Hi all... Is my Defender a lemon

[briggsy]

Hi.
I'm having a bunch of issues with my 2009 Defender 110 Wagon. I'm looking for feedback or info. Where is the best place for me to post these problems,

Thanks

[Mick_Marsh]

Post here
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/


Try Ray at Romsey.
Romsey Land Rover Service Centre - Automotive - Mechanics - Four Wheel Drive Repairs - Romsey - Victoria - The Vivid Guide (http://www.vividguide.com.au/business/Romsey+Land+Rover+Service+Centre.html)

I've use AMV Ringwood before. I found them to be good as well.
AMV Automotive Services – Landrover Parts, Online Store, Wrecking, Melbourne (http://www.amv.com.au/)

There is a place in Braybrook too. Where are you located?

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

[The ho har's]

Welcome to the forum:D

I think Mick^^ has covered all bases there;):)

[briggsy]

Thanks all... Pretty fresh to such forums so still nutting it out... Will give these places a go

[briggsy]

Hi I'm new to these forums, but giving it a go because I am having continuous problems with my 2009 Defender 110 Wagon, having bought it new myself.
Right from the get go I have had brake pedal issues... I get crunching/springing sounds, and inconsistent pressure on the pedal... sometimes when I'm stationary and have my foot on the pedal, sometime when I go to apply pressure... it's inconsistent, but unless a service guy is in the car when it happens, they cannot diagnose the problem.. It may not happen for days, or it may happen 5 times in one day.
I have had loss of power now on 4 occassions to the point I cannot get past 3rd gear and 30km/h. I have to pull over, turn the car off and back on and it's fine again... Once again unless the service guy is in the car when it happens they cannot diagnose the problem.
Within 6 months of having the car, the steering dampener fell off on my way to the snow. I have had 2 fuel leaks that had to be repaired. The rear door mechanism that holds it open did not work for the first 18 months of owning the vehicle.... They said they couldn't fix it and that's 'just the way they are'... I was repaired on a visit about 6 months ago when I had to get my clutch replaced, as it was getting harder and harder to change gears smoothly.
I have had to get door seals replaced, rear seat locking mechanisms replaced, the mechanism holding the front passenger door open replaced, along with several other cosmetic issues.
About 2 months ago my starter motor went, leaving me stranded. This was replaced, and then on Xmas day just gone it went again, leaving me stranded again and unable to go on my annual summer holiday... This was replaced again along with a new ignition. On both occassions I was sent off without the dealership resetting my stereo (requires a code if the battery has been disconnected). In the last week I have been suffering loss of power (feels like a block in the fuel lines) changing into 2nd and 3rd gears... Basically really struggles and nearly stalls. There is currently hot air coming out of the air vents even though the dial is pointing to cold, and I have now discovered this dial is jammed!
Basically I'd like to know if other owners of the same model are having as many issues as myself. I think I'm going to cut my losses and trade the vehicle in... Being a business owner it is costing me a lot of time and money having my car spend so much time in the dealership. Please advise

[Graeme]

Is the vehicle still covered by warranty? Even if warranty has expired, any faults raised during the warranty period have to be fixed. If there is warranty, I wouldn't take it to an independent as that might compromise your ability to get LR to fix it.

[stig0000]

sounds prity standed defender actuly:angel::angel:

i looked at a colpe warrenty bills today,, and all up we had a puma SVX defender have 31k of warrenty work done and another 08 puma one that just toped the 40k of warrenty work,

[sheerluck]

sounds prity standed defender actuly:angel::angel:

i looked at a colpe warrenty bills today,, and all up we had a puma SVX defender have 31k of warrenty work done and another 08 puma one that just toped the 40k of warrenty work,

When you talk of those sorts of numbers, it seems it would be simpler for LR to give the customer a new vehicle and flog the old one for spares!

[wrinklearthur]

Hi Briggsy

welcome aboard to the forum.

Lemons can be taken with a bit of sugar, in between Defer fixes had a travel fix of your own, won't be long and all the Defer problems will disappear.
.

[jakeslouw]

I still reckon that if you want to buy a Puma, find somebody that has just bought one, and watch him struggle with LR and the issues. After about 2 years, he should have fixed just about everything under warranty, then you offer him just above trade for the POS and drive away happy? :twisted:

[rick130]

sounds prity standed defender actuly:angel::angel:

i looked at a colpe warrenty bills today,, and all up we had a puma SVX defender have 31k of warrenty work done and another 08 puma one that just toped the 40k of warrenty work,

Far out :eek:

[stig0000]

there are alot of cars out there way over the 10k, it adds up very fast, everytime you complane of a water leak,, they take time to find and maby fix,, that cost money,,, that all gose to LR,,, and LR get that money from the cost of the cars new;)

have a engine swap,, thats about 15k, gear box,, maby 9k,

all those problems and over the 3 yrs it adds up very fast,

[Rolly]

Well I can attest to the woes of a new Defender.
Mine is an MY16 and have had clutch replaced,5 hub seals , new ignition barrel,rear door lock, window tint repair,and latest rear diff banjo section(still trying to find parts and in LR's own words a very unusual failure(masses of metal as rear diff ate itself).

I'm hoping it becomes more reliable as I work my way through the issues.

[Greg4427]

Well I can attest to the woes of a new Defender.
Mine is an MY16 and have had clutch replaced,5 hub seals , new ignition barrel,rear door lock, window tint repair,and latest rear diff banjo section(still trying to find parts and in LR's own words a very unusual failure(masses of metal as rear diff ate itself).

I'm hoping it becomes more reliable as I work my way through the issues.

Geezus, I have a 2016 build 110 with no issues at all (touch wood), how many kms have you done? I’ve done 22K.

Cheers,

Greg

[Tins]

On both occassions I was sent off without the dealership resetting my stereo (requires a code if the battery has been disconnected).

Defender issues aside, that burns me up. In the days i did this stuff I used to take a note of radio presets. It takes a couple of minutes. These days, every decent shop uses a code saver battery, 'cos the computers remember far more than just radio prefs. Find another dealer if you can. Your guys appear to be lazy.

[justinc]

Unfortunately not an unusual list. With the exception of body repairs i have done all these jobs on many puma defenders over the years. I would say try another dealer or an independent as it is possibly a stumbling block at the point of repair... all these issues are easily rectified you shouldn't have to be going back and back again. I recently had a 2013 in at less than 60k with multiple dealer histories and not once had the cascade of red dusty rust coming from out of the telltale extension housing hole from the worn coupling been brought to the owners attention, nor the clutch rattle at idle, never had any drivetrain oils changed etc etc. They were most taken aback that there is shortly a rather large bill looming...😣

[CraigE]

I get the niggly stuff being annoying.
But 1 clutch and 2 starter motors in 8 years?? Not that bad as they are consumable wear items. Unusual for 2 Starters that quick, either faulty units or another problem
Having said that my TD5 2000 is still on the original starter, but has had 2 clutches during its life 1 under warranty (previous owner) and 1 by me, plus new gearbox, new head and is due for a trans box overhaul.
The smaller things are the most frustrating.
What is the warranty period on these? 6 years max?
Seals?? Defenders have seals?? I have given up on seals they last maybe 2 years max before tearing and falling apart.
The major concern is the power loss, that does need to be tracked down. You need to invest in a diagnostic tool.
Ask Nissan Drivers how many clutches similar year Nissans go through.

[Rolly]

Geezus, I have a 2016 build 110 with no issues at all (touch wood), how many kms have you done? I’ve done 22K.

Cheers,

Greg
42000Km's. The wife Craptiva has 110,oooKm's and its been without issues. Frustrating!

[DeeJay]

Having read most posts in Defender, Technical chatter etc about Puma woes, I think it fair to say some are plagued with problems, some a few & some, none at all.
That said, all are fixable.
So, to answer your question honestly, in my opinion, yes you have a lemon.

[Kidbeen]

The Qld Government last updated this file on 17 January, 2018. We should not hold our breath waiting for a "Lemon Law" to get passed in this country. If it it does it would not be retrospective anyway.

Lemon laws | Your rights, crime and the law | Queensland Government (https://www.qld.gov.au/law/laws-regulated-industries-and-accountability/queensland-laws-and-regulations/fair-trading-services-programs-and-resources/consultation-regulatory-reform/lemon-laws)

Problems exist in the RV and caravan industry as well. Had a friend buy a new caravan and it had over 50 faults that needed to be rectified.

[Zeros]

42000Km's. The wife Craptiva has 110,oooKm's and its been without issues. Frustrating!

Captivas look just like Disco's these days. Bargain!

Offset that saving against the individuality of a Defender and you're ahead on balance!

But seriously, JC is correct - all should be fixed first go by a competent LR mechanic. Go somewhere else if it isn't.

Unfortunately some vehicles need more more troubleshooting than others. So far my 2014 Puma has been excellent (touchwood) almost done 80,000km. I've replaced the clutch due to rattle/faulty springs and output shaft as a precaution, both at reduced rates due to needing a rear main seal fixed under warranty.

I also had a twisted fuel filler hose, faulty aircon fan and had to stay on top of one hopeless dealer service manager, so changed service centre, had to really push for service manager to check work of his mechanics. Last issue of was difflock sensor not reconnected after above work done. Found out when out bush!

Needless to say, no more warranty = independent LR expert mechanics now whenever possible! And/or do it myself with the advice of this great forum if I can.

Cheers and best of luck

[Wicks89]

Find a better mechanic.

Statistically, if you only read the website pumas probably get a bad name because noone posts when everything is working fine with no issues right?

I think I've seen more hate on this site about land rover dealerships than for early model Pumas.

Quite Rightly too.

[AK83]

Find a better mechanic.

Statistically, if you only read the website pumas probably get a bad name because noone posts when everything is working fine with no issues right?

I think I've seen more hate on this site about land rover dealerships than for early model Pumas.

Quite Rightly too.

[thumbsupbig]

Was chatting to my mechanic about that topic the other day.
He had a very late model RR sports of some description in his workshop, and I commented to him ..

"crikey, you hate these things, but accept them all the same .. next thing, you'll have the workshop floor polished up and get an espresso machine, and you too can charge $200/hr for doing stuff all!"

[tonguewink]
note that his is the typical old timer type mechanic shop .. grubby floor, "crap" everywhere .. and Nescafe out of the catering tins) .. ie. the type of mechanic you can rely on

[justinc]

[thumbsupbig]

Was chatting to my mechanic about that topic the other day.
He had a very late model RR sports of some description in his workshop, and I commented to him ..

"crikey, you hate these things, but accept them all the same .. next thing, you'll have the workshop floor polished up and get an espresso machine, and you too can charge $200/hr for doing stuff all!"

[tonguewink]
note that his is the typical old timer type mechanic shop .. grubby floor, "crap" everywhere .. and Nescafe out of the catering tins) .. ie. the type of mechanic you can rely on


There's nothing on these cars that is 'stuff all'...😣😮😮