Owning an Elan in France?

[madbilly]

Hi everyone,

I've been lucky enough to get the opportunity to go and live and work in the south of France for a few years, moving later this summer, and obviously I want to take the Elan with me. However, before I do, I want to make sure I know what I'll have to cope with trying to use, maintain and insure a RHD UK car in France and I know there are a few French nationals and British expats on the forum who can hopefully help me with these things

So, here are the things that are concerning me:
1. Parts availability - I imagine Elan specific parts are easier to get straight from the UK and engine parts from the USA but what about other bits like oil filter, brakes, etc?
2. Servicing - is self-servicing allowed in France, such as oil changes, brakes work, etc? Otherwise what are typical garage costs?
3. MOT equivalent - is it possible for a RHD UK car to paass the French equivalent of a MOT test? What do they involve?
4. Elan "Knowledge" - obviously in the UK we're blessed with many knowledgeable Lotus dealers and independent specialists but what's it like in France?
5. Insurance - I will have to register the car in France on special "international" plates because of who I'm going to be working for so this might make it difficult for people to advise me on insurance, but is it difficult generally to get insurance on RHD UK cars in France? Might I be better of using a specialist UK broker?
6. Breakdown insurance - obviously shouldn't be needed for a well-maintained version of the most reliable Lotus ever, but how does breakdown cover work in France, do they have it at all?

If there are other things that should be concerning me as well please tell me!

Thanks,
Will

[hatters]

You must take it Will
The roads down there are great driving roads .My sister has a villa in Bauduen which is about an hours drive from Nice and not too far from the Verdon gorge . They say that France is over three times larger than the UK with half the population so the roads are nowhere near as busy as they are over here and there is only tolls on the main roads similar to our motorways .The weather is superb so you won't have to have the roof up much
So take it and enjoy the experience

[Bolsom]

Hi Will,

I live in southern France and have an elan RHD.
I had to put LHD dipping headlights on. That's the only change I have made.

Your 1) I have only used the web to get parts - mostly from the US.

2) Self service is no problem. I had some work done over here and found it very expensive, but
maybe I was just unlucky. I find the French have no idea of what service in general means.

3) The French MOT (control technique) is pretty much like ours. I failed on emissions the first time.
This is when I was screwed by the garage that got it through for me. A closed loop chip solved that for the next one.
I'm not sure if they will MOT a car not registered in France, I will find out and let you know.

4) don't know - I assumed not.

5 )I have no trouble insuring mine although it is somewhat expensive (700 euros). I am going to
look about a bit more next time. I couldn't insure it in France until I had registered it as French car.

6)I have never broken down in 19 years so didn't consider it but think it is available.

Hope this helps. Colin

[madbilly]

Hi Colin,
Thanks for the advice. Are LHD dip beam lights difficult to come by?
I'm pretty certain I'll be taking it with me, it does seem crazy not to take the opportunity drive on nice and less busy roads in better weather!
Cheers,
Will

[Pascal]

Hello,
i have a 1991 M100, french model, this meant yellow lights at this time. The glass was (is) yellow.
I planned to replace the 4 lights for white ones but the total cost was a bit high so i continue with yellow and finally i like it.
It was difficult to find the parts anyway, i spent a lot of time on E Bay.
Note that all lights must have same colour.

For the main 'inner beams you are white, so no problem. Finding LHD outer lights :
when investigating, i arrived on this website :
http://www.holden.co.uk/displayproduct. ... de=010.597

They also have 'non flat' LHD.

i am not sure those parts are just plug&play in the lotus plastic or steel rings, depending the kind of lights you have now (french Cibié and UK where different designs i think).
I suggest that you call Holden and ask for backlight pictures, and compare with your fixing rings.


That's an opportunity to replace the rusty screws if not yet done ...

Pascal

[Pascal]

to complete Colin's comments :

car service is not always good in France ... i confirm.
UK is a special country for that, thanks to your 'kit cars', you are used to modify, repair, upgrade ... this doesn't exist here.

It is wise to find a local mechanics, who has some passion for his job and likes cars like this. Find information about 'old cars mechanics' around.
Lotus France is not the best place (sorry) for servicing a M100 ... i experienced.

About insurance, 700 is not too much, i pay 850 ('all insured') although i have the maxi bonus.

Pascal

[madbilly]

Hi Pascal,

Thanks for the info, I'll get looking for LHD dipped beams asap!

What's a "maxi" bonus and who do you get your insurance with? Is it a "classic car" policy like we have in the UK, with an agreed value in case of total loss claim?

Thanks,
Will

[Pascal]

I am going to ask to insurances .

How long would you stay, several years i guess ? How many - i mean one year, or several years ?

You will have a french bank account - banks propose car insurances.
I aks mine tomorrow.

could you send a picture of the back of your beams ? Without dismantling the pad, just to check you have the double plastic (white/ black) ring or not.
Are your beams Cibie make ?

French were yellow but belgian, german, dutch ... were white. But rare.
I read once (on the LEC forum i think) that they had the same on some BMW 3 . To be checked. try by search words on LEC .

Pascal

[madbilly]

My contract will be for five years, we plan to stay for as many as we enjoy!

I can't remember which make of lamps are on my car. I'll check and take a pic tomorrow night - just to check you mean a photo of the back of the lamps taken from behind the lamp pod, not the lamps from the front with the pods raised?

Thanks for the heads up on the possible link to BMWs, I'll see what I can find out.

Thanks for your help,
Will

[Pascal]

"a photo of the back of the lamps taken from behind the lamp pod"
exactly

Pascal

[Bolsom]

I am not sure that it is necessary to have all lights the same colour.
I put yellow dipping ones on and left the clear main beams as is.
I have had 4 control technique (MOT which is every 2 years) since then
without a problem.

Colin

[Pascal]

I am sure it is compulsory to have same color.
But the MOT controllers don't make their job properly when they have such a car on their parking lot, mine was accepted with 30% unbalanced brake and i clearly felt her dangerous on road, but she passed the MOT. Brakes were obviously worn out.
Also ... beams were defective.

It just dépends on who you have in front of you.
Controllers are supposed to refer to the manufacturer specification ... i think they simply give up !!!
Also they could be benevolent with such cars ...

Anyway, the target is : hunting for dip lights.
In the worse case, if color is a problem, it is possible to get yellow a white beam for the time of the control !

Colin, do you find Cibie/ Valeo dips ?
The same component has ref : VALEO 082347 written on the sticker and CIBIE 0488045 written on the glass . (Cibie was acquired by Valeo).
Those are the flat (not dommed) glass yellow dip lights i have.

no need for pictures anymore, they are on the net ... on EBay UK, at stevestrange007 ( ' M100 headlights ' ) , and we can see the white ring. This will be compatible.
Just check you have same mounting :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Elan-He ... 41737aae3c

Colin would you please check those photos ? .

Pascal

[madbilly]

I don't think I have the same lamps as those. On the front they say CIBIE on them, wth 0488047 underneath. The back appears to have a black plastic mounting ring round the outside, then the back of the lamp itself is white with a red 'brick' coloured rubber housing around the wiring connections, into which a black plastic shroud fits around the wires. I can't find a picture on the forum that already matches what I have so I'll put the pics on tonight when I get home.

[Bolsom]

Hi Pascal,

Yes they look the same as my French (Yellow) dip lights. The part no for the light units is A100M6091F.
I bought them on this site about 10 years ago. Someone from Belgium perhaps - my memory is not what it was.
My original units are Cibie/Valeo 088046.

Will,
Yes the roads are great compared to the UK. Every time I go back I grow horns. So many cars and so many selfish drivers.

Colin

[Pascal]

Will,

i asked infos to my bank who is also in charge of my insurances.
Here is their answer, sorry, a quick translation using goggle translation tool, slightly corrected.
i think you will have to open a french bank account very early, i suggest that you ask before about the insurances they may offer.
prices can vary to double.
In France, it is more and more common to group services in the bank, this can save money :
credit card + insurances + home alarm ...

contact and compare banks, mine is CIC but they have different names depending the area. I am satisfied here in the North.

bank :
" Yes already been the case.
We can insure a foreign vehicle in france and an English can continue to insure his vehicle in England if his insurer is ok.
The registration plate does not matter. Just at our level to describe the type of registration (foreign, normal ....)
What is important is the Tax residence. If moving (to France) means resident for tax purposes in France, then no choice, must insure in france.
If this is a " second home" ... het does what it wants. "

Oui déjà eu le cas. On peut assurer un véhicule étranger sur le sol français et un anglais peut continuer d’assurer son véhicule en Angleterre si l’assureur est ok.
La plaque n’a pas d’importance. Il suffit à notre niveau de renseigner le type d’immat (étrangère, normale ….)
Ce qui est important c’est la résidence Fiscale. Si s’installer signifie résider fiscalement en France pas le choix, faut assurer sur le sol français
Si c’est de la résidence secondaire….il fait ce qu’il veut.

Pascal

[Pascal]

about Cibié lights : i found one on E Bay in Austria, by chance last year.
check every second day on eBay continental europe, don't use the automatic eBay search, it does not work properly.

Pascal

[madbilly]

Hi Pascal, and Colin,

Thanks for all your help re the lights and insurance/registration. I didn't have chance to post my pics last night, I will hopefully have chance tonight.

Will

[GeoffSmith]

I've got some LHD heaters if you need them.....

[madbilly]

Thanks Geoff, I think I will, to go with my skyhook and left handed screwdriver after all I don't want to get get cold just because I'll be driving on the wrong side of the road.

[madbilly]

Okay here are my lamps:

Three have a totally white back:

2013-05-22-933.jpg

One appears to be black but the front doesn't look different from the same lamp on the other side:

2013-05-22-935.jpg

Here are the fronts:

2013-05-22-938.jpg

And thinking about it I may have got confused about which beams were dip and which main, as the outer lamps are 488046 almost like Colin's. So I think I need to find the -45 ending models.