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Comments
I really don't know how folks can improve their AC performance. It's not surprising that folks in Florida and Arizona find the AC inadequate.
-mike
Genuine Venetian blinds for rear windows of all Holden Jackaroo models from 92 on:
Part Type & Description
New Price Our Price You save:
.
Black painted steel $330.00 approx $44.00
per set
of 4 $286.00 approx
-mike
Happy Trooping!!
safe travels
-mike
Only other comment is that on extended trips the person on the sunny side (with all the glass) might get a little warm or the shady side get a little cool, but overall it is okay. Also, it seems that the non-freon (r-134?) works as well as the old r-12 at cruising RPMs, but is not as good at idle such as you would get in traffic.
I have seen the advertisement, but I have never seen the blinds on any Jackaroo here. I expect they will be an internal fitment and would probably look good. And hey at $44 AUS, that'd be something like $25 US plus shipping.
I have the maximum legal tint all round the vehicle. Also with the third row seats folded up, there would be minimum benefit from having these blinds on the rear side windows. Which leaves the rear windows. And as my wife drives Monty during the week more than I do, I just know she will complain about visibility out the rear. So while it's good value, for me it's probably not useful.
Nonetheless, a lot of talk about how the A/C is less than perfect out the back of the car. It could be useful for others.
Regards,
S a v v a s.
Has anyone had any experience with Cooper Discoverer A/T or H/T tires, on a Trooper (or Jackaroo, or Bighorn, or Monterey)? I'm currently running BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A and will be ready for replacement within the next 8000-10000 kms. I'd really like something that rides a bit softer and quieter, and still has all-terrain capabilities, and long tread life. (I know .... I want the world!) I've been told that the Coopers fit my requirements, and the $$$'s are right, but I haven't been able to find anyone who has experience with them under an Isuzu.
Have also thought about Pirelli Scorpion A/T's, and am open to further suggestions.
Any ideas guys?
Regards,
s a v v a s
-mike
A/C: I live just north of Atlanta, Ga. We have the "light silver" Trooper, 1999 model. We have tinted the windows all the way around. This provided substantial improvement in perceptive AC performance. Even so, the AC has performed relatively well. Of course, it is ran full blast (non-recirc, if the outside air is cooler than the inside air due to sun exposure) for a few minutes, then it normally maintains at the first or second speed setting after the cabin has cooled down.
Tires: My Trooper approached 48k just a couple of weeks ago. I decided to go ahead and purchase Michelin XC LT4 tires (the Sears derivative of Michelin LTX M/S). We are running size P265/70/16. So far, so good. They have a 60k warranty.
3rd seats: I looked into one of those websites that Sawas provided. It was an Australian company that recycled/dismantled Troopers. I have not called, but they indicate on their website that they will not ship out of Australia and will not respond to emails unless they have an Australian address or a ".com.au" extension for the email address. Sawas, have you contacted this company before? Do you have any idea what these people charge for the third seat and its brackets. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
So far I am still loving my Trooper.
I'm not flaming anybody specific here, just making a general observation.
1. Left and right seat, with mounting hardware.
2. Floor attachment point
3. Seat belts (do know what the laws in the US are when it comes to this)
4. Replacement side trims to house the seat belt reels. You may be able to cut your existing trim.
5. Grab handles with hooks for attaching the seat to, when folded up.
I don't understand why this isn't available in the US. All the mid size (that's what we call the class of vehicle the Jackaroo is in) have it as either standard or an option.
What I'll do if I can borrow someone's digital camera, is get a few photos of the seat arrangement in the rear of my car, both in the folded up position and the "seated" position and send thru to paisan. It's probably best if it goes up in www.isuzu-suvs.com for all to see rather than loading it up on the bulletin board.
Regards,
S a v v a s
A/C: I live just north of Atlanta, Ga. We have the "light silver" Trooper, 1999 model. We have tinted the windows all the way around. This provided substantial improvement in perceptive AC performance. Even so, the AC has performed relatively well. Of course, it is ran full blast (non-recirc, if the outside air is cooler than the inside air due to sun exposure) for a few minutes, then it normally maintains at the first or second speed setting after the cabin has cooled down.
Tires: My Trooper approached 48k just a couple of weeks ago. I decided to go ahead and purchase Michelin XC LT4 tires (the Sears derivative of Michelin LTX M/S). We are running size P265/70/16. So far, so good. They have a 60k warranty.
3rd seats: I looked into one of those websites that Sawas provided. It was an Australian company that recycled/dismantled Troopers. I have not called, but they indicate on their website that they will not ship out of Australia and will not respond to emails unless they have an Australian address or a ".com.au" extension for the email address. Sawas, have you contacted this company before? Do you have any idea what these people charge for the third seat and its brackets. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
So far I am still loving my Trooper.
-mike
Bottom line is I am happy with them, once I finally got them balanced right. Hard to beat at $93 each from Sears on sale...
Down here, in 245/70R16 size, a Cooper A/T or H/T is $245 ea, a Bridgestone Dueler A/T is $185 ea, a BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A is about $230 ea. Don't know about the Michelins or Pirellis, but at a guess, about $200 ea.
Now you know why I'm keen on good tread life!
As an aside, My Monterey cost me $50,000 AUD new ... without leather. That does include about $3,000 in extras. But I do get 7 seats !!!
-mike
Generally, if a job gets paid say $50k USD per annum, then in Australia it will also be $50k AUD (or roughly $25k USD). It's not true for everything of course.
Therefore, the real cost is nearly but not quite double that of the US.
Coopers are marketed as a premium tyre over here. The warranties offered support that too.
The biggest problem with shipping from Aus is the price. For an nudge bar is costs almost as much to ship it as it does to buy it!
-mike
Now that I know it is a "global" problem, might tell the dealer to fix it.
Is the install pretty easy? It is 100% bolt on right?
-mike
Jim
Jim
For our 98, I've found that the winter blades do a cleaner and more consistent job than the 'regular' blades.
My real gripe is with the rear wiper. Ours has always done a terrible job. I'd say it clears about 25% of the area that it covers. I've taken it to a dealer once and they installed a new spring or something. Didn't help. Currently I'm running a 16" winter blade (the spec is 15") but that is no better than a standard-size regular blade.
The installation is 100% bolt on my '98. The hardest part was getting the old bolts out. Read the not-so-terrific installation instructions carefully, especially about what to bolt up first. If you are on your back under the truck, be careful not to drop the hitch on your chest - or worse, head - if the bolt doesn't catch (ouch). Another person for five minutes would turn a one hour job into a 20 minute job.
I also thought I noticed that the base might be cast aluminum. It had that kind of whitish buildup at the pivot that says "aluminum corrosion". If I'm right, the dis-similar metal situation could be causing corrosion on the less-noble steel, too.
-mike
We have only 31k miles on truck and have taken it from IL to NJ (15 hours each way), MN (7 hours each way) and Windsor Ont (5 hours each way) with no complaints. We've changed the oil every 3000 miles or so and had no engine problems or strange noises (except from our sons in the back seat)...
Since we bought it, we added another son. So, if you are looking for a family truck, this one works fine. It can even fit three car seats in back. And there is an aftermarket 3rd seat available that bolts into the cargo area.
Several people have mentioned the wipers and AC, so let me give my 2 cents...
Wipers- we use RainX Treatment and make sure we wipe off the road dirt from our wipers when we get gas. No problem with the rain or sleet causing problems with the view. Despite a lot of salt over the past two winters, we have no bubbling or cracking of wiper arms.
AC- Our Trooper S is Black with no additional tint for the windows. When it is in the sun for even a short period the inside is very, very hot. As was suggested earlier, we open all the doors and give the car a minute or two to circulate the air. The AC is okay up front, but we have to point the vents up to get enough cool air to the kids in back.
Overall, very happy with this truck and I am thinking of getting another for my use...
I've never had problems with the wipers. It still has the original blades installed too. I do use Rain-X as well, but generally only on longer trips.
The car is Foxfire Red (the dark red mica) and it does get hot parked in the sun. It is tinted though, all round. Usually ok within a few minutes of the a/c being started.
Very, very, happy with it. Though it's fuel consumption gave me palpitations early on. I'm used to it now.
I'd really like to get a second one. My wife does the bulk of the driving in the Monterey. Probably a Jackaroo SE (similar to the Trooper S). However it would have the magnificent 3.0l Turbo Diesel and 5 speed manual transmission. 30% less fuel usage than the V6, and not that much slower. Torque though is huge, 330Nm at only 2000rpm and one of the flattest torque curves you'll ever see. This is compared to the V6 with 310Nm at 3500 rpm.
The boss-lady has other ideas!
I've noted that a few of you have gone to 265/70 tires instead of the standard 245/70. However, what was the effect on things like acceleration, overall power, fuel consumption, etc?
Changing to a large diameter tire will affect all this as it changes the cars overall gearing. So I'm curious to find out whether any other vehicle dynamics deteriorated as a result.
Regards,
S a v v a s
-mike
To me, maintaining the factory size tire was more important than cosmetic factors such as a bigger tire filling out the wheel well, etc.
I don't really think about the Trooper's handling. It handles poorly, but I'm used to it. I wasn't willing to switch to larger tires.
I should do the sway bar bushings upgrade, but I haven't bothered because it would be hard for me to pick out the right parts at the hardware store.
-mike
I might wimp out on the bigger tires too. But only because road regulations prevent me wandering out of the manufacturer specified sizes. And then the spare tire cover won't fit, etc, etc.
The comment about poor handling is interesting. In Oz, the Jackaroo is fitted with gas pressurised shocks and is considered one of the sharpest steering SUVs on the market. The ride is also quite firm. It is specifically calibrated for the Australian market.
I understand the US get a suspension setup that is aimed at providing a softer ride. This could be the reason for the poor handling.
When Ford first released the Explorer in Australia back in 96/97, there was a lot of hype about it being the biggest selling SUV in the world. But it failed to get market share purely because of its suspension. It is lucky if it sells 100 units/month here. The Jackaroo sells 300-400/month. Landcruiser about 900-1000/month.
Also when the Holden Frontera (Isuzu Rodeo) was released here, the biggest problem again was the suspension. It is now fitted with an "Australianised" suspension which has transformed it totally. Same story with the Suburban ... actually that did so badly it's no longer sold here. Fantastic tow vehicle though.
It's a fairly typical story for USA sourced SUVs.
Sorry guys. But hey, you can get the best of our gear through ARB as well. And I'm considering Rancho RS9000s on mine, or Bilsteins.
S a v v a s
-mike
-mike