Where Adelaide's 4WDs go
The Flinders Ranges
The ranges begin about 200 km north of the city and stretch more than 430 km from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. If the trip includes dirt roads and tracks up there, the tyres, suspension and air filter take most of the wear.
The Oodnadatta and Birdsville tracks
The Oodnadatta Track is 614 km of unsealed road from Marree to Marla, and a 4WD is essential on it during and after rain. The Birdsville Track runs 517 km from Marree on a graded dirt surface that flash floods and drifting sand can wash out, with fuel at Mungeranie, 204 km in.
Port Augusta and beyond
Port Augusta, about 310 km up the highway, is where the Stuart Highway turns north for Darwin and the Eyre Highway heads west for Perth. Distances stretch out from there, so have the pre-trip check done in Adelaide with time to get parts.
Back in the suburbs
Between trips, the same diesel does short Adelaide runs, which is exactly what clogs a particulate filter. Exhaust and DPF repairs in Adelaide covers why, and what a weekly highway run does about it.
What's different about servicing them
The diesel side. Diesels with an SCR exhaust system use AdBlue, a urea solution injected into the exhaust. If it runs dry the car won't start, nothing else will stand in for it, and it must never go in the fuel tank. Diesel bugs, bacteria and fungi that grow where fuel meets water, block filters with slime, and RACQ says cars with water in the tank or infrequent use are most at risk. A 4WD that sits in the shed between trips is one of those.
The 4WD side. A part-time 4WD locks the front and rear together in the transfer case, so it's only meant for loose surfaces: on bitumen the driveline winds up, because the axles can't turn at different speeds. The transfer case and both differentials have their own oil. RACV says towing and dusty or unsealed roads can call for a service around every six months.
What to ask a diesel or 4WD mechanic in Adelaide
- Which schedule in the book fits a car that does dust, gravel and towing as well as the school run?
- Will you check the transfer case and differential oils, and look for water in them after deep crossings?
- When was the fuel filter last changed, and is there water in the separator?
- Is the DPF regenerating properly, and how much soot is it carrying?
- What would you check or carry before a trip up the Birdsville?
- Are the suspension and tyres suited to the weight I carry, with water, fridge and gear on board?
What we'd do before heading north
We'd have the pre-trip check done a few weeks before leaving Adelaide, not the day before, so there's time for parts. Then we'd tell the mechanic exactly where we're going and what we're carrying, because the Oodnadatta Track asks things of a car that a weekend down the coast never does.