Thread: one up for Defender

Folks, get out there and just use them.

Just completed a trip with 6 Defenders, all travelling from 5 to 7K over large amounts of rocky, corrugated, sandy, dirt roads. All at GVM or a touch over.

The group had
:2 tyre issues on two separate vehicles.
:two clogged fuel filter stoppages on the one vehicle. Du to a surprise discovery of a rusted fuel tank. Tank was repaired in Birdsville.
:1 midshaft bearings failure in a LT230 transfer case. Possibly caused by wrong torque setting from work done 18 months earlier re sleeving the output shaft bearing and seal. Work was done in Alice. Sutton motors say the LT 230 is one part of a Landy that rarely gives trouble.

The line up was
2010 130 Puma, probably fool hardy, but I didn't even lift the bonnet once.
2002 Td5 110
2003 Td5 110
1996 Tdi 110
2 x Isuzu Parentie 110's

We cam across several stories of other brands experiencing issues due to the roughness of the conditions, even some of those land cruise things that never break apparently.

So don't be put off buy the amount of people working out their specific issues on the forum. My truck has had it's share of hassles, but I have clocked two central Aus desert trips in two years now and the 130 goes better than ever when it's out there being used for what it was made for.

Originally Posted by goingbush

Agree wholeheartedly. I was just thinking the same today. Get out and use them

looking forward to some photos.




Just out of curiosity what brand/type of tyres gave trouble. Tubed or Tubeless??

I'm running BFG AT's and the rear treads got chewed up on the Gregory Downs - Camoweel road but other than that have not lost a single PSI. Mine are running tubeless on 130 tubed rims.

If Sutton say that about the LT230 it implies they think the rest of the car pretty ordinary, or that they dont know what they are talking about.

One had a large piece of wood spear it on the Fiiinnnkkk road. It was a Maxxis Bighorn. Amazing really, 150km on the States worst road, littered with old Ghan Rail spikes and a lump of wood does the damage.
The other was an 11 year old General Grabber. Side wall spike at 12psi going cross country to Madigans first camp. It was plugged and gave no further issue.

Really all tyres, BFG, new age coopers, XZL's and the above did an excellent job. All tubeless. 15 and 20psi was common with heavy laden trucks up to 80klm/h at times. If you have been you will know, if you haven't it's all part of the amazement of a road trip.

Yeh not sure exactly what Sutton implied as the vehicle owner was telling the story. I got the impression Suttons felt the previous work on the LT230 was most likely for the current issue. Over talked nut putting excess tension on bearings which caused the failing of them. Odd noises were happening and bits of metal were retrieved from the oil. A second hand replacement with 140K on it went in an the cars was good as gold again.

Originally Posted by manic

I spend 75% of my defender time doing 'preventative maintenance' - I've come to realise that this mostly consists of breaking stuff that isn't broken. Am I battling defender hypecondria!?

I will use it more... In fact I will take it out this weekend and give it a damn good thrashing!

I'm not really at that stage yet. But I find 4x4 parks breaks things, touring with some 4x4ing chucked in seems to break very little or nothing. I do find comfort however that you break things trying to fix things......small world.