We are about to start our first long trip (4 weeks) and though we have done a fair few shorter trips and have had no trouble, we are worrying about what spares we should take with us?
We have a 2012 NW Pajero and a 21ft New Age caravan. The Pajero is 1 year old and the van is 3 months. We are heading outback NSW.
Thanks for any advice.
Cheers
Helen and Graham
__________________
Rice1granny
Wollongong on the beautiful south coast of NSW
Take out the highest RACQ or NRMA, whatever you have down there, cover there is. Take water and take it easy. I've been carrying spares since 1966, am a mechanic by trade and can fix most things. Have never used any spares as the vehicle is kept in good condition. One thing I always do is fit 1/4 inch galvanised mesh behind the grille in front of the radiator to stop stones and insects puncturing or clogging up the radiator. The smallest thing can stop you and you can only carry so many spares.
__________________
You don't know what you've got till it's gone so I gave it all away to see what I had.
No great hurry, but sometime in the next 12 months purchase a spare gas regulator annd a roll of yellow teflon tape for the threads. But for this trip, make sure you always have some water, don't let the fuel get to low and take care. Cheers, Ozjohn.
__________________
Retired Engineer, Ex Park Owner & Caravan Consultant. Holden 2.8 Colorado - Roma Elegance 17'6" Pop Top. Location: Mornington Peninsula Vic.
Sorry, this is a little off topic, but we've just purchased a New Age van also. We brought the Oz Classic 20 and take delivery in October. I'd love to hear how your van is going and how your dealings with the company /dealership went. If you choose to keep this thread about spares, feel free to pm me.
As for spares, fuel filters seem to be a common theme with people we've talked to, as well as oils, water, spare hoses etc. My son in law, though not a mechanic has worked in car wrecking yards for years, he's given some Great advice and once we get a new car, he'll design a vehicle first aid kit for us. Neither hubby or I are mechanically inclined past the basics, so SIL also suggested downloading and watching episodes of bush mechanic .. Which we'll do. I don't know how helpful all that will be, but being a newby, that's the best I could come up with .
Thanks Weedy Pigeon, Ozjohn and Flicka9736 for your suggestions. We have top cover at NRMA and both Graham and I are not "speedy" so will take it easy. We have prepared with extra water and fuel andwe will have a look at getting the mesh behind the grille. We have eard pf this before and will definitely get some. We don't want to take too much until we know a bit more about how it all travels and what we might need!
So far the New Age is great but this will be the first trip longer than a weekend so we should be able to work out where the best place for everything is. Will let you know Flicka how it all goes!
Cheers
Helen and Graham
__________________
Rice1granny
Wollongong on the beautiful south coast of NSW
There has been several topics on spares, some people listing quite a few spare parts and emergency items they carry, but I haven't been able to find it using the search engine. Sorry.
The need to be self-sufficient with spares and repairs and recovery gear is greater if you go bush, but your beautiful caravan looks too civilised rice1 granny. A good first-aid kit, and all the instruction books/manuals that came with your Pajero and caravan may be very useful. Always carry can of WD 40 or silicone spray and a good roll of duct tape!
If you're not going too far into the bush you won't need much in the way of spares. Just carry 5 litres of the oil for your vehicle, and coolant and water, compatible with what's in there. The bottom line is maintenance and know your vehicle. When I was on the road with the van in 2008 I used to check the radiator in the morning after a long day. One morning the coolant was way down, but I hadn't noticed any noises or overheating. It took the radiator guy in Eden 2 hours to diagnose the problem. The seal was weak and tired, but the coolant only leaked out when everything had cooled down and the seal had shrunk. On Rosy's last pilot trip to Perth she started making an awful noise, followed by a clunk and more noise. The idler pulley bearing had been melted into oblivion. No damage done. The nice people at Ceduna Machinery fixed it and I was on my way for $75 dollars. I carried belts and hoses and never used them. I'll pass them on to the new owner. Most of our roads are relatively busy, so you wouldn't be stuck for long. The bottom line is MAINTENANCE, MAINTENANCE, MAINTENANCE, and watch those dials and lights. Safe and happy travels.
__________________
20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
We took a lot of gear this trip like spare extra tier, recovery gear,water, and my son being a chemist brought along a first aid kit he made up with enough gear in it that would put the flying Dr service to shame,I told him it was over kill,but he said better to be safe than sorry ,so far I have used two Disprin out of it.But it is hard to work out what to take as each trip can be so different from the last one, so best to work out where you are heading and work it out from there. The most important thing to carry with you is your sense of humour ,for when things might just not go as you planned,but one thing is you never make that same mistake again.We kind of learn as we travel regarding a hell of a lot of things.
