The Stories Thread

[Robocop]

I didn't really have an introduction to the D4, it was more a progression..

Without going to go into too much detail.. my introduction into the world of 4x4's was with a new Suzuki Jimny in 2003. Yeah Yeah I know what you're thinking but it was pretty good. By the time i'd finished with it i'd installed a 4" spring lift with adjustable Ranchos, 3" body lift, 32" BF MT tires, Sierra transfer case with 183% reduction and manual hubs. This sold to make way for the 4x4 I always wanted. 3 days after it was sold it was on its side and a write off.

I entered the arena of the Land Rover. I always liked the look of the Defender and believed it was the best 4x4 out of the box. I got the best that I could afford at the time being a 2003 TD5 110 wagon in gunmetal grey. I equipped this with a 2" lift, BF muddies, snorkel, cargo barrier and dual batteries.

Then I got married, things changed, my wife couldn't drive a manual and I didn't know at the time but we were going to be a + 1. So what do normal blokes do? They buy a black 6L SS-V ute, lowered, Brembo's and Pontiac chrome wheels. I swear the afternoon I was driven to the dealership to collect my ute, I found out my wife was pregnant.. running through my mind was, what the F#&* am I going to do with a ute now?

The Defender was giving trouble and had become a "bit of a" money pit, lol it was always a money pit. I knew I needed an Auto but still wanted a 4x4 for my wife to drive. I decided the Freelander 2 would be a good trade off. Defender gone and after a 3 month wait we collected our Stornway grey Freelander 2.

9 months that lasted us, I really should have checked the boot size & I hated the tan interior..

It was time, time to blend. I wanted something sporty, comfortable, capable and auto, I knew anything that earned the Land Rover badge was worthy. So it was decided. We're now a one car family, and a good car at that.

Only days ago the ute and the Freelander were traded (+ a bit extra) for a Disco 4 SE in Stornoway Grey. the 600km drive home couldn't have been more comfortable. Very happy.

[NomadicD3]

Hi All, I recently had an alternator adventure that I thought would be useful to share with you all as I was able to ascertain some very interesting figures and insight into the workings of the 2.7ltr diesel motors, they may also apply to the 3.0ltr and if they don’t directly I would assume they would be very similar.

As posted in another thread, which I don’t want to hijack, I have had a battery warning light come on which went away after driving 300kms. It seemed this was primarily due to the car sitting for so long whilst I was away working and only getting a few short trips during that time. I did get the battery and alternator checked after driving the 1500 km’s home and was assured everything was working fine. Unfortunately, yet again, the information from the professionals proved to be incorrect. 950k’s into another trip and the dash lit up as the vehicle went into a form of electrical limp mode. It soon became apparent that the battery was draining and fast. It was approximately 2km’s before I could find a safe location to pull over. The 90 amp/hr primary battery was immediately tested with a volt meter and registered 10.1 volts. Assuming that it was the battery that had failed, I simply switched out the primary battery for #4 battery {yes I carry 4 batteries when long distance traveling}. The #4 battery is a 66 amp/hr AGM, this is the first of the interesting numbers. Believing it was the battery and rather stupidly not bothering to check the voltage after start up, I then proceeded to drive a further 200km’s with everything still running including the stereo and A/C in 30+ degree temperatures. The instant the dash lit up again I realized the error of my ways, it’s a pity that anger energy can’t be used to recharge a battery. By this time I was approximately 75k’s north of the Manilya roadhouse. When checked with a voltmeter the battery read 10.4 volts. At this time I was planning to simply switch to battery #3 unfortunately the terminals were on the opposite way round and the positive lead wouldn’t reach, this was also the case with battery #2, an optima yellow top. At this point the sweat beads were rapidly beginning to appear. I had considered utilizing the heavy jumper leads and connecting the positive terminals of the #2 to the primary battery as a possible power supply however I thought I would just give the key a turn and see how far I could get before complete shutdown. In all honesty I didn’t think it would even start, yet to my surprise it not only started but, with lots of dash warning lights on, I was able to drive the 75k’s back to Manilya. With a borrowed battery charger and an overnight charge the #2 66amp/hr AGM battery read 12.2 volts, with the fuses pulled on the A/C and infotainment systems, this was enough charge to drive the further 150k’s into Carnarvon. After many phone calls and much consultation I made the decision to drive back to Perth. During the stay in Carnarvon the #1 90amp/hr battery was put back in it’s rightful place and both #1 and #4 batteries were put on charge for several hours with a plan of leaving enough daylight time to be able to travel the 250k’s to the billabong roadhouse. At time of departure from Carnarvon the Primary 90 amp battery read 12.3 volts and was the sole source of power, on arrival at the Billabong and having had no warning lights appear throughout the journey, the battery registered 11.45volts. With advice from Tim AKA drivesafe, I had purchased a 15amp battery charger in Carnarvon and with all batteries in there original allocated positions I was able to charge all 4 at the same time through the traxide multiple battery system. During this overnight stop the positive cable that connects batteries 3 and 4 was re-rigged to be able to connect the positive terminals of batteries 1 and 2 allowing the power to be drawn from the first 3 batteries with the 4th being taken off line as a contingency plan. On completion of the 13hrs of charging all batteries were fully charged and reading 12.97volts. Now much to the surprise of several people I was able to drive the entire 640k’s back to Perth without another recharge and furthermore upon arrival in Perth registered 12.32 volts still in the first 3 batteries with the fourth battery not required at all. Bearing in mind that there was 1 x 90 amp/hr and 2 x 66 amp/hr batteries online.
Following advice from Tim, the amperage draw was measured prior to having the alternator replaced whilst the fuses were still removed for the A/C and infotainment unit. The vehicle may have been in a form of electrical protection mode still, smarter people than me may be able to confirm that. The amperage draw measured 30 amps on start up and almost instantly drops back to 6 amps whilst the motor is at idle. For comparison the same readings were taken after the alternator and all fuses were replaced. With the A/C just turned off but the stereo on, the vehicle draws 40 amps on start up and drops back to 27 amps at idle add the A/C and it increases to 47 amps and then turn the headlights on high beam and include the spotlights and it increase again to 75amps.
I have posted all the pertinent details in a thread on the main D3/4 forum board. If your vehicle is approaching the 120 000 k mark I would suggest that it may beneficial for you to take the time to read the other related post.
Cheers all

[away]

We lived at Alice Springs for eight months and during that time I worked for the local LR Dealer. One weekend the boss decided that it would be good to take a few Landies and go for an explore out in the West MacDonnell Ranges. One thing I had learnt since being in the Alice was that if you want to see the really good bits, you go with the locals. So, we signed up immediately.

We all met at the appointed time and place and headed west to the grave of Flynn of the Outback. From there we took a track north toward the ranges. The tracks we took weren't overly challenging for the Series II that the boss was driving (complete with bricks and a crowbar in the back to hold the wheels on the ground), an early V8 petrol Rangie, a 130 and of course, our D3. We stopped at an unofficial lookout and brewed a cuppa while others took photos.

From there we continued north and came across a fence line blocking our path. It was clear that this fence wasn't there the last time the locals came this way and it had them all scratching their noodles trying to figure out how to get to the other side. Another cuppa was brewed and it was decided to lift the star pickets out of the ground, lay the fence down, drive over it and then stand the fence up again.

Once clear of the obstacle we meandered along tracks that became increasingly rough and called for the suspension of the D3 to be raised for clearance. One particular jump-up, with a very nasty lump right at its summit, almost caused the 130 to tip over! We followed and I confess to not using the terrain response control and stalled the vehicle at the lump at the summit. Once selected to rock-crawl the vehicle sauntered up the rest of the way.

Minutes later the procession came to a halt. The track had degraded to the point where a huge lump of rock jutted up from the centre of the wheel marks and the terrain on either side was impassable. Remember the crowbar? Well, the boss drags out the crowbar and starts slamming it against the rocky outcrop. Soon enough the rock was splintering off and the once impassable track was tamed. I was gobsmacked. 4WDers everywhere else carry a shovel. In the Red Centre you carry a crowbar. No-one seemed concerned at the destruction of the rock.

The track got progressively tighter, rougher and steeper but eventually opened up at the top to a large clearing right on top of the MacDonnel Range. The views were breathtaking and well worth the effort. It had taken almost two hours to travel about 10 Kilometres. Another cuppa and a heap of photos later, we headed back the way we came. Within minutes of heading off we came across a white marker post with a blue triangle on it that we hadn't seen on the way in. We were pondering its significance when we came across another, and then another.

All of a sudden it dawned on us that these were markers for the walk-trail that runs along the entire length of the MacDonnell Ranges. So then we knew....a Disco can go anywhere you can walk!

Once through the fence we took a different route back which included a drop-off so deep that as the Rangie went over the crest of it, we could see the entire underbody while waiting behind in the Disco. We also had a few dramas when the 130 slipped off the side of the track and we had to "build" a new road for it to drive back over to get onto the track again.

We arrived back at the Alice having taken six hours to travel a little over 20 Kilometres and drink four cups of tea. It was time for a beer...

[Plane Fixer]

2012 Discovery trip report
I have just turned over 26000 on my new D4 I have had since March.
After talking about it for years we bit the bullet after I took delivery of my new D4 and did some trips, as it is so enjoyable to drive. Coming from a 3.0l Patrol it was chalk and cheese.
The first outing was through Canberra and the Alpine way to Bright and then Melbourne for a few days and then back home via Shepparton and back roads of NSW. Verdict; the D4 is very comfortable and reliable.
This then made me plan for the big one; drive to Adelaide via Mildura and then Gold Kangaroo on the Ghan to Alice springs for 8 days and then to Darwin. Home was via the Kimberly and Pilbara and Perth.
The first time I seriously went off road was to Chambers Pillar. The road to Maryvale was rough in places but the corrugations were bad in others. From there to the pillar was very bad with a steep section and deep sand and jump ups. The e-diff and centre diff locking was seamless and not once did I have any doubts about its capabilities, not forgetting the music from the great sound system.
We stayed at Curtin Springs and then did the Kings Canyon, Uluru and the Olgas, including the walks but not the climbs. The Merenie Loop was our return to Alice with an average to very rough in places. Back in Alice we went to Trephina Gorge and Ross River.
We were back on the train to Darwin where we stayed a few days going to the local markets which my wife loves; we also have to stop at any op shop which is open in towns we pass through as my wife enjoys them too. A trip to the Lichfield Park and the Wangi Falls was a nice day out.
Heading out from the big smoke again was to Jabiru for an overnight and then Katherine and a trip to all three gorges and we can recommend the cruise to all.
Heading west to Kunnunara we visited the local sights there including a trip to Wyndham which is a town perched on the edge of the earth as I was sure too many paces in the wrong direction I would have fallen off the edge; did buy some beautiful local barra there though. Another trip was to El Questro which is an oasis in the middle of nowhere, again with a rough road leading there.
Next stop was to the Bungle-Bungles and a shocker of a road as well with sand, water crossings and sharp rocks for the unwary; 2.5 hours for the 53 km journey. Of course you have to go back out as well!
Once back on the black top all was well again as we went to Halls Creek which has a bad memory for me due an incident there years ago where I heard the swish of the grim reapers blade just missing me.
Onward to Broome which is a place I enjoy and stayed at the Roey which seems to always be the same. Leaving here we went to Auski Roadhouse which was our stop off for the Karijini and walked down to the Dales Gorge at the Fortescue Falls and back up at the other end near the Circular Pool and was a great walk. We also visited the Hamersley Gorge. From there it was the last of the dirt roads as we headed to Carnarvon and then Geraldton which was considered to be one of the best towns on the trip and is a lesson to the council in Coffs Harbour what a well planned town looks like.
In both places we visited the museums and enjoyed the local produce of fruit and vegetables. Once in Perth and after visiting the rellies and bringing back from Margaret River a dozen red as well, SWMBO was getting tired of the travel and having to get her bearings when getting up in the middle of the night so we headed home across the Nullabor which is green these days. We did make the detour to the head of the Bight to see the whales. There were two white calves which I caught on the camera.
To sum up it was a very enjoyable trip with my beloved wife and in a car which exceeded my expectations in every way being comfortable, powerful, fuel efficient and a joy to drive and the ease of handling and road-holding mask the fact I was, loaded for my trip, driving a 3 tonne vehicle. The aircon and air flow is brilliant as not once did I get a beating for the whiff of “road kill” whereas in the Nissan it only took seconds and I got thumped. Nor were any animals brave enough to try out the bull bar. A Toyota Camry in Sydney came within inches when he decided to try and change lanes just in front of me; the brakes are brilliant!!
Having said all of that I will criticise the climate control temperature control as there was no finesse at all; eg. Leaving it on 22c sometimes would blow hot or cold to maintain the temp set, unlike in our VW Golf it is totally the opposite as it appears to maintain a steady temp to keep the car at the desired temp.
The cruise control is great but the 2km steps irk me. The fuel consumption lieometer is very optimistic yet the real consumption was very good at 11.2l/100 for the whole trip of 16500km. Despite what the doomsayers were saying about Land Rover unreliability I had not one fault on the trip. (Now I have said that I expect a visit from the three amigos to prove me wrong)
The Cooper LTZ have proved to be a very tough tyre, that being said I was aware I still had low profile tyres on and I drove accordingly to the conditions and I had no punctures, nor were there any cuts or chipping of the tread blocks. There was some road noise and the volume was very dependent of the speed and road surface
I simply love the D4 and have no hesitation recommending it to anyone looking for a car in this class.
Cheers, Graeme (the other one)

[Disco4SE]

Hi all,
Had to take a house lot of furniture across the other side of the bay on the weekend, about a 2 1/2 hour one way trip.
This included fridge, washing machine etc etc etc.
I towed an oversized and no braked furniture trailer that is normally towed with a rigid truck (hense the no brakes). The trailer would be over 1.5 ton empty and the furniture would have been about 2.5 ton.
I was very conscious of the unbraked weight that I was towing, so took it easy when approaching lights, round a bouts etc, and kept a bit of extra distance behind other vehicles.
I have always been impressed with the perfomance of the 3.0 Lt diesel and also the capablities of the D4 in general, however, this trip really blew me away.
The Disco pulled this weight so well and at times when sitting on 105 Kph on cruise, I completely forgot it was there. The ride didnt alter at all. Rode smoothly and didnt move the vehicle around at all.
The lie o meter told me that I averaged 15.4 Lt per 100 Klm's. Quite good I thought for a towing weight in excess of 4 ton.
After 107,000 Klm's and 2 years & 10 months, the D4 still surprises me.
I have had so many different 4WD's over the years, and none of them have blown me away like this one.
Hope all of you are enjoying your rides as much as me

[WhiteD3]

First Tuesday of every month is our tool box talk at work. Parked out front this week was my '11 D4, a '13 FL and 2 brand new '13 SDV6 D4s. Lovely to see

My D4 is for camping and 4WDing (not enough lately ).
The two new D4s are for towing boats and boy do they go!....but where's the bloody gear stick!
The FL is there because of the D4's and the D3's they replaced; the new owner thought we must be onto something

[winaje]

First time with my D3...

I was driving the D3 to visit a mate, got to the road he lives on and there was a 4t truck broken down in the middle, road is almost 2 vehicle widths at that point with deep gutters on each side, about 50cm with mud and grass edges. Spoke to the driver, said I’d get past and grab a rope from my mate and tow the truck out of the way. Put the D3 in low range and offroad height, it easily walked it’s way through the ditch and straddled it. Got the rope and my mate, returned back through the ditch, towed the truck out of the way incredibly easily. I was impressed with the D3 to say the least.

But it got better, on the way home the truck was still on the edge of the road, and right behind it is a guy in a shiny black H2 Hummer, and a couple of cars behind him. I cruised my way back through the ditch again, but had to cross it at a different angle, so fully flexed the opposite wheels up and drove through on the traction control. A woman watching pointed in surprise at the dangling wheels lol. The best part was driving on a crazy angle in the ditch past the H2, and the priceless look on the guys face as he sat there unwilling to try with his pretty vehicle (and yes there was enough room for his extra width).