Considering a Defender, A Few Questions

[Mjt084]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum and considering purchasing a new or near new 110 Puma Defender for work and play purposes.

After a few weeks of reading through posts in this forum I have a few questions that I would really appreciate some help with.

1. Apart from running a little quieter is there any advantage in seeking out a 2.2L model over a 2.4L model? My finance company will allow the purchase of a vehicle up to 3 years old and it seems 2011 was the changeover year so I'm seeing a few vehicles available with the older 2.4L engine.

2. How bad is the rust and corrosion issue? I have read in a few British forums of owners experiencing rust within the first 5 years of ownership. I imagine the salting of roads in the cold British winters wouldn't help this but given I live close to the coast and the majority of my off-roading will likely be on the beach I want to make sure I'm not going to end up with a pile of rust after a few years.

3. How bad is the water leakage issue and what is Land Rover's stance on addressing it under the warranty? I expect some ingress fording creeks or rivers but not after a light shower.

4. If I choose to go with the used option are there any major issues to keep an eye out for and can anyone recommend a good LR mechanic in the Newcastle area I can have look over a prospective purchase? I see a lot of LR's driving around with All Four x 4 Service Centre stickers so maybe they are a good bet?

5. Any other advice for a prospective purchaser?

Thanks in advance!

[JDNSW]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum and considering purchasing a new or near new 110 Puma Defender for work and play purposes.

After a few weeks of reading through posts in this forum I have a few questions that I would really appreciate some help with.

1. Apart from running a little quieter is there any advantage in seeking out a 2.2L model over a 2.4L model? My finance company will allow the purchase of a vehicle up to 3 years old and it seems 2011 was the changeover year so I'm seeing a few vehicles available with the older 2.4L engine.

I can't comment really, but my understanding is that there is little practical difference.

2. How bad is the rust and corrosion issue? I have read in a few British forums of owners experiencing rust within the first 5 years of ownership. I imagine the salting of roads in the cold British winters wouldn't help this but given I live close to the coast and the majority of my off-roading will likely be on the beach I want to make sure I'm not going to end up with a pile of rust after a few years.

Given you are planning on beach work, rust is a significant concern, although even then probably not as bad as UK salted roads. Hosing down after beach work and generally a bit of tlc should be considered (this applies to whatever you get!)

3. How bad is the water leakage issue and what is Land Rover's stance on addressing it under the warranty? I expect some ingress fording creeks or rivers but not after a light shower.

I have no first hand experience - supposed top be better, but I think it depends on your luck!

4. If I choose to go with the used option are there any major issues to keep an eye out for and can anyone recommend a good LR mechanic in the Newcastle area I can have look over a prospective purchase? I see a lot of LR's driving around with All Four x 4 Service Centre stickers so maybe they are a good bet?

5. Any other advice for a prospective purchaser?

Thanks in advance!

See if you can get a drive with some existing owners, and listen to their experiences first hand - should be some in your area who would volunteer.

John

[Mjt084]

Thanks John,

We're quite lucky here in Newcastle and have a car wash at the end of the access road to our most popular 4WD beach so a good thorough under car wash is easy.

I've taken a few 110's for a test drive and I was surprised by the on road performance, a little loud but nothing like I expected. I was also pleasantly surprised by the on road handling in comparison with my 2012 Holden Colorado company car.

Marc

[Pickles2]

IMHO, you would need to be bit careful with a Defender in a car wash, with repect to how much pressure & water are directed at both the body & underside of the vehicle, or you might end up with more water inside the vehicle than out!
Seriously though, there is NOTHING like a Defender , and you will love it, as long as you are aware of what you're buying, with all its little "foibles"etc.
Pickles.

[Mjt084]

IMHO, you would need to be bit careful with a Defender in a car wash

Thanks Pickles, is that in relation to my previous post or the original question?

[Psimpson7]

Hi Marc,

We have 6000k's on our 2014 Defender now.

It hasn't leaked any water inside at all yet, and we have had some heavy rain including about 100mm on the day we picked it up!

Driving my other one (a td5) in heavy rain is like someone put a garden sprinkler inside...

Rust is a concern with beach work, but as John says, cleaning it should help. The Salted roads in the UK are really not kind at all.

I find road performance and handling to be fine.

I would look for the latest one you can get. I would take the 2.2 over the 2.4 as its the current engine.

The later they are the better they seem to be to drive as well. Its almost like in the last few years just as they intend to stop making them, they nearly have the hang of it....!

2011 onwards have 4 pin diffs front and rear in the 110's and 130's/ 2 pin in the front before that.

some other useful info abaout half way down this thread:

DEFENDER2.NET - View topic - buying information

cheers
Pete

[Pickles2]

fquote=Mjt084;2191228]Thanks Pickles, is that in relation to my previous post or the original question?[/quote]
Sorry mate, that was only part of the post, which I have now edited!
Pickles.

[Mjt084]

IMHO, you would need to be bit careful with a Defender in a car wash, with repect to how much pressure & water are directed at both the body & underside of the vehicle, or you might end up with more water inside the vehicle than out!
Seriously though, there is NOTHING like a Defender , and you will love it, as long as you are aware of what you're buying, with all its little "foibles"etc.
Pickles.

Thanks Pickles, that makes more sense!

I've previously had cars with large leaks and don't want to go down that path again..... With that in mind i think I should be well prepared to handle a small occasional leak just don't want to end up with a pool in the footwells whenever it rains!

On the "foibles", that's something I accept when considering a Defender, a few rattles, a bit of road noise, an engine that you can actually hear and the occasional puzzling electrical issue are all things I expected. Reading about rust and water leaks in relatively modern cars though come as a bit of a shock.

[BilboBoggles]

I've owned a MY09 2.4 and replaced it with a MY13 2.2. The 2.2 is miles ahead in noise and vibration - for me it was a significant upgrade.

There are quite a few threads on rustproofing them. I would look at getting Valvoline Tectyl 506 sprayed professionally through the chassis. I'd also get the inside of the bulkhead treated - but for that I would use INOX MX-3. Also under the floor mats I'd use Inox MX-3 every 6 months or so. Having said that it's rare to see a rust damaged < 10 year old defender. The older ones had different doors, which can and do rust heavily. The newer >2006 ones have better doors that tend to rust less. Also don't forget that UK vehicles really struggle to last more than 5 years due to the salt on the roads there - and that applies to pretty much any of them.

My MY13 did not leak any water at all - well it does now a bit because the door seals need replacing. I think the newer post MY12 models seem to have a slightly different assembly technique that might be better than the prior models at keeping water out. Best investment is a carport. You are less likely to get water inside from a river than from a light shower!

A used recent 2.2 I'd risk with no worries. I'd hope for a little warranty left - or that it's done a reasonable number of kms. The most risky would be buying a <30,000k but greater than 3 year old Defender. Most things that break on a Defender do so in the first 30k. You want to be covered by a warranty during this period as you are likely to need to replace a diff or perhaps a clutch in this breaking in period. But I would not worry too much - if you do have a diff failure there are after market upgrades that will fix it relatively cheaply.

When I've been looking around for Defenders - I ended up buying brand new because :

1) Corporate package means free servicing for 3 years , and discounted delivery charges
2) The price of used ones was not much less than new.
3) I bought on a novated lease which means a corporate discount, no GST etc etc. The total price was really quite competitive with a recent used one especially when you consider warranty coverage - basically you will have only fuel as a running cost for 3 years.




FWIW - I run the new Defender through the automatic drive through touchless pressure wash every week - no water leaks yet. (and no scratches from hand washing either)

[Dorian]

Marc
I've had a few leakage issues, MY12, but the dealer who I bought it thru (Shinecoast) has been great with their response.

Glen