xstreme911

Thanks so much for everyone's input - you have all been most helpful - especially for the links on the Defender auto conversions in the UK. Having done some more research I have found that Colonial will sell "locally built" Defenders - the TD5 110 is going for around Rs.7 M with english plates. I wonder how much a similar spec. english plate one will be at LR Motors and at the Kelaniya place - any ideas? It should probably be cheaper as Colonial is a big company and they provide a warranty as well. Does anyone have a contact at LR Motors and the Kelaniya place so I can discuss further with them? Would appreciate that very much. And it seems that the best engine types are the TD5 and the 300 TDi - which of these is the Ford Transit engine and which of these is the better, more trouble free, quieter and smoother engine (again my requirements are more on road than off)? Also in the recent budget duties on parts that are brought down for local vehicle assembly were dropped from 30% to 15% and the VAT has also reduced - shouldn't this have an impact on the cost of these "local built" Defenders? Re. the auto conversions if I am ordering a locally built Defender is it not possible to ask them to use a Discovery 2 auto gearbox (with Compushift) from the start - this way it will not be so much of a conversion, but built into the vehicle from the start so the price wouldn't be too much higher (compared to buying a manual Defender and then having the auto gearbox installed into it). Also would it be wise to do a automatic conversion here in Sri Lanka - do they have the expertise and who would you recommend? Thanks again everyone for all the advice.

Thanks so much for everyone's input - you have all been most helpful - especially for the links on the Defender auto conversions in the UK. Having done some more research I have found that Colonial will sell "locally built" Defenders - the TD5 110 is going for around Rs.7 M with english plates. I wonder how much a similar spec. english plate one will be at LR Motors and at the Kelaniya place - any ideas? It should probably be cheaper as Colonial is a big company and they provide a warranty as well. Does anyone have a contact at LR Motors and the Kelaniya place so I can discuss further with them? Would appreciate that very much. And it seems that the best engine types are the TD5 and the 300 TDi - which of these is the Ford Transit engine and which of these is the better, more trouble free, quieter and smoother engine (again my requirements are more on road than off)? Also in the recent budget duties on parts that are brought down for local vehicle assembly were dropped from 30% to 15% and the VAT has also reduced - shouldn't this have an impact on the cost of these "local built" Defenders? Re. the auto conversions if I am ordering a locally built Defender is it not possible to ask them to use a Discovery 2 auto gearbox (with Compushift) from the start - this way it will not be so much of a conversion, but built into the vehicle from the start so the price wouldn't be too much higher (compared to buying a manual Defender and then having the auto gearbox installed into it). Also would it be wise to do a automatic conversion here in Sri Lanka - do they have the expertise and who would you recommend? Thanks again everyone for all the advice.

Thanks so much for everyone's input - you have all been most helpful - especially for the links on the Defender auto conversions in the UK. Having done some more research I have found that Colonial will sell "locally built" Defenders - the TD5 110 is going for around Rs.7 M with english plates. I wonder how much a similar spec. english plate one will be at LR Motors and at the Kelaniya place - any ideas? It should probably be cheaper as Colonial is a big company and they provide a warranty as well. Does anyone have a contact at LR Motors and the Kelaniya place so I can discuss further with them? Would appreciate that very much. And it seems that the best engine types are the TD5 and the 300 TDi - which of these is the Ford Transit engine and which of these is the better, more trouble free, quieter and smoother engine (again my requirements are more on road than off)? Also in the recent budget duties on parts that are brought down for local vehicle assembly were dropped from 30% to 15% and the VAT has also reduced - shouldn't this have an impact on the cost of these "local built" Defenders? Re. the auto conversions if I am ordering a locally built Defender is it not possible to ask them to use a Discovery 2 auto gearbox (with Compushift) from the start - this way it will not be so much of a conversion, but built into the vehicle from the start so the price wouldn't be too much higher (compared to buying a manual Defender and then having the auto gearbox installed into it). Also would it be wise to do a automatic conversion here in Sri Lanka - do they have the expertise and who would you recommend? Thanks again everyone for all the advice.

Hi Everyone! Looking at getting a Land Rover Defender 110 (5 door) for general running about. First of all I would prefer an automatic (I know most would prefer a manual for better control off road etc.) but I would prefer automatic as the majority of the driving will be done on road. Is it possible to get automatic in Sri Lanka or is it only manual that is available (I have seen some autos in the UK - however I haven't seen any in Sri Lanka). If available then is there a price difference? Second - I was wondering which is best - the TD5 or the Puma version in terms of maintainance, engine noise, reliability etc. Any thoughts? Third - where should I get it from - Frontier Motors, Colonial Motors or LR Motors? And what price should I expect to pay at each of these places. Fourth - should I get it built for me (like they do at Colonial and LR) or should I buy one that has already been built and is already registered and on the road? Fifth - is the Defender classified as a Dual Purpose vehicle (like a double/single cab or van)? The reason I ask is then it can be considered a "company vehicle" used for commercial purposes (whereas a car or Montero for example cannot). Sixth - in terms of passenger comfort, cabin noisyness etc. - which is better - the Defender or a Toyota Double Cab? Finally - what sort of running costs are there on a Defender - as in fuel economy, costs of service, repairs and maintainance - just wondering if this is an economical vehicle to get. Look forward to your advice.

To SeanD - Not planning on using them at all - just wondering about the legality of it.............. I've seen so many vehicles on our roads with these lights etc. and was wondering if there is actually a law against it or what? As for the sirens - every 3 wheeler and some buses have them - and although you know that it's not an emergency services vehicle behind you it sounds similar enough to distract you for a while! So I wanted to know how these people get these things into the country in the first place - is it by hand carrying them when flying into SL? If so if it's so illegal won't they be stopped at customs? And once they've got them in here is there not a law in place that will allow the cops to fine them?

Hi. Have seen lots of cars on the roads today with police-style flickering red and blue LED lights on the front grille or windscreen. These lights are what undercover police cars use in the western world - they are installed inside a standard car and when the need arises you flick the switch and you have the flashing red and blue lights. It allows cars in front of you to have high visibility of your car and move out of the way - very effective for night time driving and very hard to see that these lights are installed in these cars based on just a casual inspection (unless the lights are switched on of course!) Since the lights are flickering and so bright, apart from the fact that most other cars move out of your way - it gives people high visibility of your car so even when driving out of town at night it alerts people on the road to your presence and so they (esp. pedestrians and cyclists) will move out of the way and therefore it will reduce chances of fatal accidents too. Is this illegal? Are you allowed to import these lights? What about those with sirens (with a different wailing tune in comparison to what the local emergency services use)? What would happen if the cops happened to stop you while you were driving around with these lights flashing - would the excuse that "so many cars, jeeps, buses, 3 wheelers etc have these lights on all the time so why can't I" work? Your views / opinions will be appreciated.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think I'm gonna just buy a Montero factory fitted diesel in the end. Definitely won't do the conversion - seems more trouble than it's worth!

Hi JadeyBlitzen, Thanks for the advice. Will definitely be looking at the Montero, as it is the jeep that I'm most interested in. I don't know if you'll have a 325- no. (like all the petrol Defenders that have been converted), as the new numbering system uses the 'english no's' like JZ _ _ _ _. So I don't know if there will be the issue of anyone knowing this was a converted vehicle but I see your point. Also I have seen one or two petrol to diesel converted Monteros advertised - the asking price is just a little under that of a factory fitted diesel of the same year/model, and the licence plate wasn't 325- if I remember correctly. Also you've advised of the LPG conversion option - any info. on the reliability/disadvantages of this? If converting a V6 Montero any ideas on the costs? And as a percentage what sort of performance reduction will you face? Look forward to hearing back from you as well as anyone elses views.

Hi. I have been looking at buying one of the following vehicles - either a Montero or Patrol or Land Cruiser as a petrol model and converting this to diesel (as in taking out the petrol engine and putting in a diesel one). As I love these jeeps, but the cost of the original diesel version is too high and the cost of running on petrol is crazy! 1. Has anyone got any experience in doing this? 2. Who would be best to do such a conversion? 3. Would they handle all the paperwork as well? (with RMV etc.) 4. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of doing this conversion? 5. I'm most keen on the Montero - roughly what costs would I be looking at if I were to buy a 2002 Montero and do the conversion? If I do this on a Montero would it be better to get the GDI model (which is cheaper than the V6) in order to reduce costs further? 6. Would it be cheaper if I did this on a Patrol or Land Cruiser of the same year of manufacture? 7. Since the engine is coming out of the jeep is it a problem if it has done many km's? (As in a high km jeep will cost less but since I'm taking out the engine and putting in a new one the high km's should not matter right? Except from the point of view of more wear and tear on the other parts of the jeep). 8. Would this diesel conversion be the best option or should I look at converting to gas? And if so what is the advise anyone can give based on the above? Look forward to hearing your opinions on this matter............

I have heard that the law banning tinted vehicles has been scrapped recently. First of all is this correct? Going on the assumption that the law has been cancelled - what are the exact legalities of getting your car tinted? Eg. tint percentage permitted, which parts cannot be tinted etc? Also is there a place where you can get written approval that the police will accept on the tinting of your vehicle? Like if you get your vehicle tinted, and you have a letter from the police or the tint supplier saying the tinting on this vehicle complies with the relevant Sri Lankan standard it will make life so much easier. Especially when you get stopped by a cop who would like to make his own judgement on whether your tint is in compliance with the law etc. Tinting obviously reduces the ambient temperature in a car therefore the AC etc doesn't have to work as hard etc - what sort of benefit in terms of percentages of fuel comsumption can you expect from tinting if any? And roughly how much should one expect to pay for tinting here for a small jeep (like a Freelander) and for a car (like a Sunny)? Is there anyone anybody out there can recommend? Also what are the advantages and disadvantages of tinting? And how would you recommend to get around these (eg. with the side windows tinted you can't clearly see your side mirrors, or with the back windscreen tinted you can't see out the back when reversing etc.)

I have often wondered why cars like Audis and VW's depreciate in value so much and so fast. There just isn't a second hand market for these cars in Sri Lanka and I've often wondered why. To date no one can give me a logical explanation. In most other countries Mitsubishis, Nissans and other Japanese cars depreciate at a much faster rate (in percentage terms) compared to Audis, VW's, BMW's and Merc's. Here it is the complete opposite where the Japanese cars are generally holding their value after 5 years (generally actually increasing in value!), but these European cars are worth only a fraction of what they were originally bought for. I have seen Audi A4's (2000 model) having an asking price of Rs. 2 Million. That's almost the same price as a Nissan Sunny N16 (the N16 being slightly cheaper). I can't understand this! I was thinking of getting either a second hand car 2000 model onwards in either Audi (A4 or A6) or BMW (3 Series) or VW (Passat) - it would be great if someone who knows what they're talking about can give me some advice on which brand and model would be the best buy, as well as any advice on these cars, pricing indications, which will hold value best, ease and economy of maintainance and repairs, cost of running, fuel economy etc.