Hello folk!
I have been lurking a little on your forum but today have a little Puck with a big problem. The wheel fell off and Puck tipped over outside of Montpellier on Easter Sunday. Lucky we were not on the motorway but we now have a problem that we need repairs to a 1978 Puck. The door will not open, we need new hinges and a side light, and wheel nuts. I think we can get repairs Tuesday in Montpellier. I wonder if anyone has any advice for fixing, in particular opening the door without breaking it completely. Also, if you are driving today, check your nuts!

Hi Sorry to hear of your problem, we are in the Charente so a little too far away, good luck and hope all is well

It's just possible that you could lift the door upwards off its hinges without having to open it more than a couple of inches. Worth a try ?

Thank you for your help! A friendly local family stopped and helped and invited us to lunch! We will stay close to Montpellier and try these mechanics on Tuesday. I think we can lift off the door but will wait till we are settled in case we can't put it back on.

Bet you're glad to have bought that torque wrench now aren't you, Roger? By the way, has she tried it out yet?

Oh dear sorry to hear your mishap. I hope it gets sorted soon. Good luck.

Ohh dear so sorry for your mishap. Is there any chance that the knock may have put it out of alignment that a bit of pressure or uneven jacking May level it to shape so you could get the door open. Good luck I hope it's not to long for you to sort out. Think I had better add torque wrench to my list!

It seems some of the wheel bolt holes lost their thread (?) I'm not a very mechanical person, and unfortunately neither is my husband. We need to get that fixed and get a new lock and new hinges for the door. The towing arm is slightly bent as well. We are between Nimes and Montpellier so we will try both service centres when they open Tuesday.
We are so thankful that it happened on a suburban road at 40kmh rather than the motorway that we were about to turn onto. A local who was out to buy bread for easter lunch stopped and then returned with his toolkit and then invited us home for a coffee and then insisted we stay for easter lunch with his family. Our 3 year old was over the moon with other kids to play with. The kindness of strangers!
Thanks Randa for your research. Dare I ask, what is a torque wrench?

What is a torque wrench
it is a mechanical device that is preset to ensure
nuts and bolts are done up to their maximum tightness
without breaking them. Used on cylinder heads and wheel nuts

Quote: Randa france wrote in post #12

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What are the benefits of wheel bolts as opposed to the original method of wheel nuts on fixed studs?

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Thanks to these of you who are following our plight. Montpellier was a bust- they don't do caravans at all just camper cars. We've found a lovely repair shop in Nimes who are being very helpful. We do need to replace the drum of one wheel, but they don't know where to source door parts for an eriba, they think we can only get them in Germany. I'm going to check other threads on this forum for suppliers, but does anyone reading have a European source? We need hinges and a lock or a whole new door if that proves easier. It's for a puck 1987. (I got the age wrong before).