Planning to do a 5000 km trip next month from Prague (Czech Republic) to Tirana (Albania) copying the coast of Croatia, Bosna Herzegovina and Albania with my old TDV8. Any tip that I should not forget before I set off?
Thanks

Last edited by C10KO on Sun Jul 08 2012 6:47pm. Edited 1 time in total

Fill up with fuel

Sounds a great trip, don't forget your camera

Make sure you have got a good breakdown recovery service, check your insurance is covered to traval to such countries, Also check other countries regulations re carrying hi vis jacket, warning triangle etc etc, Have you had your alternator replaced yet? Common fault and a few failures at the moment (not that you can do anything about it if it failed at the side of the road ) Other than that have a great safe journey

Thanks Ady - never thought of the alternator as it never caused me any trouble. The car is with 90.000 km on the clock and never had any issues. Unfortunately I have no breakdown recovery service at the moment - probably a good idea to buy one for the trip
We have planned to go rough with no pre bookings and just followed the road as it comes and sleep in the car when it needs be...

C10KO wrote:

We have planned to go rough with no pre bookings and just followed the road as it comes and sleep in the car when it needs be...

Sounds like the trip of a lifetime.

 FF 4.4 V8 Soooo looking forward to this bad boy
Ex 2006 RRS SC - garbage
Ex 2016 135i M Sport - dream car
Ex 2003 RS6 Avant - piece of cr*p
Ex 2014 320d X Drive, M Sport Touring - ok I guess
Ex 2007 RRS TDV8 - bloody loved it
EX 2007 FL2 XS - not so bad

C10KO wrote:

Planning to do a 5000 km trip next month from Prague (Czech Republic) to Tirana (Albania) copying the coast of Croatia, Bosna Herzegovina and Albania with my old TDV8. Any tip that I should not forget before I set off?
Thanks

Cancel the milkman and turn water off at home

How's things - take it you are not too busy

Hire a car  2015 Golf R DSG
Gone 2013 Mercedes C220 CDi AMG Sport Plus
Gone 2008 2.7 RRS HSE

MAW wrote:

How's things - take it you are not too busy

Keeping good, trying to fill up my time
Need to cover the 5.000 km in 7 days as I can't squeeze more holiday out

7 days! 3000 miles! Are you mad! I was a bit jealous until I saw that.

I've done 1200 in two days but that was essential, in a motorhome, so plenty of home comforts all about. No sightseeing whatsoever, just foot down and go with a few cans of Red Bull handy

Good luck with the trip. Take at least a couple of pics!

Richard

You are driving a RRS TDV8 and planning to sleep in the car? Sooooo greedy man

If you want to save more ££££ ask the lorry drivers to sell you diesel at half price......MORE SAVINGS £££££

Looking for more savings? Covering 5000 km you need around 40 sandwiches and 10L of water. Make them by yourself with just bread and salami and some salad from Tesco, must find the VALUE ones, saving more money


NOT JOKING NOW,

2 years ago I drove my RRS TDV8 from UK to Sparta-Greece, Milan-Italy, Barcelona-Spain, France, UK.

My RRs at that time was 1 year old, 2000 miles on the clock. I had surprises and spend 780 Euros in Italy for changing a ball bearing which LR from Italy said they don't cover the abuse of the car when the car is driven on bad roads.

I have done 7800 km and filed up 1050L of diesel. So you are going to spend around 13.5 per 100 KM, driving at 100 KM / hr ( avarage). Just keep notes and calculate your cost, when you are back let me know how much I was wrong .

You have to consider:

You are driving a big car and get tired quicker that driving an E classe. If you are planning to sleep in the car you will feel like s***t, so better drive 12-15 hrs per day than get off the motorway and find a cheap motel (B&B) for 25-35 Euros. If you don't overspeed over 100KM/ hr you save 25-35 Euros so you can afford the MOTEL.

Driving an RRS and sleeping in the car and driving again after 2000 km you will get so tired that you will not feel driving an RRS anymore, you will not enjoy the car anymore, you will have the feeling like driving a tractor or an old big BUS .

Hide 1500 Euros somewhere and this money are only if something goes wrong with the car. Sometime with an old car you never have a problem on such long trip but sometime , .......hey man, you afforded an RRS so for sure you will afford to spend some extra cash if IF IF...... If nothing goes wrong than you get your 1500 Euros back - if you find where you hidden them .

Another 200 Euros put aside for paying/ bribing the police men on some countries. They will stop you and will find you faults/ invent faults with the intention to get money from you. Never give them more than 20 Euros. I was stopped in Hungary and asked "- Why you don't have the fog lights on?" ........and I put them on to make them happy, and they said "- There is no fog, why you have the fog lights on?...... 40 Euros fine or you come to the Police Post" ........stupid....they even don't have Euros in their countries, they could not issue fines in Euros.....but ..... with a wife and a kid in the car did I afford to argue with 2 thieves ?! So I gave them £30.

Insurance? Make sure you call them in advance and tell them each country you are going through and for how long. Tell them that you need a confirmation that you are covered, ask them for written confirmation. Read on the back of the insurance documents the little writing "Terms and Conditions" ....... What is the point to pay insurance if you are not covered for what is possible to happen. Insurance is only if you are involved in an accident and does not cover if your engine blows up which this can happen toooo .

Breakdown cover? I WILL NEVER THINK TO GO ABROAD WITHOUT FULL BREAKDOWN COVER. Don't forget, RRS can have many many faults, a bit more than any other car specially with over 90k miles on the board.

Driving very long trips? As I said above, you get tired quicker than driving any other saloon car, even an X5 very old drives better on long trips. I had X5 and now I have an RRs and an E class and every year I go on long trips about 3 times. ( how I afford? My wife is a dentist so ...... I bought the car and she spends her money for holidays and fuel ). To be honest, as from last I gave up going with the RRS on long trips even if the car is still under warranty ( extended warranty ), I go with my E Class (2007) which is million miles easier to drive so long than RRS - don't get me wrong, I love my RRS but sometime I hate it - .


Have a nice trip. !!! RRS TDV8 !!!

7800 km
How long did it take you? Picture please....

When planning the trip I wasn't so much worried about the cost but more keen of the adventure Done Cote d'Azure and Pyrenees (about 4.000km) in my 90 Defender sleeping in hotels and rough 50/50 - I tell you, anything is more confy then a Def on a long trip as this. My dream is to do Africa one day but due to time issues Croatia and Albania will have to do this year.

Checked the insurance and was confirmed of being covered for Croatia but not Bosna and Herzegovina or Albania - will need to extend for the duration of the trip. As to the breakdown recovery cover I will have some work to do this week

The car is due a check-up before I leave but still worth keeping some cash aside for any unwanted surprises - thanks for the tip

As to the trip itself I though to do the first 1.000 (from Czech to Zagreb) last 1.600 km (from Tirana to Czech) in one go and therefore spending 6 days cruising on the coast shore did not appear to be over the top

Hi C10KO,

I have done 7800 km in 14 days. I also stopped at the seaside for 5 days. I cannot put pictures because I am replying to your post from my iPad. I have got 1000s pictures on Facebook, you cannot see them -you are not my Facebook friend  

I have done too the Pyrenees mountains (Spain too) and Cote d'Azure, Monaco and 700 km in the Alps from Monaco to Thonos-Les-Bains ( this 700km through the Apls at high altitudes very impressive, I think I go again this summer. I had my own map, not good to fallow the GPS. On this trip I drove the E Class, not comfortable to drive the RRS through the mountains.

Good luck on your trip and say A BIG HELLO from me to Tirana capital city ( did some work over there in 1995, and Girocarster too )

Have a nice trip !!! RRS TDV8 !!!

I spent 4 months in a ship yard in Croatia a couple of years ago.

One of the nicest places I have been in a long time and the people are fantastic

Jim

Anyone can recommend a good iPad app for route planning?

Last edited by C10KO on Mon Jun 18 2012 3:33pm. Edited 1 time in total

Sorry Toni but I'm not of facebook
BTW, why do find RRS not to be confortable for long trip? Done UK to Slovakia and back (around 1800km one way) in the RRS number of times and loved the way the miles were passing by...