Thread: Q+A defender (what can go wrong)

Originally Posted by pickstock

Anyway
Are they breaking down as often as people say?

That depends on who you talk to. I bought mine new in 2011 and while I've had some warranty work done on it (without any problems from the dealer) it's never broken down. The car is nearly at the 100,000k mark now.

Whats the big issues, what breaks or causes the breaks?

Lack of maintenance. My understanding is that these cars need regular servicing etc I also think that how it is used would probably play a part in this as well.

what are my options if things go wrong (i was thinking ls1 if engine breaks)

New car or 2nd hand?

what can the Australian defenders tow? ( i could look this up but lazy)

Mine is a short wheel base 90 and is rated at 3.5t and from memory a towball weight of 240kgs


cheers for the answers guys

See my answers above.. I am sure that others will be along with more information for you soon.

Originally Posted by pickstock

So this is a little more of an introduction about me and a few questions and comments.

Firstly about me
Im just a young kid (compared to others around the traps, im only 21) with ambitions. I work in the caravan and RV industry in Adelaide and am working on setting up a Camping and 4wd website for it (a lot of the suppliers are the same)
Any questions about stuff id be happy to help out with.

Anyway
Are they breaking down as often as people say?

As above tends who you talk to, I have had a number of Land Rovers, Series 2a, 3, 110 and Defenders all have been second hand so once I fix the problems it had and maintain it properly then no. The Defender I bought at nearly 12 months old (2010 model) and the only major problem has been an intercooler hose that rubbed through and this can happen on any make.

Whats the big issues, what breaks or causes the breaks?

Same as above they need to be maintained properly. Depending on what you are looking at looking at the problems are different on on each model.

what are my options if things go wrong (i was thinking ls1 if engine breaks)

It will depend on what type of engine it is and what breaks, I have fixed a V8 County with a piece of cardboard in the distributor.

what can the Australian defenders tow? ( i could look this up but lazy)

From the Defender Specs
Unbraked Trailer 750kg
Braked Trailer 3500kg

cheers for the answers guys

Hope that helps.

Richard

sorry really should of been more specific

Im looking for second hand around the 10 000 to 20 000 mark (big jump i know)

im not sure what engine i want, probably a turbo diesel 200 or 300 TDI

Ive done a bit of work on a Dakar car and that used standard land rover transfer case and drive shafts so i know they are good. Just a bit worried because talking with my mechanic he has pretty much said he wont touch them (probably will for services but not major work)

thanks guys
spike

Originally Posted by pickstock

sorry really should of been more specific

Im looking for second hand around the 10 000 to 20 000 mark (big jump i know)

im not sure what engine i want, probably a turbo diesel 200 or 300 TDI

Ive done a bit of work on a Dakar car and that used standard land rover transfer case and drive shafts so i know they are good. Just a bit worried because talking with my mechanic he has pretty much said he wont touch them (probably will for services but not major work)

thanks guys
spike

Both those engines are from the 1990s and i doubt very much you will find any thing with that mileage unless you add another zero. my Defender has 436000ks and lots get replaced as it wears out due to work and play. I love it...

Originally Posted by pickstock

sorry really should of been more specific

Im looking for second hand around the 10 000 to 20 000 mark (big jump i know)

im not sure what engine i want, probably a turbo diesel 200 or 300 TDI

Ive done a bit of work on a Dakar car and that used standard land rover transfer case and drive shafts so i know they are good. Just a bit worried because talking with my mechanic he has pretty much said he wont touch them (probably will for services but not major work)

thanks guys
spike

This is the same old story with most mechanics, they all reckon they would not touch one if there life depended on it.
Most of these mechanics I think are scared of them for whatever reason.

I have a 2000 TD5 that is 5 cylinder turbo diesel, it is a great veichle, only had the starter motor (brushes) and the clutch master cylinder fail on me

The Defender is a great solid veichle and will go where most veichles will not go.

Parts are not thar dear and if you are slightly mechanical
Minded you will be amazed at what you can do on a Defender.

Also think of the Defender as a blank canvas, you can add and do whatever you want to do to it, where if you had a Toyo, etc you wold not .

Hope this helps and welcome, it is good to get some young load into Defenders.

Parts are cheap compared to Jap cars. If you spend $10k - $20K you'll probably get a reasonable TD5 which has a lot more get up and go than the TDi's. Funny that Jap car owners are asking things like "Is that old thing still going?" and the answer is yes, they're generally reliable; won't let you down with a show stopper mechanical problem any more than your jap cars. My old 300TDi has manual everything. If I drop the key in the water, it still works. if my hands and arms work, so do the windows and door locks. There are no electrics or electronics, computer, etc to let you down, not that they do that very often anyway. The problem with electronics for the average punter is diagnosing the cause of the problem. All diesels require regular maintenance but the 200 & 300TDi can tolerate poor quality fuel more so than modern diesels. My 300 has had no major issues in 245000kms and it has only been the bolt on ancillary items under the bonnet that have worn out prematurely. eg clutch master cylinders seem to leak prematurely, as do standard rear axles and drive flanges but all are easily fixed at a reasonable cost. I 2nd all of greyfox's comments.
Get one and you'll join an exclusive club where every time you get in it , you'll get a special feeling and you'll be on the look out for others to wave to. That doesn't happen in a Toyota or Nissan. Wish I'd got one when I was your age, you won't regret it

As the others have said. Most mechanics are frightened of them, because, being relatively rare, they are unfamiliar, and not worth the effort of learning because they may not see another one for twelve months.

The dealer network is not good outside the major cities, and even there many of the dealers are not interested in older examples. In my experience, dealers are not a good or cheap source of parts, but in general parts for all except very old models are readily available and cheap from a number of non-dealer suppliers.

My 110 is approaching 600,000km and the only show stoppers have been an alternator failure and a problem with the starter solenoid (both Nippon-Denso on this model), and a broken gearlever, so I doubt that it can be called unreliable. On the road within hours in all three occasions. Just drove on a 2000km round trip to Brisbane and back with no worries or problems.

John

Wow, that's a serious amount of clicks for any motor but it's the isuzu isn't it?!