Puma Rubber Matting System

[Loubrey]

As a lot of people might know, I'm a staunch advocate and supporter of the Puma Defenders and I've expressed many opinions in their defense. My own car has functioned mechanically perfect over the past 3 years and I've had no major warranty issues.

There is however one aspect about them that has disappointed me profoundly, and that would be the quality of the interior matting. While the Puma's matting look spectacular when new, it very quickly starts wearing and in fact disintegrating in high wear areas. Mine's a 2.4 and I'm not sure whether this was addressed on the 2.2.s, but after 3 years I'm having bits of perished rubber and foam blowing around the car. There has been threads on the forum regarding holes wearing in the foot wells as well as people accidently tearing the matting.

I considered taking on LRA for replacement under warranty, but as I'm planning to keep this Puma for a very long time to come, I decided upgrading after-market might be the way to go.

I opted for the Exmoor Trim "Puma Moulded Matting System" as supplied to the MOD (British Army) and my parcel arrived yesterday. I'm pleased to say that I'm suitably impressed (and releaved considering the price!:eek:) with the quality and finish.

http://www.johncraddock-trim.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=42715&category_id=38&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=3

To compare with the existing Puma matting the following figures:

New matting weight 32.2 kg versus existing matting weight 4.3 kg
New matting thickness 7mm average versus existing matting average 1.6mm (without foam backing)

As an extra bonus its got built in acoustic properties as well which apparently reduces noise significantly.

I'm aware that this will most probably not be a "popular" upgrade, but I'll post pictures in any case as I go on with fitting it.

Cheers,

Lou

[29dinosaur]

As a lot of people might know, I'm a staunch advocate and supporter of the Puma Defenders and I've expressed many opinions in their defense. My own car has functioned mechanically perfect over the past 3 years and I've had no major warranty issues.

There is however one aspect about them that has disappointed me profoundly, and that would be the quality of the interior matting. While the Puma's matting look spectacular when new, it very quickly starts wearing and in fact disintegrating in high wear areas. Mine's a 2.4 and I'm not sure whether this was addressed on the 2.2.s, but after 3 years I'm having bits of perished rubber and foam blowing around the car. There has been threads on the forum regarding holes wearing in the foot wells as well as people accidently tearing the matting.

I considered taking on LRA for replacement under warranty, but as I'm planning to keep this Puma for a very long time to come, I decided upgrading after-market might be the way to go.

I opted for the Exmoor Trim "Puma Moulded Matting System" as supplied to the MOD (British Army) and my parcel arrived yesterday. I'm pleased to say that I'm suitably impressed (and releaved considering the price!:eek:) with the quality and finish.

http://www.johncraddock-trim.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=42715&category_id=38&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=3

To compare with the existing Puma matting the following figures:

New matting weight 32.2 kg versus existing matting weight 4.3 kg
New matting thickness 7mm average versus existing matting average 1.6mm (without foam backing)

As an extra bonus its got built in acoustic properties as well which apparently reduces noise significantly.

I'm aware that this will most probably not be a "popular" upgrade, but I'll post pictures in any case as I go on with fitting it.

Cheers,

Lou

Ouch when saw the price. :o

[patclan]

I have a split in my 2009 Defender on the drivers side seat box right on the corner, very similar to yours, will be interested to see how you go with it and your pending review :D.

Expensive though, hopefully it is worth it, might have to add it to my lottery winning list.

Pat

[juddy]

Great Post Lou.

I can only say the same about my Defender, however I went back to LRA and had the entire seat/floor, box replaced under warranty, mine was wearing on the corner like yours, but strangely more so on the passenger side.

My 15 year old 300tdi trim was like new when I sold it, must be land rover cutting costs on materials.

What was postage on your kit, $120?

[Loubrey]

Hi Juddy,

They only offered Fedex as an option @$180.00 (bit of a con as they accept the order with no postage charge and then e-mail you the postage afterwards with a "if you still want to go ahead" option)

It was obviously fully trackable and it only took 4 days to arrive at my door (one missed delivery on Tuesday as I wasn't expecting it!)

So in the end a pretty hefty cash outlay, but with keeping my km's as low as I've managed to date I have to see it as a bit of a longevity investment on the car.

Cheers,

Lou

(PS: managed to speak to one of the Puma development guys back in '08 at the Gaydon Show held at the Motoring Heritage Centre in the UK and yes, Ford held them to very small budget figures on all the "non-critical" development areas of the Puma)

[BilboBoggles]

Brand new My13 2.2 - still the same thin crappy rubber matting as the MY09. Interestingly my MY03 TD5 must have the old style - it's still perfect.

[Loubrey]

Hi BilboBoggles,

Yep, correct on the Td5. Still Land Rover sourced supplier for the matting.

My old 300Tdi's also had near indestructible matting. Massive job to make a small hole for things like switches and the like!

Cheers,

Lou

[solmanic]

Good luck trying to get a warranty replacement from LRA. I tried this a couple of years ago and they flat out refused. I even included photos of my Puma floor after 2.5 years vs my previous Td5 after 5 years to highlight the crappy drop in quality. What annoyed me the most is that some of the tears occurred when the dealer was working on the car but I didn't notice them until they started to rip further.

The only solution is to use aftermarket mats or bond a section of rubber from Clark onto the high-wear areas.

[dawsey]

after the first week I could see there would be problems down the track with the flooring under the seat so I sewed a leather bead around the top flap and floor then sewed velcro to the front edge to hold it down nice and snug..also the arm rest is low and useless as is, so thickened that up as well .I will get around to moulding a brass kick cover for the top corner of the battery box and electrics..not great pics but you get the idea

[Loubrey]

Hi dawsey,

That is some tidy work!

I'm afraid I would have ended up paying someone to do that and then its debatable whether I would have ended up with that level of quality!

Hi Solmanic,

I guessed as much. I considered the must cheaper option of gluing my own replacement rubber on, but those seat box corners is what did my head in and to achieve a 3D corner in DIY that would have met what I wanted would have been beyond my skill set to be honest.

Cheers,

Lou

[dawsey]

[QUOTE=Loubrey;1891966]Hi dawsey,

That is some tidy work!

I'm afraid I would have ended up paying someone to do that and then its debatable whether I would have ended up with that level of quality!

Hi Solmanic,

I guessed as much. I considered the must cheaper option of gluing my own replacement rubber on, but those seat box corners is what did my head in and to achieve a 3D corner in DIY that would have met what I wanted would have been beyond my skill set to be honest.

Cheers,



Probably helps that I was an upholsterer for 20 odd years..anyway real men can sew..

[Loubrey]

Well here we go with the photographs for those interested.

These first ones are obviously the seat box section showing the front, side and the all important high wear corner. The mould is very "sharp" on detail and IMo looks better than the shiny black OEM stuff.

The last photograph is the works upside down showing the trace line for one of the under seat access hatches. All optional access flaps are traced (LHD, RHD, Wolf, Snatch etc), but not cut through to give you the option for fitting.

More to follow:

Cheers,

Lou

[Loubrey]

The next set of photographs of the seat box:

The first one shows the optional LHD handbrake cut out as well as the Wolf and Snatch's battery cut off switch. Those will not be touched at this stage and the trace cuts are not deep enough to cause "creases" on the other side.

The second shows the thickness of the mat. As stated before, the two sections weigh 32.2 kg and looking at the mat thickness its easy to see why!

The third photograph is the handbrake access I'll be using. The instructions say to remove the HB lever before fitting, and I"ll have a closer look when I get there. I've never taken one off, so advice will be appreciated!

Cheers,

Lou

[Loubrey]

The tunnel and foot well section:

Driver side and passenger side foot wells as well as a close up of the edge detail.

The whole section and a close up of the passenger side of the tunnel...

Knowing Land Rover for a few years now I anticipate the tunnel to be a bit of a beast with aircon pipes etc.

Cheers,

Lou

[Loubrey]

And lastly for this batch, the underside of the foot well and tunnel section:

The grey stuff is the acoustic and temperature resistant layer and the round holes are the typical fixing cut outs if needed. It's listed as being non porous, mold resistant and non flammable. The MOD bolts their matting down I understand...

Car's in for its last warranty service this Monday, so I reckon I'll start stripping and fitting on the weekend of 20 - 21 April 2013.

Photos to follow.

Cheers,

Lou

[patclan]

And lastly for this batch, the underside of the foot well and tunnel section:

The grey stuff is the acoustic and temperature resistant layer and the round holes are the typical fixing cut outs if needed. It's listed as being non porous, mold resistant and non flammable. The MOD bolts their matting down I understand...

Car's in for its last warranty service this Monday, so I reckon I'll start stripping and fitting on the weekend of 20 - 21 April 2013.

Photos to follow.

Cheers,

Lou

They look very sturdy!!

[noyakfat]

Hi Lou,

Sure it cost a pretty penny, but this stuff certainly looks the goods! It has a very professional finish and looks very robust in construction. Thanks for posting. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product once you've fitted it to the vehicle.

Cheers,
Nige

[Loubrey]

Hi Pat and Nige,

Yeh, very thick and heavy. With the mold oil and the anti-mold coating its pretty hard to carry around!

Exmoor Trim claims it to be the only Land Rover and MOD approved matting system on the market... I would have liked it as an option when I bought the car!

Cheers,

Lou

[defender_i_hardly_know_er]

Let us know if you notice any improvement in reducing the cabin noise?

[Loubrey]

Let us know if you notice any improvement in reducing the cabin noise?

I will post once I've fitted them.

A lot of factors affect the cabin noise though and as I've come from 300Tdi to Puma, already know that it's the quietest Defender I've ever driven.

Some other factors that affect the noise levels:

1. Tyres - every brand and every pattern has different Db levels. I regularly swap between my General Grabber AT's on OEM alloys and my BFG KM2 MS's on ZU alloys, and I'm always astounded how quiet the Grabbers actually are.

2. Tyre Pressure - hard tyres resonates more than softer tyres which will affect your cabin noise level. The old adage of a tight drum being louder than slack one...

3. In wet and on dirt road 90% of the noise comes from the rear wheel wells where the thin aluminium skin amplifies any noise. Options here would be rubberised coatings on the underside or acoustic carpeting inside

4. Transmission - This is in my opinion the only place there might be a difference in noise level and I'll do a Db check with the iPhone today (swapping back to the Grabbers later today) and compare after I've fitted the matting what the noise level difference is.

Cheers,

Lou

[noyakfat]

Somehow I suspected your Saturday morning may involve some fitting duties, given your new acquisition :D

Good luck with the project,
Nige

[juddy]

Very Interested in knowing what the noise levels will be when you have fitted this part. Exmoor do a version for the series land rovers too.

[Chops]

The matting looks good Lou, look forward to seeing it all installed.
Its too bad its so expensive, I'll consider it myself later, but in the meantime I think I'll just have to go the cheaper matting.
For under the guards, I'm toying with the idea of covering certain areas with silicone as I can get this for free ;)

[tonyci]

Lou
That matting looks very good. My Defender has travelled about 2000ks and there is signs of wear on the drivers side already.
I could be tempted, please let us know how easy or other wise it was to install.
Cheers
Tony

[100inch]

Great topic! I had the same problem and decided to go for a Dynamat upgrade. Have not decided yet if I will replace trim with a OE carpet or vinyl part. Looking forward to see yours finished.m

[Sue]

I would be very keen to see some picks of the finished job if you could.. :) My matting is already starting to show some signs of wear and the cars not even 2 years old yet so I suspect I will be looking at replacing it in the near future.. :)

[Tomo]

Thanks lou for all the photos!
I am interested in hearing about its heat insulating properties.....
The matting in my car is also completely stuffed!! I think the hotter the climate the car is in the faster it seems to bio degrade...... I have bits of black crap crumbling off everywhere! The piece under the passenger seat has all but completely crumpled away! 2009 puma with 72K on the clock (in the tropics).....

[rick130]

Someone on here who fitted the Wright OffRoad matting system did some before/after dB tests and with a dB meter the difference wasn't huge, but they did say that it was perceived to be quieter after fitting.

If you search using 'Wright' you should be able to find the thread.

I had a quote from Wright a few years ago and didn't go through with it, Karcraft can source the Exmoor version too (is it the same?)

[Tikka7mm08]

My Puma has the same wear points on the corner of the boxes both sides with <50k on the clock but don't know when it started wearing. The material seems very thin and 'brittle'. Looks like a good solution Lou. My Puma 90 has rectangle rear wheel arches and no material covering them so I wondering what I could do there as that seems to be where the most noise comes from...

[BilboBoggles]

What we need is some one to make a chequer plate seat box cover that you can just slide in under the seat. Would look nice in Black.

[Loubrey]

Someone on here who fitted the Wright OffRoad matting system did some before/after dB tests and with a dB meter the difference wasn't huge, but they did say that it was perceived to be quieter after fitting.

If you search using 'Wright' you should be able to find the thread.

I had a quote from Wright a few years ago and didn't go through with it, Karcraft can source the Exmoor version too (is it the same?)

Hi Rick,

If they're an Exmoor Trim agent they might be able to get it, but there is a number of matting options for the Puma.

The Hardura system (several loose acoustic mat sections which looks similar the OEM), TD4 Acoustic rubber mats (thicker versions of the OEM mats) and the 2 piece fully moulded system.

I chose the fully moulded system the MOD's has fitted as a replacement kit on the Wolf and Snatch Land Rovers.

Cheers,

Lou

[jimb]

Lou
All the best for the weekend fit out!

Really keen to hear and see how difficult it ends up being, especially the tunnel area.

What's the estimate- 4 hours? Including removal of cubby box , seat rails, hand brake or quicker seeing as though it will drop straight in plus the Stanley knife cuts?

Is the colour similar/identical to Puma matting colour?

Think you will be happy with the finished product. Jealous.

[Loubrey]

Hi JIm,

Thanks for that!

I'm actually glad I didn't have the time to jump right in because its given me nearly 2 weeks to look, measure, compare etc to decide on the method. The instructions are just two paragraphs and generic for all Defenders from the early 80's to 2013!

The only section of the exiting matting that you reuse is the area around the gearshift gaiters. Pretty simple vertical cut down on the start of the facia down to the bottom of the tunnel and then across on the floor/ tunnel joint to the seat box. You'll see from the pictures that the bulkhead/ tunnel section only has a rectangular "frame". The mat splits to fit around the bottom of the facia and aircon pipes.

I reckon the longest part will be the hand brake (actually scares me a bit!:D) as you have options there but the best one would be to undo the hand break and refit it on bespoke recesses. The seat frames will take a bit of time as I've got Mulgo rails that will take a bit longer to undo and refit. I have stainless steel button head bolts which I might use in stead of the plastic clips if needed.

The colour is a very dark charcoal, so not completely black like the OEM but close enough that the tunnel section around the gaiters won't stand out.

I've taken Db readings in the current arrangement and I'll take some again after the fit. Regardless of the accuracy of the first and second set it might give a differential reading for those interested.

Cheers,

Lou

[jimb]

Looking forward to the debrief ( and images!) mate.

What model defender are you fitting ?

[Loubrey]

Hi Jim,

2010 Puma 90. Prior to Ford's debacle with the Puma's OEM matting (cheap and nasty) the Land Rover matting was good.

Td5's would not have the same reason for replacing the matting as Puma owners. I remember being unable to cut a hole in my 300Tdi's matting for a dead man switch!

Cheers,

Lou

[dawsey]

Just a small thing but it does really help when doing jobs like this..If you can sling the the whole lot out in the sun for a hour or so before you try to fit it.. softens it up a lot ..much easier to work with..We use to throw all flooring and vinyl work in a hot box before fitting ..have fun!!

[jimb]

Lou
How'd you go mate?
Pretty keen to hear about it!
Jim

[Loubrey]

Hi Guys,

I can start off by saying that I'm no upholsterer or a fitter of any nature and that was very apparent during my efforts this weekend! :D

As per my last post, I took the cubby box out on Friday evening and I only finished the install at 12:00 on Sunday! After a lot of blood (literally :eek:), sweet and tears (more barely contained spanner throwing :D) I've managed to get to a finish I'm happy with.

The first step was to strip everything out. Owning a big dog and living next to the beach, the car could do with a very thorough clean!

The first section to go in according to the 5 sentences of instruction was the floor, tunnel and bulk head section. After "trimming as required" the floor section eventually settled in and if anyone want to go for this system, THE HANDBRAKE MUST BE REMOVED! :D.

I must admit I'm quite impressed by the fit, but even following Dawsey's advice the tight fit was part of the difficulty!

Next post the fit continues...

Cheers,

Lou

[Loubrey]

Following on the floor, tunnel and bulk head section was the seat box section...

Lots and lots of holes that need drilling as accurate as possible not to make a mess of the whole job! In and out about 15 times I eventually had the access hatch flaps cut and the holes drilled.

First in was the Mulgo seat extension rails (previously fitted) to serve both purposes of fixing the seat box section and lining up the last couple of holes (cubby box).

Next job was putting the hand brake back. With the thickness of the matting system it did not want to go back...! Eventually, after a couple tantrums, a bit of trimming and searching threads on Defender hand brakes here on AULRO I managed to get it fitted back.

One final post to follow with the finished product.

Cheers,

Lou

[Loubrey]

Last post in the series with the final product.

Everything replaced and adjusted.... I still need to install a few "Christmas tree" plug pins on the sides of the seat box and possibly on the sides of the seat box cover hasps as that's the only place I've got a small bit of "gaping".

I've noticed a significant drop in tunnel heat and with the hand brake mechanism no sitting "on top" of the matting there is very little heat transfer to the actual hand brake lever.

I have done some crude Db checks with the iPhone and at this stage it does look like I've got about a 3 Db drop in peak cabin noise (iPhone on SWMBO's right thigh/knee) on both occasions for consistency).

As I said before, I'm happy with the result and with a minor bit of fastening to do once the lot has "settled" in and I'm pretty sure this will last the life of the vehicle.

Cheers,

Lou

[jimb]

Lou
Looks the ducks nuts. Big job by the sounds of it.

The handbrake. Sounds like a job in itself. Can you point me in the direction of the threads that helped the most on this issue.

Are you doing anything to the rear cabin?

Thanks for the images.
Jim

[Loubrey]

Hi Jim,

The hand brake itself is pretty simple as long as you put sufficient lube on the dodgy looking rubber bit when you shove it back in (that just sounds wrong...):D

The problem came in when trying to fit it in conjunction with the rubber mat. That section is about 12 mm thick for heat and sound insulation and it pushes the flange on the hand brake mounting plate such that the holes don't line up. Trial and error on cutting small bits out of the tunnel matting until you've removed just enough for the flange to line up with its 4 holes (2 bolts, one signal wire for the hand brake on/off light and the main one for the cable) in order for you to fix it back.

Cheers,

Lou

[Chops]

Lou,,
That just looks totally awesome dude,, top job :D you should feel very proud and satisfied of what you have achieved mate, it looks like its been done by a professional.
When you talk of the 3Db, that doesn't sound like its much, so when your driving, does it feel like its a lot more than that in reality?
Thanks for the picks, your car looks like brand new again ;):cool:.

[Loubrey]

Hi Chops,

Thanks mate, the comments are really appreciated!

Talking to a mate of mine who's in health and safety in the UK the 3Db is apparently quite a bit in perceptible sound. To be honest it sounds quieter, but in a 90 the rear wheels are so close that a lot of the sound comes from the rear wheel arches. I'm not sure what the readings are worth in real live because I just used an iPhone App to check the noise levels before and after.

As per Jim's question on the previous post, its something I might look at in the future, but its not high on the list. I've driven 90's for many years and the Puma is already a lot quieter than a 300Tdi.

What I have noticed this morning on my 32 km run to work is that I could feel no heat on the tunnel, in front of the cubby box or on the hand brake (which is now isolated from the body). Its raining in Perth, so not very hot, but it does appear to have made some difference in that department as well.

Cheers,

Lou

[SimonM]

That looks very professional Lou. Have to be happy with that.

[Leroy_Riding]

Lou,,
That just looks totally awesome dude,, top job :D you should feel very proud and satisfied of what you have achieved mate, it looks like its been done by a professional.
When you talk of the 3Db, that doesn't sound like its much, so when your driving, does it feel like its a lot more than that in reality?
Thanks for the picks, your car looks like brand new again ;):cool:.

Every 3DB is effective double/half so if before matting cabin noise was 100db (god forbid it was that high but just using a nice round number here) and is now 97db the noise level in the car should be close to half what it used to be in audible sound, this is of course assuming the frequencies that are giving the measurement are in the audible range (which I would assume they are otherwise there is some weird low frequency resonance going on![or high])

If I had the money Id go get myself these mats, ill wait till I'm a bit more cashed up and till mine are totally destroyed first (not far off)

Leroy

[Loubrey]

The noise levels dropped from 81Db to 78Db from before to after.

Again, not a lot of faith in the actual value of the readings but having the two readings from the same device under the same conditions was the closest I was going to get to controlled comparison.

Cheers,

Lou

[Tomo]

Hi Lou,

Was wondering if you could give us another update on your matting? I am particularly interested in the heat insulating properties

Cheers

[Spencer72]

Hi Loubrey what type of fitted front seat covers do you have there?

[jimb]

Spencer
They look like Melville & moon

[HardCharger]

Hi Loubrey,

First off, nice job! Makes me want to do my 110 even if all the bits are still OK.

So this matting only covers up to the front seats only, correct? What of the rest of the truck? Do they do kits for the rear part up to the load areas as well?

[Loubrey]

First off, apologies to the guys who posted questions that never got answered. It's an old post, but I've recently had some questions about it and I looked the old thread up.

Changed FIFO companies and the new internet policy coupled with zero reception for mobile devices meant its been ages since last posting on AULRO. So answers to the specific questions...

Tomo, update on the matting - 18 months down the line and it looks like the day I installed it... absolutely no abrasion, scuffs or damage of any kind. Still the best money spent on the car! Absolutely no heat transfer at all... Many years in Defenders and I've gotten used to the roasted left calf, but with the matting its like a different car all together.

Spencer72, as jimb said they are Melville and Moon. They are insanely expensive over here (agents and direct import), but I've got family over there (RSA) and they bought it over the counter for me at a fraction of the "international" price.

HardCharger, as far as I know its only the front and rear (load box) that have matting systems, but it might be worth contacting Exmoor Trim and inquiring.

Matting (http://www.exmoortrim.co.uk/store/defender-products/matting-and-carpet-sets/matting.html)

Cheers,

Lou

[EastFreo]

Thanks for the great info Lou. I can see I may need this trim in the future. Only had my Defender for two weeks and those corners are splitting!

I will certainly see about getting replaced on warranty but I can see a long term solution will be needed one day.

[Pickles2]

Hello Lou, Good to see you back on here again.
You certainly did a good job with your matting, not a job for the faint hearted!
Pickles.

[Loubrey]

Hi Pickles,

Good to be "back" :) Thanks for the compliment on the matting, but its so well made its near impossible to stuff it up.

Hi EastFreo,

Land Rover in Perth is pretty good with warranty, but just another perk of joining TeamW4 is 20% off the bottom line of services and trade prices on parts at Southern Land Rover (main club sponsor)

Cheers,

Lou

[HardCharger]

Thanks for getting back to our questions, Lou!

Will send them an email and see how many banks I have to knock over to get the kit! :D

[PAT303]

Lou,the heat coming up through the floor is my biggest gripe with the Defender,does the mating cut the heat down enough to warrant paying the money?. Pat

[jhiggi10]

I have the Wright Off Road matting in my 300TDI (I believe they actually make the Exmoor kit) and can definitely recommend it. They were quite a lot cheaper than going via Exmoor and I got the footwell kick panels thrown in for free. The noise improvement is noticeable but the best benefits are the significantly reduced heat coming off the transmission tunnel and the ease of cleaning. Need to make sure you use fish oil or some corrosion protection under the matting as they do trap some moisture but aren't too bad to remove (although heavy).

[rick130]

Yes, the Exmoor matting system is the one made by Wright Off Road.

Pretty sure Karcraft had them (Exmoor) in stock last time I enquired.

[PAT303]

Rick,I chased up the mats this morning,Karcraft weren't interested. Pat

[rick130]

Pat, It's probably twelve months ago that I asked.

[Loubrey]

Lou,the heat coming up through the floor is my biggest gripe with the Defender,does the mating cut the heat down enough to warrant paying the money?. Pat

Pat,

Just about completely stopped the heat transfer in my Puma. The handbrake sits on top of the mat and it's just a degree or two above ambient and you certainly haven't got that "foot well heater" feeling going on at all.

Cheers,

Lou

[PAT303]

I've got a number from a bloke in Vic that will bring them in,I'd like to have it cover the rear of the seat box also but I'll get what I can get.Lou,I'll be in wanaroo in the next couple of weeks doing a rifle transfer,do you mind if I have a look at your mats?. Pat

[Loubrey]

Hi Pat,

I'm around every weekend, so no problem and you're welcome to have a look.

Just drop me a pm.

Cheers,

Lou

[Pilbara130]

My turn wish me luck haha

[Pilbara130]

Hi Lou

Did you have to remove the entire dash to fit the floor matting under the A/C.

Disregard last question just read your post instead of looking at pictures.

[newhue]

I'll have a go, Lou, how is it wearing in the seat box corner.
Mine developed a holes in the corners with 12 months from new. I was sure it wasn't my entry style, so I blamed LR mechanics since they had the dash out a few times. They replaced with warranty but alas their back. It appears the door card closes hard against the seat box corner, and because everything moves in a defender it rubs through. With your the mats being almost double in thickness, just wondering if there is any wear on them or on the door card.

[ATH]

I've just stuck some thin rubber on the corners of the seat boxes on my side and the Cooks. From the scuff marks on them I reckon it's our own way of getting in the thing which causes the damage when our heels scrape it. That and the total crap material Ford changed to as I don't remember my 2 other Deafeners (Yes I'm totally mad :mad:) doing it.
AlanH.

[DazzaTD5]

As most Defender TDCi owners know, the quality of the rubber covering around the seat box is pretty poor quality. It seems to be more of a thin plastic rather than an actual rubber product. From brand new they start to wear and fall apart really quickly, yet the previous TD5 model lasts for many years without showing wear.

Another item to be "improved" upon by owners and repairers a like :P

Regards
Daz

[karlz]

Clark rubber sell what looks like the original ford matting, the one thats thin with ribs.

[AndyG]

I see Nugget has done a fix fir the seat box corner