Another failed mission :-)

[outdoorgaz Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close outdoorgaz]

I hate to take the wind out of Mercedes sales ...

but I have a mate who cycled the Canning Stock route unsupported (plus other 9 deserts on the same trips)

[Melbo Member Find all posts View Profile Close Melbo]

I hate to take the wind out of Mercedes sales ...

but I have a mate who cycled the Canning Stock route unsupported (plus other 9 deserts on the same trips)

“I had to cover 40 kilometres of endless sand dunes with 40 litres of water and two-and-a-half weeks supply of food on my trailer,” Russell says.

“Every sand dune had to be crossed twice – once with my bike and a second time with my detached trailer. It took me 24 hours to travel just 40 kilometres,” he says "

I'll be very happy if i had atleast 0.00001 of the motivation he had.

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

wow what a story ! and to think that no other manufacturer has ever done that . gee wizz kudos MB, say , that article wasn't written in conjunction with overlander 4wd magazine was it .

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

oh yeah i forgot to add this little bit . my 2003 120 grande TOYOTA just completed 7680 kilometres in 15 days . fully loaded on at least 2200ks maybe more of this country's worst corrugated and roughest dirt roads ie. black mt rd , creb track ,battle camp rd, frenchmans track ,the old tele track ,numerous rough tracks around the tip of the cape , the entire length of the peninsula developmental corrugation rd plus numerous other dirt tracks through central qld . all on its stock standard 2003 tems electronic shocks and suspension and systems that now has 170,000 ks on it . no burst shocks or breakdowns on this car yet . hmmm a $30,000 toyota or a $161,000 + mercedes benz for my next trip ? bit of a joke really .

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

I've just come back to Wiluna from the bottom of the Canning Stock Route and you wouldn't believe some of the shite boxes that have been driving out and many without too many problems. Grandad in his 15 yr old patrool ute, canopy held together with fencing wire and 100 mile an hour tape, would laugh at a $161k merc busting all it's suspension.

[Dune Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Dune]

hahaha a good read...

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

With my 95 series Prado I'd be carrying spare rear upper control arms as I'd be expecting one to break prior to the end of the trip. I'm not a fan of Mercs, but as for so many shock absorbers failing on the one trip it must've been a bad batch of "re-branded" shockies or just simply consistent piss poor quality from the supplier you'd think. Even if they were all driving too fast for the conditions to complete the track in record time for the good name of Mercedes. The welds for the bottom "O" ring must've been insufficient, or maybe the "O" ring itself was a looped piece with a weld join instead of solid metal tubing welded to the shaft of the shock absorber. There's some weak point there that caved in. I bet Mercedes' shock absorber supplier ended up paying the bill, not to mention had to smooth over the CEO, other various managers and board members of Mercedes over this epic marketing failure.