The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[jvoelcker]

Hi Frank,

Just seen the great pics of your trip to Romania and then across the Pyrenees.

As per my emails last week, have you got any better photos of the damage to your diff breather?

Looking at some of the tracks you have been driving, is it possible for the breather to have suffered impact damage?

Your email implied that the damage may have been caused by 'not enough length to miss moving parts', however I can't see how that would cause the airline fitting in the axle to break so long after fitting - if the pipe run was too tight I would have thought it would have failed on your Romanian trip or earlier on the Pyrenese trip.

Am more than happy to help, but do need to see better quality photos, ideally from the back of the axle - the picture you provided (below) doesn't show enough detail.


_________________
Cheers,

Julian
1994 HDJ80, with loads of mods without looking too obscene
1997 KZJ95 - Gilly's - plain black and muddy on BFG ATs.

[Google]

[fcook22]

Diff breather pics
_________________
Drove and sold.
1993 Japanese import 80 series 12v VX.
Allisport intercooler.
Patriot roofrack.
Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx tyres, 285/75/16.
CURRENTLY
UK 1995 80 24v VX

[jvoelcker]

Thanks Frank for the photos, much clearer.



As explained in my email, the bracket that holds the anti-roll bar on to the axle on that side of the car has ripped off the axle leaving that end of the anti-roll bar floating around in the air subsequently ripping the breather pipe from the fitting (and breaking it in the process), but not before the serrated edge of the mount cutting in to the pipe.

The failure of the anti-roll bar link is relatively common, but not common enough to warrant us getting under there and welding strengthening plates.  People normally notice the difference in handling or the knocking and then either live with it to the end of the trip or get it fixed during a mid trip service - it's not a show stopper problem.

For the bigger lift kits or trucks that are more heavily loaded we do fit drop blocks to lower the anti-roll bar at the back and thus alleviate the problem a bit by reducing the angles, but if there is weakness there already it won't help that much.
_________________
Cheers,

Julian
1994 HDJ80, with loads of mods without looking too obscene
1997 KZJ95 - Gilly's - plain black and muddy on BFG ATs.

[fcook22]

Refund received.
So case closed.

Frank
_________________
Drove and sold.
1993 Japanese import 80 series 12v VX.
Allisport intercooler.
Patriot roofrack.
Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx tyres, 285/75/16.
CURRENTLY
UK 1995 80 24v VX

[thewormman]

I have an ongoing dispute with Overland Cruisers and Julian Voelcker

Not once did he reply to me about my problem, or try to rectify it.

[LC80togo]

Picking the car up at the weekend.

[administrator]

Wow!

Julian Voelcker / Overland Cruisers has a fantastic reputation in the Landcruiser world - what a shame if this is what it's come to!

Simon
_________________
Yellow Diamond Clubs

[Bigchaser]

[thewormman]

[wenona362]

I would most definitely name and shame Julian's set up.
I started to write a long spiel about my treatment by them e.g., total non response once they had their money. - (even charging me VAT on a book i bought), but my computer lost it and i can't be bothered going through it again tonight. I am not a young man knowledgeable about land cruisers but a cash strapped travelled retired lady in her 60's (..aahh pennies dropping??) who wanted to continue to travel off road by means other than feet or bike but who allowed herself (in  ignorance) to be persuaded that i needed a 'checkover' before 'fittings' and who trusted Julian's words "we can then provide you with a breakdown of any issues we find, costs for getting things repaired and then also give you guidance on any extra work you want.

Yes, and pigs can fly...!!
Like someone says, he 's not hungry any more.

[thewormman]

I ended up taking Julian Voelker, Overland Cruisers all the way to court to get over a thousand pounds of my money back.

Only communication I ever got from Voelker was a threat of legal action for libel if I made my case public, that was until the Magistrate told him he had to pay me back.  


overland cruisers review

[wenona362]

Glad you took him to court. Did you get your money back?

I think he's built his reputation because he can talk the talk, but he clearly can't handle follow up or basic customer service in any shape or form.  Once  the work is done and he's got his money in his hand that's the end of the story as far as he's concerned.  But if there's any follow up needed or even simple confirmation of work done, he doesn't want to know.
After his scare tactics (and his reputation) persuaded me to have an unplanned health check (I was enquiring about minor interior adaptations for travel) he hasn't even emailed me to inform me of the work they did, what they checked, any problems  they found or things which i ought to be aware of. To quote julian "We can then provide you with a break down of any issues we find, costs for getting things repaired, and then give you guidance on any of the extra work you may want." He has done absolutely none of this.  I feel I have been completely tricked and wish I'd delayed the £400 payment until i received written breakdown of the work done and results found.

Not only that, he made a big spiel about how crooked the motor industry is, etc. and how if they did the check before my MOT was due they could identify any problems which I could maybe get fixed under my warranty (even though he said warranties are not worth the paper they're written on). They then proceeded to remove my 12 month old shocks, replace them with some 2nd hand ones unsuitable for off roading, and gave me the old ones to show to my workshop so they would give me new ones. Being in the industry he should have known that once something is interfered with (i.e. removed) the warranty becomes invalid.

On a lighter note, but which illustrates his cavalier attitude, he even put a book i bought from his office on my bill under 'parts' and charged me VAT on it.

He didn't even email me a costing for interior work which i would still have been interested in. Not now of course.
I feel he took complete advantage of me. Knowing that i was retired, on a tight budget and ignorant about vehicles, he deliberately used scare monger tactics to persuade me to have something different from what i wanted.

I also know (because i was there all day) that he has a secretary/personal assistant (Sandra) who was answering the phone and emails, so I don't know if she's got a separate line or what.

[wenona362]

I have, incidentally, phoned or emailed julian at least 20 times by now.

[thewormman]