More Grey Hairs and Very Expensive Repairs
Owning a robust 4x4 which you use heavily all the time in rough terrains is certainly not cheap to own and maintain... It's life but it sometimes bites – hard!
In our last post, we told you about how we suddenly lost all our gear when we were returning from Khaudum National Park in Namibia, and following that, we needed to replace our clutch.
This is how the saga continued. And no, it certainly didn’t turn out to be just the clutch that needed repairing…
Let’s get into it. However, a little warning: if you’re not prepared to read some strong opinions and a bit of “ranting,” don’t proceed. ;)
Waiting for Spare Parts and Other Hassles
So, in Swakopmund, we got the confirmation that our clutch slave was leaking, so we needed to replace it.
After researching different options, we ordered a Lof clutch kit from South Africa because it is the best in the market for our car, the Land Rover Defender.
Changing the clutch in our car model is a big job, and putting in parts of medium quality will probably only cost you more in the long run. Hence, we decided to choose the more expensive/better quality part. And because we regularly use our car in rough terrains, it also requires good maintenance—there is no way around that.
The part's arrival from South Africa to Namibia took much longer than anticipated, which messed up our schedule. Also, we didn’t find any mechanic in Swakopmund whom we would have trusted enough to replace the clutch, so we ended up driving to Windhoek for the job.
Luckily, we got to Windhoek without additional problems on the way. It was not a great option, but we had no other choice.
Many More Things to Repair Came Up in the Thorough Check
We’ve known and monitored a few of these, and now the time has come to address them. Unfortunately, it may be like a law of the Universe that all come simultaneously…
Significantly, there was one small leak in the transfer case, and when the transfer case needed to be removed to install the new clutch, it was an excellent time to repair and clean that, too.
So, below, we listed the things that needed repair.
Why do we do this? Just to complain? No. We just want to give you an idea of how much maintenance a rough Overlanding 4x4 takes and how expensive it gets sometimes…
The last few weeks have certainly not been fun, and we want to be utterly transparent and honest about it. 😨
So, here’s the long list of things that turned out during the thorough check:
When changing the clutch, our flywheel also needed a bit of skimming.
Replacing also the clutch master cylinder.
After all, our output shaft turned out to be almost gone. And if this fails, you don’t drive a meter further anymore. So, we ordered a new Lof one from South Africa again. (Why? The same reason as the clutch: it's the best in the market and shouldn’t fail again in the car's lifetime.) → Putting a new output shaft in.
The transfer case oil was in horrible condition, and there was a small leak. → Cleaning the transfer case. Replacing oil seals and O-rings. Changing of the transmission oils.
The front prop shaft had way too much play. → It needed to be repaired/reconditioned.
The differential oils were not in good enough condition anymore, and there was a seal leak in the front differential pinion oil seal → Fixing the leak and changing all the differential oils.
There was too much play in both rear-drive members and side shafts. → New side shafts and drive members.
It turned out the rear prop shaft needed some work, too. → This was fixed, too.
The rear main bearing oil seal was replaced.
The front, right-side engine mounting was replaced.
Transfer case mountings were replaced.
So, a lot was done.
…But wait – there’s more!
Too much play exists in the front radius arms’ bushes, rear track rod bushes, and A-frame ball joint.
And as if all this was not enough, we also got confirmation of what we feared already: our right front and rear shocks were leaking. :( That means we also need to get new shock absorbers soon.
These will be additional jobs to all the above and are not included in the cost below, but they don’t yet need immediate repair, so we’ll do them in the near future.
So, as all these costs calculated together (all spare parts and labor) rose close to 5000 euros (!!), we were indeed not prepared for this much money…and the stress we feel about it is pretty big at the moment… 😨
But all these things needed to be done because the safety of your overland vehicle is the first and most important thing to take care of!
And the car is also our home – our only home – so it must be in good condition.
We also know that you must always be prepared for unexpected costs down the road, even big ones. Nevertheless, this created a much larger gap than ever expected in our budget for now. Somehow, we will need to develop a new plan for how to recover…
But therefore, we also humbly ask for your help:
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A few “Bumps on the Road” in the clutch installation
The workshop we took Hb the Defender to in Windhoek should’ve figured out the installation and listened to us when they didn’t first understand all of it. However, it took several calls and disrespectful and arrogantly idiotic behavior towards us from the workshop owner (rolling some eyes here…).
And in the end, an apology and admitting that we were right, after all.
Why on Earth is it so hard for some people to listen? It would save a LOT of our time and their own. But some people just never learn, do they…?! 🙄
Fortunately, they finally figured it out and installed it correctly (we hope!). Well, we’ll know pretty quickly if they messed up the installation, as the new slave will leak soon enough if they did it wrong… Hopefully not!
But one thing we never get used to is people underestimating us because we’re women! Even after all these years spent here in Africa, it never ceases to piss us off.
Unfortunately, we’re sure there are countless other women out there who will know exactly what we are discussing here. 😣
And neither we nor any women should ever accept that kind of depreciating behavior! When you genuinely know some things, you should be listened to, period.
Listening to advice when you don’t know something is not shameful – on the contrary.
If you can’t learn new things from other people, you can as well call it quits then. After all, it’s all about eternal learning, isn’t it!?
After all this, HB the Defender drives like a dream now, though! She is like a completely new car! 😅
Where the Road Takes Us Next?
We were supposed to go to Angola but turned our bonnet towards South Africa because of the leaking shocks (and a few personal and family matters). Angola needs to wait now.
But we will have an amazing Easter in a great place we haven’t visited in a long time: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park! 🔥 😃
We can’t wait to get there!
And we wish you also a very happy Easter! 🐣
Stay wild and adventurous, no matter what comes!
PS. If you enjoy these posts, click ❤️ so more people can find us here in Substack! And if you can share this on social media, we may reach more overland enthusiasts :)