Sri Lanka's Emerging Automobile Community for Land Rover Defender
Recent posts
Recent posts
#41
Tool Talk & Workshop Setups / Re: Mobile tool kit for trail ...
Last post by NuwanJayasinghe - Sep 12, 2025, 03:54 PMGreat question bro! My trail kit includes multi-tool, adjustable spanner set, electrical tape and wire, spare fuses, fan belt, coolant hose, engine oil, coolant, WD40, cable ties, and duct tape. Most Defender problems can be temporarily fixed with these basics. Add tyre repair kit, compressor, tow rope for recovery situations. Keep tools in waterproof box - learned hard way when river crossing went wrong! For pre-made kits, check with Green Oval or similar suppliers. They often sell adventure-specific tool collections. Remember - it's emergency repairs, not full service, so focus on get-home solutions!
#42
Meetups & Defender Events / Kandy to Ella railway photogra...
Last post by David_Christopher - Sep 04, 2025, 05:20 PMCrazy idea guys - what if we organize Defender convoy following the Kandy to Ella train route by road? Idea is photographing our vehicles at various railway viewpoints, maybe racing the train at certain sections. Could create amazing video content showing Defenders navigating hill country while iconic blue train passes by. Logistics bit complex but imagine the shots! Need to check road conditions, permissions, safety considerations. Anyone familiar with roads parallel to railway line? Worth attempting or too risky?
#43
Expedition Planning & Gear / Scan Alpine vs Go Outdoors - w...
Last post by David_Christopher - Sep 04, 2025, 05:18 PMPlanning serious multi-day expedition to Northern Province and need to upgrade camping equipment. Currently using basic Chinese gear that won't survive rough conditions. Checked Scan Alpine in Colombo and Go Outdoors website - both seem to have decent selection. Scan Alpine been around since 1990 and claims premium quality, but prices higher. Go Outdoors has more variety online. Need proper tent, sleeping system, cooking gear, water storage. What's your experience with local outdoor gear suppliers? Quality vs price comparison?
#44
Defender Photography Showcase / Golden hour shots සීගිරියේදී ග...
Last post by David_Christopher - Sep 04, 2025, 05:17 PMයාලුවනේ, පසුගිය සති අන්තයේ Golden hour shots සඳහා මගේ කොළ පැහැති 110 ඩිෆෙන්ඩරය සීගිරි ප්‍රදේශයට අරගෙන ගියා ඒක ඇදහිය නොහැකි තරම් වැඩක්! අලුත් ඩිෆෙන්ඩර් සහ අවුරුදු 1500 ක් පැරණි බලකොටුව අතර වෙනස එක්ක මාර ගතියක් තිබ්බා. පරිමාණ සංසන්දනය කරන ගුවන් ඡායාරූප සඳහා භාවිතා කරන ලද ඩ්‍රෝන යාන එහෙමත් තිබ්බා. හමුදාවෙන් මුලින් ඩ්‍රෝන යානය ගැන ටිකක් සැලකිලිමත් වූ නමුත් එය සංචාරක ප්‍රවර්ධනය සඳහා බව පැහැදිලි කළ පසු, ඒවා ප්‍රයෝජනවත් වුනා. ශ්‍රී ලංකාව පුරා යුනෙස්කෝ අඩවිවල ඩිෆෙන්ඩර්වරුන් ඇතුළත් ඡායාරූප පොතක් ගැන ප්ලෑන් එකක් තිබ්බා. මෝටර් රථ ඡායාරූපකරණයට කැමති අය ඉන්නවාද මේකේ? හොද චාන්ස් එකක් මේක
#45
Tuning, ECU & Diagnostic Tools / TD5 ECU remap - Vector Tuning ...
Last post by David_Christopher - Sep 04, 2025, 04:59 PMMachanla, planning TD5 remap to get bit more power and better fuel economy. Been checking local options and found Vector Tuning and VR Tuning both offering chip tuning services in Sri Lanka. Vector Tuning website says they tune diesel and petrol engines with power increase and reduced fuel consumption. VR Tuning also claims similar results. Anyone tried either of these local services? What's your experience with power gains and reliability? Don't want to risk damaging ECU with dodgy tune, but stock TD5 feels bit sluggish especially when loaded for camping trips.
#46
Coffee Lounge / Teaching wife to drive Defende...
Last post by David_Christopher - Sep 04, 2025, 04:52 PMDecided to teach wife proper off-road driving in our Defender 90 and it's... challenging! She's excellent normal driver but Defender requires different mindset. Heavy clutch, no power steering, manual everything confuses her. Most difficult part is explaining when to use low range, differential lock, how to handle steep descents. She gets frustrated, I get impatient, learning sessions ending in arguments! Any tips for teaching Defender driving to someone used to modern cars? Maybe should hire professional instructor instead?
#47
Tool Talk & Workshop Setups / Mobile tool kit for trail repa...
Last post by David_Christopher - Sep 04, 2025, 04:50 PMPlanning longer adventure trips and need proper mobile tool kit for trail repairs. Standard Defender toolbox is tiny but want to carry essentials for common problems. Thinking basic hand tools, electrical supplies, belts, hoses, fluids. What do experienced adventurers carry? Need balance between preparedness and weight/space constraints. Don't want to carry entire workshop but also don't want to be stranded with a simple fixable problem. Any pre-made adventure tool kits available locally?
#48
Meetups & Defender Events / Re: Defender photography conte...
Last post by David_Christopher - Sep 04, 2025, 04:47 PMFantastic idea machang! Sri Lanka has incredible locations perfect for Defender photography - from tea estates to ancient ruins to pristine beaches. I'm definitely interested in participating and can help with social media promotion. Maybe create hashtag like #DefenderLankaTales or similar. For judging, contact some professional photographers who appreciate automotive subjects. Tourism board partnership brilliant - show responsible adventure tourism. Could even create calendar with winning photos, sell for charity fundraising. This could become annual tradition bringing community together while showcasing our beautiful country!
#49
Classic Defenders (Series I, II, III) / Re: Series III as wedding car ...
Last post by David_Christopher - Aug 30, 2025, 12:27 PM Wow bro, your bride is keeper! Using Series III for wedding is brilliant idea - photos will be incredible and story you'll tell forever. But definitely need backup plan and practice runs! Test drive exact route multiple times before big day. Have reliable friend with tools following in another vehicle. Check everything - cooling system, fuel pump, electrical connections. Maybe hire professional car transporter on standby just in case! Most important - if bride is happy with adventure spirit, she'll understand if something goes wrong. That's true love right there machang!
#50
Service Recommendations & Importing Help / Re: New Defender 130 at 100 mi...
Last post by David_Christopher - Aug 30, 2025, 12:25 PMMachan, modern automotive market is crazy! New Defenders starting from 60 million for base model shows how far brand has moved upmarket. These new ones are technically impressive but lost the soul of original. They're luxury SUVs wearing Defender badges for heritage marketing. Real Defenders are the classics we drive - simple, fixable, characterful. Let rich people buy 100 million toy cars, we'll keep the true Defender spirit alive with our "outdated" vehicles. Sometimes progress isn't improvement, just different!