Happy New year for 2025

[Moneybox]

Yesterday I bought another Hyundai iLoad from Manheim auctions at Altona.

 

 

This is to go with the one destroyed by the lithium battery explosion. It had a bit of panel damage but my panels are good.

 

The problem I have is that glass rack makes it too big to fit onto a regular car carrier so now I've got the problem of getting it to WA and I only have three days to move it from the auction house. I'm hoping somebody has a parking space not too far from Altona where I can move it to by tilt-tray if I can't get suitable freight quickly. I have the offer of a spot at Ballarat but I'm hoping for somewhere closer.

 

I'm waiting for a few freight quotes to come in but if not successful I'll be heading for VIC by the end of the week.

[onetrack]

Phil, this place might be worth a call, it's not far away from Pickles.

 

https://storeroomselfstorage.com.au/

 

You're running close to the wind to get it across before Christmas on a truck. Someone with an open semi will be able to carry it, try some of the big earthmoving equipment or machinery transporters. A lot of these people have frames to carry vehicles above low profile, heavy items.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1140085680263008

 

Edited Tuesday at 03:27 PM by onetrack

[BrendAn]

5 hours ago, Moneybox said:

Yesterday I bought another Hyundai iLoad from Manheim auctions at Altona.

 

 

This is to go with the one destroyed by the lithium battery explosion. It had a bit of panel damage but my panels are good.

 

The problem I have is that glass rack makes it too big to fit onto a regular car carrier so now I've got the problem of getting it to WA and I only have three days to move it from the auction house. I'm hoping somebody has a parking space not too far from Altona where I can move it to by tilt-tray if I can't get suitable freight quickly. I have the offer of a spot at Ballarat but I'm hoping for somewhere closer.

 

I'm waiting for a few freight quotes to come in but if not successful I'll be heading for VIC by the end of the week.

I would have thought you would find an I load in Perth.

Long way to come here and get one.

I could have helped with a parking spot but I am on the wrong side of Melbourne for you.

Edited Tuesday at 09:06 PM by BrendAn

[skippydiesel]

"I am on the wrong side of Melbourne " Is there a right side???🤣

😈

Edited Wednesday at 12:43 AM by skippydiesel

[facthunter]

Yeah, stay away, we're FULL anyhow. 

 Moneybox. why would you drive an untested  second hand vehicle that distance First up.. Where are you if it $#!t's itself on the Nullarbor?  Nev

[jackc]

3 hours ago, facthunter said:

Yeah, stay away, we're FULL anyhow. 

 Moneybox. why would you drive an untested  second hand vehicle that distance First up.. Where are you if it $#!t's itself on the Nullarbor?  Nev

He maybe an adventurer, looking to have a long country drive. 🤩 

[Blueadventures]

29 minutes ago, jackc said:

He maybe an adventurer, looking to have a long country drive. 🤩 

Strap a solar panel on the side and make it a Hybrid🌞

[onetrack]

I was under the impression Moneybox was getting the vehicle trucked across. Flying over, picking it up and driving it back, is generally a lot more costly and time consuming than having it transported.

 

I must say, I have done it several times, but for additional reasons. Last year, I was in a bind moving 4 tonnes of parts from Melbourne to Perth. The Trans Line had been under water for 3 weeks, the Eyre Hwy went under water shortly after, and there were vehicle movement restrictions on the Eyre Hwy for days on end - and I could not get anyone to transport my parts for a reasonable price - the truckies were having a field day.

 

Quotes ranged from $5,500 to $13,000 to get my stuff across. I flew one way to Melbourne (had enough Velocity points to cover the $200), got picked up by a mate from Echuca, picked up a cheap 4 tonne truck, and brought the parts back to W.A. myself for just over $1500 in fuel, and around $500 in accommodation and food. The truck will be sold for more than I paid for it (it was a private sale).

 

Edited Wednesday at 01:10 PM by onetrack

[Moneybox]

11 hours ago, facthunter said:

Yeah, stay away, we're FULL anyhow. 

 Moneybox. why would you drive an untested  second hand vehicle that distance First up.. Where are you if it $#!t's itself on the Nullarbor?  Nev

 

Nev, I've driven the Nullarbor so many times over the last 50 years that I doubt I could possibly account for them all. I'm of the opinion that if a vehicle starts and runs without overheating then it'll cross the Nullarbor. I enjoy the drive but this time it wasn't planned. Before buying the vehicle I had a freight quote of $2000. I failed to account for the extra size created by the glass rack. The rack made it too wide for it to fit onto a regular car carrier.

 

Freight quotes this week range from $6019 to $12,000 and that's just to Kalgoorlie. I look like having a tilt tray take the vehicle to Ballarat and I'll work out how I'm going to move it after that.

[onetrack]

I might add, I've been buying from Pickles for at least 35 years - and they're not getting any better. Buying at auction without close inspection is highly risky, and Pickles are reducing vehicle inspections to the absolute minimum - and with the likes of vehicle salvage, you cannot inspect the vehicle under any circumstances! Furthermore, they will tell you absolutely nothing about any vehicle they're auctioning, and lie whenever they can.

 

I haven't bought a vehicle from Pickles for a long time, simply because I no longer trust them to do the right thing. They've taken money from my credit card fraudulently ($1,100), and it took 19 days for them to repay the stolen money, and I reckon that was only because I reported the fraud to my credit card provider. They've taken a couple of months to issue zero-balance invoices on goods I've bought through them, and overall, I rate them fairly low on the trustworthiness side when it comes to business dealings.

 

Their admin is virtually uncontactable (try finding contact phone numbers or names on their site! - they're worse than a bank!), and vast amounts of their admin is done from third world countries.

You're probably dealing with an Indian operating from an internet cafe in some smelly backstreet in Mumbai, when you get a rare email from Pickles.

I would ensure that Hyundai is thoroughly checked over, before setting off. If you're lucky, the battery might get you to Bordertown. And all that duct tape on the grille definitely looks suss. The driver for the glass crowd has hit something solid with the front end, judging by that bumper displacement. I hope it was cheap.

 

Edited Wednesday at 02:15 PM by onetrack

[BrendAn]

1 hour ago, Moneybox said:

 

Nev, I've driven the Nullarbor so many times over the last 50 years that I doubt I could possibly account for them all. I'm of the opinion that if a vehicle starts and runs without overheating then it'll cross the Nullarbor. I enjoy the drive but this time it wasn't planned. Before buying the vehicle I had a freight quote of $2000. I failed to account for the extra size created by the glass rack. The rack made it too wide for it to fit onto a regular car carrier.

 

Freight quotes this week range from $6019 to $12,000 and that's just to Kalgoorlie. I look like having a tilt tray take the vehicle to Ballarat and I'll work out how I'm going to move it after that.

If you don't want to drive it over get your mate to remove the window rack. I have driven across the paddock many times too. Its a good drive.

[BrendAn]

1 hour ago, onetrack said:

I might add, I've been buying from Pickles for at least 35 years - and they're not getting any better. Buying at auction without close inspection is highly risky, and Pickles are reducing vehicle inspections to the absolute minimum - and with the likes of vehicle salvage, you cannot inspect the vehicle under any circumstances! Furthermore, they will tell you absolutely nothing about any vehicle they're auctioning, and lie whenever they can.

 

I haven't bought a vehicle from Pickles for a long time, simply because I no longer trust them to do the right thing. They've taken money from my credit card fraudulently ($1,100), and it took 19 days for them to repay the stolen money, and I reckon that was only because I reported the fraud to my credit card provider. They've taken a couple of months to issue zero-balance invoices on goods I've bought through them, and overall, I rate them fairly low on the trustworthiness side when it comes to business dealings.

 

Their admin is virtually uncontactable (try finding contact phone numbers or names on their site! - they're worse than a bank!), and vast amounts of their admin is done from third world countries.

You're probably dealing with an Indian operating from an internet cafe in some smelly backstreet in Mumbai, when you get a rare email from Pickles.

I would ensure that Hyundai is thoroughly checked over, before setting off. If you're lucky, the battery might get you to Bordertown. And all that duct tape on the grille definitely looks suss. The driver for the glass crowd has hit something solid with the front end, judging by that bumper displacement. I hope it was cheap.

 

He bought it from manhiem , are they part of pickles group 

[onetrack]

My apologies, I thought Moneybox bought the Hyundai from Pickles, I should have rechecked his post. Manheim and Pickles are different unrelated corporations. I've bought off Manheim, too - they aren't much different to Pickles, as regards their attitude towards selling auction items.

Manheims website security was so poor, they were hacked and their website locked up, and the hackers demanded $30M to unlock it. Manheim never paid the hackers anything, but had to start a whole new website from scratch.

As with so many corporations, they came out with soothing responses like, "Never fear, your personal details are safe and the hackers didn't get them, because they were held in a separate area".

What a lot of BS that was - after the Manheim hack, I was bombarded with scam and phishing emails for months and months, and all my personal details were almost certainly stolen.

 

Edited Wednesday at 11:20 PM by onetrack

[facthunter]

Yeah I'm familiar with  the Nullabour  and don't mind it, but it's not the  place I would like to experience a Breakdown.. Nev

[Moneybox]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Yeah I'm familiar with  the Nullabour  and don't mind it, but it's not the  place I would like to experience a Breakdown.. Nev

 

It worked out lucky for me. About fifteen years back I came across a Hummer H1 broken down on the Nullarbor. I was the Train the Trainer for AM-General Corporation. I trained the Hummer service crews for all of Australasia so getting him underway was a five minute fix using a paper clip to short and electrical circuit.

 

When I decided to sell up and retire in 2014 this was the guy who opened his cheque book. A good deed never goes unnoticed. 

[onetrack]

Breaking down on the Nullarbor (correct spelling, Nev - Grammar Police here 😄) is one of the most expensive ways to break down - because of the vast distances, and because anyone who engages in vehicle recovery in remote areas sees it as a licence to print money. That's why all the servos on the East-West route are littered with abandoned cars.

 

When I lived at Higginsville, 60 kms N of Norseman, in the early 1980's, a bloke travelling East in a '75 model V12 Daimler Sovereign broke down at the Widgiemooltha Roadhouse. He abandoned the Daimler at the Roadhouse and caught a Greyhound Bus to his destination in the East and never came back for the car.

 

The roadhouse owner sold the Daimler to my neighbour Rick for $2500, Rick sorted out the problems with it (electrical, as most problems with Jags are), and Rick drove around in the Daimler for a few months, enjoying the British luxury car experience - until he realised he could easily take out a 'roo with it, and a new grille for the car was $1,200! So he sold it, and made some money out of it, and bought a 4WD!

 

Someone on FB is currently broken down at Nullarbor Roadhouse in a Hyundai van and they're desperately trying to get it to S.A. It will probably cost them more than the van is worth.

 

[Moneybox]

2 minutes ago, onetrack said:

Breaking down on the Nullarbor (correct spelling, Nev - Grammar Police here 😄) is one of the most expensive ways to break down - because of the vast distances, and because anyone who engages in vehicle recovery in remote areas sees it as a licence to print money. That's why all the servos on the East-West route are littered with abandoned cars.

 

When I lived at Higginsville, 60 kms N of Norseman, in the early 1980's, a bloke travelling East in a '75 model V12 Daimler Sovereign broke down at the Widgiemooltha Roadhouse. He abandoned the Daimler at the Roadhouse and caught a Greyhound Bus to his destination in the East and never came back for the car.

 

The roadhouse owner sold the Daimler to my neighbour Rick for $2500, Rick sorted out the problems with it (electrical, as most problems with Jags are), and Rick drove around in the Daimler for a few months, enjoying the British luxury car experience - until he realised he could easily take out a 'roo with it, and a new grille for the car was $1,200! So he sold it, and made some money out of it, and bought a 4WD!

 

Someone on FB is currently broken down at Nullarbor Roadhouse in a Hyundai van and they're desperately trying to get it to S.A. It will probably cost them more than the van is worth.

 

Now there's an opportunity. I could leave here with a trailer, pick him up on the way through and then get mine from Ballarat where it landed this morning and bring it home.

[onetrack]

Phil - I just re-checked, he's actually stuck at Border Village. He only needs to go to Pt Augusta. He's also got 2 people to go with it, that's often a deal killer.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1140085680263008/user/100004714920031

 

 

[rgmwa]

I've experienced a couple of breakdowns on the way across the Nullarbor.

 

The first one was an overheating engine just outside Southern Cross in the 1990's due to what turned out to be a cracked head. Wife and four young kids in a LWB diesel Hi-Ace towing a camper on our way to Victoria for a holiday. The local mechanic (Jaimie at Southern Cross Motor Mart) was a bit reluctant to help at first but then spent his Saturday morning pulling the engine apart. Vans (he called them `pie wagons') are not easy to work on as access to the engine is pretty restricted. He rang the Toyota dealer in Kalgoorlie and commandeered a new head about to go into another vehicle, gave me his old Landcruiser to go and get it (just as his wife had hooked up a horse float to collect a pony from Cunderdin for their daughter), arranged for me to take it over to a backyard mate of his in Kal to have the valves and springs assembled in his home workshop and then spend a very hot Sunday morning putting everything back together. He had it done by lunchtime (after a heavy night as he was the president of the local hot rod club and they had had their annual dinner the might before). He sat on the step with a beer while I took the van for a test run. When I came back there was water dripping out because the water pump had packed up. He didn't have a spare but said "I know who does", hopped on his pushbike and rode down to the oval where another mate of his was watching the cricket and came back with a box under his arm. Back over the pits to put the pump in, another test run, and we were back on the road the next morning and got to my parent's with the kids in just time for Christmas despite all the odds. Jaimie (and his wife Michelle) were absolutely unbelievably kind and generous. We always called in on subsequent trips. 

 

The second time was a few years later, same van but this time towing a caravan. A local garage had installed a new towbar just before we left but it turned out they had used 10mm mild steel bolts to secure it instead of 12mm high tensile bolts. As a result we almost lost the caravan not far from Caiguna when the bolts on one side sheared and a bracket failed. We barely managed to limp into the roadhouse with the caravan almost dragging on the ground. I phoned the garage back in Perth but there was nothing much they could do. The roadhouse didn't have anyone who could do the welding but they rang a workshop in Norseman who agreed to do it if we could get the towbar there. I left the family at the caravan park and drove back to Norseman and found the workshop. The young owner was very helpful (turned out he was a qualified pipeline welder so he knew how to weld). However he didn't have the right bolts, nor did any other place in Norseman, so I drove to Bunnings in Kalgoorlie and got some and the right size drill bit just in case. Back to Norseman, towbar welded and properly installed this time and an overnight drive back to Caiguna. The garage in Perth picked up the bill, which was the least they could do as we could easily have had a very bad accident. 

 

It just shows there are really good people out there who will go out of their way to help if you are in trouble.

 

 

 

[BrendAn]

7 minutes ago, rgmwa said:

I've experienced a couple of breakdowns on the way across the Nullarbor.

 

The first one was an overheating engine just outside Southern Cross in the 1990's due to what turned out to be a cracked head. Wife and four young kids in a LWB diesel Hi-Ace towing a camper on our way to Victoria for a holiday. The local mechanic (Jaimie at Southern Cross Motor Mart) was a bit reluctant to help at first but then spent his Saturday morning pulling the engine apart. Vans (he called them `pie wagons') are not easy to work on as access to the engine is pretty restricted. He rang the Toyota dealer in Kalgoorlie and commandeered a new head about to go into another vehicle, gave me his old Landcruiser to go and get it (just as his wife had hooked up a horse float to collect a pony from Cunderdin for their daughter), arranged for me to take it over to a backyard mate of his in Kal to have the valves and springs assembled in his home workshop and then spend a very hot Sunday morning putting everything back together. He had it done by lunchtime (after a heavy night as he was the president of the local hot rod club and they had had their annual dinner the might before). He sat on the step with a beer while I took the van for a test run. When I came back there was water dripping out because the water pump had packed up. He didn't have a spare but said "I know who does", hopped on his pushbike and rode down to the oval where another mate of his was watching the cricket and came back with a box under his arm. Back over the pits to put the pump in, another test run, and we were back on the road the next morning and got to my parent's with the kids in just time for Christmas despite all the odds. Jaimie (and his wife Michelle) were absolutely unbelievably kind and generous. We always called in on subsequent trips. 

 

The second time was a few years later, same van but this time towing a caravan. A local garage had installed a new towbar just before we left but it turned out they had used 10mm mild steel bolts to secure it instead of 12mm high tensile bolts. As a result we almost lost the caravan not far from Caiguna when the bolts on one side sheared and a bracket failed. We barely managed to limp into the roadhouse with the caravan almost dragging on the ground. I phoned the garage back in Perth but there was nothing much they could do. The roadhouse didn't have anyone who could do the welding but they rang a workshop in Norseman who agreed to do it if we could get the towbar there. I left the family at the caravan park and drove back to Norseman and found the workshop. The young owner was very helpful (turned out he was a qualified pipeline welder so he knew how to weld). However he didn't have the right bolts, nor did any other place in Norseman, so I drove to Bunnings in Kalgoorlie and got some and the right size drill bit just in case. Back to Norseman, towbar welded and properly installed this time and an overnight drive back to Caiguna. The garage in Perth picked up the bill, which was the least they could do as we could easily have had a very bad accident. 

 

It just shows there are really good people out there who will go out of their way to help if you are in trouble.

 

 

 

Moral of the story is don't drive a van. They seem to be unlucky.

I have driven all over remote wa and NSW never had a breakdown. Then my cruiser decided to crack the head just out of Perth . Was Easy to hitch a ride home on Albany Highway.

Another time we drove my wife's diahatsu charade from Albany to Gippsland VIC for Christmas.  Not one problem.

We got home and hit a roo in the middle of town and smashed the front in.

 

Edited yesterday at 03:33 AM by BrendAn

[skippydiesel]

1 hour ago, Moneybox said:

Now there's an opportunity. I could leave here with a trailer, pick him up on the way through and then get mine from Ballarat where it landed this morning and bring it home.

 

1 hour ago, onetrack said:

Phil - I just re-checked, he's actually stuck at Border Village. He only needs to go to Pt Augusta. He's also got 2 people to go with it, that's often a deal killer.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1140085680263008/user/100004714920031

 

 

If you haven't got the room leave them in the van with strict instructions to keep out of sight😈

[skippydiesel]

27 minutes ago, BrendAn said:

Moral of the story is don't drive a van. They seem to be unlucky.

I have driven all over remote wa and NSW never had a breakdown. Then my cruiser decided to crack the head just out of Perth . Was Easy to hitch a ride home on Albany Highway.

Another time we drove my wife's diahatsu charade from Albany to Gippsland VIC for Christmas.  Not one problem.

We got home and hit a roo in the middle of town and smashed the front in.

 

Maate!

I love vans (as long as diesel engine/manual gearbox/rear wheel drive.)

In 50+ years of driving I have had one breakdown, in my first car ( inherited an issue from previous owners) and 3 in company trucks - lack of adequate servicing.

Had a roo take out a tail light, but never hit any mammal (very occasionally a bird). 

You are either the unluckiest owner or skimp on maintenance.

😈

[Moneybox]

1 hour ago, onetrack said:

Phil - I just re-checked, he's actually stuck at Border Village. He only needs to go to Pt Augusta. He's also got 2 people to go with it, that's often a deal killer.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1140085680263008/user/100004714920031

 

 

I won't be stopping for these guys. I fly out on Virgin Saturday night landing in Melbourne 6:15am Sunday. If my friend has his Mercedes and trailer ready then I'll be driving that towing the Hyundai. If not I'll drive the Hyundai home. It has a smashed RH headlight so I might have a spare in my baggage.

[BrendAn]

26 minutes ago, skippydiesel said:

Maate!

I love vans (as long as diesel engine/manual gearbox/rear wheel drive.)

In 50+ years of driving I have had one breakdown, in my first car ( inherited an issue from previous owners) and 3 in company trucks - lack of adequate servicing.

Had a roo take out a tail light, but never hit any mammal (very occasionally a bird). 

You are either the unluckiest owner or skimp on maintenance.

😈

Strange reply. 

The roo didn't look at our service history before he ran in front of us.😁

Edited yesterday at 04:30 AM by BrendAn

[BrendAn]

On 17/12/2025 at 11:43 AM, skippydiesel said:

"I am on the wrong side of Melbourne " Is there a right side???🤣

😈

Your just jealous because we are winners. We break all the records