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INSTAGRAM.COM/XJAMIEXOE

xjamiexoe

Thanks to everyone who donated to the two orphanag

Thanks to everyone who donated to the two orphanages - the winner of the prize pack is John Storms - please shoot us a message ❤️

The best causes (and not the best photos sorry). W

The best causes (and not the best photos sorry). We raised R31,000 during the trip with 100% going to the two charities, so HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who donated to help support the two orphanages in Bela-Bela!
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They are both located less than 0.5 km from the @sa_campfest show, and operate on very small budgets.
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House Talje and House Tekna operate Independently, but both specialise in very young children who have had the hardest starts to life. Talje is for severely disabled children, and was the more humble of the two, while Tekna is for children who have suffered abuse or other issues from young ages. Tekna has benefitted for solar panels being donated in the past, and has good water, while Talje doesn’t have these as good cheap viable options. Both have strong need for more funding, more support, and more help.
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We have given 100% of the funds from the GoFundMe, plus additional amount donated by @delarey_racing_developments , @victorpardal and myself - split equally between the two orphanages and sent to them by bank transfer.
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I’m giving a small prize, put together by us on the trip and hand created by an artist in Bela-Bela, to one randomly selected donor. I’ll do the draw live on Instagram around 13:30 Johannesburg time. Hopefully we can work out what country that person lives in so I can ship from the nearest place!
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Thank you again to everyone. When we visited the orphanages, we asked them how we can help support them in the future and have a small list of ideas for next year. Our collective funds will hopefully already make a difference this year 👏👏👏

CampFest Day 1 … Tag the Owners if you know them

CampFest Day 1 … Tag the Owners if you know them plz
// @sa_campfest //

The goal has been met, this drive has been complet

The goal has been met, this drive has been completed, and yet the weekend is still young. It’s been a wild ride. Driving onto the stage after 6 countries, to kick off the 2025 CampFest was something that we hoped we would achieve, but weren’t totally sure it would be possible solo and so low.
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The kilometres, the people, the car meetings and the hangs, the heat, the potholes, the sights, the support, the animals, and even the stolen Pepsi on the bridge at Victoria Falls - that we drove to. The love and the challenges and the highs and the lows. And the low car doing so well. It all come together to form the collective story and memories. We thank you all very very much.
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We, I, have so many people to thank. Inside the car, at the DRD headquarters, at every stop along the way, and to everyone who followed along at home anywhere in the world. Thank you.
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Collectively we raised R31,000 for the two orphanages in the town of Bela Bela where the show is held each year. Thank you to everyone who supported so much with that. 100% of the money raised is going directly to them, and I will post more information about that soon.
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In the meantime, we now will try to balance having the best weekend ever at the show, with also trying to catch up on a little sleep.
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I am very grateful for all of this, the opportunity to travel, to see more of the world, to meet so many people and see their cars and hear their languages, and to share it with others along the way.
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Thank you everyone.

500km left to go today for the whole trip, and the

500km left to go today for the whole trip, and there’s still time to donated to our two charities too. The GPS map is looking kinda epic - except where I forgot to turn on tracking on the Caprivi Strip in Namibia 😭🤣
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We’re raising money for two special needs orphanages at our destination in Bela Bela, the home of @sa_campfest - 100% of the funds donated will be delivered to them tomorrow (Saturday), so there’s still time to donate, and automatically have your name put into a hat where one person will be chosen to receive a special gift from us.
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The GPS and donation link are both on the xjamiex dot com websire
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Thank you everyone who has donated already, it is very appreciated. Both myself (Jamie) and @delarey_racing_developments are going to make donations also, I am pledging 25% of the goal amount.

Driving into Bloemfontein ❤️

Driving into Bloemfontein ❤️

Parking Lot Fix Part 3 of 3 - on the 1988 VW Citi

Parking Lot Fix Part 3 of 3 - on the 1988 VW Citi Golf I just bought in Gqeberha, South Africa.
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Electrics.. there were some gremlins, with sporadic issues on the cluster, and the turn signals turning on with the headlights, coolant temp gauge working and then stopping, and ignition switch things. Here’s the list of what was found, and the fixes :
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1.) Old alarm system was tied into the turn signals, ignition power and grounds, and for some reason the radio system. Solution : remove it and fix the wiring ✅
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2.) Turn signals and headlight switch were acting weird. The ground junction near the fuse label was corroded. Solution: Renove ground round junction, sand it clean, replaced a corroded connector, reinstall ✅
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3) Gauge cluster intermittently working. Especially critical was the coolant temp. I removed the Mylar circuit ‘board’ and was tracing the circuits but not finding much wrong with it - although the 10v section was intermittent and giving weird results. So… we ran over to @euroworx_ and borrowed a spare cluster. Solution : the new cluster worked instantly and we’re buying lunch for them at @sa_campfest ✅
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So… after all that, we ran the car up to temp, the fan kicked on, and we hit the road to Bloemfontein many many hours late. But with cleaner coolant, and working cooling system. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and helped and said hello, to the Goldwagen staff, and sorry to the people in Bloemfontein that we’re going to be very very late to arrive to meet.
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The live GPS tracker is on, and we’re still raising funds for the two orphanages near the VDub CampFest show in Bele-Bela - link to my site with info in my bio thanks!

Parking Lot Fix Part 2 of 3 - on the 1988 VW Citi

Parking Lot Fix Part 2 of 3 - on the 1988 VW Citi Golf 1.3L I just bought in Gqeberha, South Africa.
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The cooling system is buttoned up again, so after replacing the pump belt, we filled the system with coolant and a can of LIQUIMOLY coolant flush. It needs 10-30 minutes with the engine running, which then let me diagnose the electrical issues.
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(I’ll get to why I the flush vs letting the system alone in a minute).
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1.) the coolant level light was intermittent. Fixed ✅
2) the fan wasn’t turning on. Fixed ✅
3) the engine temperature gauge was t working. Not fixed ❌
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So I pulled the cluster out, and we walked to find a 9v battery to buy. There’s a voltage regulator on the cluster that provides 10v to the coolant and fuel gauge. I don’t know why. But it all basically tested okay on a table. But putting the cluster back in, did not make it better.
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The electrical system was super unhappy - and an old aftermarket alarm system was malfunctioning.. but that’s part 3, after the flush discussion:
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I like the flushes, some others have superstitions about them. The argument against is maybe the rust / corrosion is holding the headgasket and seals together and stopping leaks. Flushing that would open new leaks.
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My thought is - I’d rather find those leaks if it somehow did magically get sealed by corrosion, AND, I once had a weird air pocket issue on the side of a cylinder head where one coolant passage was fully blocked, which was a nightmare to diagnose, but the flush opening that would have made all the difference. Instead I basically stripped the whole head down and poked the debris.

Parking lot repair Part 1. Lots of things wrong on

Parking lot repair Part 1.
Lots of things wrong on the 1988 1.3L Citi Golf that I just bought here in Gqeberha as far as engine temps go.. the cooling system was going haywire, and was just straight rusty water, but already had a new pump and radiator… so part 1 of the hopeful fix…:
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The car was overheating but then the gauge cluster would stop working..
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The reservoir was full of debris, so I got a new Meyle one at Goldwagen and cleaned up the level sensor while putting it in.
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The fan wasn’t working but had voltage at the switch- so got a new switch for a Peugeot via @euroworx_ just around the corner from Goldwagen.
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Before flushing the system, we put on new main hoses (didn’t do the small ones due to time..), with new clamps.
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The new pump didn’t have a thermostat installed - which I left out as I’d rather be too cold than too hot for the 1,000km drive.
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That then got everything sealed back up, and ready for running and testing. That’s part 2.
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More cars, more problems. The blue and white 1.3L

More cars, more problems. The blue and white 1.3L needs some cooling system love. Thankfully in most South African cities when driving your Citi, you’re not too far from a @goldwagensa store with @liquimoly and @meyle_parts in stock

Volkswagen Motorsport returns to Germany with the

Volkswagen Motorsport returns to Germany with the new Polo Cup, based on the @volkswagen_motorsport_za built VW Polo GTI 😍
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Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa continued production, development, and racing in Africa even after the German VWMS devision was closed under the leadership of Herbert Diess. Now this racing pedigree will return to Europe.

The top level car from the South African manufacturer, is based on the locally produced latest generation VW Polo GTI, is raced in the SA SupaCup series. It will now go intercontinental and mark Volkswagen return to competition in Germany, outside of the standalone TCR Mk8, piloted by @benny_leuchter and co at the Nürburgring 24 last year..
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Benny is the German Volkswagen factory race and test driver, and flew to South Africa for the unveiling today, followed by two days of testing at the famous Zwartkops track in the country.
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The SupaCup Championship in 2024 was won by the VW team, with driver @jonathanmogotsiracing driving, featuring a right-hand-drive but otherwise very similar car. The German cars will be left hand drive.
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Using many local components, including a sequential gearbox, brakes, and more, it is expected that dozens of the cars could make their way from the Kariega factory to Germany, where series information can be found online at Polo-Cuo.de - in partnership with MARACO Management.
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The top SupeCup Polo will continue racing in the series in South Africa, where the season starts earlier than Europe - so it could even be that European drivers visit to get a head start on learning the car’s setup, and it could be that local SA drivers find an interesting option to race in Europe.
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In South Africa, there is also the Polo Vivo based race car, which retains many more of the stock components as an entry point for younger locals to begin their wheel to wheel racing.
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The VW Polo, celebrating its 50th year this year, is now produced exclusively in South Africa for the European & RHD markets, with an additional Polo Vivo model - a modern version of the Citi Golf formula - produced at the same plant for local sale alongside the more expensive latest car.

👏🥰

And… I bought another Citi Golf 😍 💙🤍
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Thanks to everyone involved in keeping the car amazing and for selling it to me. It’s so close to perfect.. and there’s a few days before the show still to find those small final parts.
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It’s the first car joining on the route to CampFest. Our main cruise starts in Bloemfontein on Friday morning, and Midrand around lunchtime - we’ll post more details soon.
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Now today though, it’s a full day at the VW Kariega plant 🇿🇦

Meeting friendly people all along the 15,000km tri

Meeting friendly people all along the 15,000km trip - this time in George, South Africa - and..: did you know an official partner of @volkswagen_motorsport_za is @astronenergysa ? Definitely not sponsored, just fun facts, haha!

Live from Cape Town - Claremont VW - hanging with

Live from Cape Town - Claremont VW - hanging with hundreds of new and old friends and their cars ❤️

Cape Town ❤️ We’ll be hanging out at Claremo

Cape Town ❤️
We’ll be hanging out at Claremont VW this evening from 18:30 onwards 👋
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We’re driving 15,000km across southern Africa // LIVE TRACK + SCHEUDLE
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• www.xjamiex.com - click on 15k
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DONATE TO HELP US RAISE MONEY FOR BELA-BELA ORPHANAGES
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• We are raising money to support two special needs orphanages near the VDub CampFest show. Every donor giving $10 USD or more gets their name in a hat for change to win a special prize. All money goes to the charities. There’s a link on xjamiex.com on the 15k page, thank you.
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OUR ROUTE
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•••••••
Jan 20 - Gaborone, Botswana
Jan 22 - Harare, Zimbabwe
Jan 25 - Lusaka, Zambia
Jan 26 - Livingstone, Zambia
Jan 30 - Moçâmedes, Angola
Feb 1 - Windhoek, Namibia
Feb 2 - Port Nolith, South Africa
Feb 3 - Cape Town, South Africa
Feb 5 - Kariega, South Africa
Then.. the VDub SA CampFest 👏
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Made possible with thanks to :
@delarey_racing_developments
@liquimoly @liquimoly.usa.canada
@fcpeuro
@gepfeffert
@hengst.filtration.northamerica
@landsail_sa
@meyle_parts
@volkswagen @volkswagensouthafrica
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#œ #pvw #15ktocampfest #citigolf #africa #roadtrip #mk1golf #golf1 #southaftica #botswana #zimbabwe #bulawayo #harare #zambia #namibia #zambia #angola #capetown #claremontvw

Woop-whop! That’s the Polo of da police.

Woop-whop! That’s the Polo of da police.

Sunset over the Orange River, the border between N

Sunset over the Orange River, the border between Namibia and the far Northwest of South Africa - and our last border crossing. And there’s still thousands of kilometres to go.. Monday evening is Cape Town - another 600km south from here.
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We’re driving 15,000km across southern Africa // LIVE TRACK + SCHEUDLE
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• www.xjamiex.com - click on 15k
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
DONATE TO HELP US RAISE MONEY FOR BELA-BELA ORPHANAGES
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
• We are raising money to support two special needs orphanages near the VDub CampFest show. Every donor giving $10 USD or more gets their name in a hat for change to win a special prize. All money goes to the charities. There’s a link on xjamiex.com on the 15k page, thank you.
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OUR ROUTE
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•••••••
Jan 20 - Gaborone, Botswana
Jan 22 - Harare, Zimbabwe
Jan 25 - Lusaka, Zambia
Jan 26 - Livingstone, Zambia
Jan 30 - Moçâmedes, Angola
Feb 1 - Windhoek, Namibia
Feb 2 - Port Nolith, South Africa
Feb 3 - Cape Town, South Africa
Feb 5 - Kariega, South Africa
Then.. the VDub SA CampFest 👏
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Made possible with thanks to :
@delarey_racing_developments
@liquimoly @liquimoly.usa.canada
@fcpeuro
@gepfeffert
@hengst.filtration.northamerica
@landsail_sa
@meyle_parts
@volkswagen @volkswagensouthafrica
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#œ #pvw #15ktocampfest #citigolf #africa #roadtrip #mk1golf #golf1 #southaftica #botswana #zimbabwe #bulawayo #harare #zambia #namibia #zambia #angola

Namibian landscape and heat are no joke… We had

Namibian landscape and heat are no joke… We had a fuel pump issue in the 40° temperatures, but unsure of it was overheating or a vapour issue, but we are making great progress while trying to stay hydrated and cool.
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We always have a live GPS tracker on, along with details of the Two orphanages that we are raising money for, which you can see on the xjamiex website.
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Downtown Windhoek, Namibia ❤️

Downtown Windhoek, Namibia ❤️

WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA! Thank you for an amazing welcom

WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA!
Thank you for an amazing welcome! We are stunned and so appreciative!
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There meeting was at the Pupkewitz Goldwagen store - nearby their VW dealership - and filled the whole street and parking lots with awesome cars and people.
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K-swapped Mk1 Track car? Yup!
Citi Golf R-Line? Yup!
Mk3 on air with 1.8T swap? Hell yeah!
Slammed Polos and Caddy’s and so much more? Definitely!
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We met a ton of new friends, learnt about the capital city, and also got to make some small repairs on the car, thanks to Goldwagen and some other people helping out. Truly a wonderful welcome and evening, and we thank everybody again!
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Our next stop will be the border from the media into South Africa, and then Cape Town on Monday evening. We estimate we have 3,000-3,700km to to go depending on our route. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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