Member Since: 12 Oct 2012
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 327
A couple of years back, we drove two Defender based kit-cars down to the south of Bulgaria for Xmas.
Beware of filling up with fuel somewhere where it's relatively mild, and then stopping overnight 500miles colder Not everywhere has the same level of winter protection in the fuel, especially if there's a sudden cold snap, so fill up before stopping overnight.
I'd make sure I had a spare fuel filter on board, and a can of diesel antifreeze / winter treatment. I've used
Liqui Moly Diesel fließ-fit, but there are plenty on the market.
Petrol stations around Germany/Austria sell sensible long handled windscreen scrapers that seem rare in the UK.
5th Nov 2013 8:12 pm
LHD
Member Since: 05 Apr 2006
Location: Lugano area
Posts: 689
Well I'm seeing snow down to 1200m already in Switzerland, just above the Gotthard tunnel.....so the weather has changed and we may be on for a stunning early start to the skiing season again....!
If you want to avoid the risk of being caught without winter tyres, I'd go via Switzerland and get the ferry at Venice. The roads are usually well-kept, it's only been once or thrice that I had to drive in 20cm of snow on the highway!!
I would not use snow chains on the highway as you're going to be limited to under 50kph. You will be a danger to yourself and others so don't be on there in chains unless everyone else is...!Discovery 3 Manual as PDF | Blackvue 500 | BAS Remap | Mates did South America in a Landie
6th Nov 2013 9:49 am
promitheus
Member Since: 04 Jul 2009
Location: Afidnes, Greece
Posts: 570
Thanks guys!
Well I never thought of diesel antifreeze for the fuel. At what temperatures would I have to use this?
Wouldn't just the FBH do the job?
6th Nov 2013 2:57 pm
epninety
Member Since: 12 Oct 2012
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 327
Without the right protection, diesel can start to have problems from not much below 0C. I bought diesel in France, and again in Germany (Ibex has only a 9.5Gal tank) but had problems around Munich the following morning at around -10C. I wasn't the only one, due to the surprise cold snap there were several cars and trucks with problems in the same car park.
Crystal formation turns the diesel to gel and blocks the fuel filters. I could run the engine at idle, but it had no power and died on the motorway slip road. A change of fuel filter didn't help (so it wasn't excess water content), it froze again almost instantly. FBH can't help you here, unless you fit a heated fuel filter - which I've never seen on a D3, though the Ibex will have one if I ever do another cold weather trip.
Fortunately the 300tdi is a forgiving beast, a couple of litres of unleaded into a nearly full diesel tank sorted it out straight away. I wouldn't do that to a D3 though!
Both my Webasto engine heater and Eberspacher air heater (only fitted for extreme weather trips) ran perfectly throughout.
I've done colder trips without ever having a problem, including a run to the Norwegian arctic in winter, so it was purely due to unexpected cold snap catching out the fuel distributors.
Click image to enlarge
Buy a can of antifreeze or diesel- dryer, and sods law states you'll never ever need it
6th Nov 2013 3:28 pm
LHD
Member Since: 05 Apr 2006
Location: Lugano area
Posts: 689
Diesel antifreeze....well nobody here uses that but if you needed it, you could buy it I guess.
It may already be added to winter supplies of local fuel where it might start to gel in winter months. So as you'll be fuelling up along the way, the risk should be low.
Member Since: 12 Oct 2012
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 327
You don't use it because it's in your fuel already. If you only buy fuel locally, then no problem. If you flush the tank through with several loads of fuel with a low protection level, then fill up locally with fuel with a higher protection, you'll still dilute that protection with the lower grade fuel.
I had problems in Munich, a couple of days before Xmas, so more or less exactly on the OPs likely route, more or less at the time he's intending to travel.
It's not a rare problem, even somewhere as mild as the UK, if you have a vehicle that's rarely used it can easily end up with a 50/50 mix of summer and winter fuel blends, and not enough protection for very cold weather.
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Not everywhere has the same level of winter protection in the fuel, especially if there's a sudden cold snap, so fill up before stopping overnight.
At what temperatures would I have to use this?
