Carrying spare starter?

[AdrianC]

Well, over the last 40,000km or something on this trip, we've fitted...

- Fuel pump. Died on the road in Portugal, the local garage we rolled to a stop outside found and fitted one in less than two hours, at 5pm on a Friday.
- CV joint. Bought one through a local garage in France. Wrong part supplied, badly fitted. Long story ended up with those wonderful pair in Sarran having lodgers for a week and a half.
- Speedo cable, three more CV joints, front pads, rear brake shoe retainers. Bought over web from specialist supplier in France, and fitted in Sarran.
- Drive flange oil seal. Bought over web from same supplier, because one was found to be missing...
- Stainless exhaust. Bought from BW, delivered to Sicily.
- Four new tyres. Bought from local supplier to Sarran.
- Second-hand wheel. Bought from Macedonian scrappy after wheelnuts came loose on very rough Albanian road.

We'll soon be fitting a new pair of rear springs and another CV (the oil seal-less one came loose, and all the grease escaped - it was the only one not renewed in Sarran), and a couple of cooling bits to sort a little drip. None's essential, although one spring lost a coil a couple of months ago.

Interior-wise, we've bought and fitted...
- Fridge elements. Bought from UK ebay, delivered to Sicily.
- Water pump. Bought from local Italian motorhome shop.
- Tap, fridge exhaust cover, electric flap. Bought from Gunzl, delivered to Sicily.

Some of that was "We're stationary, and it could do with doing". Some was roadside breakdown.

I don't think any of that lot was predictable, and if we carried everything that MIGHT have gone wrong, we'd have been WAY overloaded, and the vast majority would be unused. We met a biker at one campsite who'd just spent a fortnight waiting for a fuel pump for a near-new Triumph...

Carry more, you've just got more weight and less space - and Sod's Law says you still won't have the bit you need.