Thread: What happened to your D3/D4 today?

Originally Posted by RANDLOVER

The scissor jack is debatable, and I don't like letting the tyre shops use the wheel winch, also I've had occasion to play around with the tyres, the latest is I put Coopers AT-3's on the front but I think they are noisy, so I'm going to move the old Coopers A/T3's from the back and see if that makes a difference.

I just finally put on my Tuffants. They came with copper at3, after only ever driving on factory fitted Pirelli Scorpions for the last 170,000ks I can agree. I thought the car was going to take off. I'm now used to them. And they have a purpose, they are our camping tyres, but they reminded me quickly of why I never put AT's on. I mean I've had plenty of fun in mine and a winch would get me further then just tyres. But we mainly do road ks

Originally Posted by INter674

My tools were missing and when I got them and saw how flimsy they are and tried to fit them into the little hatch I wished they'd stayed lost

Scissor jacks are simply dangerous. I preferred the D1/D2 Italian hydraulic jack..that worked ok for me.

Admittedly I've bent my LR wheel brace, typical tyre shop story. But I use my Jack 5 times every 10,000ks for a rotation. I actually went to buy another one on gumtree but the postage was to dear. I know the thought of that offends many. But I've used it in my driveway on as slope and with the wheel chock provided and never had an issue. I have a small plastic caravan base plate in the cargo area for an off road change that's still in the packet. Not to open a can of worms. I like it

Well nearly, replaced one and removed the other ready to install it tomorrow.

I did it using this kit

Universal Master Set Press And Pull Sleeve Kit Bearings Bushings Remove Install 974882304283 | eBay
jigforbushes.jpg

and the home made jig you can see here to capture the bush as its pushed out. To push the bush out I reckon you need a 71mm sleeve, the kit has 70mm and 72mm. I managed to start it with the 72mm and then finish with the 70mm. A few worrying moments when the jig needed a bit of a modification to get it all the way out. The second one came out pretty easily once I got the hang of it. The kit has suitable sleeves to pull the new bush in.

The home made jig used 90mm * 3mm square tube I had around. I cut two 20mm sections and rounded them a bit so the new bush would fit through. Once rounded , welded them together. Welded some flat on the bottom for three sides to just clear the bush but catch on the control arm. Cut a section out on the fourth side so it could slide over the bush. Added a bolt on the side to support the fourth side. All good if you are not in a hurry.

Gerry

Great work Gerry..the sort of bootyfab you can be proud of ☺

I took the opportunity of the isolation to lay up the vehicle and install all those items I'd been meaning to get around to.
First off was a bit of maintenance as I'd notice some seeping from the Throttle Control Body. So a bit of a cleanup, new seals and clamps soon sorted that out.
I then fitted the dashcam which had been sitting around for a few months. The front camera was straightforward, but I took some time with the cabling of the rear cam. Ignition supply is from the cabin junction box, constant 12v supply is via a separate fusebox powered by the second battery (via a Traxide setup). I ran the rear camera cable and 12v supply through the headlining, being careful to stick it down like the existing cabling and rear window wash tubing (which I would prefer to have seen going underneath the car instead of through the roof lining).

Rear dashcam.jpgRear dashcam 2.jpg
Rear Camera

My CTEK charger came with a quick connect cable, so I installed that on the main battery. I saw they also sell a panel which I thought would be handy for charging at the rear. A dual battery voltmeter was installed in the glovebox where I also have a usb port. The second battery feed is via the constant supply to the dashcam. Note, I had previouly removed and discarded the third row seating including the seatbelts.

CTEK Connect 1.jpgCTEK Connect 2.jpgVoltmeter in glovebox.jpg
CTEK quick connect cabling and dual voltmeter

I'd long wanted to remove the rear right panel insert as it served no useful purpose and I could always use an extra hidy hole. This turned out to be quite easy as the panel is just an insert which can be popped out. The new panel was cut from a scrap piece of masonite and covered in the carpet I salvaged from the third row seats. It is easily removed as it's held in place with velcro. The space behind the panel is handy for housing a funnel, some rags and for getting access to wiring.

New access panel.jpg
Out with the old, in with the new.

Whilst I use the rear left cup holder for the fridge cable, I have no use for the right hand one. So I removed it so a small inverter could be installed. It'll only ever be used for charging a laptop or similar. Also, as I often remove two of the second row seats when I go off bush on my own, I made up some seat base gap fillers, primarily for saving my knees from the spiky locators. I also installed a tailgate light to complement the other roof lights that I had previously installed.

Inverter.jpgSeat base gap filler panels 1.jpgSeat base gap filler panels 2.jpgTailgate light.jpg

I thoroughly enjoy working on the D4. Everything has been engineered to be fitted into a specific spot and everything is held in place well and can be accessed in a logical sequence. It's annoying when the odd clip gets broken or lost in a parallel universe, but if you keep a few spares then you don't get frustrated.

But I'm already having withdrawal symptoms. Can't for the life of me think of anything else to fit! I do want to install a solar panel to fit a section of the ProSpeed roof rack and install a second EAS tank under the driver's side as an air reservoir for the ARB compressor. And there's always maintenance to be done. Everything is up to date but I should service the EPB. Almost looking forward to it!

Driving down the highway...massive gust of wind and the side front window trim blew off😐

Managed to salvage it so back to the installer to fix. Not happy because I specifically asked him to ensure the retaining plugs were renewed with genuine ..as per advice from this forum. He said he had..but on inspection it looks like the retaining plug thingys are too small for the holes.

Not a pleasant experience at 100kph..we thought the window was coming loose 🤤

So many awesome ideas there and well executed too.
Love the voltmeter and USB in the glove box. My tablet lives in there. Would be a great solution. I don't "need" the voltmeter as I have a few options for it already. But I'm pretty sure I want it now.
Great job

Originally Posted by INter674

Driving down the highway...massive gust of wind and the side front window trim blew off

Managed to salvage it so back to the installer to fix. Not happy because I specifically asked him to ensure the retaining plugs were renewed with genuine ..as per advice from this forum. He said he had..but on inspection it looks like the retaining plug thingys are too small for the holes.

Not a pleasant experience at 100kph..we thought the window was coming loose

Extremely common. TBH I haven’t replaced my clips when removing, but a dollop of sikaflex on each keeps them in place and has done for years. Easy to remove when you need with a little leverage. But of course I’m a heathen.