[harjeev]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

In two years you would have many options.
The Tata safari Storme may come with 17 inchers, even in the steel wheel variant.
Consider this. In the Safari homeland Punjab, every second person after buying a safari gets to jazzy aftermarket alloys.
This means stock rims go for "cheap". I personally saw one guy giving away his stock rims for 300 bucks a piece. I am kicking myself for not offering him 100 more, and getting one rim.

So you can get cheap 17" rims, and then all you need is a 17" tire. With the safari coming in 17 inchers, you can be assured of a lot of companies to make tires which would fit your requirement!

Currently, 17" is only XUV-500 and the Fortuner (mass market vehicles)

Originally Posted by renegade

Harjeev,i am facing the same problem with my cruiser as well,but i would be going in for a 15" rims but will be upsizing the tire,better cushion you see

Thats good news Tanveer. With so many vehicle coming in 17" wheels, finding tyres is surely going to become easy in future. Was at the workshop today and saw a couple of TLC 200's all were with 18" and 2 T-Forts in 17's. So as you said, with these 3 vehicles coming in 17's, if I can manage 275/65/R17 should be good.

Mandeep tell me about it. Imagine what I must have gone through when coming from Mumbai to Delhi driving without a spare and expecting if another one bursts, what would I do This is from
Mumbai to Udaipur
Udaipur to Delhi

I've now decided that whenever I am on an long drive, more than 1000 Kms. I will always One Be very particular on the air pressure monitoring & Two Carry 2 spare tyres. Just hunting for a rim. Have already sourced a single piece of alloy rim (same PCD) but am trying if I can source a rim if I can manage it.
And hopefully after the next 40000-45000 Kms(till the current set lasts) I would either upsize to 17" 275/65/R17 31.07"(7.04") or downsize to 275/75/R15's 31.24"(8.12") as both come to the same 275/70/R16 31.15" (7.58")
In ()is the sidewall width
Height of the size wall is the major thing changing. Still I do not have to worry about that now. Still have another 2 years to go.

[harjeev]

Its that time of the year now when the summer vacations of the children start and we are planning another holiday or a Driving Vacation as I like to call it. I would be writing another blog post soon on where we will be visiting this time of the year but for now I will post the mechanical maintenance that I’ve performed on the vehicle in the last 10K Kms. The Odometer now reads 155000 Kms and there a lot that I’ve done on the vehicle in this time.


NEW ALLOY WHEEL

I bought another Alloy Rim and now after the disastrous experience of me bursting 2 tyres within 24 hours I always carry 2 spare tyres with myself.

The new alloy wheel and testing that on the vehicle. Now this new bling alloy is doing a duty as a spare tyre in the boot.







AT THE TOYOTA FORTUNER BOOT CAMP


I’d visited the Toyota Fortuner Boot Camp organised in Delhi last year and though it was quite easy, there was one obstacle (don’t remember the name now) which was quite a steep slide and then a steep climb. At this obstacle I saw a couple of Fortuners struggling with the accent. Hense being a little over confident, I came down the decent with quite a bit of speed and though I was able to manage the incline with ease, I misjudged the Approach angle and hit my front guard on the ground. With a result that I’d dislodged the front guard, broke the headlamp and the center grille. These were changed later.

At the Toyota Fortuner Boot Camp, Gurgaon






GENERAL CHECKUP AND BRAKE LEATHER CHANGE

In Feb’13 before heading for the Desert Storm ‘13 as a Rally Marshall, I had a small feeling that the brakes of the vehicle weren’t as effective as before and as I’d just changed the front brake pads a couple of thousand kilometers before, I took the vehicle for a complete checkup before I headed out for the rally. Here we discovered that the leather in the rear brake drums had lived their life and it was time to change them. So this was done.

The vehicle for checkup before the Desert Storm Rally



Rear Drums being Changed & the old and new ones side by side


New and old Brake Shoes Side by Side




GETTING THE REAR WIPER WORKING

Since the time I’d bought the vehicle, the rear wiper didn’t work. So This time around I got the complete wiring checkup. What was observed was that the wiper levers besides the steering wheel must have been changed the the levers which were henseforth installed didn’t carry have the functions for the rear wiper. I didn’t want to place another switch in the already cluttered dashboard. As a result there were a pair of unused buttons on the dashboard which were for the power antenna. These were the ‘UP’ & DOWN’ button. So I got the power antenna disconnected and the ‘UP’ button now does it duty as the Rear Wiper switch and the ‘DOWN’ as the water washer.

Here we are trying to figure out which wire goes where




NEW AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM

The major expense that was done during this 10K Kms was that I changed/ overhauled the complete Air-Conditioning System in my vehicle. The parts that were changed were 1. The Compressor, 2. The Expansion Valve & 3. The Aircon Bottle. While we were at it we also completely cleaned up the Radiator, The Cooling Coil & the Condensor. The coolant was also replaced. While removing the aircon pipes two of the piped broke as they’d been welded before and we cutout the broken portion from the place where it was good and changed that too.


This was the condition the radiator was in. The condensor was even in a worse condition.





The condenser after washing



The Cooling Coil and the old AirCon Compressor









The Radiator being installed back after being washed and cleaned



The new aircon compressor mounted




DRIVER’s SIDE MASTER SWITCH AND STEERING WHEEL COVER

The Drivers side Master Control Switch was also acting up lately, some of the windows would roll down and not up and I was able to unlock the door sitting at he drivers seat but not lock it back up. So while I was searching for parts for the aircon I found this at a shop and bought it instantly.

The Art-Leather on the steering wheel had completely worn off. So I got that replaced with a genuine leather cover.




NORMAL SERVICING

Along with all this the vehicle visited the workshop twice for Normal Servicing at 148020 Kms and then at 154745 Kms

All in all I think that the vehicle is fit for me to take it for another 3-4K Kms journey through the Highways, Lanes and Backlanes of our beautiful country.

Cheers for now.

[joshiviv]

Great writeup Harjeev. I have been thinking about getting a highway cruiser mainly for Gurgaon-Chandigarh and sometimes beyond, and was thinking of settling with the current crop of 7-seaters. But now you are giving me some ideas.

[harjeev]

I very common question that I'm asked is that when this vehicle is guzzling so much time, effort and money why don't I sell that off and buy a Toyota Fortuner or the newly launched Pajero Sports? *

Well the explanation is not so simple to answer in a short writeup, still I'll try. My LandCruiser's now 16 years old and running in its 17th year. That's quite a lot of time for a vehicle running on the road, I think. Additionally its done close to 200K Kms, though the Odometer shows 158K kms. I believe that the 2 owner a dealer from which Sree(the 3 owner) bought the vehicle must have tampered with the ODO. I'm the 4th owner.

No doubt both the vehicles the T Fort and the P-Sports are fanatic vehicles but I have only one basis of comparison, the Landcruiser 80 Series which I've driven now for 58000 Kms in about 2.5 Years. I've driven the Fortuner and didn't like it, this is obviously when comparing it to my vehicle. I find the drivability, road presence, ability to repair and get it serviced much better.The thought of replacing it with the Fortuner came to my mind too. I've spent close to 2.5L on the vehicle in the last 2.5 Years due to the Old Age factor. On a totality I've spent much more but I'm not counting expenses like Insurance, Accidental Repair, Normal Service & Tyres in this calculation as I would have spent a similar amount on the vehicle had it been a Fortuner or Pajero Sports.Now comes the drivability . I like driving the LandCruiser much more than I did the Fortuner, though I'll agree that I drove the Fortuner only for a short duration, but still I could gauge it, on maybe an overall level. One has to really drive it to experience what kind of a vehicle this(Landcruiser) is.

Additionally I'm a person with a slightly heavy foot, meaning though I don't drive fast but I like to let the suspension do the work while driving over potholes, bad roads and obviously no roads. And yes,I've* have driven it in mostly all kinds of terrains. For example once each to Leh, Ladakh, Lahual Spiti, 3 trips as a Rally Marshal to the Desert Storm, a trip to Goa and back, Diu & Gir, to name a few. Yes, I've had my share of hiccups with the vehicle with occasional breakdowns, Tyre bursts, fan belts breaking, power steering pump packing up, etc but most of these factors were due to the Old Age of the vehicle and owner error, which I believe and practice that if preventive maintenance is done, can be handled. Regarding the time, yes it take a bit of time and I do have drivers who can goto the workshop and stand on the heads of the mechanics to get the job done. They do infact when I get the normal services done. However whenever something critical needs to be done I prefer to be there personally due to only one reason, cauz I enjoy it and want to learn from it. Plus share it with the world.

Now comes the part on the amount of dough that I've spent on the vehicle till date. I've spent 2.5 lacs On the vehicle till date but the way I see it, the 2.50 lacs I spent isn't all loss. Like I bought the vehicle for an amount that today wouldn't even be enough to buy a brand new Mahindra Scorpio 4×4 or a Tata Safari, so I believe that I have much better vehicle comfort wise viz a viz the above two. Now on the worst case seaniro I can sell it easily for the same amount of money that I bought it for, infact,slightly more, I've got a few offers which mean that I'll earn some money of it, but for this post I'm assuming that I'll be able to sell it for what unpaid for it. So reasonably ,even if I can sell it for the same amount of money I bought it for, I'll end up losing 2.5 big ones. If that's the case, I take like this that I've haven't lost anything atall. Why you may ask? Because had it been a Fortuner and if I had paid 20L for it, I would have lost much more on the depreciation on the vehicle in 2 years than what I'm losing on the LandCruiser today. Additionally the bill has run up a bit high (some may think) is because I get all the work done from Toyota Authorized Workshop and not from road side mechanics. Further any or all the parts that go bad, I have a a habit of replacing them with brand new OEM replacements. So they are bound to cost a bit more.

The reason I blog the goings of my vehicle is that, I want to share it with the world so that tomorrow anyone wanting to walk the same path know exactly what to expect and learn from my experiences.
Now comes to the point on the reliability of the vehicle. I simply say that even if for once I thought that the vehicle is unsafe, I, for all the money in the world wouldn't risk taking my children and wife for out station family vacations in this. That's all I can say.
Cheers guys.

Originally Posted by joshiviv

Great writeup Harjeev. I have been thinking about getting a highway cruiser mainly for Gurgaon-Chandigarh and sometimes beyond, and was thinking of settling with the current crop of 7-seaters. But now you are giving me some ideas.

Thanks buddy. I've written another post above. I hope you might like it.

Mod Note: Please do not copy-paste text from an external editor. It introduces superfluous tags which affects the reading experience.

Also do not abbreviate names of cars: instead use Fortuner for "T-Fort" Landcruiser for "TLC" etc.

[parsh]

Been an ardent follower of your TLC thread. Must say, it is superbly informative knowledgebase, maybe TLC-pedia

Originally Posted by harjeev

I like driving the TLC much more than I did the T-Fort, though I'll agree that I drove the TFort only for a short duration, but still I could gauge it, on maybe an overall level. One has to really drive it to experience what kind of a vehicle this(Landcruiser) is. Additionally I'm a person with a slightly heavy foot, meaning though I don't drive fast but I like to let the suspension do the work while driving over potholes, bad roads and obviously no roads. And yes, I've have driven it in mostly all kinds of terrains. For example once each to Leh, Ladakh, Lahual Spiti, 3 trips as a Rally Marshal to the Desert Storm, a trip to Goa and back, Diu & Gir, to name a few.

Thanks for the absolutely informative from the first hand experience with your kind of driving habits and a brief comparo. I guess thats why TLC commands what it does, as it provides best on all terrains.

Now comes the part on the amount of dough that I've spent on the vehicle till date. ... Because had it been a T-Fort and if I had paid 20L for it, I would have lost much more on the depreciation on the vehicle in 2 years than what I'm losing on the TLC today.

Absolutely undeniable logic as it comes across and why not if your TLC is giving better in all respects than the TFort.

[4x4addict]

Harjeev, I hear you man and totally agree with you on this. I bought a 100 Series and actually paid less for it than a Safari Storme 4x4. I was initially concerned about sourcing parts etc, but after getting everything I needed from dubai, I was surprised at how cheap these vehicles are to maintain when compared to my Scorpio 4x4.

[desertfox]

If another 100 Series Landcruiser is available I will buy it and sell my Scorpio 4x4 VLX
Is there any for sale ? A Black / white or silver with a diesel preferably or even a Petrol Engine I6 or the 4.7 V8 like the one I had earlier.

[Honda Monk]

I believe I spotted your LC parked on east of kailash (on Cptn Gaur Marg) last week.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I bought a 100 Series and actually paid less for it than a Safari Storme 4x4. I was initially concerned about sourcing parts etc, but after getting everything I needed from dubai, I was surprised at how cheap these vehicles are to maintain when compared to my Scorpio 4x4.

Tini, please do not give people like me heart burns by statements like this.
You need to start your thread asap with all the costs involved. When is it happening?

[manveet]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Tini, please do not give people like me heart burns by statements like this.
You need to start your thread asap with all the costs involved. When is it happening?

Don't feel so bad - there a cost which does not seem to be covered in the calculations. Some people call it the cost of time & energy involved, or others simply call it the cost of passion. It all looks good on a Team-BHP thread from a price point perspective. But trust me, price is incidental. Its the passion for the vehicle in question which is usually the motivation factor.

p.s.
I have not read through the thread, just had a brief look at the past few posts. What I said above is something just struck me on the spur of the moment based on my own experience - I may have missed the point completely.

[desertfox]

Like a Jeep thing there is a Landcruiser thing as well. It is the royal gait of an elephant, no other vehicle can match it on road or off road. Not to worry Harjeev your Landcruiser 80 will serve you well for another 5 years at least. I have seen so many LC 60 series and LC 40 working on camel farms perfectly. Even the Bunderas or LC 70 Landcruiser II, Prado in some markets is still performing solidly in Yemen, Afghanistan and so many other places, interior Oman, an most Omanis love their cars as BHPians. Often in Oman in a small town market there are more auto spare shops than groceries.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by harjeev

I do have drivers who can goto the workshop and stand on the heads of the mechanics to get the job done. They do infact when I get the normal services done.

Originally Posted by manveet

Don't feel so bad - there a cost which does not seem to be covered in the calculations. Some people call it the cost of time & energy involved, or others simply call it the cost of passion

Well, I guess you are right, going by the quoted post above yours and all of us do not have the luxury to afford it, when we need to.

[desertfox]

In one of the Desert rally events. Toyota Marketing team from Bahrain gifted me with a cap that says all : Toyota Landcruiser - King of the Road. King Off road.

Believe me in August 2000, the outside temperature in the Falaj Al Mullah desert of Umm AL Quwain was 67 Deg C. With two AC units and the fridge running at 2 PM hot afternoon sun the temperature gauge was at quarter! and we had been driving in the desert for over five hours. King Off road!

To understand things better I would recommend get yourself a repair manual for LC80 it should be available for purchase online.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by desertfox

In one of the Desert rally events. Toyota Marketing team from Bahrain gifted me with a cap that says all : Toyota Landcruiser - King of the Road. King Off road.

Believe me in August 2000, the outside temperature in the Falaj Al Mullah desert of Umm AL Quwain was 67 Deg C. With two AC units and the fridge running at 2 PM hot afternoon sun the temperature gauge was at quarter! and we had been driving in the desert for over five hours. King Off road!

To understand things better I would recommend get yourself a repair manual for LC80 it should be available for purchase online.

I agree with you DF, infact thats the reason that i havent bought a wrangler and still take my Hilux into the desert and wadis, but its long rear overhang is causing a lot of issues, so im in hunt for a SWB 4x4.

Im looking for a SWB LC70 which is damn hard to find, i think i might end up with a wrangler.

Interestingly LC70 pick up is now available in a double cabin config.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by Parm

Im looking for a SWB LC70 which is damn hard to find, i think i might end up with a wrangler.

Interestingly LC70 pick up is now available in a double cabin config.

Parm,

Welcome to the club (of those longing for a LC 70).

Used LC70 SWBs are really non existent. But new ones are available (unfortunately out of my price ceiling). If you are interested I could point you in the right direction - both in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram