Offroad-Express

Hi all, I was fortunate enough to find this great forum after searching endlessly online for a shop to get a new cambelt in my first 4*4 i recently purchased a 91 Terrano V6 auto, its a good vehicle, needs a few things fixed, adjusted, basic maintenance done etc so I know it's reliable at thats where this forum comes in, I've spent the last few hours reading up on the threads and covering subjects I've never heard of so it's been interesting.

I'm an air gunner and like to get out and hunt rabbits and possums and I thought a reasonably priced 4*4 would be a good investment so I don't have to walk as far and I've always wanted one.

If anyone can recommend a good, reputable 4*4 mechanic or fixer up, service it all shop here in Dunedin I'd really appreciate that. I wasn't able to find much regarding 4*4 mechanics locally online, aside from a cambelt I'm guessing I'll need to check all my brake shoes, suspension (heard a creak or two in the front end whilst riding over some uneven terrain on a farm), probably need to replace all filters and fluids etc as and when I can as this vehicle needs to be reliable to take my kids out etc and more importantly get them home again.

my main use is as a mans everyday drive truck with mostly farm use when not in town just for pest control purposes but I'd like to learn more about real four wheel driving and learning confidence when out 100kms away from other people, Im interested in joining a club and participating on any cross country field trips that I can as long as i can afford the petrol on the day

Cheers
Darren

Welcome Darren, St Kilda Automotive is who I use for my 4x4 warrents etc. Great guy and hes a 4x4 nutter. Im a member of the Land Rover Owners Club Otago (dont have to own a landrover and most members dont ) good bunch of people and trips most months around Otago.

http://yellow.co.nz/y/st-kilda-automotive

http://lroco.com/

juz wrote:Welcome Darren, St Kilda Automotive is who I use for my 4x4 warrents etc. Great guy and hes a 4x4 nutter. Im a member of the Land Rover Owners Club Otago (dont have to own a landrover and most members dont ) good bunch of people and trips most months around Otago.

http://yellow.co.nz/y/st-kilda-automotive

http://lroco.com/

Hi Juz,
Thanks for the welcome and the mechanic advice, I'll give him a call and see if he can help me get my wagon up to scratch.

I've looked at the Landrover club website before, it looks good and I love the fact that they have a training ground and members campsite but I think I'd need all this recover gear and points, first aid kits etc before I was to join them but it certainly is a step in the right direction, I love the photo section they have also, some of it seems a great deal more four wheeling than I'd like to subject my truck to at this stage but I'm still keen,thanks

this is my terrano, pretty stock standard as far as I know although it has the rolly polly feel when the suspension is shifted to the off road setting so I do wonder if the sway bar has been removed, i must check that.

When the suspension is set to road use it's pretty solid and drives very nice on the road like a car, trans is smooth but could do with a trans cooler fitted just incase.

I dont know whats the point of these big ugly yellow spotlights, I'll have to change them when I can for something smaller that actually has a useable beam and Im thinking of fitting a lightforce lamp to the roof with a remote handle so I can pan the light around, better for pest control.

The only off roading I've done in this truck so far is crossing some rough farmland, climbing some steep hill country which has been fun but I'd like to get a snorkle fitted when I can afford and have the computer relocated above from where it is now under the drivers seat just incase it gets wet in the future as I'd like to be able to cross rivers but hopefully not so deep that water gets in the cab, that would ruin my interior and drive the missus nuts.

Welcome along, i use pitstop in dunedin (for an alternative) im keen on a few shiney trips once i get
a new head sorted. And im just starting out too!

Yellow lights are fog lights had them on my 90 series playdoh and worked great in fog

stealth wrote:Welcome along, i use pitstop in dunedin (for an alternative) im keen on a few shiney trips once i get
a new head sorted. And im just starting out too!

Gidday Stealth,
shiney trips haha that sounds more like what I'm ready for than loosing all my paint to underbrush and watching trout swim past my speedo, no doubt I'll catch up with you in the future on a road trip, I'm just learning about what I need to be club compliant with first aid kits, fire extinguisher (I could borrow the one out of house on a day trip) just need to sort myself some tow hooks etc but yep I'm a beginner and happy to have my first truck, that's the main hurdle over come, this time last year I was still driving a toyota corolla.

juz wrote:They have shiney trips too. One next weekend is semi shiney. The safety gear is pritty club standard. I use to have a Navara and mounted Rated hooks on the front fine and a Tow Hitch for the rear, Then its just extinguisher and First aid kit. The Yellow Spot lights on your truck are for fog yellow doesnt reflect back like white lights apparently. Give me a yell if you get a snorkel, I could fit it up for ya.

Cheers Juz,
A snorkel is on my bucket list, I saw a guy with one the other day and ran over while he was parked at the lights and had a conversation about his one, he said he installed it himself and started giving me details but I knew straight away I don't have the tools or know how to be messing with putting holes through my front guards unless they're bullet holes lol.

I'm in the process of scraping all my coins together so i can start to get it all sorted, my wallet's a bit light at the moment.

Jerry cheers mate re the fog lights, I've found my left one is out, hopefully its a bulb but I was out hunting the other night and to be honest it was either fog or clouds that came in at night and the lights were utter useless but then so was my headlights, I had to use a hand held spot light out the window to see the ground in front of me whilst trying to get off this farm property, visibility was maybe 3m at best until I got below it

Hi Vault, Im also in the process of getting all the gear for the landrover club, i have sussed most of the requirments (to turn a avg 4wd into something club freindly) so if ya have any questions just flick me a PM,

Stealth, just read your thread, Best 4*4. Yep I'm keen on what you've learnt or sussed out. PM sent.
cheers