trip from hell

[anthonyhugo]

hey guys

went on a diving trip to moz (tofu) with my kzte

on our way back at a town called quissico (+/- 150km north of xai xai) my bakkie broke down

it jumped around and smoked like crazy

i basically got stuck in moz

luckily i managed to meet the friendliest family of ex pats, hentie grove and family

they run a B&B with a restaurant in quissico, the best food and hospitality i have ever experienced

when the local "mechanics" took off the head, the gastket was 100%, but one of the piston holes were not black so it seemed that the inside of the head might be damaged

i'm picking up the head from basils engineering in centurion for R4200 incl. VAT, got a very helpful courier, rudie, to take it to them on sunday

i had to get back to joburg by hook or crook using the local chappas and a bus so i can get to work or get fired

i would like to ask you guys what my best options to get the hilux back in SA

should i let the local "mehanics" try fix it and i try to drive it back or should i rather try get someone to tow us back and fix it in SA?

i found out the hard way that i don't have repatriation insurance...

thanks
ant
072 957 6406

[Thabogrobler]

If possible at all, get it back home and have it fixed where you can keep your eyes on it.

[Mud Dog]

If possible at all, get it back home and have it fixed where you can keep your eyes on it.

This would have also been the option that I would have felt most comfortable with, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures and it might be more practical to have it repaired there. You are already indebted to the workshop up there for the work done thus far which would normally be a part of the head job anyway. The logistics and cost would be easier than getting another vehicle up there and towing it back. So what it boils down to is how much trust are you willing to give the mechanical workshop up there. What is the feeling of the locals (what is Hentie Grove's opinion of the workshop)? Look, it's unlikely that you will go all the way back for a warranty issue on their workmanship and I'm sure they realise this, but they also have a reputation to maintain.
I would let them do it but ask them to keep your old head for you so that you can have it tested once back home and see what the problem really is .... maybe it can be repaired as a spare.

[ChrisF]

Anthony with which insurance are/were you ?

I am with Santam, now even though my package has some special 4x4 cover I am still watching these threads closely, as I will be going over the border soon .....

[anthonyhugo]

hello, i'm with hollard pay as you drive insurance

here's a pic of the "workshop" when they stripped the head to see what the problem was

hentie used these guys before to work on he's petrol cruiser 4x4 but i heard that diesels require specialized knowledge?

the guy in the blue overall is the mechanic and the rest are he's appies

[anthonyhugo]

i forgot to add but these guys literally have a toolbox with spanners and screw drivers, not sure if this is 100% for this kind of job...?

EDIT: what you see in the photo's ARE the workshop, i'm scared sand gets into the engine parts as they assemble it again and mess something up... they don't have compressors etc to clean it up...

[Thabogrobler]

Be afraid, be very afraid!!!

Would you ask these guys to remove your daughters appendix?

Oh, and that Fortuner driver - what kind of pal is that? Not strong enough to tow you! Sound like some or the other type of hogwash to me!

[Mud Dog]

Anthony, I was under the impression that you were talking about a proper automotive mechanical workshop. What you're showing us here is just a genuine bush mechanic with some aapies. No, no .... you cannot entrust the work to a crew like that. They will most likely damage as much as they fix and without torquing down the head properly your new head will in it's glory before you get home. Make arrangements with your insurers if you can, but recover the vehicle and have it repaired here.

[anthonyhugo]

thanks i took your advice guys, i managed to get an uncle to help me tow the hilux back this coming friday, i asked hentie to tell the "mechanic" to halt all work

another question please, my dad is helping me weld a towing bar together, what's the legal requirement / suggested length of the bar?

thanks again!

[OOOOMS]

Good call getting the vehicle outa there!!! Andy, you ever seen a workshop in Moz....that's about as good as it gets....

Make sure you get the vehicle out before the 30 day period

[anthonyhugo]

thanks oooms, you know how long we should make the towing bar?

i was thinking about 1.8m??

[OOOOMS]

1.8 - 2.0m should be fine, I have a tow-bar shackles either side, if you want to use it, just shout Collect and return!

08three307oh574

[HennieJ2]

It's fine towing it back, but also consider taking your own mechanic with and let him fit the head there. If you are going to take away the work from the "bush mechanics" make sure they don't do you any damage, such as keeping spares, etc.

HJ

[anthonyhugo]

awesome news guys! just got a "ball park" quote from SAC and it seems that if they fit the new head it would cost about R5,000 incl. a dyna! that's a lot less than i was thinking

[andrevt]

if you still have problems contact joau at tell him you got the number from dupsand 0824478652

[anthonyhugo]

if you still have problems contact joau at tell him you got the number from dupsand 0824478652

cool thanks is he a diesel mechanic?

[andrevt]

he owns a transport company

[anthonyhugo]

Just when i thought things couldnt get worse it did

On our way back from repatriating my hilux from quissico, in a town called manhica we were involved in a huge accident

My uncles heart stopped but hes stable now with blood on his brain

Both bakkies possible write offs

Luckily another uncle got us back to SA

We were supposed to appear in front of a tribunal yesterday because they treat you like youre a criminal when you have an accident - my uncles bakkie is still confiscated in moz and i had to pay 3500MT to have my wreck released

Picking up the pieces - Moz can be a harsh place

Cheers
Ant

[OOOOMS]

Not good news at all Anthony, hope you uncle is OK?

Yip thngs can go horribly wrong....sad

[ChrisF]

JEEPERS !!

That SUCKS !!!


Glad you all survived it.

[Mud Dog]

Eish! That's harsh! ..... and there I was thinking that this story would have a happy ending. Hope you uncle recovers soon!

[Traveler]

May your uncle have a very speedy and complete recovery.

To get back to the previous part of the thread. The problem with these "bush mechanics" is not their abilities; it is lack of proper equipment. I have had the opportunity to see a number of Moz and Zim techies in action ins proper kitted SA workshops and they put our local average techies to shame.

[Hilux01]

Anthony,

Good luck and please keep us updated.

[anthonyhugo]

thanks for the well wishes

my uncle is still touch & go, brain has bleeding but he's stable and at home

my hilux is another story, the insurance assessor is trying to fix as little as possible

[sir shrek]

And I thought I had problems. Anthony I hope all works out well for your uncle and your hilux.
When it rains it pours.

Please keep us posted

[anthonyhugo]

hi guys, me again

my insurance wrote my bakkie off today

can any of you please tell me what the RETAIL value of it is just so i can be sure more or less if they pay me out:
2003 Hilux Double Cab KZTE 4x4 with 170k on the clock

thanks!
ant
072 957 6406

[bosjakkals]

Holy Cow
Glad all of you are allright, contact any motor dealer and ask what the trade and retail is on your bakkie.

[Thabogrobler]

2003 Kz-te 4x4 D/cab Trade R99800, Retail R121300, as per Jan 2011 book.

BUT if you could buy it back for 20-30k there is alot of guys that is after spares...the gearbox would be mine, of course

[Gunta]

That is realy bad luck. I hope things turn for the better for you and your uncle.
That hilux was bad luck, leave it and get a new one.

[anthonyhugo]

eish now the insurance is going back on their decision (word!) to write it off

thats after we stripped off all the accessories we could salvage (with their permission offcourse) like roof rack, rock sliders, load bid slider etc etc

they dont want to pay for any of the engine damage because i had to put the spares the moz mechanic stripped off on the back of my uncles bakkie when he towed me (i put as much of the spares in my bakkie as possible but it was loaded full of diving and camping equipment)

in the accident all those spares were flung onto the road and totally wrecked

i managed to squeeze the radiator into my bakkie and it was not damaged in the accident - i reckon it would have been damaged because my bakkie was hit hard on the front right - so there i saved them some $$$

now if the insurance only pay for the body work i still have to fork out for new spares including a new head and all that goes with a new head - never mind the hectic excess!

all i want is for them to replace the spares that was damaged as a result of the accident - i'll pay for the "putting it back together again"

any of you perhaps know the legal opinion in this case?

do i have a case to take up with the ombudsman?

cheers
ant

[Mud Dog]

Hmmm ..... difficult one. You would have to read through all the fine print on your policy document to see what is covered and what the exclusions are. That document is the basis of your contract with the ins. company, and even though it may seem to be unfair, they may still be within their contractual obligation to exclude such spares. They were after all not even on nor in your vehicle but were actually freight on your uncle's vehicle and would normally be excluded. However given the nature of the broader picture, this was being done as a part of a recovery operation and all the damage occurred in the same accident, so there might be an obligation on their part. I think you would have to take the case to your lawyer .... or you could try the legal aid board if you qualify for legal aid ..... otherwise take it to the Ombudsman and let them look at it.

[Thabogrobler]

Speak to lawyer AJ Coetzee, 082 559 8272 or 012 362 4747

[OOOOMS]

Ant, please explain about the accident & where it happened, just out of curiosity :wink2:

[anthonyhugo]

hi oooms, on our way back from quissico, in a town called manhica a truck with very bad lights and no warning triangles was doing a tyre change while blocking the lane, my uncle braked to avoid a collision which caused us to skid into the oncoming traffic's lane, as soon as we came to a stand still a moz hard body braked and collided with us (he's brake marks were at least 20-30m long in a 60 zone...)

ps. if you ever go to moz make sure you get 3'rd party insurance, luckily i got for both our cars - i'm already being harassed like crazy by the other driver and he's family...

[anthonyhugo]

Speak to lawyer AJ Coetzee, 082 559 8272 or 012 362 4747

thanks will do!

[OOOOMS]

hi oooms, on our way back from quissico, in a town called manhica a truck with very bad lights and no warning triangles was doing a tyre change while blocking the lane, my uncle braked to avoid a collision which caused us to skid into the oncoming traffic's lane, as soon as we came to a stand still a moz hard body braked and collided with us (he's brake marks were at least 20-30m long in a 60 zone...)

ps. if you ever go to moz make sure you get 3'rd party insurance, luckily i got for both our cars - i'm already being harassed like crazy by the other driver and he's family...

Ant, word of advise, change your number....it will never end. 5 Years ago I collected stuff at the airport in Imhabane, (clutch for a cruizer while on a fishing trip) which had to be cleared via customs, started chatting to one of the customs officials, he took my number and wanted to start importing water pumps / gennies for his wife's veggie fields....he still to today calls me......

Taking 3rd party at the border is compulsory, not an option