FAQ

All Drivers must be over 25 and less than 75 years of age and have a valid driver’s licence.

1 day is the minimum 4WD hire period.

We have a yard and a base in Doonan, just 5 mins south of  Noosaville.

We can store your vehicle here while you’re away in our 4WD.

We accept Visa and Mastercard.

Any cancellations must be received at least 7 days prior to your hire date.

Cancellations must be received in writing (email, letter or text) and confirmation from us of receipt of your cancellation is proof of your cancellation request.

A cancellation cost of up to but not more than the standard $100 deposit may be incurred if the booking is cancelled within 7 days of the hire date.

If the cancellation is due to poor weather, the deposit can be held over for a rescheduled booking.

Yes, we will provide a full pre-departure briefing ensuring you are aware of the local conditions and any safety tips and environmental awareness for your travel in the Noosa area.

Yes, we do.

Do you provide a type pressure gauge, compressor and recovery kit?

Generally, as long as the sand is moist, you are safe.

Traction and flotation are not an issue.

Only when the sand has dried to a fine consistency and is even difficult to walk on – like on most beaches – will you have a hard time driving on it, 4WD or not.

4WD or AWD will do best on soft sand.  Automatic AWD is OK but not as efficient as 4WD or AWD.

Small, light 4WD vehicles do best on soft sand.

Very light vehicles with very big flotation tires will even drive without trouble in soft sand in 2WD.

Important: When the soft sand slows you down do not increase the gas to maintain your previous speed!

Allow your vehicle to work through the sand slowly.

It will speed up by itself once the sand gets firmer.

When you notice that one or more tires start spinning (if necessary, have someone monitor the tires for you) get off the gas immediately!

Spinning tires will dig deep into the sand and make going back to safe ground very difficult.

A speedy recovery is almost impossible.

Usually you can reverse out as long as you haven’t dug yourself down.

Forget momentum to carry you through soft sand.

Using momentum means you are out of control.

You will have almost no steering control and could hit obstacles hidden in the sand or smash into trees and bushes.

The only safe and controlled procedure to drive on soft sand is with substantially deflated tires.

Depending on your tire size and vehicle weight, drop from your regular tire pressure of about 32 psi down to at least 20 psi – much better for soft sand is 14 psi.

Any pointy object pressed into the valve will release the air for you.

You should carry a pressure gauge to dial in the correct psi (we provide one with our hire 4WDs).

The tyres are now very soft and a large footprint of rubber is in contact with the sand.

Drive slowly until you reach firm ground again.

Soft sand puts up so much resistance that you may have to use 4WD low range.

Always be gentle on the gas to prevent digging in.

If you have a manual transmission, shifting up in sand will be almost impossible.

So, start in 2nd gear low range and keep it there until you are through.

Automatic owners can enjoy all gears.

The automatic is able to shift without any loss of momentum and the torque converter always provides the needed extra torque.

However, the hard working engine and the heat generated in the torque converter during this process might lead to overheating.

Therefore you might use low range as well.

If you have to drive several kms on the soft stuff (eg – up a long desert wash or a long stretch of beach), be extra careful with rocks that might “drift in the sand” like an iceberg showing only the top.

Hit one and you risk severe tire damage.

After you are back on firmer stuff you should re-inflate the tires before driving faster than 50 Kmh.

Don’t forget – beach driving is a lot of fun!