Hi there,

We are planning a drive to Marocco and the Western Sahara in 2012.
Any advice/hints for preparing our Freelander2 for this trip?

Horrie

Get it serviced - mention the fact it is going to the Sahara so they can pay attention to the cooling system.
Either change the pads or take a spare set,
Take 3 air filters and two pollen filters as you can't fit a raised air intake,
Take a second spare wheel - and spare tube
Take a fuel filter and some way of bleeding the fuel,
A full service kit won't go amis, local garages can do the work but won't use genuine parts.
Fit a 12V socket in the rear,
Take the rear seats out,
Take a basic code reader / reset tool.
A long tow strap is a good move
Hide the CB

If you can run to it:
Take a compressor fridge, a nice cool beer / glass of wine in the evening is a must.
Fit a roof tent - scorpions can't climb, and they are possible to put up when the evening wind gets up.
Take toys / sweets / clothes for the local kids


Don't go during Ramadan
Don't speed on tarmac / or jump lights, the police seem self funding
Our local dealer did the service, supplied a large box of spares at a discount, on a sale or return basis  Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

There is a member on here who did similar iirc andy131

Also there has been a fair few trip of this type on our sister forum www.disco3.co.uk

I would see if you could get your local dealer to offer a deal on parts, sale and return if not required

Sounds like a fantastatic trip to be doing, is it on your own or with others  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Bet me to it  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

We are planning the trip 2 adults and 2 children. We're used to camping in the wild(Australia/USA and Europe)
. But this is our first trip with our own vehicle in the dessert.

Horrie

Culture shock will be the biggest surprise, the kids should come back realising just how lucky they are - my advice do it.
In the desert you will have the upper hand when it comes to Defenders - heavy, low power, weight high up. A match for Disco 1 & 2.
D3 and Range Rovers - they are just amazing, anywhere they choose to go.
We don't do wild camping, SWMBO took 4 pairs of high heels for the desert and when it comes to toilets ......
The MyWay nylon roof tent that we took was side mounted, under the floor was an awning, this got used as a toilet tent at night (we took a portapoti) and as a shower cubicle in the morning.
We took the rear seats out so that we could carry an extra 40 litres of water just for her shower
You will only need a 10 litre jerry can for fuel - as you already have a good range compared to other 4x4, don't use cheap diesel. Fresh cows milk is hard to come by, take some long life milk. Alcohol is very hard to come by outside the tourist spots.
Do not dig out a 4x4 by hand in soft sand - where do you think the scorpions go in the heat of the day
In Morrocco tourists are a big earner for the economy, Marakesh apart we did not get any hassle from the locals - quite the reverse the authorities come down very hard on locals who do.

Keep the windows shut as the dust has to be seen to be believed, if the aircon is on drink lots of water could go on and on ----- just do it and smile. Good luck Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

Thank you for your reply, I'll keep you posted about our journey.

Horrie

Horrie ... just came across your post ... can we assume that with 2 kids onboard you'll either be travelling in company or avoid going off road into soft sand desert?

If going off road, make sure you're properly shod (people & wheels/tires) for the range of terrain you envisage, take plenty of bottled water, be aware nights can get cold in the desert, tho have no experience of Morocco myself.

When on a sahara soft sand trip with experienced locals in Libya back in 2010, I noticed they took a tire air compressor. letting the tyres softer when in soft sand at difficult stages & also carried a short-handled steel shovel for sand clearance.

Looking forward to your report ... have a great trip!

A set of sand mats would help if ever you get stuck in the sand.
An interesting trip to organise and do. Good luck.

Horrie be very careful about letting the air out of your tyres.
Heavier cars need to increase thier footprint to avoid digging in, not nessesarily so the FL2, but taking something to inflate tyres after a puncture is a good move.
Also Disco and Defender tyres have much stiffer sidewalls - more steel, There is a lot of ignious rock at the Morroccan end of the Sahara, this can tear your side walls to shreds, either when running soft or following in someone elses tracks with steering slightly off strait.


Tyre deflated, then ran it flat, bit difficult to repair, then got another puncture 12 hours later. repaired puncture with tube in the evening and kept (2nd) good spare as a spare.

Also avoid parking under acacia trees, yes they provide much needed shade, they drop needles that must have been designed by nature specifically to puncture tyres, especially soft ones  Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

Totally not an expert here at all. But I Herat that 18psi is good for the Freely in sand.

You mean I should have let the tyres down



never mind it was good fun digging  Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

Horrie, just to add that at least (hope) you haven't got the relatively fragile HSE version wheels ... might be worth investing in uprated (tougher) tires?

Also, 18 psi would only be advisable in soft sand & for relatively short distances to avoid excess heat build up from tire wall flexing ... you'd need to re-inflate before getting to anything that might include rocks etc. ... as did the Libyans I travelled with.

Forgot to mention that driving through wind whipped sand at speed does nasty things to "plastic" headlights.
Worth investing in headlight protectors?

Andy, what size was that damaged General Grabber AT2 in the picture?
Thanks and sorry about off-topic.