Newbie here with some questions...

[Iain C]

Hi all, first post!  

Should be picking up my Disco in the next week or so, she's a 300TDi which is currently having some boot floor surgery!  A few mechanical jobs to do, will post some pix when I get her.  Company car driver during the week, used to have an ex-mil 109" S3 until about 5 years ago.  Expect a lot of newbie questions from me but here's a few for starters!

Boring stuff first-insurance...here's the deal.  Best so far (not put much effort in) is Adrian Flux at about £250 fully comp, which includes off road cover (as long as not competition).  I'm 32, 9 yrs NCB, no points/accidents etc and it's going to be a second car.  Anyone know of anyone else competitive?  I got p!ssed off phoning these companies advertising in LRO etc showing pictures of modified off roading Landies yet refusing cover! Flux's policy on mods is that they are fine and won't affect premium so long as they are declared and do not increase BHP.

Also, what's with this "One life...live it" thing? Seen it on a few vehicles near me...

Thanks in advance, expect future postings on the following...

Changing gear lever springs so lever does not sit between 1-2 in neutral!
2" lift, to be or not to be?
Which winch bumper/winch
Recovery points prior to winch bumper fitting
Which snorkel
Sleeping on board, very basic camping conversion
Side steps, remove or not?
Waxoyling
Who fancies a pint and some mud in Warwickshire??? :D

[Iain C]

Oh yeah, and the Flux quote needs me to be a member of a 4x4 club, does this one count?  Serious question!

[redhand]

FireBond are reasonable.

[Skibum346]

Thanks in advance, expect future postings on the following...

Changing gear lever springs so lever does not sit between 1-2 in neutral!
2" lift, to be or not to be?
Which winch bumper/winch
Recovery points prior to winch bumper fitting
Which snorkel
Sleeping on board, very basic camping conversion
Side steps, remove or not?
Waxoyling
Who fancies a pint and some mud in Warwickshire??? :D

Just so happens I have a bed conversion in my 1990 V8. I can't find any pics of it at the moment and to be honest... aint gonna spend the time unpacking everything so I can set it up... but I'm in Warwickshire as well (Rugby) so why not drop me a line and we can get together and I can show you it.

There is a pub meet in Hinckley on Tuesday the 6th that's worth going to if you fancy a pint.

welcome aboard by the way!

Skibum

[Budgie]

Hi Ian and welcome to the Mud Club.  :D

"One Life - Live It" was the slogon for the Camel Trophy.

Side steps, remove or the ground could remove them for you, plus it cuts down on your ground clearance.  
If you need something for people to use as a step then a pair of side protection bars with tree sliders work well.

Recovery points: Get some Jate Rings, cheap(ish) easy to fit and work well.

There are loads of threads on here about lifting a Disco, just use the search facility at the top of the page.

That's get you going, feel free to ask any question and someone will have the answer or know where to fine it.  

[Iain C]

Thanks for the tips guys!  Skibum, I'm in Rugby too...spooky!  When I've picked the beastie up certainly be up for a pint.  Where do you off road round here...is Avon Dasset still open?

[Range Rover Blues]

I've gone off Adrian FLux at the moment, they aren't the cheapest and they are being difficult about my sister's claim.  Had I not just renewed I'd be going elsewhere :roll:

[Skibum346]

Thanks for the tips guys!  Skibum, I'm in Rugby too...spooky!  When I've picked the beastie up certainly be up for a pint.  Where do you off road round here...is Avon Dasset still open?

Sure is but I have to say I'm not a fan of it. Too many people with wrecks that charge around with little regard for pedestrians or whatever else might be round the corner or over the horizon.

There is a very small site at Long Bukby but for £10 you can get an enjoyable morning out of it and it's great if you are learning or teaching someone as they have a nice little oval set up for practising technique.

PM me your details and we'll get together at some point soon. I live in the Hillside estate next to Sainsbury's so keep an eye out for the motor.

Skibum

[muddyjames]

Boring stuff first-insurance...here's the deal.  Best so far (not put much effort in) is Adrian Flux at about £250 fully comp, which includes off road cover (as long as not competition).  I'm 32, 9 yrs NCB, no points/accidents etc and it's going to be a second car.

If it is a second car you have to acumulate yet another NCB for that car. So if you have 9years on another car then this 2nd one will be zero NCB again but mention to them you have 9yrs on the other car. They did take that into consideration with my policy.

Changing gear lever springs so lever does not sit between 1-2 in neutral!

Dr_ed on here had the same problem. It was just a few springs he needed to buy and the rubber above the gearbox tunnel and sound proofing needed to be removed to access them. a fairly simple job I believe. PM him if you want more details.

Which snorkel

Safari snorkel everytime for me as I think they look so much better up the side of the disco and tidyer.

Side steps, remove or not?

You mean girly side steps My disco went from :this bent mess after off roading to...  these  beauties. so much better than girly side steps More photos and bigger ones in my gallery.

Waxoyling

My local garage quoted me £50 to waxoyl my disco bottom. All I have to do is clean the chassis before I take it to them. Seams a bargain to me.

Who fancies a pint and some mud in Warwickshire??? :D

I am in Daventry so I am up for laning around here.

Oh yeah, and the Flux quote needs me to be a member of a 4x4 club, does this one count?  Serious question!

Yes it does :D Peter best accepted it as a club :lol:

Hope this has sort of helped. I am bored hence the time to make each quote from your first post :lol:

If it is a 300tdi get the EGR blanked off. It takes 5 minutes and doesnt involve any tools except for a pen. Not sure how to do it but if I remember my mates name who does all my car repairs (ace mechanic who knows his stuff especially landies) I wil ask him.

Enjoy your disco and look forward to going laning sometime :D

[electricbluebadger]

For insurance for myself I've always found Roadsure very hard to beat and always fine with any suspension, wheel/tyre mods.

Cheers Steve

[Telaren]

Hi,

I had my Defender 90 insured with Snowball Insurance.  I found them cheap and if you state reduced milage and second car they will accept your 9 Years no claims for a second car  (Or they did with me) :lol:

They also insured me for off roading (Non-comp) and green laning.

Hope this helps and welcome to the land of great Discos and EMPTY pockets  :lol:

Taz

[Range Rover Blues]

Don't get me wrong AF were very helpfull last year but you only find out how good an insurance company is when you claim.

Anyway, I soke to the assesors this afternoon and apparently it was there advice that the car is cat B not cat C, even though it's repairable because the cost of repair using new parts is 10 grand.  Well I said, the cost of buying the car new was over 40 grand, so put into context it's not that badly damaged is it?

I'm toying with either a Tomcat or a Dakar, just to make sure i have NO free time this summer.  What do you think?

[freeagent]

I'm with the NFU, not the cheapest but I've found them very good.

remove the side steps, I got £65 for mine on Ebay!

next thing I'd do is recovery points and underbody protection... steering guard is good, and sill bars are a good idea..

Think about what you want to achieve before you splash out on a suspension kit, I still haven't done it as i've yet to find a set of springs that i'd spend my money on...

I'd get a set of mud tyres pretty soon aswell...........

don't rush out and buy a winch until you're sure you need one, if you go laning with a group you don't really need one, and its a lot of cash to have sat on the front bumper.. if it never gets used..

don't be shy with the daft questions either, we all started out somewhere, you're bound to get differences of opinion on here, and from that you can make your own mind up...

oh, and when you get the disco, change all the oils, then at least you know they've all been done....

[Range Rover Blues]

I'd agree there, bought my winch a year ago at Donnington, used it once when my sister had a 'little incident'

Buy a Hi-Lift jack, not a copy, and add to it the winching kit for about £50.  I still carry mine as a backup to the electric or for situations when you need 2 winches or can't get the electric in, so it's not wasted money that way.

[Iain C]

Great tips thanks all!  I've sent a few PMs, still have not got the Disco yet as the welding fell a little behind schedule, however have been whiling away the time until "D-Day" by studying the Haynes and LR workshop manuals (and adding more and more stuff to the "to do and to buy" lists!) and filling the garden shed up with nice new spares and various cans of oil!  Very impressed with spares prices, seem loads cheaper than the S3 bits from 10 years ago!!!!

Oh, and by second car I mean that my company car is my first car.  Most companies I speak to are fine to carry the NCB across even though I have been a company driver for a year, however it's worth having the Disco as a second car purely to maintain that NCB!