Litch
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 2,235
- Location
- Oxfordshire
As the title says, I am de-accessorising the 90 (is that even a word?) and I was wondering if any others have taken their own vehicle back to standard (or something approaching it)?
This was my fourth LR and I have owned it for some time (22yrs in fact) and like many owners I have made it "my own" over the years. As time moves on there is a glimmer on the horizon that may lead me to sell the vehicle, nothing definite and if I did it wouldn't be for a few years yet but never say never.
Major modifications aside which are now part of the vehicle (change of body type, different engine, transmission, axles etc etc) and also accessories that have involved drilling the bodywork and therefore cannot be removed without involving some kind of repair, it is the smaller changes that I am starting to reverse.
As to be expected with something that I have owned for such a long time some things I have done are time expired or something new (better?) has come along whereas others I am now thinking...... Why did I fit that?
Aftermarket wheels. Back in the 1990's Steel Modulars were the "in" thing and yes they looked very nice. I then moved on to ZU Alloys and thought they were the bees knees but for some time now I have been running Anthracite Sawtooth alloys and will stick with them, they aren't "correct" for my vehicle but they are a LR part and they look nice.
Lights. I always like NAS lights and fitted them F&R 20-years ago upgrading to Le Perei LED when they became available. Stuck with the rears but have now gone back to standard on the front (abit LED ones).
Running Nolden LED headlights. Excellent but not worth the money (when you compare the cost difference to halogen) and if one got damaged or stopped working I would just re-fit the old headlights.
Had several different sets of bumper mounted spot-lights over the years but the ones that have been fitted the longest and have the best light output are Hella Rallee 3000 and if one got broken I would replace like for like.
Seats. At the beginning I fitted a brand-new set of Recaro seats, fantastically comfortable but slightly thick in the base. I then bought myself a set of Tracker originals in Sawtooth fabric which I played around with by fitting seat risers but eventually took the risers out and just use them as standard (although fitted with some nice tailored seat covers).
Steering wheel. Junked the old LR 4-spoke affair as soon as I fitted PAS and went for a 14-inch Mountney vinyl & black 3-spoke, 14-inch Mountney leather & polished alloy 3-spoke, Raid 12-inch C/W Snap-Off boss and for the past several years a 14-inch Momo leather & brushed alloy "Race" wheel which is definitely the best of the bunch.
Front bumper. Had a military one with central pin, an A-bar with spots but now it is just the good old galvanised factory unit.
Tow hitch. Had a NATO hitch, a DB adjustable height hitch with separate sliders for NATO, pin & ball hitches but now just have a DB pinball directly on the crossmember.
Suspension. Had softer, taller & HD but now I am back with OE and they are perfect (although gas shocks are a different matter and I would never go away from them). Stuck with OEM bushes for most of the time and can't fault them although I am currently running SuperPro so the jury is still out on that one.
Underbonnet. At one time I fancied a bit of bling but now I am trying to put the engine-bay back to (sort of) standard. Pacet electric fan was first to go to be replaced with the ever reliable viscous (and original shroud). Alisport alloy header-tank & PAS reservoir were next to go and back in went the plastic originals. The final set of items which I replaced today with original was a full set of MK Performance hoses (coolant & intercooler). I had gone for black as I wanted the understated look but have now decided I just want the old rubber hoses instead.
The list goes one and this list hardly scratches the surface but it has brought it home to me that when you do that sort of thing, although you have enjoyed ownership for as long as the item was fitted (or not very long in some cases!) you rarely get a significant return on your investment (unless it was a highly desirable item that is no-longer available or you got it at a good price in the first place). The hoses for instance cost me about £450 and despite being fitted for no age whatsoever I bet I won't get a quarter of that back when I sell them!
Of course the obvious answer it not to try and "improve" the vehicle in the first place but hey, i'm only human and enjoy shopping as much as the next person!
This was my fourth LR and I have owned it for some time (22yrs in fact) and like many owners I have made it "my own" over the years. As time moves on there is a glimmer on the horizon that may lead me to sell the vehicle, nothing definite and if I did it wouldn't be for a few years yet but never say never.
Major modifications aside which are now part of the vehicle (change of body type, different engine, transmission, axles etc etc) and also accessories that have involved drilling the bodywork and therefore cannot be removed without involving some kind of repair, it is the smaller changes that I am starting to reverse.
As to be expected with something that I have owned for such a long time some things I have done are time expired or something new (better?) has come along whereas others I am now thinking...... Why did I fit that?
Aftermarket wheels. Back in the 1990's Steel Modulars were the "in" thing and yes they looked very nice. I then moved on to ZU Alloys and thought they were the bees knees but for some time now I have been running Anthracite Sawtooth alloys and will stick with them, they aren't "correct" for my vehicle but they are a LR part and they look nice.
Lights. I always like NAS lights and fitted them F&R 20-years ago upgrading to Le Perei LED when they became available. Stuck with the rears but have now gone back to standard on the front (abit LED ones).
Running Nolden LED headlights. Excellent but not worth the money (when you compare the cost difference to halogen) and if one got damaged or stopped working I would just re-fit the old headlights.
Had several different sets of bumper mounted spot-lights over the years but the ones that have been fitted the longest and have the best light output are Hella Rallee 3000 and if one got broken I would replace like for like.
Seats. At the beginning I fitted a brand-new set of Recaro seats, fantastically comfortable but slightly thick in the base. I then bought myself a set of Tracker originals in Sawtooth fabric which I played around with by fitting seat risers but eventually took the risers out and just use them as standard (although fitted with some nice tailored seat covers).
Steering wheel. Junked the old LR 4-spoke affair as soon as I fitted PAS and went for a 14-inch Mountney vinyl & black 3-spoke, 14-inch Mountney leather & polished alloy 3-spoke, Raid 12-inch C/W Snap-Off boss and for the past several years a 14-inch Momo leather & brushed alloy "Race" wheel which is definitely the best of the bunch.
Front bumper. Had a military one with central pin, an A-bar with spots but now it is just the good old galvanised factory unit.
Tow hitch. Had a NATO hitch, a DB adjustable height hitch with separate sliders for NATO, pin & ball hitches but now just have a DB pinball directly on the crossmember.
Suspension. Had softer, taller & HD but now I am back with OE and they are perfect (although gas shocks are a different matter and I would never go away from them). Stuck with OEM bushes for most of the time and can't fault them although I am currently running SuperPro so the jury is still out on that one.
Underbonnet. At one time I fancied a bit of bling but now I am trying to put the engine-bay back to (sort of) standard. Pacet electric fan was first to go to be replaced with the ever reliable viscous (and original shroud). Alisport alloy header-tank & PAS reservoir were next to go and back in went the plastic originals. The final set of items which I replaced today with original was a full set of MK Performance hoses (coolant & intercooler). I had gone for black as I wanted the understated look but have now decided I just want the old rubber hoses instead.
The list goes one and this list hardly scratches the surface but it has brought it home to me that when you do that sort of thing, although you have enjoyed ownership for as long as the item was fitted (or not very long in some cases!) you rarely get a significant return on your investment (unless it was a highly desirable item that is no-longer available or you got it at a good price in the first place). The hoses for instance cost me about £450 and despite being fitted for no age whatsoever I bet I won't get a quarter of that back when I sell them!
Of course the obvious answer it not to try and "improve" the vehicle in the first place but hey, i'm only human and enjoy shopping as much as the next person!
