[BlackPearl]

Wanted to click a picture like this, so changed the Odometer to show values in Kilometers. Currently facing an issue with the vehicle that needs to be sorted out. The brake pads worn out light have come back though the brake pads are fine. The mechanic said that it is a problem with the RRS where the rear sensor wire is gets cut. It is not a big problem, but MOT is due in December and it will not pass the test if that warning keeps on coming.



Next day went for a longish drive to Cotswolds to see the fall colours and it happened to be Halloween as well. A few pictures -

[ABHI_1512]

Such lovely pictures BlackPearl and that Bakery on the Water seems just the right kind of place for me !! Wishing you many more MILES with the beauty of your's. May be someday but will surely love to join you for a drive.

Regards,

[BlackPearl]

This is the first time in more than 2 decades of driving that I hit a curb and the rear left tyre developed a bulge. I had to merge into the main road and tried to do it quickly, missed the curb and brushed the tyre. Went down to check the damage at the next opportunity and got worried seeing the result.



Came back home and ordered the same tyre (Pirelli P Zero Asimmetrico) immediately. Cost me £190 for the tyre and it included fitting, wheel balancing as well as disposal of the old tyre. What I really wanted was to change the rims from 20" to 18" and go for AT tyres with a higher profile, but wanted to wait for the end of life for the current tyres. Changing all of them now would not be cost effective at all.

Two days later the mobile van from Kwikfit came to fit the new tyre at home.



The jack had a tough time to get the tyre off the ground due to the huge articulation.



Had to wait for almost 10 minutes for the compressor to reach enough pressure to raise the vehicle at an adequate height.



Wheel balancing was done and the new tyre was fitted. It took less than 30 minutes for the entire operation.

The setup inside the van

[BlackPearl]

Got the Range Rover Sport home last year on this day, can't believe it is already one year. After getting the vehicle we have put up almost 13 thousand miles on it and it has been a flawless performance so far. It has seen the beautiful countryside of England, the mountains of Scotland and the mighty Alps in Switzerland in the last year and has taken everything in its stride.

Went for a full service 2 days back at Halfords that set us back by £1200! This was on top of the £239 I had already paid online for the service. Attaching the receipt and vehicle condition report. So total cost of the service was £1444!





A picture in front of the Bernina Galcier, Switzerland

[Puneet0051]

What a lovely review BlackPearl. Happy to hear that your RR is running flawlessly all these months. And you seem to be fond of road trips and when you have a car which can go anywhere, I am sure it's all he more fun making a last minute plan, packing and just going.

Beautiful pictures. Happy motoring ahead. Tc

[BlackPearl]

I have not updated the thread for a very long time. The last long trip was in the months of December and January. I had put up a thread on that -

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ver-sport.html (White Alps to the Blue Mediterranean in a Range Rover Sport)

The Range Rover Sport performed flawlessly. A few pictures from the amazing trip.











Crossed 15 Thousand miles a few days back. The fuel consumption stats till date -

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

The Range Rover Sport performed flawlessly. A few pictures from the amazing trip.

Attachment 2138911

Congrats on the milestone, the first pic with the Alps(?) in the background is advertising material!

Did you ever evaluate the Freelander 2 along with Defender/Disco before finalizing on the RR Sport?

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Congrats on the milestone, the first pic with the Alps(?) in the background is advertising material!

Yes Dry Ice, Swiss Alps. It is in a place called Fanas.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Did you ever evaluate the Freelander 2 along with Defender/Disco before finalizing on the RR Sport?

My first choice was Defender, but it was very hard to justify the prices of them in the used market. I did not evaluate the Freelander 2. Personally I do not like the looks of the Freelander. I had almost finalised a Discovery 3 with a manual drivetrain, but the Range Rover Sport looked much better in person compared to the Discovery 3. Plus the RRS which we finalised was in a very good condition.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

My first choice was Defender, but it was very hard to justify the prices of them in the used market.

Forget the actual cars, scale model costs have gone up as well

These usually retail for a lot less, but see the costs of a Defender!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08PSHW5GG

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B083GDTXTP

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08KFDDS54

I did not evaluate the Freelander 2. Personally I do not like the looks of the Freelander. I had almost finalised a Discovery 3 with a manual drivetrain, but the Range Rover Sport looked much better in person compared to the Discovery 3. Plus the RRS which we finalised was in a very good condition.

Disco3/4 sure looks the part with that boxy design. Freelander is probably more suited to occassional rough roads as it doesn't seem to have a low range gearbox, just the standard Land Rover terrain response Wizardry. Going by their numbers in the used market though, they seem to have sold quite well.

[BlackPearl]

We bought 2 cycles and a cycle carrier for the Range Rover Sport from Halfords a few weeks back. All the items came boxed and had to be assembled, which was good fun.



The RRS came with detachable tow hook, so it was quite easy to install the cycle carrier.



However the the connector on the carrier was not a direct fit with that on the RRS. So had to buy this adapter from Amazon

Without this connector, the lights on the carrier will not work.





All set up -



We did a few trips during the weekends and am very happy with the setup. The cycle carrier is extremely sturdy. I was a bit apprehensive after getting the carrier from Halfords and not from Thule, but it seems to be quite good so far. Will be able to provide a better feedback after a few months of usage.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Forget the actual cars, scale model costs have gone up as well

Ha ha, yes you are absolutely right. But to be honest with you, I have not given up entirely on my dream of owning a Defender one day!

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Disco3/4 sure looks the part with that boxy design. Freelander is probably more suited to occasional rough roads as it doesn't seem to have a low range gearbox, just the standard Land Rover terrain response Wizardry. Going by their numbers in the used market though, they seem to have sold quite well.

Freelander seems to be quite good for offroading as far as I have seen the videos, and they had participated in the later years of Camel Trophy as well.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Ha ha, yes you are absolutely right. But to be honest with you, I have not given up entirely on my dream of owning a Defender one day!

My best wishes, hope it materializes soon

Freelander seems to be quite good for offroading as far as I have seen the videos, and they had participated in the later years of Camel Trophy as well.

Yeah, I did see those but it was way back in 98, and with the v1 model. The v2 seems to be a bit more road focussed. But agree, with some sensible mods, it is quite a capable car. Have seen some garages even do a lift kit on it.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

My best wishes, hope it materializes soon

Thanks to your wish, it got materialised soon

A few pictures with the RRS and Defender parked in front of our apartments.







I have changed the tyres on the Range Rover one by one over the last few months. Only one left to be changed now, will do it by next month. Since the RRS was pretty loaded in terms of gizmos, at least by my standards or expectations, I had not bought any gadget except an OBD2 scanner and a mobile holder. The only thing that I felt should have come with the vehicle was TPMS. So I recently bought a TPMS. It is a very cheap unit and now I am in dilemma whether to install it in the RRS or not.





I have installed the sensors and the reading is accurate. Only problem is I am not able to find a suitable place to install the display unit. Maybe will keep it somewhere hidden. Another option is to place it in the Defender and buy a more up-market one for the RRS.

Changed the engine oil and oil filter. There was a sound coming from the front suspension. Got it checked. Good that it is not the active stabiliser at fault. The front bushes were greased and the sound has gone off. Will have to get the bushes replaced at the next service. The mechanic told that it is a complicated job and will take more than half a day.

The car is in fantastic condition and the mechanic ran a full scan. There are no fault codes, everything is as it should be. The best compliment I believe one can get is when your mechanic says the car is in mint condition!

A couple of snaps of the RRS in the Alps -





Current odometer stands at 75800 miles, 17 thousand miles from the day we got it in 2019.

[abhikb]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Thanks to your wish, it got materialised soon

Many congratulations on the new addition, you are indeed a legend for many enthusiasts, I mean who owns a Defender, LR RRS, Bolero 4X4, Thar in a single lifetime.

All the best and wish you memorable miles with the beauties.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Thanks to your wish, it got materialised soon

A few pictures with the RRS and Defender parked in front of our apartments.

Congratulations on fulfilling a long held wish!

Hope to see it in it's natural habitat soon

[BlackPearl]

The Range Rover Sport should not feel neglected after the Defender came, so changed the fourth tyre and got the oil and oil filter changed though the next service is due in December this year. Thought of changing the oil and oil filter midway once just to be on the safe side. Got the wheel alignment done as well. Then went for a wash at a local garage and they did a very good job. The car is now glittering like new!

Wheel alignment being done


Wash in progress


All foamed up!


Cleaning the interior


Nice and shiny!


Saw another well maintained RRS L320, had to click a pic