Overlanding problems

[Apoclapedia]

@JimBill i really cant stress enough, how important it is to do your own wrenching on your vehical. Just because you left a shop. Doesnt mean the job is done. Often even when things are torqued to spec. They need to be retightened sometimes more than once until they seat and hold, Especially wheel lugs, suspension and driveline components. I always suggest not leaving a shop and heading for a weekend adventure. Put some miles on it in town before you hit a trail if youre not doing the work yourself. And remember, every hour you spend with a wrench in your hand. Saves you $100 in shop time to a mechanic. And none of it is difficult. Especially with all the free resources available today.

 

[JimBill]

I do my own wrenching 90% of the time, since I was 14. We fundamentally agree!
The only time I lost lug nuts was when a shop fixed a flat while I was on a road trip. But some are not as luck to have years experience and or mechanical aptitude.
In my previous long post, I tried to demonstrate stuff will happen and you will get experience the hard way. The first thing to learn though is to be aware of what is right and if there are changes, pay attention because that is a sign something is going wrong. Investigate from there and learn in a much easier way than when you are with the family and out of cell service.

 

[Apoclapedia]

@JimBill whoops. I meant to tag @mootruck98 in that comment instead. Yeah, good observation is a key skill for anyone on the trail. Know what your rig should look, smell and sound like.

 

[JimBill]

@JimBill whoops. I meant to tag @mootruck98 in that comment instead. Yeah, good observation is a key skill for anyone on the trail. Know what your rig should look, smell and sound like.

dang it, I forgot to mention smell! Nice catch. A whole new list now comes to memory but ill leave it to one example. Once had aa heater core hose burst back in Los Padres behind Big Sur. Suddenly smelt antifreeze then nothing. Temp gauge, in the sudden absence of water contact, didn't move. Stopped and popped the hood, all coolant was pumped and gone. If it were not for checking out the smell, who knows how hot it would have got before seeing the gauge move. Cut the remaining hose from the core, used a 7mms deep socket as a hose union and a roll of electrical tape as a clamp to get me home. Had to drive a hundred yards or so at a time and let it cool until I could fill radiator from a creek. Ah, good times! More GM fun. Learned the plastic quick connects they use for the heater core connections get brittle over time and eventually a washboard road takes one out. You cannot account for everything and some things are hard learned.

 

[Billiebob]

Lots of sad stories about blaming someone else but anytime I go to my tire shop for work, they put a hanger on the mirror telling me to get a retorque in 60 miles.
VERY TIME PERIOD.