Spare bulb kits

[Fatso]

I'm planning to take my car to Europe for a holiday at some point. I've been looking for the things I'll need to meet the legal requirements in the other countries I'll be driving in and am having a bit of trouble with the bulb kits which all seem to be for halogen bulbs.

 

As my Superb has Xenons, and LEDs at the back, is there a specific spare bulb kit I can buy?

 

Any other hints and tips for taking my car abroad are welcome.

[freelunch]

If you go on the AA's or RAC's website, they offer travel advice for each European country. Halford's, Amazon or eBay can keep you legal. A warning triangle, first aid kit, 2 x breathalyzers for France, a day-glo safety vest for each passenger kept within the passenger area, a GB sticker if not already on your plate are the ones I can remember off the top of my head, dunno what I've forgotten.

 

Some countries require a road tax sticker for using motorways (Austria, Switzerland).

 

The bulb kits don't offer Xenon replacements, as they're about £100 each and are not expected to burn out for 5(?) years. Just buy a generic replacement kit for your car model and that will cover the legal requirement.

 

Have a nice trip!

[BillyJim]

The technicalities of the laws in many European countries, such as France and Germany, is that you have a spare bulb if you are stopped because a bulb has blown. It is not the law that you must carry spare bulbs, per se.

If you have the misfortune of being stopped for a blown bulb and you can show you have a spare, you will not be expected to replace it there and then but rather at your earliest safe and convenient opportunity.

Being able to show you have a spare bulb is basically a 'get out of jail free' card to avoid an on-the-spot fine for a defective light.

 

This is archaic legislation dating back to when all bulbs were incandescent filament with short life spans.

Don't worry about LED and Xenon bulbs. These are highly unlikely to 'blow' but if they do it's often a major job to replace them anyway.

Unless you've already changed them for LED equivalents you really only need a spare (rear) indicator, reversing, index plate and fog light bulb.

These days you're more likely to blow a fuse than a bulb, so ideally carry a few of them.

 

I have a really old spare bulb kit that's been transferred every time I've changed my car. It serves the sole purpose of being something to point at to avoid a spot fine if I ever have the misfortune to have a blown bulb and be stopped for it.

 

Hints and tips have already been covered in other threads, but...

• You need a reflective vest for each passenger inside the car (the alcoves at the rear of each door storage compartment is intended for this purpose).
• A first aid kit in France and also a blanket (space blankets are acceptable) in Germany.
• A warning triangle is a requirement in most countries.
• Breathalysers are a legal requirement in France but there is no penalty for not having them. So why bother?
• Don't have camera icons displayed on your SatNav whilst driving. They're unlawful in France and Germany as well as some other countries. Radar/Laser detectors, jammers and other active devices are unlawful in most countries.
• You won't need beam deflectors. Xenons auto-adjust without you needing to do anything. You will need (optionally) to adjust the clock manually (just change the time zone to +1) and/or switch from imperial to metric measurements.
• Some town and city centres in France, Germany, Netherlands and Scandinavia have low-emission zones that require a (usually colour-coded) sticker in your windscreen. Check before you go. If you do require one then you can usually order online in advance but do it directly from an issuing authority as 'agents' will charge a ridiculous premium. The German sticker officially costs €5 but I've seen sites that charge 10 times that amount. Alternatively acquire one when you arrive. All you usually need is a copy of your V5. Cars on motorways that are only passing through these low-emmision zones do not require them.
• Documents: Driver Licence, Insurance Certificate and V5. European Health Card is highly recommended. I always take a couple of additional copies of the Insurance Certificate as in the hopefully unlikely event of being involved in a collision it's easier to give the other parties a copy without struggling through the language barrier.
• Technically you need a national identifier (a GB sticker or the official blue EU "GB" flash on your index plates - flags or names like England, Cymru, Scotia, etc, aren't official). That said, I've seen countless 'foreign' cars on the continent with no form of national identifiers displayed.
• I'd also take some minor medications with you, like ibuprofen, paracetamol, cold and stomach remedies - whilst these are cheaply available in virtually any outlet in the UK they are often only available from Chemists/Apothecaries in many European countries and can be expensive without a prescription.

 

If this is your first trip on the continent here are some things to be aware of on the road that are different than the UK...

• Right-before-left. This is actually quite uncommon and mostly found in residential areas away from the main roads. A yellow diamond road sign means you have right-of-way so right-before-left does not apply. If the yellow diamond is not present at the approach to a junction or it has a line through it then slow down and prepare to give way to traffic from the right.
• A town name sign is where the urban 50 kph speed limit applies unless otherwise indicated. The town name sign with a line crossing through it indicates you have exited the urban speed limit. In France the town name signs are white. In Germany the town name signs are yellow but some rural villages have a green sign which means it's simply a place name and the urban speed limit does not apply.
• Pedestrians and pedal cyclists have right-of-way when crossing at side junctions, but not to cross the main road unless it's at a signal-controlled pedestrian crossing. In that case, when turning right or left onto a main road, an additional single flashing amber light indicates you should be prepared to give way to pedestrians/cyclists crossing the main road (they will have a green signal) but you do not need to stop if nobody is crossing.
• When turning right at a traffic signal controlled junction look out for a green non-illuminated right arrow sign. This means you may turn right against a red light if it is safe to do so.
• Traffic lights may display a flashing amber (or simply turn off) when traffic is light, particularly at night. This means you should treat the crossing as a Give Way and proceed with caution.
• "Green wave". Although present in a few places in the UK they are far more common in continental cities. This is an illuminated white sign showing a speed. If you keep to the indicated speed the next traffic signal you encounter will be green when you reach it.

[freelunch]

@BillyJim Thanks for the reminder – I just applied for my German emission control sticker (Berlin €6).

[BillyJim]

5 hours ago, freelunch said:

I just applied for my German emission control sticker (Berlin €6).

Exactly where I obtained my first one for my Mk.II TDI, €1 for p&p.

For my 280 I popped into the local TüV centre with my V5 and €5 but the young lad struggled to find the model on the computer until the older assistant said "Don't bother looking, just give him a green one. It's a brand new car."

 

On the subject of hints and tips another item has come to mind for Germany - the parking clock.

Most time-restricted free car parks require this. You set it to show your time of arrival and place it in your windscreen.

These are available in any petrol station but there are also nefarious battery-powered versions that keep the clock running. 

[Fatso]

Thanks for the tips. I knew about the safety kit and stuff as I'm an RAC member and have had a look at their site.

 

@freelunch I didn't know I'd need a sticker to use Austrian motorways and that's one of my destinations, so thanks for that.

@BillyJim Thanks for that, very informative.

 

Are the low emissions sticker only valid in each city, or are they a national scheme? 

 

The parking time card's not really applicable to me as I have a disabled blue badge which is valid throughout the EU, subject to local regulations of course. (The nefarious battery-powered version sounds interesting though...  )

[dg360]

In some French cities you'll need a Crit’Air sticker.  Otherwise you may get a fine.

https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/

Edited 22 February, 2018 by john999boy
Updated hyperlink @ OP's request

[BillyJim]

2 hours ago, Fatso said:

1: Are the low emissions sticker only valid in each city, or are they a national scheme?

2: (The nefarious battery-powered version sounds interesting though...  )

1: National.

2: eBay.

 

[Penpusher]

18 hours ago, Fatso said:

 

@freelunch I didn't know I'd need a sticker to use Austrian motorways and that's one of my destinations, so thanks for that.

  

Austria also charges a toll for using some of its longer tunnels, though these are charged in toll booths as you use the tunnels.

 

BillyJim has given a very comprehensive answer that covers most points already.  I made my first trip abroad by car in 1971 when I drove to Switzerland and I have seen many charges to the rules and regulations since then.  As far as carrying spare bulbs, I take with me any I can find in the garage to show if I'm ever stopped, but so far nobody has ever checked this.

 

A few extra points are:-

• In Germany, check very carefully before you pull into the left-hand lane on a motorway in Germany as some cars can be coming up behind you at 150 mph or even more and they can be closing in very quickly if you're pulling out to pass a truck and you're going at 70-80 mph.
• Even if I've got Škoda's 3 year warranty, I take out additional cover that's not covered in the manufacturer's warranty.  For instance, SWMBO doesn't drive, so I make sure I've got cover if I'm suddenly unable to drive ie I break my arm or my leg.  Also, I make sure we can get help in the event of an accident that your standard insurance policy won't cover you for.  It may be a bit belt and braces, but I feel happier to have it.
• Germany is proposing to charge a toll on its motorways from 2019, so this may be the last year they will be free.
• Although SWMBO doesn't drive, I always get her to carry a spare key for the car in case I lose mine or it stops working.  It would be very expensive if you lost your key and the spare one was still at home.

Edited 21 February, 2018 by Penpusher

[daveo138]

Like Billyjim, I carry a couple of old bulb kits, which get moved from one car to another. 

 

Also, I always keep a few packs of paracetamol, ibuprofen and rennies in the centre armrest cubby, whether home or away. 

 

I did purchase a couple of French breathalysers, a few years back, but when they expired, I didn't bother to replace them. I did get brethalysed in France a couple of years ago, and the gendarme didn't ask if I had any. 

[Penpusher]

11 minutes ago, daveo138 said:

 

....I did purchase a couple of French breathalysers, a few years back, but when they expired, I didn't bother to replace them......

I also bought a couple of the French breathalysers a few years ago and I tried them after a couple of beers after they expired, but they didn't seem to do anything!

[vfrvrs]

Breathalyser is not a legal requirement, bulb kit are an impossibility on most modern cars, you wouldn't carry a rear light unit with LEDs or a front headlight Xenon kit.

The French air sticker thing is only around £4 from the official site so go there.

You may need a German one as well depending on the city. Again go to the official site. Be aware of scam sites.

Hi vis vest must be in the car and it makes sense too. First aid kit wants to be accessible. Triangle and how to use it , I have two.

V5 and insurance documents.

Select right hand traffic for your headlamps.

[bigjohn]

38 minutes ago, vfrvrs said:

 

The French air sticker thing is only around £4 from the official site so go there.

You may need a German one as well depending on the city. Again go to the official site. Be aware of scam sites.

Hi vis vest must be in the car and it makes sense too. First aid kit wants to be accessible. Triangle and how to use it , I have two.

 

 

German umvelt sticker site (genuine site - I've used it twice)

https://www.berlin.de/labo/mobilitaet/kfz-zulassung/feinstaubplakette/shop.86595.en.php

 

French air quality certificate site - I've used this as well

 

https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/

 

Re Hi vis - best to have one in the car for every person 

 

Be careful re Satnavs - especially older ones. You are allowed to have "zone de danger" but not specific locations of satnavs. This is now a serious offence so be careful. Turning off speed camera updates is not enough - you'll get done for just having them on your device. Most newer satnavs have "zone de danger"

 

Also - some countries do NOT allow dash cams due to their data protection laws (I think France is OK)

[EDIT]  Illegal in Austria and Luxembourg, also a bit of a nono in Germany and Switzerland

Edited 22 February, 2018 by bigjohn

[bigjohn]

On 20 February 2018 at 22:18, dg360 said:

In some French cities you'll need a Crit’Air sticker.  Otherwise you may get a fine.

<link now changed>

 

BEWARE the above link points to the more expensive site that have a much higher fee (in a similar way some web sites charge for the EHIC cards!). It does have some useful information though.

 

I've used the links on my previous post before and they are pretty cheap and point to English language sites

 

 

 

 

Edited 22 February, 2018 by john999boy
Quoted hyperlink removed so as not to cause confusion

[dg360]

27 minutes ago, bigjohn said:

 

BEWARE the above link points to the more expensive site that have a much higher fee (in a similar way some web sites charge for the EHIC cards!)

 

I've used the links on my previous post before and they are pretty cheap and point to English language sites

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks John

I can't edit my post now but I've reported it to the admin elves in the hope that they can update it.

[bigjohn]

2 minutes ago, dg360 said:

 

Thanks John

I can't edit my post now but I've reported it to the admin elves in the hope that they can update it.

 

Cheers, I've edited the copy on my post so it wont work as well

 

If you sign up to Freedom you can edit previous posts & post photos (&sell stuff)

 

Edited 22 February, 2018 by bigjohn

[john999boy]

Links updated. 

[dg360]

Thanks john999boy