Shower, shave and spanners

Ahhh, civilization… well kinda, as we've just pulled into the 40-person aboriginal community of Kunawarraitji, about 8 kilometres from Well 33.

It marks the half-way point of the Mercedes-Benz Canning Stock Route challenge, and so far we've clocked up 1020km, at an average speed of 31km/h and consuming 18.5L/100km, according to our G-Wagen's excellent trip computer.

First stop is the township's bowser, the only one on the stock route, adding another 500 litres to the seven vehicles, at an eye-watering $3.20 a litre! The diesel is trucked in from Alice Springs, which in turn gets it from Darwin, so it's travelled a fair distance to get here…

We're in for a bit of luxury tonight too, sleeping in almost brand new, self-contained cabins with air-conditioning and a TV! It'll make a change from pitching a tent, and collecting firewood. It's also our first proper shower and shave in a week. Heaven!

The Kunawarraitji township, with its well-stocked corner store and basic workshop, is also a chance for our two 'mechanical' guys, to get the cars under a hoist for a once-over.

Luke Pascoe, who works in the technical department at Mercedes-Benz Australia head office and is a truck mechanic by trade, along with Erwin Wonisch, an Austrian who has been a G-Wagen development driver for the last 30 years, subsequently spend most of the afternoon attending to each vehicle's needs.

Preparation-wise, Pascoe said there was little done to prepare the G-Wagens for their outback adventure apart from fitting all-terrain tyres, UHF radios, and roofracks.

"We've also taken some seats out of some of the cars for extra room, and taken out a fuse for the sunroof to stop the sunroof from hitting the roof rack," he said.

The convoy is carrying two spare fuel filters, plus a full set of air filters for each car, which will be used today. ??Additional fluids include coolant, engine oil, AdBlue, transmission fluid, and brake fluid, "just in case we had to bleed a diff lock or something like that".

"We haven't had any issues, but we'll be checking today… wouldn't be surprised if they've used some oil given the work they've been doing," he said.

Despite the Canning's relentless corrugations, the original shocks are expected to last the full distance, so only four spares are being carried – two for the 'civilian' G-Wagens and two, heavier duty shocks for the BR-461 G-Professional wagon and ute.

"Because we didn't know the grade of diesel we would get up here, we brought some injectors, and a couple of fuel filters, and of course radiator hoses, transmission oil, and things like that," he said.

"On a daily basis, because of the hard corrugations we're experiencing, we've been checking the bolts around the front end and the wheelhouse, the bumpers, and pretty much looking for fatigue points, as you would on any car," he explained.

Most issues so far have been relatively minor, including a couple of staked tyres, a rubber working loose on an underbody shield, while two shocks have been replaced due to leaking seals.

"We're quite happy with how the (seven-speed) transmissions have been working; we haven't had any issues with overheating or anything like that…"

Amongst the tools is "a pin set, which is for all the various different terminals in the car, if I have to check anything… we did have one vehicle get a short in a wire because of the corrugations, but we fixed that one up…"

Like any good bush mechanic, Pascoe is also carrying "standard things for all outback trips", like tape, wire, zip-ties, ropes, and straps. "We've got enough to make a temporary fix until we get to the next town, or the next stop," he said.

Apart from the broken bracket on the AdBlue tank (as mentioned in yesterday's post) which will be welded back onto the chassis today, and what looks like a cracked air-conditioning line on one of the vehicles, the rock-solid G-Wagens are resisting well against underbody attack from the Canning's relentless undulations and damaging rocks and roots.

"They run rear protection on the tank, of course, and a pretty thick 1mm plate on the front, and everything is mostly tucked up underneath the chassis anyway," Pascoe explained.

The only other issue has been a cracked mount, which holds the G-Professional wagon's spare tyre. "It's fractured in the mounting plate, and will be welded up today," he said.

Given the good run so far, Pascoe is confident the convoy of G-Wagens will last the distance, no worries.

"When they get back they'll need a full service, because of all the hard work that they've done…"

Tracking the Canning Stock Route: