Range Rover
Needs must – James presses the Range Rover back into everyday use
1991 RANGE ROVER VOGUE SE
Using a classic for everyday duties is undoubtedly the quickest way of discovering what’s not working properly. This one was restored a couple of years ago and has had typical classic use ever since. But it’s never had to do 30 miles of school run every day, plus long-distance journeys for a busy motoring writer.
Touch wood, it’s been running very well since a stalling problem was sorted out last summer. Okay, one electric window isn’t working and the iffy central locking always locks properly but only unlocks everything from the driver’s door when it’s in the mood. The heater could work better, too. Oh, and there’s no power to the 12v power socket.
Obviously, a thorough check-over was needed before the Range Rover took up its new duties. The biggest issue concerned the tyres. I’ve been using a slave set of wheels and tyres because the correct alloys look a mess and their tyres are past it. New tyres would obviously be a sensible precaution if there was to be any high-speed motorway work.
As there was no sense in fitting new tyres to the slave wheels, I realised that I’d have to get the old wheels refurbished and put the new tyres on those; one job always leads on to another on a classic! I then asked Range Rover specialist Twenty Ten Engineering in Redditch to do the job instead when my local wheel specialist blanched at the prospect of doing the wheels in two-tone (the centres are painted to match the body on a Vogue SE). Meanwhile, the familiar problem of the ABS warning light coming on for no apparent reason has struck once again; even proper diagnostic equipment can’t work it out. But while it was in for investigation, I got the gearbox oil changed as a further precaution. Almost there...