R&D Offroad review: our experience with an overland build in Cape Town

In this R&D Offroad review, we share our experience of having Donkey, our Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series, converted in Cape Town, South Africa. We had the vehicle fitted out for years of overlanding. After two and a half months, we discovered eight cracks in the Alu-Cab Canopy Camper. Following a lawyer’s intervention, we returned to have the canopy replaced, which meant some of the work had to be done again.

We’re happy with the aluminium interior and the communication. Even so, we wouldn’t recommend R&D Offroad for a major overland build. What matters most to us is the fitting errors and the repairs they said were finished and checked, but which still weren’t right when we used them. Below, we describe our own experience with the planning, quote, workmanship, service and warranty process.

Our overland build at R&D Offroad in Cape Town

Donkey needed to be suitable for years of travelling and living on the road. We wanted somewhere to sit inside when it was cold or raining, a fixed place for our belongings and the ability to camp independently as much as possible.

So the job involved more than fitting a canopy. We added seating and storage, a rear-door kitchen, refrigeration and heating. Storage and the electrical system took the place of the rear seats. Water filtration, solar panels, 230V power on board and an extra fuel tank were also part of the plan.

We explain our choices and how the layout works for us in more detail in Land Cruiser overland build: our choices for Donkey. For more about the vehicle and its mechanical preparation, see Land Cruiser 79 world trip: how we got Donkey ready.

Planning, the quote and additional work

We started preparing around six months before the build. We discussed our requirements over the phone, received a quote and paid a deposit after approving it. Chris was our main contact. During the work, we spoke every day and could discuss the choices for Donkey with him.

That worked well. Their network was useful too. If we needed something, they knew the people who could arrange it.

As the build progressed, we came up with a few extra requests. We discussed those first, and they gave us a price. The extra work was only added to the quote once we’d approved it. We had no problems with that. Apart from our own additions, there was no unexpected extra work.

What we’re happy with

We’re really happy with the aluminium interior, including the bench seating. It’s nicely made. We use the rear-door kitchen every day, and the clothes cupboards and overhead console work well for us too. The layout means we can stop and reach our things without unloading half the vehicle first.

The diesel heater is one of the choices we’ve really appreciated. On cold evenings in southern Africa, and later in Uruguay, we could sit comfortably inside in the warm. That was exactly what we wanted from the conversion.

We were also able to test Donkey for three days during the build. That showed us what was still missing, such as extra power sockets and a light by the seating area. We could still have those things added at that stage. We appreciated that opportunity and their help in working through our ideas.

The build schedule and handover

Six weeks had been allowed for the conversion. It took longer, partly because we kept adding things ourselves. We understand that. Towards the end, though, we had to push quite hard to get Donkey finished. They were still working overtime on the final day.

When we collected the vehicle, quite a few things still needed adjusting. They dealt with those properly.

Even so, after three or four days on the road, we discovered that the filtration system had been connected incorrectly. That hadn’t been picked up before handover.

Canopy damage and R&D Offroad’s response

After two and a half months, we found eight cracks in our Alu-Cab Canopy Camper. We immediately sent photos and details of the damage. Chris took action straight away, and communication remained good. But two months later, there was still no firm solution for the canopy.

Reinforcement brackets were supposed to be sent to Nairobi so we could carry on travelling safely. Two weeks before we arrived, we asked whether they were there yet. They hadn’t been sent. Someone had forgotten.

Eventually, the brackets were sent to Lusaka. There was an Alu-Cab dealer there, Mudpackers 4×4 Offroad Centre, who could fit them. We were very happy with that dealer. They looked after us well, and it was good to see skilled people at work.

Meanwhile, there was still no solution for the damaged canopy itself. So I sent a formal letter, asking for a response to our repair request within a week.

After our letter, there were lots of messages and plenty of contact with R&D Offroad. Even so, I had to keep pushing for an answer right up to the last day of that week.

The answer was that we needed to return to Cape Town. They would inspect the canopy there and only then decide what to do about it. We received no commitment that the damage would be repaired when we returned.

That was what we had been asking for: confirmation that the canopy would be repaired on our return, with a warranty on the repair. Instead, we were expected to drive back without knowing what the solution would be.

Resolving the warranty claim with a lawyer’s help

We hired Trudy Broekman, a lawyer in Cape Town. She received the photos, the details of the damage and all the previous correspondence. She then asked us what outcome we wanted.

We discussed repair, replacement and a refund. South Africa’s Consumer Protection Act sets out those options for defective goods. Where the Act and the conditions in sections 55 and 56(2) apply, you can choose a repair, replacement or refund within six months of delivery. The goods can be returned without penalty, at the supplier’s risk and expense.

Source: Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, sections 55 and 56.

A refund wouldn’t have helped us. A repair was what we’d originally asked for. But after speaking to the lawyer, that was no longer an option for us. We wanted the canopy replaced and decided to pursue that through her.

Our lawyer sent a letter setting out the defects, the previous correspondence and the request for a replacement. Within 24 hours, we received extensive apologies from R&D and confirmation that we would get a new ModCAP Camper.

We separately asked whether this also covered the work that would need doing again because of the replacement. They confirmed that it did. In early July, we were back in Cape Town and dropped Donkey off again.

R&D arranged and paid for the replacement and the necessary modifications. We paid the lawyer ourselves. So there was a solution in the end, but having to hire a lawyer to get there was hardly a good way to handle it. We can’t establish the technical cause of the cracks ourselves.

We cover our experience with the canopy itself in our Alu-Cab Canopy Camper review.

Fitting errors and repairs after the replacement

Donkey was supposed to be ready on Monday. That became late Friday. Once again, there was overtime at the last minute.

After everything that had happened with the first canopy, we expected the work to be properly carried out and checked this time. But the door hinge mounting points on the new canopy hadn’t been fitted correctly.

We’d also asked for the water lines underneath the vehicle to be removed and rerouted through the canopy, with the tap inside. That was to protect them from freezing. The tap was indeed in its new position. The hoses were still underneath the vehicle.

Then there was the fuel filter. It was leaking and had been bypassed with a hose. We’d asked for it to be repaired. When we collected Donkey, I specifically asked about it. We were told they’d looked at it and everything was fine. But when we checked ourselves, the same hose was still there. The filter was still bypassed.

The connection for the flexible solar panel was much the same. It was broken and was supposed to be repaired. They said that had been done and the connection had also been checked. At the campsite in Cape Town, we connected the panel. The connection still didn’t work. In the end, I replaced it myself.

Later, we also discovered that an awning clip was missing.

Would we choose R&D Offroad again?

The warranty process isn’t the main reason we wouldn’t use them for another major build. We understand that finding a solution can get difficult when a lot of money is involved. Having to hire a lawyer was hardly ideal, but we can still understand why the claim became complicated.

What matters more to us is the accumulation of errors in the work. Especially repairs that were supposedly finished and checked, even though the problems were still there. How is the quality checked? And can they properly oversee a job of this size and hand it over with everything checked?

We’ll be travelling through remote areas with Donkey over the coming years. There won’t always be a workshop nearby, and we need to be able to rely on the conversion. That’s why these errors matter so much to us. The nicely made interior and good communication don’t change that: based on our experience, we wouldn’t recommend R&D Offroad for a major overland build.

Want to know what our conversion cost? Email us at info@cruisnnomads.com, and we’ll share the detailed cost breakdown with you.