Thread: On a serious note

We have just turned over 10,000KM in our new 110 - added a DP Chip for a bit more "puff" goes well.
We did a quick 2 day drive - Darwin to Mission Beach last month and the 110 behaved perfectly the whole way (1400km per day)
Average 13lt @ 100 km average speed 120kmh (on the Territory side of the line of course)
Around town average is about 9.5 - 10lt @ 100km with the Chip

Tows our Boat (2.7 t) nicely at 75 - 80 kmh 5th gear 2300rpm - big test will be a tow up to Cooktown.

Had a chap in a 200 Toyo GXL pass us (show off) several times between Mataranka & 3 Ways - He filled up with $230.00 of diesel - I smiled and paid for our $106.00 of diesel.

Yep it's a bit noisey & Leaks some dust bit we love it - no problems so far....

Cheers











Cheers

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

What you need to tell you if there is a problem with you ECU driven engine.



What you need to tell you there is a problem with your non ECU managed engine

But seriously folks, back to the second topic in this rambling discourse.


Clutch fails - start in gear, limp home
Axle snaps - drive on one
Prop shaft or uni fails - drive on one.
Battery fails - clutch it
Diff fails - drive on one
etc. etc. etc.
ECU goes bye bye - start walking
Remove soundproofing cover from engine and whoops youve voided your warranty

Engines worked perfectly fine for many decades without ECU's so why do we need one on a vehicle marketed as the 'adventure's choice' I can see the need for buzzbox's sure but not on a Defender. Why make something that could mean life or death unnecessarily complicated. The way things stand at the moment the new Defenders are just rugged LOOKING Discoveries without the leather.

Park a well maintained 4bdi or V8 County next to the current Defender and show me where the $50,000 plus dollar difference is. The defender was designed as a simple rugged tool. If you wanted plush buy a rangy.
If I take a vehicle on a big trip i want to know that vehicle intimately. If it breaks down i want to know why. If i need help because of a mechanical failure i want to be able to tell the person at the other end of the radio what needs to be bought out. I dont want to be the one saying 'Well i dont know, all the dash lights came on and it rolled to a stop'.

Continue all,

you will also need one of these --

when the Authorities tell you "that" model will not be imported as it does not meet pollution requirements.

nice ear Mick,,
yours?

Originally Posted by Mick-Kelly

But seriously folks, back to the second topic in this rambling discourse.


Clutch fails - start in gear, limp home
Axle snaps - drive on one
Prop shaft or uni fails - drive on one.
Battery fails - clutch it
Diff fails - drive on one
etc. etc. etc.
ECU goes bye bye - start walking
Remove soundproofing cover from engine and whoops youve voided your warranty

Engines worked perfectly fine for many decades without ECU's so why do we need one on a vehicle marketed as the 'adventure's choice' I can see the need for buzzbox's sure but not on a Defender. Why make something that could mean life or death unnecessarily complicated. The way things stand at the moment the new Defenders are just rugged LOOKING Discoveries without the leather.

Park a well maintained 4bdi or V8 County next to the current Defender and show me where the $50,000 plus dollar difference is. The defender was designed as a simple rugged tool. If you wanted plush buy a rangy.
If I take a vehicle on a big trip i want to know that vehicle intimately. If it breaks down i want to know why. If i need help because of a mechanical failure i want to be able to tell the person at the other end of the radio what needs to be bought out. I dont want to be the one saying 'Well i dont know, all the dash lights came on and it rolled to a stop'.

Continue all,

$50,000 dollar difference came when wages went from $80 pw to $800 pw

Now back to your reasoning above...

Injector pump dies - Your Walking
Water pump dies - your walking
ECU dies - your walking
Coil dies - your walking
Distributor shears gear off - your walking
Cam drive chain / belt breaks - your walking

In each instance all thats needed is parts!

Why not carry a spare ECU? Its Only a 'part' no different to carrying other spares...

Best thing is, the ECU is smart enough to prevent engine damage and shuts down...

Your Ear may not notice until that funny clanging noise means its too late..

And I love the bit about the radio.... Isnt that electronic? Yep!
What if your battery(ies) just exploded from an alternator fault...
How you going to call someone then?
What if the solid state electronics in the radio die/short and then you break a water pump? Who you calling then? Hope you can shout loudly!

Sounds to me like your more 'scared' of the unknown than anything else...

A trip still requires spare parts, just that theyre a little different to stuff for a county.

Originally Posted by Mick-Kelly

But seriously folks, back to the second topic in this rambling discourse.


Clutch fails - start in gear, limp home
Axle snaps - drive on one
Prop shaft or uni fails - drive on one.
Battery fails - clutch it
Diff fails - drive on one
etc. etc. etc.

ECU goes bye bye - start walking

Remove soundproofing cover from engine and whoops youve voided your warranty

Engines worked perfectly fine for many decades without ECU's so why do we need one on a vehicle marketed as the 'adventure's choice' I can see the need for buzzbox's sure but not on a Defender. Why make something that could mean life or death unnecessarily complicated. The way things stand at the moment the new Defenders are just rugged LOOKING Discoveries without the leather.

Park a well maintained 4bdi or V8 County next to the current Defender and show me where the $50,000 plus dollar difference is. The defender was designed as a simple rugged tool.

If you wanted plush buy a rangy.

If I take a vehicle on a big trip i want to know that vehicle intimately. If it breaks down i want to know why. If i need help because of a mechanical failure i want to be able to tell the person at the other end of the radio what needs to be bought out.

I dont want to be the one saying 'Well i dont know, all the dash lights came on and it rolled to a stop'.

Continue all,

in order of quotes

• take a spare ecu (plug and play dont even have to get your dinner jacket dirty on your way to the cheese eating discovery party)
• ecu isnt under the (small) sound proofing coverso why would you need to remove it?....
• not everyone wants to hose out a rangie after the muddy dogs have been in there
• buy a diagnostic tool cost a similar amount to buying a personal beacon which some have proven that, not everyone carrys one in an older vehicle

The point you all keep dodging is why make something more complicated than it needs to be. KISS is the rule when playing for keeps. The County's had a perfect spread of engines. The tdi's were bearable but underpowered. Anything since then is just fluff. I would be very interested in the emissions difference between a tdi and a puma.
Still havent answered the question on the plus $50,000 difference between the vehicles either. Difference in pay scales doesnt cut it. The difference is fresh paint ,interior trim and over complicated drive train.

When preparing for a big trip you take appropriate spares based on your experience. Why should these spares include a component (ECU) that is horrendously expensive, unneeded and crippling to the vehicle when it fails.
Dullbird, Tombie, got a spare ECU in the back of your vehicle now have you??? I have a spare rotor in mine. Cost about 5 bucks from memory. I can tell you that when i lived in the Isa if you rang Repco for a spare ECU they would have laughed at you. Or maybe i should have tried the nearest dealer.........hmmm i think there is one somewhere outside Brisbane.

Its very simple. Discovery, Rangy, soccer mum cars, sure have an ECU but offer a rugged alternative with a decent engine that isnt reliant on a fragile component that traditional users do not understand. I dont want fly by wire or engine computers in any landy of mine.

The lease mob keep trying to get me to go for a new car through them but i wont buy a new landy for these reasons. Landrover have lost my money on new purchases because of the direction they have taken with the defender. Perhaps Tata will bring us back a decent defender. I can only hope.

Well, I like my 110! It's great to drive, it handles well and has enough torque to be comfortable at highway speeds(+), whilst maintaining great fuel economy. It's also quiet, and doesn't leak.
As for the (evil?) electronics, I carry a Scangauge II for basic fault finding, and I'd rather the engine went into limp mode instead of eating itself. When I go to any proper remote areas I will carry a Sat phone and PLB instead of spare axles, diffs, clutches, engines......
No engine, electronically or mechanically controlled, is never going to not break down. Just keep it well maintained, and plan/prepare for your trips.

Tim