New Defender, observations and opinions of the available information !

[Mick_Marsh]

He said it applies to all Land Rovers.

Well, he's wrong, isn't he. He is just posting more disinformation in the public arena.
And whoever thinks this is correct probably can't tie their own shoe laces.
Which reminds me, I am looking for your instructions. I hope they help with your problem.

 

[boobook]

Well, he's wrong, isn't he. He is just posting more disinformation in the public arena.
And whoever thinks this is correct probably can't tie their own shoe laces.
Which reminds me, I am looking for your instructions. I hope they help with your problem.

No need. I can use google too.

 

[Krumpy]

At some point is this pecker measuring going to stop? Just give it a rest guys

 

[discomatt]

I love this guy and his wife.

Landrover owners with a sense of humour. Or at least honest.

They do make some good videos, surprised you would want to watch so many LR vidoes given how much you hate them or do you just like finding new material?
I guess the take away from such videos and with most LR owners, they know the cars, they know the faults, they know what to look for and yet they would still prefer to own them over other brands. Doesn't say much about the other brands given how utterly unreliable LR are, well according to some

 

[boobook]

They do make some good videos, surprised you would want to watch so many LR vidoes given how much you hate them or do you just like finding new material?
I guess the take away from such videos and with most LR owners, they know the cars, they know the faults, they know what to look for and yet they would still prefer to own them over other brands. Doesn't say much about the other brands given how utterly unreliable LR are, well according to some

I like that guy because he is funny and one of the LR owners that aren't precious about it, and don't take themselves too seriously and have to justify everything. I was watching his comparison of the Ineos which was interesting, this came up in the feed. I hope that is ok to watch him without permission from here.

 

[discomatt]

I like that guy because he is funny and one of the few LR owners that doesn't take themselves too seriously. I was watching his comparison of the Ineos which was interesting, this came up iin the feed. I hope that is ok to watch him without permission from here.

So if the Ineos video was interesting why not post that in a Ineos thread? I and many others would probably like to see that. It would be more interesting to most than a what to look for video when buying a 15 year old Discovery in a new Defender thread, which if anyone was interested in that info could ask and got the same info or been advised to go to a much better souce of LR info than what is available here.

 

[Albynsw]

I guess the take away from such videos and with most LR owners, they know the cars, they know the faults, they know what to look for and yet they would still prefer to own them over other brands. Doesn't say much about the other brands given how utterly unreliable LR are, well according to some

Yep and despite what they say, their actions tell the true story.
10 year old vehIcle with only 100,000k on it ( which are mostly blacktop k’s) does not trust the vehicle enough to take it into remote country
How many other brand owners would feel that way do you think? You know the answer of course being next to none. Yes of course LR are a nicer vehicle to drive and have every gadget under the sun but when you cannot rely on this same vehicle to take you where you want to go you have to stop and think about whether you have made the right choice to suit your needs.

When I owned Rangerovers ( three so do have experience with the brand) I left mine in the garage when I went bush and took the Toyota. The RR was a great soccermums car though and loved it all the way to having to almost give them away each time come trade in time

So despite what ones says, actions speak louder than words

 

[boobook]

So if the Ineos video was interesting why not post that in a Ineos thread? I and many others would probably like to see that. It would be more interesting to most than a what to look for video when buying a 15 year old Discovery in a new Defender thread, which if anyone was interested in that info could ask and got the same info or been advised to go to a much better souce of LR info than what is available here.

It was interesting to me, but I didn't think it was of general interest.

I suggest that you click on that video above and look for the Ineos if you think it may be of interest to you. There are millions of videos on Youtube, I don't post up every video I find interesting. You can do that just as easily.

 

[discomatt]

MMM my actions are a 20,000 km trip in a couple of weeks taking in a large part of outback WA towing a 2.5 ton van, no hesitation what so ever.
I wouldn't take any 10 year old 4wd down the CSR not just a LR but thats just me

 

[boobook]

Personally I can’t wait until I have a 4wd that is suited to a Canning trip, did the start of it in 2018 on another trip and wanted to keep going.
certainly not a trip for a 10 year Discovery unless you have a few spares , lots of mechanical knowledge, a fault reader and plenty of cash just in case

It did read like you were being quite specific. And rightly so. I don't think many people would have need for concern with a 100,000km vehicle that was in normal condition if they had done proper preparation TBH. My last vehicle was just nicely run-in at 100,000km and I didn't think twice about that kind of long-distance ( and more remote and corregated) trips with 250,000kms. Same as most people with a 4wd. Any 4wd can do long-distance dirt roads that carry trucks and sedans doing 90 to 100kmph all day long.

Isn't your response the exact point of the video I put up? The first thing every Land Rover Discovery 3/4 Owner needs is a fault reader?

 

[Albynsw]

MMM my actions are a 20,000 km trip in a couple of weeks taking in a large part of outback WA towing a 2.5 ton van, no hesitation what so ever.
I wouldn't take any 10 year old 4wd down the CSR not just a LR but thats just me

I can assure you that you will encounter many a 10 YO plus vehicle on the CSR and not just the T brand

 

[discomatt]

I can assure you that you will encounter many a 10 YO plus vehicle on the CSR and not just the T brand

And I am sure many have issues the same as a recent trip done by some other members here, 2 of 3 cars with major issues.

So to sum it up, we have one member who admits he would rather post threads to get a responce from other members rather than decent info and another member who crisis's a member for not taking in a 10 year old high tech and very complex 4wd into one of the harshest and remote parts of the planet yet he has just sold a perfectly good 4wd and bought a brand new one only to do all the mods and truck load of cash just because and for absolutely no reason relating to wanting a new 4wd
Unbelievable
How is the new Defender, anyone here actually own one or driven one, if so did it get off the dealers driveway without needing a tow truck

 

[Albynsw]

And I am sure many have issues the same as a recent trip done by some other members here, 2 of 3 cars with major issues.

So to sum it up, we have one member who admits he would rather post threads to get a responce from other members rather than decent info and another member who crisis's a member for not taking in a 10 year old high tech and very complex 4wd into one of the harshest and remote parts of the planet yet he has just sold a perfectly good 4wd and bought a brand new one only to do all the mods and truck load of cash just because and for absolutely no reason relating to wanting a new 4wd
Unbelievable
How is the new Defender, anyone here actually own one or driven one, if so did it get off the dealers driveway without needing a tow truck

Matt the correct story is my 10YO 260k perfectly good Landcruiser was given to my son who lives in the Pilbara
He does a lot of remote solo driving so I wanted him to have a safe reliable vehicle
I initially had no intention of replacing it but am really enjoying the additional cup holders in my new one

 

[mikehzz]

I've been remote in a Land Rover and a Jeep, both solo. My mate @Vesko has done solo remote trips in a Land Rover that was completely stock down to the factory tyres. There's a guy on Youtube just done the Madigan solo in a Jeep Gladiator. Then there's someone on here, @cookie64 ??, had to pull out during a recent trip in a 200 due to issues. I was supposed to do a desert trip in early May but pulled out due to a health problem but the trip went ahead and was pretty much ruined because a 200 series on it went bad and was lucky to limp into Birdsville before it even got remote. He drove it back to Sydney without 5th or 6th gear because nobody could fix it on the way. All cars can have issues and it's a pain in the arse no matter what the brand. Personally, I would only take a 20 year old car with 300k plus kms on a remote trip if I had owned and driven it the whole 300k kms. The brand is irrelevant to me.

 

[boobook]

I've been remote in a Land Rover and a Jeep, both solo. My mate @Vesko has done solo remote trips in a Land Rover that was completely stock down to the factory tyres. There's a guy on Youtube just done the Madigan solo in a Jeep Gladiator. Then there's someone on here, @cookie64 ??, had to pull out during a recent trip in a 200 due to issues. I was supposed to do a desert trip in early May but pulled out due to a health problem but the trip went ahead and was pretty much ruined because a 200 series on it went bad and was lucky to limp into Birdsville before it even got remote. He drove it back to Sydney without 5th or 6th gear because nobody could fix it on the way. All cars can have issues and it's a pain in the arse no matter what the brand. Personally, I would only take a 20 year old car with 300k plus kms on a remote trip if I had owned and driven it the whole 300k kms. The brand is irrelevant to me.

Sure All vehicles can fail. And there must be examples of every type of 4wd crapping themselves. But they are exceptions.

Your comment about taking a 300K, 20YO vehicle is on point. If you trust your vehicle, you can take it anywhere that you have planned properly for. If your experience or learnings are that it is untrustworthy or prone to serious failure, then you would not be sane to take it remotely. My old Pajero had nearly 300K on the clock and it was solid as a rock when I sold it. My old 200 had 250K. They were good to go everywhere I wanted and back on my trips in the outback. If either was undependable at 100K, they'd go right there at 100K. That's the whole point of 4wds. And having two with neither being suitable well .... How many do you need? 3?

200, Hilux, G Wagon, Navara, Jeep, Discovery, Etc. It is the level of trust you can have and the ability to have issues fixed that's important if you take 4wding to remote, isolated locations. There are some Land Rover owners here on earth with old Defers, and they appear to go anywhere without concern. I guess they know their vehicle really well and are comfortable with their vehicle. There is a guy on you tube like that - roaming the outback. He has great videos with an old Defender. Something breaks nearly every episode, but he knows how to deal with it and his defender isn't riddled with pesky fancy stuff that's apparently unfixable.

 

[dirvine]

Had no issues taking my Great Wall over the Simpson twice, Canning twice, Cape York. Never let me down at all. And far more economical than all the other brands. Can we just get back to Landrover bashing? I love the way its so easy to wind up LR "haters" and "lovers" on this forum.

 

[mikehzz]

If Land Rovers and Jeeps were more reliable they'd put Toyota out of business. We should have a thread on what 4xd's have left you stranded due to break downs. As I said I've done quite a few remote trips in a Land Rover and a Jeep both with over 200k on the clock at the time, but the 2 cars that left me stranded were a Nissan Patrol and a Suzuki Grand Vitara. Both are supposed to be reliable.

 

[cookie64]

I've been remote in a Land Rover and a Jeep, both solo. My mate @Vesko has done solo remote trips in a Land Rover that was completely stock down to the factory tyres. There's a guy on Youtube just done the Madigan solo in a Jeep Gladiator. Then there's someone on here, @cookie64 ??, had to pull out during a recent trip in a 200 due to issues. I was supposed to do a desert trip in early May but pulled out due to a health problem but the trip went ahead and was pretty much ruined because a 200 series on it went bad and was lucky to limp into Birdsville before it even got remote. He drove it back to Sydney without 5th or 6th gear because nobody could fix it on the way. All cars can have issues and it's a pain in the arse no matter what the brand. Personally, I would only take a 20 year old car with 300k plus kms on a remote trip if I had owned and driven it the whole 300k kms. The brand is irrelevant to me.

Absolutely, mine was a case, as it turned out, of a gradual build up of grass & seeds from many previous remote, often solo, travels, between the Auto Trans Cooler and the radiator which was not clearly seen but as soon as I took off the bash plates in the morning it was evident what caused the issue in this case - took about 2 hours to clear it all out, glad I took the easy way out and headed south in the dark, solo, finding a clearing some 5 hours later, and was able to clear the issue - I also had VKS737 monitoring my situation so my personal safety was never at risk.

My personal opinion is that so long as you take all the precautions, brutally honest with yourself and not put other peoples travels at risk and feel confident that your vehicle can withstand the rigours of remote travel, then there isn't much more you can do.

cheers

 

[discomatt]

Absolutely, mine was a case, as it turned out, of a gradual build up of grass & seeds from many previous remote, often solo, travels, between the Auto Trans Cooler and the radiator which was not clearly seen but as soon as I took off the bash plates in the morning it was evident what caused the issue in this case - took about 2 hours to clear it all out, glad I took the easy way out and headed south in the dark, solo, finding a clearing some 5 hours later, and was able to clear the issue - I also had VKS737 monitoring my situation so my personal safety was never at risk.

My personal opinion is that so long as you take all the precautions, brutally honest with yourself and not put other peoples travels at risk and feel confident that your vehicle can withstand the rigours of remote travel, then there isn't much more you can do.

cheers

Did you ever find the cause of the ABS issue, was it cascading faults from the overheat or something else?

 

[cookie64]

Did you ever find the cause of the ABS issue, was it cascading faults from the overheat or something else?

As it turned out, within a couple of weeks the batteries were completely flat, as I have read it is a fairly common scenario that when the batteries are starting to fail problems start to appear so combined with that, and the fairly rough terrain, Phil from Mungerannie reckons it happens all the time of the Birdsville Track.

I will be removing each wheel and checking sensors though before I head out again on the next trip although I have been driving the 200 every day this week as my Triton went to Glendambo for work this week and no issues.

cheers