Snagger

You'd be better off with an electric IR heater that you can move around and get instant control from, and as it only tries to warm you up, not the whole garage, it's far more effective and efficient - a log burner will take a long time to warm the garage up and once you're warm, will continue heating and you'll end up opening the doors to cool down. The IR heater will take up less space, make no mess and can be moved for use elsewhere too when needed.

A lot of us that have converted s drum braked Salisbury axle to discs used 90/RRC/Discovery rear brakes, especially if on a Series vehicle. Those discs have smaller dimensions in all axis than the front discs of 90/RRC/Discovery, which happen to be the same discs as the back on factory 110 systems.

I would hazard a guess, and it is just a guess, that the body needs to hang below a specific point of the tyre diameter for a flap to be un-necessary, and I'd further guess at the point being the centre of the hub. That would explain why so many SUVs don't have them but lorries, vans, Defenders and Jeeps do.

The problems with the magazines are manifold. First is the blatant bias towards sponsors or traders who give them freebies, and I have heard many a complaint from clubs and traders about the LRO guys in particular behaving like a mafia and extorting them for goods or trades to avoid a bad review. Likewise, they heap praise on terrible companies who give them deals, some of them notorious and transparent. Next is the poor technical knowledge of the bulk of their writers. That may be excusable to some extent with their club or expedition columnists, but is outrageous in their tech columnists. I got into a blazing row on LRO's froum with the mag editor over criticism of one one of their tech writers giving dangerous advice, and about 75% of the comments there backed me up, but JP wouldn't back down. That tech clown is now with a rival mag, instead of losing his career outright. There is one LRM columnist who's utter inability to understand the most basic issue with their Series vehicle and perpetual writing about one breakdown after another, all to be sorted by mechanics, drives me to distraction. And that is another problem. The writers drift from one magazine to another. The carp ones get a new job and destroy another mag after the rare occasions an editor says enough is enough. So, they have all become a homogenous fog of indifferent, frequently incorrect, and identical articles. I also wish their writers would try to get the slightest grasp of grammar and etiquette - I despise writers who start a sentence "Me and Bob..." instead of "Bob and I..." - you're supposed to be professional writers, so there is no excuse if you can't master basic grammar, and the lack of etiquette shows utter disrespect and self-orientation. In all, only a tiny minority of the regular writers have any of the skills attributable to their profession. Most of them are an annoying embarrassment to the profession and the hobby. The last big problem I have with them, LRO and LRM much more than LRC, is that they'll do an eight page article on the most garish, bastardised monstrosity that has superficial and cosmetic mods only, and write only a page and a half to two pages on the far more interesting heavy mechanical mods or decent restorations. They treat us as bling obsessed retards instead of mechanically savvy.

Are you using retrofit halogen lights instead of the original dull sealed beam units? If so, do you have relays fitted? If not, the stalk switch has probably burnt out, the contacts getting too hot and melting the plastic holding them so that the contacts are now recessed. You might be able to repair the switch, but will probably have to replace it. Fitting relays, controlled by the switch but allowing more direct power to the bulbs, will not only protect the switches but will also give brighter headlights.

You need to either remove plastic shims between the bulkhead and top hinge, or add shims between the door and top hinge. You'll need to adjust the striker on the B pillar too. It's very common for the doors to be misaligned - we had sunlight coming through the tops on our 2009 XS, and the dash got soaked with every wash until I adjusted the doors. You'll probably see the front wings droop as well - that is because the attachment points on the chassis are 7mm closer than the length of the bonnet slam panel! If it offends you like it did me, you can add two 2mm penny washers between each lower bracket and inner wing to straighten it up, and then remove the plastic headlight surrounds to file the indicator and sidelight holes a little to allow them to be fitted straight too! The right wing always seems to be worse than the left. It's unbelievable how badly aligned these cars are, but it's easy and cheap to rectify.

That looks like new. Well, except for the steering wheel.

As long as you use washers behind the panel for the rivets to pull on and drill the grp 1/4mm to 1/2mm oversize, the GRP will not be under any stresses that would cause cracking. It's only if you onit the washers and the rivet expands against the GRP directly that you could get problems.

If you plan on more wading, then wing top snorkel would be a better option.

Ah, OK. I thought the 30mm issue was perhaps down to that being the normal size for after market Land Rover spacers and not the amount of interference between the brakes and wheels. If standard wheels fit the brakes, would it be cheaper for you to find someone to trade a standard set for your after market wheels?

How much do you need to move the wheels out? I don't know about 101, but regular SII and SIII drums are 1/4" or 6mm thick, and I'd expect 101 drums to be similar or thicker, so you should have plenty of stud length and strength for spacers at least twice the thickness of what you are using to put the wheel nave in the standard position relative to the hub. I did this on my 109 when I converted to discs, using the centres of scrap brake drums turned down on a lathe as spacers.

There is no need for coolant to flow through the heater matrix to protect the engine. SIIIs had exactly the configuration you're talking about, with the temperature control lever and its Bowden cable operating a water valve on the head next to the thermostat to control coolant flow through the heater matrix. The 90/110 uses the same cable to operate an air diverter flap inside the matrix housing as this allows maximum coolant flow through the matrix for cold weather (the valve was a little restrictive even when fully open) and to allow fan air to bypass the matrix completely when cold is selected to remove the airflow restriction of the matrix and vastly increase cab ventilation. The diverter flap is also more reliable than the coolant control valve as it is less prone to seizure from corrosion and scale deposits, and it is a significant reduction in the chance of coolant leaks. Unless you are removing the flap to fit a full width matrix for increased heating performance (which would allow greater airflow with hot selected and would also increase heat transfer), then stick with the flap and don't fit the valve. If you're in a location that gets extremely cold but never gets hot enough in summer to need cold ventilation from the blower (bulkhead vents, windows and sunroof being sufficient), then fitting the big matrix and having no flap or valve for temperature control would be fine - you'd have the most powerful heating capacity for winter and no need for the system in mild conditions. I ran my SIII like that for a decade in the UK with no inconvenience. It'd be no good in locations that get very hot in summer, especially where you have aircon fitted.

That looks very tidy. The seat base corrosion should be treated soon to avoid serious weakening of the structure - removing the bolts and washers, a scrape with a blade to remove loose surface deposits, a rust converter (aluminium treatment would be better, but rust converters work well enough) and a quick lick of paint, and then a liberal spray of wax on the back of the flange before refitting the bolts would look after it well. The second photo shows dark spots all over the chassis side. Are they surface marks, or are they from rust pitting? If the latter, that suggests advanced corrosion and a thin waxoil coat by the vendor, but it's impossible to tell from the photo.

I would recommend Turbo Technics in Northampton for an exchange unit - far cheaper than outright purchase, and they are very high quality. Like any other mechanical item, there are more companies that bodge the job and rip you off than good companies who do reliable work. Turbo Technics do over the counter exchanges for private, trade and manufacturer service, including JLR themselves.

The push rods are sacrificial, made thin and soft to bend before breaking anything else. They're not expensive, either. If they have even a small bend, that will quickly worsen in use, so replace any that are not dead straight. It would be unusual to damage anything else turning shafts by hand.

Try a jump lead from any bare metal part of the engine to the negative post on the battery and then crank it. That would test the bad earth theory, which as Bog says, is the most common cause.

Cif cream is a scourer - it is far more abrasive than T-cut. It must leave very flat paint, either satin or outright matt.

Don't force either sprocket wheel against resistance. Some resistance will be air compression, but turning the sprocket and shaft far from correct timing will force valves and pistons together, probably just bending push rods but potentially damaging rockers, bending the rocker shaft or damaging valves. Take the rocker shaft off if you can't realign the sprockets with small adjustments, and be sure to check each push rod before refitting for any bending, even slight.

Misread the number of zeros, so yes, that figure is pretty good indeed for reliability!

Not when they keep fixing the same individual vehicles.

That sounds about right. That is the difference between the proper jobs and the poorly cleaned, poorly applied cheap wax job you'll get from a regular garage. Don't expect any wire brushing - they don't remove the rust, they just cover it and allow the wax additives to prevent further corrosion. If the pressure washer doesn't remove flakey rust, then they'll do that, but no more. But they will have the proper nozzles and probes to get thorough internal misting of the cavities.

Bear in mind conditions in Geneva are not remotely similar to conditions in Calgary.

That list is not compatible with the term reliable, especially at that mileage.

What about those of us who are mechanics or have close friends who are mechanics with never ending tales of woe? It's not the first time you have been so insulting to those with a different opinion from your own, Garry. Evidently, there are some cars which prove reliable, and others which are lemons. LR have never been renowned for reliability, but these models have an exceptional reputation. So, it seems that you have to buy with care - find one that is not only free of faults but also has always been so and you might be OK, but get one that has had repairs or replacements and you're probably getting a lemon.

As Bowie says, it sounds like a lock isn't opening correctly. It could just need cleaning and lubricating, but the small lock springs become brittle and break, causing similar problems. Look for a door lock plunger that needs to be held up by hand for the latch to be opened. If you find such a lock, then its spring is almost certainly broken and it needs removing for the spring to be replaced. LR don't sell the springs separately, but they will supply a new lock for £90 or more. Ebay is your friend here - look for RRC/Discovery door lock springs (or just get a second hand lock from an all too common broken Discovery). I have a guide on fixing the lock in the FAQ section of my blog; click my signature below to see it.