David Sparkes

With no more information than it's a light for illumination of a dashboard gauge, the answer is 2.2 watts. By 'on here' do you mean another post on the Forum? If so, that's three possible lessons learnt. Even the Gods stumble. Some posters are a long way from being Gods. Your own judgement can be best. :-)) The trick is to sort out who is, who isn't, when the 'is' are having a bad day, and when you are having a good day!! Cheers.

Does anyone recall the incident, within the last couple of years, of a car being recovered from an 'off-road' course at an event sponsored by a Land Rover magazine? Due to an allegedly (better have that word in) piece of inept driving by the recovery vehicle driver, more than one car was pulled into a post, causing a significant amout of damage to the car being recovered. I understood, perhaps incorrectly, that an attempt to claim against either the event organiser, or the recovery driver, was not effective. Failure of an appropriate 'duty of care' by the recovery driver may have been a basis for action, but it would have taken more money than the cost of damage repair to prove the point. I may not have heard the final word on that case, which is why I ask "Does anyone recall ...", as this might give 'real world' experience. As others have said, you can insure race cars while they are competing in races, so you can probably approach the same brokers to get insurance while taking an active role on a Pay and Play site, but I suspect most people take the risk on their own wallet. The premiums give you an comparison to say, after the event, whether it was a good deal of not. Actually I did the same trick when I bought my 38A back in 1999. I decided I could buy from a Dealer, with warranty (insurance), which was the magazine recommended option, or I could buy privately, for less money, keeping the saving (insurance fee) in the bank. It would only be if all that was spent on repairs in the first 12 months that I'd be out of pocket. I backed my own judgement, bought privately, and although I spent some time and money on repars in that first year, I felt I was quids in after 12 months. Ironically, I'd make a different decision wrt Pay and Play, although with a slight distinction, based on if I wanted to develop some basic experience driving on un-metalled roads. If I was being offered a 'Learn what your Land Rover can do' event, perhaps sponsored by a Dealer, or perhaps a National Magazine, then I'd attend, pay the fee, sign the disclaimer, and take the chance. I'd expect to be accompanied by an experienced driver for all or most of my time on circuit. I've done this twice, driving my own vehicle. I would NEVER accept an invitation to come to a Pay and Play site just to 'mess around', on the basis that I'd 'learn what my Land Rover could do'. Red Mist attends such events, and as a beginner it is very difficult to distinguish between those who are genuinely giving you confidence to attempt something you have a 75% chance of succeding in, against those who think it's a real giggle to see someone suffer mis-fortune. Red Mist can also affect the drivers judgement as well, irrespective of the value of any advice given. Yogi, I think you have placed yourself, in another post, in the 'beginners' class, and that is where the invitation to a KORC day came from. I don't know the KORC site, the KORC peope, or who you were going with, so I can't comment specifically on their approach, but you see how I view the situation. If you have been invited, then my 'safe' advice is to attend, but only go round the course as a passenger in the experienced persons car. After that person has explained what is going on, the pros and cons of different actions, and you have experienced the results, do you have some information and experience to make a decision on whether it's what you want to do. The bottom line is that you will be insuring yourself, I'd say for anything up to £500.00. The recovery home and repair might be less, especially if you do mechanical work yourself, or you can live with dented bodywork, so won't go for a showroom standard repair. But you have to have the CASH available. By available I most CERTAINLY DO NOT MEAN by using a Credit or Loan facility. HTH.

The problem to be overcome is that aluminium flexes but resin doesn't. This is in the detail, a big fibreglass panel will flex over a large area, but push the movement too far and the resin cracks, allowing moisture and oxygen into the glass strands, and the base metal. I would never match tape to thin metal, as the tape is too rigid to follow the metal, leaving voids which fill with resin, which is structurally weak. Remember that glass or carbon fibre is strong because the glass / carbon is strong. The resin is there to hold the strands in a fixed relationship to each other, so the load can be shared between the strands. The fibre / resin relationship is symbiotic, each helps the other. I have successfully bonded glass fibre to thin vibrating rusty steel, in a method that lasted. I used glass tissue, the very lightest and thinnest of mat, together with a light application of resin, because this would follow all the surface variations in the metal. There was no loose rust, the surface was cleaned with an electric wire brush, but I didn't have a blast cabinet at the time, so the steel certatinly wasn't rust free. The tissue layer clearly smoothed out all the minor imperfections, and gave a suitable base layer for the chopped strand mat to bond to. Obviously I added mechanical strength by layering CSM on top of the tissue. I totally covered the pressed steel frame of a rotary lawn mower, so had a Techumsah engine bolted to it. Despite the vibration, the glass fibre to steel joint never broke down, over several years of use, so I feel confident the bond was mechanically good, and prevented water & oxygen ingress. Cheers.

I agree entirely about the immediate oxidisation, but I'd rather hope the cure lies in technology developing since the 1960's, and thus able to bond as effectively to lightly oxidised aluminium as to the 'impossible' pure aluminium of a vapour build. Put lightly oxidised in context, I mean something cleaned in the last 5 minutes, not something cleaned 5 weeks ago... When making electrical joints between aluminium componants, such as power bus bars, the problem of immediate oxidisation was severe. This would cause acoustically noisy potential drop across the joint face. The cure was in attention to detail, the final clean would be to coat the surface with Petroleum Jelly, then wipe the surface with a file card, kept bagged in plastic, purely for this purpose. In this way the PJ would be dragged into the scratch made by the file card bristle, preventing the air (oxygen & water) access to the metal. That gives an indication as to how quickly oxidisation will form on clean aluminium. HTH

See that MP3car.com thread I linked to in post 15 - http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/gps/106706...r-7-europe.html I suggest you have a look through there, and consider subscribing. I know, 9 pages, 123 posts, but some of them have been experimenting with an independant volume control, and it's always useful to know where others have failed. The experts on there need the occasional encouragement of new interest, so a contribution from a new member might wake them up a bit more. Reading between the lines of that thread, it seems PCN has changed, let's say progressed, as it's moved from v6, through v7.0 in Jan 2008, to v7.2.51 in March 2008, so I'd say the first thing is to download the latest patch from the MapFactor site. Also post a question with MapFactor support to try and establish the current situation re alternative voices, warning repetition, etc. Having the latest version may well mean that something the others have tried and failed will now work. Cheers.

LandyManLuke. Thanks for the update, the change from v6 to v7 obviously explains the discrepancy. HoSS I submitted an enquiry online to see if http://www.scdb.info/ recognised PC Navigator7. They have responded to say Not Certain, and to ask which type of database did PCN7 recognise? They also said if I used their database and it didn't work they would refund my money, which is nice, considering I haven't spent any with them yet :-) I'm going to test the database that came hidden on the installation DVD, and study what if any differences there are, between the database services of SCDB and Pocket GPS World, before making the purchase decision. I bought PCN7 because it covered France, Holland, & Germany, as well as the UK. I suppose it makes sense to subscribe to a service that logs the cameras in all four countries, if such a thing exists. In a triumph of optimism over experience, I have convinced myself that the DiggerQT application will convert any standard format database into the special MCA configuration that PCN7 demands. For the record, DiggerQT wll recognise any of the following: ODBC, MCB, XLS, SHP/DBF/SHX, MIF/MID,CSV, or DBF. Cheers.

Slowly, Oh so slowly. I asked MapFactor support how I could make sure any imported database would be actively integrated into Navigator, rather than just present blobs on the map. MF Support said "you must use DiggerQt for import external databases." Nice, comprehensive, detailed instructions. I've seen Les's thread, a Paddocks rear crossmember repair section is more bloody use than these people. Google - they may be control freaks, but on current showing they can run my life for me, any day - found me page 8 of a thread in an MP3 Forum, posted on 2nd March this year. The edited highlights of the MP3 Extract starts. Copy these files off the DVD into the PC Navigator folder: DiggerQT.exe - dataDigger.dll - QtCore4.dll - QtGui4.dll - QtNetwork4.dll - QtSql4.dll Now <Run> - DiggerQt.exe Follow the instruction to find and select your database <seems to be very flexible> Save it <Run Import> Re-Open Program and Either go to <FIND and NAVIGATE> then <IMPORTED DATA> or use the <I> option from the Map to <Find Nearest> and choose <IMPORTED DATA> then your own Named Set. Update on Importing Data into PCN 7. I was getting a crash on: Find and Navigate / Imported Data / <Left Click> on 'Data List Title' By trial and error have discovered that the Prog. does not like: [ ’ ] but will accept [ ' ] as part of the fields in the data. MP3 extract ends. Needless to say, it's too early for me to try this yet, especially as I don't have a database file to try it with. If someone cares to donate a copy, I suspect in any bleeding format you like, then I'll be able to experiment further. I'll leave it to you as to whether you post a zip as an attachment, or PM me for my direct address. For anyone else already running PC Navigator 7, (I assume there will be no new adopters after this) the full MP3 thread may be interesting. I've just looked on Page 1 of 9 and someone is giving details on how to make the programme run in a window, rather than the mandatory full screen. This should make easy changes between Navigator and Memory Map, say. There may be other good ideas hidden in the thread. http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/gps/106706...r-7-europe.html Cheers

Rather than the (missing) Defender instructions, could you use the Disco II instructions for the TD5 engine? Cheers.

I claim the prize!! The seal kit STC2847 is for the box, not the pump. Sorry.

My last post was clearly too upbeat, by a long, long, way. The whole experience is like extracting someone's teeth, with a cocktail stick. After several e-mails to different Support teams .... There IS a speed camera databse on the Navigator DVD, but it isn't installed due to a bug in the installation programme.... The file is 'speedcam*.mca' in the folder \Navigator7????\data. On my DVD it is Speedcam0711.MCA. In the installed programme the User has to create a folder called 'Import' as a sub-folder to Program Files\Navigator7\PC_Navigator\. The user then manually copies the Speedcam????.mca file to the newly created Import folder. The update download from Directions Ltd is a complete waste of time, as it is for previous versions of Navigator, despite the web site saying it is for Navigator 6/7. Landymanluke. As you imply, while the sound files MAY be WAV files, I can't prove it, as there is only one wav file on the DVD. This is for the Geofence application that is part of the Tracking programme. There are a lot of files called Sounds_??.MCA on the DVD, the file of most likely interest to us being Sounds_en.MCA. In the installed programme this file is in the path \Program Files\Navigator7\PC_Navigator\Data\ I don't know of an external application that plays any WAV files that are encapsulated within this MCA file, nor do I have the knowledge / application to de-construct the MCA file. Note that the speed camera database is also an MCA file, so I assume it's a proprietory format or wrap created by MapFactor. HoSS Thanks for the link, but although you use the database, do you use it on any version of PC Navigator, by MapFactor? The downloads seem to be specific for different Programmes or Navigation systems. Needless to say, PC Navigator is not mentioned. What format is the download in? Perhaps we can use http://www.poiedit.com/ to translate it to something PC Navigator can import (xls, csv, whatever it imports), as advised earlier by cipx2, although if we can't make it into the MCA format I'm not convinced the automatic early warning feature of PC Navigator will be able to use any database so formed. Currently it looks as though the Pocket GPS World database might be the way forward, but it's one thing to display the camera sites on the map, which I'm sure that will do. It's another thing make the database integrated to use PC Navigator early warning functionality. I'll write again to MapFactor to see if I can get a more accurate and useful response from them. Cheers.

There are various 'Green Oval' sites concerned with Land Rovers, but this one has a download section for RAVE CDs. http://green-oval.com/joomla/index.php?opt...3&Itemid=29 Note this is an 'image' file, you, or someone you know, has to have the computer knowledge and programme to convert it to a CD, which you then copy onto your PC Hard drive. It's not too geeky, just a step or two above 'casual user'. The NAS specific RAVE is version 16, but you will probably have to buy that of Ebay, or a similar site. You can get v16 off UK Ebay, but as most vendors don't know, or won't admit, what they are selling, you are probably best looking on a US auction site. The UK versions have Technical Bulletins and so on, but only some of the models, whereas the NAS version 16 has all the models, but no Bulletins etc. Welcome to the Forum BTW, and it's obviously been useful to you so far, but for Country Specific information you might have to try a US forum, although I don't know enough to guide your choice. Cheers. Ahh, sorry, just twigged. You want a Drivers Handbook type thing? The word Manual sent me to thinking about the full techie product. The RAVE CDs do have the Owners Manuals included, and you can print those off, but Land Rover have them for free download if you want to be 'correct' about it. (All RAVE CDs are unauthorised copies of Dealer Only CDs, RAVE was never released to the general public.). http://www.landrovertechinfo.com gets you to the front door, once registered you then select 'Owner Information' (IIRC) and make the appropriate choices from there. Good Luck.

Don't want to get between you and the joys of spending money, but it really does depend on what 'green laning' you are intending to do. By definition, a 'green lane' is a public highway, to which all the normal Road Traffic acts apply, including speed limits, insured vehicles only, valid MOT, etc etc. Thus you do NOT need to specify any special requirements to your insurance company, although you may find that any recovery insurance you have will not be effective if you are on a non-tarmac road. Off-Roading is something else entirely, and as you will be off the public highway then the rules of the site apply. Some require valid vehicle insurance, licensed drivers, etc etc, just as a public highway, others have more relaxed rules. These 'relaxed rules' may be no problem to you, in a fully road legal vehicle, but could indicate that on such a site you might meet a member of the looney brigade (with no insurance remember). Assuming you are starting with a standard vehicle (Classic or 38A?) your first requirement is somewhere to attach a tow rope, front and rear. If you are on standard tyres and suspension you are unlikely to get a big stuck, so recovery will be fairly easy, so armour plate is not neccessary, although the local chassis work will have to be sound. Look to learn how to drive on un-tarmaced roads with some mechanical sympathy, rather than attempt to bash the ground level. We take 'un-armoured' vehicles down Stanage Edge, so you don't need to fit a thousand pounds worth of kit before leaving your home. Take it steady, observe and learn as you go, and you will soon answer your own question. Do us a favour and update your Forum profile with your location, then you may get useful information that is relative to your area. Cheers

Ha, I hadn't followed your link as soon as you posted it because I was waiting for the Mapfactor response, with whom I'd already Registered for support. Having just posted that, I was reminded of your link, and also realised it's from Directions Ltd, who supplied the PC Navigator product to me in the first place. I've just registered and downloaded the database, now to load it in the car. The registration screen didn't ask for date of purchase, or Invoice number, just the Product Code, so we will see how long the service lasts. I'll calendar updates in 2.5 months and 5 months :-)) I've looked at the Directions Invoice, and there is no mention of Registering for 'Directions' support, perhaps I missed something on their site when I ordered the DVD. Whatever, thanks, because I hadn't though of going back to Directions. Cheers.

It looks as though my "when that fails" prediction was spot on. I wrote to Mapfactor " ... The notes on the DVD case say "Hear audible warnings as you approach speed cameras", and "Updates free for three months". When I tried to switch the Speed Camera function on, an error message told me that there was no Database. When I visit your site there is no Database available, nor is there any opportunity to 'sign up' for database updates. I have updated the software via a Patch, from v7.2.41 to v7.2.51-1. Will you explain the situation please?" Their Response: "yes I can explain to you, you must make some radar database nad import it in Navigation Software. It's been writen in manual topic - Import Regards Nidrle" There is clearly a translation problem somewhere, from "Hear audible warnings ...Updates free for three months" to "you must make some radar database ...". As I'd not expected them to supply a database I'm not going to get upset about it, but I just thought I'd let the rest of you know the situation. Cheers.

Just searching on the part number, as I don't know DiscoII's, the later Microcat found it OK, Part 7 on the Callout. You are running a Diesel, yes? It looks a complex assembly, and I reckon you are doing well to get it for £50 -ish. I am seeing three pipes apparently conjoined, with 5 ends (rubber pipe connections) and only one part number. I note that there is a single 'Hose Assembly' part, which appears to contain that pipe, AND all the associated shaped rubber hoses plus the hose clips. This is part PFV000100, number 29 on the Callout, for about £110 -ish. For a '98 to 2004 vehicle that might be worth a punt, if one item has aged to the point of leaking. You will be disturbing the hose joints anyway. DO Double Check with a more local supplier / Dealer parts listing / pricing as that 000100 number does not Google. Make sure you have the correct Antifreeze in stock. Yours looks like Longlife, and maybe Organic. To find possible suppliers just put the part number in Google. I got two responses, Beamends and Rimmer Bros. Rimmers do Mail Order, Beamends don't, so that's a choice made for someone located in France :-) Mind you, there is a place in Holland that has a good reputation for supplying parts, Rob Stewart I think, but I don't recall a trading name. HTH

My suggestion is to look at the Rover Renovations site. There you will find detailed instructions on overhauling the neglected componants in the Air Suspension, together with all the parts you require. They sell longer suspension air bags (I think the Gen II for the Classic gives the extra height). They will also supply advice about which longer shock absorbers to use, to make full use of the longer air bags. By now, they may also have information and software on how to create a low cost system for setting up the system, if you retain the electronic control, or information and parts for converting it to manual control, although the manual control items you can probably get locally in the UK, all you need is the idea and the instructions. They cover all three Range Rover Models, so seek out the options for the Classic model. Hope this Helps http://www.rover-renovations.com/

Just fit the spare and leave a 'new' spare as a different design? As cost is a constraint this would seem the cost effective way to keep up the image without breaking the bank. If you have done that once already, and only had 4 Castor alloys, one of which is now defunct, then simply make one of the three remaining Castors the spare, and fit two of Castor design to one side of the vehicle, and two of another design to the other side. It's always interesting to see how many people notice, or not, as the case maybe. Hope this Helps <Grin>.

http://www.british4x4.nl/TheSpecialist/engine.htm shows the compression ratio for several engines. The 200 / 300 is given as 19.5:1, slightly lower than the 2.5's which preceeded it (21:1), but compression ratio clearly isn't the be all and end all of diesel engine performance. Injector pressure and nozzle design being two other factors, combustion chamber design being a third. Perhaps a better idea is to look at the boost pressure normally used, which I think was 9 to 12 psi (.6 to .8 bar). I'd judge this is not a high pressure, so the mechanical compression ratio wouldn't have been greatly compromised to accomadate the extra filling from the boost. Mostly Conjecture. In the end you have accept what you are given, unless you are going to be innovative and look at decking the block, skimming the head, etc. As you are asking for the experience of others it doesn't seem as though you are inclined to the bleeding edge of research :-)) I see Glencoyne says fuel consumption is around 35 mpg in normal use, dipping slightly below 30 when towing. Have you found other people quoting numbers that either support this, or challenge it? What is your take / answer to the points raised re Gearing and noise control? HTH

I've got M'cat, but don't know Defenders, or what is 'normal' for ROW 300 TDi's or Td5's. Can you suggest a VIN range that covers what you want? The first two letters would probably be enough, (WA, XA, etc). Cheers

"As for the voices, I presume they can added/modified in PC Navigator. They can be extracted from TomTom/others anyway. If someone who has it installed can investigate this then the rest is dead easy." I'll leave that to Pugwash, as I don't have a problem with the PC Navigator voice as it is. Re the Database, I've realised this is 'promised' on the cover of the DVD, as are free updates for 3 months. As I've never seen the database at all I've put a support request into Mapfactor, just to see what happens. When that fails I'll look elsewhere :-)) Cheers

http://www.mapfactor.com

Now I've got the in-car PC to transmit the Voice of Navigator 7, I've realised that while the product has the capability of sounding off about cameras, it doesn't have the required database of Speed Camera locations. What do other uses of PC Navigator do? Are there free databases around, or are they always bundled with piece of hardware? Cheers

680kg

What does that make the Silver Modulars from The Defender Centre? This isn't my 'specialist' area, so I'm not sure I'm comparing like with like, in terms of 'will it fit'. Appearance is personal preference. "Silver Modular Rims, Brand new rims suitable for all Defender 90 and 110. £27.50 each Plus VAT" http://www.exmod.co.uk/wheels.html They also do used steels at less cost. Cheers.

It depends if you want files to sit there 'for all time', or you are just putting them up for a limited duration, during which the people you send the code to can download them FOC. I don't do the former, if I had any files like that I'd offer them to Green Oval. For the latter I use Megaupload http://www.megaupload.com/ It has a 500MB limit for free use, and it's quirk is that you have to put at least one email address in, yours for instance, otherwise no-one gets the release code - which I suspect would be frustrating :-) Note the middle Icon in the top row - Multi-file uploader. This works even in the free version, which can save time, especially if your Zip file has been split into two sub- 500MB packages. Cheers.