What vehicle thread?

[daveO]

Swedish Thule does not whistle or sing, but it does dance for sure!
They do not even increase the fuel use much.

I have owned a few of those with various add ons. Swedish quality.

Off topicish question but since there are people of various nationalities here someone might know: How is Thule pronounced? Most people in the UK say thoole or thewal to rhyme with tool. The Americans I've heard say toolay but it seems like it would be Toolah in Swedish. It's always bugged me.

 

[Janne]

Tule.
Silent h. Long u and short e.
BUT : U pronounced almost like the Y in Ypsilon. Kind of halfway between an U and Y-ypsilon
E like in Epilepsy.
There is only one way to pronounce it of course, the Swedish way.( It is very difficult for a non Brit like me to try to explain phonetics - sorry!)

Say 'you' - the u is pronounced like the last part of it. But a tad more towards Y (ypsilon)
Gosh, it is impossible!

Maybe some other Swede here on Forum is better in explain the phonetics?

(Name refers to Ultima Thule)

 

[santaman2000]

....(Name refers to Ultima Thule)

I always think of the Air Force Base in Greenland.

 

[Janne]

Myself of the Swedish music group Ultima Thule....

 

[Robson Valley]

Thule: "thool" literally phonetic in some unknown language but recognizable here.

"Toolies" (rhymes with 'tool') is a descriptive term for a swampy landscape character, populated by Typha latifolia, the cattail.
At anything up to 96" tall, my Suburban was a good tub for harvesting them.

 

[Paul_B]

There's American toolie or the only way I can think of it as Thule. Th as from the. U as from you. And le as in a kind of short French le. If it was toolie with a silent h part not a th dipthong I can get but to me the e has to be short. Two letters e at the end perhaps but it's one e.

I'm English (English is to my shame the only language I have in sufficient quality to base my opinion on) so I've had to use my mother tongue to understand the name.

All off topic but interesting. However Thule are the only rack brand I trust for the main bars. I hope they keep supplying rectangular bar fixing kits because it will keep my car switching cheaper if I can keep.getting the kits to attach the bar to the car.

 

[Paul_B]

If anyone's interested there's a Nissan Elgrand XL model for sale through Algy's motors (in Japanese auction, they'll import and register UK for you). 4wd, standard alloys with normal tyres on but aftermarket alloys with snow tyres with the deal. Bose sound system, twin satnav, flip down monitor, 7 seats, full ac climate control, electric rear doors, all the car like gizmos and drivers aids. Forgot to say black and a modest chrome too.

Nice car but no expected otr uk prIce given. Contact them if interested but I'd expect £6-7k through Algys but add a few more grand from other dealers for anything close if you can find something.

Just thought I'd tempt a few on here. I reckon a good alternative for daily use with space. There's a £7995 one too, actually reckon this one will cost the same. They both look very similar.

I think they ride better than vw vans/buses with more gadgets/luxuries.

 

[srod]

Hmmm, in a car like that I'd be too worried about getting the carpets dirty to risk getting out of it in a forest situation... probably just wind down the window and take a photo instead.

I spent last night doing some repairs on my Defender ready for it's MOT, outside in the dry, dark and cold, radio on, tea on the stove. I had to replace some brake lines and a worn track rod end. I had to buy then teach myself to use a brake pipe flaring tool, really satisfying getting it right, another tool to add to the collection. Then I had to practice the trick of 'breaking the taper' to get the old track rod out end out, which involves hitting it hard from both sides with my two biggest hammers, also got to play with fire in the form of my propane torch to free the old thread. Back together now, very satisfied, all good fun, I recommend it!

 

[Paul_B]

Not my idea of fun. My idea of fun involves driving a car that's reliable and easily fixed by letting it reside at a local garage for a day in.exchange for money. While I'm out doing something enjoyable with my time.

I do find it funny how defender drivers love fixing their cars so much. Is it something you have in you before you buy your first defender or something you learn to love as a result of having to do it to keep your defender on the road without blowing shedloads of money at a garage?

 

[Janne]

The t in Thule is pronounced like a ‘t’ in the bird ’tit’. Not like the ’t’ in ‘the’
As I said it is virtually impossible to write down phonetics.

My pronouncination would be the way it is pronounced in Stockholm.
Where I am from.
No, Defender owners do those things because the vehicles are designed to be simple to be servised and fixed.
No special tools, no sensors that need dedicated computers.
Parts that are cheap and widely available.

 

[srod]

That's fair enough, I agree it's not for everyone!

It's just that they are generally easy to fix, most of the time just relying on big hammers, big spanners and blow torches. Cheap too, this MOT work has only cost me £60, including buying the tools, not bad for a 15 year old car. It's the satisfaction of the feeling of self reliance. Last night it took me less time and hassle to fix it myself than what it would to have done to drop it off at at garage, and pick it up again, and I learned something. Whilst I was outside playing with bits of metal, most of my neighbors seemed to be indoors staring at screens.

I don't think they are any less reliable than any other car (more so in my experience!), just people go on about it more as they are the one's doing the work.

 

[Broch]

That's fair enough, I agree it's not for everyone!

It's just that they are generally easy to fix, most of the time just relying on big hammers, big spanners and blow torches. Cheap too, this MOT work has only cost me £60, including buying the tools, not bad for a 15 year old car. It's the satisfaction of the feeling of self reliance. Last night it took me less time and hassle to fix it myself than what it would to have done to drop it off at at garage, and pick it up again, and I learned something. Whilst I was outside playing with bits of metal, most of my neighbors seemed to be indoors staring at screens.

I don't think they are any less reliable than any other car (more so in my experience!), just people go on about it more as they are the one's doing the work.

Sshhhh, don't let out the secret that they're not really unreliable! more people will want to buy them and then the price will go up even further!

The reality is that between 70 and 80% of all Defenders ever made are still on the road (apparently) - they're bound to need a fair bit of looking after especially when you think about how they're used. My current 110 has done a little over 108K miles and has only had a replacement clutch slave cylinder; I don't think that's unreliable!

If you do any serious trekking in your vehicle it's wise to be able to do the basic repairs at least in my opinion.

 

[Janne]

Owning and driving a Defender is a kind of masochistic experience.

After driving one for a while, when I go back to one of my more civilized cars, I say 'aaaaahhhhhhh......'

 

[Paul_B]

That's fair enough, I agree it's not for everyone!

It's just that they are generally easy to fix, most of the time just relying on big hammers, big spanners and blow torches.

I don't think they are any less reliable than any other car (more so in my experience!), just people go on about it more as they are the one's doing the work.

Certainly isn't for everyone.

Simple or easy to fix is relative. I probably won't find it as easy to fix as you. Not because it's hard but because I tend to dither over taking an action that is not readily reversible of wrong. Put simply it's not that I can't do it I just don't have the confidence to. Sounds pathetic but I like to understand things just not the physical action. Partly it's because I could do something but take 4 times as long as a trained mechanic and still it wouldn't be as good a job. Plus I'll need to buy a lot of the tools needed.

Our car is complex but reliable in the important parts. Climate control went but it's not important.

 

[Janne]

I never had a 90, 110 or a Defender break down so it did not drive. Has happened to three of the other cars I have owned.


The 2013 Defender I have now has even an AC!
Fantastic! Pity the nozzles can not be adjusted fully. It is a Defender after all!

Well, better to have a freezing left elbow than be sweaty all over!

 

[Paul_B]

TBH reliability isn't everything, how the car drives has some importance as does practicality. For our use I doubt the practicality of a 110 defender would get past the comfort side of modern cars that my partner values.

 

[Janne]

You can make them comfortable by changing the seats and tyres . Smaller, padded steering wheel.
But they will always drive like a tractor.
Primitive suspention, no ABS, stuff like that. Noisy. Snail acceleration. Crap roadhandling in higher speeds, sensitive for crosswinds, or overtaking lorries and busses.

 

[Broch]

You can make them comfortable by changing the seats and tyres . Smaller, padded steering wheel.
But they will always drive like a tractor.
Primitive suspention, no ABS, stuff like that. Noisy. Snail acceleration. Crap roadhandling in higher speeds, sensitive for crosswinds, or overtaking lorries and busses.

No ABS? Crap roadhandling? I think we drive different vehicles? I can slide mine around damp corners and power through a drift when most family front wheel drive boxes will have understeered into the ditch . Admittedly, it's not comfy for the passenger driven like that as the body rolls. Mine has ABS, traction control, comfortable heated leather seats, air con, sat nav ... I can drive for hours and get out as though I've been in an armchair. OK, get a base spec (of any car) and it's a huge compromise but spec it for how you want to use it and I have no complaints at all.

 

[Janne]

I do not think the 2013 Defender has those modernities? I have only driven it for a couple of months, so unsure.
It is an UN spec vehicle. Heavy duty chassis and suspention, heavy duty rims and tyres.
Made to lug sacks of corn around Africa I guess....

None of the other ones had anything like what you describe.
Leather seats yes..

Yes, I find the roadhandling worse than in any other car I have owned, except a late 1970's Zhiguli and 1980's Lada Niva I had the pleasure owning!

Those two Soviet wonders were very Defender like in tech, ruggedness , serviceability and comforts!

 

[Broch]

Since 2007 the XS spec vehicles have had pretty decent kit on them: central locking, electric windows and the kit listed earlier - of course the purists don't think that's right for a Defender but I have a Series III for my nostalgia
I would think the heavier spec of the UN vehicle would make it less nimble (if that's a word that can be used in the same sentence as Defender ).