So is that a yes or no to 'do you think they could or would bother'? As somebody who sends a head away to get skimmed, hmmm, maybe every two weeks, don't try to teach granny to suck eggs, but answer the question. My opinion is that a machine shop will simply skim the head if you ask them...

Hi Allan It's a good debate though innit?! ;) And if you took your head to be skimmed, would they bother (or even be able) to measure how straight the camshaft bearings were, given that the other half of them are still in the cam carrier back home in your garage?

Out of interest, once you have skimmed the head to make sure that it's surface is flat and a good mate to the deck of the block, how do you deal with the camshaft bearings, for example? I mean, a warped head is a warped head. The entire lump of alloy is no longer 'straight', so none of the...

Donboon Disco One doesn't have courtesy headlamps, sorry... (lack of BCU)

Organic Acid Technology. It contains, as you may suspect, organic acids and nothing inorganic. ....And for those without a chemistry degree, the best definition of an organic molecule is one that has carbon hydrogen bonds. Inorganic molcules generally don't. This means OAT anti-freeze...

You can't skim TD5 heads, as the face is specially heat treated to make it harder. If its warped, its knackered. Well, let me re-phrase that, you can, but don't forget to wear the stetson and boots while you're doing it..

When you use the remote to lock the doors, should you keep the 'lock' button depressed for about a second, the headlights will come on for a minute or so... This is by design and helps you find your door keys etc on dark nights. If you dont want the lights to come on, don't press the lock...

The thieves 'got passed my security system', by breaking into the conservatory and nicking both sets of keys. The really good security systems are the completely non-standard ones that don't have things like keys. For example, the hidden fuel shut-off tap... Not sure about the 12 month...

I didn't accept the first offer. It's a well known insurance company policy to make an offer below parr for starters (I know, I use to work for the one that allegedly quotes you happy). I got an extra few hundred quid but not the 4 grand that they are short. Interestingly Glass' classifies...

:) You sound like the gimp from the insurance company. The OTR price of a new Defender with the same extras is 25.5k. The Glass' price for an 18 month old CSW plus the stuff mentioned above is 20-21k. Hence the replacement value of the vehicle is 20-21k. Interestingly, after the poor...

I thought about the mobile phone tracker thing - it's a very cheap alternative. In fact, when my Defender was stolen, my phone was in the car at the time. Of course, I told the Feds this and suggested they get in touch with Orange who would be able to trace it, but apparently got the reply...

Had my 05 Defender CSW stolen off the drive 2 weeks ago. Cairns Blue, Disco transfer gears, custom 2" receiver tow hitch, ABS/ETC, alloys, anti roll bars, waxoyl'd, nice stereo, sat nav basically all the toys. Book price for the car is between 20 and 21k. Today I received the...

Your Pug 306 is well up to starting your Land Rover. Connect the jump leads and leave the Pug running for 10 mins so it pumps some charge into your LR battery. This always assumes the LR battery is not so drained that it's now broken with buckled plates. Fast idle the Pug and crank the LR...

Your local Land Rover dealer may be able to help. They will almost certainly lend you a demonstrator for nothing. It's very common for my local dealership to have Disco 3's and Range Rovers out most weekends doing weddings. However, getting a brand new Defender may be a little more...

Assume this is an axle diff and not the centre diff then... 1. Engage axle diff lock, vehicle in neutral, centre diff disengaged, handbrake off 2. Chock the 'other' wheels (for safety's sake) 3. Raise the axle you are checking so that the wheels are off the ground 4. Grab a wheel and...

What on earth would you want a snorkel for on a petrol discovery? What on earth would you ever want a snorkel for full stop? Not only will your petrol powered motor die long before water gets anywhere near the kind of level that your standard air intake sits at, but Land Rover mechanics...

If your transfer box is fitted with a diff lock, you will have a selector shaft poking out of the top of the front output housing. Describing where this is and how to feel for it is hard! The selector shaft pokes through a round metal cover that is bolted to the TOP of the transfer box with 3...

The ACE pump sits in the engine bay, and is driven by a drive belt (along with water pump, alternator, air con etc etc). Half way along the off side chassis rail is an ACE valve block that directs hydraulic preesure to the ACE actuators that work the torsion bars. If you are hearing a...

Disco I has a mechanical speedo cable to the transfer box Disco II is electronic and displays road speed as relayed from the SLABS ECU. Most likely given that the needle is flicking all over the place you have lose connection somewhere.