Motorhome breakdown in France

[Pudsey Bear]

I was responding to a post on facts when I noticed this thread about a breakdown in France and wondered if some or any of it is true or not or even made any sense the poster was only on the forum for two days in 2023 and hasn't been back.

If I can save another motorhome the heartache I've just been through this will be worth it.
I was travelling through France in a Elddis motorhome on a Peugeot Boxer chassis and pulled into a motorway services. When I got back to the van the ignition was dead. After being towed off, I was jump started and drove to a Peugeot Garage who investigated and fitted a new battery. The next day as I drove to a campsite near my ferry port, I stopped in a lay-by to check my route and once again the dashboard was dead and there was no ignition. I then had to be towed to depot and jump started. The following morning I drove to another Peugeot dealers. They investigated the issue and said there was no problem. On the day of my ferry, I stopped at a supermarket and everything was dead when I tried to start it. After 4 hours I found someone to jump start me then drove straight to the ferry and left the engine running for 2 hours so I could board.

I got the motorhome home then took it to my home garage who immediately worked out the problem. THE BATTERY CONTROL UNIT, ATTACHED TO THE POSITIVE TERMINAL WAS INTERMITTENTLY STOPPING THE BATTERY FROM STARTING.
Because the French main dealers were incompetent and because the French police insist that you have to use their recovery companies, even if you have breakdown insurance, it was an expensive experience. Approximately 500 euros for recovery and 300 plus euros for diagnostics and a new battery I didn't need. (The old one was less than 2 years old.)

 

[korky]

If you breakdown on a motorway you have no choice AFAIK, they want you out of the way sharpish I suppose.Anywhere else,ring your breakdown provider.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Cheers Korky.

I know I'm asking a lot of question in this thread, but things keep popping up and I also forget some times if I have already asked.

Who needs dementia I'm well ahead of the game, always had the worst memory except face and voices, dunno who they are but I do remember them

 

[Pudsey Bear]

He calls it a battery control unit, but surely it is only a battery and ancillaries connection point, so would only need cleaning up and putting back on if the fuses are ok.


I looked them up and it doesn't mention control.

Relay Boxer Ducato 07-On Positive Battery Fuse 1617246080 | eBay

Relay Boxer Ducato 07-On. Positive Battery Fuse. If you are not sure if this part will fit your vehicle. As Shown on the picture !

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[TonyEmm]

He calls it a battery control unit, but surely it is only a battery and ancillaries connection point, so would only need cleaning up and putting back on if the fuses are ok.


I looked them up and it doesn't mention control.

Relay Boxer Ducato 07-On Positive Battery Fuse 1617246080 | eBay

Relay Boxer Ducato 07-On. Positive Battery Fuse. If you are not sure if this part will fit your vehicle. As Shown on the picture !

www.ebay.co.uk

You’re right that’s it’s not a control unit. It’s effectively an extension to the battery’s positive terminal with a number of heavy duty fuses built in.
It gives options for adding multiple additional accessories.

In my towbar fitting days, we used it often for the supply of 12S Caravan Electrics and/or the feed for bypass relays….

 

[SimonM]

Corrosion is a pain. Kev, you and I are always on the ball when it comes to doing preventative maintenance and this connection is prone to corroding hidden away as it is. I suppose I tend to be fettling stuff all the time and a smear of ‘no ride’ or similar on terminals always seems a matter of course. But to those who don’t get down and dirty with the spanners aren’t going to know about things - but a professional garage should be knowledgeable enough to know to clean up connections when replacing batteries. This is why I have a vehement distrust of anyone doing work for me.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

More on me arse these days Simon

Having it hidden under the floor but exposed to the elements seems a bit silly and it's a pain in the butt to get at and for most a daunting thing to mess with.

 

[TonyEmm]

Corrosion is a pain. Kev, you and I are always on the ball when it comes to doing preventative maintenance and this connection is prone to corroding hidden away as it is. I suppose I tend to be fettling stuff all the time and a smear of ‘no ride’ or similar on terminals always seems a matter of course. But to those who don’t get down and dirty with the spanners aren’t going to know about things - but a professional garage should be knowledgeable enough to know to clean up connections when replacing batteries. This is why I have a vehement distrust of anyone doing work for me.

The thing is clearly corroded! Some light sandpaper on the battery terminals would be a good start, along with the battery clamps.
The whole thing is dry as a bone. Any self-respecting service station should have been lubricating it….
Door hinges are another that are regularly overlooked, along with underslung spare wheel carriers…. None are difficult, just a can of spray grease will do the job!

 

[Pudsey Bear]

The thing is clearly corroded! Some light sandpaper on the battery terminals would be a good start, along with the battery clamps.
The whole thing is dry as a bone. Any self-respecting service station should have been lubricating it….
Door hinges are another that are regularly overlooked, along with underslung spare wheel carriers…. None are difficult, just a can of spray grease will do the job!

No service would include lifting a carpet and then removing the four bolts in the cover unless you specified it, and then you'd have to lift it yourself to see if they had done it, not sure if grease is a good thing on terminals, Vaseline is what I would have used.

 

[SimonM]

The thing is though, the stealership should have cleaned off the terminals when they fitted the battery , it’s hardly a time consuming job to do.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Wouldn't Fiat etc fit the battery in the first place, the converter would just not bother as it takes time and that costs.

 

[Cujimi]

Just saw this post, I had a flat on the motorway just past a peage in France and had RAC cover. It was 7 at night so after phoning RAC and the European RAC they told me to phone the police. Breakdown came out and tyre was fixed but the RAC paid for it. Recovery guy gave me a copy of the bill. Couldn’t believe it 600 euros but it was late at night I suppose. But I didn’t pay it thankfully had European cover with the RAC.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Not sure what we would do as we don't have a spare wheel.

 

[SimonM]

Not sure what we would do as we don't have a spare wheel.

Kev, I haven’t had an issue while away in the MH although a couple of times with a car, but I wouldn’t consider ever travelling with the MH without a spare wheel, and especially not abroad. You really don’t want to be stuck with your breakdown recovery peeps refusing to attend because you don’t have a spare. Or stuck in the arse end of nowhere and a replacement tyre still 3 days away. That I can attest to when we were ‘stuck’ in St.Gaudens waiting for 3 tyres to arrive. Fortunately we were still mobile, albeit running a couple of Dunlop Kojaks, and waited out the time in an aire payant with electricity and good TV coverage - in warm sunshine as well.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Nowhere to put one though, the waste tank is where one would live.

Thanks Swift.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

There were minor advisories on both front tyres so they're getting changed on Thursday.

 

[trevskoda]

In some countries its manditory to carry a spair wheel, can you not get a braket made for the rear of the van and mount one there.

 

[Cujimi]

Not sure what we would do as we don't have a spare wheel.

Yes luckily we had a spare wheel under the van and a proper wheel not an emergency one. Would never be without one now. On a previous van I bought a wheel from a scrap yard put a new tyre on it and kept it in the garage. It used space in the garage but felt the peace of mind it gave was worth it. Also when talking to the French police language can be a real problem. I speak a bit of French but not great when discussing a flat tyre with the police. Luckily eventually someone came on who could speak English. Other problem was the French policeman was trying to get me to go to one of the orange signs so that they could pinpoint my position. I had a real job explaining I was directly at the peage in one of the small pull ins. Luckily it was there. We could have at a push spent the night there.

 

[Eriba]

European insurance includes breakdown cover, so it's not a big deal.
That is why no equivalent to the RAC etc. as no need.

 

[Landyseverywhere]

Something worth doing occasionally is to drop the spare wheel if it's on a winch mechanism,I bought an Iveco van to use while doing my self build, only having had it a few weeks,we went to Lincoln steam rally in our honda CRV ,a couple of miles from home it went into limp mode , returned home jumped in van,show was not a patch on what it used to be,tickets gone up by 50% from previous year left after less than 2 hours a mile from show front blowout.The cable winch on the spare wheel rack seized solid,had very few tools but did have a cordless angle grinder,took well over an hour to cut carrier off van and then wheel off carrier.