Technical - SA 4x4

Takla Seat Covers – Stylish, Tough and Affordable

From affordable to luxurious seat covers Takla Products has them all. Takla Products was established in 1996 and is an ISO:9001 accredited manufacture. Believe it or not the first product Takla produced was their famous load liner. The founder of Takla, Rowan Hayes saw the need for boot protection after his dogs damaged the back of his Isuzu Troopy. After a few templates and sleepless nights the load liner began to take shape to what we know it as today. Watch this video below to see how much abuse Takla Seat Covers can really take:

Firestone Air Springs – Designed for Any Adventure

The Air Spring Supply Company are leaders in Air Spring applications in Africa with more than 38 years of experience. They have been instrumental in providing the transport industry with unique air suspension products covering a huge range of vehicle applications and are proud of supplying well designed and easy installed products. When choosing suspension for your vehicle, there is often a trade-off between handling and performance when laden versus unladen. If you fit rear springs that deliver comfort and a raised ride height when the vehicle is unladen, it will result in the rear end sagging when you load

The difference between lead-acid and gel batteries

Technology that makes travel safer More often than not, very little thought is put into choosing a new or replacement battery for your vehicle. That’s usually because a battery gives you little to no warning that its time is coming to an end. And when that end does come, it usually happens when you are out in the bush or across the border, leaving you frustrated, stranded and needing an urgent replacement battery. Before you head off to your nearest battery dealer and replace the dead battery with another old-fashioned lead-acid battery, make sure you read this article first. Chances

The new Garmin Montana 700 series

Recently Garmin South Africa launched their new look Montana 700 series devices. In South Africa we will be able to purchase the Montana 700, 700i and the 750i. The Montana 700 being the basic device in the series with the700i and the 750i additionally having the inReach technology, the two-way interactive messaging communication and SOS alerts. The 750i being a 700i but with an 8mp camera. These devices are bigger than the previous Montanas with a new 5inch screen, but smaller than the recently launched Overlander which has a 7inch screen. However, I feel that I must say that these

Garmin launches inReach mini

After my recent review of the Garmin Overlander, Garmin gave me an INREACH MINI to review and use in my travels. So, what is the INREACH MINI? It is a Satellite Communicator with two way communications with built-in GPS technology. In my words; a SOS rescue beacon, a communicator that works using GPS signal (for positioning) and communications (text only) working off the well-established Iridium Communication Satellite Network providing worldwide coverage. The INREACH MINI is one of four devices in the series. The other three being the INREACH EXPLORER+, the Garmin GPSMAP 66i and the Garmin GPSMAP 86i (the marine

The Future of Power – Enertec

Lithium-ion has changed the battery landscape for vehicle-based travellers. What do you need to know to invest in this new technology? When we look at modern, life-shaping technology, rechargeable batteries must be one of the most important milestones we have reached. Cars and personal electronic devices wouldn’t have been possible without energy storage. So, what’s in that mysterious black box and how is it evolving? Let’s start at the beginning. The very first lead-acid battery was designed in 1859 by Gaston Plant. This was the first battery that could be recharged by running an electrical current back into it. At

REVIEW – GARMIN OVERLANDER

The Nuvi 500 has grown up and we now have the Overlander. Maybe before I start with this review I should state that I have never been paid for any of my reviews of satellite navigation devices and I have written for SA 4×4 on this subject since September 2004. My point being that I am completely impartial in my views The Overlander is a bigger and newer satellite navigation device with more features and which has been modernized. In September 2019 Garmin announced this new satellite navigator, the latest in their street navigators / outdoor / 4×4 range. I

Oil Sense

Written by Freddi Stafford A thin film of lubrication is all that ensures a long life for all those complex mechanical components on your 4×4. Oil specs have changed to match the many advances in technology, but often your local service agent finds it easier to stock just one or two standard oils. Bad idea… Advancements in technology have changed our lives forever, but how much thought have you given to this when it comes to your 4×4 and the quality of lubricants it uses, every time you send your vehicle in to be serviced? It’s far more important than

Meet the specs – TDI Motors Catalytic Converters Exhaust Gas Recirculation & Diesel Particulate Filters

Written by Freddi Stafford Does the oil you’ve just bought meet OEM specifications for its specific purpose, or could you have done better by your engine and the environment? Everybody has a world, and that world is completely hidden until we begin to inquire. As soon as we do, that entire world opens to us and yields itself. And you see how full and complex it is.” – David Guterson. In a world of changing technology, automotive lubricants have changed along with motor vehicle technology, and these lubricants have become extremely complex – and more difficult to understand. However, our

How to read an oil can label

Written by Freddi Stafford That’s not as stupid as it sounds. Know the codes and know how to check that your 4×4 service agent is putting your interests first. I hope that this series of articles on what seems to be the simple subject of oil has proved that when it comes to technology, our world has changed forever. This final article on the subject of automotive lubricants aims to summarise how to read and understand the label on an oil can. That’s because brand and specification, if chosen correctly, will affect our vehicle’s service life, reliability, ongoing maintenance costs

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