Went for a little drive down by the lake. There is a 2 km section of the beach that is accessible to cars, and I wanted to check out how the LR4 does in the sand.
Well it did so well it was almost boring. Light soft, wind blown sand that I thought would be a problem, ( I see others get stuck there all the time) was no problem at all. We played Dakar-in-the-Dunes for a while and then looked for something else.
So we headed out to the water to test the fording depth.
We were cruising along in 12-18 inches of water right along the shore, again no problem.
Then we hit a patch of lake flotsam ( maybe 100 feet of the stuff) that I have learned the locals refer to as "The Black Goo"! The Goo has a consistency of Rotting Peat-Moss that has been put through a blender on HIGH. And thanks to my moving back and forward and spinning my wheels, the stuff I was trying to get traction in was 50% Goo, 50% sand, and 50% water. Yeah, the numbers do not add up, but this goo is unreal, so it all makes sense.
We started to lose speed fast and I could hear the traction control system kicking in. I turned to shore, just a couple of meters away, and I managed to get the passenger side wheels, front and rear, on to the sand but the drivers side wheels just dug in to "The Black Goo".
I was able to move forward and back a few feet two or three times, but all that did was dig me in deeper. I felt the vehicle was bottoming out, and there was a warning on the dash that said something about raising the ride height, but I was at maximum.
I got out to take a look. Passengers side is dug in sand to the frame. Walk around to the side in the water and I sunk into "The Black Goo" up to my knee, and really nearly got myself stuck. It was truly like quicksand. Just nuts. The bottom of the door sills were below the water/Goo line, and the thought of having The Black Goo in the cabin were sickening. It smells terrible.
Tried to pull The LR4 out with my father in laws truck, but it was stuck fast. Locals who came out to watch the loser in the LR4 mentioned that the suction from "The Black Goo"
would need to be broken before I could get out. I was beat.
I called a tow truck, and he handed me the tow hook and said to hook it trough the trailer hitch. He said he would not go in "The Black Goo" because he would have to throw out his boots and pants. The stench of "The Black Goo" is permanent.
My poor LR4!
I hooked it through like he said.... SOOOO glad I have a hitch! I Would not know where else to hook a tow strap or hook.
He had to work at it to break the suction, but it was not long before I was free.
The moment of truth came and I opened the doors on the drivers side.
Relief! The seals on the bottom of the door held "The Black Goo" back. No Goo on the inside.
I went straight to a car wash and spent a roll of Loonies pressure washing the underside of the LR4. I do not think I go it all, as I can still smell Goo every now and again. I think there is a bunch stuck behind the skid protection plates. Maybe I should remove the plates and go for another wash.
Lessons learned:
Avoid The Black Goo!
The LR4 can not navigate quick-sand. I should have guessed that as it is not a choice on the Terrain Response Selector.
The LR4 is lacking in tow/extraction points.
The seal around the doors is excellent.
I need self extraction/winching gear, and I need to practice with it.
Tow trucks charge you 75$ to get out of a tight spot.
I am a lucky SOB.
Got your LR4 stuck yet?
