English-speaking garage, SW coast of France?

[DocHoliday]

My Ducato-based MH has a mysterious problem that two separate mechanics in Spain were unable to diagnose. So I'm going to try again in France, but my French is not up to explaining complex symptoms and understanding technical terms. Looking for a garage where English is spoken. I'm south of Bordeaux at the moment, sticking fairly near the coast as I drive north.

 

[Hollyberry]

This is the best I can offer ---120 Kms east of Bordeaux but http://www.thegrapevine.fr lists companies where English is spoken.

 

[DocHoliday]

Thanks, Hollyberry. Not going near Perigord, but it may help someone else.
This looks like a good resource for all departements - will probably pick one from here:
http://www.englishspoken.info/mapsearch.php

 

[EssexBoy]

Bump for OP...

 

[sedge]

We knackered a wheel in the middle of an area we'd not visited before. Luckily Pete was able to re-inflate the tyre using the 12v pump supplied as no spare wheel is. Being a Fiat we looked at the 'Fiat CamperAssist' book and found the nearest such garage about 10km from where we were. Went there, they had an English speaker but we were sort of getting there with my French, the girl on the Service desk was really helpful. Now of course this wasn't covered by the CamperAssist, we knew this anyway - but it seemed the logical thing to do - and it was!

With our previous van, we've also used a small Motorhome dealer between Narbonne and Beziers to sort a solar problem, and a tyre place very near to it to fix a ruddy great bolt through a tyre causing a slow puncture. MoHo place guy had a bit of English, the tyre place didn't but it was rather obvious with that and the road wheel, what the prob was anyway.

Are you Fiat? Can one of us get our CamperAssist book out and tell you where? Or any other make, something similar?

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[DocHoliday]

Thanks, Jenny. Yes, Fiat Ducato. I think I may have that Assistance booklet, must take a look. The problem is not urgent, just a niggly thing that I'd like to get sorted in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Baldeagle7470]

Hi Docholiday,
Just picked up on this and may be worth a try,

Jordan's Auto Services,they are in Ambernac near Confolens.
I have no experience of them but their website says they do diagnostic,just maybe worth a call if you are not further north yet!!
06 58 11 49 44. Hope this may help,good luck.

 

[Frentchy]

If your near Langon we have an Auto electrician, or there is Narbonne accessories near Merignac Airport at Bordeaux.

 

[Baldeagle7470]

Hi Docholiday,
Just picked up on this and may be worth a try,

Jordan's Auto Services,they are in Ambernac near Confolens.
I have no experience of them but their website says they do diagnostic,just maybe worth a call if you are not further north yet!!
06 58 11 49 44. Hope this may help,good luck.

Just bumping this as hoping you haven't gone too far north yet!!

 

[DocHoliday]

Spent all day yesterday at a Fiat dealers in Vallenave D'Ornon, just south of Bordeaux. Not much English spoken but they did their best and remedied the cause of the engine noise I was experiencing on cold start up. I had a new cambelt and tensioner fitted about 3000 miles ago and evidently it wasn't done right because the Fiat garage found that the tensioner wasn't working properly. At least that's what I could gather via Google translate. All had to be removed and refitted. Labour rates are 100 Eur/hr and I came away with a bill for £200, but that's a lot better than a blown engine!

The cambelt kit was Gates and the mechanic who did the original job was very experienced with commercial vehicles, but it seems you can never be too careful.

The other thing to sort out is a noise related to front wheel rotation. After visiting Frenchy and getting his input, I've decided it must be caused by the brake pads rubbing against a small lip on the outside edge of the disks. Haven't decided yet whether to grind the lip off or fit new disks - they aren't very old.

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[DocHoliday]

After many months, going to no less than four garages, the front wheel problem has just been fixed. It was the offside wheel bearing, becoming noisy when it was offloaded i.e. turning right.

So, if you have front wheel noise, never assume it's one side or the other - noise travels.