Posted January 8, 200916 yr It has been very hot this week so on Tuesday we thought we would take the kids 4wdriving on the beach early in the morning and let them have a swim. When we got there a sandstorm had come so it was hard to see the rise and fall in the dune which meant we had to take it easy. We knew there was some tin houses on the beach so we decided to look for them and found them. We decided then to leave the dunes and head to the water but then that is when we had a problem, my son wanted to let some air out of the tyres before we got on the beach but he let too much out. We found ourselves stuck and wondering how to change a tyre in the sand. Luckily someone drove past that was carrying a plank of wood, a hour later we had the spare tyre on but we have never used it since we bought the car and the nuts did not want to go on properly but hubby did the best he could and hoped it would get us home. On he way home the car started to make some noises form the wheel, hubby thought we had probably broke the tyre rod or cv joints from bogging in the sand. If we rang for road side assistanc you usually have to wait a hour before they get to you so we 4 kids and a puppy on a 30 degree day we decided to drive home slowly and hope we make it. We got 2 km from home and then we heard a big bang and the car front dropped onto the road and our tyre went rolling down the road. My kids thought it was funny watching daddy chasing a tyre down the highway. The wheel nuts had fallen off. We ran for road assistance with the company we have a membership with and got told that once the car have impacted the road they could not help us so if we wanted a tow we would have to pay for it in cash when they came to get us. We had no cash on us so we had to get some friends to give us a lift to the shops to get the right size wheel nuts and fixed it ourselves. Our quick trip to the beach ended up turning into a nightmare of a trip.
January 8, 200916 yr No good mate, a rotten end to what promised being a good day (even with the sandstorm) Get a small plank of wood that will fit under your jack, about an inch thick, you can keep it under your seat or with the jack, doesnt take up much room and may never need it again but always comes in handy when 4wding in sand just in case or being bogged or changing a tyre and needing a footing for your jack. Not that you can (wagon)- but its amazing the amount of things that can be wired or cable-tied underneath the tray of a vehicle "just in case" and not take up any room in the car or on the tray How did the tyre pull up? It looks new, hope it was able to be re-inflated for you with no damage
January 8, 200916 yr I guess,you could say a good lesson,in what not to do, in the sand dunes, :sad: Glad it all turned out okay.
January 8, 200916 yr Its times like these that you have to laugh and remember in the future your kids will never forget your outings you all did together. :sad:
January 8, 200916 yr I know how it feels to loose a wheel driving down the road, I was on my way to Sydney one year in the middle of the night and all of a sudden the back of the car drops and starts scraping on the ground. I pull over and find out that my mag wheel is gone... The mechanic that I got the car towed to said the only way it could've happened was if the nuts were loose, but I checked them before I left, he reckoned someone had probably tried to steal the tire while we were at the truck stop and then realised it needed a lock nut and just left them there... not a plesent feeling doing a 110 and then losing a wheel... luckily minimal damage was done to the car itself..
January 8, 200916 yr Author No good mate, a rotten end to what promised being a good day (even with the sandstorm)Get a small plank of wood that will fit under your jack, about an inch thick, you can keep it under your seat or with the jack, doesnt take up much room and may never need it again but always comes in handy when 4wding in sand just in case or being bogged or changing a tyre and needing a footing for your jack. Not that you can (wagon)- but its amazing the amount of things that can be wired or cable-tied underneath the tray of a vehicle "just in case" and not take up any room in the car or on the tray How did the tyre pull up? It looks new, hope it was able to be re-inflated for you with no damage The tyres was able to be inflated and is fine, thank goodness because it is new. The only damage was the splashplate behind the wheel got broke when the wheel fell off. We have never had a flat tyre before when we have been on the beach so have never thought about carrying a plank of wood. We always carry a shovel and have had to use it a couple of times. We were very lucky that it happen when we were near the water and not out in the middle of the dunes where there is less people driving pass and nothing for the kids to do.
January 8, 200916 yr Oh mate... I was reading this on facebook too. What a day! I'm glad it all worked out in the end and you all got home safely. xo
January 8, 200916 yr Count yourself lucky!! This car was stuck on fraser island. (Friends took photo while on holiday)
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now