Lightning

Make sure the underside is thoroughly cleaned before applying the wax oil or dinitrol, as if you don’t the product will just stick to the rusty flakes and old underseal. Then over time it will just trap moisture behind and eventually come off, leaving behind more rust.

Well, a TD5 WILL do 65mph in third gear, at around 4500 rpm. But l wouldn’t like to try it! I have hit 4,000 rpm in my remapped TD5 and it’s really pulling well by that point. but normally l never exceed 3,000

65mph in third in a Defender TD5? Good grief. You can get a good Defender TD5 in the £5-8,000 range if you look at private sales and generally not on Ebay. As prices can be a bit silly on there, although they don’t sell if you look at completed listings. Almost all “sold” are in the £5-10,000 range.

Second hand replacement? https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F142926381821

Does the transfer box get too hot? My TD5 transmission has never shown any signs of distress even after sustained high speed driving (over three hours at motorway speeds) and extended off road driving in Spain with air temperature over 30 degrees C.

I bought new “take off” seat bases from one of the Land Rover “bling-up” companies l think it was Urban Truck. They only cost £15 each. Still available Are these the parts that you need? Or the lower part anyway. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F332464819596

How have Ashcroft responded to your reports of gearbox failure? They are a reputable company and l would say you have a warranty claim after such a low mileage. Have you sent them the pictures? l realise that shipping is going to be an issue though.

No they are the only ones that DON’T have the assist spring!! No idea why. But if you fit the little spring kit, it will make the clutch about 30% lighter. HRW no the wiring isn’t there, but it’s not too hard to fit, get the screen fitted first and then you can buy the wiring/relay from Britpart. Make sure you order the kit with the TD5 centre console switch. lf no air comes through the heater vents then it’s blocked somewhere, make sure the rubber valve in the bottom of the heater intake on the wing is not blocked up. lf that happens water can pool in the heater intake and get into the motor.

Why not just fit an OE one? Still available from LR. Fit the correct part and it will work as designed. There’s plenty of after market tat to choose from, or you could fit an aerial designed for something else entirely. I spent 20 years fitting car audio/alarms and always fitted OE parts where possible rather than “rubber ducks” or other such items. Somebody at LR will have spent time making sure the OE one is matched to the vehicle and suitable for use in an off-road environment The LR aerial is a good unit and well made, a high gain design plus its harder to snap off than similar aftermarket units and also has a bracket to secure it at the bottom, helping to prevent the wing getting damaged if the aerial gets bent either by vandals or a stray branch. Having said all that, LR did offer a “rubber duck” alternative on later Defenders, although it’s not as high gain as a fully extended telescopic one. (Reception not so good in marginal areas such as, well, the Sahara Desert) Or in rural Scotland if you want anything other than Radio 2 or radio 4

The genuine aerial is the only one worth fitting in my opinion

They are out there at that money. But not at dealers or on Ebay. Try “Classic Car Weekly” or “Classic Cars For Sale” there are a few in there without the silly season prices often being asked elsewhere. Your kids can go in the second row seats which are forward facing anyway the rear compartment can be used for all your kit and kids bikes etc. Put a dog guard behind the second row seats to stop the luggage flying forward in the unlikely event that you do have an accident.

What is your budget? Kids will be safer in forward facing seats particularly the later TDCi type ones, although instances of Defender crashes are very rare. How many kids do you have? Are you talking about buying a 110 with only the front driver/passenger seat and converting it?

Very impressive design work and looks well built too. l assume the suspension etc has been modified to cope with the extra weight and l would guess the engine has been upgraded as well.

That’s interesting l never thought of air flow in the vehicle and only using the vents below the screen. Not much use if you drive a TDCi though! (And the transmission can get very hot on a long run on those!)

The gearbox on my TD5 gets hot after longer motorway trips. lf you have the correct oil in your gearbox there’s not really a fault that can cause it to over heat. lt’s getting hot because the outside temperature is high and you are working it hard.

.....that’s the car l’d buy if l had given up

The drivers side one is not an easy task on a TD5 either, most of the dash including the metal frame has to be removed. afterwards make sure the rubber seals on the outside of the wiper spindles are tight, only the LR genuine ones seem to form a good seal. I tried other makes and they were slack allowing water in to the bushes. ....which is how they end up seized and needing replacement.

I’ve never managed anywhere near 36 mpg in a TDi Although l managed 32mpg out of my TD5 while touring through Spain.

Why not get them from Land Rover

Why not just buy them from Land Rover? I tried both and the LR ones are better quality than the Ebay ones. They are not expensive from LR

Leave the Defender on the street overnight and the Pikeys will have that nut off for you by the morning. They will most likely leave the wheel when they see the state of it, and steal the Defender instead.

Does it accelerate at all or will it not move off idle.

I blanked off the EGR on my TD5 in fact got it removed completely because “it will perform better” and.....it made no difference at all.

I believe that for a small fee the DVLA will contact the current owner (if possible) and pass on your request to get in touch. They won’t of course give any details to you, so it’s then up to the current owner to make contact if they want to.

Just start it. All will be well, except for the brake checks suggested above, which it’s a good idea to do. No machine likes to be stood idle for months, but if it’s under cover with either a trickle charger or the battery removed and kept charged it should be fine. Better to leave in gear with the transmission brake off.