This year was my first Bash and first real desert journey up from Melbourne. I spent forever setting up my Prado 120 and even had my injectors done and EGR cleaned out just before departure. I had all my goodies and thought I’m ready for anything. The trip up to the Bash was awesome coming up through places like Cradock, Copley, Leigh Creek and Farina, Marree before hitting the Birdsville Track, Mungerannie Hotel and then onto Birdsville. All these were iconic to me and was glad to finally travel this way.
The Bash was awesome, the thought of 4 days with no wifi or phone connection was just what the doctor ordered. The music was brilliant and the fun around the campfires was very therapeutic away from work.
Our troubles started late on exit day when travelling to Innamincka via Walkers Crossing track when we hit a rather deep washout which took out our front right steering heading into sunset.
This left us stranded pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Bugger! What to do? We were going nowhere fast and after getting under the car and doing some initial troubleshooting (with no success) we needed to settle in, get a fire going and set up camp for the night and put down a few beers with my travelling buddies.
Club 4×4 to the rescue!
Lucky, being a Friday and just before close of business before the weekend our claim was taken over the phone and our recovery was set in place and I was put at ease knowing our predicament. Lucky for my friends phone booster in his vehicle and being in close proximity to the Moomba Gas fields which gave us a bar or two of 3G. They quickly arranged a tow from the nearest town, over 500 kms away down in Copley with an ETA of night time the next day. A prior call to RACV Total Assist prior to Club 4×4 did not help us with anything and had costed a tow from the same place but at our cost of $4,500. Bloody hell! Meltdown had begun!
Back to Club 4×4 they assured me that this tow was part of their cover and I would be assisted the whole way. This was not just to a holding year in Copley but also another 300 kms to Port Augusta where the vehicle could be fixed. And no the $4,500 did not cover this further tow but was by Club 4×4.
After hanging around in Port Augusta, frustratingly for 5 days while parts were ordered from Melbourne and the car was repaired, Club 4×4 covered the cost of our accommodation.
Whilst our trip home was to take us through the Flinders Ranges after the Bash we were glad to get home in one piece a week after leaving the Bash.
Two things I’d like to point out, I am so glad that I have had the Club 4×4 insurance coverage. Their assistance through this time was great and I can thoroughly recommend them for people doing the same thing as what we did. I was nervous during the process thinking that maybe somewhere along the line my coverage would be denied, but all good.
Secondly, our little mishap put a few things into perspective for me. Our country is large and unforgiving and you can be all alone, a long way from anywhere and in trouble. These are the times you realize you are along way from help. Despite everything you plan for in the lead up there are just somethings that can’t plan for which can leave you stranded and very much alone.
Consider a phone booster in your vehicle and maybe more importantly consider a Sat phone, especially if travelling alone. Make sure you leave home knowing what your Insurance company can do for you.
Well done Club 4×4.
Comments 15
Great story & how lucky you were; Australia is a great Country, very wide isolated in many areas…
Awesome thank you for telling us this and we will be getting a sat phone now. Safe travelling
Great story for anyone who travels in the outback.
I drowned my 4×4 on Cape York about 30 years ago
and with a bit of help from other 4×4 s and 2 days
stripping the vehicle at Bamaga, plus a bit of electrical work by-passing
the steel stopper alarm we were able to drive all the way home to Melbourne.
We broke down 40 km out of Karratha lucky we had club 4×4 insurance they paid for the tow into Karratha
That’s where the luck ended. Been and older car Holden jackaroo 2003 not one mechanic in town wanted to fix it because it was an auto transmission.
Excuses were to hard not wanting to do a long job etc
Ended up getting a transmission from Victoria and will install myself here at caravan park
Glade you got home safe. Lucky no one was thrown through the windscreen. I travelled the Walkers Crossing road to Birdsville and The Bash. I know the washout you hit. I even stopped the next traveller heading south and warned them about it. It was going to be worse for the northern travellers. A 4wd stopper.
A good insurance news story no doubt, but how is it that a town like Port Augusta, the gateway to the outback, doesn’t have suspension parts for a Prado!?
There must be thousands of them on the road.
And what about Adelaide?
How can it take 5 days to get parts to a town 3 hours away?
I recon every second mum dropping off their kids to college down here in little old Radelaide is driving a Prado.
I guess they don’t get many wash outs in the Coles car park.
And I thought Toyota were renowned for customer service.
Keep up the good work Club 4X4.
It was a stub axle that we had the problem, not just a common thing like a CV joint. Having gotten in on Monday afternoon we missed the urgent express freight order. Turned out they needed a wiring loom and they got the wrong one, so back waiting for that.
Toyota were pretty good overall, they did give us a new car to drive for the whole time which was a lifesaver. At least we were able to travel around and check out some nearby towns and places.
Yes i also hit several washouts on that road but i was in a Hilux ( loaded to the gunnels i might add) and i did’nt have a problem – mind you, i was worried !
Great story about your recover and Club 4X4 support. But as a mechanic and a Toyota fan what was actual broken ? CV? Tyre rode end ? spring? power steering ram? unlikely with just a pot hole. Front wheel bearing ? Strut mounds or shockie? Front right steering leaves a tad to the imagination.
This is not a criticism, I am just interested.
Cheers
Jeff
Bent Stub axle which brought the tyre in and stuck on top of shocker
Great story about your recover and Club 4X4 support. But as a mechanic and a Toyota fan what was actual broken ? CV? Tyre rode end ? spring? power steering ram? unlikely with just a pot hole. Front wheel bearing ? Strut mounds or shockie? Front right steering leaves a tad to the imagination.
This is not a criticism, I am just interested.
Cheers
Jeff
Luckily I had heard of this Prado hitting the washout on the Walker’s Crossing track as I hit that track on the following Sunday after the BRB. I took a nice steady pace on the lookout for the wash and certainly came across one that would have certainly done the job. Fair warning was a godsend.
Although my travel partner destroyed a tyre on that track it is a good reminder that things can go wrong.
I’m reviewing my Club 4X4 insurance now to make sure I am fully covered for mishaps like this. Thanks for the story.
What got me about this story was the knock back by RACV it would seem to me all it’s good for is a flat battery or a call out of in a town
I have RACV E XTRA but I think I might just check out the nitty gritty of what and where I am actually covered for coz on this trip up north I have heard quite a few really bad stories about this sort of cover
A friend hit a big whoopsie on the Charters Tower road and bent his chassis his car was covered for the tow but not his van even though he had extra cover and his van was 20 ft that was towed on the back of the tow truck and that cost an extra $700 maybe I might check out Club4x4 again before I renew. Ron
Author
Hi Ron, We wrote an article about the fine print in Roadside Assistance which may mean they don’t turn up. You can check it here https://www.club4x4.com.au/beware-the-fine-print-roadside-assistance-when-you-are-off-sealed-roads/. Definitely worth doing the homework Ron!
So great reading all these tips and tricks. Thanks for sharing. We area couple of kiwis having a new van built for pick up in Nov where we will come over for a couple of weeks to try it out and than back again next June for a 2 – 3month trip , which we will do each year till we have done it all.
We had read quite a lot of not so good reviews on RACQ so insured with someone else, but will be changing to club 4×4 on its renewal date due to a more comprehensive cover.
Really look forward to our club 4×4 newsletters with all the info on travelling your diverse country.