Driving around Europe - requirements and considerations

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Id also second a very thorough service, a week before you go change ALL oils, diffs, engine and both boxes, also change all filters, and take a spare fuel filter with you!
Sounds silly, but make sure your spare wheel and tyre are in serviceable condition, and a decent bottle jack can be handy too!
Id personally stay off motorways in general unless you really need to race the clock, its just not that enjoyable in a 90 and can get quite tiring (I find anyway), if your are on motorway for extended periods I find sticking to 55 ish and being happy to be in the slow lane makes things much more bearable!
Give the wheel bearings a once over as that would be a pita if one let go during the drive!
Thanks, and I totally agree about motorway driving. For me, every minute I'm driving my 90, I'm smiling - unless I'm on a bloody motorway - it's just so fecking boring.
 
So far, the rough plan for the early part of the trip is to visit my colleague in Edinburgh, then head up into the highlands for a few days, maybe a bit longer. Then head back down to Newcastle and get the ferry over to Holland, and visit my colleague just outside Amsterdam. After than I'll head up through Denmark, probably not stick around, and hop over to Norway. From there I've got some great places to visit, thanks to some recommendations from a colleague who rode up into the arctic circle on his motorbike last year.

Once I'm done there, I'll head back down to longer sweden route, through northern germany, and then on to visit my colleagues in Warsaw.

I've not got further on my plan yet - I'm trying to weigh up the options, etc. of where to go from there.
 
+1 on France scrapping the breathaliser rule, they found it totally unworkable. To be honest safest to just not drink at all, unlike the locals, (and me DOH)
I understand that it is not scrapped merely 'put on hold' as it proved unworkable BUT you need to carry one in case you are stopped. Legally, you still need to carry it!!!!!!!!
 
Crikey. When I finished uni me and 3 mates brought a v6 galaxy auto from a guy in Margate for £800, got insurance and the ferry to France. It broke down just as we crossed into Belgium 2 days later. Got it fixed that same day and did another 3000miles in it. Nearly died in Austria when a tyre let go but otherwise it was fine lol.

Sold it for a profit when we got back. Only prep we did was buying high vis jackets, warning triangle and a fire extinguisher on the ferry over!
 
Crikey. When I finished uni me and 3 mates brought a v6 galaxy auto from a guy in Margate for £800, got insurance and the ferry to France. It broke down just as we crossed into Belgium 2 days later. Got it fixed that same day and did another 3000miles in it. Nearly died in Austria when a tyre let go but otherwise it was fine lol.

Sold it for a profit when we got back. Only prep we did was buying high vis jackets, warning triangle and a fire extinguisher on the ferry over!
But you did nearly die lol
 
Ah that's good to know! Mine are in a bag in the back, I'll put them somewhere in the front then.

Any updates on your journey HeywoodFloyd?

Whats the score re Germany and environment sticker? Is motorways okay without it?
We're looking at route options from Calais to Turkey avoiding as many toll roads and environmental stickers as possible.
Motorway around Brussel sems out of the question in a 300tdi Defender, Same as Lille, Driving via Chezh instead of Austria is abit longer and avoids Vienna tolls. Studying maps continues

Anyone with good suggestions for quick cheap route?
 
Whats the score re Germany and environment sticker? Is motorways okay without it?

Anyone with good suggestions for quick cheap route?

You only need an "Umwelt Plakette" if you travel into an environmental zone, which a pretty much limited to cities. They will check foreign plated cars and it is enforced.

Lots of information here, https://www.umwelt-plakette.de/en/i...es-in-germany/german-environmental-zones.html

So for the Autobahn you wouldn't need one, BUT if you end up going into a town that's an "Umwelt Zone" you'll need one, and pretty much all are now GREEN only (Euro 4 or better).
They are issued by the Tüv and you can buy them online. Costs €15 I think and I think you can get them through ADAC/RAC etc as well but be careful of 3rd party sellers.
For foreign registered cars its based on the age of the vehicle so if it was first registered before 2006ish you probably wouldn't get one.

As for a quick route to Turkey? If you're avoiding Austria for the tolls, you'll need to avoid Slovenia as well (as you'll need a Vignette to drive on Slovenian motorways and Croatia's motorways are toll roads as well. You may find cheap means A and B roads for much of Europe South and East of Germany.

Oh and ffs don't run out of fuel on the German autobahn, its an offence to do so.
 
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Austria doesn´t have tolls, you just need a Vignette for around 10EUR for a 10days. The Czech Republic also requires a Vignette, Slovakia and Hungary are electronic vignettes. Croatia has toll roads, which are very expensive. Slovenia requires a Vignette.

I would recommend visiting Romania...you ´can´ pretty much offroad anywhere you want...apart from fields and places that are obviously restricted or private. Romania is literally an offroad heaven in Europe! I went there a few years back and the only time they checked who we were was when we set up camp near a logging set up. Judging by the amount of trucks filled with timber driving past at 3am I reckon it was illegal logging. They probably just wanted to check we weren´t some kind of inspectors.
 
You only need an "Umwelt Plakette" if you travel into an environmental zone, which a pretty much limited to cities. They will check foreign plated cars and it is enforced.

Lots of information here, https://www.umwelt-plakette.de/en/i...es-in-germany/german-environmental-zones.html

So for the Autobahn you wouldn't need one, BUT if you end up going into a town that's an "Umwelt Zone" you'll need one, and pretty much all are now GREEN only (Euro 4 or better).
They are issued by the Tüv and you can buy them online. Costs €15 I think and I think you can get them through ADAC/RAC etc as well but be careful of 3rd party sellers.
For foreign registered cars its based on the age of the vehicle so if it was first registered before 2006ish you probably wouldn't get one.

As for a quick route to Turkey? If you're avoiding Austria for the tolls, you'll need to avoid Slovenia as well (as you'll need a Vignette to drive on Slovenian motorways and Croatia's motorways are toll roads as well. You may find cheap means A and B roads for much of Europe South and East of Germany.

Oh and ffs don't run out of fuel on the German autobahn, its an offence to do so.

Cheers for usefull info and confirmarion that don't need the german stickers on our landy.. Been reading the webpage you linked too alot thou what ot says can always differ from real life.
Is it correct that the Brussels green zone covers the motorway ringroad around the city? According to maps it does.

Some toll roads okay, as can pay on arrival to them. Its all the pre journey arrangements we're trying to sort first.. Contact insurance ect and possible early mot just in case of staying longer

Fuel shoud be ok as got the wheelarch +45L tank so will fill up in England and should then be good for Czech Rep or Austria
 
Austria doesn´t have tolls, you just need a Vignette for around 10EUR for a 10days. The Czech Republic also requires a Vignette, Slovakia and Hungary are electronic vignettes. Croatia has toll roads, which are very expensive. Slovenia requires a Vignette.

I would recommend visiting Romania...you ´can´ pretty much offroad anywhere you want...apart from fields and places that are obviously restricted or private. Romania is literally an offroad heaven in Europe! I went there a few years back and the only time they checked who we were was when we set up camp near a logging set up. Judging by the amount of trucks filled with timber driving past at 3am I reckon it was illegal logging. They probably just wanted to check we weren´t some kind of inspectors.

Austria Vignette sounds fairly priced and saves diesel and time as more direct. Will read up on the Hungarian one and how much in advance for ordering. Then Romania/Bulgaria or Serbia/Bulgaria to read about next

Romania sounds interesting, seen few 4x4 videos from Carpatian mountains and looked fab

The Ioverlander, park4night & wikiloc apps should help save on accoms
 
Austria Vignette sounds fairly priced and saves diesel and time as more direct. Will read up on the Hungarian one and how much in advance

If you are just transiting then definitely go through Austria. The main motorway in Czech Rep. from Prague to Brno is undergoing masive renovation and there are road works everywhere. The bits that aren't are made from concrete panels and will literally shake your bones.
 
If you go to Romania you will need to provide proof you own your car. They usually check at the border as they are not in the Schengen zone. V5 should do. Probably serbia also but i haven't been there personally...likely to take some time to get cross the border as theyre not in eu
 
Austria Vignette sounds fairly priced and saves diesel and time as more direct. Will read up on the Hungarian one and how much in advance for ordering. Then Romania/Bulgaria or Serbia/Bulgaria to read about next

Romania sounds interesting, seen few 4x4 videos from Carpatian mountains and looked fab

The Ioverlander, park4night & wikiloc apps should help save on accoms

SuperKarpata Trophy is a good watch if yer like euro drovering
 
Cheers for usefull info and confirmarion that don't need the german stickers on our landy.

You're welcome though defer to the map to be certain rather than the word of some internet creature!:D

"The restrictions of the LEZ of Brussels do not apply to the international E-road E19 and E40. Also excluded are 3 Park&Ride parking areas, located on the boundary of the environmental zone."
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If you go to Romania you will need to provide proof you own your car. They usually check at the border as they are not in the Schengen zone. V5 should do. Probably serbia also but i haven't been there personally...likely to take some time to get cross the border as theyre not in eu

Carrying proof of registration/ownership is a common requirement in Europe.
 
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