Anthony 1

Yes, in many instances I do not use the speedometer and hardly ever glance at he rev counter but for avoiding tickets it is a must. Wales is an absolute pain so far as Camera Vans and hidden cameras are concerned and in the whole of North Wales & I do not think that they are the only region, just one mph over a limit is enough to get points on your licence, it is Zero tolerance and they are ruthless in their pursuit of "offenders". they hide cameras in all sorts of unlikely places. Supposedly Wales has a higher concentration of Cameras than anywhere else in GB. Gone are the days when a friendly traffic car might have a word or just use their common sense and watch a trend and not just the occasional over-speed. I was once told by a traffic officer "just stick to 80 mph no more on duel carriage ways and motorways and you will have no problem at all, were not interested, just so long as the traffic keeps flowing and no one is being really stupid. Well that is not true any more.

Surely your not suggesting that comments should be one sided? The yeti is a very good car in so many respects, almost exceptional possibly but their are one or two issues with its design. One being to do with its wheels and spare another is to do with its speedometer. It is not only potential owners that have comments negatively about these issues in the past but existing owners also. I am very happy that their are some people who do not have a problem with these features, they are very lucky but as this has come up before it can hardly be ignored. Nor can it be suggested that their is no problem at all when plainly some people find that their is. I just hope that Skoda do look at these sorts of pages, perhaps some magazines might and then perhaps their may be some some feedback. Hopefully future modifications will deal with this and an improved Yeti might be 100% excellent.

I am mostly with prodata on this. The speedometer is far too small it is not properly or adequately marked out. Ideally they should be marked so that each 10 mph stands out out clearly. On a matter of safety, one dos not want to be looking at the needle for more time than is necessary. The Yeti speedometer would be less of a problem if we lived in less of a police controlled state so far as motoring is concerned, where we are preoccupied with speed cameras, concerned that we may inadvertently receive a summons for straying over what ever speed limit one has to obey. Hidden cameras some even in hose boxes, we are living in this culture of constant fear of being clocked. To make it easier and safer we need better speed monitoring equipment not worse. I am really surprised that it does not contravene some sort of standard, perhaps their is non! It is not good to have ones eyes taken from the road for longer than necessary yet to calculate the speed that is what is necessary in the Yeti, it is a retrograde in my view. The one fitted in my X-Type is excellent as are most of the BMW that I have seen. How many other cars have information clocks that are so poor.

Things are very much on hold for me at the moment. My Wife has just been offered a Consultant post just over the water in Angle Land. It is a very big thing and would make a massive change and upheaval to our lives. We have a lot of discussions to have, weighing up this and that so I do not know if I will be available or not certainly not in a Yeti if it is very soon. If we move it is possible that a Yeti might not even figure. i just do not know, or even what sort of 4x4x or 6x6 vehicle we will have if any. Everything has gone completely in the air. My wife has gone away to her parents with our little one so I have had only a brief few minutes just to convey congratulations. We have no idea what we are going to do. Obviously it has been on our minds for a while but when it comes it is bit of a shock, gulp.

I do little green laneing now. It has been totally destroyed by the mindless and not the few but by the many. I beleive that now, the conscientious byway traveller is in the minority. I have been a member of GLASS in its very most early days, have been heavily involved with ROW issues. My wife even represented LARA on the Top Gear program many years ago, defending sensible off road travel. It saddens me greatly what has happened, I even know of some GLASS members who have transgressed. I think that the treatment of our Off vehicle Rights of Way Road Networks is just a reflection of the falling moral standards found in society today. I do however feel that I do not have to join in this mindless vandalism just because every one else might be doing it. Nor do I feel that information should be too willingly given without some sort of protocol.

I beleive that if you buy a heavily discounted possibly the at lowest price available vehicle from a brokers that depreciation will not be that heavy . Many used example, I beleive are expensive in some cases, more expensive than a brand new discounted car. I feel that Pityaka has probably taken the best available option for the Yeti. He has exactly what he wants at a very competitive or at the best possible price. It has not been subjected to any abuse by an previous owner, has not been an abused dealer test car that might later go on to have some future problems. It will be of the very latest specification and updates.

No of course not. It could not be used for clocking anyone now, but it recently was. I fully accept that ware in tyres affects the dial and for legal purposes it would need calibrating frequently but for most purposes it is accurate to a degree, more so than the majority of cars.

OK, One of the big problems with the huge expansion of Green Lane BOAT usage has been that far too much information is coming on to the internet resulting in even greater pressure on our Unsurfaced Right of Way network. Years ago these sorts of tracks BOAT, Green lane, White Roads, or County Roads, what have you, were very difficult to find for several reasons. The 4x4 magazines had an ethical code of practice, they never told anyone precisely where tracks where just, giving a general indication to the nearest County perhaps. The internet was not available for this sort of thing. The only way of finding tracks was either by personal knowledge, history, knowing a area exceedingly well for some reason, joining a club or spending weeks entrenched in Public Rights of Way Offices. Comparatively few people ventured out on them at all in vehicles other than perhaps farmers, a few 4x4 groups or dedicated individuals. It was very much secret for al intensive purposes. A knowledgeable informed person, who was armed with the map information by putting the work into visiting PRWO could travel around miles and miles of Green lanes unmolested on practically virgin tracks throughout much of England & Wales. Tracks that might have had little use since the days of the horse and cart. Years ago I travelled on many a track that had not a single rut, they were truly green. Of course some were used as farm tracks and have heavy tractor use and had plenty of use by the horse riding fraternity as is their right. One could travel about and never see an other 4x4 vehicle. Then their was an expansion in the use of 4x4 vehicles, mainly Landrovers. Mostly these ventured out in very small groups of Landrovers from some Landrover club or what ever. Each club would have the odd time when a few members went out in very small groups "Green Laning". For many years, mostly each club would only get around a few times a year perhaps but as time progressed this did become more frequent. At first their was little problem, the frequency of use was low and other than a few hot spots close to towns and one or two other places their was little negative reaction and very few track closures. Today thing are very different, firstly a well known national club started collecting user evidence in the hopes of supposedly fighting closures or lane re designation. This was a misled operation because the legality of user evidence as a proof had absolutely no foundation in Law unless it cold prove usage by carriages/ motor vehicles before approximately 1930 when a precedent in Highway Law was entrenched in history for ever. that is that only evidence before that time was relevant. The information that had been collected however, I beleive was used to allow the once more or less secret lanes become general knowledge and people started to make money out of exploiting that knowledge. Some sold the information others set them selves up as of road gurus taking out absolutely huge groups of novice off roaders out trashing the countryside. This escalated more and more and now we have people exchanging information willy nilly, putting up copies of marked OS maps on the internet for anyone without scruples to use as they see fit or not. Some will happily pass on detailed information of multiple BOAT's to anyone who asks without scrutiny of any sort at all. The repercussions were profound. Instead of the once lovely and protected unsurfaced highway, we now have many a lane trashed so that no other user other than the most highly modified motors can use them. County Councils have been inundated by other pressure groups to close off access to vehicular use. In some parts of the country this has become very ugly with heated legal battles.In some parts specialist police patrol seeking out illegal use Their are tracks in Wales that I thought would never get damaged. they are basically all weather tracks in that they have a stone bass and othr than a few washed out areas by rivers and that sort of thing withstood the increased use at first. It was just that the normal tranquillity of the countryside because quite raucous with traffic jams of 4x4's all awaiting their turn to pass. Now though many of these tracks have been damaged to such an extent by the unscrupulous, the tricked up competitive 4x4 type of vehicles and people of low moral value, that many of these highways are unrecognisable to what that once were. The damage is that extensive! Also with the exponential growth of 4x4 vehicles including soft roaders or crossovers, their is very much a rising anti social element. In the past it perhaps did not matter so much because they where just single isolated incidents but now that just is not the case. While I feel that everyone on this Yeti board at the moment is of good character, mature and socially respectable, it will not always be the case. This forum is available to the public at large. It might be a case of shutting the door after the horse has bolted but I feel very uncomfortable about being too open and unguarded about making BOAT or Ford identification too easy. I feel that it is counter productive to show OS Maps or Grid References openly on a forum for everyone to see. Graham has offered to mark a few maps up for people and that is fine, he will use his own judgements about what and who should be given that information. He has also kindly offered some sort of guided tour which is even better. I think that if we had a secret, scrutinised and password only accessible part of the Yeti Forum for "off road" or "Green Lane", BOAT discussion, I would be far, far happier and more comfortable. Perhaps until we have that, or even so, we should formulate some basic guidelines and advice before an off road Yeti section be fully developed. That no grid references or printed OS maps showing the exact whereabouts of a BOAT, appear openly on these pages. That the country and highway code be adhered to. That Laws are followed ete, ect and so on. Respect is given to other BOAT users A BOAT is a road or Highway that is unsealed, it is still covered by Highway Law and it would be an offence for instance not to have seatbelt on for example or to drive while under the influence. Not that any one would really care if someone did not don a seat belt but it is a road all the same

My X-Type is spot on, it has been calibrated, but you can not just assume that all cars over-read. In any case that is not the point that the may over read or not. If the dials where designed properly the would be absolutely clear the graduations would go up in units of 10 the clock face should be large and prominently place in such a way that it can be easily seen and read. It should only need the briefest of glances, not errr what is that oh er 30 ish. Their are plenty of good examples of speedometer clocks why build one that is poor just to be so called stylish or trendy.

The instrument binnacle is abysmal in my opinion, very poor design, difficult to read. The speedometer in mph at any rate is difficult to judge accurately exactly if one is on the speed limit or not because of the way the figures have been arranged. It is too small it does not need a shroud, it is also easily obscured by the steering wheel. I do not think it is a safe design because it takes too long to guestimate exactly what the correct indicated speed is. In some parts, read North Wales the police will prosecute drivers for exceeding the speed limit by even 1 mph, zero tolerance. The Yeti speedometer forces one to look too long at it in the hopes to remain legal which could put other road users at risk. I beleive it is the worst clock that I have ever seen in a car. this is a great pitty it is such a good car in many other respects if one ignores the fiasco about the wheels and tyres.

My link

I enjoy your writing Agerbundsen and stories. It makes good bed time reading. It is interesting to hear about your adventures!

That is the thing really. If someone bought a Freelander, they would most probably join a general Landrover Forum and they would read about all the rights and wrongs but on forum where no previous off road ties exist, when their is no history and nor rule book for people to lean on. One way or another, by design or default, someone sooner or latter, is going to get into some trouble, either with the Law or by doing themselves or their vehicle a mischief! The Yeti because of its superb electronic chassis management, will lull people into exploring just a bit further than might be prudent. They may go beyond what their own natural ability or experience would normally allow. The very least that may happen is getting bogged down, stuck in some ruts hundreds of yards from the road. They may equally have problem miles from anywhere and getting stuck might just be the least of their misfortune. They could cause themselves or their vehicle some serious harm. The list of possibilities is endless from straying into a ditch and then turning turtle, running on into someone that sort of thing. Even trying to recover a stuck vehicle is a task loaded with potential risk when attempted off road. Join a Club, learn from other more experience folk.

Unless you know that you have a legal right ie is an Unclassified County Road or a BOAT to be on these tracks you are at risk from prosecution. It is not safe to assume anything. If the "tracks" lead to farm buildings they may be private. If you want to drive on unsurfaced Public rights of way their are a few ways of finding out. Most areas have off road clubs which also have rights of way officers who may be able to advise. Joining one of these clubs is perhaps the best and easiest ways of getting off road on private land and or even appropriate public rights of way. Each County Council has a Definitive Map at a very high scale that records these BOATS as well as all sorts of other rights of way. They also have a legal statement or description of the BOAT. Some BOAT have been closed by enforcement notices both Temporary and longer term subject to Public Notice. Everyone has legal right to see the Definitive map but you need to know what your looking at, some CC RWD are more helpful than others. OS maps sometimes have BOAT marked on them but they have no way of showing what the present legal status is and just following them blindly can lead one into trouble. That is why I say approach the Local 4x4 club they will know most of the legal local issues and most likely those out of area also. They often take novice off road drivers under their wing will give driving advice as well as showing or taking you out on off road excursions. They will also advise on tyres and suitable equipment and will help if your in trouble. I have been off-roading for well over a quarter of a century or more and things have changed significantly since then. Driving on Vehicle Legal Unsurfaced Public Rights of Way has become a very contentious issue, die mainly to the sheer numbers of people driving "off road" now, many people disobey the country code and Law and just fool around damaging tracks and making very much a nuisance of them selves. This has caused a huge backlash for other rights of way users and County Councils, Politicians alike. Many would like to see the end of vehicular access full stop. It can be a very enjoyable past time if done properly and being in the right place but get it wrong and their may be no end of people just waiting to have ah go and report the wrongdoer or inappropriate user to the authorities. In some areas the police actually patrol areas in unmarked off road vehicles ready to catch the illegal user. Sometimes this results in little more than a ticking off but some times a prosecution may follow. The police have also been known to section vehicles. Ultimately this can result in a vehicle being crushed! Be warned! Besides illegal use just give additional leverage to those just wanting t close things down for the rest of us. Join a local Off Road or 4x4 club for new people to driving unsurfaced roads that is the easiest and most probably the best way of going about it.

A dog is a huge commitment, just like a child in so many ways. One needs to give a lot of thought to the whole thing before going down that path. It does mean putting ones self out and possibly making some changes to ones life style. Not all friends or family might want a dog in their house when you visit. One can not just clear off anywhere without so much as a thought, can the dog go with you will it be OK to do this, does it need to be temporarily left with friends or trusted neighbours. Some pubs B&B places do not mind a dog or two but others most certainly will mind. they can not be left in a car for more than a few minutes because they could fry to death when it is warm. I do not think that it is legal to take them into most shops so tying them up outside may be the only option. OK in the country but in a town the dog might be stolen. Not only does it need training and the owner but at least 3rd party insurance is a must in case someone inadvertently gets injured by it or it is the cause of some damage or road accident etc. Some full pet insurances can help with veterinary fees. It need its inoculations against various diseases and so on. I agree about the Alpha Male and Alpha Female thing that VWD mentioned above, you and your family are senior to the DOG come feeding time and at any other time. This does not mean being mean or brutal but signals have to be clear, they have to respect you. Never feed a dog at the table or when your eating make them retire to their place or mat or what ever, they will soon get the message and will never bother you or any one else. Make sure other relatives and friends understand and respect this. Always be clear with commands do not faff about with unclear hesitant mutterings. Two of my Irish Wolfhound where rescue Dogs, I had them both from a young age, I had their pedigrees which often is not the case with single make dogs that are rescued from one breed rescue groups. I loved my dogs they had a good life far better than they had previously. I miss them terribly they were very much part of the family. That is another problem, they do not live so long as us and it is very painful when they go or are ill. I am not trying to put you off, nor are most of the others, just making sure that you think about it and will be committed to them when or if you become a dog owner.

When you say farm tracks. Do you mean driving on private roads/tracks with permissions or on Public with vehicular rights of ways legally known as a BOAT Byway Open to All Traffic, popularly known as Green Lanes? A BOAT is really just an unsurfaced road and has the same legal status, normal insurance will or should cover it. Private roads with permission might be most likely not and defiantly not with out permission, the latter a legal offence also.

I have had 4x4 vehicles and Landrovers for years well over a quarter century. I still have a 101FC Command Cab but it has been demoted by my Volvo TGB. I will have to get around to selling my 101 FC some day but I have had it over 20 years so I am just a little attached and keep putting off the inevitable. I do like green colours.

I can not see many outlets being substantially cheaper if at all then the ones that you have already looked at. Might it be that they are still a bit high priced for you. If you wait a little while their are bund to be recent good used examples appearing in places like Autotrader, E Bay etc. Though often prices of recent used cars can be still more expensive than what the Brokers can get you a brand new one for. Possibly Brokers prices might still drop a little, it is a competitive market. No one Broker keeps the crown for the cheapest for too long. I see that you have a LR 90 Heritage.

It depends on how long the dog will be left. Dogs are social animals they like company. To remove them from this for very long periods frequently is cruel but if it is not frequent or and the times are not so long then it should be OK. Their are dog training clubs in most part of the country or should I say owner training. They are a good start for people who do not know how to go about it but they are also good social places for both the dog and the dog owners. Training is not just about sit and come it is also bout good behaviour when they meet other people and other dogs. It can also be about getting to know how to look after a dog properly and how to take responsibility for them. I came from a family that had dogs from way back and eventually had my own. I had Irish Wolfhounds, probably not ideal for your environment but I live on a farm with my own land. It is good to take advice about what might be most suitable for you and your family, if you have small children, that sort of thing. Size, temperament, health issues in respect of breeds are all important things to take into consideration. Having a dog can be very rewarding for many people and it is a very two way thing. Good luck with your deliberations.

The smaller the aerial the worse the signal reception, generally speaking.

It is apparently not worth while buying a supposedly environmental car in GB! My link The government will most likely pull the rug out from under the mat by failing to support the technology in the future. The government is rather fickle in its support of environmental friendly fuels.

You get a defensive reaction!

One of the easiest ways to suppress an idea is to label it.

It may well be worth while having the Yeti pre wired for the towing equipment at the factory as it saves a lot of hassle latter.

The opportunity should be taken to replace the shocks while the suspension is dismantled. My suggestion about adjustable was only that these are some of the best but it would be fine just to replace them with generic units that would be quite cheap.. Not only will the dampers be worn but the could also b damaged at any rate because of the broken spring. The OP had already stated that he shock absorbers are rusty. Really at that sort of mileage most dampers should be changed. Whether the car is a race car or not, defective dampers are the cause of many accidents they affect the distance that a car can safely stop and affect cornering and stability.