BogMonster

Probably not a good admission to make in advance of asking a question

Rebel 4x4 steering guards are good value, I have one sitting in the back of my new 110 which was supposed to be getting put on this weekend

My Dyneema hasn't fluffed at all, what are you chaps doing to it?

ANd then look here which was what put me off! (scroll down to the user reviews, Google will produce plenty more of the same) Maybe it is the way they were treating them but it doesn't seem like an uncommon failure

It is a fair bit bigger than a 130 IIRC. Maybe a foot or two longer I guess?

The Lodar 9000 is now in and fitted and its bl~~dy brilliant. I haven't tried it winching in anger yet but a quick test with it loose under the drivers seat saw it working fine out to 60 metres in front of the vehicle, so the 200 foot range quoted is certainly not exaggerated and I think it would work a lot further if placed in clear view rather than low down inside the vehicle. Most of my winching is 20-30m from the vehicle so it is perfect for that. I fitted the head unit (which is a lot bigger than the Milemarker wireless remote controller) underneath the driver's seat as the new 110s have the "engine compartment fuse box" under the seat and since the wired controller plugs in to the front of the seat base, all the necessary wiring was there in place ready to go. I don't know whether it is waterproof but it certainly looks it, a good solid plastic box and a single multi core cable exiting the bottom of the unit through a proper sealed gland. I fitted it on the front of the seat box with three number plate sticky fixers which should be plenty strong enough and it means if I do need to move it at a later date it will be easy to do. It comes with quite a lot of cable (didn't measure it but probably 6 ft + ). The controller is a big thing too but chunky to use and easier to use than the MM one in a gloved hand. Response is instant probably not more than 0.1 sec between pressing or releasing the button and the unit responding so there are no concerns there. In high range on the winch (which is about 50ft/min for respooling) a quick tap on the button moves the cable about an inch so it is plenty controllable enough for respooling, and in low range it moves about not very much at all (just before anybody else chips in ) There are no switches on the unit which removes the problem of remembering to switch it on, you press the green button on the handset and the transmitter and receiver both fire up, you use the in and out buttons to winch and then when you press the red button it all shuts down again - and the receiver shuts off automatically after 30 min of no signals from the transmitter, for extra safety and to avoid draining the battery. Came from PG Winches and probably set a new record for post to the Falklands, I think I confirmed the order on Monday, it was posted Tuesday and arrived here on Friday, not at all bad for half way round the world :) apart from not checking his emails sometimes Phil is excellent to deal with and also happened to be the best price anywhere, £30 or £40 cheaper than most places. Anybody who has never tried a wireless remote really ought to, it is (for those who are old enough to remember!) a bit like when the first video recorders had a hard-wired remote control trailing across the living room floor and then suddenly you got one with an infra-red remote - a quantum leap in usability and I'll certainly never look back and I doubt the wired remote will get too much use, though I will keep it for emergencies.

The 2 speed function on the Milemarker is in the winch gearbox not in the motor, can you get 2 speed motors?

Hopefully on the engineering side, then it won't break Nice vehicle, I don't know if I am jealous or not, will have to wait a couple of years before I know whether I wish I had waited or whether I am glad I got a 300Tdi while I could

Thanks that's great, I'll ping you an email

No I want it NOT to break Basically I take the Jeremy Clarkson view of mobile phones i.e. I want to use it as a phone and have no need for it to be able to video my genitals and post it on the Interweb. No special features required - only Bluetooth to use with a hands free set, and I find a built in torch to be really useful as is the vibrating alert for when you are in meetings or restaurants etc and don't want the damn thing blaring away. 3G, internet, lots of twiddly bits, not interested in any of that stuff. Thanks for the offer but I'd really like to get something with Bluetooth this time around, they are about to introduce a law here banning mobile use while driving and I might as well get ready for it now...

This is OT but not entirely as the "rugged" bit is so that it is Land Rover proof and boat proof I want to get a new mobile with the following: - Bluetooth - Vibrating ring - Preferably a torch - Waterproof - ish - don't expect submarine ability but needs to be splashproof - Rugged - ish so it doesn't smash into a thousand pieces if it does get dropped on a concrete floor I was pretty set on the Nokia 5500 until I read stories of the keypads falling off hundreds of them after a couple of months which doesn't sound very rugged to me - my cheapo Nokia 1100 has done a year now with lots of bumps and scrapes and not missed a beat but being a cheapie it doesn't offer Bluetooth. Being where I am, the selection available locally is not great so I can't poke and prod something to see what it looks like and sending it back for repair means weeks away too so I want something that won't break to start with. I figured that fellow forumeers may have gone through the same decision process looking for much the same attributes as I want. So what did you end up with that does all the above? Has anybody with a Nokia 5500 had problems with it, or not had problems with it? Ta Stephen

I think you may find it hard to PM an axle casing and the postman might grumble too Coat/door/leaving

Welcome Mine is RHD but I don't think it is normal on any! The drag link (steering box to hub) is probably in serious need of adjustment (or it is bent from offroad damage etc). Is the steering wheel in the straight ahead position when you are driving straight ahead?

You are welcome This may be a good time to ask if you have read this and are feeling generous (if you haven't already of course!)

No Idea sorry, not any way I am aware of to tell one kit from the other once fitted. The tensioner etc are the same though - just that the big kit included the timing case, FIP bracket etc as well as the pulleys and belt so you won't need to know which kit to order a new tensioner. Personally if it was me I would speak to Bearmach and get one of their STC4096K little kits these come with a better (cast lips not spot welded lips) crank pulley which is much more confidence inspiring, as well as belt and both tensioner and idler all of which you should change anyway - it is probably cheaper than getting all the bits separately. All you will probably need on top of that is a fist full of pushrods and you should be sorted. If it failed at idle you may have got away with 1 or 2 pushrods, most I have seen have failed at speed and can bend up to about 6 normally and 1 or 2 broken rockers. Also change all the valve rotator caps too BTW, these aren't in the kit.

1. Yes - the crank has the lipped pulley on it so a kit is fitted. 2. Check pushrods and rockers, change as required (some pushrods will probably be bent - I take it the timing jumped and engine stopped rather suddenly?) but don't bother taking the head off unless you start it up and it still makes horrible noises. I have seen many failed Tdi belts at work and can't recall a single valve problem. I'd change the tensioner and the idler too as the bearing in that may not be far behind.

300Tdi engines are over cooled anyway and I often take the fan off mine to let it warm up a bit quicker! I wouldn't bother unless you are bored and looking for something to do as it will be unlikely to make any difference IMHO.

The treasurer has buggered off to the USA with the entire forum gin fund on holiday at the moment but I am sure when he gets back Tony will be happy to provide the figures. We don't publish individual contributions but in terms of the expenses that your money has been spent on, no problem. It hadn't occurred to me till somebody else mentioned it recently but one of the things I like about this forum is No Adverts

oh dear I had 8 or 9 (all genuine) oil pressure senders in my Tdi 90 under warranty... County stuff is all sh*&£ as is some of the own brand BM and Britpart. I go with "OEM" branded stuff or genuine for most things.

It may be worth you mounting the solenoid pack in the engine bay and wiring in an extension lead to the winch controller socket which can then be fitted in the grille?

I can say that a lot of it depends on the dealership and my local dealer (ahem) takes a reasonably flexible attitude and looks at things like that on a case by case basis but is largely sympathetic to anything that has obviously failed before its time was due and not due to abuse. It helps that they (ahem) know most of the drivers and can therefore identify the sensible drivers from the idiots. The main thing I will say is that if you buy a new one, get the wheel bearings greased properly either on the PDI or on the first service. If you plan to keep it, it will save you a wealth of grief at a later date. Do it new so everything is easy to get off. Warranty is transferable between owners but I will say that if you get into an argument about something or if something goes pop just out of warranty, being the original owner and thus the one that wrote a large cheque out to Lode Lane is worth a fair bit as ammunition and it is also fair to say that if the dealer has been servicing the vehicle then like any business relationship it works both ways. A customer who starts off with the attitude of "I am taking my money elsewhere for servicing because you lot are a bunch of t*ssers who rip everybody off but I will bring it back when something breaks and I want it fixed free FOC or else" is unlikely to be at the top of anybody's priority list - human nature being what it is. A lot of "fair wear and tear" is based on the judgement of the individual looking at it. Don't buy a late Tdi or early Td5 Defender (1998/99) as many of them have absolutely sh*** corrosion proofing. Post 2002 are the best in this respect. 265/75R16 used to be a factory size a few years ago on 90s so should be no problems there though strictly speaking the type approval etc of a vehicle only applies to the exact wheels and tyres fitted in the factory, but that is a can of worms you don't want to open, I did once and I still find the odd worm under the desk Engine power tweaks are an instant warranty killer too BTW.

http://www.thermoguard.com.au/ I have one of these and it is excellent

Do you mean the solenoid pack? or is this a power shut off relay like some Warn winches have?

When you do, the place is in the classified forum please

You can't post for sale ads in this section either but I think it is "just" on the right side of the line Try a Parkers price guide or something? That's what whoever buys it will be looking at I expect.