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Proper tyres, properly deflated definitely go a long way, but depending on conditions, narrow tyres overinflated can be better. Advantage of diff lock in my opinion is that it negates the need to induce wheelspin to achieve traction.
Mechanical failure. It was a rare (I’ve been told) sticking of the actuator. They weren’t aware that it was under warranty so the initial solution was to free the actuator and put it back. It was functioning fine in the workshop. A new actuator is about £600 plus VAT and the engineer suggested trying again with the existing one. I asked was it not covered under my extended warranty (5 -years)? He said, he wasn’t aware I had an extended warranty. He also said as the part is technically working it shouldn’t be a replacement. I asked him to do what he could. He came back to say that he had a replacement authorised. There was a wait for the part and it has now been replaced. The whole VW Assist, collection of the vehicle on a flat bed, taxi to a rental car place and a rented car for the duration all felt like good value for money. The replaced part more than covered the c £350 extended warranty too.
Note to self: Get the extended warranty!
I got a Ryobi cordless pump a while back and have found it a really handy thing. It's one of the "ONE+" range of tools that share 18v battery packs (I already had one of the Ryobi power drills). Rather than faff about plugging leads into 12v sockets I just wander about with it checking and correcting pressures in my various vehicles. I don't know how many tyres it'd do fully on a charge but it seems to last for ages topping up. Much more beefy than those cheap little Chinese 12v pumps but not much heavier, and I now throw it in the back of the van when on a trip.
Just let the foot brake off and avoid the throttle?
There is a lot of "depends" there. if the weight of the Cali has caused the ground under the wheels to subside, then avoiding the throttle will not help. The best is to know when to nurse the throttle and when to gas it. Not may people are able to rock the van out of a groove and then gas it to give it sufficient momentum to start moving and then keep the momentum consistent to get it out on the road. Comes with practice/experience.
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