Driving Melbourne- Uluru and back

[alecrain]

Hi,
in two weeks I'll be driving from Melbourne to Uluru and back, that's over 5000km.
I'm giving the car to my mechanics on Friday, what do you suggest I should make sure is done with the car (mechanically) before I leave?

We're taking the route through Adelaide and Coober Pedy.
Has anybody driven there? how was it? Is there anything on the way you'd recommend to see?

Thanks :eclipsee_

[El_Poochino]

General housekeeping stuff. Oil change, new coolant wouldn't hurt. Address any issues that could cause the car to fall apart. Ensure the brakes are all good. Plently of tread on the tyers. Check suspension and steering componets.

But it should do the trip easy providing you've taken care of it.

[frd_crzer]

well when i went to alice springs when we were comiong back some wire on the bus was shorting out but we fixed the problem haha. took 28hrs on a bus to get from alice springs to melbourne that is with **** breaks. advantage about in NT broken speed limit u can put ur car through its paces haha

[[Tonko]]

Originally Posted by frd_crzer

well when i went to alice springs when we were comiong back some wire on the bus was shorting out but we fixed the problem haha. took 28hrs on a bus to get from alice springs to melbourne that is with **** breaks. advantage about in NT broken speed limit u can put ur car through its paces haha

not anymore cob....

[Sick EB]

Originally Posted by TonkoXR8

not anymore cob....

yeah i think they limited it to 120km. as for the car i would just go over pritty much everything to make sure it is all up to scratch. i recon it would be worth possibly getting a car bra because of the heaps of bugs you will hit. saying that also a polish wouldnt hurt to make it easier to get all the crap off your paint

[kyro_02]

I believe its' limited to 130kmh :P

[alecrain]

I think it would be much better to have the oil and filters (air filter especially) changed when I come back. My last service was in mid January.
Or should I have that done before I leave?

[Shrude]

Just go. Dont worry about it, check all the fluids and tyre pressure.

If anything is going to go on you, it will be a surprise item anyway.
Just change **** that wouldnt be a surprise.

I did a trip from Sydney to Adelaide in an old NA once and the Distributor Module went on me.
Took 4 mechanics to finally get the diagnosis right. Broke down on me several times.

Make sure you take a lot of water with you. At least 20 litres. If your stuck in the middle of nowhere you could get thirsty.
Plenty of towns around though.

Neat trick i learnt is a bit of spray cooking oil on the front bits to help get the bugs off.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Shrude

Neat trick i learnt is a bit of spray cooking oil on the front bits to help get the bugs off.

See WD40 thread in The Bar.....

[sphell]

Originally Posted by alecrain

what do you suggest I should make sure is done with the car (mechanically) before I leave?

Um, put it in the garage, lock it, and and take something other than an E-series :P

[alecrain]

Originally Posted by sphell

Um, put it in the garage, lock it, and and take something other than an E-series :P

To be honest, that's why I bought an E-series, it's big and (i hope) reliable, runs on LPG and petrol (cheap and twice the range in case no LPG station)- all this perfect for long trips.
In my opinion it's one of the best looking cars on the road and affordable, cheap parts and THE BEST BLOKES ON THE FORD FORUM :thebirds:

[outback_ute]

If there is anything not 100% about the car, get it fixed before you go. Make sure the spare is in good nick (preferably not a 10yo orig tyre) as a simpler alternative to carrying two - you may need to do thousands of km on the spare. (perhaps get a new tyre then put it on the car when the others need replacing) Carry a few spares that you will be able to fit eg serpentine belt, radiator hoses, some duct tape, fuses, wire, globes and most importantly as mentioned at least 20L water in addition to what you plan on taking to drink etc.

If you've been doing highway trips of several hours length already, it won't be much different than that.

[alecrain]

I took the car to the mechanics and:
both left wheel bearings were dodgy- replaced
rear rotors- replaced
brakes- new pads and check
all hoses- checked and tightened
accelerator cable - replaced
new coolant.
Tires checked, balanced and wheels aligned
New battery

I'm also taking :
jump starter,
7 liters of water (for the car)
spare bulbs and fuses
spare wheel
some tools
RACV membership card
Full tank of petrol and full tank of LPG


I also got 4 of these sonic whistles to scare kangaroos away. Do they work?

[MeLLy]

Well not long ago i just took my car to mt gambier and then to port campbell to see the 12 aposiles, & before that i drove from adelaide to sydney and back... basically i'd say prepare for ur car to break, as in take lots of money take spare oil,coolent and tools and any other essentials u would need...and make sure ur tyres are in good nick and get a wheel allignment done def, and get them to check the steering while they are there.

[FTGAutosalvage]

Originally Posted by alecrain

I took the car to the mechanics and:
both left wheel bearings were dodgy- replaced
rear rotors- replaced
brakes- new pads and check
all hoses- checked and tightened
accelerator cable - replaced
new coolant.
Tires checked, balanced and wheels aligned
New battery

I'm also taking :
jump starter,
7 liters of water (for the car)
spare bulbs and fuses
spare wheel
some tools
RACV membership card
Full tank of petrol and full tank of LPG


I also got 4 of these sonic whistles to scare kangaroos away. Do they work?

take more than just water for your car. take 20ltrs as a minimum
if your car has a slow leak you can keep topping up aswell as having something to drink if you do break down.

[alecrain]

Originally Posted by FTGAutosalvage

take more than just water for your car. take 20ltrs as a minimum
if your car has a slow leak you can keep topping up aswell as having something to drink if you do break down.

I'm taking 7 or 8 liters of water for the car, we're taking 48x600ml of drinking water as well.
Besides I'm expecting roadhouses every ~100km.

[RG]

Just make sure that it is mechanically able to make the trip. My EL made it to Adelaide but by the time I got there it sounded awful and had sprung a leak from the headgasket. As long as you are prepared for a break down you'll be fine.

[EdFairmontGhia]

I think you'll be right, it sounds like you've considered the different breaking possibilities, maybe some spare belts? Tube of gasket glue (to temp plug up any leaks)

I did a trip in the ED geelong to Noosa and everywhere in between and then back down through sydney along the M1, and kept most of the driving at night, i had 2 of those sonic whistle things and the animals didn't bother me. Plus i got some sun shade for the rear windows so the passenger can sleep whilst not driving and no one will know they are in there. I think 'some' fords are just made for long distance travel :

[badefghia]

You should check out kings canyon and the olgars while you are there if you are staying near aryes rock you should check out the ayres rock resort its the only area realy to stay..Camping is cheap but cabind are real pricy and the N.T has 130kph speed limits know ..

[alecrain]

We're back safely and car did perfect.
The near 6000 km trip was long but the Ayers Rock, Olgas and Kings Canyon were amazing, and I recommend the trip as well as fly net to protect the face.
Here are some pictures:

[frd_crzer]

good to hear your back mate. did u watch the sunset over ayres rock. did u go on the walk at kings canyon i thought nthat the walk was **** IMO but i has a good time in other places.

[alecrain]

Yes we did all the long walks: around the rock, the valley of the winds (the Olgas) and around the rim of the canyon.
We saw sunrise and sunset on the rock and sunset on the Olgas.
We stayed at Curtain Springs station- half the price of the Ayers Rock Resort but needed to drive there 80 km.
Remember get the fly net if you're going there.

[Sundeep]

Damn you did alright!

Is the car all battered and chipped and worse for wear?

Sundeep

[frd_crzer]

i can tell you now its worth going there even though its a fair way. i loved the walk around uluru the not so much around the rim and i got to the top of the rock it is good as. did u go to the top of the rock or was it closed due to winds

[alecrain]

We didn't climb the rock as it was closed due to wind or rain.