Thread: Has your defender ever let you down

I bought a ten year old 193,000 km TD5 110 which had been given a fair amount of treatment. I grilled the mechanic who had been working on it for the previous owner and he said it had been put through the mill in the Vic Alps many a time, but the owner had never skimped on the repairs.

It had been towed home with broken CV joints, been bashed about a bit, but was set up really nicely for my purposes.

We bought it and took it on a 25,000km trip around the continent a few weeks later.

Problems:
Broken wheel stud (30 minute fix)
Broken rear brake pipe flare (slightly longer but still DIY fix - getting a shop to chop and reflare the pipe)
Worn belt (30 minute fix)
Temperamental speedo (sort of fixed )

Since then we re-registered it in another state and had to buy a steering box and a few bits and bobs to pass through.

Now it's having a new clutch and flywheel fitted (not cheap at all) because it started to make some nasty noises in that department.

But the fact is it hasn't ever left me stranded, and my wife probably loves it more than she loves me.

At the end of the day, it's often not cars that let people down, but the other way around. Preventative maintenance and not doing stupid stuff in them means they don't let you down.

I own a 1993 200 TDI and I have only a few probelms but these were more user error!

Engine and Drive train----Never let me down, starts on the button.

Electrics-----Well a small electrical fire, due to me putting a larger fuse in. rear wiper motor had packed up after 17 years.

Leaks when it rains, the the wife feels sorry and states she will get me a new defender, so I don't mind this but will pass this one onto my son.

Fan blower has packed up but it had 17 yrs of use.

I think it has done well and is always repairable by minor fixes to get me on the road.

Bulkhead rotten, but this was like it when I bought it, got a secondhand one to replace and my next job.

I like an on going project anyway, to be honest I only ever had ex military ones in the UK previously, not keen on civvy models.

mine has had a hard life and has done well, and I would not have it any other way, or have any other vehicle.

thanks Mark