'New' Car Day!

[Richard A Thackeray]

At last, I've received a couple of pictures that were taken by daughters /bf on Monday 5th at the ford known as The Lee, on a minor road, about 4 miles west of the A167 Morpeth - Wooller road
(Northumberland)
Not a very 'action packed' image, but it wasn't a rally special stage, or a Competative Safari!

Scroll down to 'The Lee' http://www.wetroads.co.uk/northumberland.htm

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2976026
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4025423
And, with rather more water; https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4024129

 

[Drago]

Just out of interest, do Skoda give the model a formal wading capacity?

Not being funny (I'm sure it'd be fine) but I was surprised to find Daughter #3's Ford Ecosport had a stated capacity of 50cm. Thats as much as an original Defender, and 3cm more than my XC90,which is 47cm . Mrs D's XC90 has no stated wading capacity, possibly due to the motor and batteries bit.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Just out of interest, do Skoda give the model a formal wading capacity?

Not being funny (I'm sure it'd be fine) but I was surprised to find Daughter #3's Ford Ecosport had a stated capacity of 50cm. Thats as much as an original Defender, and 5cm more than my XC90. Mrs D's XC90 has no stated wading capacity, possibly due to the motor and batteries bit.

I think they do in the handbook, but I've not got it to hand, but this page seems to be confusing itself
https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/418684-disappointing-wading-depth/
I'm not sure where the air-intake is either
I have been under the bonnet, but not looked
(the Octavias was at the very top of the grille, almost at bonnet edge height


Re; electrics can certainly be sealed, as evidenced by inumerable British Army vehicles that deep-wade
Even the Land Rover 101FC, that used the petrol V8 could be run (almost) underwater, but having wrote that, the official guide takes about 3 hours per vehicle to prepare

I recall a DIY Land Rover conversion to battery-power, in the States, that would run with water over the bonnet

 

[Drago]

Indeed. Mrs D's car would probably be fine, but either Volvo don't want to spend the development time testing it, or they have an over abundance of caution, or they forgot!

There are 3 roads in and out the village, all unclassified, and any or all can flood in bad weather (or all be easily blocked as snow banks form) so having my old brick on hand is very useful. Deepest Ive done so far was between Christmas and new year just gone, about 14 inches. I let the Rangie in front of me go first so I could eyeball how far up the wheels it went, then i followed very carefully, keeping to the crown of the road and away from drains, potentially collapsed edges, etc. It was fine, but still butt clenching.

As I emerged out the other side a chap in an old Citroen C1 asked me if I thought hed get through!

I don't use my car frivolously, refuse to use it for a joirney that I could walk or ride, but when its use can be justified a full size proper SUV (not just a hatchback with some stick on grey plastic) is a handy tool.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

At over four months into ownership, & it's still bringing a smile to my face when I drive it

Granted, it's not got the 'get up & go' that the Octavia had, but that had been remapped, and had similar torque to the 2.0Tdi in this (& was a lot lighter!)

Overall, it's averaging 50+MPG for me, but I still flinch at the figures when towing the BWSOW, even with 'pipe & slippers' driving

Wife's only driven it once, & is a bit wary (1) of it, as she's only driven autos for over 3 years, so out of practice, plus she's never towed
(maybe get her on one of the Caravan Club courses - which would save us arguing over my instructions??)

1. It's not the size that worries her, as she used to drive the Defender 110s that we had (300Tdi Hard-Top & a Td5 Station Wagon)
She also used to, on occasions, a friends 101FC

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

60MPG, not to be sneezed at
(it seems to average 50+ anyway)

The mileage is for the drive back from Holmfirth, last night
It's a 30MPH limit from the town, through New Mills, most of the way to the 'Sovereign Crossroads'
Then through Denby Dale/Scissett/Clayton West & our route through Wakefield
(the time, is on restarting it this morning, for the drive to Tong)

 

[cougie uk]

Blimey. My wading depth is apparently 70cm.

There's no way short of a life and death situation that I'm testing this though.

View: https://youtu.be/Y9plRzRZ_PY

 

[Drago]

The quickest way to make an electric parking brake (or indeed most mechanical things) stop working properly is to not use it. I drive one of those troublesome Discovery 3s and at over 200,000 miles the EPB has never failed to work, but then I use it as I would a 'traditional' one, and have it serviced regularly.

Similar problem in the XC90. It has a foot operated parking brake, but no one (other than me) bothers using them, preferring just to abandon the car in P, and they start seizing up and causing problems. I use mine like a good boy and its absolutely fine.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Having had an EPB replaced on my Disco4 , I’m religious about using it ! Very $$$$$ to fix if knackered ! Also to add timing belt is not the cheapest service , quite the opposite but can all be done with the body on , used to be body off. Now that also sounds quite a lot of work but apparently it’s quite straight forward and designed that way .

D4 is a costly car to keep running , mine will be 10yrs old next year . So MOTs are starting to add up every year. However still cheaper than buying another car of similar size.

Worked out also my bro in law has had 3 cars in the time I’ve had mine lol . A CRV then an X5 and now a Tesla , still think I’m up money wise keeping mine !

 

[Drago]

Aye, its far cheaper to nurse them along than to buy something anew. I cringe when I hear the old "that repair is more than the car's worth..." excuse for buying another, because the purchase of a new motor inevitably massively outweighs the cost of the fix. The worrying thing is that people really seem to believe it when they trot that out, such is consumer society conditioned to spend, spend, spend.

13 years in an the olde XC90 has never failed an MOT, and only ever had one advisory, and that was for tyres that I knew about already. Its a moderately thirsty beast, and band K tax isn't cheap, but with no loan or finance to pay, and with such clockwork reliability, its actually pretty inexpensive to run.

 

[Badger_Boom]

Aye, its far cheaper to nurse them along than to buy something anew. I cringe when I hear the old "that repair is more than the car's worth..." excuse for buying another, because the purchase of a new motor inevitably massively outweighs the cost of the fix. The worrying thing is that people really seem to believe it when they trot that out, such is consumer society conditioned to spend, spend, spend.

13 years in an the olde XC90 has never failed an MOT, and only ever had one advisory, and that was for tyres that I knew about already. Its a moderately thirsty beast, and band K tax isn't cheap, but with no loan or finance to pay, and with such clockwork reliability, its actually pretty inexpensive to run.

And regardless of vehicle emissions, it's still better for the environment than buying a new one every three years.

 

[Drago]

And regardless of vehicle emissions, it's still better for the environment than buying a new one every three years.

No, its not better.

It's massively better

The hugely damaging and polluting things people do in the name of the environment is frightening.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Aye, its far cheaper to nurse them along than to buy something anew. I cringe when I hear the old "that repair is more than the car's worth..." excuse for buying another, because the purchase of a new motor inevitably massively outweighs the cost of the fix. The worrying thing is that people really seem to believe it when they trot that out, such is consumer society conditioned to spend, spend, spend.

13 years in an the olde XC90 has never failed an MOT, and only ever had one advisory, and that was for tyres that I knew about already. Its a moderately thirsty beast, and band K tax isn't cheap, but with no loan or finance to pay, and with such clockwork reliability, its actually pretty inexpensive to run.

These are the reasons I kept my Octavia for 9 years!

 

[DRM]

Indeed. Mrs D's car would probably be fine, but either Volvo don't want to spend the development time testing it, or they have an over abundance of caution, or they forgot!

There are 3 roads in and out the village, all unclassified, and any or all can flood in bad weather (or all be easily blocked as snow banks form) so having my old brick on hand is very useful. Deepest Ive done so far was between Christmas and new year just gone, about 14 inches. I let the Rangie in front of me go first so I could eyeball how far up the wheels it went, then i followed very carefully, keeping to the crown of the road and away from drains, potentially collapsed edges, etc. It was fine, but still butt clenching.

As I emerged out the other side a chap in an old Citroen C1 asked me if I thought hed get through!

I don't use my car frivolously, refuse to use it for a joirney that I could walk or ride, but when its use can be justified a full size proper SUV (not just a hatchback with some stick on grey plastic) is a handy tool.

I’ve had my old Disco through a Ford at Hutton le Hole in North Yorkshire with water over the bonnet, but it had a raised air intake on, with the axle breathers extended into it, and wading plugs fitted, on another occasion was going to collect the kids from a scouts hillwalking camp near Kettlewell, the road across the moors we were on had flooded and an Aygo stopped and let us through, again the bow wave was at headlight level, I saw the young lady driving it mouth eff that, we saw her do a 3 point turn and follow us for a bit, and in the Vendee in France we parked on a field on market day, to get to the space there was a deep dip to the left, so going steady the front then rear wheel dropped in and the axle articulation kept the body still, all unnoticed by the Frenchman who flew up behind us ready to get past and pinch the space, not the best idea in a Supra, Land Rover 1, Toyota 0

 

[Drago]

The problem I found with my Disco is while it could safely wade LR had left the job half done. The XC, for example, has 2 sets of seals on the doors to keep the water out. LR, conversely, decide that didnt matter and that it was easier/cheaper to fit scupper plugs in the floor instead of designing the thing properly.