Ahhh the delights of a simple mind, when I thought we had the T4 licked I hadn't realised how much we really were in the thrall of technology. Much messing in the Greasy Garage failed to get the t4 to play. Time to phone around a bit...
Most diesels, like most petrol's, will run pretty much OK so long as you have the settings roughly right. Not so T4 diesels. There are 360 degrees in a circle; chose any one of 359 of them and your T4's brain will sulk and stop the engine. There is only the one the T4 will accept and to find that one you need to lock the engine solid in a certain position whilst using the vernier gauge to find the right point. on the scale to set the fuel pump.
This of course requires special tools of vast cost and only a VW computer can tell the engine management that it has had a new belt, not to panic and that it's safe to start again.
I suspect though that this has been a developing fault the van has been transformed. It lives at 70 MPH as if that was it's absolute home, it does this in an absence of din which is quite remarkable for a van. Now it's not C5 silent but it is pretty good nonetheless.
It came home today with an unfeasible amount of wine in the back and still it dealt with the M5 and 4 at a rock steady 70. Neither did it dig deep into the 50 L of diesel I put into it yesterday, lots of which I still have left, which, since the van has covered 250 miles since is pretty good.
The trip itself was not one of our best, braving the driving wind and rain on Friday we made Plynouth with a bit to spare. Opting to eat on the ferry we had an indifferent meal then spent a not totally uncomfortable night on the deck with no cabins being available.
The morning was a welcome to a world of rain and shopping. A decent meal at lunchtime was spoilt by a load of arrogant expats, who have been living over there for ten years and don't need to learn French as "they all speak English". We enjoyed an interesting conversation with le patron, en francais, naturalment.
More afternoon shopping and into Roscoff waiting for the restaurant to open. Not a good idea the restaurant is not one we have used recently, and we soon remembered why.
It wasn't a bad meal - it wasn't brilliant either.
The student of course got to taste it twice. The trip back one of the roughest we have had in a while.
Overall as weekends away go, it's been a bit of a damp squib.
But at least the van is OK.
Still our time could have been worse, as I drove on to the ferry I noticed a big old horsebox like one of the local ones I help keep on the road with my stock of spares.
In fact, it was more than "like", the very first people we saw in the bar were it's owners.
We got chatting and catching up, they had been off to Spain for 3 months. They had been stuck in Brittany for a week while their dog's rabies status had been sorted. On their way to the ferry they had been stopped by the French customs. For a laugh, he told the French customs his occupation was "drug dealer" he said how the customs guy could not have cared less.
Thinking about this I had a baaaad feeling about this at the time. I know someone else who joked with customs and spent a lot of hours in a shed having their car pulled apart.
Anyway off the ferry we trotted this morning, into immigration and it was quite odd really, the nice chap asked if we had far to go then seemed to tense when we said where we were headed. Then, round the corner and unusually the customs were there, and in some force too.
They were not interested in us, they seemed to be waiting another vehicle. As it happens our mates had been not far behind us in immigration so we stopped outside the perimeter to have a chat. 10 minutes later lots of cars had gone through, but they had not, wonder what happened....
R
Most diesels, like most petrol's, will run pretty much OK so long as you have the settings roughly right. Not so T4 diesels. There are 360 degrees in a circle; chose any one of 359 of them and your T4's brain will sulk and stop the engine. There is only the one the T4 will accept and to find that one you need to lock the engine solid in a certain position whilst using the vernier gauge to find the right point. on the scale to set the fuel pump.
This of course requires special tools of vast cost and only a VW computer can tell the engine management that it has had a new belt, not to panic and that it's safe to start again.
I suspect though that this has been a developing fault the van has been transformed. It lives at 70 MPH as if that was it's absolute home, it does this in an absence of din which is quite remarkable for a van. Now it's not C5 silent but it is pretty good nonetheless.
It came home today with an unfeasible amount of wine in the back and still it dealt with the M5 and 4 at a rock steady 70. Neither did it dig deep into the 50 L of diesel I put into it yesterday, lots of which I still have left, which, since the van has covered 250 miles since is pretty good.
The trip itself was not one of our best, braving the driving wind and rain on Friday we made Plynouth with a bit to spare. Opting to eat on the ferry we had an indifferent meal then spent a not totally uncomfortable night on the deck with no cabins being available.
The morning was a welcome to a world of rain and shopping. A decent meal at lunchtime was spoilt by a load of arrogant expats, who have been living over there for ten years and don't need to learn French as "they all speak English". We enjoyed an interesting conversation with le patron, en francais, naturalment.
More afternoon shopping and into Roscoff waiting for the restaurant to open. Not a good idea the restaurant is not one we have used recently, and we soon remembered why.
It wasn't a bad meal - it wasn't brilliant either.
The student of course got to taste it twice. The trip back one of the roughest we have had in a while.
Overall as weekends away go, it's been a bit of a damp squib.
But at least the van is OK.
Still our time could have been worse, as I drove on to the ferry I noticed a big old horsebox like one of the local ones I help keep on the road with my stock of spares.
In fact, it was more than "like", the very first people we saw in the bar were it's owners.
We got chatting and catching up, they had been off to Spain for 3 months. They had been stuck in Brittany for a week while their dog's rabies status had been sorted. On their way to the ferry they had been stopped by the French customs. For a laugh, he told the French customs his occupation was "drug dealer" he said how the customs guy could not have cared less.
Thinking about this I had a baaaad feeling about this at the time. I know someone else who joked with customs and spent a lot of hours in a shed having their car pulled apart.
Anyway off the ferry we trotted this morning, into immigration and it was quite odd really, the nice chap asked if we had far to go then seemed to tense when we said where we were headed. Then, round the corner and unusually the customs were there, and in some force too.
They were not interested in us, they seemed to be waiting another vehicle. As it happens our mates had been not far behind us in immigration so we stopped outside the perimeter to have a chat. 10 minutes later lots of cars had gone through, but they had not, wonder what happened....
R
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1 comment:
glad you had a decent, if blustery trip....that will teach them to crack silly jokes.......!!
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