Thread: puma ??

Originally Posted by solmanic

As the original poster of the "Just for the record I'm loving my Puma..." thread on the Defender2 forum, I can add that despite all my warranty issues, this is still true for me. I'm loving it.

I'm sure I've posted this before somewhere, but I think the internet and forums like this are partly responsible for the explosion in warranty claims and negative press the Puma has attracted. As soon as one person posts a problem on this site we all rush out and look at our vehicles searching for even a sniff of the same thing. Many of these in the past would have gone undetected and probably never caused us any issues on the road, but now with the aid of broadcast knowledge like on this site, the dealers get hammered with one genuine customer problem, and ten pre-emptive fixes.

Another thing is the number of warranty repairs that are follow-up work to dodgy 1st time fixes by dealers. I know I have had probably 1/3 of my trips to the dealer to repair damage caused by them during the last repair - dashboard scratches, loose trim, punctured headlining etc. Somewhere on this forum I posted a thread where I tried to summarise all the general warranty issues people have had vs minor issues that did not effect the reliability of the vehicle or were caused by dealers during other repairs.

I agree with Scallops, I am also fussy. Like us all, I paid over $50K for my dream car and want it to be as perfect as Defender can be. So that means if it's not 100% within factory specifications, I expect the dealer to make it so by the time I exit the warranty period - no matter how many trips back it takes.

1 my point exactly, but worded much better. You referred to people who already have a Puma running out and checking there vehicles after reading about someone else’s experiences. What about those who have not yet purchased a puma and are either considering upgrading to, or moving to the mark. What would there response be after reading the same posts?

2 and so you should being what is to most people there second largest purchase ( after a house)

Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth!
I bought a brand new top of the line Nis Navara last year, registered in Aril 09. I had all the options and accessories you could poke a stick at, but......
Nothing but bloody trouble....
I actually have a long list of problems that I had with it and one even being a brand new clutch system had to be replaced after 10,000k/m, now, to me that's unacceptable but what I'm getting at is...
It doesn't matter what brand or make of new car it is, they are all going to have some problems with them, minor or major. If all new cars were spot on from the factory, the car companies wouldn't offer a warranty!
Getting back to the issue at hand,
I sold the Navara and I bought a brand new 2010, 110 wagon and,
I BLOODY LOVE IT!!!!
Sure it's already had a minor issue but It's a hand made Deefer and it just adds to the quirkiness of it..
All I'm trying to say is that all cars CAN have problems, but all cars aren't DEFENDERS!!!!!!!
Cheers people,

Povman.

Originally Posted by clean32

...What about those who have not yet purchased a puma and are either considering upgrading to, or moving to the mark. What would there response be after reading the same posts?

I guess that we Defender owners are conflicted. On one hand we want to convert everyone we meet to our religion, but on the other hand we don't want people to think Defender ownership is too easy otherwise everyone would get one and we would no longer feel special .

In any case, at least the information published here gives potential owners the ability to make their purchase with eyes wide open. The list of problems others have experienced gives new owners a good post-delivery inspection schedule. You've got to really want a Defender. And like I always say, they are only 90% complete when they roll out of the factory so it's up to dealers to finish the job through warranty as best they can.

Originally Posted by cripesamighty

.... .... ... ....

There was a noticeable step up in performance (but decreased fuel economy) as we upgraded our Defenders, from the 300 Tdi to the TD5 and finally the best of the lot - the Puma.
.. ... ... ... ... ..

Do you mean decreased economy or decreased consumption? My first interpretation was that you meant the economy was worse and I started this post to ask if that was because you were using the extra performance ie driving faster) and so using more fuel.

Maybe you didn't mean you were using more fuel.

Originally Posted by povman

Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth!
I bought a brand new top of the line Nis Navara last year, registered in Aril 09. I had all the options and accessories you could poke a stick at, but......
Nothing but bloody trouble....
I actually have a long list of problems that I had with it and one even being a brand new clutch system had to be replaced after 10,000k/m, now, to me that's unacceptable but what I'm getting at is...
It doesn't matter what brand or make of new car it is, they are all going to have some problems with them, minor or major. If all new cars were spot on from the factory, the car companies wouldn't offer a warranty!
Getting back to the issue at hand,
I sold the Navara and I bought a brand new 2010, 110 wagon and,
I BLOODY LOVE IT!!!!
Sure it's already had a minor issue but It's a hand made Deefer and it just adds to the quirkiness of it..
All I'm trying to say is that all cars CAN have problems, but all cars aren't DEFENDERS!!!!!!!
Cheers people,

Povman.

you raised an interesting point, a Nissan needing major warrantee work, what happens you sell it. A puma needing warranty work and its accepted and loved for it, being hand built etc etc, so even ourselves use different benchmarks.

The main difference between a Nissan and a puma is that if you are thinking of purchasing either and you decide to use Google. All you get for the Nissan are car sales new and second hand etc. If you Google land rover defender owner in the same manor as you Google Nissan, this site comes up as second hit. I would sagest that 20 minutes googling would push you towards the Nissan.

Guys, Nissan Navaras and Pathfinders have been building up a really PATHETIC reputation, mostly around but not limited to the clutches and the motors.
I have heard of MANY cases in South Africa where Nissan South Africa simply REFUSED to replace clutches under warranty at 10,000km, claiming driver negligence and fair wear and tear. Those clutches cost around AUD$2000 a pop.

Also cases of engine issues: injectors and turbos but also total engine loss, where Nissan also refused to honour any warranty.
Suspension: same story.

This seems to be strong mirror of what we now consider the "Toyota mindset": refusal to recall or repair unless faced by a class action legal battle.

So I would read the posted issues regarding the Puma in this light: if LR repairs under warranty without quibble, what then is the issue?
Sure it's inconvenient, but if you are not DIRECTLY out of pocket, where is the real harm?
If you feel that you are nervous about Puma "issues", simply buy a low mileage second hand model: the previous owner probably sorted all the problems before selling!

Hi VNX205,

Actually driving style has stayed the same but can't get as much range out of the tank!

The 300TDi got better fuel economy than TD5 (the long range tank went from the TDi into the TD5) and the Puma's fuel economy is not as good as TD5's. Mind you performance has certainly improved with each model update so am not complaining!


Cheers,

Cripesamighty

Originally Posted by cripesamighty

Hi VNX205,

Actually driving style has stayed the same but can't get as much range out of the tank!

The 300TDi got better fuel economy than TD5 (the long range tank went from the TDi into the TD5) and the Puma's fuel economy is not as good as TD5's. Mind you performance has certainly improved with each model update so am not complaining!


Cheers,

Cripesamighty

That surprises me.

Surely the new engines are more efficient than the ones they replaced and should use less fuel to do the same job.

Maybe what is happening is that you drive the vehicle so that it feels as if you are driving as hard as you used to, but because of the extra performance, you are actually accelerating faster.