This weekend I had my first off-roading experience! I took my new D3 on a 4x4 introductory course, and it was great! Most other participants thought it a bit weird that I took this new car off-road, but after seeing it work they were impressed anyway.
I must say that even after reading all the stories on this forum and getting advice from a number of members here, I was still surprised how easy it actually was with this car. Just selecting the right TR program and HDC, switching off DSC and everything went smooth. Every time I thought I would get stuck, or could not make it to the top of a climb, a little bit more on the accelerator would immediately solve it! And the handling was amazing, even in mud and loose sand it still responds very nicely to any steering input.
There were a couple of minor things that I found very annoying though:
- The DSC setting would keep switching on after changing the TR program, or turning offf the engine. I was surprised a couple of times with this, not getting the expected response from the car, and switching off DSC immediately fixed it. At the end of the day I had developed this automatic reaction to check all the settings before attempting any task.
- All the 'pinging' from the seatbelts, PDC, key in ignition and what have you. We kept hopping in and out of the car and switching off the engine to assess situations and receive instructions, and all those pinging noises drove me crazy
- After negotiating some mud (great! ) I got a 'suspension rising slowly' message for some time, and heard some hissing noises from under the front-end of the car. Could not see anything wrong, and it went away after some time.
I really had a great day out with the D3 and I was soooo proud of it, taking any obstacle so easily and being the most beautiful car of the lot at the same time!
I must admit that the obstacles were probably not very difficult to the standards of most of the people on this forum, but for a newbie like me it was just great!
I don't have too many pics, but I'll try to put some in my gallery later.
And thanks to all the guys here that helped me out so far with all their advice!
The permagrin is renewed and stronger than ever 2006 Zermatt Silver TDV6 'SE' Auto, Mantec sump guard, Frontrunner roofrack, Lightforce 140s, split charge system and... a Jetboil.
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12th Sep 2006 9:12 am
10forcash
Member Since: 09 Jun 2005
Location: Ubique
Posts: 16534
Beaker, glad you had a great time and demonstrated the Disco3's prowess to 'unbelievers'
The DSC behaviour is normal, if slightly annoying
Some of the pinging could also be the PDC, my nine year old is now well practiced at switching off the PDC & DSC together with dialling in the correct TR mode and shifting the transfer box ratio
The suspension raising slowly was probably due to the air receiver being empty and the system was waiting for the air supply to be replenished - were you 'demonstrating' the air suspension height change?
I take it you've not disabled the seatbelt audible warning then? 8)
I did not find the time to disable the seatbelt warning (9 times in and out within a minute, right?) but I will definitely do that before the next off-road trip. That may be a while though, not much off-roading around where I live...
Re the suspension: mrs Beaker is not very tall, so I had to lower the car to access height everytime we had to stop and get out of the car. So it was used quite often that day. For valid reasons, and not to impress anyone, ofcourse But they were anyway 8)
So, the hissing noise is normal then? How long should it normally take to fill the air receiver? 2006 Zermatt Silver TDV6 'SE' Auto, Mantec sump guard, Frontrunner roofrack, Lightforce 140s, split charge system and... a Jetboil.
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12th Sep 2006 9:37 am
10forcash
Member Since: 09 Jun 2005
Location: Ubique
Posts: 16534
Ahhhh.... that would explain it the hissing noises would be the car attempting to self-level after the height change, if you're going from offroad to access then back to offroad height, it will deplete the air resovoir quite quickly, it usually takes about 90 seconds to refill but will vary from vehicle to vehicle and dependent upon the terrain. I don't often switch the engine off when offroad for a couple of reasons, one is to ensure the air receiver is topped up and the other is to ensure that the battery does not become depleted due to the constant starting and the generally low engine speed not allowing the battery to be recharged effectively. Of course, I do turn it off (and remove the key) when the vehicle security may be compromised
12th Sep 2006 9:44 am
nwoods
Member Since: 03 Apr 2006
Location: Southern California
Posts: 563
I almost never turn my truck off when off roading and hoping in and out. I like to keep the settings where I had them. When I turn off (reboot), I always forget to turn off DSC for the first part of the next segment until I get the telltale GRRRR from the front wheel.
One thing I really like is that the "Recycle" air button stays on, even if you reboot the car. On our dusty trails, that is quite a handy feature, because the LED is so dim i cannot see it with my sunglasses on.
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I took my new D3 on a 4x4 introductory course, and it was great! Most other participants thought it a bit weird that I took this new car off-road, but after seeing it work they were impressed anyway.
) I got a 'suspension rising slowly' message for some time, and heard some hissing noises from under the front-end of the car. Could not see anything wrong, and it went away after some time.
2006 Zermatt Silver TDV6 'SE' Auto, Mantec sump guard, Frontrunner roofrack, Lightforce 140s, split charge system and... a Jetboil.
