4WDs and diesels around Brisbane
Moreton Island sand
Moreton Island, 58 kilometres north-east of Brisbane, has no sealed roads, and many of its east-coast beaches double as roads, so it's 4WD only. Cars cross on a vehicle ferry from the Port of Brisbane at Lytton and need a vehicle access permit. RACQ's advice afterwards: clean under the vehicle as soon as practical to get the sand and saltwater off before rust or corrosion sets in.
Straddie weekends
North Stradbroke Island is 30 kilometres south-east of the city, reached by ferry from Cleveland, and the Keyhole Track near Point Lookout is one of the better-known 4WD tracks near Brisbane. If the car's been on the sand, say so at the next service, so the mechanic looks underneath for salt and corrosion.
Range climbs with a load
West, the Warrego Highway tops out on the Great Dividing Range on the Toowoomba Bypass. South, the Mount Lindesay Highway winds up the McPherson Range past Rathdowney. Long climbs with a caravan or boat behind find out tired cooling systems and automatics, and RACQ says heavy towing with an automatic often needs an extra transmission cooler.
Then the school run
The same ute can spend the whole week on short trips around the suburbs. RACQ says vehicles that live in slow, stop-start traffic without a chance to regenerate the DPF will have ongoing problems. Exhaust and DPF repairs in Brisbane goes through the fix.
What a 4WD and diesel mechanic looks at
The driveline first: the transfer case, the front and rear differentials and any locking diffs, each with its own oil and its own interval. Then the diesel side: fuel filters, injectors and the turbo, which depend on clean fuel and clean oil.
On a newer diesel there's the DPF and, on some, an AdBlue system as well. RACQ says that if the AdBlue runs dry the car won't start, and that nothing else will stand in for it. Ask for both to be looked at each service.
Questions before a Brisbane 4WD goes in
- Do you see my model and engine regularly?
- Given the beach trips and the towing, which schedule in the book should it be on?
- Will you check underneath for salt corrosion and sand in the brakes?
- Are the diff and transfer case oils due at this service?
- Is the cooling system up to towing in a Brisbane summer?
What we'd do
After any beach trip, we'd hose the underside with fresh water that same week and mention the trip at the next service. Before towing anything up the range in summer, we'd have the cooling system and the transmission checked, early enough to fit a cooler if the mechanic suggests one.