The land rover defender probably the best 4x4 ever built

[TOMMO.B]

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

I hope you enjoy your road trip. Please remember your RAC or AA card. There was a land rover rally up here yesterday. At four pm the breakdown wagons started to appear. says it all

 

[bobjs]

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

how will a 6th gear add comfort to a cart,

it may help in fuel consumption but it will do nothing for the lack of room, drafts from all the ill fitting doors and window, sharp edges of dissimilar metals and components that fall off.

we have 3 at work and i would sell them all and go for something that works,

bob

 

[geoffrey]

Hi Bob i can see from your post that you are not a great fan of the defender, my vehicle is actually quiet comfortably to drive but as it originally had a 2.5 n/a engine it was fitted with a 1.66 ratio transfer box which makes the gearing very low, its great for towing and driving around the country lanes of Sussex but at 70 mph the revs are too high. one option is to use a disco transfer box with 1,2 ratio but for the best of both worlds the Roamadrive is the answer as you can drive at motorway speeds at around 2500 revs which makes driving more relaxing then disengage the unit and you are back to normal. yes you are right about the ill fitting doors but with a bit of fettling mine are acceptable, i don't find a problem with space i like the high driving position and now that the 300tdi engine has done 1200 miles it pulls like a train, but what i like most about the vehicle is the fact that apart from the fuel cut off solenoid it has no electrics controlling the engine whatsoever,
so if the engine was to brake down i know i can repair it without the help of the AA or RAC or the computers that are needed to fault find on modern vehicles.
lastly someone posted on this thread that the landrove was built using fifties technology and has never been updated, the reason that it has not changed with the exception of coils springs is they got it right in the first place, i remember watching long way round when the modern support vehicle suffered suspension failure because of the pot holes in the roads and parts had to be flown out because the metal used could not be welded. the landrover steering and suspension is so heavily constructed i doubt that it would have failed.

 

[JockStalk]

how will a 6th gear add comfort to a cart,

My favourite one-liner on this thread

 

[bogtrotter]

Hi Bob i can see from your post that you are not a great fan of the defender, my vehicle is actually quiet comfortably to drive but as it originally had a 2.5 n/a engine it was fitted with a 1.66 ratio transfer box which makes the gearing very low, its great for towing and driving around the country lanes of Sussex but at 70 mph the revs are too high. one option is to use a disco transfer box with 1,2 ratio but for the best of both worlds the Roamadrive is the answer as you can drive at motorway speeds at around 2500 revs which makes driving more relaxing then disengage the unit and you are back to normal. yes you are right about the ill fitting doors but with a bit of fettling mine are acceptable, i don't find a problem with space i like the high driving position and now that the 300tdi engine has done 1200 miles it pulls like a train, but what i like most about the vehicle is the fact that apart from the fuel cut off solenoid it has no electrics controlling the engine whatsoever,
so if the engine was to brake down i know i can repair it without the help of the AA or RAC or the computers that are needed to fault find on modern vehicles.
lastly someone posted on this thread that the landrove was built using fifties technology and has never been updated, the reason that it has not changed with the exception of coils springs is they got it right in the first place, i remember watching long way round when the modern support vehicle suffered suspension failure because of the pot holes in the roads and parts had to be flown out because the metal used could not be welded. the landrover steering and suspension is so heavily constructed i doubt that it would have failed.

Really all the Landrovers I had broke springs for fun.

 

[geoffrey]

That's why they changed to coil springs, but don't think its only landrover that breaks leaf springs my L200 broke both of them

 

[TOMMO.B]

I would be more worried about the chassis than the springs

 

[Heym SR20]

I had an accident and rolled one down a main road> End result was a wrecked vehicle and a broken back

My 76 year old father was in Nepal a couple of years ago in a Toyota Hilux double cab sitting in the back. Driver pulled up at the guest house and got out leaving handbreak off. It rolled backwards and then a 100 ft slope. Vehicle rolled several times. Dad walked away - a but battered and bruised but no bones broken.

 

[bogtrotter]

I would be more worried about the chassis than the springs

Exactly had a series 111 that needed the chassis welded for it's first MOT at three years old.

 

[Alantoo]

I had an accident and rolled one down a main road> End result was a wrecked vehicle and a broken back

My 76 year old father was in Nepal a couple of years ago in a Toyota Hilux double cab sitting in the back. Driver pulled up at the guest house and got out leaving handbreak off. It rolled backwards and then a 100 ft slope. Vehicle rolled several times. Dad walked away - a but battered and bruised but no bones broken.

How are these events linked to the fitness for purpose of Land Rovers or Toyotas? Both would appear to be more to do with the biological control systems than the actual vehicle design.

Exactly had a series 111 that needed the chassis welded for it's first MOT at three years old.

I am gradually welding up a 1997 Discovery which is riddled with rust compared to similar aged Volvos which are essentially as-new body wise. The Discovery build quality was atrocious, very badly done, body panels not lined up before riveting and silicon sealant beads lying 15mm away from the joint they were meant to be sealing...Chassis seems okay on this one however.

In the early seventies we all ended up with SWB Series ones, and the first Land Rover I worked on was a pre production prototype which had chassis R28 and engine R24 or similar. The R28 chassis was galvanised and the front knuckles were from solid bronze...The quality has apparently only gone down hill since then.

For all its faults, I have always liked the shape and the abilities of the old Discoverys. Relatively comfortable on and off road for a tractor and capable of pulling 3500kilos legally. The Defender's driving position is no good for my size and back condition.

Alan

 

[greenhillstairs]

[h=2]Land Rover Defender 110 Double Cab TD5 XS - Total Revamp
Land Rover 110 Defender County Double Cab Td5 - Stunning Custom Build[/h]Hope no one minds, see no harm in using this opportunity and thread to give a quick "Shout out" for the two above Defenders i'm selling on here in the classifieds. I have had a good few Defenders pass through my hands over the years, and i can concur with some of the points of criticism. However so often punters compare 10 year + vehicles with other 4 x 4's of whom are still a baby of a few years old, rarely is it comparing apples with apples. If looked after properly they will give many years of good service, and for sure nothing comes close to there off-road capability's. My preference is for the Td5 Defenders, that being the only engine that was truly designed for the Defender. Landrover will always have the knockers, however they are great vehicles to work with, spare parts are reasonable and plentiful. Once they in your blood they are there for life. I have re-built and customised a number of other 4 x 4's, own others that offered more comfort for sure,but when i factor everything in, I simply would no longer entertain any of the others sat on my drive.

 

[greenhillstairs]

I have spent quite a bit of my life in Landrovers - indeed my earliest memories are of an old light blue SWB Series 11 station wagon in Rhodesia that my father had as works vehicle. As a three or four year old sitting in the back going through the bush was a big treat.

I had an early 110 on a C plate for a while. It was a van body with side windows, heavy duty rear springs and the large 2.5 Litre straight four. It was powerful, smooth and an excellent chassis. In Zambia I had a fleet of old series 1 / 11 and 111 landrovers. We running a small holder agriculture scheme in the Eastern Province, and we collected up several old dead landrovers. We had brilliant Zambian mechanics, and every few weeks out would another landrover from the workshop. My own vehicle was an ex Military Lightweight called Jemima - and she was brilliant in the bush, but could never do much above 45 mph - mind you the state of Zambia's main roads did n't allow much above that. We had a 110 diesel - non-turbo and that was very comfortable but let down by woeful performance and poor seating.

We did have a double cab Hilux. Much, much more comfortable to drive, but hard leaf springs meant the suspension could never keep up with corrugations and it would swap ends if you were not careful - it needed plenty of weight in back.

But we looked with envy at all the NGO workers with their Landcruisers and Nissan Patrols.

Modern Defenders - the TD5 is a nice engine, but with the rest they have just tried to add modern features to a 50 plus year old design. Even the Defender is a mid 80's design. The simple versions work well, the modern ones do as well, but if you are anything over about 5ft 2 3/8" of an inch tall forget it in terms of any sort of comfort.

+1 for the Td5, best engine by a country mile

 

[greenhillstairs]

You do realise that all you who are rubbishing the Landy are wrong don't you ?
Introduced in 1948 and built until 2015, that doesn't happen without there being people out there to buy them.
If they really were as bad as you say, there wouldn't be any buyers out there.

Neil.

Never a truer word spoken. 68 Years of building Crap? and the great general public, Armed forces, Utility's,etc etc ever never cottoned on! Just would not happen would it

 

[greenhillstairs]

i'd agree!! as a machine for someone who wants a repairable vehicle that you can get parts for nearly anywhere, that most mechanics anywhere in the world can fix with a basic toolset then the defenders perfect .
A zillion parts suppliers with a worldwide network , thousands of aftermarket parts manufactures ,replacement parts available from a chassis to a wheel nut with everything inbetween , simple construction meaning each and every part is replaceable thats the attraction for so many its like triggers broom if thats your pleasure and for tens of thousands it is , its a maintainable vehicle not a throw away comodity !!!
whats to hate i don't understand the anti lr camp i have had hilux's land cruisers ,and many other jap 4x4s they do what they are designed to do and do it well , they rust just as fast as any land rover product (most things do on salty british roads) trouble with most of the jap stuff is its steel body when its rusted its rusted you either start welding like a champ or bin it
A defender in standard guise on factory tyres will out perform nearly all others in the mud and crap it might be 80s tec but it worked then and continues to do so even today
Its a shame production has ceased but i bet a pound to a penny somebody else picks up the marque and runs with it especially post brexit

Ineos confirms plans to create vehicle in style of Land Rover Defender Star

 

[shrek1]

It will be fine so long as it stays in the garage

ha ha ha pmsl

 

[bobjs]

Hi Bob i can see from your post that you are not a great fan of the defender, my vehicle is actually quiet comfortably to drive but as it originally had a 2.5 n/a engine it was fitted with a 1.66 ratio transfer box which makes the gearing very low, its great for towing and driving around the country lanes of Sussex but at 70 mph the revs are too high. one option is to use a disco transfer box with 1,2 ratio but for the best of both worlds the Roamadrive is the answer as you can drive at motorway speeds at around 2500 revs which makes driving more relaxing then disengage the unit and you are back to normal. yes you are right about the ill fitting doors but with a bit of fettling mine are acceptable, i don't find a problem with space i like the high driving position and now that the 300tdi engine has done 1200 miles it pulls like a train, but what i like most about the vehicle is the fact that apart from the fuel cut off solenoid it has no electrics controlling the engine whatsoever,
so if the engine was to brake down i know i can repair it without the help of the AA or RAC or the computers that are needed to fault find on modern vehicles.
lastly someone posted on this thread that the landrove was built using fifties technology and has never been updated, the reason that it has not changed with the exception of coils springs is they got it right in the first place, i remember watching long way round when the modern support vehicle suffered suspension failure because of the pot holes in the roads and parts had to be flown out because the metal used could not be welded. the landrover steering and suspension is so heavily constructed i doubt that it would have failed.

Thank you for a nice reply.

and as you have stated I am not a lover of land rovers but the defender has to be the worst thing I have even driven, I drove land rovers for years in the army and are most likely the reason for me needing a new knee last year,

that aside I think its a good thing they came to an end, its bad enough having the UK slatted for wanting out of the EU but to have these things laying all over the place done us no favours at all,

Land rover defenders remind me of the adverts for the England team every time a world cup comes around.

England done it once,

in the case of the defender and others out of the same stable land rover have been trying for a lot longer and still cant get it right.

bob.

 

[tackb]

I'm with you bob !

the idea of a 90/110 is lovely but the reality is hideous , they are uncomfortable in the extreme with woeful safety , driving dynamics , reliability , economy , the list is endless ! the hand brake lever is either jabbing your calf or your thigh and has been for 50 years for the love of god !

there are people with green oval glasses who will tell you how great their LR is and then list all the mods they have done to make it even remotely bearable , it's an icon but to say its anything other than uncomfortable and unreliable (not to mention over priced) is deluded at best !

LR now make some lovely vehicles in theory but in practice they are still shockingly unreliable !

 

[greenhillstairs]

Over 2 million built through the impossible terrain of recessions, fuel crises, appalling reliability problems, the demise of the UK motor industry, an American buy-out and more recently an Indian takeover to emerge on the other side, still wearing the crown of the best 4x4 x far! I’m willing wager over half of the "Spanners" commenting on here wouldn’t know a Spanner from a Wrench

 

[AN DU RU FOX]

Heres the only spanner you ever need,and you couldn,t wrench me towards one,Wickes Heavy Duty Sledge Hammer 14lb | Wickes.co.uk

 

[greenhillstairs]

Heres the only spanner you ever need,and you couldn,t wrench me towards one,Wickes Heavy Duty Sledge Hammer 14lb | Wickes.co.uk

And there my Lord, I Rest My Case !! Obviously need's rephrasing Wouldn't know a Spanner from a Hammer Doooh