dailysleaze

I think the upshot is, as a lot of comments are suggesting, that the weight put on "OEM" varies depending on the part. If anyone has a particular insight for a part they've bought then go and add a review at LR Workshop, and we may to be able to make sense of the confusion. Here's one I added for an alternator.

Is it LR028972? This is listed for vehicles from 2005 as a straight piece. LR028971 is a corner piece.

For ECU engines you pay £100's to a (hopefully reputable) company that measures your engine's characteristics and tunes it to what it needs. For mechanical engines, you pay £15 for a metal shaft machined by a bloke in a shed, with no data to back it up or understanding of how your engine will react That was tongue in cheek, but the margin for error in the latter is a lot larger, so engine damage is a real possibility. Whether that happens in 100 miles, 30k miles or never, no-one knows for your engine. An EGT gauge would be wise, as well as regular servicing.

Now that I would like to see 😂 My brake pedal firmness isn't great, but it did improve a bit with new front calipers. Did you bleed the master cylinder on the bench before fitting? This is one of the only things I've got left to try having replaced all else.

The other theory is that with the new Defender looking less and less like the Defender we know, current owners will cling tighter to what they have, therefore reducing supply. I don't see many 300tdis for sale these days. I think Puma prices are crazy, but I don't think 300tdi prices are crazy. They're not much more than I paid 8 years ago, but it certainly is harder to find the one you want.

Hi Sam You have the benefit of knowing what has been done to the vehicle for the last 15 years. At this stage, checking the bushes would be wise, as they are important and relatively cheap. When the wheels are off to change the track rods, check for play in the hub at 12-6 o clock and 3-9 o clock. The track rods are easiest to change with both wheels jacked up at the same time. This can give you the opportunity to refresh and bleed the power steering fluid as well as adjust the steering box for any play. For upgrades, get out and use it, then figure out where you think it's lacking and fits what's appropriate. For maintenance beyond servicing, I would wait for things to break and fix them as they come up. It shouldn't be long on a vehicle that age 😉

The rear bushes changed from 552818 to RNF100090L, and are a completely different design. So the shocks will come with different bushes/washers depending on which you order. Check out the links to see what the bushes look like to compare to what your axle takes. Fronts are the same

For a road vehicle, I think the cheaper CVs tend to be good enough. They at least have heat treatment although manufacturers may vary. I did buy a £30 one that had rough marks on the roller bearing surface so had to return it for another one. I can't say for serious offroading how they hold up.

I think the cheap sh!t that has flooded the market for decades has given LR the market position to charge high prices for the expectation of quality. Hence why we have to shop around. That said, there are quite a few small parts that I buy genuine as they're not that expensive, e.g. if its £8 genuine vs £4 pattern, i'll buy the genuine. I also want LR to supply genuine parts for the Defender for as long as possible, so I'm happy to throw them a few quid now and then 😁

One long bolt in the centre underneath by the gearstick and two screws in each end. That's it. May take some wiggling to get the fan unit out in the footwell space.

The gauge problem is probably an earth. The Td5 thermostat opens about 82 and is fully open about 96, so 88-89 would probably be an average running temperature. Yes coolant flows through the heater matrix all the time and when the RPM is above 1500 the bypass valve opens to prevent pressurising it too much. So driving at RPMs below this will force all the coolant through the heater, though wouldn't create as much heat, so who knows how you heat it up the quickest. This thread is relevant:

There is conflicting advice from LR hence why people give different values, as it depends on what source they've read. The TSB that related to the timing belt modification kits in March 1998 says 11Nm, but the 3rd edition Defender 300Tdi workshop manual in May 1999 still says 15Nm for a new belt and 12Nm for used. So who knows. I did 11Nm and it's been fine for 5 years. Defender Workshop manual 1999

I was trying to be optimistic 😁 But yes there is no way of truely knowing if any non-LR part is the same as the LR part with a different box. So you basically gamble with every part you buy. The "OEM" description relies on the supplier's insider knowledge of LR's relationships with OEMs.

OEM only means something if the part is from a known brand with a good reputation. Most parts described as "OEM" have an unknown brand, so it's still a shot in the dark like buying pattern parts.

Have you got a sweepstake on the final cutoff weigh in? I'll go for 90 grams.