jeremy996

Another video from Ineos Grenadier - very little vehicle content, but some seriously pretty pictures and an interesting job.

Nah, an after market, open source one, if the original publicity is to be believed. Failing that, it will be a branded "Ineos" bejewelled tarantula about the size of a dinner plate, genetically engineered to grow from the output from one of Ineos' more leaky chemical plants. Ineos won't bother with self-driving tech, they'll just train the spiders.

I can see me buying the "Fleet" version, then spending the Gross National Product of a small African county on making it more like the "Grand Lux" version over 10 years. Much like my 110, (although that started as a CSW and the issues were galloping rot and mice).

Ineos will have to work really hard to keep the costs to £40k; mass manufacturers like Toyota are selling their older, basic designs for much the same, (albeit not in the UK). There are some big issues to come; will they make a profit, so the vehicle is sustainable for years, how will they cope with the taxation issues in the EU for high carbon emissions, will there be upgrade packs to H2 fuel cell or full BEV, (a bit like LR with 19J to 200Tdi), and how will Ineos manage servicing and sales? We still don't know what the interior looks like! I'm saving, either for a Grenadier or to do the 110 again.

Metal, it's old, 1989. I think the bolts are 2BA brass ones on penny washers, (as I keep a load for the Morgan wings).

My 2kg fire extinguisher is bolted to the trans tunnel, just by the fuse box. I have to unclip the cylinder if I want to look at the fuses. If I need it, I'm leaving the vehicle with it in my hand!

Latest Video, episode 8 Testing & Development

That will be very early, lift up handles, split doors and glass slides? Pictures please? I have a battered 1989 110CSW with stupid mileage and a 200Tdi.

My local agricultural engineer, (and LR fixer of choice), sometimes rings me for assistance to search for obscure bits of agri machinery, tractors and classic cars, as he knows I enjoy hunting bits down on the Internet. Yes, I am that sad an anorak!

Yes; they'll have access to an authorised body shop, who contractually will use genuine parts and restore the corrosion coatings, (or at least will have insurances to cover their failings if it comes to light while it is still actionable )

Most insurers use policy terms written by the same organisation, so the clauses are often identical. For a new vehicle, insisting on the main dealer is a well travelled path, as is insisting that the corrosion guarantees are honoured, so the clause is not as damaging as you might otherwise think. Ask the question of the provider/broker and keep the answers in writing, (or details of who and when you were told, as almost all calls are recorded these days).

That is a really good question and I don't know how you could get an objective answer. JD Power surveys suggest that all vehicles are better than they were in the 80s-90s. Back in the days when I worked for a motor trade extended warranty company, 1989-96, some marques were much better than others, with Lotus being particularly rubbish and Honda/Toyota and Hyundai much better than most. (Warranty costs killed the Lotus Elan (FWD), when GM ran out of patience). Anecdote only, JLR seem to have lots of niggles with software and poor handling of sensor failures. Again, anecdote only, main dealers seem to be more rubbish than before; I have never found big, corporate dealers any good, with issues with Vauxhall, Ford, VW, BMW and LR main dealers all being more flash than substance. All warranty claims being resisted up to the point I set my sister, (scary ex-corporate lawyer), on them or I go and sit in the dealer principal's office and explain what I know about the motor trade and the Sale of Goods Act. I am willing to cut the supplying dealer some slack as cars are complex machines and stuff can go wrong, but lie to me or tell me it is my fault or fail to fix the issues at the third attempt and I turn nasty. (Exhibit A, VW Polo light switch, Exhibit B, VW Beetle Cabriolet roof, Exhibit C, BMW 520D wiring loom. The BMW got rejected, the VWs fixed at VW's expense, although they got very close to Court).

I think here is the crux of the matter; I don't want to spend £60k, nor I am prepared to accept £60k car repair bills! Manufacturers love to sell £60k cars because the margin for them is much greater than on a cheaper vehicle. The economic margin between success and failure is much wider. That they can screw you on the repairs and servicing afterwards is icing on the cake! I am looking for a durable car, say 20-30 years, as I am a believer in "Reduce, reuse, recycle" and believe that consumerism is wasteful, ultimately a dead end for humanity. My 110 and 90 are currently the best fit for that objective I can find; there is nothing in the current JLR product range that comes close.

I think that is probably an understatement in terms of sales lost. I look at a D3, D4 or D5 and just see a vehicle I cannot fix without a big 2 post lift. The new Defender is just the same; these are not vehicles built for an extended working life but to last to the end of a PCP. I don't buy disposable vehicles, so if it won't last 20-30 years, I don't want it. The JLR dealers don't help; LR independents thrive as the dealers are often hopeless at fault repairs and are always pricey. I appreciate that I am not the target customer, but I know I am not the only one dissuaded by the excessive complexity and cost of modern vehicles. A Dacia is much more attractive as a working tool as it is basic to the point of austerity and the price point is very attractive, with OK to good build quality.

The Grenadier - what do gamekeepers think; new video from YouTube.

I'd not seen a flying buttress on an exhaust before!

Pre one-piece steel doors, you can bend the tops down to gain access; a deadlock will just make it slightly more annoying, not impregnable. You can pull the side windows out of a CSW, so deadlocks would just mean more irritation rather than proper security. (I don't think Leicestershire Police have recovered from the embarrassment of having the doors and bonnet nicked from the loaned LR110 outside Market Bosworth nick. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3763756/Land-Rover-parked-outside-base-stripped-bonnet-five-doors.html)

There is a concept of "Fair Use" with media; the video is available from YouTube, (free to distribute but not free to monetise), I've credited the source and given the full original URL. I have not passed it off as mine and I pay for my Telegraph access, so I came by it legitimately. They will not sue. Non-commercial research and private study https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exceptions-to-copyright. If they disagree with my interpretation, then it gets taken down and I cancel my Telegraph subscription, muttering darkly that the baby and the bathwater have left the building.

Time to talk to a proper broker or one of the more specialist providers. I've always had good experiences with NFU, but they seem to be getting a little more fussy about the risks they will accept. Try Hiscox or look for Brokers in the phone book, (or Google). Anything tailored will be more expensive per £1000, but that's life I'm afraid.

The Telegraph did an article, (behind a paywall) and a bit of (mostly) silent video. I've lifted the text and the video. Door fit is a bit approximate. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/features/16-years-making-prince-philips-land-rover-hearse-bears-mark/?li_source=LI&li_medium=liftigniter-rhr&onwardjourney=web-4335-morestories-second_control The old Land Rover Defender was not like other vehicles, but the 130 pick-up version, which carried the Duke of Edinburgh to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, is an even rarer form of bird. With its separate chassis and coil-sprung heavy-duty axles, the Duke’s four-wheel-drive hearse is capable of negotiating far tougher terrain than it met on the eight-minute journey on the Windsor Castle estate, but that was the appeal of this over-engineered vehicle to the Duke. It's all in the details. A royal history The 130 model was a special extended-wheelbase version of the standard Defender, which usually came in 90 and 110 variants (denoting the approximate wheelbase in inches). These sold mainly to the military and public utility markets, which use the vehicle in the most difficult of environments - often fitted with unique bodywork, cranes or hydraulic hoists after purchase, reflecting the Defender’s versatility. Many of these vehicles were sold through Land Rover’s redoubtable Special Vehicles department, which was based in Solihull. It could be specified in a dozen different body styles including the single cab, two-seater with a full-length pick-up back, which is the configuration of this car, which came into the Royal Household in 2003. This was a year after a major update of the Defender, which saw a number of changes to improve the comfort, as well as the final iteration of the tough 124bhp, 2.5-litre, five-cylinder Td5 turbodiesel engine. Military green The Duke oversaw a number of changes to the Defender during his ownership, the first being a trip to the paint shop to change the colour from the original Belize Green to Dark Bronze Green, a shade used by older military vehicles. The result, mounted on original steel wheels and matching green hubs, presents the quintessence of utility, which by all accounts is just the way the Duke liked it. These were some of the custom-built specifications: Preparation for the final journey For its use as a hearse, the Duke supervised several vital changes to what is usually an open rear section of the pick-up bed. His coffin sat on a fabricated raised-steel tonneau cover painted green to match the rest of the vehicle. At the sides there were rubber grips on silver metal pins known as the "stops" or "stoppers", which located the coffin and performed the crucial task of preventing it from moving around. The cramped cab has room for one driver and one passenger, which is the sort of configuration much used by farmers and the armed forces to allow the maximum of load space. The low speeds of the journey should not be a problem as the Defender has a transfer box with a set of low gear ratios enabling the vehicle to crawl along with the engine barely ticking over, which allowed the family and public to pay their final respects for this much-loved military man.

Trooping the Colour, Jamaica, 1994, (from the Telegraph)

You have hit the nail on the head. Defenders are scarily easy to bodge, especially if you are willing to make repair panels from cardboard and filler. My LR90 van with windows had an MOT from a station I'd trust, but when I came to weld in new foot boxes, I discovered that the middle of the bulkhead was cardboard, filler and paint! If the same artistry had been used for some welding and sheet steel I would have been much happier. You might do better finding a scruffy one and acting as clerk of works for the repairs. At some point I need to either fix my 110CSW again or sell it on for someone else to do the bulkhead, four doors and paint. It's a daily driver and gets fixed properly if it breaks mechanically, but bodywork is not my thing. If it's £12k for a tarted TD van, what's the value of a '89 110CSW with 200Tdi, moon mileage 357k and some heavy bills for engine work?

Never come up on my list, but the pictures are nice. What is the chequer plate covering? The wavy paint on the bottom of the doors suggests some filler, but could just as easily be LR's usual build quality. It's had an even blow-over, but I'm not convinced the hinges were taken off first, so I'd want a good slow look. Using a magnet to look for filler doesn't work on a Defender! The chassis looks competent, but they are not showing me the bits I want to see for rust and everything has been painted to look good. I would not suggest buying a TD at 140,000 as that is when my 2.5TD developed 4 cracked pistons!

My old 110CSW has a steering bar just like that - it was standard fit in 1989; I'm astonished it is still around now.

If the final result can swan along at legal speeds for a long life I shall be well content. If I want to feel like I am going fast, I have a little 2 seater sports car that feels heroic at 70mph! I appreciate that I am a tiny niche in the wide world of new 4x4 vehicle buyers and that 1 new vehicle every 30 years will not sustain mass production!