Driving in London, especially at night top down, is great. Just pay the charges and enjoy.
So… seems I will be coming to the UK and really need some advice
- Thread starter Zephyr
- Start date
Ianmc has a point.. driving in any City at night with the roof down can be a fantastic experience... i'd caveat that with "only if you know the city well" .. navigating London traffic even at night is a dark art that needs ninja like skills. Find yourself accidentally in Newham or Tower Hamlets and you'll be glad you have locking wheel nuts.Driving in London, especially at night top down, is great. Just pay the charges and enjoy.
I’ve worked and driven around London for past 35yrs and it has only got worse. The congestion charge has done nothing to minimise traffic the standard of driving now is abysmal and rush hour is all the time.
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I'm from Croatia myself and regularly visit my old homeland. Don't know about road conditions in Albania, Macedonia or Serbia, but as soon as you leave these countries, mostly perfect highways await you. You literally can't pick a bad road (highways in Croatia and Hungary are either new or very well maintained, so is Austria). Slovenia and Germany aren't flawless but far from bad.
I really see no reason why a new set of (decent) tyres wouldn't survive the trip. Same with oil change, the interval on your Mazda won't be less than 15.000 kilometres so you can do that before departure.
A check-up somewhere in GB won't be a mistake for sure, but I honestly believe you're worrying too much in advance for no reason.
I had excellent service from my local Protyre depot when I had my last set of Falken FK510 tyres fitted to my Z3 MC got a great deal with them aswell.
List of Protyre depots at link below, so you can take your pick and make early contact.
All locations of Protyre (trustpilot.com)
Last big trip I did was with a BMW E90 330. Almost the same route but took a left turn and visited Madrid. The tyres were almost new with 5k and added another 3k on them en route to Spain. (continental sport contacts).
on the way home, the rears were completely rubbish and had thread way below the legal and safe limit. It handled sort of well, until I got up on the Alps (took the Italy and ferry route as I plan to do now) and then it began to rain… the car handled like a supermarket cart and all the traction electronics were flashing like a Christmas tree. Managed to find a pair of continental eco contacts to fit and finally continued my way home.
It seems that constant high speed and heat makes the rubber softer and reduces the thread more than expected.
I agree with you, Croatia has very good if not better roads than Austria, but all countries before that border are paved with some sort of cement/recycled materials asphalt that is rough and not so “European”.
As for the oil change I may be overreacting but revving that little turbo engine for so many miles non stop, why not? I know people keep theirs for 15k and BMW nowadays recommends every 25k, but its just my strange perception of maintenance that kicks in every time and keeps me awake at nights…
One final question.
I have requested a “green card” from my insurance company and they provided one valid to all EU countries and extended my coverage for theft and damage.
Unfortunately I have no additional coverage while in the UK.
I don't suppose I can have the vehicle covered with foreign licence plates by a local agent?
Correct?
I have requested a “green card” from my insurance company and they provided one valid to all EU countries and extended my coverage for theft and damage.
Unfortunately I have no additional coverage while in the UK.
I don't suppose I can have the vehicle covered with foreign licence plates by a local agent?
Correct?
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2011
- Points
- 165
That's starange, as we can get insurance extensions to cover the whole of the EU, and they are very cheap. It cost me less than £50. That included adding my son to the policy, so I don't know how much the actual extension on it's own would have been.
Was that third party liability or full coverage?
i have third party, just wished to have the little mazda covered for theft and extend damage to personal fault. (dont even know the term, meaning if I smash it behind I bus, I will still be covered for repairs I of my fault).
Well, yes, that's what I was trying to say: he needs to get his local insurance provider to extend it to the UK.
Zephyr stated that his Green Card extends the insurance to the EU members, which the UK is not anymore.
They dont. They just provide third party. Nothing more. They say that it is complicated for them to settle claims and therefore they refuse to extend to theft and own fault.
asked four local the answer was a big no.
anyway, I dont intend to crash the car, and will keep it in a hotel garage at nights. it is just my syndrome of overplanning things.
all is good.
Unless your insurance policy explicit says that it extends to the UK, what you get whilst driving here is 'Third-Party, Fire and Theft'. The term, in the UK, for full coverage is 'Fully Comprehensive'.
TL;DR - You need to get your local insurer to extend coverage to the UK, if they do that.
Edit: You posted whilst I was typing. So, you have third-party only.
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2011
- Points
- 165
No longer relevant to your thread, but it was an extension of my existing cover, so "fully comprehensive".
I do understand the problems that your Greek insurer will be facing, but I would have thought that the third party part of any claim would be the most difficult for them to handle.
Anyway, we are where we are. We just have to suck it up and make the best of a bad deal. Literally.
Third party is easy. they just communicate with the other insurance company and pay.
just think of all the trouble they will get into, if I have to repair my front fender in Scotland at a local body shop… who will verify the damage, quote a repair, do the work and then send all papers to the insurance company to get paid as a non EU entity?
or at least that is what I have been told.
even worse with partial theft.
lets say some nice bloke nicks my wheels.
they have to get me new ones… they will have to pay taxes in UK and whatever else is involved, so they just said “sod this” and they refuse to cover.
whatever. It is what it is.
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2022
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- 93
- Model of Z
- Z3 3.0 Auto
Fully comprehensive cover
Is this trip still on? Are you sure? If I remember rightly NodZed suggested flying - As somebody who spent a LOT of time driving a truck CrissCrossing europe I think I'd be with NodZed and take the plane. For goodwood Fly to the UK and hire a car. Some other time you can do a road trip up the balkans and the alps and maybe Bavaria. That'd be nice.
But that slog across Germany and France to the tunnel
But that slog across Germany and France to the tunnel
In that case - Happy motoring
Drive safe. And remember to drive on the left when you get to the UK. I drove half a mile down the wrong side of the road once. Coming off the ferry in Dover there's tons of signs making sure people know what side to drive on. But the next morning getting up early to go fishing and no other traffic and off I went down the wrong side - till a neighbour came up the other way waving his fist at that damn foreigner 
Send photos and shout if you have time to meet while you’re near Goodwood