Mick's Law

Just came back from a camping trip where the wife and I bundled our 5 month old son (with pram, sun shelter, etc) and two beagles plus everything we desired - including generator, fuel, water, 72L fridge, and gas hot water system into the 130. Was chatting to a couple with a sausage dog who were ravingly ecstatic about their grand cherokee and all its room. So much room that they towed a box trailer in. And hubby had very cleverly attached a hot water system to the trailer: smug looks all round - until I pointed out that my "old truck" is in fact a 2011 model, has more room, ground clearance, towing ability, also brought with it a hot water system, and a baby, and twice as many dogs, and a bigger, better stocked beer fridge.

Must admit a turkey in a Range Rover Sport was doing the lane change dance down the motorway into Sydney near Gosford yesterday and annoying other drivers with his behaviour, so that was a time when I was wishing the cops would stop a LR.

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On a trip up the Cape a few years ago we were on the Developmental Road north of Cohen when we passed a couple of Toyotas heading south. We were on he same UHF channel and overhead them saying to one another, look at that bunch of $...house Land Rovers, wouldn't have thought they would have gotten this far without breaking down.

We had some gentle cross purposed discussions on the matter keeping calm and explaing where we had been and it was not on the main drag like they had.

I find it a classic that I never challenge another model of $WD and yet I ma constantly being told by Jeep, Toyota and Patrol owners what a piece of crap I am driving compared to their units.

I think I've been hearing these sort of comments for the last 40 years . It always amazes me how people react when you find them broken down , or stuck , and yes It's a Land Rover owner that stops to help . I could write a book !!..Jim..

Unfortunately some of the comments are true.

The total fleet of Port Moresby's 10 Police Dept Defenders are broken down , undriveable and holed up in storage yard there.

Land Rover head office offering no support.

Guess what the PNG Police dept are replacing them with?

Damm 10 out 10?, What a let down, poor after sales service is one of the things that damaged landrover. You would thing sending a mechanics up there for the day or two with a lap top and some spares would be able to get half of them going. :(

My brother in law was the service manager of the dealership (until two weeks ago)and he could not get Land Rover to cough up and the dealership was not going to cover the vehicles so they sit in a yard.
I dare say there will be some legal happenings taking place soon as the PNG Police force has had to buy a new fleet.
My b-i-l said he was turning any Land Rovers away , just saying that they refuse to service them and to take them elsewhere.

btw the said dealership is not a LR dealer, just to clear things up.

Just for something different, I had the complete opposite experience the other week. Driving the perentie up the calder, I "overtook" (big uphill, I was struggling along at about 90, he would of been doing 80) an old 45 series troopie. Middle aged bloke, big wave, grin and thumbs up as I struggled past. Best acknowledgement I got all trip!

In fairness though it was an isolated incident.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by UncleHo

Yesterday I noted a Nissan Patrol, body lift, raised suspension on the back of a tilt tray,

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Look, Kevin, without pics, we know it didn't happen. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

My brother in law was the service manager of the dealership (until two weeks ago)and he could not get Land Rover to cough up and the dealership was not going to cover the vehicles so they sit in a yard.
I dare say there will be some legal happenings taking place soon as the PNG Police force has had to buy a new fleet.
My b-i-l said he was turning any Land Rovers away , just saying that they refuse to service them and to take them elsewhere.

btw the said dealership is not a LR dealer, just to clear things up.

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Not sure the vehicle can be blamed. The French won the contract to build the infrastructure for the gas set up & pipe line , to the west of Port Moresby. They had a huge number of French vehicles, trucks etc, can't remember the number, but through no maintenance, they were reduced to cannibalising trucks to keep the fleet going. The French called out to tender for some one to get their fleet at least operational. Volvo Australia won the contract.


Future Son-in-law went up for a month, with a crew of 6, I think. They got about half of the fleet on the road, but ran out of spares. They were told it would take 9 to 12 months to get spare parts from France. They ended up doing what they could. Separate from that, he said the infrastructure up there, regarding maintenance of critical Government assets, such as the Police Land Rovers, was just not up to the task. They have very little money to pay for it, and any mob taking over from LR , will have to carry the cost. A business decision from LR, I suggest. Bob