this is can confirm this...even from Hukunsi to Ghanzi was a nightmare and that was halfway
The land rover defender probably the best 4x4 ever built
- Thread starter geoffrey
- Start date
this is can confirm this...even from Hukunsi to Ghanzi was a nightmare and that was halfway
tackb
Well-Known Member
I may be slightly bias as I've been a Land Rover fan since I was a child and bought my 1st Landy when I was 13 (a 1976 series 3 88") but it does annoy me when people say that Defenders are "shockingly unreliable" I've owned my 1997 Defender for 14 years, I've travelled all over the UK and Ireland in it, been involved in serious off raoding events, countless hunting trips, towed very heavy loads, rescued friends cars from accidents, floods, heavy snow, been able to do jobs that simply put other vehicles haven't been capable of and not once in all these years has it ever failed to start or not got me home!
The problem I see is that people (mostly farmers) simply don't maintain their Land Rover as they should or fit cheap poor quality parts by a DIY mechanic that doesn't have to tools or experience to do the jobs correctly. Land Rover has been the vehicle of choice for the MOD, police forces, fire and rescue services all over the world for a reason. the Defender was done away with for no other reason that the bean counters sitting in an office that have probably never done a hard days physical work in their lives decided that it didn't make a high enough profit margin compared to the rest of the vehicles in the Land Rover range, all the stories about it not passing safety tests are simply not true. I know this because I used to work for Land Rover experience as an instructor and was told this many years ago while I was at the factory. I think its a sign of the times we live in these days unfortunately
this is simply not my experience , I am a engineer , I work on heavy mobile cranes , 9 axles all steering cross locks , long locks , reduction hubs blah blah blah , the land rovers I maintained myself were marginally more reliable than the dealer maintained ones but all and I mean all land rover products I have owned have been shockingly unreliable a problem that is exaggerated by the solid reliability of the Japanese competitors I have owned , all my vehicles are working vehicles upto and including my range rover and landcruisers , like for like with the same tyres and there is nothing in it off road , towing the landcruisers just cant be beaten (sorry to pop your bubble)
as for ending production of the blunt rovers (90/110) I think if your honest you'll admit that they just cannot keep up with the emission regs and safety regs despite putting smaller and smaller cleaner diesels in them , personally I disagree with the evermore oppressive regs but it's not my decision sadly.
I'd love to buy british (currently indian) but simply cannot afford to , and that is from personal experience , even a land rover tech I was talking to admitted some are 'less bad' than others !
Ah - but it hasn't. But for rare exceptions (such as the British Army, where there was very strong political pressure to keep it), they were very seldom used by military, law enforcement or emergency services anywhere.
Occasionally a UK aid or security deal would induce a government to buy a small fleet, but they never lasted long, and were usually binned within a year or two.
They are fun toys for British hobbyists never more than an hour or two from the AA, but somewhere where your life might depend on a reliable vehicle, they're just liabilities.
As for improper maintenance/abuse - that's standard for farm and field vehicles, and applies equally to all makes. Land Rovers are always the first to give up. I suppose the big difference is that with a Landcruiser, you can treat it like crap for 200,000km, and then probably have to junk it completely. Whereas a Land Rover, you have to baby from day one, but can more or less keep it limping along indefinitely.
Ranger22
Well-Known Member
Had land rovers on the past, never ever again. The most unreliable motor I have ever had to suffer. Too many long walks home for me to consider having another. I wouldn't say that my 16 plate Ranger is much better to be honest, 11k on the clock, 2 gear box breakdowns, dash warning lights now on, steering wheel off set to the right makes for an uncormfortable drive. Fuel economy is crap. Do Land Rover build them ?
Defenders and their earlier cousins, Series Land Rovers are without doubt uncomfortable, expensive (they hold their price like nothing else), gas guzzling, unreliable, but good off-road cars. Their engineering and pretty much everything else about them harks back to the 1940's, with really not much updated over the decades. They were arguably outdated then when first produced. They certainly have the reliability of 1940's vehicles.
So it's no wonder that they are hard to find where professional users abound, or where the AA doesn't cover (vast tracts of Africa, for example). But they do survive. They are loved and, when they work, they do the business. So to argue that they are rubbish because of their reliability record or their comfort is pointless. We all know that (even if some buck the trend and are reliable). That's not why owners have them. Think more along the lines of Harley Davidson owners. Slow, handle like the QE2, and uncomfortable. Owners spend more time polishing them than riding them.
When considering the popularity of Defenders, simply think how many people will want to run about in a 50 year old L200 in years to come.
Frankly, I can't wait to see one of the replacement vehicles once they arrive. A sort of morbid fascination maybe.
So it's no wonder that they are hard to find where professional users abound, or where the AA doesn't cover (vast tracts of Africa, for example). But they do survive. They are loved and, when they work, they do the business. So to argue that they are rubbish because of their reliability record or their comfort is pointless. We all know that (even if some buck the trend and are reliable). That's not why owners have them. Think more along the lines of Harley Davidson owners. Slow, handle like the QE2, and uncomfortable. Owners spend more time polishing them than riding them.
When considering the popularity of Defenders, simply think how many people will want to run about in a 50 year old L200 in years to come.
Frankly, I can't wait to see one of the replacement vehicles once they arrive. A sort of morbid fascination maybe.
tony rentokil
Well-Known Member
Thats it! I am defo going to get one,,
The sand could be a bit heavy on that section. Specially in a Bedford TK 7 ton, no power steering, and it took a 40lb pull to get the gear lever across the gate!
David.
David.
I had an interesting stroll down the Defender line at Solihull with the QC manager. The 'fail' numbers on tne screen were frankly alarming - about 20% of the cars for the day. "That's because they're running the waterspray testing on the Defenders", he said. "There's no point - the seals simply don't fit, so we fill up half the cars we test. It is completely outdated in terms of production and almost impossible to build on a line because so little of it lines up!" The cars were essentially hand built, but to production line schedules and with increasing knackered machine tools replcing the parts. I was watching why it cost so much in production; because to get any sort of consistency of build took too much time fiddling around.
I agree about the enthusiast owner being the best sort - they're great but rubbish at the same time, which is a fun trick if you can pull it off.
I agree about the enthusiast owner being the best sort - they're great but rubbish at the same time, which is a fun trick if you can pull it off.
This calls to mind the yarn I was spun some years ago:
Apparently, it came to Land Rover's attention that a foreign maker of 4x4s tested the door-seals by shutting a cat in the test-vehicle on Friday. If, when they came back in on Monday morning, the cat had suffocated after having used up all the oxygen in the vehicle, then the seals were satisfactory.
So they tried this at LR, but came back in on Monday morning to find the cat had escaped through a panel gap. Apparently.
Like any mass produced item, you will see a percentage of lemons among them, so any one know how many in total built, in comparison to the "Other" 4x4's? .. I never had a bad one, I had five over my long driving years, the only reason I won't have another is the theft rate now.
If I were to have another, this type would be what I would seek out.Redirect Notice
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
I have a near perfect 1980 RHD 2.25 hardtop version sitting in my garage.
AN DU RU FOX
Well-Known Member
If its in your way ask a nieghbour for help to push it out.
they make lovely bird boxes ,be nice to get a grant to home a couple of thrushes or blackbirds ,couple of chickens jumping in and out the side window ,robin in the exhaust pipe,blue tits in the engine bay,and all the insect life as well perfick!!!
they make lovely bird boxes ,be nice to get a grant to home a couple of thrushes or blackbirds ,couple of chickens jumping in and out the side window ,robin in the exhaust pipe,blue tits in the engine bay,and all the insect life as well perfick!!!
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nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
A colleague of mine worked at a land rover dealership before his current role and he said his main job was to reseal the roofs with silicone when they inevitably came back with a leak!
Like any mass produced item, you will see a percentage of lemons QUOTE]
Correct 99.9 %
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
It will be fine so long as it stays in the garage
Took it out for a spin today - surprise surprise, it all worked.
Ho ho.
geoffrey
Well-Known Member
Well this has turned into a really interesting thread, with arguments from all sides, having read all the posts with interest i still think the main reason for defenders breaking down is due to abuse and lack of servicing, tomorrow i am fitting a Roamadrive to the 110 which drops the gearing by 28% so should make motorway driving more comfortable as it acts as a sixth gear, in June we are taking it off road across the Pyrenees so that should be a good test, cheers Geoff
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