Big Bertha has some TLC
We last treated Big Bertha to new tyres in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 2022. We have covered 62,587km since then and we were running almost on F1 racing slicks. Our wheels have 20 inch rims, which are almost unheard of in the Americas and we use military tyres – so it’s not a case of pulling into the nearest tyre dealer and fitting a new set. Luckily, BB’s previous owner passed on to us a sympathetic contact in Michelin Paris responsible for worldwide military tyre sales and he very kindly arranged, in co-ordination with Michelin Mexico, for a set of tyres to be waiting for us in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico. The Michelin dealer did a grand job and we had the tyres changed in a day.
The next day we went next door to MAN for an oil change, air conditioning filter replacement and air brakes inspection. That went very well and BB now has new oil and fresh rubber.
Very well presented David! Glad you have everything up to date, carry on and drive safely👍
Wow!
I’m amazed how the good the garages are, thank goodness!
BB is back in business, drive safely ❤️
Hi David and Francine. Very happy to see that everything worked out for you and that my colleagues at Michelin Mexico and our tyre dealer managed to get you back on the road ready for another 60000 kms.
Thanks for adding the very instructive video. I’m sure some of your fellow expedition travellers will have learned something from it, and I’m particularly pleased to see that the dealer inflated the tyres in the safety cage. You can never be too careful!
Wishing you both many miles of happy travelling.
Steve from Michelin France (Clermont-Ferrand, not Paris!)
Thank you Steve for helping us to arrange for our tyres to be waiting for us in Mexico!