Your insurance does not cover water crossing more than 300mm deep

1. Check the depth of the water if possible and the bottom. Is this soft or rocky? Are there any holes that you could get stuck in?
2. Work out a path to follow, If possible watch someone else go first!
3. Reduce your tyre pressure for grip.
4. Go in slowly and cross slowly and steadily (less than walking pace) If the water looks like it will be above the wheel hubs consider not crossing at all.
5. Make sure you are in full 4WD.
6. Have your windows down so you can exit the 4×4 if something does go wrong – though you shouldn’t be in water anywhere near that deep!
7. Once you are in, accelerate gently and maintain a steady pace to create a bow wave.
8. Avoid changing gear if possible. This can let water into the clutch plates and increase slip.

If there is a problem, say, you get stuck…

1. This is very, very unlikely if you follow the rules above, but if you do – just keep the engine running. This stops water from entering the engine from the exhaust end.
2. If you stall, restart the engine and move on. Sometimes that might mean backing up before going forward again or finding another way.
3. If you do get stuck, say in a hole you can’t get out of, stay with the vehicle, and await help. If it’s too much for the vehicle, it’s certainly much too much for you. You will find other people will be generally happy to help out.
4. And of course, the Chobe4x4 team is just a phone call away if you need, and can answer all your questions when you pick up your 4×4 vehicle from us at the start of your trip.