Please share your Defender 130 problems

I had a major issue with my Def130 this week, the first one in ages. I'm so angry about it I may stop buying LR altogether.

I started getting a strong smell of ATF in the cabin, but it would go away if I opened the vents or turned on AC. I checked under the vehicle, no ATF leaks anywhere. ATF levels were good in the PS system and (obviously) there's no ATF anywhere else. I kept driving and the smell got worse and worse. It was driving me nuts and I hated driving the car with the smell.

Eventually after days of frustration I started ripping the car apart to find the source. Didn't take long to find it: a 1L bottle of ATF had burst under the back seat.

Screw you LRA, this is the last time I put up with your poor reliability issues!

;)

Cheers,

Adam

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Originally Posted by Sparkys

I am certainly beginning to lean heavily towards the cruiser.

After hanging out on the Landcruiser forums and the Defender forum for a few months I am seeing a massive trend here with posts saying "Aargh, my Defender is doing this and this and this wrong" and very, very few posts on the Landcruiser forum saying "My Landcruiser is doing this wrong".

I am in no way knocking your Defenders either, I value all of the feedback that's been provided here and they still remain a good car in my view.

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Mate,just between you and me,Land Rover owners are honest and will give you an honest answer if asked,Toyota owners never have any issue's at all ever,every single one of them is rock solid as told on LC forums,the two troopys I once had were the only two toyota's ever made that broke down,I must be very unlucky to get the only two bad ones. Pat

i 100% agree with Pat.

more than a few times in the past i have had to coax out of toyota owners the real reasons behind the fact their vehicle is either 'unavailable' or that they have traded it in....:eek:

we are talking late, expensive models here.

i also have quite a few ex toyota (and other jap 4x4) customers who now drive lr's, and love them

Toyota do make some great gear though, our family car is a 2002 Lexus LS430, which is our second one now (previously LS400), both bought at used prices:D, can't fault them on any level. The 1HDT FTE and 12HT are also awesome diesel engines, and the Denso factory A/C in all models is very reliable and efficient.

It is a pity there are also opposites to these positives:(.


JC

and just to add, i work on these vehicles (landies, not toyotas) for a living, yes there are some irritating and downright head scratching moments at times, but i will say that there is very little to complain about when you drive them, you just get it.

something totally lacking in nissan, toyota, ford, mitsubishi is the character and enjoyment of actually driving landies:)

thats why i have a 27 year old diesel 110. can't get much more character than one of those:)

life is too short not to 100% enjoy your ride:cool:

jc

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Originally Posted by justinc

life is too short not to 100% enjoy your ride:cool:

jc

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While not a 130, my son has replaced his D2 with a new 76 Crusier V8 TD

Not really happy except for the grunt...which is only better than the TD5 above 110:o

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Originally Posted by strangy

While not a 130, my son has replaced his D2 with a new 76 Crusier V8 TD

Not really happy except for the grunt...which is only better than the TD5 above 110:o

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One of my customers sold his v8 d1 to buy a flat tray v8 td cruiser for towing his 5th wheeler. he bought it second hand, the previous owner paid some huge $ when new; it was optioned up with factory lockers etc etc but every time i drive it it feels like all the previous models, except for the sound of the v8. quite disappointing really for all that dosh :(. iirc $75k on the road was the figure:o.

jc

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Originally Posted by PAT303

Mate,just between you and me,Land Rover owners are honest and will give you an honest answer if asked,Toyota owners never have any issue's at all ever,every single one of them is rock solid as told on LC forums,the two troopys I once had were the only two toyota's ever made that broke down,I must be very unlucky to get the only two bad ones. Pat

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You’re not wrong about Toyota owners and honesty. A few months ago S.W.M.B.O. and I were at middle Lagoon north of Broome for a fishing holiday. After a long day out in the boat we watched this Queenslander with his Toyota DV8 drive straight onto the beach with his Kimberley camper in tow, it went down like a ton of bricks, spring tide on the rise and only a shovel to dig out with. We offered him a winch out with the Puma but he refused, said he'd camp there for the night (would have been 2mtrs under water in a couple of hours). So we left him to it only to watch the community tractor haul him up the beach. Strangely enough a 130 TD5 showed up the next day fully loaded and boat behind we had no need to offer him assistance.


Allan

maybe everyone has a LC story, but it is hard to get them to open up.

Earlier this year we camped at Welford NP, while I was setting up this LC owner came over and said with hand on hips, Land Rover hey. I reply yeh mate, made it all the way out here without breaking down or an axel.
he said you like it hey, I said yeh mate, best car I've ever owned. I love baiting them.

He asked us to join him around the fire that night, and though he would not go into it, like there is some sort of LC sworn secrecy; but he did elude to he has had several ongoing issues and was not taken with the vehicle at all. He did say the v8 towed his big van well though.

My 130 must have given me more grief than most so it seems, but I still stand by what I said to the bloke.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sparkys

I am certainly beginning to lean heavily towards the cruiser.

After hanging out on the Landcruiser forums and the Defender forum for a few months I am seeing a massive trend here with posts saying "Aargh, my Defender is doing this and this and this wrong" and very, very few posts on the Landcruiser forum saying "My Landcruiser is doing this wrong".

.

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Re the LC V8 just do not get water in the diesel via dodgy fuel and overload your one small fuel filter, you will need a second morgage then...... like has happened here in New Zealand to some farmers $15000 plus and Toyota ran away from it saying the very small filter was adquate.
Here are some "happy" Toyota V8 people to balance your views.:angel:
200 series noisey turbo diesel - Landcruiser - Toyota Owners Club - Australia
and here TLC 200 Series VX Diesel - Bad Experience - Landcruiser - Toyota Owners Club - Australia

:wasntme:

Some happy campers there. Pat