Cartman Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 From the Difflock forum. I thought you might like this letter to a local 4WD magazine from a policeman posted in Western Australia. "I am a police officer stationed at Jurien Bay, which is about 260km north of Perth. One afternoon I received a radio call to assist some German tourists on the northern beach as they had called and told the operator, "Ve are bogged and may drown". When I arrived at their location, I spotted a middle-aged couple in a hire Suzuki Vitara bogged to the axles, high on the beach. The male did not speak much english, but his wife could speak it quite well. I asked why she had told the operator that they were bogged in water and may drown. She then pulled out a travel brochure, which warned, "Roebuck Bay has a 9m tide difference that has caught many people unaware". While holding back the unbearable desire to •••• myself laughing, she further explain that she said they might drown, as by the time the police from Perth arrived, the tide would have "swallowed zem up". That was it, I had held it in long enough, but being a well disciplined police officer, I only let out the slightest of chuckles without offending the couple. I then informed the lady that they were in Jurien Bay, and Roebuck Bay was another 1,900 kms up the road, and further, that we do have police in the bush in Western Australia. I checked the tyre pressures, lowering them to around 20psi. Noticing that neither of the front wheels had any drive, I then checked the hubs and was surprised to find they were locked. He tried again, but still there was no drive to the front wheels. I again asked if he had it in 4WD, and this time recieved the look of death, with (I suspect) a few German expletives, as he shouted at his wife and me. His wife apologised for her husbands language. I replied, "well, if you can't understand it, how can it offend you?" Finally, I asked the wife to have her husband show me how he had put it in 4WD. She told him and he motioned for me to come and see. He then sat in the driver's seat and said in a very thick German accent, "I push zis button 'A/C', you see - All Conditions". At this point, all my police training and self-discipline escaped me as I fell to the ground. I laughed so hard I had a asthma attack and had to crawl back on my hands and kneees to the police vehicle to get my inhaler" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguevogue Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 It's amazing isn't it but not that uncommon. In the summer our local LR main stealer has an open day on a local estate where customers are allowed to drive in convoy with "professional" off-road drivers (a collection of members of our club) as escorts. Before setting off with about 15 customers in a convoy, the lead and tail car drivers walk the line up to check that they know how to put it in low and use traction control etc. some of the cars you have to just turn and walk away for fear of offending them. These people own these cars, have done for a year or more and never read the manual and have, in some cases, no idea what the "little knob" does. Needless to say it's funny the first few times you hear it but by the end of the day it just isn't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 When I was a recovery driver I went out to a breakdown in a DIY store carpark on behalf of the local LR dealer. The fault was given as no drive so the dealer was going to treat it as a warrenty job and just get the car recovered to the dealership. When I got there I was able to slip the transfer lever from neutral into high and charge the driver for a breakdown callout. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Raider Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 I have lost count of the number of times that women in school run Discos have asked me "why have you got two gear sticks" or tell me they also take their "cars" offroad. These conversations used to take place in the school /shop carpark and i would be in the series that hadnt been washed for weeks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 ....it's not only women! We all make mistakes, it's all to easy to forget your first time off roadin'. If you don't ask you don't learn B) lol @ the stories though, at least I read my manual before 'playing with the little knob' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Raider Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Dont think you are in the same group as the women i was talking about Jen, they are the kind that block the roads in my village, whilst driving one handed on their mobiles and glaring at you through their Gucci sunglasses.! But you are right, we all have to start some where. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeryDisco Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 I'd been rabbiting on (as I do sooo well) at work about a winch challenge I was entering, I'd bored everyone to tears about how much I was looking forward to it. One of the girls in the office, to be polite and appear interested, said "so is it just girls that enter then?" I told her no, I was in the minority, and she replied "Why do they call it a WENCH challenge then?" And of course there's the age old classic: "Why does your exhaust run up the side of your windscreen?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 they are the kind that block the roads in my village, whilst driving one handed on their mobiles and glaring at you through their Gucci sunglasses.! Aye - I know the ones you mean! Still, funny when you park your Muddy Landy next to theirs B) Still, there's a couple of shiny Landies here that belong to a couple of blokes at work... if they're not careful I'm going to nick the keys and get them all muddy! B) "Why does your exhaust run up the side of your windscreen?" Sounds very familiar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark90 Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 First time I took Alf to Slindon, maybe only second of time out in the truck IIRC, went for a trundle round on the evening prior to the challenge and after coming down a slope steep and then trying to climb out I lost all drive. Had been having 'issues' with the gearbox so suspected the worst. Transfer box back and fore between hi/low, main box in all gears including reverse and nothing, Flyer Dave was there and checked underneath to see if the props where rotating, nope. Starting thinking bugger this must be bad, I'll be out of the competition etc, then I realise the overdrive has slipped into neutral. That was the first and only time it ever done it, maybe it wasn't engaged properly in the first place. Would have been so bad if I was a 'newbie' but I wasn't, just a muppet, and wasn't used to so 4 levers/knobs instead of the usual two in a defender Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuko Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 First time I took Alf to Slindon, maybe only second of time out in the truck IIRC, went for a trundle round on the evening prior to the challenge and after coming down a slope steep and then trying to climb out I lost all drive. Had been having 'issues' with the gearbox so suspected the worst. Transfer box back and fore between hi/low, main box in all gears including reverse and nothing, Flyer Dave was there and checked underneath to see if the props where rotating, nope. Starting thinking bugger this must be bad, I'll be out of the competition etc, then I realise the overdrive has slipped into neutral. That was the first and only time it ever done it, maybe it wasn't engaged properly in the first place. Would have been so bad if I was a 'newbie' but I wasn't, just a muppet, and wasn't used to so 4 levers/knobs instead of the usual two in a defender DITTO Mark90, The very same thing happened to me on Sunday I thought for sure, I would need a tow home. Moving all the levers, except the overdrive, of course....still no drive. Then my 10 year old says, what about that lever dad ? pointing at the overdrive........ motion again hahahaha sh!t happens Todd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 On a previous Exmoor Challenge we were to climb Putham lane which we did but I had 5 attempts using both ARB's in the end after some tyre smoke(read lots of) I managed it, then Will said Tony your back wheels aren't turning! fearing the worst I carried on a short distance then looked at the dash---- No difflock light DOH! I had forgotten to lock the centre diff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ101 Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 On a previous Exmoor Challengewe were to climb Putham lanewhich we did but I had 5 attempts using both ARB's in the end after some tyre smoke(read lots of) I managed it, then Will said Tony your back wheels aren't turning! fearing the worst I carried on a short distance then looked at the dash---- No difflock light DOH! I had forgotten to lock the centre diff... Ahhh Tony,, i remember it well,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.