D3 breakdown. What do you do?

[Disco3QLD]

My greatest fear of taking my D3 on a long trip is having serious electrical or suspension issues in the middle of now where. I was going to upgrade to a new model but could afford the 3.0 (and won't bring that up again):) and why give this one away just cause its out of warrantee.

Hate to say it but any bush mechanic can work on a 80 series cruiser or patrol but not just anybody can work on these things.

What would happen if something craps itself out there on my out of warrantee D3?
Is there any gizmos to analyze most breakdowns?

[Ean Austral]

Maybe you need to start by comparing the same apples...ie D3 and 200 series landcruiser, and I think you would find ( as I have seen personally with a 200 series cruiser at drysdale river station in the Kimberley's ) that not any bush mechanic can work on late model cars of any sort that are so heavily relient on electrics.

I am sure a Defender of the same year as an 80 series cruiser could easily be worked on by any bush mechanic.

There are aids such as Faultmate, hawkeye, and im sure a few others that allow you to access and clear fault codes.

Seems strange you feel that some magic line has now been crossed that the warrentee has expired, and the D3 will now just fail in the middle of nowhere.

Cheers Ean

[stray dingo]

Seems strange you feel that some magic line has now been crossed that the warrentee has expired, and the D3 will now just fail in the middle of nowhere.

I know I'm a newbie here, and maybe speaking out of turn, but thats not what he said. "What would happen if something craps itself out there on my out of warrantee D3?"
For vehicles under warranty, don't LR have their roadside assist service, whereby they suggest they might be able to repair it there, or tow it to a repairer.
When not under warranty, this could become rather expensive to do that, and not all bush mechanics have access to tools to be able to diagnose a fault. If the OP can take a gimzo or two, it could aid him *if* the unforeseen occurred.

[TerryO]

The NRMA has premium road side assist, from memory they will pay for upto $3000 in tow fees or something like that. I would imagine most State based road side assist organisations have similar plans. That will often get you at least most of the way to a service centre without further expence

I have a Hawkeye so can diagnose and clear most issues. You can buy one of these pretty cheap on ebay from the UK.

If you have a look at Gordon's website GOE Australia - Land Rover D3 (LR3), D4 (LR4),FL2 and Range Rover Sport Training and info (http://www.greenovalexperience.com/) he has a EAS kit that will assist if you have a compressor or bag failure, it should at least get you back moving in most cases even though it more than likely will be at normal road height. That is also providing you have a good compressor for your tyres.

Sure there are potentially plenty of mechanical issues that might stop you out in the middle of no where but that can happen with any vehicle. At least with a well set up D3 chances are you won't get stuck somewhere because your 4x4 isn't that good off road, in fact a D3/4 will usually make a pretty average driver look like they know what they are doing when the going gets hard.

cheers,
Terry

[Ivan]

I had a similar fear when I first got my D3 (secondhand and well out of warranty). Firstly, when I purchased it I made sure it came with a 3 year warranty, just in case. I then invested in a $600 electronic screwdriver (Faultmate MSV2). The warranty paid for itself when the alternator went. The vehicle did not stop but got all sorts of messages, one new alternator later and it's all sorted. I recently had problems with my compressor, when I tried to lower the vehicle it thought it was stuck on something and went into extended mode. Thanks to help form Disco3.co.uk the problem was identified (blocked drier/exhaust) and I fixed it. The thing is, even though the vehicle had problems, it kept going. I could have got myself to help if need be. Maybe a bit slower than normal but I would not have been stuck anywhere. I also have RACQ ultracare which will be upgraded before a big trip.
If I am going on a long trip to the middle of nowhere I will first have the car thoroughly checked over. Anything that looks like it may fail will be replaced. I will also notify people of what I intend to do and arrange a contact schedule. That way if I do get stuck in the middle of nowhere, sopmeone will know (due to the missed contact) and inform the authorities. If a fault starts to appear I will head back to the nearest population centre and try and fix the fault, if I can't, then that's what the breakdown is for.

HTH

Ivan

[Grumbles]

Just a word of caution about these motoring organisations/clubs break down policies. I am with RACV and have their top cover roadside assist/breakdown/recovery policy which is Total Care but it has limitations built into it. Any provided road side assist is dependent on the broken down vehicle being within access of a two wheel drive recovery vehicle. At least this is what they tell me on the telephone but I can not see this in their policy book.

Maybe someone else can provide clarification here.

.

[scarry]

I wouldn't worry about it as it more than likely won't happen.

[Ean Austral]

I know I'm a newbie here, and maybe speaking out of turn, but thats not what he said. "What would happen if something craps itself out there on my out of warrantee D3?"
For vehicles under warranty, don't LR have their roadside assist service, whereby they suggest they might be able to repair it there, or tow it to a repairer.
When not under warranty, this could become rather expensive to do that, and not all bush mechanics have access to tools to be able to diagnose a fault. If the OP can take a gimzo or two, it could aid him *if* the unforeseen occurred.

If you read my post,I did tell the OP that aids such as faultmate and hawkeye can read and clear faults..

Cheers Ean

[Graeme]

Is there any gizmos to analyze most breakdowns?
Yes, as stated by others but better if one also understands what can cause such faults and what the repercussions are if the faults are ignored. EG wheels badly out of alignment can cause 1 or more ABS faults which will then cause suspension faults, so I have painted alignment marks on the adjustment bolts in case a wheel is at an unusual angle to allow make-shift adjustments which will be near enough to prevent faults. Another is knowing which fuse to remove to disable the suspension system to prevent automatic lowering to the bump-stops if this only occurs after having sucessfully set the vehicle to normal height. Knowing how to operate the EPB emergency release and how to release the gearbox from Park without the engine running could also be useful although these don't require a diagnostic tool.

[Redback]

Everyone worries about the new electronic vehicles and what happens if it breaks down, can your average bush mechanic fix it, and in most cases as long as it's not something major I'd say yes, BUT, this is now a problem regardless of what you drive, most (if not all) repair shops in the bush don't carry the spares they used too and in most cases now everything is ordered in from the major cities.

So really, if you break down, you truck your car to the nearest town and wait for the parts to arrive.

When we travelled to the Gulf, there was an 80 series with us, he did his Air con pump just before Croyden, nearest fix, Darwin, now Darwin Toyota only ordered the parts, he ordered the parts 2 weeks before he was arriving in Darwin as he didn't want to interupt his trip, when he finally arrived, they said the car was too old and contracted it out to another workshop to do the job, so off he goes to the shop, the part ordered was wrong and after waiting for the correct part to come from Melbourne, while working on the car the alternator went, so after 3 weeks, the car was fixed, so you see, even if you have an 80 series your not garranteed that you will get repaired and on your way in a reasonable time.

Just use it and go where you want, don't worry about what if, we don't.

Baz.

[NavyDiver]

Hi disco3qld.

When I brought my out of warranty D3 from an auction I was a little neverous and grabbed a RACV breakdown service. I brought it to go to some fairly tough places. It has been them and worse several times now. I think keeping ontop of maintance and fixing issues such as brake light (LED globes rock) replace the brake controler (if it was a vintage which was affected), make sure your alternator and battery is in perfect condition then the eletrical circuts are very solid and not prone to much issues at all. Every systems fault problem I have had was excluding parking brake was realted to the power supply not the systems themselfeves. None have stopped me. LLAMS gets me over, Winch pulls me out and I am more confident getting home in my D3 than in a new in warranty D4 due to the tires I can run.
with about 250000km on the clock mine is about just run in now. I do not have RACV road service as they don't fix they just tow. If I want to go somewhere and have a problem it is or has always been fixable to date. Overheating parking brake saw RACV wanting to tow my car. A Manual realease of the brake fixed it and allowed me to keep going. I did not renew the RACV service.

[Ean Austral]

Everyone worries about the new electronic vehicles and what happens if it breaks down, can your average bush mechanic fix it, and in most cases as long as it's not something major I'd say yes, BUT, this is now a problem regardless of what you drive, most (if not all) repair shops in the bush don't carry the spares they used too and in most cases now everything is ordered in from the major cities.

So really, if you break down, you truck your car to the nearest town and wait for the parts to arrive.

When we travelled to the Gulf, there was an 80 series with us, he did his Air con pump just before Croyden, nearest fix, Darwin, now Darwin Toyota only ordered the parts, he ordered the parts 2 weeks before he was arriving in Darwin as he didn't want to interupt his trip, when he finally arrived, they said the car was too old and contracted it out to another workshop to do the job, so off he goes to the shop, the part ordered was wrong and after waiting for the correct part to come from Melbourne, while working on the car the alternator went, so after 3 weeks, the car was fixed, so you see, even if you have an 80 series your not garranteed that you will get repaired and on your way in a reasonable time.

Just use it and go where you want, don't worry about what if, we don't.

Baz.

Well said Baz,

Seem to have read something similar in an earlier post :wasntme::p


Cheers Ean

[Disco3QLD]

I know I'm a newbie here, and maybe speaking out of turn, but thats not what he said. "What would happen if something craps itself out there on my out of warrantee D3?"
For vehicles under warranty, don't LR have their roadside assist service, whereby they suggest they might be able to repair it there, or tow it to a repairer.
When not under warranty, this could become rather expensive to do that, and not all bush mechanics have access to tools to be able to diagnose a fault. If the OP can take a gimzo or two, it could aid him *if* the unforeseen occurred.

Bang on Dingo!

Thanks guys, as always great opinions here.

Its really about living without roadside assist that worries me, but with Full RACQ, a Hawkeye unit, Sat Phone and full service before heading off we should be right and in the event of a proper break down "torch the bastard and walk away" ! :twisted:

How much are these hawkeye units?

[Ean Austral]

Bang on Dingo!

Thanks guys, as always great opinions here.

Its really about living without roadside assist that worries me, but with Full RACQ, a Hawkeye unit, Sat Phone and full service before heading off we should be right and in the event of a proper break down "torch the bastard and walk away" ! :twisted:

How much are these hawkeye units?

Should be able to get 1 on ebay from the UK for around $400. not sure what a Faultmate cost's, would say not to much more.

Cheers Ean

[gghaggis]

A Faultmate FCR is around $350 - will do everything the Hawkeye does + some, but with the Genesis web portal program due end of the year will do a lot more.

Cheers,

Gordon

[elsey]

A Faultmate FCR is around $350 - will do everything the Hawkeye does + some, but with the Genesis web portal program due end of the year will do a lot more.

Cheers,

Gordon

Gordon,

Is the Faultmate FCR rather than the MSV-2 Extreme and Nano all that is required? Will it do everything that the average owner requires? What would be the benefit of the MSV-2 over FCR?

Thanks

Elsey...

[gghaggis]

The FCR is similar to the Hawkeye - will read and optionally clear fault messages from all of the vehicle's ecus. This is all you really need for fixing faults on the road.

The MSV2 is more elaborate in that it can also re-adjust various programmed parameters, so you can "experiment" - change some of the car's systems, activate new components that you can add to the car etc.

Cheers,

Gordon

[TerryO]

One good thing with a Hawkeye is you can load programs for multiple Land Rovers on the one unit, for Rangies and D4's I believe you may need an adaptor for the plug though.

It would seam comparing prices in this thread that the Hawkeye is no longer one of the cheapest diagnostic tools on the market though.

cheers,
Terry

[Fred Nerk]

We live in an era when most advice is aimed at risk avoidance when in reality if you actually want to achieve anything the best preparations involve risk management.

When you breakdown in the bush and off-road. The mechanic who who comes is usually the only one for the region. Recently at Marree we had an electrical fault with my brother's D4. Land Rover arranged for a mechanic who came from Copley (140km away). He seemed like he was straight out of the set of the movie Wolf Creek..... But unlike the movie the vehicle was "sorted".

In conversation it seems the Copley mechanic covers the area for multiple contacts including RAA and the companies that manage the contracts for all the manufacturers including Land Rover.

And so, it seems that when you need them, you need a way to
1. Locate and contact the right mechanic / tow operator. One who will come off road and who can sort out the problem.
2. The ability to pay for their services. The repairer may be reluctant to come if he is not guarenteed payment through a contract.

Address these issues and be prepared as others have said and your risks are "managed". Going into the bush and assuming that because it is unlikely that you will have a problem that you will be OK is NOT a plan. It is negligence.

[Disco3QLD]

We live in an era when most advice is aimed at risk avoidance when in reality if you actually want to achieve anything the best preparations involve risk management.

When you breakdown in the bush and off-road. The mechanic who who comes is usually the only one for the region. Recently at Marree we had an electrical fault with my brother's D4. Land Rover arranged for a mechanic who came from Copley (140km away). He seemed like he was straight out of the set of the movie Wolf Creek..... But unlike the movie the vehicle was "sorted".

In conversation it seems the Copley mechanic covers the area for multiple contacts including RAA and the companies that manage the contracts for all the manufacturers including Land Rover.

And so, it seems that when you need them, you need a way to
1. Locate and contact the right mechanic / tow operator. One who will come off road and who can sort out the problem.
2. The ability to pay for their services. The repairer may be reluctant to come if he is not guarenteed payment through a contract.

Address these issues and be prepared as others have said and your risks are "managed". Going into the bush and assuming that because it is unlikely that you will have a problem that you will be OK is NOT a plan. It is negligence.

Good on ya Fred,
That's excellent advice! :thumbsup:
Cheers,

[Nomad9]

Hi Ean,
The Faultmate is a bit more that that, nearly double I think. Mine paid for itself when I got water in the tranny module, it diagnosed the problem and then reset all the clutches in the gearbox and everything else it had to as part of the install new tranny unit and reset process. Wouldn't be with out it now, a really good "electronic screw driver". Cost a bit when you change vehicles as I do, especially when you buy a one vehicle at a time license.
The people at Blackbox solutions are really helpful, being in Cyprus creates its own little problems but overall a great unit and a great company.

[wyperfield]

Just a word of caution about these motoring organisations/clubs break down policies. I am with RACV and have their top cover roadside assist/breakdown/recovery policy which is Total Care but it has limitations built into it. Any provided road side assist is dependent on the broken down vehicle being within access of a two wheel drive recovery vehicle. At least this is what they tell me on the telephone but I can not see this in their policy book.

Maybe someone else can provide clarification here.

.When we do trips with friends, we make sure all have comprehensive insurance and Total Car (or equivalent). We have had to use it a few times over the years, getting back from Cooper Pedy, Halligans Bay and Dargo.
In each case, we had to tow the broken vehicle to a gazetted road I (I guess because they are 2WD accessible), in order for the towtruck to find us and pick it up. Well worth the invstment.