Steve King

A bit of bling I know, but rather nice I think! I can't see a manufacturer's name anywhere and I can't find anything similar on the net! (excuse blurry photo - it was parked behind a wire fence!)

Blimey!! You are lucky - have you considered doing the lottery?! Sorry that the Defender looks like being written off, but at least you are still OK apart from the bruises.

Once made the mistake of reversing into my parking space by by garage. The slight slope ensured my neck and head were well drenched when I drove off!

They all leak at sometimes! Have you tried parking at all angles in all weather conditions? That said my current Defender is pretty good most of the time (sigh)

I had a 300 TDI for around 7 years and only sold it because (a) it needed a fair bit of work as it had done 175K miles and (b) I could afford to change it for something a bit younger © at the time I lived in the LEZ and my hardtop was not compliant!!! The TD5 has bags more torque and is more civilised (but it does have heated seats, electric windows, central locking etc!) Seriously though the TD5 chassis is made from flattened baked bean cans (NO! forget that, baked bean cans are thicker!) The TD5 fuel economy is a joke! My 300 TDI would get around 33 MPG cruising around 60 on a motorway. Around town I would get about 25 MPG. Alas with the TD5 the best I can get is 27 MPG cruising at 60 and about 22 around town!

It depends on what you are carrying of course, but if you can get away with a set of roof bars they would be my personal choice. Lighter, easier to fix, easier to store and a lot quieter when unladen!

I changed the visors in my previous Defender to black with a couple of bottles of shoe dye and instant shoe polish!!

I had the same experience. After taking it apart and refixing the pads umpteen times I gave up! I then got a trusted garage to have a go and the pads started rattling after two weeks yet again! I decided that I had better things to do with my weekends and went back to the original drum!! A great idea in principle, but it does not work on my 110!

The stretched silver Defender I was ferried around in at Solihull had a pre 2007 interior with opening flaps beneath the windscreen! The TDCi bonnet was just for show. I seem to recall that the engine was a 300 TDI.

Particularly the angled one - it can delaminate internally.

You could always go down the bling route and buy the Croytec aftermarket handles! You may need to speak nicely to your wife and bank manager first though!!!

...and doing a five point turn in a Fiesta when you could get away with a U turn!

What really gets me are the increasing number of people who seem to think it is a good idea to join a motorway at around 40 mph!! I was taught to try and match your speed to that of the traffic you are joining, but at the same time being prepared to slow down or even stop if need be. Joining a motorway at a speed significantly lower that the traffic already on it is madness!!! ...and seeing as it is rant time! The other thing that gets me is plonkers who park 2 millimeters from the back of my Defender!! This can be really annoying at DIY stores (and sometimes also supermarkets on the rare occasions I use the Defender for shopping trips!)

Ok, now I have all the parts and just need to find the time to fit them! However I just thought it might be an idea to upgrade the headlights at the same time! Which halogen lamps are compatible with the adjusters? Thanks.

I have received several calls from people claiming to be the "Service Provider for Windows Computers". All of the calls appear to have originated from the Indian sub-continent!! The callers were pretty amateurish and would have been amusing if we didn't get so many bloomin' unwanted callers in the first place!! Registering with the Telephone Preference Service http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html cut the number of calls down, but investing in a call blocker (available from Argos, eBay and other outlets for around £30) has reduced the number of unwanted caller to almost zero! The call blocker comes with a number of numbers already pre-blocked and you can block any unwanted caller just by pressing a button whilst they are still on line. You can also program the call blocker to reject calls with withheld numbers or overseas call etc.

I wonder if the BMIHT certificate would have details like anti roll bars? http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/store/heritage-certificates-and-archive-services/technical-specification-packages/heritage-certificate-and-technical-specification-package.html Not a cheap option though!!

Am I right in thinking that different headlamp bowls are required too?

I have witnessed a wheelchair bound lady access the front passenger seat of a Defender by grabbing onto the gutters and swinging herself in! Quite impressive but I suspect her upper body strength is above average!

Whenever we have a hailstorm and/or heavy rainstorms (and we have had a few of both of those recently!! ) the alarm on my TD5 goes off! I have tried pulling and pushing the doors to see if I could set the alarm off, but having spent ages adjusting the hinges and striker plates there is little movement and it seems unlikely that it is been set off by the doors. So unless the ultrasonic doodah is somehow being triggered, this leaves the bonnet I think! I've tried sticking felt pads to the bonnet where this presses down on the micro-switch, but this hasn't had much effect. I'm considering taking the bonnet switch out of the circuit of disabling it somehow! Does anyone have any other ideas?

Can't you re-arrange the spider's webs to cover this??

I thought that you were working on X-Cam to show which way the wheels were pointing?!!

Interesting stuff Snagger!! We are probably going to have our granddaughter live with us on a long term basis in the near future, and whilst the main mode of vehicle transport will be my Fiesta, I would like to make the back of my 110 H/T a bit more child friendly... Any chance of any pics?? Cheers

Mantec guards are bolted in at the top using the roof bolts. The lower mounting can be drilled and bolted in or you could use self tappers.

Working in insurance has its advantages - I can enter a postcode in a database and it tells me the flood risk, subsidence risk and the crime rate! I used this a lot when I moved out of London a couple of years ago!!

Quite agree: irresponsible driving on flooded roads causes more damage and just stirs up the Richard the Thirds and other wonderful stuff in floodwater! If you want to drive in floodwater and do something useful then join your local 4x4 response group.