Hi, I have to say that I am a little disappointed with the design of the FL2. Went on a green lane for the first time on Monday and the car got scratched to bits with over grown brambles.

Paint work wont be a problem as I can get someone to polish the scratches out but the plastics are scratched for good.

Does anyone else think that this is a bit poor? Surely an off road vehicle should be fairly proofed against this kind of use and if nothing else the plastics should be cheap enough to replace if they are damaged.

Anyway - better look up a good polisher to remove the mess down the side of the car!

The FL2 did'nt steer you down that "green lane" so therefor it must be the driver that is of bad design . My plastic bits are as unscathed as the day it was born (so far) 2007 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Manual with Premium Pack & Moonroof.
Stornoway Grey with Ebony Black Pleather, Clear Indicators, Body Side Mouldings etc.

I take your point on board but if I wanted a car that would only go on tarmac and avod green lanes, trees, bushes anything remotely veg like, I would have bought a jeep

I thought that you could get scratches out of the plastic. And I thought it was cheaper than paint work, which is why things like the first FL and Discos can with black plastic bumpers.

Rich

Ummm - does anyone know how to remove the scratches from the plastics?

Please bare in mind that I am a techie - which basically makes me incompetant at spelling and anything slightly manual

My fl1 rolled into a flower pot and badly pushed in the plastic front bumper, an hour later it had popped out again leaving only a faint scratch, the flower pot was undamaged unlike my pride  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Blimey they must make the flower pots big there

When you say "rolled into a flower pot" were you in it at the time?

no I was in the village shop, my fl1 wandered down the main street about 40 yards . lets just say the handbrake got adjusted when I got home  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Pjbnet

have a look on www.detailingworld.co.uk for a car detailer that maybe able to sort the bramble rash out for you

I would just use some paint coloured polish myself, then get the car done when it becomes time to sell, as paint correction is not going to be cheap

My wing mirror on the passenger side is scratched due to been forced into a hedge when a old dear came down the middle of a country lane

Big of Auto Glym Bumper Care covers it up ok Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

I'm not sure you really can 'proof' against green lane scrapes.

I've certainly got a few scratches on my car a present as a result recent holiday in Cornwall where many roads are no better than green lanes. In fact I chickened out of visiting one place because the scraping was getting so bad; and thats me who is quite happy to go off road a-la Tong etc!

I've previously polished out scratches from brambles etc no problem using T Cut color-fast the 'dark silver', it works very well on Stornoway Grey. Have used the same on a couple of marks on the bumpers too, with OK result.

I'm not sure what could be done to protect the paintwork any more from this sort of damage, to be honest I can't say that I'm dissapointed that the paint has scratched I guess I take the view that its par for the course once you head off road. I would think its more a problem on green lanes that an off road venue like Tong (or some of the LRE sites) where the tracks seem to be clearer than some green lanes. Is it OK to carry a set of secateurs if you go green laning?

Thanks guys!

Scratching it really isnt a problem as I kind of expected it. If I was more competant I would do the paint work myself.

I just thought that the plastics looked a little bad and if you can hide the scratches in them as well then the design is fine but if they will always be there then it is quite poor.

It was fun playing down the lane though and would do it again!

Cheers

Phil

pjbnet wrote:

Hi, I have to say that I am a little disappointed with the design of the FL2. Went on a green lane for the first time on Monday and the car got scratched to bits with over grown brambles.

Paint work wont be a problem as I can get someone to polish the scratches out but the plastics are scratched for good.

Does anyone else think that this is a bit poor? Surely an off road vehicle should be fairly proofed against this kind of use and if nothing else the plastics should be cheap enough to replace if they are damaged.

Anyway - better look up a good polisher to remove the mess down the side of the car!

there are always the magnetic protectors that are out there, but they are a little bit too much money for me

Avtur, a set of secateurs if fine for greenlaning, from the picture threads i have seen on it, though i have not read it is lawful to cut back/down the trees  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

It's ok to cut back ovehanging branches and brambles so long as it is done sympathetically and only enough for you to pass without damaging your vehicle. ______________________
2011 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8
2012 FL2 SD4 Auto HSE
2013 Kawasaki Versys 650

I always take a old fashioned slasher with me to cut back overgrowth finding that dry dead branches do the most damage.
The cheapest way of masking scatches on plastic mouldings is to use the nearest colour boot polish (On black dubbin is best because the gloss level is lower). The polish stains the talc filler used in the polypropelene which is what gives the scratches a white appearance. If the scratches are deep then its a job for a scapel, trim back the slivers of and recut the grain. If really deep then use a filler like Milliput, roughen surface and nearest Humbrol model paint. still pining for my 3dr, no removeable hardtop, no drop glass tailgate, no roof rack, no pockets everywhere to stow all that man kit