It's about time to introduce myself. My name is Soma, and I am from Budapest, Hungary. Bought my Rex last August from forum member @ttaattaa (this one, below). Checklist vor dem Kauf
Right now it is clocking at 140k kms, and ran smooth until like 2 weeks ago, when this happaned:
Rust struck hard... Right now it is at the mechanic's. They will weld a new anchor point, and pretty much rebuild the cross bridge section. While at it, the car gonna get new rust protection, new dampers and rear springs (Pedders). A snorkel and front LOKKA will be built in as well. I know these task are usually carried out by owners (respect for You all out there), but I have neither the space nor the tools for that.
Once the mechanical stuff is finished, I'll get on with the camper box. As I am an avid climber and hiker, it shall be utilized for such trips.
All in all, I'd like to say thank You for all the knowledge shared here. Also sorry for posting in English. as I do not speak German, I utilize auto-Google translate.
Long story short, the shop I took the Rex to, is an official distributor of Pedders. At first I had an inquiry to install the forum-advised Koni dampers and ARB coils, which they would have done but without any form of warranty. But really what made me pledge for the (more expensive) Pedders, is that they have a wast experience with those parts, and will customize / build the new anchor points in the rear, so the dampers wont need any modification - unlike the Konis. They've build a couple of Delicas, and while sure they are not completely the same, are still close. Front should be foam based, rear shall be gas. I'll update with the part numbers once I have them.
As for the Lokka - they also use it for most of the cars they build for being cheap, easy to install, and reliable (only issue they know about is the small pins and springs inside). Also told me that the locker in the rear (M80 if I recall it properly) is a no brainier, and install it into custom vehicles too if its available (goes for a surprisingly high price here). Oh yeah, they build around 120 off road cars a year, organize trips and expeditions to Asia, so It seems they know their stuff.
Lokka was shipped yesterday from the USA, Pedders parts are excepted to arrive in 4-6 weeks, and hopefully in the meantime logistics wont be shut down completely.
Well about the nice starex... Yesterday the service was going to wash the undercarrige before applying the rust protection, so they lifted it... At least they have tried, when the front-right lifting point imploded.
mmooooaaarrrr rust, more expenses. Rust related repairs are clocking in at ~2500 EUR. Plus suspension upgardes, snorkel, LOKKA install, etc. |addpics|te4-h-1f3b.jpg-invaddpicsinvv,te4-i-6adb.jpg-invaddpicsinvv|/addpics|
Ohh, thanks for the heads up. I've forwarded the picture, and the snippet from the user manual to the shop. Wonder if it was on purpose because of the wash? I don't know... At the end of the day tho I am kind of glad that it was revealed and will be fixed. Planning some longer trips around Europe later, and I'll sleep better knowing there is... well at least less rust.
They've just replied that they are aware of the correct lifting / jacking points, but the arm of the lift does not reach so far in - so they had no other options. I am relieved that they knew it at least. Seemed like a lame error for such a quality shop.
Bit of an update: The Rex is ready. Well, I am still waiting for the LOKKA, so minus that. It was shipped from Dallas a month ago, and yesterday it was still in Chicago... Anyway, the new suspension is awesome. No more rocking back and forth, lot stiffer in corners - its a huge upgrade. Components are the following: Pedders: 9551, 9505, 7839.
Once the LOKKA is here, they'll install it as well. Also they asked me to drive around a few hundred kms and go back for checking / fine tuning, so I am planning to combine the two.
Now I can get back designing the camper-box in the rear.|addpics|te4-j-d9de.jpg-invaddpicsinvv,te4-k-f068.jpg-invaddpicsinvv,te4-l-118b.jpg-invaddpicsinvv|/addpics|
Got the new wheelset: BFG AT's, 30x9.5R15, with the forum favorites Dotz Dakar rims. With the lift, they fit with no other fix. Maybe 5% less mileage on highway. |addpics|te4-m-7a0f.jpg-invaddpicsinvv|/addpics|