Hole in the Rock Trail UT- My 4R is 750 mi away, what would ya do?

Hi All,

Need some brainstorming/recovery advice/auto transport ideas. I just got home from a trip to Hole in the Rock trail with my neighbors, but unfortunately, without the 4R. update: truck is home

 

Where did you leave the 4runner? Your best bets probably finding a shipper. Probably be 800-1200. But cheaper than a tow. Unless you have a friend with a trailer and truck.

you could also have the vehicle repaired locally to where you left it and then drive it home?

 

Thanks @Antman , it is in a semi safe location with the ranger station keeping an eye on it (very kind of them). I'm exploring car haulers/shippers, do you think they would pick up the car without me there (unlike most tow companies) ? If so, that would be great.

 

Rent a 2500 Dodge Ram from enterprise truck rental. About $150 a day.

Rent a car hauler trailer from Uhaul $60-$80. That or rent a car hauler on Craigslist/offer up. People rent them out.

 

Thanks Superdave. That is a great option, I may have a possibility of just renting the trailer and using a family's Expedition, but that's still $800 in gas and an unplanned 2-3 days gone from home and weekend spent. Seems like it's either your option or a shipping company. Still open to the mafia option at this point....

 

Awesome pics. Seemed like an awesome trip, and it sucks hairy pine cones you needed to leave it out there.

Was the trail you were on considered a “highway” or “road”? Someone told me that some trails in Colorado, as gnarly as some are, are still considered official roads. Which might then mean insurance claim is a possibility for some of the costs.

In any case, I think the only thing that could be done is to look for a good local shop that can go pick it up and fix it. Not being there sucks, but I’d be looking for a place that can communicate clearly, frequently, and with pictures. Tell them you want all old parts back to make sure everything is on the up and up.

Flying back out to go get it might be the cheapest way to pick it up. Then inspect and test drive the vehicle carefully, you wont get a chance to have mistakes addressed later.

Then enjoy a leisurely drive back, and camp along the way. Or chew on coffee grounds and make it back in a day, if time is not a luxury you have.

I’d move on it asap. Nice park ranger or not, word will get around about a broken down 4runner.

It’s all part of the adventure, right?

 

Awesome pics. Seemed like an awesome trip, and it sucks hairy pine cones you needed to leave it out there.

Was the trail you were on considered a “highway” or “road”? Someone told me that some trails in Colorado, as gnarly as some are, are still considered official roads. Which might then mean insurance claim is a possibility for some of the costs.

In any case, I think the only thing that could be done is to look for a good local shop that can go pick it up and fix it. Not being there sucks, but I’d be looking for a place that can communicate clearly, frequently, and with pictures. Tell them you want all old parts back to make sure everything is on the up and up.

Flying back out to go get it might be the cheapest way to pick it up. Then inspect and test drive the vehicle carefully, you wont get a chance to have mistakes addressed later.

Then enjoy a leisurely drive back, and camp along the way. Or chew on coffee grounds and make it back in a day, if time is not a luxury you have.

I’d move on it asap. Nice park ranger or not, word will get around about a broken down 4runner.

 

Double check if insurance is an option on the table for you. I mean, if I buy comprehensive they are supposed to cover a crash even if it’s my fault. And call AAA for ideas…they might have people that help out in situations like this

 

I think the most viable option is to have it repaired locally and then fly out and drive it home. Did you leave a key with the rangers? Or I guess you could overnight the key to whatever shop you use once you figure that part out.

I think most places would be pretty trustworthy in this kind of a situation. You know what the problem is and it's not the kind of thing they can really half ass bodge together. Additionally, I get the feeling that a lot of shops in this area are pretty well versed in trail damage repairs. Find one that your research shows has a good reputation in the online community and give them a call...?

 

You can say that again!

 

Bummer about the damage and potential expense. You have some pretty good options mentioned above. Best of luck!

 

Hi All, thanks for all of the very solid options and thoughts. Currently I have a reputable shipping company dispatching it out. Quote is $919, which is basically my cost for gas and a motel room, so if they can do it, I will be absolutely stoked (saves me a couple days of driving 1500 miles round trip with a trailer too!). Only thing I can think of (why it is so cheap) is that the car may travel all over the West (picking up and dropping off jobs along the way) and may very well not get here for a week or two, but that doesn't matter to me at all, as long as it gets here.

I'll update when I know more, but again, thank you for all of the posts.

 

yeah, that sucks. If it were me, I'd get it fixed locally and drive it home.

 

Yup, it definitely sucks. Problem is that the closest shop is 200 miles from where it is now, AAA won't pick it up because they won't do an unattended pickup in Utah. So, to get it 200 miles to a shop unknown to me, it would already be on some sort of hauler, and just makes more sense to get it all the way home and I can have it fixed here with my shop or dealer that I know and can handle in person.

 

gotcha. If you are going to have to haul it 200 miles, might as well do the whole distance. I get it.

 

Keep us posted, and we're all thinking of you on the fix and travails.

 

Thank you TrailGuy2016!!!
Just waiting on the shipping company to get back to me on dispatch, which could take a couple days given how remote the location is. I'm just happy to be home safe

 

I know you said you are back home, but if AAA will take it 200 miles, and I assume the 4R is in Escalante, get it to Wade Toyota in St. George, UT (195 miles).

 

Yeah, that was on my list. Unfortunately AAA will not pick up the car without me there (Utah AAA rules), and even worse, Wade Toyota is 383 miles from where the car is I wish it was in Escalante !!!

 

I was looking at shipping my 4Runner because I bought in OR and wasn't sure whether I had the time or interest for a two day road trip. My distance would have been about the same as yours, and the two quotes I received were both about the same as your $919 adjusted for the increase in fuel costs since then.

 

Traveling around picking up and dropping off cars is likely the reason. That's exactly what was going on when I shipped a car to my son.

 

Have you considered fab rats, Matt’s off-road recovery, or Robby Layton? They are well known in the off-road community there. Fab rats works on Toyotas (His did a SAS on his and it is beefy). Anyways I have seen them post travels further than 200 miles for jobs. So it might be worth it. Labor will probably be cheaper in Utah than in California (if money is a concern)

 

Either of these is a valid option if the shipping/hauler can't come through. I was only aware of Matt's OffRoad Recovery, so the others are great info, thank you! At this point, anything is cheaper than a regular towing company and I really don't want to drive a trailer 1500 miles round trip (have never towed a trailer, nor do I really have the time), so I'm kind of in the "get it home no matter what" boat. Really hoping that the hauler/shipping company comes through.

I'm lucky to have others to drive, and while first I was kind of mad at the 4R (my group was shocked it happened given how minor and slow the hit was), I am starting to miss it. At the end of the day it's just a car, so if God forbid something terrible happens (stolen or otherwise), that's what insurance is for and thankfully, I have experience on dealing with a "total loss" with my insurance company. A Wrangler dumped it's transfer case in front of me on the freeway a couple years ago in my prior S8. That big hunk of gears shredded the underside of my car, not one "cosmetic" blemish, but they totaled the car (alot wrong underneath). Took 2 months of back and forth, but eventually I got what the car was worth and then some.

Sorry, venting and going through the emotions of "grief" at this point, thank you all so much for the excellent ideas !!!!

 

Yeah shoot, it sounds cheesy to hit up a YouTuber but they do seem legit having watched them regularly- Paul with FabRats is in Glendale which is like 150mi from Lake Powell and if anything he could probably give you some solid recommendations. Someone to tow it out to a local shop in UT or something. If he works on it I'll look forward to the parking lot power steering and tie rod swap in the ranger's parking lot on YouTube!

 

I would be curious where your 4R is. I know you don't want to say while it is there, but after it's moved maybe?

 

Yes, I'll be happy to update where it was once it gets picked up by the hauler, myself, or gets stolen Luckily there is virtually nothing/nobody out there where it is, and I find UT people to be generally friendly.

 

Happy to report the 4R has been picked up by Montella's Repair, a great shop in Blanding UT. They are going to attempt the repair (my guess is an entire new steering rack but hoping for less). The 4R was parked at the Sinclair gas station (it used to be a Chevron) in Halls Crossing, UT.

My accountant/OCD brain went to worst case scenario last night and I did some research/math on replacing my 4R with a new one, along with the mods I've done. Let's just say, I'm glad to know the car is safe and still in one piece. Holy dealer markups batman......

 

Great to hear you got it picked up and into a shop.

 

Thanks @glwood54 . It is kind of funny, even when I told my insurance broker about the situation, she said "geez, sounds like we should cross our fingers for it to get stolen, sounds like it would be easier on you"

I'll get it home eventually, will happily spend the 8-10 hours cleaning it up, and all will be well. All I know is, on the drive back, I'm spending the night in Vegas baby !

 

I’m glad to hear it’s being taken care of! Hopefully the repair is straight forward. Would insurance cover this type of damage?

And thanks for reminding everyone how important it is keep a good grip on the steering wheel when off roading. I would have never imagined this type of damage from a situation like yours. I just returned from two days driving on various trails with your experience in mind.

I’m even wondering if this type of failure could be considered a weak spot for this machine. I’ve always considered the 4runner to be light on the steering, and slow with the return-to-center tendency, probably related to the suspension geometry. I read somebody mentioning other brand pickups/SUVs having much more factory caster than 4runners. Being light on the steering also means that outside forces from bumps, boulders, etc can more easily force sudden steering angle changes. And it seems apparent from the failure you experienced, that if it’s sudden enough, the power steering system can in fact be overwhelmed. Never would have thought of it, but thanks to you sharing your experience, I now know why I need to keep a firm grip.