Thread: Defender 90 - Noise from stones in wheelarches on gravel roads

[QUOTE=Thomas;2322178]Got my brand new Defender 90 two weeks ago and it put a huge smile on my face (did I say a huge smile?).

One aspect of the car which is somewhat irritating is..."





HAHAHAHAHAAHH..


Just one aspect...oh yeah..you just got it..give it time...the stones hitting the wheel arches wont annoy or worry you half as much as the knocks from other places...


Your right to be listening though, almost all the expensive repairs ive avoided were due to stopping and checking out what it was...new noises=money...


but to your predicament.. I used a reflective stiff board I got from a building site dumpster (poor due to owning landrover) and cut it up, just made panels for the cab and under seats...DO NOT USE GLUE ON IT..you will find in the warmer climates it will have a lot of condensation under it, and will end up rusting (where you never remover said lining) ..good as it reflects a lot of heat too, you can line all the battery tray area (watch it dosent ARC hey!) and the drivers seat well too.


I run Kevlar MTR Wranglers..best tyre I have had yet, but they do chuck up some mud...all over the TOY otas hahahaah...


on the plus side, flicking mud n stones out on to the gaurds mean they are cleaning the tread as they turn...


Oh...welcome to the fold...the dark hordes of the defender!

Originally Posted by Thomas

Got my brand new Defender 90 two weeks ago and it put a huge smile on my face (did I say a huge smile?).

One aspect of the car which is somewhat irritating is the loud noise small stones make when hitting the back wheel-arches on gravel roads. The 90 is equipped with standard continentals and rear mudflaps (no front mudlflasp though yet).

Is there a specific liner or other product which can be fitted to the wheel-arches or shall I invest in spray-on underbody protection? More generally, I am a bit unsure whether full underbody protection is recommended for a new Defender or whether I should only do the wheel-arches to muffle the noise from gravel/stones a little.

I would be very grateful for any specific recommendations on products and/or operators in the Sunshine Coast area.

Thank you,
Thomas

North side Bne Downey street rustproofing,
$700 for a 110, including doors, panels, engine bay, underbody, using Tectyl
3265 7574

I was quoted $495 for my 90 at Downey St. They use Tectyl in all the cavities but the underbody is sprayed in a bitumen-based product. They also steam clean the underbody beforehand.

I'll get the rustproofing done but will hand paint inside the wheel arches first with a rubberised bedliner product like POR-15 OEM Bedliner.

]Hi Thomas,
I liner the mudgards inside using 1 mm alloy plate tech screwed onto the frames for the wheel arches. If I did the job again I'd pit some rubber or sound deadening on the inside of the inner mudgard. Primarily I did it to make easy for the mud to slip off there's a lot of paces under there for mud to hang onto, and it stops mud and stones from damaging the fuel filler and rear cross member, a LR renowned corrosion area.

When I put my plywood deck in the back with carpet it made a big difference as well.

front & rear mudflaps are a must IMV, plus a little extension of the front flare at the bottom, my car never gets mud or sand through up on the sides or roof.

a similar thing at the back made from 2mm alloy plate, means no mud and sand in the fuel filler. I was shocked when I first went into the bush and my 335/85s thew mud up all over the sides of car, windows et.
cheers simmo

When I bought my 110, I couldn't believe how quite it was off road. The previous owner had bought a semi trailer plastic mud guard and cut it in half. This was then tech screwed into place in 4 places. 2 at the top through the tub and one at each end. It stops all the noise and stops all the mud build up on the body work. Cheap and simple! hope this helps Cheers Bill

New wheel arch protectors made and fitted.

I bought puma 90 after previous owners had done trip around WA on gravel roads and a noticable amount of tiny stone chip dents around rear and rhs fuel filler area .I to looked for some sought of liner available on the market .I ended up buying a 2x1 metre x 5mm thick black rubber sheet from the local rubber product distributor .
I cut this to 2x 500mm wide x 2m strips and bolted with wide washers to the underside of the wagon to the existing bolts .No holes or extra bolts were put into the defender.About 6 large cable ties were used either side.this job worked a treat , just the odd thud now and then on the rubber and has also made the rear end under the defender very quiet, ie.tyre/road noise intrusion.I'm very pleased not to say saving those precious panels.I totally agree with other comments that Landrover should have thought of this years ago.

Sounds like a great mod mate...

Any chance of some photos please? :>)