Crunch, Grind, There Go the Wheel Bearings, Rochechinard
Zagan the motorhome’s perched beneath the ruined Château de Rochebinard, which is itself impressively perched on a spike of rock above us. We’re in the car park for a small church, which has a wonderful view out over the western edge of the Vercors mountain range (N45.03139, E5.24618).
It’s a freebie spot, which we found on park4night. We picked it from all the other places as it was peppered with 5* reviews, and we can see why. We’re alone up here, with just the sound of birds and a snoring dog. As you can tell from the title, we’ve had a bit of van trouble, so are really enjoying being sat up here, relaxed, surrounded by green.
Parked by a small church near Rochechinard
“I can hear something”, I finally said aloud to Ju, having been able to make out a noise for a while through my open window as we drove. I squinted, as though that would help me hear better. We’d left Hauterives, home of the Palais Idéal, and the way in which we gleefully departed the aire may have invited the wrath of the gods, as the noise grew a fraction louder and more insistent with each corner taken.
The construction traffic in the aire had woken us at 7am, after stopping work at 6pm, and we were a tad peeved at being charged €7.50 to stay in a building site. But wait, what is this we see as we approach the exit? A service gate’s had the height barrier removed for all those massive trucks full of tarmac? Woo hoo! We were out, scot-free, free as birds!!! Until the **crunch**, **grind** started down the road…
The road was winding through some low hills and orchards, so we had to keep going a while to find somewhere safe to go have a look. Peeking about under the van and in the bonnet, nothing, and when we set off again the noise disappeared, as though willed out of existence. I’d other things on my mind too, as the upcoming challenge of running up the Gorges du Nan was making me frankly cranky, and as soon as we pulled into the parking space in Cognin-les-Gorges (N45.17067, E5.41251), I was changed and off up the hill.
Free mixed parking in Cognin-les-Gorges
The Gorges du Nan, Vercors, France
Back at the van, we plotted satnav to come here where we’re parked tonight, but the noise was back, and it said otherwise. Pulling over again, another fruitless inspection took place but we knew something was amiss. At this point we could have called out ADAC or even the AA (as we’ve ended up having two sets of breakdown cover…) but no, that would be no fun, we’d sort it ourselves!
Pulling out the TomTom, a few screen prods into the ‘Help Me’ section revealed a garage a few km up the road. Noise now coming and going, we drove as slowly as we dared to find a large orchard where the mechanic should be. The next garage selected turned out to actually exist. A helpful fella came over for a look, explaining he was the paint man, and the mechanic wasn’t there. After a quick inspection he guessed at les freins (the brakes) or les roulements de roue (the wheel bearings), called another garage up the road to tell them we were coming and gave us the address. That was Garage #1 (I’m not counting the orchard).
Garage #2 were a helpful, friendly bunch, asking us to drive the van into the garage, jacking the front left wheel up, and re-producing the nasty noise by slowly spinning the wheel. Confirmation: it’s the roulements. They’re busy, and suggest we head to the Fiat main dealer in Romans-sur-Isère. The bill? Nothing. We smile, shake hands, and crunch and grind our way to a nearby car park to decide what to do, as it’s now late afternoon.
Garage #2
Mucking about in Garage #2. We’ve seen the inside of a fair few French garages over the years, and we knew it’d get fixed sooner or later, so we had a bit of craic, what the hell.
We opt for a night by the steel-grey Isère at a new aire in St Lattier (N45.08571, E5.18658), head over there, and get a reasonable night’s kip despite aching legs and lorries driving past half the night.
Sleeping by the misty Isère
This morning, Garage #3, the Fiat dealer. Pulling in, we found ourselves walking out much more quickly than we expected? Why? Was the price too high? The part not available? Nah, we didn’t even get that far. We asked when they could look at it, making it clear we could wait a few days if necessary, the chap flatly refused to look at it, ever. He was down on mechanics and completely overwhelmed from the looks of him. His receptionist sensed our disappointment and when we asked if there might be another garage who could help, she called the Fiat dealer in Valence, the next big town. 12 days, came the reply, that’s the earliest they can even look at it. We thanked them and wandered off, a bit dazed.
Outside, the choice of calling ADAC to come rescue us was put off by Ju’s suggestion we try a garage we could see down the road. Cue Garage #4. These guys, a smaller outfit but big enough to get the van in, sorted us out. After a quick call to Norman at our garage back home for help finding the right part number (we know how tricky this is from trying to source our front springs), we were quoted €300 and told they’d have it done that afternoon. Which they did. After arriving at 10am, a McDonalds down the road hosted us for a VERY stretched out 2 hour lunch while the garage was closed, and the rest of the time was spent reading in reception or forays to the nearby Lidl. Come 4pm they (a bit weirdly) sent us both off for a test drive (without paying, and with no form of ID or anything else left), charged us the €300 they said they would, and off we toddled up a hill to here.
Garage #4. Good guys, very helpful, incredibly trusting.
Cue loads of ‘Fix It Again Tomorrow’ wise-cracks (yes Phil, I’m looking at you, Mercedes poster boy)! Our Fiats have put up with some serious hammer, and given how much we bought ’em for, they’ve been great work horses for us.
So yeah, that’s it. We could have called the breakdown guys, and would have if Garage #4 couldn’t help, as the noise was getting to a silly stage by that point. But it worked out fine, no drama, and a bit of a laugh trying to communicate with a combination of schoolboy(/girl) French and Google Translate. All’s good and we’re back on track, heading into the cliffs and forests of the Vercors, currently framed by our windows.
Cheers, Jay
P.S. Zagan’s done just shy of 73,000 miles now. My guess is the bearings were originals, as we have no receipts for replacements.
A motorhome road trip just isn’t complete without a trip to a garage! If it makes you feel any better, our old van,Kampington, needed a new fuel injector in Sweden last year. Ouch!
https://dossersdiary.com/2017/07/07/money-money-money/
(the build-up to arrival at the garage is in the previous posts. We’re very lucky that we’re not skeletons in a forest clearing somewhere in the wilds of the far north 😱).
I’m sure other readers have some impressive tales of mechanical woe they could share? All part of the experience (once the van’s fixed and back on the road of course). Glad you got Zagan fixed without too much delay.
By ‘eck! Ouch indeed!!! We were very grateful the bearing didn’t go (a) in Norway (or Sweden having read your blog) or (b) up a mountain somewhere! Neither of us were too bothered, once we got somewhere to do it. The clutch a few years back took pretty much a full week in a hotel, so anything less than that is a bonus!
Yeah everyone, give us your tales of breakdown shenanigans! What bit of your van have you found yourself suddenly more interested in after it fell off/started making a rancid noise/conked out? Tell all!
Cheers, Jay
We can also contribute the time the poo pipe (complete with its housing), needed to empty the built-in black (toilet) tank on our rental van, fell off the bottom of the van in the middle of California’s Highway One….. Luckily no accident resulted and we did manage to get it back before someone ran over it 😱This motorhoming lark ain’t all glamour!
https://dossersdiary.com/2017/01/05/california-coast-part-1/
We were in the same wheel bearing boat last week. We had an increasingly whiny few days in Sweden (it, not us) before admitting defeat and starting the usual game of goldilocks garage roulette in Ostersund. We were too big for the first one, too small for the truck garage, but Meca+ sorted us out the next day. Cost almost £400 for one bearing though. Most jealous of your price for both! Ours is a big B774 4.5 tonne fatty, so I’m going to assume for my own sanity, that there’s some enormous bearing required that explains the cost rather than a 50% tourist markup!
Don’t be jealous Alec, we only got one wheel done for €300, but there were two bearings in it. The guy at the garage said it should be around €500, but my French is bad so I have no idea why we got it cheaper!
Hi you guys
Always a concern. Our Renault Master is 10years old. I replaced the cam belt 5 years ago and by my reckoning it’s due another in 2019. Thing is do I replace before or after next years trip!!!
Now that makes a nasty noise if it goes.
John and Susan
Hi, feeling a bit envious of your having found a reasonable garage here in France where we are retired. We had sold Hettie the Hymer but lost the sale since the chassis number was wrong on the carte grise-now sorted. And she is 5 years old & only done 7500 miles BUT needs a cambelt change & très difficile to find anyone to take it on. Need to learn from you patience & persistence & remain impressed with your courage.❤❤❤