Thread: New Disco owner - preventative maintenace and basic mods inquiry

Definitely your best option for dual batteries and anderson plugs is Traxide, Tim (Drivesafe) is a member here and a very good bloke and he has a kit specifically for the D4 including precut cables and Andersn plugs and battery tray etc.

And yes if you want yo tow trailers with LED lights you will need a kit of some kind. I went with the inline kit you can find on ebay but there is a better option which you install in the car, don't know the brand, but I wish I had done that Instead..

For racks I did a Rhino platform with short legs. Be aware that this is a high vehicle and with racks you won't make it into a lot of parking places so if that's a concern the platform and short legs keeps it as low as you can make anything for this car.

Towing a trailer with LED lights on it with the D4 doesn't have the issues that the D3 has(ie)flashing/pulsing lights and so on, what happens is, only one indicator on the trailer won't work, everything else works fine, this is fixed by turning your headlights on, as well the car has an idiot light on the dash telling you the indicators on the trailer are working, this won't work when you have a trailer with LEDs attached, this has no ill affects on anything on the car, everythings still works as it should.

There are devices around for the D4, they should only be a small resistor pack and are around the $40 to $60 mark, that modual on Ebay is for the D3, he is selling it for the D4 as well, in reality the D4 doesn't need one that complex.

Do a search on here for the D4 alternative.

If you have just normal lights on your Van/camper or trailer, all is good and that idiot light comes in handy if you blow an indicator bulb, the symbol won't flash on the side the bulb is out.

Oh yeah, I can recommend the Rhino platform with the short legs, I have one on my D4, it does raise the car to just over 2mtrs, add a pole carrier and awning and your around 2.2mtrs at access height, so no underground car parks

Platform with awnings and pole carrier


Baz.

Congrats on the purchase, and welcome to the forum!

Originally Posted by AJC

Is there anything else I need to know about? If someone could give me dot points on themain issues, I can then search the threads.[/FONT]

Definitely read the Sticky Thread on the FAQ - very helpful!

I don't want to do a lot of mods as I might only keep it for 2 or 3 yearsbefore updating to a 3.0 ltr version.

Some of these mods may be able to be transferred across to the 3.0.

It doesn't have factory roof rails & cross racks. Thesort of things that I use roof racks for is to carry bikes, kayaks, snow skis.I also have a Rhino Rack flat mesh rack (not the basket) which I've used ontrips for carrying things like a 2nd spare and a SpaceCaseBox with recoverygear.

I can't quite tell, but there is another lower profile that you might find useful on the RST set:



That's my actual car when it was new.

I might suggest that if you are carrying long things (Kayaks, roof boxes, timber, OzTents etc), then you might want to consider the factory long rails as you can then use the cross bars further forward. This can distribute the load better, reduce flex etc. The option I have needed to take is to fit a third bar directly into the holes on the lower part of the roof. The 2 bars in the photo are always there, and the third (front) bar only when I need it.

Originally Posted by AJC

Set up questions:
I'm a family man, full time job, 3 kids and lots of weekend sports so in the main it'll be used as the family bus. We do some touring and tow, presently a Jayco Expanda Outback van, but thinking of going to a Kimberly Kamper.

I don't want to do a lot of mods as I might only keep it for 2 or 3 years before updating to a 3.0 ltr version.

So, what's needed? Tyres? - there are many threads, including in the last 3 months or so. Search for what's getting positive feedback for your wheel size.

Roof Racks
- It doesn't have factory roof rails & cross racks. The sort of things that I use roof racks for is to carry bikes, kayaks, snow skis.I also have a Rhino Rack flat mesh rack (not the basket) which I've used on trips for carrying things like a 2nd spare and a SpaceCaseBox with recovery gear.
- I went to Roof Rack City and they recommended the 2 bar Rhino Rack Vortex RLTPTrackmount Black for the high roof only - $540 plus $150 fitting. See http://www.rhinorack.com.au/products/roof-racks/vortex/vortex-rltp-trackmount-black-2-bar-roof-rack_ja2549
- Any alternate suggestions or comments on what I've been recommended?

I would suggest Rhino rails so that you can then easily install Rhino racks or the Pioneer Platform as per what Baz suggested. I have this platform too but you may prefer to re-use the Rhino mesh rack you already have (presumably this needs racks to mount on to).

Auto-electrics - Anderson Plugs / Fridge wiring and power
- On my old 4wd, I had a 2nd battery under the bonnet, a RedArc Isolator, 6 B&B wiring to the boot and towbar, with a A'plugat the towbar to connect the batteries in the campers / vans and a A'plug in the rear to connect the Engel 40ltr fridge.

- Towbar A'plug?
o The Jayco Expanda has, as will the Kimberly replacement, A'plug wiring on the draw bar as well as solar on the roof.
o So, do I add a RedArc Isolator under the bonnet and6 B&B wiring + A'plug to the towbar?
o Does the Disco 4 electrics / alternator workwith that set up?

- Fridge & battery?
o Do I add an A'Plug to the boot as well?
o Doesn?' seem much room under the bonnet? Can you put a second battery in the Disco?
o Do I bother? Do I just use the power socket in the boot for the fridge (only plugged in when vehicle is running I assume?) and grab a battery box for when the car isn't running (charge the battery box with240 volt charger / solar blanket)?

All the fridge/battery options you propose are feasible but a Traxide kit probably does virtually everything you want in one easy-to-install kit; ie Dual Battery/Isolator/Ander. Plug to rear/Extra 12V cig plug. Can be removed to take across to a 3.0L in future too. The simple battery box idea will be cheaper but more of a pita.

LED trailer lights
o I stumbled across a LEDtrailer module for Disco 4 RRS LR4 Towing on eBay. Are they necessary?

Rear storage / Fridge (and battery box) security?
- One of the attractions of the Disco is its seating andI don't want a cargo barrier. I envisage 1 x kid in the back and 1 x either sideof the middle row with the mid-seat down (for soft stuff / kids stuff).
- That means the Engel in the boot (and maybe a batterybox). So, I'd want to tie / bolt those down to a base board.
- Any suggestions out there?

Many of us have storage solutions (drawers/slides/etc) that are removable using the flush-mount tie-down points and there are a few threads on this. It means you can have things secure, accessible and it can be removable. Here's a good thread which links to other threads too:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/205055-d3-d4-rear-fitouts.html

Just a base board might make the fridge hard to get in to.

Thanks in advance. Any comments / suggestions appreciated.
Al

Cheers,
Scott

Thanks Scott.

Its running 5 x new Cooper HT Plus 265/60R18 so happy with that for now.

Seems Rhino tracks with 2 or 3 bars, or a pioneer rack, will be the go.

LED towing issue will looked into, as will Traxide system and Mitch Hitch too.

Plus Fridge solution.

Driving lights / nudge bar is another thought.

Originally Posted by eddomak

The 2 bars in the photo are always there, and the third (front) bar only when I need it.

Hi eddomak.

Sorry to butt in on this thread but your bit about the front bar interests me. I have the same factory setup and would like to be able to add the third bar too. Could you provide some details please?

PM if you wish.

Thanks,
Martin

Originally Posted by letherm

Hi eddomak.
Sorry to butt in on this thread but your bit about the front bar interests me. I have the same factory setup and would like to be able to add the third bar too.

Moved off topic answer to new thread here.