Member Since: 08 Feb 2010
Location: Gorinchem
Posts: 199
Paris and D3's do not match
We did a four day trip to France. 2 days Euro Disney and 2 days Paris.
The D3 being an excellent long distance traveller, seemed to be the obvious choice of transport. But going into Paris with a D3 turned out not to be a clever thing.
I was navigating from parking garage to parking garage only to find out that, although they had plenty free spaces, access height was limited to 1.90 meters for all of them.
To make it worse they don't put the access height signs at the entrance, but there where you have already descended through a small cornered corridor. Difficult to reverse out by itself but a real pain when some impatient French have cued up behind you. At some point a police lady even ordered me to move forward when I tried to reverse out with a cue behind me. It took a while to explain that that was not an option (unfortunately my French is limited to just a few words).
Not being able to enter any parking garage means you have to search for an empty parking spot on the street. These are very hard to find. On top of that, the parking machines only allow you to pay for a maximum of two hours. That leaves not much time for visiting a tourist attraction.
The final setback came just before we left. Somebody had reversed his tow hook into my front license plate and left without a trace.
My advice: If you want to go to Paris: take the train or your wife's 20 year old Toyota Starlet for that matter.
Bernd
9th Jul 2011 10:05 pm
crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
You should try Florence! Did you have a roof rack or the sun roof open? Although it's tight, my Disco fits into 1.90 meters on access height?
Wouldn't recommend parking on the street. Walk round Paris and you will be amazed at the stunts Parisians pull off when parking. They use the touch parking method where you drive into a space until ypou touch the car in front. You then reverse until you touch the car behind. Parisians often leave their handbrakes off to limit the damage caused by other parkers. Not the place to take your pride 7 joy.http://www.flickr.com/photos/8851994@N05/sets/
9th Jul 2011 11:24 pm
berndv
Member Since: 08 Feb 2010
Location: Gorinchem
Posts: 199
According to the info on the sun visor, the car is 1.97 on access height, antenna included. Taking the risk of trying didn't seem a good idea with a cue of honking French on my back.
i knew about the Parisian's parking habits and also witnessed it on the streets. And obviously this also caused the damaged license plate. But I couldn't find an alternative
10th Jul 2011 7:30 am
Mike767
Member Since: 15 Oct 2008
Location: Congleton, Cheshire.
Posts: 138
Took the D3 tank around the Arc de Triomphe a few years ago. Adopted a certain mindset and the little Renaults and Citroens didn't try anything on.
10th Jul 2011 7:57 am
DiscoDunc
Member Since: 08 May 2006
Location: Bristol
Posts: 16390
try it when towing a Sankey trailer and you have right of way everywhere Duncan
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10th Jul 2011 8:55 am
TwelveSticks
Member Since: 16 Jan 2010
Location: Dublin
Posts: 798
Its not just Paris either... the 'don't put a height restriction sign up until its too late' thing happened to me in Rennes as well, though it was in pre-D3 days in a normal saloon car with a roof box on. But at least there was an escape route through a goods delivery area...2001 D2 GS (I must be mad!)
2005 D3 S 10-12 (gone and missed)
10th Jul 2011 8:56 am
crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
berndv wrote:
According to the info on the sun visor, the car is 1.97 on access height, antenna included.
Mine says something like that too... but your manual says something different!
I was confused by this conflicting info and actually went out with a flat stick and measured my D3, (I've also done this with the new D4 as well). In both cases the manual is almost exactly spot on, even including the little antenna or roof rails.
Click image to enlarge
10th Jul 2011 9:44 am
jm-lec
Member Since: 08 Mar 2007
Location: Paris area
Posts: 55
Hello Berndv.
Living in Paris area, I have no problem to park in these 1,90 m high underground parking places. I have no antenna.
While driving in Paris is thinking in these two major rules.
1- Forget the traffic around you and look always in front of you.
2- When necessary look on your right side for the incoming traffic.
The D3 is very easy to drive in these conditions in Paris.
Good advice We drive down to st Raphael every year (south of France ) and that's how we drive , The car parks are generous , they can afford the room 2m2008 ,hse, it does what it says .
10th Jul 2011 6:14 pm
andychelt
Member Since: 24 Mar 2008
Location: Cheltenham
Posts: 344
I had no trouble with Paris last year, size and height were useful for the Paris traffic and then parked up in the underground parking under Forum Des Halles? and left it there for the couple of days I was there
12th Jul 2011 10:59 pm
berndv
Member Since: 08 Feb 2010
Location: Gorinchem
Posts: 199
The dimensions on the sun visor and the manual don't really match, do they?
The sun visor says 1.97m with antenna and 1.92m without. Looking at the icon I assume this means at access heigt. This is very different from the info crews control posted which says 1.89m at standard height
The parking garage should have a margin but you never know.
If I hadn't had impatient kids in the back and honking Parisians on my bumper, I might have tried. But in the given situation I took the info in front of me (sun visor and parking garage signs) for granted
13th Jul 2011 8:00 pm
crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
Because I'm regularly travelling and parking in strange places, I actually went out and measured the car to get the definitive figures. On both the D3 & D4 the manual was almost spot-on. I now treat 1.9m (6'3") as my personal minimum, although in theory the D4 which does have the little arial and roof rails should fit into 1.85m (6'1"). Probably too tight for comfort though!
Thing's I've learned to look out for are: an open sunroof which adds quite a bit of height, going fast enough to make the car bounce and the angles at the bottom of ramps! If the ramps are steep, you gain a lot of height when the car drives off the ramp before the rear wheels have got to the bottom...
exaggerated...
And yes... the sun visor info leaves a lot for safety? Maybe the graphic actually gives the two figures for both offroad height and access height with the sunroof open and antenna... ie exactly as drawn?
13th Jul 2011 8:51 pm
berndv
Member Since: 08 Feb 2010
Location: Gorinchem
Posts: 199
I wanted to know for myself so I took a tape measure and went out as well.
I came to almost exact 1.90cm in access height including the 6.5cm high antenna.
This indeed complies almost exactly with the 1.837cm without antenna as stated in the manual.
So it should be possible to enter a 1.90 parking garage but it leaves no room for error and one should hope there is a little safety margin in the parking garage's given height as well.
I probably would only try if there were not too big a queue behind me and I had somebody watching from outside the car.
15th Jul 2011 8:21 am
crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
1.9m in access !!! yours is 5cm taller than mine
Maybe I need to pump my tyres up a bit!
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