So... what car do you guys drive when not flying?

[mrs.dr.ron]

I’ve heard bad things about Merc after sales service especially when it comes to “warranty” matters. No one is perfect obviously but would appreciate comments.

We have had ours 2 years now and we havent had any issues with it at all. I have done most of the service bookings, you can either book a loaner car or wait in the lounge, or be taken to the local Plaza, I know the service manager well - he is the husband of a friend, and apart from getting a kiss when dropping off the car he treats everybody the same as me. We havent had any warranty issues. We did have some message come up on the screen when we were out in the back of Woop Woop - so I rang the service team from Woop Woop and was reassured that it wasnt a problem, and they were right, just red dust covering a sensor and a hose down fixed that. This is our third Merc, and I have never had any problems with service/ warranty. This is probably our last car, thats why I wanted a Merc !

 

[Happy Dude]

It’s actually available:

View attachment 306133

………..


I’ve heard the owners user manual is online rather than the usual book?

Is there an annual cost of $485 on top of rego for having a personal number plate?

 

[Quickstatus]

Is there an annual cost of $485

yes of course.

 

[Happy Dude]

yes of course.

Wow. I genuinely did not know that. I just thought you'd pay a bit more upfront.

Each to their own of course, but, up until just now, I had thought tattoos were the biggest waste of money.

 

[Quickstatus]

waste of money.

But not to the DYKWIA

There are some highly sought after personalised plates which the govt is monetising.

 

[tgh]

Is there an annual cost of $485 on top of rego for having a personal number plate?

Not in qld….

 

[JessicaTam]

I’ve heard the owners user manual is online rather than the usual book?

Correct.

JLR don't supply owners' manuals and we are directed to an app. Waste of electrons!

I spent the £ and bought a paper copy that can live in the glovebox and doesn't need batteries or phone signal.

 

[JohnM]

JLR don't supply owners' manuals and we are directed to an app. Waste of electrons!

I spent the £ and bought a paper copy that can live in the glovebox and doesn't need batteries or phone signal.

I guess you need an on-hand owner's manual for a JLR product, and I imagine that it will be constantly well-thumbed...

Ducks...



Seriously, however, can't you download it to your phone and have it on hand offline? That's how the FordPass app works.

 

[JessicaTam]

I guess you need an on-hand owner's manual for a JLR product, and I imagine that it will be constantly well-thumbed...

Ducks...



Seriously, however, can't you download it to your phone and have it on hand offline? That's how the FordPass app works.

Yes, but you try browsing an app in small print! Oh, when I am heading off the beaten track I also take paper maps.

 

[tgh]

I also take paper maps

I have a lifetime collection of topo's , cadastrals, and marine .... hundreds… all around seq and up the coast.. mega $$ retail cost
All are bound for the fire heap.. nobody uses or cares about print maps anymore....'cept Jtam...

 

[JessicaTam]

I also take paper maps

I have a lifetime collection of topo's , cadastrals, and marine .... hundreds… all around seq and up the coast.. mega $$ retail cost
All are bound for the fire heap.. nobody uses or cares about print maps anymore....'cept Jtam...

I don't drive up to QLD often, but happy to relieve you of any ~1:100,000 scale topos.

 

[JohnM]

Yes, but you try browsing an app in small print! Oh, when I am heading off the beaten track I also take paper maps.

Use a tablet.

I also always keep in car a WA Roads & Tracks paper map (in the form of a book: Western Australia Roads & Tracks 2020 (15th Edition)) . Hema, of course, does similar paper maps across Australia.

But I have on my phone and tablet the Hema (4WD Maps App) and ExplorOz (ExplorOz Traveller) map apps. They contain a suite of multiple-scale raster maps that can be dynamically displayed by finger-swipe and work through GPS offline. Only $100 one-off purchase and regularly updated.

I have a tablet mount on the centre console for displaying those, while the in-car GPS display is useful for closer views - of bends in the road, for example.

As the saying goes: A GPS tells you where you are going, but not where you are. The GPS point overlaid on the raster proper map does both. They leave snail-trails of your track and have plenty of other navigation smarts.

I don't have a need to carry topo maps. But I guess in the east at present they could be useful for seeing by how much you'll be submerged.

 

[Buzzard]

Another one for paper maps here.

 

[JohnM]

Another one for paper maps here.
View attachment 306278

That (or equivalent) plus the Hema or ExplorOz apps gives the best of all worlds.

 

[daft009]

in-laws purchased the ATTO3. 0.9% surcharge for amex = win for me

 

[Cossie]

Nobody will be driving this hybrid much further.

WATCH: Fire forces Dani Sordo out of FORUM8 Rally Japan

Dani Sordo has spoken following a fire on SS2 at FORUM8 Rally Japan which brought a premature end to the Hyundai Motorsport driver's weekend. Both he and co-driver Candido Carrera were able to get out of the vehicle without incident.

www.wrc.com

 

[jb747]

VW Touareg R is out mid-late next year but they’ve just started taking orders.

Hybrid, 340kw, specced with everything.

It’s basically a totally loaded Cayenne Hybrid (at a base Cayenne price point).

I wonder how that style of drivetrain will work out as a tow vehicle. I'm currently 2,000km into a trip towing a caravan (not a heavy one, but it does have a full frontal area), and the current fuel average is under 10 lt/100 km (225kw 3ltr diesel). I'm sure it would be fun to drive, how could 340kw not be, but I'll bet it doesn't work as a grey nomad SUV.

 

[tgh]

The way stuff is spinning, modern diesel suv's will rapidly become prized collectors items, already V8's are selling at a huge premium and it will get better(or worse depending).

 

[docjames]

I wonder how that style of drivetrain will work out as a tow vehicle. I'm currently 2,000km into a trip towing a caravan (not a heavy one, but it does have a full frontal area), and the current fuel average is under 10 lt/100 km (225kw 3ltr diesel). I'm sure it would be fun to drive, how could 340kw not be, but I'll bet it doesn't work as a grey nomad SUV.

I don’t think the grey nomad is the target market (although some may end up in that role….).

 

[Quickstatus]

a grey nomad SUV.

Imagine pulling up to a little country town caravan park with an R

Worse, I can’t imagine a local small town mechanic being able to diagnose a fault

Spare wheel? Usually these will have irregular size tyres. Good luck finding these in the back of woop woop