jpk

I picked up a pair from Sodbury a few years ago, out of a Rover 200 turbo I believe. Some or other Rover turbo anyway. Half leather, very supportive, miles more comfy than the originals. Pretty much a straight swap as I recall. JP

HSBC basically said to my other half that seeing as they held her mortgage they had no problem with arranging the bond for a ratty old Land Rover! They actually have a department that deals exclusively with sort of thing. Problem is, very few people seem to know that this department exists or how to get hold of them. If anyone is interested I'll get Helen to try and find the contact details. Obviously this does not help you if you're not a home owner or don't bank with HSBC but may be worth checking if your own bank has something similar. The carnet proved to be a lot easier to organise than rumours suggested and the RAC were very helpful. JP

It is the right striker, I checked and rechecked. I've got one of them working well, the other is proving to be a bit more fiddly. Getting better though. Aah, the fun and games. . .

Thanks guys, I've pretty much been trying all that. Thing is, even before fitting them, the striker wouldn't fit the lock properly. No worries, back to car for some more fiddling. Thank you again. JP

Hello everyone I'm in the process of fitting new anti-burst locks. The problem I'm having is that the fit between the lock and the striker plate seems to be incredibly tight. The striker plate has a rubber bumper at the top. One of the doors will only close properly with a HUGE slam, the other won't even close fully. Any one else had this problem? Is it just a bit of help with a file that's needed or does anyone have a miracle cure. Thanks in advance JP

I've had mine for about 3 years now. Regular commuting, occasional off-roading, 10 000 miles in Africa on a 4 month trip last year. No problems so far, touch wood. I was a bit worried about the sidewalls being vulnerable as they are only (I think) 2-ply, but even running them soft in the Botswana sands we didn't even have a single puncture. I'll be getting a new set when these are done. JP

We managed on £50 a day for 4 months in SA, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. This covered accommodation (which included a fair few hotels), fuel, food(ate out quite a bit), national parks, mechanical problems - basically all our in country costs. Of course it helped that Helen is a little Rottwieler when it comes to the purse strings! Not sure how driving to Singapore would compare. JP

As another option, I used some of the stuff they use to to make advertising billboards (at least, it came from a signwriting type place). It's about 5mm thick plastic sandwiched between two thin layers of ali. Very flexible but if there is enough support from the rack then it weighs virtually nothing. I've also put anti-slip tape on otherwise it gets interesting when it's wet. Sorry, can't remember the cost. Exact Fabrications got it from the unit next door to them when they were making my rack. JP

Hi there To echo the general sentiment here, go for it. After years of wishing, dreaming,planning etc I spent 4 months in Southern Africa last year. My only regret is not spending more time there and also not doing the whole north to south thing. Oh well, something to look forward to. You'll find the links posted by Diff very useful. This forum is also extremely helpful, I'll certainly be happy to help out with any advice and lessons learnt. Enjoy! JP

No worries. Just make sure you get the mapsource (Garmins map management program) stuff as well for your pc. T4A works on this. I'm not sure if T4A would work on something like the new Nuvi etc We had a 60cx which was great. Just check whatever you get will be compatible. I don't actually know enough about this stuff, but I did have an older Garmin V which could use T4A. That was pretty cheap on the bay. JP

Once you have a receiver sorted out, you could try having a look at www.tracks4africa.com. We used it earlier this year on a 4 month trip round Southern Africa and found it very useful. You have the choice of buying only the country you need and i thought it was very reasonable pricewise. JP

Hi Mark Mine is on it's way to South Africa at the moment but when it's back (probably November ) I'll definately be up for some fun and games. I'm down in Walton-on-Thames though. JP

Oh don't worry, I plan to keep you informed for maximum jealousy factor. I still have a few things to do on the car once we get to SA( by which I mean lots to do), then up the east coast via Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya. Then back down to Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and back to SA. Meeting up with my brother and sister and their families in Namibia to travel together for a couple of weeks. My brother has a new Toyota so there won't be any rivalry there then! I'll post up some pics soon. JP

I have just got back from putting my 110 in a container on it's way to Cape Town to start 4 months of driving around Africa. This forum has been a continuous source of inspiration and knowledge and has helped me with a so much. You can all look forward to my frantic pleading for advice when something goes pop once we're out there! Thanks guys, go on, pat yourselves on the back. You deserve it. Much appreciated. JP

Payment sent. I think the forum has more than earned it and really I should have done it earlier. Keep up the good work.