We can’t emphasise enough to get your favourite 4WD workshop to give your Ute the once over before heading off on Holidays. Even if you are an experienced DIY enthusiast, it's still a good idea to get somebody else to give your ute the once over as its easy to miss something yourself.

The last thing you want is to have something go wrong during your trip that wastes your precious holiday time. We have the first-hand experience in this sitting in a country town for a week waiting for parts to arrive. If you are serious about offroading, the chances are your truck gets a fair bit more punishment than what a normal vehicle does so things can work loose and break more readily. 

It is much easier to check out a vehicle if its on a hoist rather in the driveway at home

Preparation

It goes without saying starting with a thorough service is a good start. Change the oil filter, fuel filter, engine oil, grease every suspension component. Check and top up transmission and differential oil making sure to use the correct grade of oil. Fitting a diff lock might require a different grade of oil so be sure you know what has changed and what to use, check CV boots for wear, check all exhaust fittings are secure. 

Check your shocks are in good working order and the bushes have not flogged them out. Then check every nut and bolt you can see is tight. Pay particular attention to nuts and bolts securing suspension and steering components. Pay particular attention to upper control arm securing nuts if you have fitted aftermarket upper control arms. Sometimes these can work loose and the ending will not be pretty as the image above shows.  

Make sure none of your sliders and barwork can contact the chassis or body. It's amazing what additional rattles a good corrugated road will find. It's much better to sort these out in a workshop instead of rolling in the bulldust back of Bourke with limited tools.

Things to look out for

Does your handbrake work?

Are all tyres in good condition?

Do you have at least one spare tyre? (we prefer two)

Is your spare the same diameter as your other tyres?

Are there any signs of leaks around the radiator and heater hoses?

Are all steering components in good order and none of the rubber boots are cracked?

Re brake rotors, callipers and drums all in good condition

Are your batteries in good condition?

Is your battery isolator/DC-DC charger tested as operational?

Are trailer brakes and lighting tested OK?

So if you are around the South East Queensland area, give us a call here at VMN to book you pre-trip check. 1300 896 832