Keeping it Mint

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Hi fellas

I’ve seem more than one thread where someone has mentioned that they will want to own the Grenadier for a long time. I’m in that boat too.

What are your “best practices” for keeping things in good shape when you get them? Rust proofing? Fuel filters? Seat covers?

Give us your “Day One” steps that you plant to take on your new Grenadier to keep it in good working order (mechanical, comfort, or aesthetic).

 

[Stu_Barnes]

Buy 2. 

Vehicle 1. beat the crap out of it and have the time of your life.

Vehicle 2. look at my launch edition Grenadier, only 76 miles on the clock for sale at $755K, still smells like a private jet that a farmer sat in one time.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

If I had the means that’s not a bad idea Stu!

But for me, I am torn about step one - either paying the professionals to “Rust Check” the vehicle, or do some version of it myself with spray (lanolin based seems to be the best - Fluid Film is highly regarded). The benefits of having the pros do it is they go inside body panels, quartets, frame rails, etc. and reseal the holes with grommets.

The other thing that I know is common in Australia but not so much in this part of the world is seat covers. I’ve never used them but with two big dogs and a child…well the seats are showing their experience! I’d like to find a set of good snug fit seat covers but the key for me will be the rear seat cover being split like the rear seat, so I can remove 2/3 of the seat for a dog box.

 

[Stu_Barnes]

I'm sure the aftermarket will come up with a set of seat covers pretty soon. 

As far as aftermarket corrosion protection goes, its been years since I've thought of that (trying to eek out a few more years from a Triumph TR6 that lived outside in the UK). 

But it's a good point, I don't think I've read or heard if the body panels are steel or aluminum, or a combination of the two.

 

[Spjnr]

I'm currently driving my 2002 hilux, that I use for work and now domestic duties. I bought it from an old boy who I shoot with, and he had it since new. It's had seat covers on since leaving the showroom, been rustproofed regularly, and had more services etc than I've had hot dinners. Its got 200k on the clock, but is probably the most looked after truck I've ever seen, even though its always been parked on street!

I intend to do this exact regime to my grenadier, and would be thrilled if it was in the same condition this hilux is in after 20 years!

 

[Paachi]

My thoughts

Mechanical:
 - Definitely put a POR-15 layer underneath if you live in places which get snow and get salted. Else a good wash of the under carriage with a garden hose after trips works well. 
 - Well lubed points with oil and grease. Better still a good generous coating of ACF-50 once a year. I use it on my motorcycle. Amazing product. They not only protect but also help undo bolts easier


Comfort:
 - Too early to say. My main gripe in all cars are the seats. They are painful and not well supported for long drives. I have higher hopes from the Recaros. If they don’t work then some Scheel-Maans will be substituted. Although they are ultra pricey
 - One of my favorite mods in my G Wagen is a dashcam mirror which replaces my regular rear view mirror. I absolutely adore it..to the point that I got one for my sedan as well. I think given the ambulance doors and high mounted spare on the Gren, this will be an essential mod for me
 - Seat covers, floor mats and a dash pad with storage. I prefer seat covers because I have dogs in my car. I stitched up a dash pad with some storage for my current vehicle. It’s an absolute life saver. I generally have my pocket knife, InReach, toll pass, headlamp, flashlight, spare gps and measuring tape in it at all times. I dont know if you guys know of Takla from South Africa. They probably make the best seat covers in the business. Maybe we can convince them to make a seat cover, Takmat floor mat and dash cover combo for the Gren as a group buy.
- Some way to mount a small 8” tablet for off-road maps
Aesthetics/ Protection:
 - Window tint. Xpel tint works wonders to keep the interiors cool and the a/c from overworking here in CA desert climates
 - Wrap..?? I dunno. I always thought it was a bit pointless in a vehicle designed to be pinstriped but I have seen it’s advantages first hand on some vehicles. 

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

My thoughts

Mechanical:
 - Definitely put a POR-15 layer underneath if you live in places which get snow and get salted. Else a good wash of the under carriage with a garden hose after trips works well. 
 - Well lubed points with oil and grease. Better still a good generous coating of ACF-50 once a year. I use it on my motorcycle. Amazing product. They not only protect but also help undo bolts easier


Comfort:
 - Too early to say. My main gripe in all cars are the seats. They are painful and not well supported for long drives. I have higher hopes from the Recaros. If they don’t work then some Scheel-Maans will be substituted. Although they are ultra pricey
 - One of my favorite mods in my G Wagen is a dashcam mirror which replaces my regular rear view mirror. I absolutely adore it..to the point that I got one for my sedan as well. I think given the ambulance doors and high mounted spare on the Gren, this will be an essential mod for me
 - Seat covers, floor mats and a dash pad with storage. I prefer seat covers because I have dogs in my car. I stitched up a dash pad with some storage for my current vehicle. It’s an absolute life saver. I generally have my pocket knife, InReach, toll pass, headlamp, flashlight, spare gps and measuring tape in it at all times. I dont know if you guys know of Takla from South Africa. They probably make the best seat covers in the business. Maybe we can convince them to make a seat cover, Takmat floor mat and dash cover combo for the Gren as a group buy.
- Some way to mount a small 8” tablet for off-road maps
Aesthetics/ Protection:
 - Window tint. Xpel tint works wonders to keep the interiors cool and the a/c from overworking here in CA desert climates
 - Wrap..?? I dunno. I always thought it was a bit pointless in a vehicle designed to be pinstriped but I have seen it’s advantages first hand on some vehicles. 

Great list Paachi. I share your high hopes for the Recaros. And I've got one of those video rear view mirrors in my current rig. It's literally a life saver; since it's a pickup with a canopy I can't see out the back at all, and the wing mirrors are quite small and don't offer good visibility. This summer, I was between two big transport trucks at highway speeds when the one in front had to stop suddenly. Smoke was coming out of tires and everything -- full lockup of his trailer. The video rear view mirror let me see the other transport truck in exactly the same situation with me and my family in between. It's a habit from my motorbiking to always watch rear mirrors so I was thankful I had it; I was able to put the boot in on my truck to squeeze around beside the truck in front of me. The second truck came to a final stop about 4-5 feet off the rear bumper of the other truck -- no way in hell we wouldn't have been crushed by that. And we owe it all to our $80 Video Rear View Mirror we got on a prime day sale!

Also very interested in the seat covers -- I think ASPW speaks highly of Takla as well (4XOverland). I'd definitely be interested in a group buy of good quality seat covers. Might work out better for everyone (us and the manufacturer) when the time comes given the volume -- do pre-orders through a group like this, and then a limited production run of guaranteed sales.

I was also thinking about a wrap - I've found myself quite fond of some of the multi-toned examples Ineos has been testing with so I can see myself going that way. Primarily its for paint protection but might as well do something fun with it. 

 

[Stu_Barnes]

I'd be pretty surprised if they offered the Grenadier without a backup/reverse camera, I'm pretty sure that its a regulatory standard in Europe or at least will be very soon, the same as traffic cross detect etc. Its a small step to have an option on the infotainment to have the backup/reverse camera on all the time. But there is something nice about having it on the rear view mirror....

As for seat covers. When the Grenadier is released (or before if they release the specifications of the seats) I'd be happy to approach Takla about a group buy or special edition seat cover set for the members here. Who knows we may even get some sort of forum discount. It never hurts to ask.

In regards to forum discounts etc, PM me and I'll be happy to approach any company cap in hand once we reach enough members to make it worthwhile on their part.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

I'd be pretty surprised if they offered the Grenadier without a backup/reverse camera, I'm pretty sure that its a regulatory standard in Europe or at least will be very soon, the same as traffic cross detect etc. Its a small step to have an option on the infotainment to have the backup/reverse camera on all the time. But there is something nice about having it on the rear view mirror....

As for seat covers. When the Grenadier is released (or before if they release the specifications of the seats) I'd be happy to approach Takla about a group buy or special edition seat cover set for the members here. Who knows we may even get some sort of forum discount. It never hurts to ask.

In regards to forum discounts etc, PM me and I'll be happy to approach any company cap in hand once we reach enough members to make it worthwhile on their part.

A backup camera is a very useful thing, and I believe you are right Stu that they are becoming mandatory in Europe, and I'm pretty sure they've been mandatory on US spec vehicles since 2018. But they tend to only come on when in reverse; as you said it won't be too hard to make it on all the time though I actually like it to be separate from my backup camera. The backup camera still comes on my infotainment screen when I enter reverse, and it has guide lines on it so I can know how to turn my wheel the right way (and all those other things that apparently I didn't know how to do before 2018!), but having this in the mirror location is nice as it's all part of the natural field of view when underway going forward, allowing me to keep the corner of my eye on what's coming behind me. Here's the one I got - cheap as chips as far as accessories go!

https://www.amazon.ca/Rearview-Recording-Mirror1080P-Streaming-Reversing/dp/B07ZT4XT1B/ref=asc_df_B07ZT4XT1B/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=335202931919&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9074377734887439476&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001360&hvtargid=pla-849067065285&psc=1

It also has a handy "Parking" mode that will passively monitor your rig when parked and trigger the "record" function if someone bumps it; it won't stop someone stealing your stuff but the jostling is likely to at least produce some video evidence. Mine is connected directly to my house battery (100 amp hours) so I've got plenty of passive monitoring time available!

Thanks for being willing to serve as a bit of an ambassador for group buys Stu! It does come with a bit more "gravity" when its from the "owner" of the club as opposed to a member. Happy to assist you in that regard if I can when the time comes. I know some other forums I am a member of have vendor sections, member sponsorships, group buys like you mentioned, or even static discount codes so there's lots of ways this community can work together for mutual benefit!





  

 

[Stu_Barnes]

A backup camera is a very useful thing, and I believe you are right Stu that they are becoming mandatory in Europe, and I'm pretty sure they've been mandatory on US spec vehicles since 2018. But they tend to only come on when in reverse; as you said it won't be too hard to make it on all the time though I actually like it to be separate from my backup camera. The backup camera still comes on my infotainment screen when I enter reverse, and it has guide lines on it so I can know how to turn my wheel the right way (and all those other things that apparently I didn't know how to do before 2018!), but having this in the mirror location is nice as it's all part of the natural field of view when underway going forward, allowing me to keep the corner of my eye on what's coming behind me. Here's the one I got - cheap as chips as far as accessories go!

https://www.amazon.ca/Rearview-Recording-Mirror1080P-Streaming-Reversing/dp/B07ZT4XT1B/ref=asc_df_B07ZT4XT1B/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=335202931919&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9074377734887439476&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001360&hvtargid=pla-849067065285&psc=1

It also has a handy "Parking" mode that will passively monitor your rig when parked and trigger the "record" function if someone bumps it; it won't stop someone stealing your stuff but the jostling is likely to at least produce some video evidence. Mine is connected directly to my house battery (100 amp hours) so I've got plenty of passive monitoring time available!

Thanks for being willing to serve as a bit of an ambassador for group buys Stu! It does come with a bit more "gravity" when its from the "owner" of the club as opposed to a member. Happy to assist you in that regard if I can when the time comes. I know some other forums I am a member of have vendor sections, member sponsorships, group buys like you mentioned, or even static discount codes so there's lots of ways this community can work together for mutual benefit!
 

I hear you, I was looking at one earlier that was a night vision forward facing camera as well as backup. Although I'm not sure how they cope with the fair from the headlamps. It looked cool in the YouTube video though.