Hi

Has anyone seen any sight of offroad protection (sump/fuel tank/exhaust) for the freelander?

Not sure how long after the disco 3 came out they started to produce protection. You'd think that as they want to sell the Freely on it being a true offroader, they'd release this kind of stuff not long after release.

Also, I'm sure I remember reading that the towing points shouldn't be used for recovery/winching. How else are you supposed to recover your car if it gets stuck?

I want to start using my car offroad, only gentle at first, but don't want to risk damaging it if I can help it. I've got my LR Experience booked for sept 1st, so will go armed with questions for them, then book my place on the offroad course at the LR show at the Peterborough Showground to test my own car for the first time.

Rich

Your best guess will be to wait for a G4 version of the Free2, and the original parts from that by LR itself.
Although some people would want to take their Free2 offroad, their numbers will be too small for non-LR-companies to start producing stuff...

Quote:

Although some people would want to take their Free2 offroad, their numbers will be too small for non-LR-companies to start producing stuff...

which is a shame, but it's true I guess
a car like a FL2 deserves a play offroad every now and then  

I attended LR Experince 1st Sept, I asked about underbody protection.

I was told they were expecting a kit any time, the kit was from an after maket supplier. The LRE guy seemed to think that the kit was to be fitted to the LRE vehicles to 'test' them prior to being made available to the public.

The LRE vehicle I drove had a damaged exhaust because it lacked any protection

I've just done my Experience, and they said the one thing they do is it get a towbar fitted, as it protects the rear bumper and exhaust from the majority of damage, so I may start with that.

Rich

rmbillington wrote:

I've just done my Experience, and they said the one thing they do is it get a towbar fitted, as it protects the rear bumper and exhaust from the majority of damage, so I may start with that.

Rich

Looked under my FL2. The petrol tank looks as if it may be vulnerable. My Isuzu Trooper (1991) had skid plates and protection of vital areas was better. Think it best not take it over the parts of the farm the trooper used to go!

Drew wrote:

Looked under my FL2. The petrol tank looks as if it may be vulnerable.

you have a petrol tank .... you have an i6 and can afford to run it in the UK

Joking apart, when you have a good look under the vehicle it actually quite disappointing to see how vulnerable the fuel tank is. There are heatshields where the tank comes near to the exhaust, they have been significantly reshaped on my car already .... ooops ....

I have been filling my 'petrol' tank with diesel, but it says 'TD' on the back so that's OK.

Absolutely loved it, fantastic time, and I was really impressed about what the car can do.

I would love to take my car offroad, this was part of the reason for buying a freelander, was so I could do this occasionaly. Which was why I was worrying about protection, as it is our main car. My other worry, having just driven down a tight contry lane, and put a few small scratches down my car, is over haging branches, any ever used the paint protection films?

I'm not sure where to start offroading, I know there is a lot of byways round here, and most being fen tracks, should be quite tame, but then I wouldn't want to get stuck a mile form the nearest road. Not sure if a pay and play day at a quarry would be better, but worried about making a fool of myself

Any ideas on how best to start?

Rich,

I have gone the route of pay & play at quarry locations. Yes, you will feel selfconscious to begin with, but if you find a good bunch of people you'll get good advice, you'll be advised where to go on the site and (more important) where not to go; and if you have any problems then you're not on your own. A quarry type location is less likely to cause problems with scratches from hedges etc. You can go and spectate before you comit yourself, again this is what I did.

If you google '4X4' or 'off road' you should find information about 4X4 clubs, that's how I made my first contacts. I might have some links on a different computer, I'll see if I can find them over the weekend.

One thing you should prepare yourself for is the clean up after the event. Hope you have a pressure washer, and allow yourself at least 2-3 hours! Regards scratches, they can be a problem, in truth you probalby have to expect one or two (that is even the case if you don't go off road) the first scratches on my car were aquired in a supermarket & hotel car parks. I'm not sure what products are available to protect from this, but I have found the right products to deal with scratches after the event. My car is Stornoway Grey, I've found that CarPlan T-cut ColorFast (for for dark silver) works a treat, I also use Meguiars NXT Tech Wax; the collective result is excellent.

hope this helps...

Cheers Avtur

I was just about to post a question on scratches, as last night whilst washing the FL2 I have noticed that both doors on the passanger side and the rear wing have a slight scratch going down them from when a over hanging bush, brushed the side of the car.

I have previous tried Auto Glym scratch remover on a other car but have never had much luck with it, how much buffing does the T-Cut require?

npinks wrote:

Cheers Avtur

I was just about to post a question on scratches, as last night whilst washing the FL2 I have noticed that both doors on the passanger side and the rear wing have a slight scratch going down them from when a over hanging bush, brushed the side of the car.

I have previous tried Auto Glym scratch remover on a other car but have never had much luck with it, how much buffing does the T-Cut require?

Well on the marks I've dealt with not too much. I should say I'm no expert 'detailer' (if you search the www you'll find masses of information about 'detailing') First I'm always conscious that these scratch removal products are in fact abrasives so they have to be used with care. As much as I will work on the mark itself I also try to work around it (circular movements) to ensure there are no hard lines between treated an untreated areas of paint. I guess the idea is to start gentle and be patient, you can always rub a little more if needed if you know what I mean ...

rmbillington

A great place to come and try your FL2 off-road is with us from DISCO3, we are running a private event for Disco 3 and Freel2 owners so you will feel at home

http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic645.html

Hope you can make it!

Rich,

Should have mentioned the off road event at Tong myself, I'm signed up for it and looking forward to a great day out!

You certainly won't have to worry about making a fool of yourself at this venue and there will be loads of good advice on hand.