After having enjoyed our desert trip, it was time to have Gigi serviced. Some new filters and hopefully that would get us rid of the fumes. Sadly, no.
The service went quite quickly. We did have to remind them that a new oil filter was not necessary, as we had it replaced in Livingstone. Unfortunately we realized they planned on changing the oil filter after they had already removed the oil seal and the oil started being drained. Too late, but an oil change is never a bad idea. We were quick enough to make sure they didn't also change the filter. The rest of the service went by quickly and everything was fine. Right before we wanted to leave, we quickly checked if the smoke ceased.
The smoke was still there, so together with the owner of the workshop we went on a quick drive. Unfortunately we quickly found out what the problem was. Oil coming out of the exhaust meant only one thing: a broken turbocharger. Good turbochargers are VERY expensive and even more difficult to get, so this was quite the setback. Fortunately, the wonderful mechanic made a few quick calls and was able to get one shipped from Windhoek first thing the next morning. Not the outcome we had hoped for, but still better than having to wait for 3 days. There was no way we could drive outside of town with this, so we had no option. We were able to extend, in a different apartment, and we stayed one extra day.
The next day Jeroen took the car back to the mechanic, while Emma rearranged all our stuff and moved them into the other apartment. The installing of the new turbocharger took quite some time. Jeroen entered the workshop at 8 AM and was able to leave again at 4 PM. This was mostly because the turbocharger is not the easiest to get to. The work was done thoroughly and as soon as the old turbocharger was removed, it was very clear what the problem was. One of the 'propellors' was very loose and we were EXTREMELY lucky (yet again) that it had not gotten any worse and that we were quite close to a town with a good workshop when it happened. Despite all the car troubles we have had, we are really happy with Gigi. Every time she seems to pull through until we get to a workshop. We have not been stranded along the road yet and we hope we never have to. It is usually part of an overlanding trip through Africa to be stuck on the side of the road, but we count our blessings every time it doesn't happen.
After the new turbocharger was installed, Jeroen and the mechanic made a test run to remove all the remaining oil from the exhaust. It took a long time, but eventually there was no more smoke coming out of the exhaust. Problem fixed and hopefully this was it for the coming period.
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