Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
When I saw it was you posting - I expected the worst
Glad everything went OK
24th Dec 2007 7:24 am
Baben
Member Since: 15 Feb 2006
Location: Kyalami
Posts: 2059
Back from Namibia and Botswana. Had a great time!
No problems at all with the D3. Towed the trailer with no fuss. Lots of thick sand and mud work. No punctures in 6000km.
Fuel consumption 15.3l/100km. I guess the weight of the trailer had something to do with this.
Got stuck in a dry riverbed though, and got pulled out by a Hilux....
But I had the opportunity to recover a Prado and the same Hilux a couple of days later from some icky mud in Nata
Will post pics once I find the keys to the house.....
7th Jan 2008 5:29 am
Atacama
Member Since: 12 Jul 2007
Location: Paulshoff
Posts: 174
Well , decided to go to Greyton for Xmas . As usual the D3 had a healthy diet of kms . Almost 5000kms in 8 days and behaved impeccably. Also noticed a lot of D3’s starting to flash and wave . Must say the first 2 caught me totally off guard .I did a lot of kms on the gravel roads around the area and for the second time in 4 months I managed to puncture the left rear tyre .(Last time was in the Kruger) . Well I unpacked the car , hauled out the excuse for a jack and then sat with my finger where I did not want it . You see I had just got the car back from the panel beaters on the December 12 ( D3 meets Ranger Rover .. ) and forgot to check if all the bits and bobs where back in place. Yup you guessed it, the wheel spanner was not replaced.
BE WARNED > ALWAYS CHECK .
Anyway managed to find the leak and plug it . Fired up the compressor and BANG It snaps a connecting rod. Thank goodness for a bicycle pump . Yup 38 deg C and there I sit in the sun with a short stroke cycle pump, pumping up a 235 X 70 tyre . not fun at all. Got it done(stopping at the first service station to get the tyre presssure right) and and stayed on the tar till I got home.
Hope all of you had an awesome time .
7th Jan 2008 7:37 am
heine
Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
Welcome back guys - glad everyhting went OK - but I would have liked an excuse to come find you
7th Jan 2008 7:41 am
Richard SA
Member Since: 24 Apr 2007
Location: St Francis
Posts: 189
Hi All
All the best for 2008.
My trip was non as exciting like Namibia etc we went to the Eastrn Cape, Cape St Francis. The weather was moderate the fishing a troches.
Add close to 5K to the clock “she†ran like a dream with trailer and 4 up made it to Cape St Francis in 10 hours clocked speeds of 180k/h fuel consumption 13.5 k/l White LR3 TDV6 2007
8th Jan 2008 10:30 am
heine
Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
I stayed at home to assist with rolled landies
8th Jan 2008 11:00 am
robharvey
Member Since: 14 May 2007
Location: Durban
Posts: 138
Made the big mistake of taking the wife's Prado to Hoedspruit. Damn it's a piece of . I hobbled around for four hours afterwards just trying to get some feeling back in my legs. The cruise-control hunts down 2 gears on the slightest incline making it impossible to use, and the whole beast just feels so agricultural. And it's not even the diesel version which I've heard is an absolute dog.
Got back and took the D3 up to the Midlands. Permagrin restored.
8th Jan 2008 11:09 am
Baben
Member Since: 15 Feb 2006
Location: Kyalami
Posts: 2059
Posted a couple of pics
Posted a couple of the recovery pics to my gallery:
Didn't wanna bore you, but I had to post a couple of OT pics just to show why I would drive a coupe of thousand Km
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
9th Jan 2008 3:33 pm
Trackz
Member Since: 01 Nov 2007
Location: Pretoria
Posts: 2
still a bit of a rookie around here. did 4500km in 17 days covering all the great offroad passes of the southern & eastern cape, then baviaanskloof, transkei & lesotho en route back. wrote off one 18" wrangler and just hate them but was forced to put on 2 new ones to keep the set going. BABen - I notice you have the STT's (Coopers?) - how do these perform on tar road? Been thinking of dumping the 18" Goodyear's for Coopers - also to make the D3 look more offroad bling
Any suggestions?LR3 TDV6, BMW F650GS Dakar, Honda CRF250R, Specialized Epic ... if it goes offroad, I ride it!
9th Jan 2008 6:26 pm
Baben
Member Since: 15 Feb 2006
Location: Kyalami
Posts: 2059
hi and welcome.
Wouldnt use the STT as a dual-purpose tyre, as it is a bit noisy and doesnt hold wet tar as well as the softer types.
Offroad its pretty good and very hardy.
There are lots of discussions on the forum about this, suffice to say you either get 2 sets of tyres or you make a compromise. Depends what you want to do
9th Jan 2008 6:48 pm
heine
Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
Where was the kill - looks pretty fresh , did you see it happen ?
10th Jan 2008 9:12 am
Deondef
Member Since: 08 May 2007
Location: Randburg
Posts: 790
Yup - hols over for us as well !
Travelled a total of 3000 km's - no serious off-road stuff - D3 with roofrack only = aver of 11L/100km, D3 with trailer only (not heavy loaded) = aver of 10L/100km.
Made the first service with 200km's to spare ! No problems whatsoever - once again very impressed with space (on one trip we were 4 adults and 3 teenagers).
Now preparing for first "REAL" trip to Kgadigadi at end of April - can't wait
All of the best for 2008 - may you have k's of trouble free km's with your D3's !!!!!!!!!
Deon
11th Jan 2008 7:30 am
heine
Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
Yup - I'm doing Bots / Nam for 3 weeks in March April and it is already taking too long to get here
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we went to the Eastrn Cape, Cape St Francis. The weather was moderate the fishing a troches. 
. I hobbled around for four hours afterwards just trying to get some feeling back in my legs. The cruise-control hunts down 2 gears on the slightest incline making it impossible to use, and the whole beast just feels so agricultural. And it's not even the diesel version which I've heard is an absolute dog.
