Third Party Vehicle Insurance

COMESA / Yellow Card: Insurance valid in one of the member countries, can be extended to cover all other states. We bought Zambian 3rd Party (valid for 6 months) and bought the COMESA extension in Zambia to cover all member countries for the same 6 months. You can buy 3rd party insurance and the COMESA in the first member country that you enter. Valid countries are: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Egypt and DRC don't accept COMESA insurance, so you have to buy local insurance.

ECOWAS / Carte Brun/Brown: Similar to the above, covering Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger.We bought 3 months ECOWAS insurance in Senegal.

CEMAC / Carte Rose: Similar to the above covering Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, CAR, Chad. We bought 2 months (min) insurance in Cameroon - it was cheap.

GREEN CARD: This allows you to use insurance from one of the countries in other countries, but normally only for a limited period of time and very expensive for vehicles registered outside the region. We bought ours at the Bulgaria border. The countries in dark green are always included. The countries in light green are sometimes included, normally for an extra fee.

South Africa and Namibia (light blue) have 3rd party insurance built into fuel tax, so you don't need to buy anything at the border. The countries in dark blue require their own 3rd party insurance to be bought at the border.

4x4 Course

Brett: We did a 4x4 course at Hennops with Tim from SA Adventure which was excellent and a lot of fun. Tim has done the trip dozens of times and had many tips for 4x4 and general overlanding. Mary and I both took turns driving – Mary was brilliant! The course covered hill climbs, descents, reverse jump start, approach and departure angles, axle twisters, keeping to the high ground, water crossing, mud, diff lock, tyre pressure, high lift jack (including winching), snatch strap.

Blood Sweat and Overlanding Prep

Brett: We are getting there… we spent about a week sorting out overlanding things on the vehicle…

• Installed the Roof Top Tent – the wooden supports didn’t fit so we replaced them with wider wood. We bought the tent from http://www.tentco.co.za/ – we got the slightly larger 1.4m version for the same price as most used 1.2m tents on Gumtree.
• Also from Tent Co
  • Air Compressor and pressure gauge – for changing tyre pressures on different terrain
  • Bright torch for game spotting – modern ones run on CREE LEDs, so last much longer on AA batteries compared to older technology that drains a car battery in 30 minutes.
  • Ground Sheet
  • Fire Extinguisher
  • Snatch and Tow Strap
  • Paper Maps – Tracks4Africa and InfoMap
• Fixed the drawers – the framework for the drawers was bent so we bought some new sliders (model 7330, 1 metre, load rating 100kg) from http://www.furnlock.co.za and installed. We removed the old slider with an angle grinder, reinforced the frame with aluminium strips and installed the new sliders. It ended up taking much longer than expected because we had to work with the existing frame. The new drawers work much better – they can be closed by one person and without waking up the neighbourhood.
• Built another slider – using the same sliders, we build a slider similar to the one that the fridge came with. We used different sized ‘L’ shaped aluminium shaped pieces for mounting the sliders and for the slider shape. We used Masonite for the base and designed it to fit 3 x 2 clear boxes (or 2 x 2 ammo crates). The slider was really easy and fun to build and cost about R700 - about half the price and 1.5x the size of those from 4x4 shops. Even with very careful measurement, the boxes on the two sliders were catching on the canopy so another couple hours later, we moved them 3cm to the right and all is good.
• Dust Resistant – the square back of the 4x4 creates a vacuum and with the large gaps in the tailgate, dust became a huge problem. We used rubber strips creatively to seal it – we still need to test it out, but at a guess it will be dust resistant rather than dust proof.
• Plastic Boxes – http://www.westpacklifestyle.co.za/ is brilliant with every type of plastic box/item imaginable in a huge warehouse. We bought 10 large clear boxes for our stuff, water containers for 50 litres of water, a Tupperware for the centre console, red cooler bag for the first aid kit etc. The shipping boxes finally arrived, so we can test out our packing.
• Table and Chairs – we went for Camp Master high backrest folding chairs and a simple plastic table. The table will hang on brackets in the ‘ceiling’ of the canopy.
• Secured and covered second battery
• Sold the fibreglass canopy
• Front Runner Roof Rack – this came with the Hilux, but we installed the spare wheel, high lift jack, axe and spade. Padlocks on everything (same key) and velcro straps to stop rattles.

Learning from the expert mechanics

Brett: After some searching, we found some Hilux specialists in Cape Town that were willing to spend time teaching me as they worked on the 4x4. I spent 3 days working with Allan Venter, Gawie, William and James at AEW Auto in Brackenfell. I highly recommend Allan - he was very knowledgeable and helpful.
Clutch – this was a big job - we took the engine out to get to the clutch (the other option is taking the gearbox out) which gave me a chance to learn a lot. The flywheel was skimmed, new bearings fitted and a heavy duty Sachs clutch fitted. The clutch had been OK on the test drive, but got worse on our practice run to Cape Town to the point where it started to slip and it didn’t disengage properly causing issues with gear changes. A clutch is definitely something to check as it can let you down with little option of fixing in the bush. The best way to test a clutch is to drive in 5th at low speed, then clutch in, floor the gas and drop the clutch – the revs will drop slowly if the clutch is slipping.
Valve Stem Seals – in cars designed before the introduction of unleaded fuel, the valves stem seals tend to go hard and leak oil. There was a small amount of smoke while the engine was cold and it was using a little oil (this is the most common cause for this engine). Many people live with this, but we decided to fix it as we plan to keep the vehicle after the trip. We took the head off and sent it to be completely refurbished.
Prop Shaft – there was a small vibration at 10km/h when we test drove the 4x4 which is caused by the centre rubber mounted bearing. On the way down to Cape Town, it developed a bigger vibration that was present most of the time, but worst at 110km/h. The likely cause is because the bearings were about to go and by taking off the weight of the canopy, the angle of the prop shaft increased to more than it had been doing for its whole life. There was about 1/2 cm of play in one of the bearings and the rollers had disintegrated. There was also a small oil leak from the transfer case which turned out to be a missing bolt.
Leaf Springs – the front springs had sagged below straight – these were reset using a 20 pound press to bend it at points 5 cm apart. These have been set slightly too high, but reset springs tend to settle down after some time – to avoid them settling too much, an extra leaf was added. The rear springs were already fine, but an extra leaf was added to take the additional load. Re-installing the front leafs took a lot of force.
Engine – taking off the head allowed closer inspection of the cylinders which are in excellent condition. The engine has no oil leaks and runs very well. We replaced the exhaust manifold gasket with a heavy duty one as the previous one had blown slightly. There are 2 valve chains and push rods to the valves – with this set up, there is no need to replace these until they start getting noisy (around 500,000km). Alan adjusted the spark timing from 15 to 5 degrees advanced to help with poorer fuel quality in some countries. We also did a general service of oil/fuel/air filters, oil change, brake/power steering/clutch fluid check.
Diff Lock – this worked on the test drive, but stopped working on our way back from Bloem. It turned out to be the power cable had broken. I learned how to debug the electrical and vacuum systems involved. The best way to test the diff lock is to lift one wheel with the gear in neutral – the wheel can’t be turned with diff lock engaged. 
Aircon – This was re-gassed and a leak fixed.
Other bits – I took the cover off the driver door and oiled up the winder mechanism that was sticking - there was also a rattle that turned out to be a loose bolt. We fixed the second tail gate chain with a weld. We welded 2 pipes onto the bumper/chassis as high lift jacking points. Alan bought the VHF radio as we wouldn’t get much use out of it and would need to licence it at every border. We siliconed the front window which had a small leak. We checked the alternator and second battery wiring. We inspected the fan, but the motor still makes some noise.
Bad Fuel Lesson – Allan suggested doing a visual inspection of and fuel before filling up – taking fuel from the bottom of the container or pump into a glass jar, and leaving it to settle, we should see if there is sediment or water.  Sediment will clog up the filters (which we are taking a lot). Water or diesel in the tank will cause the engine to stop running, but won’t cause permanent damage as it is petrol with a carburettor. Fuel injectors tend to be much more sensitive and the wrong fuel or water in a diesel engine can cause expensive damage.
Bypassing the Immobiliser – This could give us some issues on the trip and after the lesson from Alan, I can see they would only delay a determined thief by about 30 seconds. He showed me where the original wiring was cut and can be reconnected. There is also a fuel cut-off solenoid which can be bypassed.
Spares Kit – went to GoeieHoop with a list of spares to buy: spark plugs, air filter, oil filter, lots of fuel filters, top/bottom hose, heater hose, fuel hose, 3xbelts, cable ties, insulation tape, brake fluid, engine oil, fuses, pratley steel, flexoid, grey sealer, grease, Q20, hose clamps, duct tape, electrical wire, nuts and bolts.
Carb - on returning to higher altitude, the engine started to stutter - a quick call to Allan and he recommended removing one of the vacuum pipes which makes the mixture richer when you do a quick burst of acceleration - it tends to flood the engine on older vehicles and the fix worked brilliantly. There was also a rotten pipe from the fuel pump to the carb that was perished and leaking - another easy fix.

We bought an aluminium canopy, fridge, second battery and inverter from R&D Offroad in Brackenfell.

The Beast - 1994 Toyota Hilux 2.2

Brett: After a week of test driving, we narrowed down our choice of 4x4. Each one is a compromise; first choice was the simple old 2.2 4Y petrol Hilux (the one that gave Toyota its reputation and is famous from Top Gear), second choice was the slightly newer 2.7 Hilux. There are many advantages to diesel, but the petrol engines are more reliable and simpler. Petrol availability should be fine with a long range tank (sometimes diesel pumps are emptied by large trucks) and fuel costs won't be that much different overall. Fuel quality is an issue to be careful of with both. Ultimately, it is a personal decision and many vehicles can and do make the East coast - our focus was on reliability, because of the distance we will be covering and for the West Coast.

We found one on the hilux4x4.co.za forums in very good condition and with a lot of kit (which can cost more than the vehicle), so we headed off to Bloemfontein. I am sure we set some sort of record for the longest time taken to buy a vehicle (2 full days); drive 4 hours to Bloem, 2 hour test drive including off road with Mitch, road worthy, new tyres, adjust brakes, pack up extras and drive back to Joburg, register, new licence plates, new alarm system for insurance. It really does feel like a beast to drive, able to take on anything.

The kit includes:
- Iron Man shocks and added leaf spring at the back for the extra load (not quite Old Man Emu, but good enough)
- BF Goodrich All Terrain Tyres x6
- Diff Lock (rear)
- Long range tank (118 litres)
- Canopies: will try to convert canvas covered livestock version into a aluminium overland canopy and sell the other
- Front Runner roof rack, high lift jack, axe, spade, tow bar

- Bull Bar - proper one rather than the standard cosmetic ones - can take high lift jack, snatch straps or winch 

- Rock sliders - some protection on the underside

- Tow bar

- Drawer System and rubberised bin

- Power Steering, Aircon, central locking (not much else electric)

- National Luna Dual Battery System

- 2 Way Radio

- Good sound system (important for the long days)

- Awning

- Spot Lights

We need to buy:

- Rooftop tent

- Fridge

- Snorkel (for dust)

- Cubby safe

- Sand tracks + snatch straps

- Winch - I think we don't need a winch but Mary thinks we do and will remind me so in the event :)

- Water system

4x4 Test Drives

Brett: We spent the first week in SA looking at 4x4 to buy, testing them out and doing our research:

- Toyota Land Cruiser 60 - The one we drove looks cool from the outside, especially being raised to 50cm off the ground, but it was hard work to drive and felt incredibly slow, heavy and ancient.    

- Toyota Land Cruiser 80 - These are great to drive on and off road and incredibly tough. We couldn't find any affordable diesels and the petrols are too thirsty. They tend to not go wrong, but are expensive to fix when they do. The non-turbo diesel is the ultimate overland vehicles, but expensive when you factor in the carnet deposit of 200% of the vehicle. 

- Toyota Hilux KZTE / 3.0D / 2.7 - The KZTE and 2.7 are great to drive, feel very much like a car with plenty of power. Our research shows that the turbo diesels tend to give problems in older vehicles and is difficult/expensive to fix anywhere remote. The non-turbo diesels are often damaged if not serviced properly or if driven hard (which is common because they are under powered). The 2.7 is another very tough engine and our second choice, but compared to the 2.2, it is slightly less tough and more complicated, so we wouldn't be able to fix it ourselves if something goes wrong. These Hiluxes have Independent Front Axle (vs Solid Front Axle in all the others we considered) - most modern 4x4s have this design which is much better on the road and more comfortable - it is not quite as good off road, but most people consider it to be good enough - we preferred the SFA mostly because it stands up better to abuse. 

- Land Rover Defender 110 Tdi - These are still definitely easier to customise and get an ideal layout, having been purpose built for overlanding. We have driven the TD5 before which are great, but these are too complicated for a trip into Africa and there are no spares. We drove the TDI, which felt like you are on an adventure when driving around the neighbourhood, but it was hard work to drive. I think these are ideal if you have a passion for Land Rovers and are a mechanic. 

- Hilux 2.2 petrol - We drove this immediately after the Land Cruiser 60 and it was much nicer to drive. It feels incredibly tough, reliable and easy to drive. The 4Y 2.2 engine has the bullet proof reputation and are cheap and easy to fix with parts being shared with the Hiace Taxis found everywhere. It is not as fast as modern petrols or turbo diesels on the road but fast enough and if driven carefully, the additional cost of fuel is less than the cost of servicing of a diesel. They are excellent off-road with a lot of wheel reticulation and a diff lock. The engine has enough power for soft sand and has plenty of torque and is responsive for steep climbs. The hard suspension and low seats take some getting used to. 

In SA, the Hilux 2.2 and Defender are the cheapest of the options and often come with kit, helping the budget. 

Vehicle Options

Toyota Hilux 2.2 Solid Front Axle pre-1998 - My gut feel tells me this is the vehicle to take when all the costs are considered (including Carnet), the availability of already kitted out examples, the reputation for reliability (Top Gear) and the simplicity. They are good off-road and parts are cheap and easy to find (often with all the kit). These were made in South Africa and production continued for 10 years longer than the rest of the world for the local market. They are slow (ok cos we are on holiday), uncomfortable (OME suspension and bigger tyres should help) and use a lot of fuel (15l / 100km in normal driving, but 12l / 100km should be achievable on this trip). The last issue to investigate is quality of petrol in Africa - diesel is better for poor quality fuel and consumption, but the diesel version of these Hiluxes is very underpowered and not as reliable. Diff-lock and air-con is required.

We met up with a guy Nick who did the east coast in a Hilux 2.2l petrol of about the same age as we are looking at, and he said it was more than tough enough and a really good vehicle - their excellent blog is here - http://africa.nickandjoanne.com/

Toyota Hilux KZTE or 2.7i Independent Front Axle post-1998 - These are a lot more comfortable and better on tar than the older model with an independent front axle and considering the distances, this is important. The IFS does also makes them slightly less tough and not quite as good off-road (enough for what we need though). 2.7i has slightly better fuel consumption than the old 2.2. KZTE even better, but is this engine too complicated? They are more expensive than the 2.2, but enough around.

Which hilux - http://www.hilux4x4.co.za/which-hilux-to-choose/index.php
Solid front axle vs independent front axle - SFA vs IFA

Toyota Landcruiser
This would be my ideal vehicle for the trip, but probably too expensive. They are the ultimate for driving on and off road and toughness. These don't give many issues, but issues would be more difficult and expensive to fix than the Hilux 2.2.

80 Series 4.2 TD - These are the most commonly used Land Cruiser for over landing. They are very car-like to drive. There are a lot of electronic components that would be difficult to fix. Petrol versions are extremely heavy on fuel. Most of the ones for sale are out of our price range and come with no kit.

75 Series 4.2 D - These are the ultimate in simple, but old ones are extremely rare and new ones are extremely expensive. We have seen many of these ones very cleverly organised inside with bench seats and a bed inside.

60 Series 3.9 D - These are worth considering - affordable and very simple - the trick would be to find a diesel version in good condition cos they are old now. The version with the square lights is more common.

Landrover Defender 110 TDI
We both really like land rovers, having borrowed the Defender, Discovery and Freelander for other trips, however our choice is one of the Toyotas for this trip - many blogs mention things going wrong and how much time they spent fixing the vehicles. Probably the best option for off-road ability, but the others will be enough. Looks good in photos.

There are plenty of other good 4x4s, but Toyota and Landrovers are the only ones with availability of spares everywhere in Africa. Older vehicles are cheaper which is a major consideration considering the deposit required for the carnet. They are also simpler and therefore easier to fix.

Motorbike - that would also make a great trip, but it is a different type of trip. A bike can only supplies for a few days before needing to head back to civilisation - they can't go in game parks and can't accommodate guests.

Riaan Manser did a similar route on a bicycle - we will save that for our second lap. Guillaume and Enora are walking - maybe we will bump into them. How about a Rolls Royce or a Scooter?

Carnet de Passage

A Carnet de Passage is an internation customs document or car passport valid for one year. If we had started the trip from the UK with a UK registered vehicle, we would have had to get a RAC Carnet.

AA SA requires a bank guarantee of 200% of the value of the vehicle if you go through Egypt and a 100% if you don't. We couldn't get a bank guarantee from our banks, so we had to use cash.

RAC UK requires one of the following options:

1. a bank guarantee of 800% (!) of the value of the vehicle if you go through Egypt and 200% if you don't. Since we would be going through Egypt this would be extremely expensive.
2. An insurance indemnity payment of 10% of the above - half is returned at the end.

We chose a cheapish car because we couldn't find insurance and there is no guarantee of getting the carnet deposit back if the vehicle is crashed or stolen, depending on where it happens. Egypt's guarantee is higher than anywhere else, because they are the most difficult country to prove that the vehicle wasn't sold - we were told to ship back the wreckage if we had an accident.

Our deposit was based on the book value (quote from Toyota) rather than the market value, so about 35% of the value of the vehicle. We got our deposit back quickly and easily when we dropped off the Carnet at the AA in Kyalami. We didn't need to go to the police to verify that it was the same vehicle because we had the exit stamp from the last country (even though we had several gaps/mistakes). The ladies at Kyalami are really great and enjoyed seeing the vehicle in person.