BogMonster

Very true, which of course begs the question "how difficult is it to pop off a battery terminal if you ain't going to use it for a month"! I always do that when I go away on holiday even if only for a couple of weeks, for safety (no fire risk), and to stop batteries discharging. Even the newest Tdi 90/110 last for months, because the only active electrical thing in those is the clock

I think what is going on is that lots of people that should have been taken out and shot aged 14 and then their parents sterilised, are being given ASBO's or some such nonsense instead.

They are soft but IMHO don't seem any worse than many other similar tyres e.g. General Grabbers, BFGs etc. I used to run a set of 31x11.50R15's on the 90 (only sold them because I changed to 16" alloys and at that time there wasn't a size to suit) It may be down to the ground you are driving on?

I've got a Maypole trickle charger and it is spot on - brings the battery up to about 12.85 volts and holds it there indefinitely which is exactly what my multimeter shows on a fully charged battery that has been left to settle for 24hrs

You'll almost certainly be OK with those, but the insurers might not like it since it isn't a recommended fit, I just checked and 235s are supposed to be fitted on rims from 6" to 7" wide. 265s are quite a lot wider (specified rim width from 7" to 8") and my theory is that the narrow 5.5 rim pulls the tyre in too much, and overstresses/stretches and then splits the outer layer of the carcass, appearance is as shown in the attachment. I've probably seen about ten or a dozen fail in this way. kkk2 not saying yours was or wasn't just that I have seen quite a few like that which have been down to sidewall damage due to something sharp. Good luck with getting a new one

I have seen tyres looking like that though, and in every case its been damage from slicing, usually something like a short jagged bit of a steel fencing standard or partly buried/concealed PSP matting which has sliced up the side of it. If it's sharp it'll go through a sidewall like that, like a hot knife through butter. I damaged one of my BFG's about six months ago, very similar though it wasn't as deep as that - and just skimmed the outside of the tyre leaving a tiny pinhole. A few years ago I did the same thing to both tyres on one side on Dad's Mitsubishi (spit) driving through a snowdrift on the farm - bit of metal hidden under the snow - first I knew was a loud hissing and a distinct list to starboard! Looking at the photo I would say it is damage not tyre failure but of course just IMHO! Still worth taking it back, you never know you might get a freebie

I sell a lot of BFGs at work and I've never seen them go like that (though we don't deal with that size) I'd take them back to wherever you got them from - if you can - and ask them to have a look. BFGs sometimes split around the middle of the tread blocks (right around the tyre in the centre) and bulge out of shape there, but usually due to being fitted on rims that are too narrow - 265/75R16 onto the old 5.5" Defender rims is a common mistake here.

Technically probably not enough: 80ma = 0.08 amps 14 days x 24 hours = 336h 0.08 x 336 = 26.88Ah which should only be about 1/3 to 1/4 of the actual capacity depending on battery size (the one in a Td5 Discovery is 110Ah for instance) However in practice it probably will kill it in that sort of timescale, certainly not much longer, and also bear in mind that the drain was there when you were using it too so it is unlikely the battery was fully charged - alternators do not make a good job of bringing batteries right up to full charge when they are well down like that.

You can get a bit that goes between the electric motor and the glass, if that is what you need? Its a long time since I've been in to one so can't remember exactly what it looks like... The Td5 doors are certainly different but mirror may be the same fitting even if different p/no

So does a Td5

Obviously a leak of some sort but may be worth checking/disabling EGR if fitted, as that produces a lot of the above sort of gunge....

Drove the new one extensively on the Autocar event here and it is like night and day when compared to the old one. Mini RR Sport looks, excellent handling, very effective traction control and more interior space than my Discovery 2 except for the loadspace but even that is 50% bigger than the old one.... I might buy one and after six months with a Td4 I never thought I would say that all new drivetrain, haldex limited slip rear diff with Terrain Response giving traction control cross axles, and it works very well much better than the stupid traction control on my Discovery!

Pretty sure its 120A as Tony said, not a lot of bigger alternatives without spending ££££ The standard Td5 battery is 110Ah as well, which is also pretty good for winching, though these days I find a little 072 perfectly fine

Ofishul service schedule says 72k but 3yrs/36k if used for driving in mud, sand, water, hot conditions blah blah. Basically any further than Waitrose I do mine about 3yr/36k to be on the safe side. About 7 years or so they usually lose a few teeth and the oily bits stop quite suddenly

There is a Genuine snorkel for the D3 but not sure if it is that one or not, many "genuine" accessories are rebadged products from other companies.

Cheers Ali Anybody know if a UK dealer imports the ARB ones?

2 separate problems IMHO The first (solid pedal) is probably the ball heading south through the clutch fork, the second one sounds like the release bearing. Did you change both these when you did it 18 months ago?

Looking at the Kaymar one it seems to need their HD rear bumper fitted, so it may be an expensive way to fit a spare wheel!

I'll try one of them, thanks

In the August issue of LRO there is an expedition modified Discovery 3 with a swingaway spare wheel carrier. Does anybody know who makes this? I tried the company mentioned in the article (www.geoland.be) but their website is all in Belgian and I can't see any pictures of wheel carriers on the page... anyway I really need a supplier in the UK. Any ideas folks? Land Rover don't make one and I guess they won't as that would be admitting it was a dumb idea to put it under the back end in the first place

Welcome I had a feeling there is a later type of gasket which seals better, some sort of composite thing, did you use the latest type? Early 300s had problems with leaks here and I think the gasket specification was changed to stop this problem.

said the actress to the archbishop

The fault readout on the Td5s is very imaginative regarding what is wrong with it and throws up some fault codes that even LR tech support don't understand - try finding a "topside switch" anywhere for example!

Hmm best not to think about what happens to the rear seat passengers head in that Discovery in a rollover, unless he is wearing a bone dome the head/cage interface could be redecorated in an interesting new colour called "hint of brain"

Brownchurch do a truck cab roof rack in their galvanised range. Pretty solidly made too - though if you are only bolting it to a truck cab the cab will break first anyway http://www.brownchurch.co.uk/heavyduty.html £185 + vat