HOLIDAY MOTORING HASSLES - GETTING ROUND HOLIDAY HASSLES

1) Locked out in Europe: Alongside overheated engines, punctured tyres and flat batteries, lost keys is one of the most common causes of a breakdown for motoring holidaymakers on the Continent. Sophisticated security systems which require keys with exclusive transponder chips and rolling-coded 'plippers' may be impossible to bypass without the right spare key.

Finding a friend or a relative to get into the car owner's home to retrieve the spare or master key, and then arranging for it to be sent to the right destination, can be an organisational nightmare.

Good advice: Take the spare key on holiday but keep it separate from the main key. Consider having another spare cut and keep it at home. If you have friends or relatives checking the home while you're away, you may wish to let them know where the extra spare is. Alternatively, place the extra spare somewhere safe but accessible - not locked away - where it can be retrieved in an emergency. Never take the master key, usually a different colour to the main keys, on holiday: without it, car dealers are unable to cut and programme a spare. A lost master key may mean the complete replacement of the car's security system, costing hundreds of pounds.



2) No-go glitch at the rental pick-up: Holders of new photo driving licences trying to collect hire cars have been left stranded. Without the “paper counterpart”, carried in a pocket-sized plastic folder that attaches to the driving licence, car rental companies are unable to check the hirer's driving record and are likely to refuse to release the vehicle, even if it was booked weeks ahead.



Car hire companies can check driver details, such as convictions and endorsements, by calling the Driver and V...