2006 Toyota Land Cruiser - As used by the Taliban, Syrian Rebel army, and Santa Claus.

[St.Jude]

I have all the luck of a man who's won the lottery and decided to move to Kabul.

I buy a Land Cruiser, one that I've wanted for a long long time. I'm 30 miles in to ownership, and I find myself here.

At Satan's own behest, on this thing of a hard shoulder somewhere around Knutsford on the M6.

Why? Well it started to rain, and the wipers worked for a bit making an awful noise, then stopped.

So I can't see where I'm going.

I'm currently waiting for her majesty's own RAC to come help me, as the sun comes out. 10 minutes in, I get a text telling me the roads are extremely busy and I'll get an update in 30 minutes.

I'd also like to apologize to @Dave_Q as I was heading up to his to pick up my trailer that I won.

Other than wipers that don't work, it's a fucking lovely car to drive. If it's dry.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Unlucky! I admire your efforts with Toyota - unusually, they seem to be working against you at every given opportunity! 

As for RAC, I believe they're still on the way to collect @Six-cylinderand his Carlton from last week or something. 

On a serious note, wouldn't it be worth driving on when the rain buggers off and stopping somewhere and throwing some RainX or similar on the screen to get you home? 

[St.Jude]

8 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Unlucky! I admire your efforts with Toyota - unusually, they seem to be working against you at every given opportunity! 

As for RAC, I believe they're still on the way to collect @Six-cylinderand his Carlton from last week or something. 

On a serious note, wouldn't it be worth driving on when the rain buggers off and stopping somewhere and throwing some RainX or similar on the screen to get you home? 

Well to be fair, they answered quicker than the breakdown for WarrantyWise did!

I would if it was a normal road, but I don't want to drive blind on a motorway. Rainx is a good should though.

Can't even tell you what it is. He said before I left he changed the wiper blades as they were cack. Leaving there it misted a bit, and they worked but it was squealing. I just assumed the blades were that new.

Then on the motorway they just stop half way down the window. Like they were bogged down, until they stopped. The motor seems to want to move them, as you can see the blades twitch. But that's it.

[St.Jude]

Well I've just noticed no cars are in the slow lane, and there is a matrix sign on about lane closure ahead of me. 

I wonder if I've done that? Saying that, a police car with blooze and toooze has gone the opposite way. Maybe it's not for me.

I should also mention that there is a camera to the right of me, a speed camera, that's flashing all the time. So the cameras on this part of the M6 work.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

9 minutes ago, St.Jude said:

Well to be fair, they answered quicker than the breakdown for WarrantyWise did!

I would if it was a normal road, but I don't want to drive blind on a motorway. Rainx is a good should though.

Can't even tell you what it is. He said before I left he changed the wiper blades as they were cack. Leaving there it misted a bit, and they worked but it was squealing. I just assumed the blades were that new.

Then on the motorway they just stop half way down the window. Like they were bogged down, until they stopped. The motor seems to want to move them, as you can see the blades twitch. But that's it.

Not sure on the age of your LC, but my MR2 Roadster is a 2003 car. It has a shite design on the scuttle panel whereby rain ends up draining over some of the wiper linkage pivots and eventually seizes up. It wasn't Toyota's brightest idea. Ask me how I know...

[Dave_Q]

Don't worry about the trailer mate, if it goes tits up then get back to base and we'll work something else out. All my neighbours are sound so could easily work something out for you to come next week while I'm away.

Just think, at least the body of your new Toyota is made of metal not air and the brakes work?

[lesapandre]

WD40 on the wiper linkage lever pivots. Do they move with the blades off the screen?

No idea of the history of yr vehicle but some of these Landcruisers spend a lot of time parked up (mine included) which throws up these kind of problems.

[Dave_Q]

Our intrepid correspondent is on the move, not through the efforts of the RAC, more that it's stopped raining, I think.

Got a few potential remedies lined up, not sure how much gas is in the blowtorch though so hopefully we don't need to go that far.

[Spurious]

 

(I do rather like the Land Cruiser, they're a quality wagon, very un-toyota for the wipers to pack up)

[colino]

I bet the car has been sitting since lockdown began and the wiper blades were stuck to the screen and got ripped the first time they were flicked on.  Fingers crossed, the mechanism doused with your favourite snake oil and switched on,  wipers off the screen,  and manually worked by you will make them behave again. 

[BorniteIdentity]

Rain X from a Tesco fuel station can render wipers unnecessary- it’s very good shit! 

[warch]

It’s a generic issue with many cars, but you could have a;

buggered motor, mine on my cashcow used to pack in or work intermittently when wet, was replaced by a genuine one off a scrapper which also packed in then a chinesium one off eBay for a tenner which has worked for years.

joint on the linkage separated, especially where a joint has worn, you can get clips that hold the linkages together.

dry or seized linkage. 

I suppose you could have stripped splines on the wiper arms, or even loose retaining nuts. 

 

 

 

[mat_the_cat]

The same thing happened to me on the M54 near Telford. So I stopped at the nearest eatery, had a bite to eat and asked if I could buy a single uncooked potato. It was possibly not what the waitress was expecting to be asked, but to be fair she brought me one at no extra charge. I then cut it in half so I could wipe it over the screen, to improve visibility.

It made things worse.

[Dave_Q]

Potatocam update as battery was too low for flash:

Our man made it here ok.
Wipers were working but with a loud squeak.
Downgraded to medium through application of off brand wd40 equivalent.
Hooked up the trailer and we had a total of 1 intermittent light.
Not sure if this is trailer or vehicle electrics and not really wanting to try and figure it out in the rain we dismantled the trailer and whanged it in the back of the mighty Land Cruiser.
Our correspondent was dispatched in the general direction of The South with a packed lunch of GT85.

Chodspeed good sir, great to meet you.

[wuvvum]

Funnily enough the wipers on my Carina have started making a horrible noise...

[davehedgehog31]

Good effort!

[St.Jude]

Right so this isn't me, the ghost, but it is rather I, Me. Not dead.

So to recap on yesterday:

It's been years since I ever had to rely on the RAC for anything. So I called them, and then I get text messages updating me. Except, all the updates were telling me is that the roads are very busy because COVID drives itself around and that I'll get an update in 30 minutes. We're about 1hr 15 by the time I think fuck it, I'll go. Called the Highways Agency lady, and as I was about to call the RAC they called me saying they couldn't get a technician out so I can get recovered instead. I told them don't bother, I'm going. It rained or showered two or three times before I got to @Dave_Q and each time I decided to wait till I stopped or was slowed down to about 40mph to operate the wipers. Thinking the air resistance was the issue. For all the time I was driving I had worried it was the motor, but I thought actually it seems to want to move. They just find it difficult.

With the help of Dave though, and copious amounts of GT85 (now with added PTFE) they freed themselves up. So yeah, probably sat there for lockdown and seized up. The seller knew something was up with it as he told me he changed the wiper blades, as Dave can testify the sound was like the blades screaching. So I wouldn't say the seller was totally at fault, I would just say it's one of those things.

Any way, here's aubergine cam of the trailer...

Got home about 1am. Not bad going considering the crap that happened.

The morning always puts a different light on things. As one comes in, the other must go:

As the RAV4 gets collected today.

What I didn't realise though is that my new Land Cruiser is near enough the same colour as my Peugeot!

Like Twins really!

At lunchtime I'm going to take the trailer out, just so I can present it to the wife in a better way. She wasn't at all impressed as I told her why it took so long, but she seems OK with it now.  

I'll take photos at lunch time too, as I try to work out how to operate the CD changer. Never had one, fuck knows how it works. Same goes with the built in bluetooth as well. I will say that the sat nav, while antiquated, still gets traffic updates. I didn't realise until I was coming back it would say "Warning, in 5 miles: roadworks" and there'd be roadworks. So I'm quite impressed with that.

Great wagon to go on the motorway with. The RAV4 and CR-V, I feel, are both happier at 60mph on the motorway. This sat at 70mph and didn't complain. The fuel tank, however, didn't like it. 

[GMcD]

Glad you got back safely man 👍

[Ian_Fearn]

2006 registered…… is this in the OMFG tax bracket?

Looks like a lovely way to travel. Well bought.

[St.Jude]

14 minutes ago, Gerrymcd said:

Glad you got back safely man 👍

Same! I will lubricate the linkage soon with some red 'n' tacky just to be sure it don't happen again. Along with a lovely coating of RainX. 

11 minutes ago, Ian_Fearn said:

2006 registered…… is this in the OMFG tax bracket?

Looks like a lovely way to travel. Well bought.

Yep, unfortunately. Man maths puts it down to about ~£20-ish a month more than the RAV4. So it's not bankruptcy levels of tax, it'll just annoy me when I see a pothole.

Honestly this is dream car level for me. I've wanted one since I was a kid. Although, in fairness, that was for a Land Cruiser Amazon with the V8. But this, this will more than do!

[warch]

Looks awesome, fantastic trucks these, the wiper issue is about the least worst thing it could have been, the poor things take a pasting what with water ingress, blades frozen to the screen or people using them to clear a foot of snow off the glass. I see you haven't opted for Taliban White.

[St.Jude]

1 hour ago, warch said:

Looks awesome, fantastic trucks these, the wiper issue is about the least worst thing it could have been, the poor things take a pasting what with water ingress, blades frozen to the screen or people using them to clear a foot of snow off the glass. I see you haven't opted for Taliban White.

Hopefully! It's a keeper. So unlike the RAV4, it could go wrong and I would want to fix it and not be bothered about the time it took to do it. 

[St.Jude]

Pushed in to service, this could've been the RAV4 but hey ho. 20% off at B&Q on the flooring, because style is too expensive.

It's got a tip Run tomorrow as well. The wife likes it, which is unfortunate, although she's put it out there that she may need a step ladder to get in to it, even though it's at its lowest setting I think.

[loserone]

How is the LC fairing? I quite fancy one..

[St.Jude]

1 hour ago, loserone said:

How is the LC fairing? I quite fancy one..

Currently in the shop having the air con fixed again, as it started blowing warm. Which is nice.

Genuinely though, nicest car I've ever had. It's well comfortable, it has adjustable suspension to firm up or soften the ride, I keep it one above comfort which makes it very soft and wallowy which means you don't go fast and throw it around corners. Putting it on sport mode though makes it much flatter around corners and would make you push it faster than you really should.

I love it, I'm just annoyed I don't have it for this week.

I am considering (don't tell the wife) of getting an Amazon as a restoration project once the Lada is done. But we're years away from that.

[St.Jude]

So it's been nearly 2 weeks since it was handed in to the dealer to get the air con done. Spoke to the guy who sold it to me and said his body work guy was taking it on Friday/Saturday to do the bodywork. Sound.

Text the bodywork man on Tuesday asking when I could expect it back, he said he's painting it tomorrow (Wednesday). Ok, I'll leave it.

Given the rain, my trusty Peugeot 107 YET AGAIN not letting me down in flood waters someone in a Q7 decided against driving through, I get home and I see no Land Cruiser on my drive. So I text the bodywork guy again and ask what's the craic - he says he's waiting on parts for the air con and the paint work is done.

Hold the phone here, I thought that had been fixed? So I ring the dealer a bit confuzzled, and he goes on and on and on about how he got let down by his air con guy etc etc, and when he stopped I tell him that it's the first I've heard of your bodywork guy fixing the air con as I thought it had been fixed before giving it to him.

He goes on and on again - starting with how he'd buy it back from me if I wanted, which was rude as I want the car obviously - but saying he took too much money off of it and that its cost him more than what he thought to fix etc. Genuinely all the things I couldn't give a fuck about, and I told him communication is all I want, and I just want to know when I can expect the car back. So he's going to call him tomorrow to then tell me.

Anyway, while the call went on bodywork man texts me saying they're waiting on o rings from Toyota which they should have tomorrow, and I could/should have it back tomorrow.

All I want is the car so I can buy a pair of doors for the house 😂😂

[St.Jude]

Today is Monday, starting the 3rd week of not having this thing due to the no air con. It means the garage will have had it longer than I have had it since buying it!

I fucking knew well that when he told me Friday I'd have it back Monday after they got the parts from Toyota. Especially that Toyota garage. But I've had no word from them today telling me it won't be today, and I haven't chased it.

I'll give it till 5pm tomorrow and see if it comes back, but I'm in a good mind to throw it back to the dealer altogether. 

Yeah it's shit spending months welding something to fix it, but it's preferable to leaving it to someone to fix and them not really telling you when to expect it back.

[MJK 24]

They want you to throw it back at them because good used stock is hard to find.  Be stubborn and dig your heels in if it’s an otherwise good car!

[Ian_Fearn]

Shit ain’t it….. After a lifetime of chronically knackered cars my wife declared we would be buying something that I didn’t need to work on all the time.

That turned out to be a nightmare with slimy dealers, a warranty that wouldn’t pay out and the car continually returned with the fault I could have fixed myself (and did in the end) not fixed for reasons relating solely to them not wanting to pay for it.

We’re back to shit cars now and all the happier for it.

Glad you’re sticking with it! My advice would be to get the car back and sort it yourself, life is easier that way….. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

^^ This. I'd personally take the car away from there in the meantime too and use it whilst they're waiting for parts. It would be convenient for something to now 'happen to it' whilst parked up there - at least if you've got it back you control what's going on with your own vehicle. I think I'd want something in writing though stating they'd agreed to fix the aircon and would duly sort it asap.