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

Reply to
thomas
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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

Reply to
pws

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.

Reply to
John McGaw

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.

Reply to
barry

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.

Reply to
Stuart H.

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.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

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,

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

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

Reply to
XS11E

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,

XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups

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 ....

Reply to
thomas

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 are:

  • 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:

formatting link
Have fun!

Jeroen

"thomas" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net...

Reply to
Jeroen Feelders

Yep. Last fall I did a 1500-mile round trip to my daughter's college, in my '99 with about 165k miles on it at that time. The only problem I had was a speeding ticket in North Carolina...

Reply to
T.J. Higgins

tjhiggin.at.hiwaay.dot.net

thats great news - not the ticket ofcourse :)

Reply to
thomas

Mazda dealers are thin and far between in Spain. Don't let that discourage you, we'll be driving an '08 2L all the way to Tenerife in June or July.

Reply to
Low Life #3

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