Taking RS6 to continent this summer

[Moonmonkey831]

Hi all,

Well we've just booked a holiday and am looking at driving to France (french border with Switzerland area).

I've not driven in mainland Europe for a very long time, so am looking forward to it - however was wondering if there were any obvious tips (especially with an RS6). Couple of questions:


- I think the MMI can convert the headlights - so no conversion required?
- A know a GB Sticker is needed - do you think worth getting EU reg plates or just whack a Sticker on (but then looks a bit crap)?
- The car is 6 months old - so has Audi Roadside - does that cover Europe as can't find anything obvious that says it does or it doesn't?
- Going on the Eurotunnel - is the width/height ok on the normal booking - is it pretty narrow and do i need to watch the alloys more than normal?
- Is RON 98+ petrol widespread?
- I think i also need high vis vests (and its looks like a breathalyser isn't yet necessarily law or enforceable by a fine)
- Need to check NFU insurance to see if mainland Europe is covered (as i think sometimes its just Third party)


Thanks in advance!

[MikeFish]

You can manually switch your headlights using MMI but it should switch automatically as the sat nav knows you are in europe.

Personally I always buy GB plates just in case as they look better than a Sticker... Still not driven to Europe though.

[doodlebug]

Yep, swap lights and you’re all set. Assume you’ve got a passenger for tolls? Tag available for France which is handy.

One thing to consider, if you get a flat you’re not going to get a new tyre straight away. Not a problem, but having had the experience, it’s a right ball ache!

[LukasPukas]

I have done it a couple of times, all the technology makes it easy.

Make sure you have all the stuff for driving in France - breathalyzer, day glow jackets, etc. You can buy a kit on Amazon for 20 quid, but they are happy to give you a hefty fine if you forget!

[Scotty C]

Hi all,

Well we've just booked a holiday and am looking at driving to France (french border with Switzerland area).

I've not driven in mainland Europe for a very long time, so am looking forward to it - however was wondering if there were any obvious tips (especially with an RS6). Couple of questions:


- I think the MMI can convert the headlights - so no conversion required?
- A know a GB Sticker is needed - do you think worth getting EU reg plates or just whack a Sticker on (but then looks a bit crap)?
- The car is 6 months old - so has Audi Roadside - does that cover Europe as can't find anything obvious that says it does or it doesn't?
- Going on the Eurotunnel - is the width/height ok on the normal booking - is it pretty narrow and do i need to watch the alloys more than normal?
- Is RON 98+ petrol widespread?
- I think i also need high vis vests (and its looks like a breathalyser isn't yet necessarily law or enforceable by a fine)
- Need to check NFU insurance to see if mainland Europe is covered (as i think sometimes its just Third party)


Thanks in advance!

- MMI can convert headlights - not aware if Sat Nav definitely picks this up - tried it once and it never worked.
- Never had EU plates or used a GB Sticker - doesn't mean it's right but I've not had a problem to date,
- Audi Assist will cover you in Europe no problem so no need for AA European cover
- Definitely book a high vehicle (over 1.85m) for Eurotunnel and you get a much wider track carriage saving your alloys from being damaged.
- 98+ Ron is widely available - especially at Shell (99 i think from memory)
- High Vis is compulsory as, i thought, is a breathalyser,
- NFU insurance will be fine - I am with them and no change to cover.

I drive through Europe twice a year - am sure you'll be fine. Good luck and enjoy it.Much nicer than the roads here.

[doodlebug]

Breathalyser is not mandatory, don’t bother with that. Hi-vis for all passengers is a must though.

Nav is fine.

[Scotty C]

Breathalyser is not mandatory, don’t bother with that. Hi-vis for all passengers is a must though.

Nav is fine.

My mistake - i was lead to believe the time changed from the Sat Nav GPS location, which didn’t work, not the lights. Will try that next time

[Moonmonkey831]

Thanks all, appreciate the response

Cheers!


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[mikeyw]

I think most of the replies have you covered here - have taken ours on the tunnel and can say that the standard carriages are tight on the wheels!!! If you can book the high vehicle option then that will save you the sweat of curbing!

The RS6 on the French roads is bliss, but lots of cameras - where there is a warning for one, there WILL be one. We use WAZE and it has saved us many times and this will also help pick up on the mobile units too. They do pull over British cars i'm sorry to say!!!!!!

[Moonmonkey831]

Thanks Mike,

Have booked for a vehicle over 1.85m in height, the cost was the same from what I could see. How stringent are they on you getting your exact train as the cost difference for flexible was significant?

I use waze as the default so good to know it works well and I’ve also ordered a tag as eurotunnel had an offer where you saved €10





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[Scotty C]

They are usually quite good about it. If there is a train either side they will offer you the chance to pay a little, to nothing, extra. However, once I turned up 4 hours early and they wanted nearly the full price to travel earlier... I reluctantly paid it as had been driving for 10 hours and wanted to get home.

[mikeyw]

Thanks Mike,

Have booked for a vehicle over 1.85m in height, the cost was the same from what I could see. How stringent are they on you getting your exact train as the cost difference for flexible was significant?

I use waze as the default so good to know it works well and I’ve also ordered a tag as eurotunnel had an offer where you saved €10





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Ive never had an issue traveling on alternative trains but I have always been mindful when I know there are big price jumps at certain times, so have never pushed my luck. We have booked their priority tickets on occasion - they are always the same price but you can rock up and travel on the next train, so if you are not certain on your arrival time etc, and want to know you can just go then thats been pretty good. You board first too which means for a quick getaway too! Tag is a great idea - we have had one for some years now and for getting down to the south of france its brilliant. some of the queues at the tolls can be big at peak times. Plus it gives you free access to the A86 tunnel under paris which is a good option depending on your ultimate destination.

[TrysullRS]

Be very careful regarding speeding on the French autoroutes.

I was en route to Italy 3 weeks ago on a sunday evening, and they clocked me at 138mph!

I got an immediate 720 Euro fine and a 3 month driving ban in france. They wouldn't let me drive the car, so I had to arrange for a driver to drive my car to the Italian border, and take over from there.

They also confiscated my license, but I was lucky because I conned them into accepting my paper counterpart which I still have. It actually turned up in the post at home yesterday.

Had to come back via Switzerland, Germany and Holland and get the Rotterdam to Hull ferry back as I couldn't drive into France to get the tunnel!

Luckily my ban will be complete by the time we go on our summer holidays to Spain later this year!

[Scotty C]

Wow... that sounds vicious. Glad I'm taking my Land Rover Defender in August now... it barely gets to 80mph, and that's down hill with a tail wind !

[Moonmonkey831]

Thanks for the heads up - sounds very direct punishment!

I will have the whole family (including kids in the car) so i'll be being more careful anyhow - my 2 year old shouts at me when he hears the 90mph speed notification beep - its like having a backup warning!