Preparation
Preparation
The Dog.O.Mobil is on the vessel and I am waiting for the flight to Buenos Aires. Preparation completed ✅
This are the things that I took care of over the last 9 months:
- Shipping - Completed
- Where to go - Completed
- German gas bottle and adapter to refill - Completed
- Car insurance - Completed
- Foreign health insurance - Completed
- Vaccinations - Completed
- Security - Completed
- Recovery board - Completed
- Shower - Completed
- Compressor - Completed
- The Sprinter crossing passes with more than 3000 m altitude - Completed
- Tyre repair kit - Completed
- SIM for South America - Completed
Shipping
I had received the first offers for RoRo shipping in January. The charges for the Dog.O.Mobil were approx 4´500 € plus harbor charges in Montevideo; I had to buy a flight ticket in addition. That's just one way to South America 🤨 I have been told that the shipping companies still don't allow passengers on the vessel.
In July 2024, the service from Overlander Shipping Hamburg was really good and convinced me. When the shipping company published the freight rates, I had the offer 3 days later. The Dog.O.Mobil should get on the ship in Hamburg on 12.09.24 🥳. The plan is to start the tour in Montevideo at the beginning of October.
On Sept 9th I handed over the Sprinter in Hamburg with support from Ricardo Gomes. The whole process took less than 45 minutes. As of Sept 9th, the vessel will not leave on Sept 12th, but on Sept 14th and the current expected arrival in Montevideo is Oct 7th. Finally now the vessel will leave on Sep 26th
I had been in contact with the following shipping companies
Seabridge / www.seabridge-tours.de
Overlander Shipping Hamburg / www.overlander-shipping.com
Caravan Shippers / www.Caravan-Shippers.com
I also learned that I should be the vehicle owner for the shipment. If not, then I need the car documents translated into Spanish by the notarized power of attorney. It's doable, but costs a few dineros again. I have now registered the Dog.O.Mobil in my name.
South America tour introduction - what to see and where to stay
This will anyhow change when I finally arrive in Buenos Aires
German gas bottle and adapter to refill
Why do I need to worry? I have been informed that the gas bottle <11 kg> has to be empty when the Dog.O.Mobil will be driven onto the vessel.
That was my position until 3 weeks before shipping. Now I know that even an empty gas cylinders holds residual quantities. In the unfortunate situation that the gas leaks and mixes with the ambient air, there is a risk of explosion. That's why my shipping company requires a gas-free certificate. In the case of tanks, they are purged, but in the case of gas cylinders, ‘purging’ is not economically viable and the alternative is to buy a brand-new and unfilled gas cylinder, which is also sealed. And a certificate confirming this. I was told that an invoice would also do the trick. Such a 11 kg gas cylinder costs <as of 21.8.24> approx. 160 €. Buying an empty new gas cylinder in southern Germany is almost impossible. Nobody wants to confirm that the gas cylinder has never been filled. I was recommended Kerkamm Weltreisemobile, Werner-von-Siemens-Str. 2-4, 25337 Elmshorn. With a week's warning, they put a steel gas cylinder ready for collection
Alternatives are a South American gas cylinder with a suitable 30 mbar pressure reducer or buying a used German gas cylinder in South America. decided to go for a German cylinder in Uruguay, found one at UY-Storage
Found various blog entries that talk about the gas refill situation in South America. Some of them are not dated or outdated. Some of them are not that clear. The update from www.weindis-worldtour.at/ausruestung-tips/wichtiges helped me the most and I ordered a "US gas grill adapter for German propane cylinders". I hope that I will be able to get through all Latin American countries without any problems. With my consumption, I should be able to get by for 5-6 months with a full cylinder.
International health insurance
There are unspeakable tariffs with huge price differences. My first mistake was to confuse an international health insurance and travel cancellation insurance for a few weeks holiday with one that has to cover 12 months or longer. My second mistake was not taking my age into account.
The prices for people over 50, or even 60, double. After a few days, I picked up the travel insurance report from Stiftung Warentest. I also found some other useful information there. I'm now going to go for the ADAC insurance. But I won't finalise the contract until I'm almost on my way to the ship 😜
Car insurance
In South America and Central America, you can take out motorhome insurance at the border or near the border at insurance offices. As I am traveling in the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela) and Chile, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador are associated, I try to take out one insurance that covers as many countries as possible. This way, the Dog.O.Mobil can be driven in several countries with one insurance policy.
I found 2 options via Panamericanainfo.com and Overlander Shipping Hamburg. Will check out
I now have insurance through Road House Bus which covers Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay for about USD 100 per year.
The Spinter crossing passes with more than 3,000 metres above sea level
Well, if you're traveling down there, you have to drive over passes that are a bit higher than those in the Alps. I thought the summary in panamericanaforum.org by panamerico was great
Up from Purmamarca. At km 39 they reach 4,175 m a.s.l.; at km 68 are Salinas; at km 107 another climb begins until km 144 Susque where the petrol stations are. The Jama Pass is at about 4,400 metres above sea level. From there, however, it goes even higher (nobody says that....) up to approx. 5,000 m a.s.l. and stays between 4,500 and 5,000 for quite a long time. We (around 60) had no problems with the altitude at all
I've done my research and will do it at MB in Argentina. This is the best advice I found
World travellers only have their vehicles modified locally, i.e. the filter removed and the engine control unit switched to DPF-OFF. Firstly, the local people are very familiar with the existing problems, and secondly, the monetary compensation is within realistic limits. Despite all this, it does happen that the engine falls into emergency running. Either you go to a workshop for help, or you prepare yourself with a diagnostic device to delete the error entries.
Brief update on my research at Mercedes and their authorized workshops. Mercedes support could not help me directly and I am still waiting for the recall 😕. My authorized Mercedes workshop has never had such a request and has advised me to talk to an Austrian workshop.
What I now know after a few months of research is that ‘remove filter & DPF-OFF’ does not cover all problems. What was recommended to me is -> gut the DPF pot or replace it with a DPF delete downpipe, shut down the EGR <Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve> and then set DPF-OFF, programme out AdBlue and EGR. However, you should really have this done in South America, as it is not legal in Germany. Remember that you have to undo everything again when you reintroduce the vehicle in Germany. I found my workshop in Argentina!
And yes, it's not just the Sprinter's engine that has to go into the mountains, but also the auxiliary heating. I mounted a Wallas 22 GB <is often installed in boats> and found out from Wallas that my problem can be fixed with a High Altitude Switch, <thx to Joonas Keinästö from Wallas>. As Wallas doesn't sell to end customers and the boat partners were pretty unmotivated, I found what I was looking for months later at Reimo. The part has the Reimo article number: 707197 and the Wallas code 854054. Delivery time approx. 1 month 😩. Finally the High Altitude Switch was installed on Aug 17th. It works in altitudes higher than 1,300 m, not sure that I have the time to test it in Europe before the van get´s shipped
SIM for South America
I was put off by the cost of HolaFly eSim or other global solutions. overlandsite 👏 recommended Starlink Roam. Slightly too expensive for me however besides Bolivia all countries are covered in July 2024. I was thinking about starting with local Sims in Argentina. Let's see how that turns out. Claro Prepaid - 25 GB month for 13 € (last checked July 4th 24)
Recovery board
Keeping in mind that the Dog.O.Mobil weights approx 3.5 to I ruled out the China options costing around 50 - 100 €. After a while I found an older article that compared recovery boards (weight, costs, robustness, etc). I shortlisted Maxtrax and ARB TRED but they are in the 300 € range.
While going thru the research I realized that I should better invest a few more € into recovery belts as well...
I have now bought the ARB recovery boards "Tred Pro" and a recovery rope from SEILFLECHTER with a 13.5 tonne breaking load made of Novoleen including a soft shackle made of Novoleen. Additional costs of €530. I used the existing airline rails to carry them with me.
Vaccinations
It was by chance that I came across my immunization record. I realized that most of my vaccinations are no longer up to date.
The University Hospital in Basel <Impfsprechstunde> confirmed that I should refresh the following vaccinations
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Rabies
- Typhoid
- Tetanus
- Diphtheria
Compressor
I have decided to buy an ARB compressor "CKMA12". I'm going to fit it under the passenger seat. That should be the easiest way.
4 days after ordering from Abenteuer4x4.com, the compressor, the digital tyre inflation unit <60 cm hose, 0 - 14 bar> and the tyre inflation hose <7 meters> were delivered. No idea why, but the T-piece for connecting the pressure switch is included with the tyre inflation hose.
The compressor itself is easy to install. I also managed to drill holes in the sheet metal of the seat after getting a new E-Cut diamond saw blade for my Fein multi tool. After 2 hours, the holes were in and the compressor was screwed on.
With the help of the YouTube video "ARB CKMA12 Compressor + Pump up kit" by 4x4+2kids, I pretty much understood the tangle of cables. So far so good. After 30 minutes all unnecessary cables were removed and the device was wired <I don't have an Air Locker and won't install one>. Silence, no sound.
ARB has in the manual a list of things to verify if the compressor does not work. Problem 1 was that my starter battery did not have 12.5 V voltage. Easy to fix.
But thereafter it still didn't work. By step 6 I had found my next problem. There was no voltage on the RED-WHITE cable that leads to the vehicle's ignition. Without a multi-meter, you're lost and after 4 hours I gave up.
Next day, next attempt. The problem had to be the cable. I measured and finally I got it, there was only current flowing in one direction. After 30 minutes of studying the manual, I had found the problem. I made a mistake when I had shortened the RED-WHITE cable and then reinstalled it, because there is an internal diode in it. I had connected it the wrong way round.
So I wired the cable correctly and suddenly the compressor started making noise. In the last step, I removed the unnecessary cables step by step and it was still running 😇
One problem less.
For those who are interested the pipe specification is 1/4 " NPT. NPT stands for the American pipe thread with the NPT thread (National Taper Pipe) with a flank angle of 60 degrees. In Europe, the British Whitworth pipe thread <British Standard Pipe (BSP/G)> is usually found, but it has a flank angle of 55 degrees
Shower for the interior
I've built my own outdoor shower, but it's only suitable for warmer climates. I decided to buy an EverShower, which I could also use in the camper van if it gets colder in the Andes 🙄
Patrick from EverShower helped me to get the Australian shower from England to Germany. The first assembly was completed in 20 minutes and the shower with its 50 x 50 cm external dimensions fits perfectly in the Sprinter. I have attached 4 fixings and the shower also works without rods in the interior
Tyre repair kit
I'm a big fan of ARB. I bought the ARB tyre repair kit. Now all I need is a flat tyre to practice on 😉 volunteers welcome
Security
I have secured my spare wheel with an anti-theft safety nut, which I'm still going to tighten
As I read a lot about vans being robbed, I've spoken to my local Mercedes workshop. I will take the battery out of the van key with central locking and only hand over the emergency key for opening the driver's door and starting the Sprinter for the ride onto the vessel. I will then leave the rest, i.e. the central locking system without the battery, in the Sprinter so that the car will start. The idea is that the central locking will no longer work, all other doors can only be opened from the inside. Not perfect, but it should deter visitors🤔. All the other options didn't convince me.
Seabridge advised and another great idea is gone
The shipping company requires all keys during shipment. The vehicles are checked by the shipping company for dangerous goods and load security in the port shortly before loading, without you being present. If the living area, the outside storage compartments or other areas of the vehicle cannot be checked, for example because not all the keys are there, the vehicle is not released for loading.
So I can save myself the trouble with the key
This and more I learned during the last months....
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Post Info
Date | Starting in October 2024 |
Status | Done / Visited |
Last updated | 01 January 2025 |
Page read | 879 |