chopchop

Andy, that was NOT my experience when I hired a car at Manchester airport 3 weeks ago. They demanded both the paper and the card. - Richard

That Draper tool's precisely what I use, and I've found it does the job admirably. My Golf needs a rotary tool for the rear caliper pistons, as the handbrake works on the rear wheels.'' I bought one, as I have various family cars to deal with, but over here, Canadian Tire will lend you a tool for free if you buy your pads from them. I've always found those cube things with the various-sized tits on them which you're supposed to use with a 3/8" socket to rotate the pistons to retract the handbrake mechanism absolutely bloody useless. - Richard

Given that the main winter condition here is slippery roads rather than deep snow, I've narrowed the choice down to Nokian Vatiivas or Nokian WRs, both of which are available in the 235/70-R16 size. I understand that apart from being significantly cheaper, the Vatiivas are more of a truck tyre, ie better-suited to the Discovery - than the WRs, which are more of an ordinary car tyre. Either can be left on all-year-round, and have the same 100,000km warranty here, which kind of confirms year-round suitability. I understand that the Vatiivas are the only tyre which also have a good "winter" rating. The winter Firestone M&S "knobblies" which I bought and used in the UK are not really much use here in winter, as they are hardly siped at all, so they can be forgotten. All your help and advice is appreciated, as would any further comments be, as I haven't actually purchased anything yet. - Richard

Given that the main winter condition here is slippery roads rather than deep snow, I've narrowed the choice down to Nokian Vatiivas or Nokian WRs, both of which are available in the 235/70-R16 size. I understand that apart from being significantly cheaper, the Vatiivas are more of a truck tyre, ie better-suited to the Discovery - than the WRs, which are more of an ordinary car tyre. Either can be left on all-year-round, and have the same 100,000km warranty here, which kind of confirms year-round suitability. I understand that the Vatiivas are the only tyre which also have a good "winter" rating. The winter Firestone M&S "knobblies" which I bought and used in the UK are not really much use here in winter, as they are hardly siped at all, so they can be forgotten. All your help and advice is appreciated, as would any further comments be, as I haven't actually purchased anything yet. - Richard

I need to think about replacing my Discovery 200Tdi 205-R16 tyres soon, but this standard LR size (as was) effectively 205/80-R16 is very much a non-preferred size over here in N America. I don't want to increase my revs at all, and I understand that 225/75-R16 is about the same rolling-radius wise, also being readily available here. I believe the standard LR (6J ??) rims are fine for this extra width. My objection is that I'm going to a wider tread footprint which will likely provide poorer grip in slippery winter conditions. Any help/advice appreciated. - Richard

Hammer a cork up the dog's ar** prior to the start of every journey........ - Richard

Fit Jate rings to the rear chassis members. - Richard

Surely the operation (1991) must be via a relay, as the switch is a spring-loaded one without an "on" detent position, in other words it doesn't have a permanent "on" position. Unless it was operated via a relay, surely the wipers wouldn't stay "on" until you press the switch again? The rear "wash" switch, as you say, doesn't operate the rear wiper at all. I reckon I might have a 5-pin relay kicking around (off a Metro fuse box) so i might see if it would work ... Is there any real risk of buggering anything up by doing so, other than blowing the odd fuse? It would just be nice to have mine working like the 1992-on ones do! - Richard

Welcome to Alberta, and Cowtown, home of 2 Discovery TDis - but I've never actually seen the other one reputed to be around. - Richard

May be worth a try - I'm sure I have a suitable switch somewhere in my Sodbury stuff from 5 years ago! Anyone know if the relays or circuitry are likely to be different? - Richard

Precisely, but that doesn't eliminate errors caused by non-standard tyres. Even standard tyres will generate some error as the tyres wear down by 7 or 8 mm new >old. Never rely on a 200TDi fuel gauge - it typically doesn't move off "full" for about 150 miles! - Richard

"The best I have had is about 34MPG & the worst about 23MPG. I have checked my speedo & it is accurate also." ..... As quoted above mirrors precisely my fuel consumption experience with my 200 TDi manual 4-door Disco over 14 years. Frankly, I don't believe that a Disco can achieve 38mpg in any normal, everyday driving situation, unless perhaps someone lives in East Anglia or Holland, and is driving at 45-50mph all day in 5th gear. Eliminate the tyre errors, the normal overreading speedo/odo error even with the recommended-size tyres, and I reckon some of these absurdly good figures fall off the cliff. Also, you can't assume that when the warning light comes on, there is ever a consistent capacity required to fill up. - Richard

So ... even more confusion... - Richard

I like it here - fresh and new and untainted - and if Fi's staying, so am I! Best solution would be to merge the other one in here, move over the archives and ditch all the other baggage and carp. - Richard

Hmmm.... So none of you bright chaps/chapesses out there have a solution to this Solihull balls-up, do you?? - Richard PS - Fortunately, for most of the year here, there's very little rain.... Apart from the 14" of rain we had this June...!

My daughter tells me she's seen this leg affair on the Mothercare website, but we've never seen such a thing over here. She tells me GRACO seats are sold in the UK. She also tells me most "young-baby" seats in the UK don't have the clip-in base, but as I said, it makes getting the babe in and out of the car an instant affair, sans fiddling trying to insert and tension the s/b straps..... - R

Yes, I knew they went under another name as well.... Thanks. I believe they started being fitted around 2000...? The other point is that the babe - in whatever seat - needs to be strapped in quite tightly. One of the seats we have has a neat tensioning strap for the shoulder straps, with the tensioner released through a finger-hole in the seat base - makes it much easier to make the babe tight in the straps without fiddling around. Heavens, what a change in technology from when our own kids were babies! - Richard

Having just become grandparents for the first time a few weeks ago, we've gleaned a lot of knowledge about current baby seats...... We have a '91 UK-spec Disco and a 2001 Canadian-spec Golf. You'll find it far more practicable to have a baby seat with a base which stays in the car. The base has 3 angular positions for getting the seat into the correct angular position. Then you just drop the seat into the base and it clips in automatically. No safety belt to fart around with trying to tension each time you put the babe in the car ..... I'm not sure if the UK / Euroseats are like the ones here, but the rear-facing Graco ones we have can either be fitted using the safety belt or the LATCH - type straps which come with it. The latter have quick-release clips which clip on to the LATCH rails behind the rear seat base The Golf has 4 of these, so you can secure the seat base with either the rh pair, the central pair, or the lh pair. These are far easier to use than the safety belt, which, even the central one on N American Golfs, are all inertia-reel lap & diagonal belts. The Disco has no LATCH pins, but has a central simple lap-only, NON-inertia-reel belt, which is almost as easy to use to secure the base as the LATCH system. We used the seat in the Disco twice this week, and have used the Golf frequently. None of the baby seats we've seen here have any leg as you describe which sits on the floor...... Hope this helps. I'd be pleased to assist you more if I can. - Richard

My 1991 Discovery 200 Tdi has that godawful double-acting rear wiper switch - press for on, .... press again for off ... and with the delayed operation, you don't know if the bloody wiper's operating or not unless you spend your life looking in the rearview mirror. Later models - even 200 TDis. I believe, have a different switch which has a permanent and distinct "on" position (button "in" for "on", out for "off"). Anyone know if by some simple method such as replacing the switch and maybe a relay, the later-type operation can be achieved, or is the whole wiring/control caboodle different? How Land Rover ever evolved such a stupid on/off arrangement is beyond my comprehension. Oh. sorry, I forgot - it didn't "evolve" in Solihull, it just "happened".... Any advice appreciated... - Richard

If the 300TDi rear bumper fits the same way as a 200TDi one does, it's a bloody wonder the things are ever level! Basically, the 200TDi one is held on by 2 bolts, which are a fairly loose fit in their bumper bracket orifices. Every time I've had mine off, I fiddle around a bit to get it acceptably level before final tightening. Anyway, Discos are a bit like women as the get older - they tend to sag a bit on one side as the springs aren't level, so probably LR aims at the manufacturing stage to try and compensate for that by having its own unique levelling facility...... - Richard

I filled up the Discovery today here in Calgary and was LMAO when I paid just $0.89/litre for Husky diesel, when even "cooking" petrol was $1.15! Eat your hearts out! - Richard

You folks have taken a lot of time and trouble to set up this new home for us - for which many thanks. It also has a brighter, breezier look to it than the old one ever had. I'll vote for us all to stay here & move forward with this all-new one. The "old" one is tired & tainted. Let's not forget that it was a reincarnation of the original LRO forum. Let it die. It formally died about 10 days ago, but had been in terminal decline for one hell of a long time before that, having been on life-support under the auspices of a few stalwarts, most of whom now apprear to be lynch pins in this new one. That's my 2p/2c worth, anyway. - Richard

Reading all this, I'm rather glad I've kept my 200TDi Disco - No electrickery, No ABS and no airbags.... Hehe!! Anyway, at a Garage sale last Saturday I picked up a very realistic large kids' toy lion for $3 which I shall perch on the front (ie LH) passenger seat of the Disco, leaning up on the fascia grabhandle. Should generate a few interesting looks in Sears' car park..... A variation will be to have someone sitting in the passenger seat with said large lion on their lap, "driving". Wife says she won't be the front passenger, though. Concerned about causing an accident with gawkers! RHD cars aren't exactly common here, and most of the prats around here can't comprehend how it's actually possible to drive one at all on the "wrong" side of the road. - Richard

Definition of an accountant: Someone who can count the number of hairs on a cat's arse, ...... but can't tell you the colour of its fur. - Richard PS - Consultant: Someone from out of town.

16" as far as I recall from the UK. I used the lowest pair of holes on my standard LR towbar when I fitted mine. Talking of towbars ...... In Europe, things are simple - 50mm is your standard towball diameter. Period. Over here in Canada, there's an array of different-sized balls, all Imperial (Canada supposedly went metric about 20 years ago, but thanks to living next door to the USofA, metrication hasn't actually got very far. Balls come in 1 3/4". 1 7/8", 2", and 2 1/4" if not more different bloody sizes, and they don't fit with the normal European 2 horizontal bolts. Now a standard 2" one here equates to 50.8mm; my standard UK 50mm ball is 0.8mm smaller. If I want to use a standard 2" hitch here, is there any real danger at all, as changing the bloody ball to a 2" one is not a simple bolt-on process. I'm told that the U-Haul trailers for hire here have a hitch which'll fit both the 1 7/8" and the 2" balls, so it appears that the 0.8mm difference is rather immaterial. Comments appreciated, please. - Richard PS - Be glad Europe has a totally standard "N" Connection for the trailer electrics. Here there's no frigging standardisation at all - there must be about a dozen different connections.