Equipment

THE CAR its DIARISED PROBLEMS & ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT

THE CARAVAN its DIARISED PROBLEMS & EXTRAS for the CARAVAN

Probably the hardest thing to come to terms with is as to what equipment will suit you best. On this site I will try to present the case only as it was relevant to us - Mary and Gary (myself).

We initially had several known's and they were as below:

Fuel economy was important, as we would be doing so many miles we did not want to over spend here.

Mary was very insistent that they wanted a toilet and shower in the caravan and that it should not be a pop up as it should be eveready. In addition Mary wanted a full stove/oven set-up for cooking.

So firstly the Car

This section has being re-written as I (Gary) now has a new vehicle. This came about after having written to Nissan for reassurances on their new CVT gear boxes. The letter gave them the option of not replying if they had no firm guarantees and needless to say no reply was received. This left me with the dilemma of finding a car to replace my now ageing Xtrail. The search was not easy as I was particularly concerned about fuel consumption and did not want to lose any of the features I enjoyed on my existing vehicle. It was a shock when after some 14 months I looked at the Volkswagen Tiguan and discovered a vehicle with ridiculously low fuel consumption and lots of nice extras to keep me amused for the next 7 or 8 years. The best deal I could find was offered by Wangara Volkswagen with delivery being around 20 weeks for my custom built vehicle.

The New Car – Volkswagen Tiguan – On June 8^th 2010 the new car was available for collection. Kimberlee from Wangara Volkswagen had telephoned and organised a time for delivery so Mary & I arrived, were given coffee then the delivery ritual begun. The Tiguan is an amazing piece of technology so the delivery is very important and is made enjoyable when the salesperson is as knowledgeable of the product as Kimberlee is. It took all of two hours so it is not just a handing over of keys. Some contact information kmeireles@wangaravolkswagen.com.au .The dealership in addition to offering us the best pricing had organised the fitting of a towbar and the specialty wiring that is required for our caravan so it would be plug & play for us. Two hours later we were heading off on our way very pleased with the purchase.

Fuel consumption on this new vehicle is much improved over the older Nissan and we will be reporting on any other advantages over and above the many new toys incorporated in the vehicle that we have to play with as we become aware of them.

It is important here to realise that we are loving the Volkswagen Tiguan but there are some deeply concerning issues that have come to our intention and we are trying to deal with them now :-

One of the first things we quickly became aware of was that the speedo was terribly inaccurate so I sent an email to the Volkswagen head office in Australia asking if this could be fixed. Their reply came back some days later and the correspondence trail is as follows:

-----Original Message-----

From: Gary Ayres [mailto:gary@aussiewonders.com]

Sent: Monday, 5 July 2010 2:38 PM

To: VW Assist (Volkswagen Australia)

Subject: Contact Us - Product

Title: Mr  First Name: Gary  Last Name: Ayres  Email: gary@aussiewonders.com

Are you a Volkswagen Owner? Yes

Registration Number: ######  VIN: ###############26

Comment/Question: The speedometer on my new vehicle is very inaccurate! Averaging Approx 5Kph out.

Can this be repaired.

Are the trip meters also inaccurate?

Dear Mr Ayers,

Thank you for your e-mail.

All Volkswagen speedometers are calibrated in accordance with Australian Design Rules, and the ADR states the following:

"The speed indicated shall not be less than the true speed of the vehicle. At predetermined test speeds specified in the ADR legislation, there shall be the following relationship between the speed displayed (V1) and the true speed (V2):   0 <= (V1-V2) <= 0.1V2 + 4km/hr. For the later model vehicles this is calculated by the above formula, which will not allow the speed to read slower (if the vehicle actual speed is 100km/hr it cannot read under 100km/hr) but is allowed to read a higher reading according to the set speeds. (in the case of our true 100km/hr reading, using the formula at that speed the vehicle is allowed to show up to 114km/hr on the speedometer)."

In terms of the odometer:

18.5.2. Odometers

18.5.2.1. Every vehicle other than LA, LB and LEM group vehicles must be fitted with an odometer which must:

18.5.2.1.1. indicate distance travelled in one kilometre units (or less) at least from 1 to 600,000 kilometres (for MA, MB and MC category vehicles) and from 1 to 999,999 kilometres for all other category vehicles; and 18.5.2.1.2. indicate the actual distance travelled by the vehicle to an accuracy of ± 4 per cent.

We hope this answers your questions.

Kind regards

Volkswagen Customer Care

To be fair I think the mathematics in their reply and as highlighted may be wrong but I do not think that the speedo is out by only the 4% (even though I believe 4% is too great for when travelling in the outback and relying on the information gleaned from the vehicles instrumentation) they have suggested is the legal requirement on my vehicle. Sadly this may also mean that the fuel consumption figures etc are all as inaccurate (+ or – 4%) so I will be doing actual consumption figures on our next trip using GPS distance readings. I have asked Volkswagen if the instrumentation can be recalibrated to be accurate and am awaiting their reply! Link to 2010 Northwest Trip Fuel Consumption Figures.

Towing – Our first towing test was such a pleasant surprise with my greatest concern now being that I could easily forget that the caravan was attached. The package is incredibly stable and the power plant is not even slightly challenged by the extra load. Love it and can’t wait for our next trip in September.

Original story follows on our old car – 2006 Nissan Xtrail – where we were travelling with friends - As Gary (Ayres) already had a Nissan Xtrail, which he was very happy with, (the car had been chosen bearing in mind that it was a four cylinder 4 wheel drive vehicle capable of towing 2 tons) with its excellent fuel economy he decided to stay with that vehicle. David (Peck) did a lot of his own research and ended up after trying an alternative vehicle moving to also purchasing a Nissan Xtrail. The difference is in that David decided on a manual vehicle and Gary’s is an automatic. With very different habits the fuel consumption is quite superior on the manual but it is hard to quantify this, as David does not use the air conditioning (unless it is over a gazillion degrees) whereas Gary never turns his off. Also the Ayres caravan is loaded to a greater level, which makes the towing weight also greater. Lastly the Ayres vehicle is 4 years older than the Peck vehicle, which may also affect fuel economy. Both vehicles have no trouble towing the selected caravans, which are, of the same make and model and they tow very well being both stable and well matched. For fuel consumption figures on the manual version of the Xtrail on the 2007 trip click here or for the Automatic on the 2009 trip click here. The new Nissan diesel version will not tow the minimum 2 tons we require so the Nissan story has ended for us and David – See Problems as diarised with the cars.

Click Here for a Link to Problems as Diarised with the Cars

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Next the Caravan

In order to get a feel on what was available we visited a camping show in Perth. Visiting one exhibitor after the next it became apparent that we could not have a toilet in an Australian van unless we went to a very limited “pop up” or alternatively we could change to one of those big four-wheel fuel guzzlers. Then we came across a dealer for a Slovenian caravan which was about 500kg lighter (yep hats right) and it had all of the other advantages that a lighter van has – So heres just some of what makes it great: -

It has a combined toilet/shower incorporated into the design and although that sounds weird it is in fact very practical and you quickly learn how to use it. Simply put you use a shammy to give the shower a quick wipe down after use. In crowded parks or when not in a caravan park we use the shower exclusively and the toilet in most cases. Number 2’s are usually kept out of the van although they are actually ok and it is probably more of a phobia that keeps us away from them in our loo.

The bed is in a separate area that enjoys a real door to separate it from the rest of the caravan. This means that with the blinds down you can sleep in private in the dark. It also means that the bed is always left made up so there is none of this sleeping on the dining table unless you have visitors in which case then yes the dining table becomes a king size bed.

The beds are a proper queen and king size beds, not pygmy sized ones.

Being a single axle caravan we can park it sloppy and move it around by hand very easily.

It has a proper stove with an, oven, griller & 4-burner hob and there’s also a separate microwave to allow for quick nuking.

Temperature control is easily maintained as the caravan is insulated, has double glazed windows, is air conditioned, has ducted central heating, comes with reflective blinds – Are you getting the picture.

Built to withstand tons of snow on the roof the agent had no problem authorizing us to put a table and chairs on the roof to watch “Bathurst” provided we were careful to choose appropriate chairs (not with pointy ends that might dig through the outer skin).

They come with an awning but you can also buy a fitted annex which doubles the size of your caravan and which we occasionally put up if we are staying anywhere for more than a week.

The stabilizer is built into the hitch and it works great. It is lightweight and once understood very easy to use.

Our models have a ducted gas central heating system included, which is probably a European thing, but in fact we found it to be one of the best features when we were in the outback where the nights are very cold. For the main part we put it on in the mornings where it will heat the caravan in 15 minutes.

Get the Picture – We both purchased one of these Adria vans.

Click Here for a Link to Problems as Diarised with the Caravans

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Ancillary equipment for the car! You can spend like a luni here but we have listed below what we have found is really helpful without going off the rails.

MOST IMPORTANTLY – Make a checklist to keep in the car and to go through every time you hitch up and before you move from your site. CHECK LIST This link will take you to the one we use but you should make up your own with all of your own specific checks on it.

A pair of handheld 40 mhz CB radios is great for talking from vehicle to vehicle, to one another whilst backing the caravan and to truckies and others in the area that have one. They can also be used to contact emergency services if you are within range.

A GPS (Global Positioning System) is a real boon and it is generally worth spending a little extra to get a good one. Make sure you can see the maps in daylight and if you can afford it get one that can read you the street names (this is generally called “text to speech” technology) so you don’t need to look at the screen for this information. See in notes below where the unit we purchased was limited.

Small lightweight tents are available for around $200.00 and allow you to take that 4WD side trip without having to sleep rough in the back of the car.

One or two 15-litre water containers for drinking water. Don’t buy one just buy 15 litres of spring water from the supermarket and then re-use it. See general notes and information on how to convert one for multiple use cheaply.

A pair of extension mirrors – These are an essential when towing. The new Volkswagen Tiguan has very stylish external mirrors but they are hard to attach anything too. This presented us with some problems in being able to find a suitable towing mirror in Australia. After trying several different products locally on offer with limited or no success and with not wanting to damage any paintwork or seals on the vehicle we were left with a search on the internet being the only way to find a suitable product. Joy of joys when I found Repusel in the Netherlands with a superior quality product that was of stainless steel/plastic construction, could be ordered with a convex or flat mirror, is adjustable, with anti-glare glass, has spacers to protect the car mirrors paintwork and is backed up with a complete range of spare parts being available. We ordered one and had it within 10 days. Quality +++ and the product will fit nearly all vehicles – Well worth considering no matter what vehicle you have.

Make up a small tool kit to cover your needs and keep it in your car.

A couple of lightweight fold out chairs are invaluable and a small collapsible table is always handy.

Add a hydraulic jack which will work upright as well as on its side and a + wheel spanner is handy.

Once in the north west outback areas we quickly found ourselves purchasing a fuel container which we kept filled and carried with us until we were back in more populated areas. You can arrive at a service station that is waiting for fuel with the next nearest outlet being 300km away or you can hit a head wind which causes you to use a lot more fuel than normal and the choice is to wait for it to abate or to run out if you do not have a reserve supply.

Extras for the caravan! Here are some of the items we added and think are invaluable: -

Fire extinguisher, fire blanket and smoke detector. We added all of these items. It is important to note that powder fire extinguishers will compact down with constant travel so we were advised to turn it over and tap it to re-loosen the powder occasionally.

A lightweight rake (around than $3.00 from Bunnings), lightweight broom and shovel & brush.

Vacuum cleaner – Lightweight with accessories – This gets a lot of use.

A water filter, to filter water into your water tank if you are going to carry your own water. If you do not filter the water into your tank it can retain an odour in the plastic tank, which is very difficult to get out. We use a small in line filter and only filter into our tank. In most caravan parks the water supplied is ok to drink and is connected directly to the caravan. In the Adria caravan this water does NOT go into the water tank but is fed straight to the outlets and we actually carry a water jug with a filter, to filter small quantities of water for drinking if we feel we need to.

A decent size LCD television that will run off 12 volts as well as off 240 volts. We found ours at “Coles” where they were selling a 51cm set with a separate power supply that was easily used straight off 12 volts with an appropriate lead. You don’t have to pay a fortune for your television but remember that little screens are just as hard to view in your caravan as they are in your home and with LCD technology the bigger sets are easily integrated into your caravan.

Make up a first aid kit and include everything you can think of as it is hard to find a doctor or chemist in many outback locations.

We purchased a 1.5 Kg “Homemaker” washing machine that was on special at Kmart for $100.00. It is electric with a timer and washes and rinses clothes but does not spin them dry. This machine has become invaluable to us as we are able to do most of our washing in our own clean machine. When we do get a large load we still use caravan park machines but the investment in this machine has been paid back several times over. Kmart no longer sell these machines but we are constantly being offered supplies so if you want one and can’t find them send us an email and we will point you in the latest offered direction.

Purchase two lightweight chairs preferably with side tables, as these are a must when sitting under your awning, in your annex or visiting your neighbours.

A lightweight ladder (at least 3 step) is invaluable when putting up the annex if you have one and to allow maintenance (in our case we can place it on the dining table and use it as a stairway to the roof through the large skylight).

A 12 volt to 240 volt inverter can be quite useful if you are spending a lot of time not in caravan parks. It is important to realise that they draw a large amount of current from the 12 volt battery when running so, must be used with some caution. In our case we have a small unit that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket in the car and fits in a drink holder, which is run mainly when we are in transit where it can recharge the laptop batteries etc. We found ours on an internet site at a price that was much lower than the local retailers and it also included a frequently asked question and an inverter selection helper. Use links PerformanceShop Link or Inverter FAQ’s

We have added an extra spare tyre (not wheel), which we carry under the bed. It is not heavy but we found that our tyre size was difficult to source in other than major centres but it is always easy to get one fitted to a rim.

Other Notes!

The GPS

We purchased the “Tom Tom” global positioning system that was recommended by all and sundry as the best unit available.

I hope not as although it is excellent in the cities we have visited, the maps that came with it were years out of date once you get into country areas. On numerous occasions it could not calculate routes, as we were not on a road according to the unit. So far we have had problems in every area after leaving Kalbarri and in many cases with roads that have been in place for many years. I will contact Tom Tom about this as it is a little disappointing to spend over a $1000.00 and have to reach for a $20.00 map book to get to destinations.

The “Tom Tom” saga continues as it takes us to go up a non-existent road in Broome (which is quite a problem when towing a caravan as it can be a difficult exercise to turn around sometimes) even though it did get us to our destination on the second route it planned. It would appear that the petrol station section is also years out of date and most caravan parks and camping spots are not listed.

There is also a problem with the blue tooth connection with the phone which malfunctions when the sun shines on the unit through the window (where the unit needs to be mounted to function) on days where the temperature is over about 30°c even with the car air conditioner on. This has become so annoying “Phone Connected – Phone not Connected – Phone Connected” that we have turned this feature off. It could probably be helped if the unit was not black but is definitely an annoying problem here in North West Oz.

With all these disappointments we would probably have been better off to have bought a cheapy which would have served us just as well out here.

Note though that even with all of these problems we would not be without a GPS as they are invaluable when in towns for finding streets etc.

Another GPS incident worth reporting – On leaving Kununurra we programmed in the Katherine city centre and “Tom Tom” calculated the route for us. When we were getting close to Katherine we reprogrammed it to take us to our caravan park at 440 Victoria Highway, Katherine. The unit informed us that there was no number 440 and suggested 439 whereupon once we agreed it then calculated that this Katherine address was some 500 kilometres back towards Kununurra (This would have taken us back to where we had come from so once again we had to use our maps.

We have a love-hate relationship with our GPS but would definitely not be without one as in 99% of cases it is invaluable.

Problems as Diarised with the Cars & their Solutions

The Volkswagen Tiguan – We have not experienced any problems with this vehicle as yet other than the inaccuracy of the instrumentation that is discussed earlier in the cars introduction above. If or when a solution comes to hand it will be moved and published in this section.

Spare Tyre – These vehicle as supplied have one of what we call “a pretend spare” as standard with the vehicle but I was aware of this and have purchased a luggage locker to go on the roof rack to hold a proper spare wheel when I can purchase one at a reasonable price. Sadly Volkswagen uses a nut spacing that is compatible with very little else so it appears that if I want to purchase an aftermarket spare wheel or a genuine full size spare wheel that a figure of near $1,000.00 is what it takes to get one. After contacting several dealers to get the best price I could on a spare rim I eventually got back to Wangara Volkswagen where Matt in the spare parts section researched further for me and came up with a steel Tiguan rim at a very reasonable price. After hunting down a Hankook tyre (meeting the Volkswagen specifications) to fit the spare wheel it has cost me around $300.00 all up for a genuine new spare wheel that fits.

The Nissan’s - For some reason we had been getting vastly different fuel economies between the two vehicles! The manual was averaging 7 kilometres per litre when towing (which is spectacular when considering that some caravaners are getting as low as 2 Km per litre and the average seems to be 4 Km per Litre) whilst the automatic is making around 5 to peaking at 6 kilometres per litre.

On arrival at Broome we decided to take the Automatic Xtrail for its 70,000 Km service to the local dealer and ask them to check for any problems. “Shinju Nissan” were a breath of fresh air, as they couldn’t do enough to help. They checked, serviced, washed the vehicle and then discussed what I might be doing wrong? It was decided that I was definitely committing a “NoNo” by towing in overdrive so we will try again with the overdrive switched off. I WISH SHINJU NISSAN WERE BASED IN MIDLAND as before we left on the trip I rang Midland Nissan explained the trip we would be undertaking and asked if there was anything I had to be aware of or change when towing! With no longer using overdrive the mileage seemed to be a little better in that the automatic was now achieving 5.5 kilometres per litre towing into a head wind and 6 kilometres per litre towing normally.

When the extended warranty on the older Automatic vehicle was nearly to expire which coincided with the need for an 80,000km service it was taken to a Nissan dealer “Von Bibra Motors ” in Southport, Queensland. One of the requests was for them to check it over for any potential warranty problems that needed to be remedied prior to its warranty running out. They did the service, which was around $740.00 dollars worth and noted that all was OK with no warranty matters that needed attending to. A month after the warranty ran out (about two months and 4000km later) a tyre mechanic noticed a noise, which had been in the vehicle for many months (around 12) and exclaimed that the front bearing was u/s. I took the vehicle to Werribee Nissan in Victoria who confirmed the problem and duly repaired it but it was of course not done under warranty. When contacting the Gold Coast dealer I was informed that the noise wasn’t there when they checked (what a great memory), a matter of fact that I could not convince them otherwise of. They suggested contacting NISSAN Australia who confirmed that they could and would not do anything about it. The moral of the story is to consider taking your vehicle to other than a Nissan dealer may be a good idea if you want someone that does not have a vested or connected interest in outcomes to give you a thorough check prior to any warranties running out.

We next had the car serviced at a private service centre in Adelaide where they managed to loose couple of air inlet securing plugs (which we didn’t discover until we arrived in Ceduna) and they gave the car back with several new grease marks on the carpet. It was much cheaper but whether the savings were worthwhile is questionable.

IT WOULD APPEAR THAT EVERY SERVICE CENTRE NEEDS TO BE JUDGED ON ITS MERITS SEPARATELY WITH PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION FROM RELIABLE SOURCES BEING THE ONLY USEABLE GUIDE.

On the trip from Perth to Albany in February of 2009 we had a problem develop where the “crank angle sensor” decided to die. Fortunately the fault did not kill the car but did lead to it going into what was described to us as a safe driving mode. This is something of a specialist fault in that what is described as a “consult computer” is needed to diagnose the problem. There is more detail on the saga under “South Western Australia (2)” “Perth to Albany”. It was a time when we were very pleased to have a good Nissan Dealer to call on as Albany City Nissan were a godsend on this occasion.

At around 61,000 kilometres David’s Xtrail suffered a clutch failure. He was so disappointed that with it being an over $3,000.00 repair for a genuine unit that he spent just over $2,000.00 for a non genuine clutch to be installed then he sold his then 3 year, 3 month old vehicle as he had lost confidence in it. It would appear that the clutch in the manual is not suited to towing to the same extent as the automatic. It is worth noting that an automatic vehicle is always easier particularly when reversing a caravan over a curb or the like. David now has a Mitsubishi and I have a dilemma in that it is time for me to replace my vehicle so to that end I wrote to Nissan to ask whether they were confident of the new Xtrail (CVT) automatic gearbox for towing and suggested that they should not reply if they were not. I haven’t heard and that was many months ago. See above for the story on my new vehicle choice.

Problems as Diarised with the Caravans & Their Solutions

When we first purchased our caravans we took them both on a learning trip to Yallingup in the south of Western Australia. This caravan park at the bottom of the hill had extraordinary water pressure, which managed to cause some leaking at the points in the cold water line where the clamps were fitted. The system was not made to cope with anything like the pressure exerted but we were able to fix this problem by replacing the crimp clamps on the cold water runs with stainless steel clamps. It was amusing staying at this beautiful caravan park as through the night you would hear hoses coming off several of the vans due to the high pressure. Unfortunately David’s caravan had experienced damage to the one way valve built into the pressure reduction inlet and we were not aware of the problem until we were forced in Nanga Bay to run off our water tanks. As soon as he switched on his water pump it proceeded to pump the water out of the caravan at the inlet point. The simple fix was to block the inlet pipe off so everything worked OK and then to ring Ross at EMCWA where he organised to post a new valve to us (same day) care of the post office in Exmouth. It is not a problem to have to deal with small problems if you have a dealer prepared to back his product up. In coming months the hot water lines experienced the same problem so we had to replace all of those clamps too!

After a few months the inner spring queen size mattress in both caravans developed dents making us feel like eggs in a carton when in bed. This is a major problem as if you don’t sleep well you find everything annoying. There is one solution in getting a replacement mattress but as this is hard to do on the run we in desperation purchased a foam mattress convoluted foam underlay which appears to be a permanent fix in that we are both sleeping very well again. The agent was not able to help with this but it is solved!

The standard supplied Slovenian tyres (“MATADOR” MPS 310 – 195/70 R 15 C 104/102R) failed – After around 18,000Km and at the Madura Pass on the Nullarbor Plain we noticed that one tyre being the one on the door side of the caravan looked a little rounded (this it has now been advised to us was the tyre beginning to delaminate). The pressure was checked as OK and the tyre on the other side was checked as being level across the tread so we proceeded on. Our speed is always and was regulated at around 80 Kmh but never exceeding 90 Kmh. By the time we reached Kalgoorlie the other side tyre was looking a little rounded so we again checked the tyre pressure as being OK (being unaware of what was happening we thought initially that the rounding may be caused by excessive pressure). Proceeding on it was not until around 30 Km (just under or over 19,000 km of caravan travel) east of Merredin that the first tyre being the one that was on the door side of the caravan delaminated with rubber flying off everywhere. We stopped and changed it with the spare tyre that was supplied with the caravan. It should be noted here that the separate supplied shorter studs that are to be used with the spare tyre are a different top size to the normal studs so it was just good luck that our car wheel spanner did fit as if it didn’t, the supplied caravan spanner wouldn’t have, which meant that we would have been stranded then and there. We then proceeded on but were a little wary of the other original tyre on the caravan as it was looking quite rounded when compared to our newly fitted spare tyre. About 80 Km later the roadside tyre delaminated and we were this time stranded around 38km west of Merredin and we now had no spare tyre with having already used it. Luckily we had a Big4 car and caravan roadside assist insurance (which is no longer available but after much research an equal if not better car and caravan cover can be purchased from the RAC in Western Australia) and the old CDMA phone had telecommunications cover. After several phone calls back and forward we were able to be picked up and our caravan was carted off on a truck back to the town of Merredin where on the next day we were able to get a replacement tyre to get us home. For reference the truck driver and the tyre supplier in Merredin separately described the destroyed tyres as being “tyre failure” with the tyre supplier adding that the European tyres are often not tested in the hotter conditions we endure here in Australia. The temperatures that the failures occurred in though were only around the 25-30°C across the days talked about here and we have had them in use at much higher temperatures at the beginning of the trip when the tyres were relatively new so this may not be relevant. In addition to our experience David & Merrilyn who were now travelling separately from us also suffered one tyre failure (door side of the caravan) at around 17,000 kilometres only there’s went on the Nullarbor and they travelled the remaining 1500 kilometres to home on one of their original tyres and their spare. They were not able to acquire a replacement tyre until they reached Esperance, which meant they travelled some 900 km without a spare tyre. They it should be noted went a different way home to us as they were a couple of weeks in front of us. On the day of our dilemma we contacted the caravan agent to describe the situation and we were asked to keep the unserviceable tyres for their examination as “they may be warranty”. After the initial flurry of communication we were suddenly not able to get answers from the agent on SMS or Emails as they were on holidays to the new year which meant that we had to wait until after then to finalise this issue. This was not a problem as we had already replaced the offending tyres. On re-opening the Adria agent reimbursed us for our two tyres as a “goodwill gesture”. In the mean time we are of the opinion that the tyres that were supplied with our caravans may not be reliable after around the 15,000 Km mark as 3 of the 4 on our two caravans have failed not long after this point. The wisest solution on this issue may in fact be, if you have these tyres, to replace them prior to heading across areas where it may be difficult to acquire a replacement tyre. Check with your dealer! A point of further interest to many is in that in every case where a tyre blew the caravan remained rock solid behind the car with the only immediately noticeable effect being that it became harder to pull – This new knowledge was a great relief for us all! If you replace the two main tyres the ones taken off could be taken with you to act as emergency spares as tyres without rims are not heavy. In our cases we have both purchased an extra tyre to be kept under the bed as you can always find someone to put a new tyre on your rim but we have discovered that you can’t always buy the tyre you need.

The Brakes – David and I decided to check the condition of our brake shoes and drums in January of 2009 as we had both travelled around 20,000 Km of caravan towing. The hubs on our caravans were different than those shown in the manual and we were stymied when after removing the centre nut cover we were presented with a large nut with tamper paint on it. Deciding not to take any chances here we emailed the agent who in turn contacted the ALKO chassis people then within a short time he advised us the good news with a quote from them being as follows :-

“My understanding is that no regular interval servicing is required until 100,000 klms. Obviously if a bearing noise or other noise indicators should develop then it would require some investigation other than this all should be fine up too 100,000 Klms. or thereabout. Regards, State Manager, AL-KO International P/L”

It would appear that they are completely sealed and self adjusting units for 100,000 Kilometres – HOW GOOD IS THAT! – Especially when considering that in most cases a caravan would never travel that distance in its entire life.

Electric Element and Shower Hinges - The Truma hot water system electric element failed on the trip into Eighty Mile Beach in May of 2009. The road into Eighty Mile Beach is 10 kilometres and was unsealed with corrugations. We had been advised to run at 60kmh but this was poor advice. The trip out at 30kmh was much kinder to everything. The run in also destroyed 3 of 4 of the hinges on the shower door. It would appear that they are under rated for any off road travel but we, on the way out taped the door in place and removed the tape immediately we were back on bitumen. The Australian Distributor for Adria could NOT help us with any spare hinges but we eventually acquired replacements from a cabinet maker.

Front Locker (Boot) Lock – The catch and lock on the front of the caravan securing the front locker came apart in my hand at Broome in May of 2009. Because of our location I did not bother asking the agent for help as they had not been able to help with the hinges we needed ex stock on an urgent basis. I did manage to find a locksmith to show me how to fix it but it is a temporary repair. On arrival back home I was able to order a replacement from the Adria agent and on dismantling it ascertained the cause of and the full extent of the problem. The conclusion is that it is probably wise when unlocking it with the key to not let the lock pop open but to guide it open which will remove the jarring effect on the lock when it comes to a stop.

Front Position Lights – On the front of the caravan there are four clear position lights. The top two are fine but the bottom two are unfortunately located in a rough alignment with the rear tyres of the towing vehicle. They will eventually take a hit from a rock and the cover will be damaged or knocked off. In our case it did not happen until after about 20.000km but as the globes on these two lower lights can also be accessed from behind I have run a bead of silicon around the inside edge before refitting the covers to help them stay put in a minor incident.

Fuel Consumption – 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan on 2010 N/W Trip

These will be published as soon as available – Mid December 2010

Fuel Consumption – 2002 Xtrail on 2009 Trip

Fuel Consumption on the Central Australia Trip - 2002 Xtrail

Date	Location	Car Mileage	Price	$ Per Litre	Litres	Type	Mileage Towing	Mileage Car	Klm per Ltr	$ per Klm	Notes

7-May-09	Darlington	104,869	Departed with a full tank of fuel.
8-May-09	Dalwallinu	105,136	$70.39	$1.381	50.97	Prem	267.00		5.24	$0.26
9-May-09	Dalwallinu	105,267	$20.78	$1.381	15.05	Prem		131.00	8.70	$0.16
10-May-09	Paynes Find	105,449	$55.26	$1.550	35.65	ULP	182.00		5.11	$0.30
11-May-09	Mount Magnet	105,640	$47.31	$1.449	32.65	Prem	147.20	43.50	5.84	$0.25
13-May-09	Cue	105,857	$38.58	$1.320	29.23	ULP	84.30	133.20	7.44	$0.18
14-May-09	Meekatharra	105,974	$39.39	$1.499	26.28	Prem	116.80		4.44	$0.34
14-May-09	Kumarina	106,238	$77.55	$1.602	48.41	ULP	264.30		5.46	$0.29
15-May-09	Newman	106,410	$49.35	$1.519	32.49	Prem	171.60		5.28	$0.29	"+ 20 ltr"
15-May-09	Newman	106,532	$30.38	$1.519	20	Prem	122.70		6.14	$0.25
18-May-09	Auski Village	106,829	$54.95	$1.470	37.38	ULP	176.20	120.60	7.94	$0.19
19-May-09	Port Hedland	107,100	$67.65	$1.439	47.01	Prem	271.00		5.76	$0.25	"+ 20 ltr"
21-May-09	Pardoo Roadhouse	107,322	$60.28	$1.539	39.17	ULP	144.80	76.60	5.65	$0.27	Sold to B/Pkr
26-May-09	Sandfire Roadhouse	107,483	$51.95	$1.658	31.33	Prem	161.30		5.15	$0.32
26-May-09	Roebuck Plains	107,775	$77.87	$1.458	53.41	ULP	292.50		5.48	$0.27
3-Jun-09	Broome	108,173	$67.69	$1.289	52.5	Prem	38.10	359.50	7.57	$0.17	20¢ Disc
4-Jun-09	Willare Roadhouse	108,349	$53.24	$1.690	31.5	ULP	170.80	5.50	5.60	$0.30
5-Jun-09	Fitzroy Crossing	108,596	$59.97	$1.389	43.18	ULP	239.70	6.90	5.71	$0.24	4¢ Disc
6-Jun-09	Halls Creek	108,907	$95.27	$1.398	68.15	ULP	296.20	14.90	4.56	$0.31	90 Kmh
6-Jun-09	Warmun Roadhouse	109,074	$40.64	$1.600	25.4	ULP	166.50		6.56	$0.24	80 Kmh
8-Jun-09	Kununurra	109,301	$54.82	$1.449	37.83	ULP	203.10	24.10	6.01	$0.24	4¢ Disc
10-Jun-09	Timber Creek	109,540	$71.12	$1.594	44.62	ULP	237.70	1.90	5.37	$0.30
11-Jun-09	Victoria River	109,633	$26.05	$1.570	16.59	ULP	92.60		5.58	$0.28
11-Jun-09	Katherine	109,837	$38.05	$1.049	36.27	ULP	199.10	4.80	5.62	$0.19	"-20¢+ 20 ltr"
14-Jun-09	Katherine	109,968	$16.32	$1.204	13.56	ULP		131.30	9.68	$0.12
15-Jun-09	Mataranka Roadhouse	110,088	$30.40	$1.526	19.92	ULP	112.60	7.00	6.00	$0.25
16-Jun-09	Dunmarra Wayside Inn	110,313	$61.22	$1.530	40.01	ULP	224.90		5.62	$0.27
16-Jun-09	Elliott	110,416	$28.30	$1.579	17.92	ULP	103.70		5.79	$0.27
17-Jun-09	Tennant Creek	110,676	$77.95	$1.425	54.71	ULP	260.00		4.75	$0.30
18-Jun-09	Ti-Tree Roadhouse	111,007	$99.55	$1.700	58.56	Prem	322.30	8.30	5.65	$0.30
20-Jun-09	Alice Springs	111,236	$46.98	$1.159	40.54	ULP	207.70	21.70	5.66	$0.20	20¢ Disc
24-Jun-09	Alice Springs	111,895	$77.86	$1.149	67.76	ULP		658.80	9.72	$0.12	20¢ Disc
25-Jun-09	Erldunda Desert	112,114	$56.92	$1.619	35.16	ULP	199.50	19.20	6.22	$0.26	Car Serviced
25-Jun-09	Curtin Springs	112,278	$54.20	$1.801	30.1	ULP	164.40		5.46	$0.33
27-Jun-09	Yulara (Ayers Rock)	112,607	$61.40	$1.604	38.28	ULP	88.55	240.50	8.60	$0.19
28-Jun-09	Erldunda Desert	112,863	$65.94	$1.619	40.73	ULP	251.80	4.00	6.28	$0.26
29-Jun-09	Marla	113,122	$63.52	$1.565	40.59	ULP	258.60		6.37	$0.25
30-Jun-09	Coober Pedy	113,394	$56.21	$1.399	40.18	ULP	243.60	28.70	6.78	$0.21
2-Jul-09	Coober Pedy	113,756	$49.05	$1.369	35.83	ULP		361.80	10.10	$0.14	Unsealed Rd
3-Jul-09	Glendambo Roadhouse	114,021	$75.78	$1.449	52.3	ULP	253.50	11.60	5.07	$0.29
4-Jul-09	BP Roxby Downs	114,314	$59.24	$1.449	40.88	ULP	128.50	164.60	7.17	$0.20
5-Jul-09	Port Augusta	114,614	$57.24	$1.219	46.96	ULP	177.00	122.90	6.39	$0.19	4¢ Disc
6-Jul-09	Kimba Roadhouse	114,773	$41.93	$1.439	29.14	Prem	159.20		5.46	$0.26
7-Jul-09	Ceduna Colesexpress	115,108	$65.86	$1.279	51.5	ULP	322.30	12.80	6.51	$0.20	6¢ Disc
8-Jul-09	Caltex Penong	115,212	$22.08	$1.339	16.49	ULP	74.20	29.80	6.31	$0.21
8-Jul-09	Nullarbor Hotel/Motel	115,464	$72.98	$1.649	44.26	ULP	251.50		5.68	$0.29
9-Jul-09	Border Village	115,654	$59.00	$1.730	34.1	Prem	190.10		5.57	$0.31
9-Jul-09	Madura Pass Motel	115,852	$63.58	$1.740	36.53	Prem	198.10		5.42	$0.32
9-Jul-09	Caiguna Roadhouse	116,012	$51.19	$1.684	30.4	ULP	160.60		5.28	$0.32
10-Jul-09	Balladonia Hotel/Motel	116,198	$64.24	$1.719	37.37	ULP	185.70		4.97	$0.35
10-Jul-09	Caltex Norseman	116,393	$47.44	$1.349	35.16	ULP	195.10		5.55	$0.24
10-Jul-09	Eagle Roadhouse Cgrd	116,562	$41.30	$1.325	31.17	ULP	168.90		5.42	$0.24
10-Jul-09	Caltex Southern Cross	116,754	$50.77	$1.359	37.36	ULP	191.80		5.13	$0.26
11-Jul-09	Gull Tammin Roadhouse	116,947	$47.66	$1.359	35.07	ULP	192.90		5.50	$0.25
14-Jul-09	Gull Bellevue	117,118	$34.54	$1.169	29.54	ULP	162.20	9.30	5.81	$0.20

Totals			$2,949.19		2,017		9495	2755

Disclaimer

Please note that all of the information on this site is derived from personal experiences and or are personal opinions of the author and other nomads residing on this site.

You should do all of your own research to ascertain the relevance of any information gleaned from this site to your personal situation.