!

[moradaridge]

My name is Veronica and my husband's name is Bill. We are retired professional scuba divers and after living in the FL Keys for 20 yrs, where we had no need for Rovers, we retired to the NC mountains 10 years ago and my life has been hell ever since. Bill has many talents including boat building, marine mechanic,auto mechanic,and is a retired general contractor. When we moved to the top of a remote mountain, just the two of us built our new home, AFTER Bill built a 3000 sf gaarage... that he LIVES in. Our road down the 5000 ft mountain is nothing more than a steep, narrow, goat path and weve had countless accidents in the winter. The road is icy and steep and no one travels the road but us. He has big monster trucks and we can get out, but nothing I can drive without needing a ladder to get into the truck, which is why I went out and bought not one, but two Land Rover Discos : a 1999 an a 2000. Ive heard all the horror stories....but really needied something with a low gear ratio to get down the mountain. I LOVE the HDC. And, since Bill has nothing to do in the winter but plow snow and haul firewood, he has been informed that he will now become a Land Rover mechanic. What more could a girl ask for ?! I think it is a crying shame that just outside our mountain area, mostly over in TN, Im seeing so many of them for dirt cheap that need lots of TLC but can be restored and sold to people who need them here in the mountains during winter. On the 2000 Disco, the front bumper had two huge sections missing and Bill pulled it off and in 5 days, he fiberglassed it to like new. He tossed the burned up Champion plugs and replaced with Bosch like I told him to and my mpg went from 13.5 to 15.8. He of course does all fluid, filter changes and got more hints from me via this forum on cleaning contacts to make switches work. Now he has the passenger door torn apart and asked me for help again....see below. Of course, internet guru that I am, I have found this forum very encouraging and have been reading and printing many posts for the past 6 months. I learn, find parts, and relay the info to my other half. Thanks for the RAVE manuals guys. HUGE help! Right now : I want to know : On the 2000 Disco II's: The passenger side door lock doesnt work. Is it normally the whole acuator that goes bad, or is it a bad contact, fuse ??? The front bumper on the 1999 Disco II : Can one buy the trim section that goes around the fog light. Im thinking probably not. And on this vehicle, the rear hatch opener : same thing. Is this typically an actuator issue too ? Thanx to Mike and Savannah Buzz and other the other MODS for your outstanding help ! opps : forgot to mention I just ordered new EBC front dot/slash rotors and Akebono ceramic pads : dont want to mess around!

[Disco Mike]

Post this in the D2 sections, not here where they are not allowed.

[Rovin4life]

cross drilled rotors are only good for the road, offroad they collect dirt and rust up and start to pulsate soon after.

[moradaridge]

Mike :

I started this post as an intro-new member but as people reply, I believe only you as a MOD can move it to the DISCO II thread. Correct ? Or, tell me how to.

Rovin4Life :

Most of the time Im highway driving. To get to the highway, I go down a 4 mile long dirt road that is very dusty in the summer and somewhat muddy in the winter. Im really good about keeping my vehicle clean so if I spray off the rotors with a hose once a while, is this sufficent ?

Most of my driving is highway : just the dirt road to the highway... you think will give me alot of problems with slotted & dimpled rotors ?

[Rovin4life]

mostly not, its the rust that builds up that ruins them. High elevations that use salt are even worse.

[Savannah Buzz]

re: think it is a crying shame that just outside our mountain area, mostly over in TN, Im seeing so many of them for dirt cheap that need lots of TLC but can be restored and sold to people who need them here in the mountains during winter.

Well, he can start a new biz, hire some young guys to train, and - open a driving school - they charge $1200 a day at the Biltmore Estate for the LR driving experience (or $400 for two hours).

Make sure he has the RAVE on the PC in the man cave (shop), and gets a new large flat screen monitor because those numbers are really tiny.

[moradaridge]

Well, he can start a new biz, hire some young guys to train, and - open a driving school - they charge $1200 a day at the Biltmore Estate for the LR driving experience (or $400 for two hours).

We are retired and Bill doesnt need to work anymore. Not really into the tourist thing. Been there- did that in the FL Keys for 20 years. We are 2 1/2 hrs north of Asheville and we are very isolated : Dont have ANY neighbors for miles. We have a security gate and not even family gets in unless we let them.

There are alot of people up here who are very poor, especially older people, and Bill likes to help them, fixing vehicles at almost cost, because all the redneck mechanics up here are terrible mechanics, liars, and huge rip-offs.

Most of the locals up here just have a car; a vehicle they pay a few hundred bucks for because it is all they can afford. When it breaks down, they cant afford to fix it so they buy another, and another, and so on. Everyone up here needs 4WD in the winter, and Bill has been buying the best 4WD trucks he can find, fixing everything that's needed, then sells it for a small profit. Discos are now actually easier to find then 4WD trucks up here, and he has several buyers, and no Discos to sell right now.

Bill doesnt have to work and he does this just for something to do and to help others. He built his dream garage, which I call The Tropics, because it is full of palm and banana trees and the wood stove keeps it at 85 degrees; even up here on top this windy, frozen tundra of a mountain. He has a car lift, paint booth, and every tool a man could ever want. He has a big flat screen tv, stereo, stainless kitchen, bath, sitting area, and he butchers deer and cans hot peppers out the kazoo. He literally lives out there and he is a happy man doing his own thing.

Believe me; when it comes time and he needs help cutting and hauling trees for firewood, cutting grass, butchering deer, or digging fence posts, he gets text messsages from so many he has helped saying " Im there when you need me". It used to be ME for 30 years who was his right hand helper with all that crapola....so what more could I ask for ?

My only request is when the bucks walk up to the house, that he at least take one step outside the door before shooting. The gun reverberating off the walls in the living room leaves me plastered to a wall too frequently!

[Savannah Buzz]

Great - look to hear more from you. But post over in the Discovery part of the forum, more will see it