense for driving on the wrong side of the road --
that is something I always had trouble with in Japan.

FWIW, I made a trip from Alaska to the lower-48 states and then around the
perimeter in 1997 in my 1991 Miata with no trouble beyond a numb posterior
and don't expect that your trip will be any more strenuous than that.

On Sat, 10 Apr 2010 06:43:21 +0100, "thomas" >
wrote:

>Back again and looking for expert advice
>
>Hi, I am going down to the south of Spain next month on my own (driving on
>the wrong side of the road) and I will be there until Christmas.Its a one
>way trip of almost 1900 miles (3/4 days) including the mileage in the UK
>getting to the chanel tunnel - having my gap year almost 40 years late
>
>My cars' a 1.8 roadster, one of the first mk2s, 70,000 miles serviced 6
>monthsand 1500 miles ago, just regular servicing over the years (new cam
>belt at the last service ) and the year before the FULL service - oh and and
>a radiator cap after advice here
>
>I had the air con serviced a couple of years ago and when it was 3 it had
>new plug leads and a coil (?) as you can see no mechanic - all I do is look
>at the reservoir things when I check the oil and water levels under the
>bonnet/hood
>
>Is there any "preventative medicine" I can take to avoid any possible
>problems do you think considering its age and its intended use
>(or will it flourish in the warmth and a bit of proper use ?)
>
>thank you

about 10 years ago, i drove my '90 to the grand canyon from LA during
august, it was over 100 at 9am passing through needles. the
temperature gauge stayed pegged in the middle all throughout the trip
and the 7000 ft altitude of the south rim is slightly higher than the
passes on the west end of the pyrenees. as long as you see to the
obvious things before you start your trip, you should be fine.

On 2010-04-10 1:24 PM, barry wrote:
> On Sat, 10 Apr 2010 06:43:21 +0100, >
> wrote:
>
>> Back again and looking for expert advice
>>
>> Hi, I am going down to the south of Spain next month on my own (driving on
>> the wrong side of the road) and I will be there until Christmas.Its a one
>> way trip of almost 1900 miles (3/4 days) including the mileage in the UK
>> getting to the chanel tunnel - having my gap year almost 40 years late
>>
>> My cars' a 1.8 roadster, one of the first mk2s, 70,000 miles serviced 6
>> monthsand 1500 miles ago, just regular servicing over the years (new cam
>> belt at the last service ) and the year before the FULL service - oh and and
>> a radiator cap after advice here
>>
>> I had the air con serviced a couple of years ago and when it was 3 it had
>> new plug leads and a coil (?) as you can see no mechanic - all I do is look
>> at the reservoir things when I check the oil and water levels under the
>> bonnet/hood
>>
>> Is there any "preventative medicine" I can take to avoid any possible
>> problems do you think considering its age and its intended use
>> (or will it flourish in the warmth and a bit of proper use ?)
>>
>> thank you

If you plan to drive at night whilst on the Continent, you might
consider *not* doing so!
Your headlights for the UK (RHD driving on the Left) dip to the left,
whereas on the Continent they need to dip to the right in order not to
aggravate the oncoming traffic.
My RHD Eunos Roadster from Japan needed a change of headlights to be
able to drive in Canada on the right side of the road (among other small
changes required for certification, our equivalent of MOT).

Stuart H.

Stuart H. > wrote:

> If you plan to drive at night whilst on the Continent, you might
> consider *not* doing so!
> Your headlights for the UK (RHD driving on the Left) dip to the left,
> whereas on the Continent they need to dip to the right in order not to
> aggravate the oncoming traffic.
> My RHD Eunos Roadster from Japan needed a change of headlights to be
> able to drive in Canada on the right side of the road (among other small
> changes required for certification, our equivalent of MOT).

Over here (UK) you can get kits that comprise pieces of shaped tape that
you stick on the headlight lens that stops the lights dipping to the
left. Some of the more modern cars have a lever behind the light unit
that changes the dip side, but cars like the NA with a standard 7"
sealed-beam unit (or more likely a replacement unit that takes H4 bulbs)
have a clearly defined part of the lens that, when blanked off, stops
the dip beam from going left (or right if fitted with LHD light units).

Fairy 'nuff, it doesn't make the lights dip to the right, it makes it
sort-of neutral - dipping generally downwards. If you know where to
stick the tape, you can do it with a bit of gaffer tape rather than buy
the kit.

I just wish that all the Continental heavy goods vehicles that come over
here would use something similar, or rather the UK police would stop the
buggers and prevent them from driving until they'd got their lights
sorted.
--
So many cats
So few recipes

In article >,
"Stuart H." > wrote:

> If you plan to drive at night whilst on the Continent, you might
> consider *not* doing so!
> Your headlights for the UK (RHD driving on the Left) dip to the left,
> whereas on the Continent they need to dip to the right in order not to
> aggravate the oncoming traffic.

Thomas, considering the length of time you'll be there, just replace the
headlights with right-dipping units when you get to France. It's no big
deal.

--
Lanny Chambers
St. Louis, MO
'94C

"thomas" > wrote:

> Is there any "preventative medicine" I can take to avoid any
> possible problems?

Make sure you have the proper 3 piece tool kit and you'll be fine.

3 piece toolkit that fixes any problem:

1, Cell phone with good coverage where you'll be going,

2. Roadside service card that's valid where you'll be going and

3. High limit credit card that's universally accepted.


--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

"XS11E" > wrote in message
...
> "thomas" > wrote:

Is there any "preventative medicine" I can take to avoid any
possible problems?

Make sure you have the proper 3 piece tool kit and you'll be fine.

3 piece toolkit that fixes any problem:
1, Cell phone with good coverage where you'll be going,
>
> 2. Roadside service card that's valid where you'll be going and
>
> 3. High limit credit card that's universally accepted.
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
> The Usenet Improvement Project:
> http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

thank you very much for all the advice and the comments guys,

I was a bit apprehensive - thinking I kept hearing a funny noise or smell or
whatever even after a nice 100mile journey a few days ago in the SUN with
the top down - great fun - so lovely to have the temeperature in double
figures!

Folks in the UK will know what I mean with one of the longest and coldest
winters for a few years

I feel a lot better after all your comments and am looking forward to my
adventure
cheers
PS One thing I have done is give the car a REALLY good valet and polish (x2)
as I'll be without all my cans, pots and potions for a while and as the cars
bright red ....

Me and my wife made a trip from Holland to Madrid last summer and made
another trip to Istria (Croatia) a couple of years ago. The usual things I
check before leaving a

* New oil and filter and is there any (small) leakage.
* Check cooling system and fluid (especially tubes and hoses).
* Check tyres for wear and tear and replace if needed.
* Dump the spare tyre and buy a can of tyre-foam. This won't bring you home
when a tyre blows but where you're gonna leave that big wheel?
* If not already, become a member of the AA and check international support.
* Service the aircon-system since the fluid takes up water and deteriorates.
* Bring a 10mm and 12mm spanner, Phillips and flat screwdriver and multitool
with you.
* Buy a luggage-rack; this leaves you more space in the boot.
* Pack carefully.

I've got a Miata-on-holiday-page on my Miata-site that I processed through
Google Translate:
http://translate.google.com/translat...ml&sl=nl&tl=en

Have fun!

Jeroen


"thomas" > schreef in bericht
...
> Back again and looking for expert advice
>
> Hi, I am going down to the south of Spain next month on my own (driving
> on the wrong side of the road) and I will be there until Christmas.Its a
> one way trip of almost 1900 miles (3/4 days) including the mileage in the
> UK getting to the chanel tunnel - having my gap year almost 40 years late
>
> My cars' a 1.8 roadster, one of the first mk2s, 70,000 miles serviced 6
> monthsand 1500 miles ago, just regular servicing over the years (new cam
> belt at the last service ) and the year before the FULL service - oh and
> and a radiator cap after advice here
>
> I had the air con serviced a couple of years ago and when it was 3 it had
> new plug leads and a coil (?) as you can see no mechanic - all I do is
> look at the reservoir things when I check the oil and water levels under
> the bonnet/hood
>
> Is there any "preventative medicine" I can take to avoid any possible
> problems do you think considering its age and its intended use
> (or will it flourish in the warmth and a bit of proper use ?)
>
> thank you