OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

[ozgeoff Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ozgeoff]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Hi OGG ..... now that you've had the Grande for a while I'd be interested in your thoughts on the leather seats.
- are they OK in the hot humid weather you get up your way?
- are they easy to keep clean?
- are they showing any signs of wear other than the usual wrinkles that leather gets over time?
Thanks and regards
Geoff

[OldGreyGuy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close OldGreyGuy]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Hi OGG ..... now that you've had the Grande for a while I'd be interested in your thoughts on the leather seats.
- are they OK in the hot humid weather you get up your way?
- are they easy to keep clean?
- are they showing any signs of wear other than the usual wrinkles that leather gets over time?
Thanks and regards
Geoff

Geoff,

No problem keeping them clean but we don't have young kids in the car and our pet is not really the active kind, she likes to curl up on the floor.

Mrs OldGreyGuy hopped in the other day after we had been in the sun and did comment that she may want to get some sheepskin covers.

Yes they wrinkle, but in that attractive kind of leather way.

The level of adjust-ability is really great just a shame that there is no seat heater (for the Missus on cold mornings) but apart from that they are not bad as seats go.

Cheers
OGG

[Sunday Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sunday]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

OGG: I know you're leaving any suspension changes until other mods are carried out. Just curious though: what options are you considering? Doesn't the Grande feature adjustable air suspenion that at least in some way accommodates changing load & ground clearance requirements?

Have you had an opportunity to put this through it's paces a little?

Cheers,
Sunday

[ozgeoff Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ozgeoff]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Geoff,

No problem keeping them clean but we don't have young kids in the car and our pet is not really the active kind, she likes to curl up on the floor.

Mrs OldGreyGuy hopped in the other day after we had been in the sun and did comment that she may want to get some sheepskin covers.

Yes they wrinkle, but in that attractive kind of leather way.

The level of adjust-ability is really great just a shame that there is no seat heater (for the Missus on cold mornings) but apart from that they are not bad as seats go.

Cheers
OGG

Thanks OGG ........ the reason I asked because I'm thinking of getting the VX in the 150 series when it comes out. As you say sheepskin covers might be the go in the hot weather .... it does get hot down here in Melbourne occasionally!

Cheers
Geoff

[OldGreyGuy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close OldGreyGuy]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

UHF install - GME TX3340

I have been slack, a couple of weekends away, my father's 90th, my wife's 50th and chasing around after the family has meant that the Prado has been sitting quietly in the drive not getting built-up.

I did the install a few weeks ago just before going away as I wanted to ensure that we could communicate with the others in our party.

I previously set-up the ZCG Scalar GRN480 UHF Antenna and so this was ready to go. I mounted this Antenna on the roof rails and the cable goes back down the rail, beside the rear door, through the side panel and terminates under the driver's seat. This was the ideal space for the unit which I cable tied to the springs under the seat.

The GME unit is really small, and was easily installed the unit comes with a microphone extension cable which makes it easier to locate the microphone. I decided to place the extension connector up on the panel near the drivers left leg:


Power was taken from a distribution panel I have under the bonnet, this is temporary while I sort out the bullbar and dual battery installation.

The microphone merely attaches to the connector and is currently just sitting in front of the H-L transfer case lever. Is seems to rest in there happily without moving so I'll just keep an eye on this:


Seems to be working well, I can pick up the UHF-07 repeater at home and on the highway I have no problems picking up the truckies on UHF-40.

[OldGreyGuy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close OldGreyGuy]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Kaymar rear tyre spacer

I've been away camping a number of times since I bought the Prado and have found that the straps on our rear tyre rubbish bah have been difficult to use as the rear tyre is so close to the door. I'm also thinking about the future when I get rid of the standard tyres and so I bought a Kaymar rear tyre spacer.

The standard tyre mount doesn't leave much space to adjust the rear wiper or manage straps for a rear rubbish bag:


There are a number of other options such as the nylon cutting board spacers and the metal dogbones that are available from various sources. I decided to try the Kaymar rear tyre spacer.

Installation was fairly simple, the first stage is to remove the spare from the mount and then take the plastic guard off. When I took the guard off I noticed that there were 5 round soft rubber pads on the back of the guard and that these had left light marks which quickly washed off, there was grit behind one which I think could have easily have begun to rub at the paint. Once the guard is removed just unbolt the 4 bolts holding the mount onto the door, the nuts are captive and will stay with the door. Here is the guard on the tyre mount, removed and the bare door showing the marks:


Fortunately the marks washed right off and the door cleaned up with no problem.

Mounting the spacer is very simple, I added a couple of strips of 1mm rubber I got from Clark Rubber and the spacer just bolted onto the same places as the tyre mount using the same bolts that were on the original mount. The spacer came with another set of bolts, washers and nuts which are used to bolt the original mount onto the spacer.


Once bolted on the spacer adds about 30mm of space between the tyre and door. The wiper has more room and there is room to mount the rubbish bag.


The hard tyre cover only just fits the Grandtreks, with a larger tyre or one with a more prominent tread it is more difficult and so I have put the mounts for the original tyre plate that came with the Grande. I know I will not need this immediately (as there is just so much more to do and only so much money) but I just wanted to put the mount on for when I upgrade the tyres.

[foxclan Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close foxclan]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Hi there oldgreyguy
Thanks for the write up and the pictures.
How does the rear door feel with the spacer and wheel fitted?
I mean do the door hinges feel solid with the wheel offset.
Cheers Troy

[OldGreyGuy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close OldGreyGuy]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Hi there oldgreyguy
Thanks for the write up and the pictures.
How does the rear door feel with the spacer and wheel fitted?
I mean do the door hinges feel solid with the wheel offset.
Cheers Troy

I went out this morning and opened and shut (slammed) the door a couple of times and it seems solid, no movement in the hinges up and down when the door is open.

One of the guys that works with me has had one on his Patrol for well over a year and even though it has a smaller door it hasn't budged. he even has a mount and his Hi-Lift on it so that makes up some extra weight.

Some other folks have done this or are using the dog bone/cutting board options and they haven't reported too many issues. We'll just have to see how it goes.

Cheers OGG.

[OldGreyGuy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close OldGreyGuy]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

ARB Deluxe Winch Bar

I've been in a light truck (F100) that hit a big roo at dusk when I was a teenager. The roo was a mess and the F100 had a hole in the radiator where the grill had been pushed back into it. We managed to get the truck back to the farm as we were travelling round a lake and we had another vehicle racing ahead and they would stop occasionally fill up the three buckets we had and fill up the truck as it came up to us. Since then I always worry when travelling at that time of day and when I bought the Prado for touring, the Missus and I resolved that we would get a front protection bar for the car.

Well the day came and we ordered the ARB Deluxe Winch Bar in the dark grey powder coated base colour. I like this combination as it matches the other black or near black components on the car (roof rails and racks, tyres, sidesteps, mud-flaps) and contrasts the silver of the paint. So I went to work in the morning:


...and came home in the evening with a new front bar:


Previously I had decided that I would use a roof mounted UHF antenna and so I installed a ZCG Scalar GRN480 UHF Antenna. I had decided on the roof mount and I am glad I did as the bar does not have mounting tabs as some bars do.

The fog lights connected up to the same wiring loop and so the same switch on the light/indicator stalk works perfectly:


Below are a couple of shots of the recovery points:


Of course now this is on I need to plan the dual battery, lights, upgraded front suspension..........

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Looks good OGG. I really think the standard dark grey is a great look on a Prado

[butane8 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close butane8]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Very nice...OGG butane

[Madkore Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Madkore]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Hey OGG, I think you will find there is a pre-cut hole on each side of the ARB bar near the headlight which can be used to mount an aerial or sand flag or the like. It probably has a bung in the hole at the moment though.

[ozwapet2 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close ozwapet2]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Looks good - welcome to the club . You've reminded me, I need to get one of those bonnet protectors ( as well as doing a job, I think they set off the front really well )

You can mount the UHF antenna in the side hole as sugggested above, but it will detract from it's performance by 1) being alongside rather than above the metal of the car and 2) being down very low. You can get aftermarket antenna brackets that clamp to the tubular bar work. I am trying one of these, but due to concern of the vibration of the bar, I still have my main antenna up on the roof rail. Best place for it, performance wise.

[OldGreyGuy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close OldGreyGuy]

Re: OldGreyGuy's 2008 D4D Grande

Thanks madkore and ozwapet2 I see the mount holes now that I'm not rushing back and forth to work, may be the place for a sand flag but I'm going to stick to using the UHF antenna I have on the roof rail, seems to work well. I wonder if I can get a sand flag mounted up there?

Cheers, OGG