Faults:

These are the manufacturer's faults.

Door locks have become hard to unlock and lock, as well as the petrol cap.

Window winder on drivers side broke (old age).

Alternator and charging issues due to bad earthing; continuity from the battery to the chassis and body was bad.

Air conditioner failing.. could be old age, but I know people that have over 300000 with a perfect air conditioner..

Suspension sag (did a lot of towing by previous owner).

Factory CD player and 7 speakers did not work (old age).

Passengers front seat bolt had a broken thread.

Clutch hydraulic line burst (old age).

Front left hand brake seized up (old age).

Rear left axle seal leaked (old age).

Power steering pump is starting to leak (old age).

All the things past in that list are a owner lack of maintenance issue, or heavy off road driving.

Radiator clogged.

Sub petrol tank cracked, due to heavy off road use.

LPG backfiring (dodgy LPG technicians).

Clutch blew at 265000 due to mud inside the thrust race.

Numerous heater hoses blew.

Universal joints worn because they were never greased correctly.

General Comments:

Built like a rock, tough and reliable. Easy to modify and make it an extreme off road vehicle.

The engine was converted to GAS/Dual Fuel before I bought the car, but this has caused some reliability problems. Even when this happens, it is simple to be switched over to petrol and the engine will fire up perfectly again.

Most of the issues I have had are general maintenance issues by the previous owner.

The engine itself has never let me down. It runs smoothly and has lots of down low end power.

Climbs hills easily and crawls right back down the other end.

You can never break one of these cars off road (if left relatively stock).

Recommendations.

1. 2 inch suspension lift and 33 inch tyres for optimal offroad use without breaking the law.

2. Extractors and a 2.5 inch high flow cat converter and exhaust system.

3. A snorkle is a must, but swing the snorkle head backwards when off road to reduce the amount of dust blocking up the filter.

4. REVERSING LIGHTS. The originals are not very bright.

5. Driving lights or aftermarket headlights. Sealed beams are good for protecting the lamp from mud, but have a poor beams.

6. Installation of larger battery to body/chassis earth cables to keep the charge rate in good condition. (I have had this issue on more than one GQ)

7. Keep on top of all servicing. Make sure all the grease nipples are greased after every time the car has been under water.

8. Extend REAR diff breather hose from the chassis rail on top of the diff to a higher location, if you are planning to use the car to go thru bog holes and rivers.

9. Other than above, you may be able top install a 2nd battery if you do not do a gas conversion or if you do much more work. Take consideration that the car may not be able to be insured or it becomes illegal.

Stupid design flaws:

1. Not enough distance between the rear to front seats!!! (5 seater) Lack of space considering it is such a huge car.

2. There is a lot of heater hoses that are not not necessary under the bonnet.

3.The solid axle front diff makes this vehicle a pain in the backside to park in small spaces.

4. Reverse lights are not bright.

5. The brake lamps under the reverse lamps do not actually work (unless the car is modified to do so)

6. Not much foot room for the driver and the passenger.

7. When you open the rear barn doors, the internal light does not come on (my friend's Patrols do the same thing), but is this a manufacturers flaw or a faulty switch???

8. Due to the distributor having drain holes in the bottom of the casing, steam from the exhaust gets into the distributor when the car is under water, causing the engine to nearly stall. An air pump pushing fresh air into the top distributor breather will fix this problem.

All in all, a top choice if you want to do a lot of off road driving, and want a reliable vehicle to do so.

Faults:

Have not had too many problems with the old girl.

Had to replace the front steering damper; probably from all the use.

Rear window regulator broke and the window would not stay up; had to wire it till I got back to town.

The power mirrors are very clunky whenever going over bumps,

General Comments:

For a big 4wd it is really quick off the mark and can climb rocks without trying.

The fuel economy is not the best; 17-20l per 100km, but I can't fault the motor; still quiet and smooth.

The transmission is auto and is starting to get a bit clunky 1st to 2nd.

It has towed a 22ft caravan around Australia before I got it, and tows my 20 ft boat with ease.

It handles well; not as much body roll as I thought it would have.