Our long-term JMC Boarding diesel double cab, designed by the Japanese and built by Jiangling Motor Corporation in China, has just returned from an excursion to George. Not a holiday this time, but rather to have a towbar and canopy fitted.
As this vehicle is silver in colour, JMC George had Canopy King spray the new top to match the body. The fit looks solid, but unfortunately the good-looking roll-over bars had to be removed in order for the canopy to fit. A useful feature is two sliding side windows, but there is no slider at the front – not really an issue as this bakkie doesn’t have an in-cab sliding window. Because this is an old design, it is much more compact than the latest string of bakkies. This gives a low, long appearance that is enhanced by the fitment of the canopy.
While there, the dealer did the required 3 000 km oil change to get rid of the initial metal filings circulating around the engine during the run-in period. This is a good idea for any car. Normal servicing for the Boarding is every 10 000 km. The only problem with the trip back to Cape Town was that the top windscreen-rubber strip started coming loose. So now we will use automotive black silicone sealer to keep the rubber in place and should have no more issues with that.
The tow bar has a strong square tube to spread the forces to the new and much beefed up mounting plates when compared with the original set of bumper support plates. So towing should be safe and strong. We may even consider adding the Thule roofbox to the vehicle for long holiday trips but, then again, there should be enough space in the back, so this idea might not materialise.
