My Land Rover Story

[varunatech]

Great work !!!

[YALA]

super stuff...job well done

[tiv]

@tiv,

Is this garage situated at Buthgamuwa? (Gothatuwa-Rajagiriya road)

No mate no where near..

Edited June 4, 2012 by tiv

[nano31]

No mate no where near..

..well done mate! 100%

[maheshw]

Good Job >>> How sad to hear the you let her to go? Nice job...

[ferrarif50]

Nice.... super stuff

[tiv]

..well done mate! 100%

Good Job >>> How sad to hear the you let her to go? Nice job...

Nice.... super stuff

Thanks fellas

[JadeyBlitzen]

Well I didnt play with the clutch so it was stock, was a bit tough in the traffic, well other than that it was quite the runner, And the head turner

That's pretty brave keeping the clutch stock on land rover of that vintage that's an everyday vehicle Did it breakdown often?

[jaguar]

Awesome restoration mate!

[zayan X]

Great Work

Do you mind if I ask approximate cost for the total rescue operation?

[tiv]

That's pretty brave keeping the clutch stock on land rover of that vintage that's an everyday vehicle Did it breakdown often?

It was a bit hard to get used to, but after a while was quite ok.. Yea the seals let go once, then replaced both the pumps then she was alright.. Except that my left leg is still a bit bigger

[JadeyBlitzen]

It was a bit hard to get used to, but after a while was quite ok.. Yea the seals let go once, then replaced both the pumps then she was alright.. Except that my left leg is still a bit bigger

Machan what about other areas? I'm curious because people advise me against using a land rover everyday forever.

[tiv]

Machan what about other areas? I'm curious because people advise me against using a land rover everyday forever.

Well you cant expect jap reliability machan nor comfort, small things can come up.. it'll never be an SUV, quite a rough ride. Fuel is not an issue..

Parts are considerably costly and so are repairs (but DIY heaven if you know your stuff)..

But once it is working it'll put a smile on yer face..

[unknown]

great work by u tiv, made me want to buy a land rover . looks great after the restoration. good luck with ur future projects

[liya]

Nice!! May I know how much it cost you in total?

[The Don]

Well you cant expect jap reliability machan nor comfort, small things can come up.. it'll never be an SUV, quite a rough ride. Fuel is not an issue..

Parts are considerably costly and so are repairs (but DIY heaven if you know your stuff)..

But once it is working it'll put a smile on yer face..

And I think that generation of Defender was a lot better than the current Defender. It is the most complained about vehicle in the UK and bottom for reliability. At least the 300TDI, you can reasonably fix with some duct tape and carry on! I think there are ways to make the clutch a bit lighter as well though Land Rover purists will shoot you for it.

I never understood why the parts are expensive though........

[tiv]

Great Work

Do you mind if I ask approximate cost for the total rescue operation?

Nice!! May I know how much it cost you in total?

I'm really not sure how much it exactly totaled, perhaps somewhere above 2mil

Edited June 6, 2012 by tiv

[tiv]

And I think that generation of Defender was a lot better than the current Defender. It is the most complained about vehicle in the UK and bottom for reliability. At least the 300TDI, you can reasonably fix with some duct tape and carry on! I think there are ways to make the clutch a bit lighter as well though Land Rover purists will shoot you for it.

I never understood why the parts are expensive though........

Well yea, there's this retrofit from a Japanese truck, can't exactly remember a Canter or Elf that can be fitted to add a servo mechanism, i didn't prefer to complicate it.. There is also a UK based importer of a device to make this clutch lighter.. I've heard the current Defender is a nightmare to wade with all the electronics..

[The Don]

Well yea, there's this retrofit from a Japanese truck, can't exactly remember a Canter or Elf that can be fitted to add a servo mechanism, i didn't prefer to complicate it.. There is also a UK based importer of a device to make this clutch lighter.. I've heard the current Defender is a nightmare to wade with all the electronics..

Yes, its ironic since the current crop of Defender is based on a Jaguar engine, but even the older one based on a transit engine was still problematic not to mention the electronic niggles. The common rail Duratorq engine isn't as cheap as some people expected it to be to maintain as things like injectors are so much more expensive than comparable vehicles and build quality is flimsy (a good friend has a Transit van with the same engine and that has enough problems) in comparison.

Land Rover really needs to sort this out.......

[tiv]

I guess they've beamed all their attention towards the new D100, the new kid on the block..

[The Don]

I guess they've beamed all their attention towards the new D100, the new kid on the block..

I think it's more an issue with quality control and part supply. I mean Lotus switched to Toyota as their engine supplier for the Elise and nobody complains about Engine niggles any more. Actually nobody complains about the Lotus Elise

I think Land Rover needs to understand that the Defender is a work vehicle (I know in SL this is not quite the case) and build it as such. The Range Rover and Discovery 3 also has its share of electronic issues, but they are meant to be urban SUVs so a dealership is never too far away to sort any issues out.

[LS110]

Well yea, there's this retrofit from a Japanese truck, can't exactly remember a Canter or Elf that can be fitted to add a servo mechanism, i didn't prefer to complicate it.. There is also a UK based importer of a device to make this clutch lighter.. I've heard the current Defender is a nightmare to wade with all the electronics..

The 300Tdi defender clutch pedal is considerably easier to use than the 12J & 200Tdi clutches. If you can find a 300Tdi clutch pedal (complete unit), its a direct fit on the bulkhead. Still not as easy as jap clutch but far easier to use.

[LS110]

Machan what about other areas? I'm curious because people advise me against using a land rover everyday forever.

I use one as a daily runner and haven't been dissapointed. Just like any other vehicle problems will crop up, when they do, if good quality parts are used and knowledgeable hands attend to it there is no issue. Also goes without saying that routine and preventive maintenance should be carried out diligently.

Parts can be expensive if you only source from main stealers. E bay is a good alternative for small & medium stuff.

One of the weak points is the clutch cylinders... tend to leak ever so often. But the replacements are not that pricey and replacement is a simple DIY. It might have something to do with the brand of brake oil used as IIRC the manual says use only Castrol... I havent used it and have been using Lockheed from day 1. Next time I will switch to castrol and see whether there is actually a difference.

Engine wise upto 300Tdi, very simple and economical.. TD5 onwards it starts getting pricey...

But its not for every one.... if you want a quite, comfortable, easy, sedate ride with no surprises, then forget it... then again if you're a bit of the adventurous and mechanically inclined kind... well then... by all means go for it.

Edited June 9, 2012 by LS110