hobson

True, but my thinking is that the Beetle and 250 GTO were fantastic cars in their day but have since been superceded by models which had more of the requirements of the demographic buying them, and have been altered/improved to comply with more laws. the defender and series may have been designed as agricultural and military vehicles, but the qualities they have are still relevant and important to the majority of people who use them. even not taking into account us, the fans, i'll bet the aid agenices, explorers, rescue agencies and military who use them can vouch for their being a reason to keep a vehicle like that alive?

Getting rid of the defender, either by replacing it with something completely un-defender like, along the lines of the Evoque, or dropping the model completely would be more than heresy! it would leave all fans of the marque shaking their heads in disapproval. granted landrover needs to be a profitable business, so maybe building and selling the new defender somewhere in Asia, where the costs are cheaper and legal requirements a lot less stringent would be the way to go, and then selling it in the uk as some type of kit car.... i can't understand how landrover could drop the most iconic vehicle they've ever made...

There's a product called Fabsil which is used on tents, used to sell it in an outdoor shop. good stuff but don't know if it'd be recommended for a rag top. might be worth asking Exmoor trim to see what they recommend

Just a quick addition to this review, regarding application. i've found today that i had a bit of fogging on the screen (nothing like what i used to get mind) and after a bit of research it seems it's advisable to apply both water repellant and anti-fog when it's warm, last time i put it on it was cold and wet, even though i was inside. so anyone wanting to use either product, i'd recommend heating the screen a bit first, then putting it on and buffing it off while the heaters on. might also explain some of the bad results people have had...? HTH Oh, and the ones mudstuff have are the Silblade ones, the rain-x ones i saw are yellow.

Glad everyones happy with the review. the screen on the defender doesn't make shedding water easy as it's bang flat, whereas new cars are curved and set steeper, but i figure that anything which helps visibility, especially this time of year has to be a good thing. it's not a miracle worker and it isn't the best thing ever, but it does help. the anti fog stuff i'd say is one of the best things i've bought for the car, our defender has very little insulation and i've taken out all the carpet and matting, so fogging seems worse than on more 'luxurious(?!)' defenders. i've found one of the most annoying things this time of year is firstly the fogging, but also the time the heater takes to warm up enough to clear the screen! often by the time it's cleared fully i've got to where i'm going! with the anti fog stuff i've had no fogging at all since i put it on, apart from the last few days when it needed re-applying. if i was only going to buy one product, it'd be the anti-fog and i've also seen that rain-x do wiper blades, but alas, not in 13 inch...

Damage?! wash your mouth out with soap sir! on a LandRover, that is called 'Character!' it's not something i'd personally drive, but it is distinctive, and i'll bet less likely to get nicked! though i'd hate to be describing it to the police; "well it's red, and blue, and green, and...."

Not sure if anyone uses this already, but i kept hearing good things about Rain-X products so thought i'd give them a go... And before anyone says it, I am NOT affiliated with the company in any way! I tried the rain-x spray-on cleaner/water repeller and the rain-x anti-fog stuff, they've been on for about six weeks, during which the weather has been pretty wet, and ranged from pretty warm to frosty, so a good range of weather and temperature. the application is simple for the cleaner, just spray on and use it like you would window cleaner, but you need to buff it off when it dries. the anti fog stuff is a bit more awkward, you have to clean the glass, then apply it, then let it dry, then buff it off, and you're supposed to get better results the more layers you put on. -i've been putting on two. SO, the result? well the cleaner which goes on the outside does make a difference, i'm not going to substantiate rain-x's claims that it's so good you can drive in rain at 30mph without wipers, but it does help the water bead off so the wipers have less to do, and it's good in that really annoying fine rain as it seems to make the screen more slippery so the fine stuff beads off more. though also i found the bigger the drops the better it works Will i keep using it and buy more when this lot is gone? yes. The anti-fog stuff, is good. i mean, i'm impressed. i bought the stuff hoping that it'd at least make a small difference, as we're on a farm, and surrounded by wet fields, it seems even on dry days the inside is fogged up! I tested this by using it only on the windscreen and front side windows (all the windows on the car seem to fog up the same normally) Result? no fogging! and i do mean none! the rears still fogged up, but not the treated areas! i've not had to have the heater on once to clear the screen. it's even been clear when we've had our wet dog in the back, normally i end up driving with the windows down in this case, as the water evaporating off the dog keeps everything well fogged up, but not with this stuff on. This week, (6th week) i've had a few small patches where fogging has appeared on the side windows, so i've put a couple more coats on and it's been fine since. Will i keep using it and buy more? oh, yes, definitely. So seeing as fogging windows seems to be a universal bane of landrover ownership (especially this time of year) i figured this review by someone nothing to do with the company or any of the magazines might just help.

A reverse light isn't needed for MOT, but i think there's a stipulation that says, 'if it's there it has to work' if you have a standard reverse light with a standard bulb and it works, don't worry about it. most people i know with defenders/series have a rear work light fitted, not only to aid reversing but for general use, and normally wired in with a manually operated switch. shape and size aren't relevant as it's classed as an added driving light and is surplus to requirements, as long as you don't go for an mot with it switched on and in the testers eyes you'll be fine. personally i have a square wipac one fitted with a 55w H3 bulb, i find it more than enough, but if i did find it a bit dim, there's always +90% bulbs, or the 100w rally ones....

I was going on something i read which said that the tensile strength of spider web is stronger than the equivalent thickness in steel, and i think even titanium! so going on that, and if Si made it, surely an X-Eng Spider web winch cable would be feasable?! But getting back to the original post (we seem to have digressed slightly!) most Landys have spiders, mine has three, i only usually bother them if they start tickling my head when i drive! if they really are a problem, you'll just have to clean it more! now i wonder... X-Feather duster.....

How's this: (hope Si doesn't mind!)

I'll be expecting the solicitors letter any day for this:

Have a go with some denture cleaner, used for cleaning nicotene stains off old peoples false gnashers. don't know what they put in it, but it cleans things really well!

Perhaps Paddocks, MM4x4, Famous Four etc should have something like this on their sites- Obviousley if D44 do a version it'll have polished legs and be three times the price of the normal ones!

Hmmm, lets see, a vehicle that looks like a defender -but is on an old Y plate, with a series bulkhead, and registered as a Range Rover. i think considering how many landys get nicked each week never to be seen again, i'd avoid it like the plague. even if it's all kosher and all the bits it's made from are traceable, good luck explaining what it is to the police if you get a roadside check, which they seem to be doing a lot of up in yorkshire...

a bit crude i know but quick and easy! If you're out in strong winds a lot though i'd definitely go with Ralphs solution of a gas strut.

I can't believe it! i had this happen to me a while ago, broke my rear worklight. i was going to post on here how i'd improved the thin crappy doorstop but didn't think anyone would care! anyway, i simply took the door cover off and drilled a 6mm hole through the top and bottom of the stop channels about 10mm back from the end, then put an m6 bolt through with some washers and a nylock nut, then cut the bolt off nice and short. this way, it means the channel is shorter, so stops the door swinging as much, and it holds the channel together better. simple. if you need a picture i can do one but it'll be tomorrow...

Whoah, dey iz well bad innit? i iz goin to put sum on my jeep man, wiv twenty-two inch spinners.... My wife and i saw a defender a while ago in Bradford that was highly polished, lowered and had wheels that would look large on a new RR Vogue, with tyres that can best be described as rubber bands! even my wife (who refers to herself as a defender widow) shook her head! still, like the sticker i saw a few weeks ago, it's all there to make us smile!

Ok, done it! after nipping to the nearest Maplins for a few bits, and spending an hour in the workshop with the soldering iron i have this: as you can see i now have two nice female spade connectors instead of the cigarette plug, the transformer/regulator is inside the box with a hole drilled for ventilation, and the ferrite on the cable (the black blob bit) is a clip on replacement for the original (it took me longer to find out what that was called and it's job than it did to make the thing!!) so the box is now hidden behind the standard stereo mount. after hooking it all up with piggyback spade connectors, everything works, and i now have a lovely short wire sticking out from the back of the stereo area which goes straight into the satnav. i also now have the lighter socket spare for other things, and seeing as the charger only draws one amp, it shouldn't affect anything else i run from it. i am a happy bunny! thanks for all the help everyone.

I have, twice! i've tried the garmin chargers in other sockets too, and they're just as bad, my other chargers are fine though.... it was also the length of cable dangling about and getting caught thats annoying me. it'll be much tidier built in.

It's the cigarette lighter socket thats driving me mad, no matter which sockets and plugs i try they always seem to work intermittently, especially when on uneven ground, and both garmin plugs seem worse than my others (phone/laptop charger) for not connecting properly, and seeing as the satnav gets used more than anything else, and the wire is really long i thought it'd be better to hardwire it in. you'd never get these issues in a newer car would you?! -but thats the fun of landy ownership eh?!

D'oh! i meant a replacement blade fuse, but i then realised i can just use an inline fuse holder and the original fuse. i swear i'm getting dafter! thanks for the help

Ok, so having spent a bit debating my options, i found i needed a 12v to 5v transformer/regulator (thankyou luke!) to do what i originally wanted. i looked at several options from ones which ran from the lighter socket (Essentially doing the same job as the charger) or make up a transformer myself (not hard to do with a bit of soldering skill and some electronic bits. in the end i figured the charger i have must have one built into it, so i took it apart and found this: which is obviousley the transformer, as you may be able to see, the ends which make up the lighter socket plug are marked + and - and soldered with wire. so i'm thinking i can remove the current wire and ends, solder in some longer bits, which i can attach some connecters to, put the whole thing in a small electrical box (available from maplins) and wire it all in properly, completely bypassing the lighter socket. just one question though now: what size fuse do i use to replace the one which was in the charger? which says on it: F1 AL250V but looks very small and the wire in it is very thin....

Well, it turns out the box is an FM reciever for traffic reports, so i'll not be using that lead, but i do have the old lead which is a much more basic version, it has no boxes or anything and is just a cable with a lighter plug on one end. however, the info on the plug states: input 10-30v 1a max output 5.25-4.9v 1a so there's clearly some kind of regulator then. really i wanted t be able to get rid of the crappy cigarette socket and wire it directly, wonder if theres a way to do it via USB? which i'm sure i can charge it from...

Oooh, i'm so glad i asked! i never even thought about a regulator. there's a small moulded box on one end which has a small hole in the side which looks like it has something metallic inside, i've put on a pic of the main bits of the lead. anyone got any ideas?

I've acquired a spare power lead for our garmin, and as i'm fed up of the wires getting in my way and not making contact over bumpy roads, i'm wanting to use the old adapter to hardwire in. firstly, am i right in thinking that the centre is the live and outside bit is neutral? and secondly, the adapter has a small glass fuse in it, do i need to substitute that for another fuse or will the main lighter socket fuse do? i'm planning on using piggyback spade connecters with the insulated female part, so that it is removeable if needs be. any thoughts and advice please?