General London to Mongolia... In a Panda

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General London to Mongolia... In a Panda

operationpanda

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I'm sure some of you have already heard of the Mongol Rally but for those who haven't, take a look at that site or our team page

I'm a first time Panda owner and am already in love with the car! We got an E reg 1000cl for £150 and it seems a shame to have to leave her in Mongolia when we are finished. I've done about 150 miles in Molly in the last week and have loved every one!

She has the following problems that I know nothing about fixing:

When the temp gauge hits about 95 the dials reset to zero (thermostat?)
When turning left, there is a high pitched whining squeak (bearings?)
Steering is VERY heavy and it's hard to maneuvre her (???)
The brakes are pointless, very spongy and with little effect (???)

Other than that, she's in great condition! If anyone knows where I can get cheap panda parts or of any companies that would be interested in sponsoring us then please get in touch! The rally is being televised so there will be loads of publicity opportunities for sponsors.

Tim :)
 
Like Steve says, take a car that doesnt have a following. Try taking a mark 2/3 fiesta (easy to repair), a metro, or a suzuki swift (ultra reliable).

edit - that panda is far too good to take to Mongolia, it looks rust free...

edit of an edit - if this charity run costs about £2500 (£1000 of that is a donation), why not just donate the full £2500 and bask in the knowledge that your saving even more lives :chin:
 

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You could keep on loving Molly if you DON'T take her and dump her in the Mongolian desert. . . .

Do you think I should take 'Flash' - my Fiat Panda 4x4 to Mongolia for an early grave?
(n)
 

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Let me get ths straight?... the car always get dumped in Mongolia right?...

well I suppose you're not using one of the 'Holy Sisleys' to make the journey... are you sure you want to be doing this race in a 2 wheel drive car?...

heavy steering could be all the linkages needing greasing up... flat tires?... the steering is un-powered anyway...

whining noises generally a bearing of some sort... hard part is finding which one... as no-one drives from the engine bay.

temp dial sounds flakey... try that before the sensor... they're cheaper and easier to swap.

that's a start.

mongolia is easy... trying to keep a panda running for a long time seems much more dificult if you've got a bad'un
 
Sprox said:
You could keep on loving Molly if you DON'T take her and dump her in the Mongolian desert. . . .

Do you think I should take 'Flash' - my Fiat Panda 4x4 to Mongolia for an early grave?
(n)

according to the website for the Mongolian rally, the panda 4x4 is "Nothing more than a tin can on four wheels".
 
Has rust along the bottom of both doors and under the sills but that is all. When the car gets to Ulan Baatar, it will be auctioned off to local people to raise further money for charity or if we have the time we are going to try driving her back. I think you'll find that every model of car has some kind of following and there will always be people that get upset.

The person we bought this panda off was leaving the country and advertised it for sale on the Mongol Rally site saying that she wanted to see Molly go out in a blaze of glory!
 
operationpanda said:
When the car gets to Ulan Baatar, it will be auctioned off to local people to raise further money for charity or if we have the time we are going to try driving her back.
Yeah they're loaded over there aren't they :)... maybe they should do a rally where you are responsible for getting the whole team with car back to base... now how many people would sign up for that...

broken spirit huge depression... ok, let's start pushing the car back ...

i suspect the "ah fek it" factor is part of the fun... like the F1 drivers who walk away from the smashed up cars that cost millions and take weeks for some idiot to put together...

tin box on wheels I salute you... your practicality and pragmatism is refreshing.
 
Is it possible to strip it of parts first then, and sell them to panda owners (rear seats, parcel shelf, rear seat belts, etc, etc), and the less weight, the less chance of it bogging down in mud, and less petrol to buy.
 
christopher watson said:
according to the website for the Mongolian rally, the panda 4x4 is "Nothing more than a tin can on four wheels".

Well of course it is! THat's why it has a cult following! And that's why loadsa people take them!
Why do I love my Tin can on four wheels? Is it because it doesn't get stuck in Snow or Mud or Sand?:worship:
 
Unfortunately you are not allowed to take anything out of the car that will effect the resale potential/value. Some of last year's cars didn't sell because competitors had ripped the seats and dash out leaving just a shell. As regards doing it in a 2wd vehicle, getting stuck is all part of the fun. Christopher Watson, £1000 is the minimum donation but we are trying to raise £3000. We aren't planning to recoup our personal expenses, and all money is going to go direct to Send a Cow and CNCF.
 
operationpanda said:
Christopher Watson, £1000 is the minimum donation but we are trying to raise £3000. We aren't planning to recoup our personal expenses, and all money is going to go direct to Send a Cow and CNCF.

What i was trying to say is, why not just stay in this country and donate the travelling costs to the charities, or if you really have to go, swap your panda for my mates 1989 metro.
 
don't suppose you have got any research material about the various rear parts of the world you're going to be having diahreah in yet have you?

DVD of some other crazy dudes... man

who happens to be selling a booklet on how to convert your car to run on water ... something you can even find in mongolia.

oh and here's one of those martini cars
 

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Im off to mongolia in a Lancia Y10. Only cost £60 and it has one thing a panda doesnt - a brake servo :) Thing is, the Lancia people dont want me to take it....

As for metros and fiestas, I just dont think they would go the distance - not if ur only paying £60 for one. Suzuki swift - too expensive again. I like the reliability of the FIRE engine which meant either panda, uno or y10. Y10 came out the cheapest.

best of luck with your panda mate, and i'll see you in Ulan Bator!

Jim
 
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