Thread: New to owning a Defender...general advice sought

Originally Posted by noyakfat

Hi mate,

I drive a 2014 Keswick green 110 wagon. From new, I changed over to 16x8 steel wheels with "0" offset and I run 265/75R16 mud terrains.

I love it and don't see any problems. Fuel economy seems pretty good to me and I don't find the noise offensive at any speed.

It's my daily drive and extremely capable on weekend jaunts. I also plan on oil and filter changes at 5,000 km intervals.

Enjoy. I'm sure you will love it

Cheers,
Nige

Edit: My tyres fit with standard flares

Is there a chance I could trouble you for some shots of your defer with the larger steel wheels on it? Email troymussio at hotmail.com

I'm undecided on the larger tyre so will keep it as is for the time being with the factory alloys.

Originally Posted by Chops

I assume you mean "ruining" the engine .
I spoke with the dealer and told them I would be putting a secondary filter/water alarm system. They didn't say it would void anything or not, and so at this point, I don't really care if it does. I'll have better piece of mind with it there.
Having said that, to anyone else, I would advise seeking written advice from them, and probably have them fit the unit themselves.

Yeh sorry, meant ruining - stupid phone autocorrect.
Anyways yeah, what secondary filter/water alarm did you fit and at what stage of the fuel lines? I will also chase up a dealer to hear what they think regarding warranty...

Originally Posted by TroyFenda

Is there a chance I could trouble you for some shots of your defer with the larger steel wheels on it? Email troymussio at hotmail.com

I'm undecided on the larger tyre so will keep it as is for the time being with the factory alloys.

No problem Troy.

I'm on a day off today, so have just taken some snaps for Chops and will send them to you.

Cheers,
Nige

Thanks Nigel, I'll get back to you via pm after.

Troy, as with Nige's car, I have no lift or driveline mods on my car. Some here do have lifts done, and seem to advocate using Double Carden Uni's. Not sure on too many facts about that, but I've done a fair amount of touring and I don't really believe a lift is needed. The only thing I'm contemplating doing is putting in heavy duty springs, and then I'll go to Pedders for shocks.
I guess the only other thing is to ensure your snorkle is up to scratch, as in sealed properly. Mine was factory fitted, and had a split on the box section that is on the inside of the guard.
Specwarop, I haven't bought one yet, have to wait to get the car back, and then cash. I may end up getting a second hand unit off something (??).

IMHO changing engine oils in any post 1990 LR diesel engines at 5K is a waste of oil,I would feel perfectly happy changing both my Tdi and TDCi oils at 15k when using good quality oil,if you are worried about dirty fuel a Mr Filter funnel is a good buy,I use mine when out in the bush or filling from jerries. Pat

After living through a bad batch of fuel on my 2009 Defender back when it was a few months old - which actually turned out to be a badly positioned fuel tank breather. Couple of things I wanted to mention in case they help:

1 - Your insurance company will usually cover the cost of damage from a bad batch of fuel. Check your policy, and make sure it does. (RACV did, oh and one other thing - don't get a claim number until you've exhausted all other avenues for getting someone else to pay - once you have a claim number - you may find it affects your premium costs even if you cancel the claim later....)
2 - Many fuel distributors will also cover the repair costs if you can identify with a receipt the fuel source. Some are better than others. They will pay for the repairs themselves.
3 - Do not accept that the intake for your fuel tank breather is left dangling in the air behind the rear wheel on the MY09 models - get the dealer to relocate it. (PRE 2009 models and post 2009 models have a different fuel breather location.)


Check your fuel tank breather location, Make sure you have a good insurance policy that covers bad fuel - and then don't worry about it.

I looked into the additional pre filter. The PUMA does not have a lift pump, any additional filter would likely make it more prone to sucking air in to the diesel through leaking fuel filter gaskets etc. Also it would require you to prove using your own automotive engineer that it did not induce a fuel related fault in the event of a warranty claim. After living through a $15,000 repair bill on a brand new vehicle, and the PITA of proving it was due to a faulty breather location - I decided It's not worth the hassle for a vehicle under warranty - In my opinion anyway. If its a vehicle defect LRA will have to cover it, if it's a contaminated fuel then the fuel supplier or your insurance will cover it. But if you've introduced something non standard - that gives them all an easy opt out clause. So from my perspective - until the warranty runs out - I got piece of mind keeping it stock. But one thing I did do after that incicent was have then drain and check the fuel filter every service - it's only scheduled I think every 40,000ks normally. (I never again had water in the fuel after the breather was fixed)

I believe that the fuel filter housing is the same as a TD5 (Well the filter inside is a much higher spec filter though). But the TD5 has a Water in Fuel sensor - so possibly you could swap housings and put a factory sensor in. You may even find that the later housing has the port for the water sensor already installed...

Hmm, sounds like Mr Funnel is the easy answer, along with a good insurance provider...

Originally Posted by TroyFenda

It's a long range tank by LRA Australia which sits fore/aft on the drivers side and holds around 55-60 litres.

I'm not sure of the brand of snorkel but its a quality installation. I'll have a look when I'm home in a week and half and get back to you.

Apologies for the late reply...work has been a tad busy of late.

The snorkel is a factory Landrover fit.

I've also recently added a heavy duty ARB steel roof rack. It should go a long way to helping store everything needed for a few near-term camping/hunting trips.