MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

Yes, sadly it was not quite the off road adventure I was seeking although there were a few ruts. Yesterday we went to somewhere called Eco Park which is an animal sanctuary just outside Yaoundé. We saw the first sign which took us off the main road to Douala but missed the second which meant that we drove for miles over increasingly degrading road that became nothing more than dirt tracks. At one point there was a slope with very large rocks and deep crevices, so I decided we needed to raise the suspension.

After several miles and nothing matching the sketch map that we were following, we decided to ask someone for directions. We were told that we needed to turn round and go back to another junction. The FF's axle articulation came in very handy when I turned, traversing a medium sized bank at the side of the road and then drove back the way we had come. After a few miles we asked another person who suggested that we had missed the turning so we had to turn again. We turned off the main track at the next junction and went along another track before asking a third person who told us we had to turn around and head towards the main road. We continued a bit further until we found somewhere to turn again. Coincidentedly, where we decided to turn round, there was a moto-taxi (motorbike taxi) with three people and two large sacks on it. Fortunately, one of the passengers spoke a bit of English! The Yaoundé region of Cameroon is French speaking and although I can speak a bit of French, the Cameroon dialect and speed they talk means that I find it difficult sometimes to understand their replies to my questions.

Anyway, they suggested that we follow them to the turn off to Eco Park. You would have thought it would be easy to keep up with three people and two large bags on dirt track in an FF wouldn't you? One limitation to that I found out was that higher suspension setting limits you to 30mph so we resumed the normal setting - after all there were normal cars using the same routes - and so when conditions allowed, we were able speed up a little and keep up. Eventually, we had almost got back to the main road when they stopped and pointed to a small sign pointing down a dirt alley between some houses. We were a bit apprehensive bu pleased when we found it took us to our destination.

Unfortunately, we had both forgotten our iPads so we have no photographic evidence but the tyres were caked in mud, the FF is covered in mud - our car cleaner will be pleased when he sees it on Monday! I really enjoyed the off roading experience and will hopefully be able to convince my wife to try it again, especially if I let her have a go at driving! I will definitely remember to take my iPad next time.

Regards,

Steve

Just before the front suspension packed up we went in search of a waterfall. Although we never found it we did find the River Nyong!

 MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

Last Monday we left Yaoundé to drive to Libreville in Gabon to get the car serviced at the Land Rover dealership there. The distance is 1,000 kms each way so we split the journey in two, driving 400 kms on the first day and staying the night in Oyem, Gabon and then driving the remaining 600 kms the following day. For the second day, I shared the driving with a colleague who drove on the first leg. He seemed to have drawn the short straw because his stint included several sharp bends and a slow puncture that we eventually decided to change. My stint was far more interesting as the road was good in the main with lots of really long straights. I overtook a Mitsubishi pick-up truck which obviously upset the driver because whenever I looked in my mirror as we came across a bendy bit of road he was right on my bumper with his left hand out the window and on the roof and his right hand loosely holding the steering wheel. Obviously a local who knew when the bends were coming but I had the edge because whenever a straight bit appeared, I shoved my foot down and left him a memory in my rear view mirror. I decided to move into sport mode and this kept the gears for longer. After a few long straights, reaching 160 km/h I left him for good. Around Toum there was a stretch of road that was severely pot-holed and this reduced speed a lot.

Wednesday morning found us at the dealership at 9.30am to be told that they had no record of the car being serviced that day and suggested I come back on Friday! Another colleague who had arranged the service appointment was able to point out that he had spoken to the workshop manager who in turn, confirmed that he had been told and had written it down but not entered it on the system. All their technicians were busy with other vehicles and so the mechanic that was responsible for changing the fluids, changed the rear brake pads, spark plugs and filters. Because I had misread the last service advisories, I had misordered some spare parts for the lower arms and the rear wheel bearing and so these couldn't be done at the time. I also have a SRS light on the dash and was told that for them to reset it would cost me £133 for them to use the plug in IID tool. I decided it would be cheaper to buy the IID BT Tool for £325 excluding VAT and do it myself. I was totally disappointed with the dealership's attitude and especially the fact that they did not hold any spare parts. I will be complaining to Land Rover because this is the nearest dealership to Yaoundé and we definitely need a dealer in Cameroon.

We returned to Cameroon on the Friday and Saturday, arriving home around 3pm. That evening a taxi decided to clip the right hand corner of my front bumper, causing some gouges and leaving behind some yellow paint as I was indicating to turn right and was just about to turn. The appalling driving here has to be seen to be believed. Needless to say the driver didn't stop and the police weren't interested.

On Monday afternoon when finishing work and driving home, the car started to sound strange with a high-pitched revving noise and a gargling sound. A little while later I received a Stop Engine message on the dash so I quickly pulled to the side of the road and switched off. The car was taken to the garage on Tuesday and it appears that the timing chain tensioner had worked itself loose and the plastic guide rail or tensioner had been shattered, allowing the timing chain to knock against the rockers. The end result is about £200 in spares and £240 in labour for a 40 hour job that involves having to remove the front of the car to get at the front of the engine. Labour cost is cheaper here at roughly £7.25 an hour!

We are going to be off the road for the next two weeks which is really inconvenient....!

Regards,

Steve

I know how you feel re the driving expertise locally.

If they hit you, they drive off, unless they are cornered, then they try and blame you.

We have Boda Bodas (motor cycles) here, and whilst they keep the city moving, they are a nightmare to deal with if an altercation happens.

Thats a long way to drive to a dealership, We dont have one here either in Kampala. 600klms to Nairobi but there are a lot of Indies here so we are "okay", and I would not travel anywhere without my diagnostics machine.

Cheers, Jerry THIS WRECKAGE

£7.25 per hour......ahhh I remember those days!!

My main reason for getting a Faultmate was the lack of confidence in mechanics in Nigeria, even the dealer ones. So I would do all my fault finding and maintenance planning myself, order the necessary parts via the dealer in Rotterdam or Dan or Island 4x4 (front struts).

Then our company mechanic would do the work with me keeping an eye on things. Sometimes had to print out some parts of the workshop manual, discuss them with him and then he would do the work.

To be able to get your FFRR serviced in Lagos you first have to register at the LR dealer for a ridiculous amount of money. That is only to be able to get service !!! Then you have to pay ridiculous workshop rates and prices for parts. Needless to say I never even went near the dealership. MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!