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Defenders for Overlanding/Expeditions


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Hi all,
Just a note to say that despite being the worlds worst mechanic I have managed about 4.5 years of living in my 1991 200TDI 110, mostly in Africa including a 3 year trip down the west coast and up the east coast including places like Somalia, Democratic Congo and so forth.
So whilst I can't help much with fault finding fuel injection pump problems I'd say I could offer some sound advice on overland Defender setup, spares and repairs for Africa, vehicle camping and general overland advice...

So please feel free to ask anything around this area and maybe I can offer some guidance...

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Hi Roamingyak,

Thanks for offering to share your advice.  What would you say the average daily cost of travel is?  I'm thinking mainly fuel, border crossings, meals, emergency contingency, etc.  I'm aware that it's different for each traveller but I'm interested in the bare minimum for 2 adults.  

Thanks in advance.

Ivan

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Yes, quite variable depending on if your a thrill seeking good time charlie with a eye for fine whisky or a tea sipping quiet explorer.
How fast you travel determines costs as well, slower you go, the more you understand, the more options discover to spend wisely.
Important note is you'll probably spend more before you go than actually on the road...
Vehicle prep, spares kit, documentation (carnet etc) all add up...
These sites will give you some detailed ideas... as I was solo I spent about 75% of what they did

http://langebaan-sunset.blogspot.cz/2011/07/our-budget-1-year-in-africa-2x-people.html
https://twitter.com/langebaansunset/status/263925907759194113/photo/1

http://norbertsadventures.com/preparations/budget/

Hope that helps!

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30 minutes ago, Anderzander said:

How did you manage with vehicle repair if not doing it yourself ?  I kind of always thought that if I was in the wilds I’d need to be able to fix whatever went wrong .

I'm playing a little dumber than I am ;-) In short form:
A. I rebuilt everything a year before going, new engine, gearbox, transfer box, axles, the works burger. And made sure this was by really good LR mechanics. Then I gave everything a year to bed in, iron out any niggles. So I hit the ground running in pristine condition, and Africa spent the next 3 years pounding it to pieces ;-p
My last big trip was 3 years and 112,000km, during this time I only couldn't drive once (freshly fitted fanbelt was loose and snapped) but was in 'limp home' mode a few times, broken shock mounting etc.
B. Africa is changing quickly and some big cities or tourist areas will have good mechanics and facilities, so whenever I found this situation I gave them free license for a few hours to check everything, anything iffy was changed/dealt with as appropriate.
C. I carried a huge amount of spares and good tools, having these means your winning before you start, no need to rely on carp local parts (Britpart is most common in Africa) or perhaps wait a week for delivery and play games at customs to get it.
Preventative measures as in B. is much easier when its easy to whip out a seal and replace it on the spot..
When rebuilding everything was replaced with a new part and the old taken as a spare (Turbo for example).
D. You get good at sniffing out bad situations (ie: really need fuel but this station doesn't seem good - so find and ask truck drivers if the fuel is ok before driving in to fill up for example)
E. 50% (?) of a  200 TDI 110 isn't rocket science, most people can figure things out given enough time. So you just need to make sure your in a situation where you can relax and take your time over the repair. When in doubt, find shade, cool down, drink loads, assess the situation, if you have phone signal phone your mechanic in the UK, if really lucky and you have some kind of internet then get onto this forum and search ;-)
F. I drive carefully and slowly as anything that breaks would need to be fixed in probably difficult circumstances.

Edited by roamingyak
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great, any chance of some  of your ' action shots' ( like the  one crossing that big ditch in the desert) also some photos of  the rear layout for travelling etc, maybe in the 'my vehicle' section, I think last time I  saw a pic of it, I thought, ''it ain't no prom  queen, but it sure does scream ''adventure''.  Be good to see it again.

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"''it ain't no prom  queen, but it sure does scream ''adventure''"

I take that as a compliment ;-)
And it raises another good point, you don't want a shiny bling bling metallic paint job vehicle for overlanding in Africa imho. Keep it perfect underneath mechanically and a bit rough and faded up above is my approach, and it will noticeably smooth your way at the huge number of police checkouts and borders you have to cross.
I generally wear older faded clothes and the Landy exterior looks the same, so by the time you have driven up and stopped at a checkpoint its easier to plead "I don't have any money on me sorry Sir" when you have a few holes in in t-shirt, your matt paint work is faded, one wing has tape over it and your mud flap is missing.
Will do some vehicle pic's in a few weeks, head down trying to import it into Portugal currently which is a freaking nightmare when you have as many modifications as I do ;-)

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