Thread: Are 4WDs too high-tech for the bush?

And only started with a link in the net......
Do not blame Chucaro for this, I only opened the can........

Originally Posted by Gerokent

Now that's a crock. But even if they broke, a non mechanic had a chance of fixing it on the side of the road.

You mean - like the "mechanic" (tyre swapper) on the Gibb River Road - from the original TV post in this thread?

Originally Posted by Didge

More Still, it's less distressing I guess, to get home and see a dent or two and a bunch of extra bush pinstriping on an older car than it would be on a $50k plus car.

Bloke I know leased a Prado some years ago and hated taking it anywhere it might get pinstriped, worried about what the leasing company would say when he gave it back and resale value.
Must admit I checked the lease on the D3 carefully, thought about it for five minutes and decided - fair wear and tear, this IS a 4WD.
And in the end I kept it at end of lease anyway.
Cheers
Mike

Originally Posted by gusthedog

Waiting for response.... Now where is that popcorn?

lol, no response needed... a non-mechanic type fixes nothing.

Not 4wd related but same vane as thread.Years ago mate hired jap buzz box to go to a wedding.It played up the whole way.Mates uncle was a bit of an old bush mechanic,fixed machinery all his life.Offered to have a look,opened the bonnet"HOLY ****".Closed bonnet and walked away

Originally Posted by gusthedog

If only you didn't have elbows? Or if only you wanted a car that leaks? What about a Disco with a TVD6? Oh wait, they have one of those already

My D2 leaks, sometimes. Around the top of the windscreen, when the body flex's & the windscreen doesn't. That's why they invented silastic. Bob

My observation has been that modern vehicles are extremely reliable until they are modified. It seems to be the after-market accessories that cause the majority of failures, this was borne out on our outback trip this year. Did 13,000km including some of what seems to be the most remote country in Oz- munja track being probably the highlight- solo in our Puma 130. Had 2 problems: 1; the hook bolt holding down the aux battery broke on the Munja track, had to weld it when we got back to mt elizabeth. 2; a wire on the turbo actuator broke, this caused the vehicle to go into 'limp' mode 4 times on our last day home, each time was reset by switching off & back on, fixed it when we got home. (I did have a problem with some rough running at the start of our trip, most likely a dodgy batch of fuel, sorted itself out by the time we got to Alice Springs). Numerous times we stopped to help others with breakdowns, usually resulting from failure of aftermarket accessories.
Poor preparation is also a major factor; case in point, the carload of Canadian backpackers 100km into the Gibb with 2 flat tyres, one spare, and every tyre on the vehicle worn down below the tread wear indicators. Then there was the bloke in the brand new Prado, also on the Gibb, consulting the owners manual for instructions on changing a flat tyre. I got some very strange looks when greasing unis, cleaning/changing filters, rotating tyres and checking oils in a campground; people assumed we were having mechanical trouble- why else would you open the bonnet? Russell Coight got it spot on-'These people come out here and the have NO IDEA!".

Originally Posted by POD

. I got some very strange looks when greasing unis, cleaning/changing filters, rotating tyres and checking oils in a campground; people assumed we were having mechanical trouble- why else would you open the bonnet? Russell Coight got it spot on-'These people come out here and the have NO IDEA!".

half of me disagrees.

are cars so unreliable we need to do these checks?
service intervals are usually in the periods of months, not days.


the other half of me agrees. things break, catch it early/preventative maint goes a long way,