2014 defender rear door fail in the Simpson

[herrBlick]

Very disappointed that the lock on the rear door has failed as the rear spare is obviously to heavy for the hinges, for the last 2 days I have had no access to my drawers which contained a lot of my expedition gear.. Will this be covered by the warranty ?

[David Hawes]

It's certainly covered by warranty although that doesn't compensate for the inconvenience you would have experienced. My back door started to bend within two months of buying my 2012 110 and I installed an after market wheel carrier. The original hinges were only ever designed to carry a 6.00 x16 road track major, they won't cope with the weight of modern tyres.
Dave

[FeatherWeightDriver]

How on earth have you managed to get a 2014 Defender in to the Simpson already? I tip my hat to you...

SWMBO in my house won't let mine out of the postcode without 20 questions!:mad:

How did you find the truck otherwise? I assume you didn't have time to make too many mods befire you left.

[dullbird]

Im guessing you have a cargo barrier....

if you can drop the barrier down and climb in from the inside you might possibly be able to get the door open..

we had ours lock up on us once but it was because the door seal had got knocked slightly which didn't allow the door to close probably so when it did it locked on tight and couldn't be opened form the outside...once we got the door open we never had another issue with it...even when our hinges finally failed after (6years) we could still always open the door.

EDIT: this actually happend to us with the D1 also and it may of been the door seal on the D1 and the child lock on the defender cant remember which way around it was now

[numpty]

How on earth have you managed to get a 2014 Defender in to the Simpson already? I tip my hat to you....

Some of use them for what they were intended ;) My 2006 was only 4 weeks old when it set off for it's first desert foray. :eek:

Talk to Murray at Rijidij. He makes a cracker of a spare wheel carrier.

[BilboBoggles]

Those locks are a bastard at the best of times.

When you unlock using the central locking - can you see from the outside - the little inside snib moving all the way up and down. IF it's moving then it is unlocking and the issue is that the handle is stiff. Sometimes pushing the door closed whilst opening it can help - or give it a very hard lift...

If the lock snib is not moving, and you have a cargo barrier. The easiest method of gaining access is to pop out one of the rear small quaterlite windows next to the tailgate. As it's new, this should actually be quite easy. There was a you tube video ov the process, but basically you shove the window hard in at the corner, the whole glass rotates a bit and you can lever it out... Then you can reach the snib.

[AndyG]

That's a good tip, could save the expense of a lot of accessories :p

[noyakfat]

I had the same scenario as Dullbird. I thought, "Oh no my 2 week old car has a breakage already..." I climbed in from the back seats and unlocked it by hand. Worked fine since then :)

[weeds]

the OP has mention hinges and the weight of the wheel.......and has said nothing about locks

[Dopey]

Very disappointed that the lock on the rear door has failed as the rear spare is obviously to heavy for the hinges, for the last 2 days I have had no access to my drawers which contained a lot of my expedition gear.. Will this be covered by the warranty ?

I'm pretty sure that I can see that he's written that the lock on the rear door has failed.....

[Lotz-A-Landies]

It's certainly covered by warranty although that doesn't compensate for the inconvenience you would have experienced. My back door started to bend within two months of buying my 2012 110 and I installed an after market wheel carrier. The original hinges were only ever designed to carry a 6.00 x16 road track major, they won't cope with the weight of modern tyres.
DaveThat's a pretty long bow to draw. When the original of the current station wagon door was designed (1958), both the 88 and 109 variants had the same door. The 109 wagon was using 7.00 16 and had 7.50 16 tyres as an option even then.
The current Defender has three hinges where the originals right up into series 3 only had two hinges.

One would hesitate that the doors were actually engineered at all. They merely used the available hinge design and created a door to fit the hole using the metal extrusions being used to frame the side doors.

[weeds]

I'm pretty sure that I can see that he's written that the lock on the rear door has failed.....

Opps.....you are correct, my bad

[AndyG]

Pretty sure the inference was the sagging hinges caused a lock malfunction.

No one has done a HD hinge kit ?

[Sue]

How on earth have you managed to get a 2014 Defender in to the Simpson already? I tip my hat to you...


My car had 30 kilometres on the clock when it first went offroad.. tell your wife that the car cries from embarrassment if it's kept on the tar seal because all the other Defenders laugh at it.. :p

And my rear lock failed on my last trip.. but when I finally got it open it turned out that one of the screws on the lock was loose.. a quick tighten with the screwdriver and all was good again. Having said that I have had intermittent trouble recently with the lock which I feel is from the weight of the rear tyre making the door sag, I complained to LR and they replaced the lock but I'm thinking that will not have fixed the problem in the long term.

[FeatherWeightDriver]

My car had 30 kilometres on the clock when it first went offroad.. tell your wife that the car cries from embarrassment if it's kept on the tar seal because all the other Defenders laugh at it.. :p


I certainly have been telling her that, and the point is reinforced whenever we see a suitably mudded up and scruffy Defender driving around the city - never mind the brochure, that's what they are supposed to look like. :D

[Lagerfan]

Our rear lock failed halfway down the Oodnadatta on our maiden voyage last year, luckily the key still worked ... eventually anyway after much cursing. LR replaced it but I'm still not sure if it is mechanical or electric as it has happened again twice since but various combos of pressing and holding the fob, leaving it for a couple of hours and using the key all seem to work and get it open.

For the record we have a Rijidij dual rear bar so I'm pretty sure it isn't the weight of the spare that is the problem, in our case anyway.

[ATH]

I've had rear door lock probs and Barbagallo replaced it during warranty. But when fitting the Rijidij wheel carrier it stuck so hard no way could I open it even when levering the handle.
Luckily I'd left the door cover off and was able to get inside and loosen the bolts holding the rear plate on the door and "click" the damn door was free again.
I'd obviously tried to make it (the wheel carrier) a too tight fit and a gentle readjustment solved the problem. But I'm still a bit wary of closing the door too hard just in case it does it when we're fully loaded.:o
AlanH.

[slug_burner]

It is not the door hinges that fail, although they might with time, the door frame is too flimsy.

[The Cone of Silence]

Monty's rear door is also struggling after the recent trip to the Simpson and beyond.

All manner of squeaks when opening and closing so I suspect the bushes are stuffed from all the grit and dirt, but the door itself is much heavier top open too. Mantec wheel carrier LOOKS to be ok - doesn't seem to be putting pressure on the door but I'll have to take it off to check it.

The lock did decide to operate itself a couple of times when travelling but most of the time the issues with it were simply SWMNOBOBAFAR not giving it enough welly when opening.

I've cleaned out the hinges and the lock with silicone spray, which seems to have helped, but the door is still too hard to open.

Bobby

[herrBlick]

Thank you all for your all of your great advice, I have figured out that there is a screw missing from the lock and a sag in the door,
I can't get the door open at all which is a shame as my drawers are double story which means I can't get to the snib in the back and most importantly I can't get it cleaned, there is an inch of dust in the back......does every defender let in dust like that as well?
Is there away to seal it?

I am of to lance Dixon to get the warranty stuff done.

[noyakfat]

does every defender let in dust like that as well?
Is there away to seal it?

Get all the doors welded shut and access the vehicle through a roof hatch :p

You are certainly not alone. My truck "Vincent" is a MY14 and the dust enters readily. This phenomenon was far far worse in older models. It is just one of the quirks of Defender ownership :)

[Tombie]

Guys...

Just on the silicone spray comment...

Do NOT use silicone spray on your vehicle - ever!!!

If it ever needs panel work, paint, etc the job will be a nightmare...

Use Dry PTFE spray :D
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/04/106.jpg

[BilboBoggles]

From talking to a panel specialist I thought teflon - PTFE was as bad or even worse than silicon, is that not the case?

[BilboBoggles]

The dust in the back - The later PUMA's are really bad at this - although they have improved a little on the MY13 model I have. The issue is that there is very little seallant on the panel seams. And on a Defender there are often very large gaps.

A way to limit dust in the vehicle - is to never drive with the windows open, and always have the A/C on flow through. This pressurizes the inside and keeps the dust out. Obviously not always convenient.

Iv'e used three tubes of Butyl mastic on mine. The trick is to apply at night. Get a very bright light, such as a flouro, and put it inside the defender in the rear. Then hop under it with a torch and a tube of goo. You will see the underside lit up like a christmas tree with light seeping through many seams - especially around the rear seat box. Just goop these up until you see light no more. Move the light around all over the inside until you see no more light underneath. Then repeat with the light underneath.

That will get rid of about 60% of the dust.

The next step is to get a high pressure fire hose, and spray the crap out of the underneath. You will get water on the inside - probably around the 2nd row of seats on the floor. Make a note of where it's coming in and then goo it when its dry.

Pay special attention around the fuel filler, there are seams on the inside that are open to the outside and the corners will leak dust and water in. Goo them.

Then remove the rear speaker covers. You will be greeted by piles of dust. You may be able to goo these from the inside.... But most likely that is coming through the gaps around the body cappings. Now I did not goo these on my new defender as I am paranoid about water getting in and rusting these. But they were gooed on my 2009 Defender with black silicone by the dealer when they had a go at gooing them. In stead I live with a little dust, but spray Inox in to the cappings monthly to keep the rust out.


After that - I get a fine layer of dust after a trip. but nothing like the great big one inch piles of dust I would have got before.

[AndyG]

On my wooden boat I have used lots of oakum and tar, might try it on the Defender! ,:p

[dullbird]

could you possibly remove the rear tyre from the door and put it in the car or on the roof (if you have a rack and the ability to tie it down) then drive over corrugations just to see if it wiggles the lock enough for some movement and perhaps allow it to unjam a bit??

I know its a lame suggestion but you never know and if your desperate for stuff possibly worth a try??

[Hooroo]

I don't have a solution as my old boy doesn't have central locking. I'm buying a new model soon to trip in so I'm wondering if the central locking has its own fuse that I will be able to pull to avoid issues???

*** herrBlick, please let us know if LR helped out with the warranty??? ***

[herrBlick]

well didn't get off to a good start, drove to Lance Dixons and low and behold, sorry your car has not been booked in mr Blick......jesus!!!!
But Andrew at the desk was most accommodating and took the car off me and listed faults....fingers crossed

[Hooroo]

Looking forward to hearing how everything works out!
It would also be good to hear what else was on your list?

[herrBlick]

ok so I had a small oil leak but that was found by Les Richmond on my first service ,and I was told it wasn't a big problem, but it was warranty work and should go to the dealer after the trip,
all my instruments failed ,fuel,speedo,temp,etc etc ,
thank god for my Alpine double din GPS to give me correct speeds and estimated fuel consumption....
That was it really apart from half the simpson being in the car.....
I will be ordering a rijidij swing arm and converting the back of my car by removing the second row seating and installing a proper drawer system utilising the mulgo door hinges to get 90 degrees on the doors so that I have side drawers as well. It only takes you one big trip to realise you need everything secure and in its place..

[FeatherWeightDriver]

Hope it all works out :(

Any chance you could post up how your double din stereo / GPS was installed?

I have seen a few nice double din units that look interesting, especially to double up as navigation and reversing camera, but the idea of butchering my brand new dash isn't thrilling me. Yet.

Besides - the stock head unit sounds half decent! :D

[Hooroo]

So hB, how helpful were the LR service staff working on your vehicle that had been used for its designed purpose?
Did all the work get done willingly? Anything interesting?
Did you happen to find out if the central locking has its own circuit breaker/fuse?

P.S: Guess who's looking for a good dealer?!!!

[herrBlick]

Will I must say Lance Dixon were really great , Andrew up there looked after me fine.
Not a penny spent, all taken care off via Warranty, door straightend and new lock put on, roof panel fixed (lining kept popping out )
Very very happy!

[herrBlick]

Hope it all works out :(<br />
<br />
Any chance you could post up how your double din stereo / GPS was installed?<br />
<br />
I have seen a few nice double din units that look interesting, especially to double up as navigation and reversing camera, but the idea of butchering my brand new dash isn't thrilling me. Yet.<br />
<br />
Besides - the stock head unit sounds half decent! :D

I got mine done at the audio place beside ULR .....they did a right dodgy job had to super glue it in the Simpson

[herrBlick]

The dust in the back - The later PUMA's are really bad at this - although they have improved a little on the MY13 model I have. The issue is that there is very little seallant on the panel seams. And on a Defender there are often very large gaps.

A way to limit dust in the vehicle - is to never drive with the windows open, and always have the A/C on flow through. This pressurizes the inside and keeps the dust out. Obviously not always convenient.

Iv'e used three tubes of Butyl mastic on mine. The trick is to apply at night. Get a very bright light, such as a flouro, and put it inside the defender in the rear. Then hop under it with a torch and a tube of goo. You will see the underside lit up like a christmas tree with light seeping through many seams - especially around the rear seat box. Just goop these up until you see light no more. Move the light around all over the inside until you see no more light underneath. Then repeat with the light underneath.

That will get rid of about 60% of the dust.

The next step is to get a high pressure fire hose, and spray the crap out of the underneath. You will get water on the inside - probably around the 2nd row of seats on the floor. Make a note of where it's coming in and then goo it when its dry.

Pay special attention around the fuel filler, there are seams on the inside that are open to the outside and the corners will leak dust and water in. Goo them.

Then remove the rear speaker covers. You will be greeted by piles of dust. You may be able to goo these from the inside.... But most likely that is coming through the gaps around the body cappings. Now I did not goo these on my new defender as I am paranoid about water getting in and rusting these. But they were gooed on my 2009 Defender with black silicone by the dealer when they had a go at gooing them. In stead I live with a little dust, but spray Inox in to the cappings monthly to keep the rust out.


After that - I get a fine layer of dust after a trip. but nothing like the great big one inch piles of dust I would have got before.

Will be doing this for sure as the car is immaculate again

[DiscoMick]

Rear door is rattling on my new 2009 110 and the top of the door is warped, so a rear wheel carrier is right at the top of my wish list.
I looked at the Ridjidij ones, which look very good, but I found an ad for the Mantec one, which also opens with the door, for nearly $400 less than the Ridjidij, so I'm leaning that way. Have to add a door stay with the Mantec one, which is included in the Ridjidij one, but its still more than $200 cheaper with that.
Also found a large gap under the front bottom corner of the front passenger's door, so have to figure out what to do about that. Maybe glue a rubber strip?
Thanks for the tip about Butyl goop, might get some.

[Loubrey]

Pretty sure the inference was the sagging hinges caused a lock malfunction.

No one has done a HD hinge kit ?

Andy,

See below...

YRM Land Rover Defender & Series Stainless Steel Rear Door Hinges - YRM Metal Solutions (http://www.yrmlandrover.com/YRM-Land-Rover-Defender-Series-Stainless-Steel-Rear-Door-Hinges)

Mantec wheel carrier turns into a much simpler option (Puma and Td5 have the same rear door)

Mantec | Quality Land Rover Accessories (http://www.mantec.co.uk/productdetail.cfm'theProductID=6111D1F6-15C5-F4C0-99458DE1BC616A94)

Cheers,

Lou

[djam1]

They have been cracking up since the 1970s obviously they never improved them.
Use and aftermarket carrier

[noyakfat]

Use and aftermarket carrier

… or do what I do and store the spare inside the vehicle at the cost of some load space.

[djam1]

So you only carry 1 spare??


… or do what I do and store the spare inside the vehicle at the cost of some load space.

[Loubrey]

So you only carry 1 spare??

Very few people carry 2 spares as standard like we do in Pilbara and Kimberley... :D

I'd hope everyone pack a second for any long trip, but very few Defenders make it more than 200km at a time off the black stuff!

In Perth and surrounds I must admit I also only carry one, but then I usually hang with other Land Rover owners and there's plenty spares to go around...

Cheers,

Lou

[noyakfat]

So you only carry 1 spare??

yep.

I carted 2 x spares all over Queensland for years with my previous vehicles and (touch wood) I never needed them. That's not to say I will never have the misfortune to hole two tyres, but I am happy with the runs on the board thus far.

I do carry a pretty good repair kit, and am quite content to go with the one spare for general duties.

Should I embark on a particularly tyre-averse journey (e.g. off track remote travel) I would certainly pack a second spare.

Cheers,
Nige

[Lotz-A-Landies]

the OP has mention hinges and the weight of the wheel.......and has said nothing about locks
There's always one!