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Old 14th June 2011, 17:09   #211
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

Hi HVK, after reaching back to Pune, this weekend I replaced all the old rusty rims to new, my car accessory guy in pune gave me as good as new OE rims to me at 400/piece. My tyre guy (Darshan Tyres @ Viman Nagar) repaired the side-wll cut with some omni mushroom patch, which apparently is meant for the purpose. and put fresh valves in all the replacment rims, so all is well now. (paid 1000/- to tyre guy, never paid such high money to a tyre guy)

btw, HVK, similar OE steels for scorpio should not be very difficult to source either, let me know if you want me to check with my guy

btw, I think they tyre-cut was more due to my haste, I should had been more patient in my maneuver

all Toyota owners..yes there is Shree Toyota at Leh, near the doordarshan kendra at the airport road in Skalzanling in Leh (01982-251937), the GM there is Ashish Sharma, I bumped into him at at Shree Toyota Jammu, while getting my side mirror glass replaced, he mentioned that that though Shree Toyota themselves have a basic workshop with spares in Shrinagar, their parts inventory is very limited and non-routine items can be available only after a wait of 3 days after proccurment from Jammu

at Leh, i did not visit the dealer, as there was no need to.., on the way back i visited a dealership in Gurgaon for the scheduled 5000 km service, and despite all my prompt to him to change the oil and air filter on account of Leh dust, he checked and denied the need and just charged me the standard service charge of Rs.700/-
'trust toyota'.....


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Originally Posted by hvkumar View Post
The experience with your tyres gives all some useful tips. I too have the problem of rusted rims in my Scorpio, but it is mainly in the stepney tubeless tyre which loses air fast. Therefore, I have permanently put a tube inside the tubeless stepney so that it arrests the air loss due to rusty rims.

A question for both Anupam and Turbonator - does Toyota have a service centre in Leh? Did you get the cars serviced - or things like air filters cleaned and underbody checked - in Leh? If so, where, and any ideas on availability of spare parts for Innovas (quite likely, since there are many Innova taxis in Ladakh), but what about the Fortuner?

Last edited by Anupam : 14th June 2011 at 17:28.
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Old 15th June 2011, 01:02   #212
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

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Turbantor, that was indeed unfortunate about the alloy wheel getting damaged - what did you do after that? You had to do some repairs? I am extremely nervous about using alloy wheels for that reason - that it may get damaged in rough trails - and have stuck to old-fashioned wheel rims in my Scorpio.
Hello HVK Sir ,

First of all thanks for all the support given by you on phone , we had to cut short visit as my friends child got sick and they flew back & left there car & driver with me , on return from Leh just like last time i planned to do same day - started at about 7 am and crossed T- la by 10 Am , after T La we started taking some off roads and i missed the right turn for Pang - crossed the beautiful lake - Tso Kar and then to Gompa before eventually getting lost ahead of Gompa , so we did about extra 60 km one way & lost about 3 hours - it was snowing moderately , after Pang the other Car - Safari started giving problems as its engine got overheated & battery wire got detached - had to Tow the car for some distance before we could fix the battery . After this incident we had to reduce the speed for fear of overheating of Safari . But I wanted to reach home so we continued & on Rohtang this incident happened - this crater was completely submerged under water & the width of road was very narrow besides I always prefer to keep car towards Hill side , we had to jack up the car using 2 Jacks as i was not carrying Hydraulic jack and the road was very soft , to add to the problems the spare tire was also punctured .. but we could fill some air and continue our Journey towards Manali , after few fills it got stabilized and after having Eggs as dinner at around 2 ;00 Am at Manali Bust Stand we continued towards Chandigarh finally reaching home at about 10: 00 Am thanks to Traffic Jams after Bilaspur - so this time we took close to 27 Hours from Leh to Chandigarh ..

After this incident my Steering wheel is not in center any longer - i need to keep it by about 10- 15 degrees towards right - is it because of Alignment or something serious ? i had to come back to Gurgaon so had left Fortuner at Chandigarh & could not get any time to get this checked .
In addition to the Tire , alloy is damaged most likely beyond repair though i will try to get this checked locally and see if this can be used as spare after getting the bulge removed - it has not cracked but a portion has chipped off due to which the tire got damaged .
Side Foot support has also got a big dent - one more observation - during steep inclines if we loose RPMs the car will not climb - is it because of Turbo ? this problem was never faced in Pajero . I believe front suspension of Pajero & Fortuner are also different - maybe Pajero Shocks can take more linear movement , overall missed my Pajero Badly.

Quote:
A question for both Anupam and Turbonator - does Toyota have a service centre in Leh? Did you get the cars serviced - or things like air filters cleaned and underbody checked - in Leh? If so, where, and any ideas on availability of spare parts for Innovas (quite likely, since there are many Innova taxis in Ladakh), but what about the Fortuner?
I got the car washed & inspected at a local station next to the hotel Grand Dragon where we stayed & got the Air filter cleaned .
As per service station guy - Fortuners cannot be registered as Taxi in Leh so the only ones are privately owned ones which are limited though I doubt this information .

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AT tires help a lot there.
Hi TSK - I got the new tires before Trip maybe I should have followed advise of fellow members recommendation for Yokohama - the ones that i got fitted are Michelin Latitude Cross - these behaved exceptionally good in mud & Snow but there side walls are too soft to be called as A/T . Is it possible to use the damaged tire - small cuts on side wall with a tube ? I will try to post pictures soon

Last edited by Turbanator : 15th June 2011 at 01:16.
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Old 15th June 2011, 08:18   #213
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

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\on return from Leh just like last time i planned to do same day - started at about 7 am and crossed T- la by 10 Am , after T La we started taking some off roads and i missed the right turn for Pang - crossed the beautiful lake - Tso Kar and then to Gompa

\after having Eggs as dinner at around 2 ;00 Am at Manali Bust Stand we continued towards Chandigarh finally reaching home at about 10: 00 Am thanks to Traffic Jams after Bilaspur - so this time we took close to 27 Hours from Leh to Chandigarh ..



\ Is it possible to use the damaged tire - small cuts on side wall with a tube ? I will try to post pictures soon
Hi Turbanator, when where you there in Leh, apparently you took the Manali route on your rerurn, but is it not still closed, at least that is what I was told hence had to go back through Srinagar

for your side-wall cut, try the mushroom patch from Omni
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Old 15th June 2011, 08:58   #214
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

Quite an experience, Ladakh always causes a scare and brings out the best in everyone

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Safari started giving problems as its engine got overheated & battery wire got detached - had to Tow the car for some distance before we could fix the battery . After this incident we had to reduce the speed for fear of overheating of Safari .
What caused the overheating? How did you solve the problem?

Quote:
this crater was completely submerged under water & the width of road was very narrow besides I always prefer to keep car towards Hill side , we had to jack up the car using 2 Jacks as i was not carrying Hydraulic jack and the road was very soft , to add to the problems the spare tire was also punctured
Can you elaborate on the jack technique that you used?
I think one should always have the trolley-type jack, you can hoist the car with it and also move forward. Maybe that is an essential tool for Ladakh. I have a trolley jack which I can use to hoist up one side or one tyre of the car and then move forward if the other wheels get traction. Typically helps if one side of the car has fallen into a ditch.


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In addition to the Tire , alloy is damaged most likely beyond repair though i will try to get this checked locally and see if this can be used as spare after getting the bulge removed - it has not cracked but a portion has chipped off due to which the tire got damaged .

the ones that i got fitted are Michelin Latitude Cross - these behaved exceptionally good in mud & Snow but there side walls are too soft to be called as A/T . Is it possible to use the damaged tire - small cuts on side wall with a tube ?
That is bad news for Michelin. I have used Yokos in my Scorpio in Ladakh and they took the terrain very well and if I recall, I came back without a single cut.
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Old 15th June 2011, 09:04   #215
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

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Originally Posted by Anupam View Post
Hi Turbanator, when where you there in Leh, apparently you took the Manali route on your rerurn, but is it not still closed, at least that is what I was told hence had to go back through Srinagar

for your side-wall cut, try the mushroom patch from Omni
The Leh-Manali route is already open (for the last 10 days or so) and one of my friends has also returned that way to Delhi/Pune. He reported the road to be in very bad condition, and found many of the smaller cars struggling on some of the muddier stretches in the Keylong-Manali sector. And not to talk about the gruesome traffic jams after Rohtang Pass!
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Old 15th June 2011, 09:16   #216
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

All planned for the trip. We start on the 18th early morning. Only one glitch, our contact in manali is not reachable. Might need to scout for a hotel when we reach there. Anyone know of a reasonable place to stay in at Palchan or kothi?
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Old 15th June 2011, 09:26   #217
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

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He reported the road to be in very bad condition, and found many of the smaller cars struggling on some of the muddier stretches in the Keylong-Manali sector.
In that case, should I prefer Srinagar-Leh-Srinagar to Srinagar-Leh-Manali if I drive in my Linea in August?
 
Old 15th June 2011, 09:28   #218
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

hi Anupam

Manali route is indeed open & the best part is most of the passes are covered with fresh snow & if you are lucky you may see snowfall at this time as we could experience , in fact because of Snow these passes looked exceptionally beautiful , sorry you missed maybe this will make you come again next Year .

Thanks for your advise on repair of tire - can you please elaborate on this - from where can we get this done or do we need to buy something ?


HVK

Overheating was due to combination of reasons - Safari is no match for Fortuner & Driver was revving it hard & tried best to follow me in addition to this its a old car with more than 250 T Km so it has lots of small problems , Radiator water coming out of reservoir ( must be a sign of overheating ) . We were carrying Jump Leads for Battery which we eventually cut to make a New Battery Lead . We reduced speed afterwards ensure that we are not left stranded - at one time Safari Engine was making all kind of sounds as if Cranks have been damaged - but once it cooled it started again - In addition to Head gasket change clutch is also been replaced ow on safari at Chandigarh .

Regrading Jack - I used my Fortuner Jack first which was not able to lift the car & then used the safari Jack by putting a flat rock under it .. Yes the Hydraulic one would have been much better & should be a must for this route - it was in my Pajero all the time before is sold it ..

Regarding Jams at Rohtang , i hear that its is much worst this Year & that was the reason I had planned to cross in night itself - For about 1 Hour or so when we were stranded there was not even a single vehicle but as we crossed Gulaba there were lost of trucks approaching Rohtang via Manali Side -as the road is still not officially open for Heavy vehicles , i think check posts allow these trucks late in night after having some money .
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Old 15th June 2011, 09:41   #219
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In that case, should I prefer Srinagar-Leh-Srinagar to Srinagar-Leh-Manali if I drive in my Linea in August?
No, stick to the Srinagar-Leh-Manali route. August will be better in some ways - less snow melt and less tourist traffic on Rohtang Pass (now it is peak holiday season, and hence more cars), but can also get difficult because of heavy rains in HP at that time.
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Old 15th June 2011, 09:50   #220
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Thanks, hvkumar, for prompt response. I would stick on to Srinagar-Leh-Manali route.
 
Old 15th June 2011, 11:04   #221
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

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Hello HVK Sir ,
After this incident my Steering wheel is not in center any longer - i need to keep it by about 10- 15 degrees towards right - is it because of Alignment or something serious ?

In addition to the Tire , alloy is damaged most likely beyond repair though i will try to get this checked locally and see if this can be used as spare after getting the bulge removed - it has not cracked but a portion has chipped off due to which the tire got damaged .

One more observation - during steep inclines if we loose RPMs the car will not climb - is it because of Turbo ? this problem was never faced in Pajero . I believe front suspension of Pajero & Fortuner are also different - maybe Pajero Shocks can take more linear movement , overall missed my Pajero Badly.
Hi there

Sorry to hear about the bad luck.

As a fellow Fortuner owner, wanted to get more inputs on the isssues you faced:

1. The pothole mush have been bad to cause that kind of damage. I went over ~ 8 inch large potholes at speed during a recent trip, but didn't face any noticeable problems. Did you hit it at speed?

2. The 'not climbing' problem: do you think it was due to not being in the peak torque RPM curve, or was it because of some other issue e.g. improper combustion? I have never faced any issues with Fortuner's pulling power as long as I was over 1400 RPM...though I haven't taken her to high altitudes yet.
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Old 15th June 2011, 11:35   #222
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Originally Posted by nilanjanray View Post

2. The 'not climbing' problem: do you think it was due to not being in the peak torque RPM curve, or was it because of some other issue e.g. improper combustion? I have never faced any issues with Fortuner's pulling power as long as I was over 1400 RPM...though I haven't taken her to high altitudes yet.
I don't think it is a "power" problem as such, must be because the ECU is unable to configure the air-fuel mixture in such high altitudes (low oxygen) and hence engine is not able to develop full thrust. When we went to Ladakh with both crde and non-crde Scorpios (like mine), I found mine performing much betetr since it was not hampered by the ECU getting "lost". I recall a M&M guy telling me that the Scorpios ECUs are configured for upto 4000 metres altitude, whatever that means! Suffice to say that it must be the car's electronics stopping the engine from unleashing its full power. A normal car would not be designed for high altitudes, Ladakh is an extraordinary place to drive around in, unlike any other place in the world, and no point in tinkering with cars for all the Infinitesimal possibilities.
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Old 15th June 2011, 11:38   #223
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

Hi nilanjanray

8 Inch- are potholes as you said - what you will face in these roads are best termed as craters - the one where I got hit must be about 1-1/2 fts - the car almost tilted and for a moment i felt we are gone .. i was not at speed must be less than 30 - though it was climb and i was trying to accelerate .

The throttle response was very bad - I had to continuously floor the accelerator - can be because of - less oxygen / Turbo Lag / Diesel Quality - after Manali it was fine - new fuel , better air maybe .

Last edited by Turbanator : 15th June 2011 at 11:41.
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Old 15th June 2011, 11:41   #224
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Yes, that is what I was thinking of when I used the layman's term improper combustion. But, Innovas drive around there all the time. Maybe they have tweaked the mappings, or follow a certain RPM range diligently.
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Old 15th June 2011, 11:49   #225
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Re: Leh 2011 - Trip Planning - All queries go here

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The throttle response was very bad - I had to continuously floor the accelerator - can be because of - less oxygen / Turbo Lag / Diesel Quality - after Manali it was fine - new fuel , better air maybe .
Was your Air Filter ok?

The problem sounds more like air starvation problem to me rather than anything else.
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