The Defender thread

Mirrors, Mirrors, Mirrors........

That what the two things on the doors are for !

Most vans/trucks have no interior mirror.

How do you think ever other van, truck and bus driver dose it ???

OK rant over.

Not really. See if there's proof the timing belt has been done, that it starts easily and doesn't smoke, otherwise check the usual rot spots.

720000 miles which is a long interval. If there's no evidence, haggle a bit and get it changed.

Well i went for a look and a drive, first time driving one and it was a culture shock i have to say! This one is raised 2 inches but also has huge off road tyres so its more like 4 or 5 id say. Tyres rub on full lock

Pass door has bad rust near the top hinge just under the mirror, driver door is good. Interior was ok, seats not sagging and look to have been replaced. Lifted the mats and no rust on the floor, hit it a good slap to be sure as it was painted. Outside had been painted silver from white and looked ok, few dents as was expected. Back door was solid with no rust and the floor had carpet glued down, pulled up a few inches and it was also painted another slap confirmed it wqs solid.

Chassis had also been painted silver but had surfice rust showing in spots, i banged a few bits and it seemed solid but it was lashing rain and i was wearing a suit so couldnt have a proper look. I did notice on the backnof the driver side of the chassis someone had taken an angle grinder and looks like they tried to cut a hole about 3" square but gave up?? The back had chequer plating but from what i could see there was no rust under it.

Engine bay was filthy, years of oil and crap everywhere but it sounded nice, no smoke from exhaust. It has a push button start and it started first time with no issue from cold. It has a snorkel and the air filter box was not supported by anything, it was sitting on top of other pipes with a bit of foam to rest on, is this normal?

It was not comfortable, at all!! But i didnt care, it felt great! It pulled well in 2nd and 3rd, felt like it would turn over if i turned sharp and i could have stopped better sticking my feet through the floor! He said they are all like that but im not sure, the breaks felt non existant! But i stepped out of a brand bew merc van so i thought that was part of why it felt so hard to stop!

4wd works but no light came on to indicate it was engaged, same with the diff lock.

I think im getting a good deal with the figures we discussed but i just want to gwt one of the mechanics in work to throw his eye over it later in the week.

Any opinions from the above?

101sean wrote: »

Air box shouldn't be floating around but if the engine is basically sound it could be just a case of tidying up the engine bay.

It should be reasonably comfortable, did it feel loose and wander? Could be worn bushes or a poorly executed lift. If you are used to a car it will be a shock though, they do roll a fair bit but are very stable.

Tyres rubbing is because of the bigger tyres, should really adjust the stops but you can fit spacers to get some turning circle back.

Brakes should be good, not as good as a car maybe but they should stop it easily with good pedal feel. Could be seized calipers or if theirs no brake effort, the servo is shot. Does it have a recent test? "they are all like it" is a load of bollix

I assume by 4wd works, you could move the hi/low lever? It's permanent 4wd but with a difflock, a light should come on the dash but may not come on immediately especially if the set of wobbly levers and bent wire that operate it are worn, easy fix though.

Rusty passenger door is around £250 ish to replace but it's possible to repair them, you can buy the sections.

If it's basically sound at that price it could be a good buy if you have some spare cash to sort the bits out, especially if you can DIY.

It didnt feel to bad to be honest, i dont drive cars at all really i drive new vans most of the time and my sorento on weekends. It did feel stable.

The rubbing is only on full lock, amall spacers would sort it i reckon

I did comment on the breaks, i got a bit of a shock tbh. It did stop but i did reckon something was up with them.

I stuck it into low box and went through the gears, it went in and out smooth, bit of a clunk when it came out. No light came on when in low box. I tried the diff lock but again no light, didnt want to turn with it ingaged as i was on tarmac. The leaver moved with little effort.

One of the lads in work is a **** hot welder so any metal work would be done well and cheap.

I will try my hand at most jobs and have any number of mechanics on hand to help me out with awkward jobs or stuff i cant handle. Think ill try get back up with a fresh set of eyes tomorrow and see if i can do a deal

Ah ok i thought the 4wd symbel on the dash should come on for low box.. Now to find my second set of eyes for abother look!

I have a 130 2008 model. Does anyone know is there some sort of after market accessorie that you can buy to fit the foot air vents to distribute warm air better? ie to stop the air from being blown at your shins? Maybe some sort of adapter that fits onto the vent with a tube that funnels the air around to your feet? Just wondering cause this would be very usefell! Thanks!

They were once considered fast! Who knew...

How much is road tax for a 2013 110 station wagon?

As all post 2010 Defenders are commercial, even station wagons, private tax is on engine size, the current engine is 2184cc so is €951pa. Number of seats makes no difference to private motor tax.

Commercially it's €333pa

I'm pretty sure that's correct, I assume it's because commercials, even car based ones, don't have an official CO rating so have to be done on engine size.

You can check on revenue.ie

Shoot2kill wrote: »

Having never owned one before, what should I watch out for when viewing one to buy?

Rust, transmission and the 300 tdi has a timing belt that needs to be changed every few services. A very good engine though.
It has already been covered on here loads of times if you search back through this thread and its past my bed time now anyway

happybob wrote: »

So, you are saying a 110 XS 7 Seat (for example) is a commercial? By what application of logic is that arrived at, I ask myself?

Why would a 7 seat LR be commercial and a 7 seat Kia Sorento be private?

The EU has standardised vehicle classifications. All 110s including station wagons have the N1 classification so VAT can be reclaimed. If they are used for private use, unless your business has over 4 employees they must be taxed privately.

SafeSurfer wrote: »

The EU has standardised vehicle classifications. All 110s including station wagons have the N1 classification so VAT can be reclaimed. If they are used for private use, unless your business has over 4 employees they must be taxed privately.

I have trouble with this myself ... what happens if I have two employees? I need to buy a van rather crew and then number 3 sits in number 2's lap? In reality it makes little different because for a company vehicle the private tax would still be a company expense ... the real clincher between a passenger/crew and van is the BIK implications. (Question is rhetorical, trying to make sense of Irish taxation policy is futile ...)

Whilst I accept that the defender may be N1, still unclear what logic would have led to that for a passenger vehicle? As N1, does that mean the passenger 90's and 110's attract VRT at ~ 13% rather ~ 30%?

Finally, would it be illegal or legal to purchase a 90 4 seater and convert it to six seater?

Yep, clear as mud isn't it!