Thread: 2.5 years and 4 clutches. Soon will need another. My Puma

hey fellas.

what are the symptoms? small slip to fail in two days kind of thing?

not sure if this helps, but in my last puma, some fluid got onto the clutch plate and cause the plate to burn and glaze over. sent it back and the dealer fixed it straight away. when she went in, the dealer said that the clutch set up has been known to get a bit of fluid os the plate.


that old 110 had a bas map and went well, towed the big boat to bermagui no problems after that. two years of stellar performance until a forced retirement.

My 2013 model 90's clutch also has the probably the same knocking sound in neutral that alittlebitconcerned reports about.

I also have a fair amount of vibration when turning the engine off.

I definitely don't keep my foot on the clutch pedal at all while driving, have always been as gentle with the clutch as I can be, however I also have excessive driveline backlash with this vehicle and to attempt to minimise this, I tend to slip the clutch more than I would prefer.....

3 different Land rover dealerships have told me that the driveline backlash is normal, however I have four other 90's (yes 5 of the buggers in total) and none of them have the backlash of my newest one.

One of the 90's that I purchased new in England has the original clutch, 20 years old and approaching 400,000 miles NOT kilometres.

I am definitely immensely unimpressed with the new "Puma" models and in saying that I have had more troubles in 18 months and ~20,000 Klms with my 2013 model 90, than I have had with all my other 90's.

Anyways, I'm hoping if I whinge long enough and loud enough, that Land Rover will fix the issues with it, but I'm not holding my breath about it....

Trying to get things fixed under warranty has so far been a very frustrating time.
The clutch is the item that at the moment I am trying to get fixed/replaced.

Mike.

Edit: at this stage I don't think that I would ever buy a new Land Rover again, but would definitely recommend to anyone thinking of doing so to purchase an older one e.g. 300TDI or Isuzu and spend money on it to get it to their satisfaction.

Mike,plenty of us haven't had trouble,I feel sorry for as it seems your dealer doesn't give a toss,Barbagallo's in Perth changed the clutch in my TDCi without even asking,they just gave us a car to use and said we'll give yours back when we are happy with it. Pat

Yep, I've read a lot on here about barbagallo being pretty good in regards to warranty and servicing.

However I'm getting sick of the dealers that I've experienced here in Sydney try and tell me that they haven't heard of the issues that I want rectified, issues that many other people on this forum complain about too.

I do see that a lot of the newer defenders are being used in a much harsher climate and environment than mine with no problems (or very little) at all, however I think that maybe mine got put together on a Monday morning after a hard weekend on the turps, or maybe the factory apprentices/trainees put it together with no supervision.....

N.B; I have had good experiences with Alto land rover servicing at St Leonard's, and will go back there again, however the newest Sydney dealership which is only a very short drive from my house will never see my vehicle again in their workshop while I own it.
I have read of others having bad experiences with Alto at St Leonard's, but so far I have not had an issue.

Mike.

I'm at 55,000KM at the moment and no issues with clutch. I've heard a bit of a chatter when off the clutch which goes away when you step on it. But its not that bad.

I've towed numerous times up and down hill and have no issues so far thankfully. maybe I got a better lemon lol

Originally Posted by 90@

Yep, I've read a lot on here about barbagallo being pretty good in regards to warranty and servicing.

However I'm getting sick of the dealers that I've experienced here in Sydney try and tell me that they haven't heard of the issues that I want rectified, issues that many other people on this forum complain about too.

I do see that a lot of the newer defenders are being used in a much harsher climate and environment than mine with no problems (or very little) at all, however I think that maybe mine got put together on a Monday morning after a hard weekend on the turps, or maybe the factory apprentices/trainees put it together with no supervision.....

N.B; I have had good experiences with Alto land rover servicing at St Leonard's, and will go back there again, however the newest Sydney dealership which is only a very short drive from my house will never see my vehicle again in their workshop while I own it.
I have read of others having bad experiences with Alto at St Leonard's, but so far I have not had an issue.

Mike.

Mike,I've had both my L322 RR and current TDCi serviced/repaired at Alto,no complaint's from me,actually Alto's fixed the A/C on my L322,they replaced the second relay,common fault with them while I waited,good service when you drive in and they fix it on the spot. Pat

Mike,the vibration on shut down is just a defender thing,mines done it from new. Pat

Pat,
Re: Alto @ St Leonards,
I have not had a problem with them and will continue to go back there...
I have read and been told by others of issues with them, however I have not had an issue.

The vibration on shut down of the engine on my vehicle is not normal...
It is excessive, there is obviously an issue with it somewhere, it is not a continual problem, but comes and goes....

I have test driven a fair few new "Puma" engined defenders, mine is one of the worst I have come across.

I purchased the "Puma" with the intention of utilising it for touring as my other 90's are pretty old and well worn.
I cannot rely on the new "puma" to drive five minutes without having issues, whether electrical or mechanical....

So, my favourite 300TDI is being given a quick refurb and when finished and back on the road I will pull down and rebuild the new "Puma" if Land Rover cannot or will not fix the issues it has.

As seen on this forum and others, while the vast majority of people do not have issues with their new "Puma" engined Land Rovers, a fair percentage of people do...

Anyways, enough of me whinging,
Who else has had clutch issues like mine (excessive vibration and knocking) and also who else has had many clutches replaced like alittlebitconcerned has?

Mike.