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DiscoJake
Member Since: 23 Aug 2013
Location: Hereford
Posts: 1429
  
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| Holiday breakdown nightmare |
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Finally after nearly a week in the sun I have gained enough composure to tell the tail of our breakdown nightmare.
Left Hereford Friday at 3am, Disco loaded with wife and 3 kids + luggage on our way to 8.30 ferry from Dover and on to lake Soustons in south of France.
We only made it to Jn13 of M4 before sudden and complete failure. Cruising along and out of nowhere "gearbox fault, suspension lowering,etc "
It was only when we got to hard shoulder I realised engine had stopped and wouldn't start.
Hour wait by the side of a cold and dark M4 for AA (not fun, scarey as no barrier or embankment just brambles, kids in tears about no holiday and wife giving me evils).
Eventually recovered to Cheeverely services by a sub contract grease monkey and then wait another 45mins for proper AA man.
Cue AA to the rescue; first chap read some fault codes and had a poke about but couldn't fix it. Luckily I'd taken out European cover for the trip and 'Jason' managed to organise relay of disco to dealer back home and get the French arm of AA who run the euro breakdown to book a hire car to France for 10 days 
Kudos also to "Dave" the AA recovery man who was very helpful taxing me to local enterprise car hire and also backing me up when they tried to give me a Fiat500x  Then took disco and us to next enterprise to pick up our Merc GLE and helped transfer all our luggage (bikes wouldnt fit).
Eventualy reached Dover at 4pm! but we had fully flex ticket so got on next available ferry and left Calais at 7.15pm amd drove like  to find a motel in Le Mans at 1am Saturday.
Left Le Mans 8am and made Azur on lake Soustons for 4.15pm check in 
Just had email from dealer to say that the HPFP belt tensioner has failed (AA said fault code was no fuel pressure).
Covered by warranty direct policy but interestingly only had cam belt (and fuel pump belt) changed at main dealer early this year...
Any way lesson learnt that you can never have enough insurance in situations like this, without the european breakdown cover our entire summer holiday would have been cancelled and that doesnt bare thinking about 
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 31st Aug 2016 8:35 pm |
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Russell
Member Since: 23 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
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Few quid well spent MY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
MY15 D4 HSE Kaikoura Stone
MY12 D4 HSE Nara Bronze Sold and gone
MY11 D4 HSE Stornaway Grey Sold and gone
D3 S spec Silver Sold and gone
Tow bar, full length roof bars, side steps, tow bar storage unit, surround camers.
D4 camera club
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| 31st Aug 2016 8:40 pm |
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CDS
Site Sponsor
Member Since: 12 Oct 2009
Location: Cornwall & most of the UK!
Posts: 3335
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Money well spent on the AA cover then
If they changed the HPFP belt then they have changed the tensioner as they a 'one shot' item (can't be taken out and refitted, need to fit new and then remove the pin once fitted which then applies the tension)
So.....I'd be thinking that it'll be cover by the standard 2 year LR warranty on all parts
Time to dig out the invoice me thinks
Glad you still managed to get your holiday 
Discovery 3/4 & RRS keys cut and programmed at your home or work
Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto retro fit - see it here
BAS Remaps/ EGR Blanking
Software updates/ enabling
Mobile Servicing & Repairs
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| 31st Aug 2016 8:47 pm |
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DiscoJake
Member Since: 23 Aug 2013
Location: Hereford
Posts: 1429
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That's very interesting to know cds, I had an inkling that was the case hence mentioning on here.
Dealer repairing are the very same who changed cambelt this year, I'll mention that in morning and hopefully save £50 WD excess
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| 1st Sep 2016 3:26 am |
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Farmer Chalk
Member Since: 06 Mar 2013
Location: Independent Republic of Kentishshire.
Posts: 4193
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Goodness I feel for you....it's strange how anything that goes wrong with the car is immediately our fault as if we had planned it! I know just how stressed you must have been waiting the the AA and the hire car....
Great it's all going to be resolved.....phew! Hope the holiday made up for it!
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| 1st Sep 2016 5:48 am |
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Iguana
Member Since: 14 Oct 2013
Location: 'Sunny' Zomerset
Posts: 9424
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Gosh I know that "SWMBO Giving me Evils" feeling!
So glad you had it all sorted in the end though Iggy/Ieuan
Current LR =
2015 RR Sport Autobiography
&
1992 Land Rover Defender Camper
- Gone but not forgotten:
MY10 D4 GS
MY05 Disco 3 'S'
MY14 FL2 HSE manual in Blue
MY15 Disco 4 HSE Lux in Santorini Black
MY08 Disco 3 SE manual in Buck Blue
1960 Series 2 88" (No idea why I sold it!)
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| 1st Sep 2016 7:35 am |
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MarkOne
Member Since: 23 Jul 2011
Location: County Antrim
Posts: 3345
  
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Nightmare senario with the kids during the night, glad you got sorted and it wasn't nothing major.
Last edited by MarkOne on 1st Sep 2016 9:29 am. Edited 1 time in total
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| 1st Sep 2016 7:38 am |
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Gareth
Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26767
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Happy ending but what a mare!
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| 1st Sep 2016 7:40 am |
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M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8217
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AA European cover is worth its weight in gold, I wouldn't go abroad without it, I once had a wheel bearing fail at Peterborough a few years back on way to S of F, they provided a car for 3 weeks for me to complete the holiday, I also had a FFRR relayed back from the S of F when the engine gave up the ghost, they also offered to buy the FFRR off me at market price to save shipping it home. It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
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| 1st Sep 2016 7:51 am |
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DiscoJake
Member Since: 23 Aug 2013
Location: Hereford
Posts: 1429
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Won't go anywhere with out it now.
The first few minutes at Cheeverley services while the wife ordered a coffee and I frantically read the small print of the policy have aged me somewhat 
True that even though I didn't plan for the car to fail us all responsibility lies with me  so glad AA came through as the kids have been waiting all summer for this and were in tears 
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| 1st Sep 2016 8:06 am |
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Moo
D3 Decade
Member Since: 13 Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 14338
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Glad you managed to get your holiday. I had a similar expereince last year when my alternator packed up on the M25 on our way to the Tunnel. The AA and their contractor, Mansbridge from Woking, were exceptional. Collected us at 3am, took us to their 24 hour garage and stripped the car ready for when the autofactors opened. They arranged a dog freindly hotel for us so we could get some sleep and we were back on the road by noon. The best thing is that it only cost me £35 becuase of the cover I had.  New Defender L663 110 SE (known as Noddy!)
Sold Volvo XC90 R-Design (known as Basil)
Sold - D4 HSE (Known as Gerty)
No longer the Old Buses original owner 
231,000 miles and counting
05 S manual owned from March 2005
D4 Face lifted
Still original injectors and turbo
V8 Front brakes
BAS Remap, Allisport Intercooler and deCat
EGRs blanked
T-Max split charge
Hanibal Expeedition rack
Prospeed ladder
Duratrac tyres
IID BT
BAS FBH control
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| 1st Sep 2016 8:41 am |
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DiscoJake
Member Since: 23 Aug 2013
Location: Hereford
Posts: 1429
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Finally got the truck back today.
Don't know why but the lower tailgate wont shut properly?
Only thing I can think of is they had body off to fix fuel pump tensioner (if it sheared maybe) and now the lower gate doesnt line up.
Any logic in that ?
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| 15th Sep 2016 7:15 pm |
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