Puma Floor Lining

[solmanic]

I am having a dispute with LRA over an issue I raised with my dealer ages ago but have never gotten a satisfactory response... The driver's side floor lining in my Defender has a wear patch in it, right through to the cardboard backing after only 2.5 years and 40,000km of use. Some time ago I commented on this to my dealer and they dutifully raised it as a warranty item but it got knocked back by LRA. The wear has continued and I have continued to press the point with them until they advised me to write to LRA directly.

I did this last week and after a response email and follow up phone call got a flat out NO from them to replacing the worn out section of floor mat. They assert that this constitutes "normal wear and tear" and as such is not covered under warranty. I have shown them photos of my previous Defender which I sold after five years with no visible wear at all. I even included a photo of my shoes which I have not changed since then either. Finally I included clippings from their own sales material (website & sales brochure) which stated "every surface is resistant to wear and tear" and the interior is "as tough as ever". The bloke's response to this was that "there is no timeframe stated".:mad: Cop out!

I am now about to lodge my complaint through the Office of Fair Trading to see if I can get this sorted since I think I have gone as far as I can negotiating with LRA directly.

So has anyone else got the same problem? I know a lot of people here just have rubber floor mats over the top and the LR customer care guy asked me why I simply didn't do that in the first place. I explained that had I known the new floor lining would disintegrate after only two years I would definitely have bought floor mats on day one. But having owned two Defenders previously with no issues I thought it was fair to assume these would last just as long... they haven't.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh191/solmanic42/100407FloorMat0001.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh191/solmanic42/100407FloorMat0002.jpg

[Scallops]

Good luck with this, Andrew! If anyone can get a win it shall be you - perseverance is your middle name. :D

I can't help you with a comparison though - I put in supercrap rubber mats from the start- I've almost worn through them though. The original stuff underneath is therefore still OK.

[one_iota]

I (at great expense) put genuine LR mats in soon after purchase so I can't give you ammunition. However I am concerned at the wear on the LR mat on the drivers side after about 30,000 km...I'll be through to the lining shortly.:mad:

Good luck with the "case" :)

[mox]

Reckon I now have something much better than standard floor mats in my "97 build Defender 130. When I got sick of the holes worn in the drivers side one, checked out Clark rubber to see what they had to make some. Bought what is supposedly a horse mat. About 6 feet by 4 and 8mm thick with dimples on it. Cost about $75 at the time - maybe $85 now, Cut two floor mats out of it and still have about 4 feet square piece.

Reckon this should outlast several standard mats. Also, using the original ones as patterns, made the new ones a bit oversize to reduce the amount of dirt that works its way underneath from around the edges.

[Deefa]

I noticed the new Land rover on display at the 60th anniversary at Cooma in 2008 had started wearing on the side seat box and the floor already, and it was a demo. They are not made of the same tough rubber of the earlier models and seam to be a thin plastic like material over cardboard.

Good luck with your claim.

[solmanic]

Interestingly I got a call from the dealer I bought the car through in Toowoomba (not the one I get it serviced through as they are in Brisbane). He commented that as soon as he saw the photos he thought it was a pretty straight forward warranty claim! No floor lining should wear through under normal use within two and a half years. He commiserated with me over the fact that Land Rover were digging their heels in over the issue. I told him I just wanted to give him a heads up as I had to include them on the OFT claim since they were the selling dealer.

[pc3]

What after market options are there to combat this problem ? Anthing besides mats ?

[rick130]

What after market options are there to combat this problem ? Anthing besides mats ?

Wright Off Road in the UK make a great acoustic mat system that is fully moulded to the floor, extends up over the seat boxes and supposedly has excellent sound deadening properties and is extremely wear resistant, the only issue is the price delivered here. (and does the new engine/six speed g/box use the same transmission hump as the R380 ?)

I enquired last week (my old 130 mat is through to the sheet metal) and it costs 400 quid delivered to Oz :(

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/05/224.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/05/225.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/05/226.jpg

This type of mat is normally found in construction industry equipment, diggers and excavators etc. or agricultural tractors. It is the industrial standard for reducing noise levels inside the operator cabin. It also provides a hard wearing durable surface that withstands the riggers of constant daily use. There is no other engineering solution

This material is fuel, oil, water and sunlight resistant, and meets listed properties to -40oC and brittleness to -28oC (continuous).
Barrier weight - 6.3 kg/m@ MIN
Specific Gravity (ASTM D792) 1.57 MIN
Hardness (Durometer A - ASTM D224) 68 MIN
Tensile Strength (ASTM D412) 2.65 Mpa MIN
Tear Strength (ASTM D624) 1.57 KN/m MIN
Elongation (ASTM D412) 250% MIN
Low Temperature Brittleness (ASTM D2137 - Test Method A) -28oC
Flammability (SAE J369) <100 mm/min Burn Rate

[marko66]

Hi All

The mat on the drivers side of the 120 is in tatters as well - except for the land rover logo:) So i am watching with interest

Regards Mark

[alittlebitconcerned]

I can't help you but good luck anyway. You just wish the company the company you support would support you back.

[solmanic]

What after market options are there to combat this problem ? Anthing besides mats ?

Assuming the OFT claim gets rejected, I will simply glue a piece of heavy duty rubber sheet to the area under the driver's feet - like a permanent mat.

[Michael2]

Wright Off Road in the UK make a great acoustic mat system that is fully moulded to the floor, extends up over the seat boxes and supposedly has excellent sound deadening properties and is extremely wear resistant, the only issue is the price delivered here. (and does the new engine/six speed g/box use the same transmission hump as the R380 ?)

I enquired last week (my old 130 mat is through to the sheet metal) and it costs 400 quid delivered to Oz :(


I inquired a couple of weeks ago, they don't make it for the PUMA yet, but they are working on it. I asked about getting a couple of R380 models and a couple of PUMA ones to see if it was economically viable, but the PUMA aren't ready and the freight was still too expensive, even with a larger order. Plus a larger order would attract import tax.

[Brid]

G'day Solmanic

I've been down the same track as you have with the same response from LR. There is absolutely no way that the Puma floor coverings are the same standard as my 2005 TD5...it had 100,000kms on it when I sold it and was not badly worn at all. Most of the kms done in that one and the new one are wearing work boots...so no difference in treatment.

The puma showed bad wear in the 30,000km range, and has worn right through now. I thought LR would have coughed up on this issue!

I now have some old mats as covers...bit too late to protect it any more, but it prevents my heel getting stuck and causing a potential safety issue.

You can use me for further statistical support in your cause.

regards
Brid

[DeeJay]

Its pretty sad...:(

The aluminium floor on my '85 Isuzu is showing terrible signs of wear.
Another 25 years & 350,000 klm & I will probably have to replace the whole floor panel :dbcry::dbcry:..

[firsttimedefender]

I think all the plastics/rubbers in new vehicles are suspect. The heat destroys them because the compounds are cheaply fabricated and they try to use less toxic chemicals in the processes (the same reason brake pads no longer use asbestos!). Rubber is less durable today - so mats will tend to wear out too.
A friend of mine who has had many incarnations of the Nissan pootrol swears that the plastic in his new one is softer in the dash and door coverings than in earlier models
I would say this problem is probably not going to be unique to land rovers!

[dullbird]

Yes ours has worn through.

But are you surprised :D....


70,000k on ours though, although it did wear around the 50 mark from memory..just did the good old cover up with the mats.

[jerryd]

[biggrin] you beat me to it !!
Its pretty sad...:(

The aluminium floor on my '85 Isuzu is showing terrible signs of wear.
Another 25 years & 350,000 klm & I will probably have to replace the whole floor panel :dbcry::dbcry:..

I had lots of issues with my new "Ford", I gave up in the end though as it was too time consuming and I seemed to get nowhere:mad: Would I buy another ...............:D