I'm not OTT.

[Lons]

Despite what my wife thinks. Well OK then maybe I am.

There's cleaning wheels and then there's cleaning them properly, pampered with a bit of minor paint correction and a good wax polish front and back.

Three wheels on my wagon.



The last one finished, phew wide 20" wheels are damned heavy.

 

[Mike G]

Sheesh, Bob, have you nothing better to do?

 

[Lons]

Sheesh, Bob, have you nothing better to do?

I just fit in a lot of things into my day but nowhere near your production output Mike.

Keeping the cars paintwork and interiors in top condition pays dividends when I eventually sell or trade them so I get it back eventually. I take the wheels off once a year usually around this time well before winter and it gives me a chance to inspect the tyres and brakes properly.

 

[duke]

Despite what my wife thinks. Well OK then maybe I am.

There's cleaning wheels and then there's cleaning them properly, pampered with a bit of minor paint correction and a good wax polish front and back.

Three wheels on my wagon.

View attachment 57876

The last one finished, phew wide 20" wheels are damned heavy.

View attachment 57878

View attachment 57879

Wow, never have I done this amount of cleaning. I do see your point in keeping up the value .

 

[marineboy]

I also rotate the wheels every 6k miles to even out tyre wear. Replacing all 4 tyres at the same time can very often get you money off deals.

 

[Lons]

I also rotate the wheels every 6k miles to even out tyre wear. Replacing all 4 tyres at the same time can very often get you money off deals.

This is the first car I've had long enough to need to replace the tyres and it was £900 3 years ago. They're a lot more now.

 

[duke]

How many Km do you travel in a year? I cover about 30,000 km so a tire rotation 5 times in a year. Subtract one for winter tires, dang , so every 2 months for a rotation. Glad I do my own winter and summer installs myself.

 

[RogerS]

This is the first car I've had long enough to need to replace the tyres and it was £900 3 years ago. They're a lot more now.

When we bought our current car, Mazda CX-3 AWD, it was four years old with 4000 on the clock. So still fitted with the manufacturer’s tyres out of the factory. They were Toyo GP’s. The GP standing for ‘gripless’. They were ghastly and the car never felt that stable on the road especially as compared to the previous car - an Audi Q3 Quattro with Michelin Cross-Climates. At the first hint of snow on our hill, the Gripless lived up to their name and we had to abandon the car at the bottom of our hill. Said hill stormed up in the Q3.

After 3 years ownership I admitted defeat, reluctantly prised open the wallet and shelled out £800 for a set of Cross-Climates. Even though there was a good 15000 miles of wear left on the Gripless. Transformed the car.

 

[Dr.Al]

Blimey Bob, that's slightly more thorough than I've ever been with a car to say the least!

My car got a thorough wash for the first time in a while last night. Well, it rained, but that's the same thing, right?

 

[wallace]

I think the longest ive gone without washing..... the car was 5years. It was a new skoda yeti and it must of had some kind of coating because when it rained it looked quite sparkly. The window rubbers started to grow green though.

 

[Doug]

My wife has a car I leave the cleaning & driving to her though funnily enough I get the bills

 

[Lons]

How many Km do you travel in a year? I cover about 30,000 km so a tire rotation 5 times in a year. Subtract one for winter tires, dang , so every 2 months for a rotation. Glad I do my own winter and summer installs myself.

Only around 4000 MILES a year these days Scott

After 3 years ownership I admitted defeat, reluctantly prised open the wallet and shelled out £800 for a set of Cross-Climates. Even though there was a good 15000 miles of wear left on the Gripless. Transformed the car.

I remember the conversations at the time Roger. Mine was factory supplied with Vredestein all weathers and I was so happy with them I replaced like for like.

My car got a thorough wash for the first time in a while last night. Well, it rained, but that's the same thing, right?

If you say so Al

I think the longest ive gone without washing..... the car was 5years. It was a new skoda yeti and it must of had some kind of coating because when it rained it looked quite sparkly. The window rubbers started to grow green though.

That would drive me nuts Wallace.

I freely admit to being obsessive, have always been the same even when I had company cars which I treated as if I'd spent my own moey on them, even the vans I owned never looked like builder's vans. I just tell my wife I could be doing far worse things like gambling or drinking etc. That shuts her up.
She said to me last week when I was doing a full paintwork polish (clay, DA polish, prep polish and wax) "the only person who enjoys your car is you". probably right and it's reference to the fact I won't let her eat anything in the car but if she wants to do that she has her Mini.

I hate driving a dirty car, espicially the inside so I make sure it's kept clean. My daughter is a polar opposite.

 

[Woodbloke]

Blimey Bob, that's slightly more thorough than I've ever been with a car to say the least!

My car got a thorough wash for the first time in a while last night. Well, it rained, but that's the same thing, right?

Same here; proper deluge in the night for about twenty minutes. Sparkling motor this morning.

I'm not obsessive about cleaning cars @Lons but when we had our Defender some years ago it was scrubbed and cleaned most weekends, inc the underside, for which I used a power washer with an 'L' shaped wand to get into all the 'crooks n'nannies' - Rob

 

[Mike G]

Same here; proper deluge in the night for about twenty minutes. Sparkling motor this morning.

I'm not obsessive about cleaning cars @Lons but when we had our Defender some years ago it was scrubbed and cleaned most weekends, inc the underside, for which I used a power washer with an 'L' shaped wand to get into all the 'crooks n'nannies' - Rob

Yeah, because otherwise, pre-galvanised chassis, the alternative was welding patches on every few years.

 

[Woodbloke]

Yeah, because otherwise, pre-galvanised chassis, the alternative was welding patches on every few years.

I had my Defender treated by a guy who worked at the old Greenham Common airbase in one of the units. He apparently removed (pressure blasting of some sort) the original underseal installed at the time of construction (which he said was paper thin) and applied a chemical concoction of some sort to the chassis. It wasn't as good as genuine galvanising but it was far better than the factory installed underseal -Rob

 

[Lons]

My mate has an old Defender and very deep pockets, the only problem is that his pockets are now empty.

 

[GaryR]

As it happens I'm off in an hour to get the oil changed and tyres rotated. I clean them occasionally but I've never taken them off the car to do it. That is impressive!

 

[Woodbloke]

My mate has an old Defender and very deep pockets, the only problem is that his pockets are now empty.

We had three decent camping holidays on the Continent in ours (twice to Switzerland and once to France) and 'cruising' at 55mph in the Landy, you could physically watch the fuel needle dropping, but we did get (as it was brand sparkly new) one or two very admiring glances from the French Gendarmerie as we passed.

At our campsite at Lauterbrunnen near Interlarken, the attendant smiled when we turned up at reception and jumped on his push bike (with us following) to show us to our camping pitch. When we turned up there were two other Defenders in adjacent pitches and ours made a third; even more comical was that they were all the same colour! (Alas, no pics)

We eventually sold it as SWIMBO was then commuting up the A303 to Andover every day and a Defender ain't the best vehicle for that job - Rob

 

[TrimTheKing]

We had three decent camping holidays on the Continent in ours (twice to Switzerland and once to France) and 'cruising' at 55mph in the Landy, you could physically watch the fuel needle dropping, but we did get (as it was brand sparkly new) one or two very admiring glances from the French Gendarmerie as we passed.

At our campsite at Lauterbrunnen near Interlarken, the attendant smiled when we turned up at reception and jumped on his push bike (with us following) to show us to our camping pitch. When we turned up there were two other Defenders in adjacent pitches and ours made a third; even more comical was that they were all the same colour! (Alas, no pics)

We eventually sold it as SWIMBO was then commuting up the A303 to Andover every day and a Defender ain't the best vehicle for that job - Rob

What year was it mate? Was this a 'proper' Defender 90 or modern one?

 

[Woodbloke]

What year was it mate? Was this a 'proper' Defender 90 or modern one?

Purchased new in 2005, 2.5 litre 5 cylinder motor, bench seating. My youngest brother had a 'new' one and mentioned more than once that it was a total load of crap; good for going to WR with the yummy mummies but not for much else - Rob

 

[TrimTheKing]

I think I've mentioned on here before that my mate bought an ex-MOD 90 from an MOD sale somewhere in the midlands (I can't remember exactly where). Wonderful condition aside from some dents in the doors. Was an old radio truck and still had all the old decommissioned radio kit in the back.

They had all sorts there on the day, even a few with sky hooks right through the middle of the back of them! I nearly bought one on a whim!

 

[Mike G]

..... 'cruising' at 55mph in the Landy, you could physically watch the fuel needle dropping,......

When we drove trans-Africa in '94-'95, the other vehicle was a Series 11A 110. Never mind the fuel...it consumed almost as much oil as it did petrol. And 55mph was for emergencies only, and then only for a minute or two. Cruising speed was 45mph. I had the good sense to be in a Toyota.

 

[Doug]

I have very little interest in cars which is quite ironic really but for you Land Rover lovers I worked a few years back with a bloke who restored them, this was his latest at the time






If I remember correctly it’s a very early Mark one restored with genuine parts, his workshop was a treasure trove apparently, lost on me mind.

 

[Accipiter]

For a short time I had a 2nd hand Landrover V8... green... automatic. Exchanged it towards the Mitsubishi 2.5 TDi in 2005 along with another estate vehicle. The 2nd car was so impressive that I don't recall the make etc., - only that it was red... nothing quite like the growl of the V8...

 

[wallace]

Oh now we talking, landies I've had a few, series 2, 3, 110 van, 110 county station wagon, 90 pickup. My fave was the 101 forward control GS, at 7mpg was expensive to run. I've always wanted a 101 vampire created for the cold war.

 

[Mike G]

.......My fave was the 101 forward control......

I was a passenger in one once. What a weird experience! To sit in front of the front wheels, next to the engine.....sheesh! Going around a corner was a very odd feeling.