Trevor Wright

Well, go to www.landrovertechinfo.com, log in (or register, then log in), select Defender and Special Service Messages and you will see it listed along with all previous messages. However, to get further, i.e. to see the body of the message, you have to be a paid subscriber to GTR, it's not a free service. I presume any dealer will have access to the system given the correct SSM reference number, or just print out the text given above, and give it to your local friendly LR dealer for attention.

I wonder if this problem is also present on the Transit and London Taxi using the same Puma/Duratorq engines?, or is the LR Puma a special in this respect. If it effects Transits then it's a much larger problem for Ford.

So - is there anything potentially afflicted owners can do to reduce the likelihood of this problem arising, or is it quite out of our control?

Can users of 07/08 Puma Defenders give me an idea of the oil consumption rate? Thanks

I suspect this topic has been done to death before so I'm quite happy if someone just refers me to the definitive statement somewhere. My question is whether there is a mainstream off-the-shelf engine oil which is 100 per cent compliant with LR's requirement of WSS-M2C913-B and an alternative to buying the oil from your local friendly LR main dealer's Parts Department. I'm just guessing it's retailed there at a premium price but haven't asked yet in fact. My research to date suggests this is a Ford spec and two compliant alternatives I've found are: - Castrol Magnatec SAE 5W-30, and - Morris Lubricants Multivis 5W/30 Semi Synthetic (MSS) and there must be others. However - is there anything magic about the LR stuff or indeed Ford branded stuff. I'm in the UK and not in some extreme climate. Thanks for your assistance.

Thanks for the advice - I just now need to find a M8 with a flanged hex head and, I guess, about 10mm long. I suppose I could do something really wacky and ask the Parts Dept of my local LR dealer even.

The +ve battery terminal on my '08 Puma is a "T" shape, with the main connection to the battery post at the base of the T and then the ends of the two arms at the top of the T are available for connections. One end is already occupied, and the other is free, just a threaded hole but no bolt. This would be ideal for the +ve quick-connect wire for my new CTEK Multi XS 3600 battery charger. Question is: what is the spec. of the bolt that goes into that threaded hole? also - the + and - wires on the quick connect are not fused, so, taking the advice given in the past to put inline fuses on both + and -, I intend to add some scotchblock-type snap on fuse holders. The manual says 3.6A is the max current the charger supplies so 4A continuous/8A blow fuses seem appropriate ? Hope this makes sense... Thanks

I had all the glass behind the B-pillar and driver/passenger door glass on my new 90 XS SW done by Pentagon Glass-Tech in April 2008. My prior research suggested they are the best and then I found the dealership used them for their Land Rover and Jaguar work. The sales exec's 90 demonstrators were always tinted by them. They remove the glass, apply the tint and put it back, including the alpine lights in the roof which are a right pig they say. They keep the car overnight and its ready the next day. I had "Midnight" on the side/rear glass and "Light Smoke" on the driver/passenger doors. Light Smoke keeps these windows the correct side of the 43% light transmittance legislation. The Midnight means that from outside you can't really see much detail inside, but from inside it doesn't really look that dark. It's certainly not the blacked-out appearance of a limo which I think is down to 5% transmittance. The Light Smoke on the front doors means that viewed from the side, there is a gradual transition in tinting as you look down the vehicle instead of going from almost clear (very slightly factory tinted) door glass to tinted back, which looks wrong. I wasn't thinking of tinting the doors originally, but Pentagon had suggested this was the correct thing to do and when I saw the sales exec's 90 demo they were obviously right. I've since seen loads of people carriers etc on the road with just the glass behind the B-pillar done and the look is not as it could be. The cost, with agreed discount and including the VAT was £470 via the Hainault, Essex franchise. A 110 would be more I presume. I'm only a customer and have no connection with Pentagon or anyone in this trade whatsoever. Come back to me if I can assist further.

My suggestions for increasing the security on your truck are: - Cable lock around the spare wheel and bracket on the rear door (Argos/Halfords) - Locking wheel nuts on all five wheels (standard on most recent Defenders I think) - Clutch Claw - Padlocks through the holes provided in the spring catches holding the lids on the seat boxes Yes - four more keys to add to your keyring. The Clutch Claw does not properly fit my 08 90 SW at present but I'm in discussion with vendors Centinel Security - maybe shorter pegs or other design mods will improve the situation. The padlocks through the seat box lid catches are not exactly high-security as you can probably bend the catches free, but, it all buys you time when Mr Scroat the Car Thief is trying to disable the alarm etc...

I now have a new 90 SW with an adjustable tow hitch (ball and pin) but no tow rope yet. I want one that will do for towing another vehicle or being towed myself. I have a LR undershield fitted with towing eyes either side. I have thought about maybe fitting a pair of JATE rings (ZXC9435's ?). Can the forum suggest a good general purpose tow rope? Thanks

Anyone fitted Climair door wind deflectors on a Puma 90? any fitting issues? I think the model number is 3407. Are they beneficial and does the passenger door deflector obstruct the drivers view of that door mirror? Thanks

Having read on this Forum and others suggestions on security, I purchased a cable lock (sort of thing you secure a bicycle with) for the spare wheel and a Clutch Claw for use on my new 90 SW. The Cable lock seems fine but the Clutch Claw is proving a problem, seems the pins are too long and the different height of the clutch and brake pedals make the thing unstable. I'm discussing this with Centinel Security and it's likely they'll be sending me some shorter pins to see if this fixes the problem. They've not heard of any problems so maybe it's me instead. If you can garage the vehicle this is a big plus clearly and reduces your Insurance premium, but you do need somewhere with 80" clearance and still the ability to close any up&over type door. Tinting the rear glass provides less of a temptation to passing thiefs. Go for "Midnight" from Pentagon on the rear glass and "Light Smoke" on the driver/passenger door so the side aspect looks right and not too abrupt a change. No - "midnight" isn't as dark as it suggests, you won't end up looking like a blacked-out limo. You do get reflections from the rear door when viewed in the rear view mirror but you can't have everything. Hope this helps. ------------- '08 90 TDCi XS SW

Are those plastic wing top air scoops of any benefit on a Puma with its revised heater/ventilation system? If they are - which of the several available are best in your opinion ? Thanks

They ceased applying any underbody protection from December 2007 and issued a notice to all dealers explaining why (improved paint, new protective panels under the seat boxes, underseal doesn't last forever anyway etc etc...). So - you'll need to waxoyl in the hidden cavities and waxoyl or use other products or services from other suppliers. You'll find numerous threads on this and other forums regarding this issue so we don't need to discuss it further anyway, and I guess you know all about this area anyway from your previous LR ownership. "indifferently applied paint" I think is maybe not entirely correct. I did the factory tour at Solihull yesterday and I believe our guide told us that all the panels for all the models manufactured there (all bar the Freelander), went through the same paint plant. This was a massive building* provided by BMW, as was the Press Shop, during their ownership. So, I guess, the paint should be as good on the Defender as a Range Rover Vogue. The difference is that the Defender panels have to be handled and moved a lot more than the other models due to the quite different and robot-free assembly process and are more likely to be marked. The chassis comes in from outside and I guess is painted by the supplier, so in that respect you may be correct, I've no idea. *so big that it affected the TV reception to surrounding homes and LR had to pay for a TV booster station to be installed. The factory tour cost £30 but was well done, an expert guide who'd worked there since 1965, and consisted of a 30 minute intro by film and chat and then 2.5 hours all over the site in one of their LR Special Vehicles three Defender 147's, a 110 SW with 37 inches and another pair of doors added (not road legal, only for internal factory use and limited to 20mph).

Remember that the factory fit virtually no options, apart from things like the alarm battery backup. All the bits are fitted by the dealer and you have to watch out for the fitting charges, which are not detailed in the price list but mentioned in a small footnote. If the dealer offers a discount it will be on the pre-VAT price of the basic vehicle. I can certainly recommend Stratstone in South Woodford, North London who have given me good customer service. I had the fully adjustable tow hitch and 13-pin electrics fitted to my 90 XS SW which I collect on the 1 May. I went for 13 pin as this is to become standard fit on some/all ? trailers in the near future (Oct 08?); is a much better bit of engineering than the old N & S, and can be easily converted to N or N&S (Y lead) with adapters. I think it works out cheaper to install as well although the dealers Workshop Manager told me it was quite a bit of work.

Has anyone any experience of using the Vehicle Wiring Products "Battery Distribution Box": http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-...lders2.php#dist which looks a neat solution for adding those extras that say they should be fed directly from the battery (radios etc) and an Anderson connector? Thanks

The fuel tank breather on the Puma/2007 model Defender was terminated in the rear offside (I think) wheel arch, meaning it could possibly ingest water/water vapour, which could lead to a hydraulic lock in the engine, and some forum members reported such problems in their vehicles. The fix, which I believe Land Rover now implement as standard on new builds, locates the pipe behind the plastic flap behind the rear lamps and well away from any water, hopefully.

I think all of us are aware of what good Customer Service is, and how easy it is to achieve. In our own work we are well aware that being polite and providing a potential customer with what we would expect ourselves reaps benefits. If you say you'll do something, a phone call, a brochure, a technical enquiry or whatever then you must do it, and promptly, whether you are a plumber or a car sales exec. In January I started investigating the purchase of a new 90 XS SW, a very very long held ambition, and made a shortlist of dealerships, my two most local, both Lookers, one more distant and a dealership 40+ miles away who were from the biggest UK franchise, Stratstone. The more distant one I contacted via e-mail initially and never had a reply - they were dropped. I made an appointment and visited Lookers at Colchester first and had a long technical and financial discussion with their Sales Consultant, Barry Butler and then a test drive. He also demonstrated the vehicle on their short handling circuit in the car park. All excellent, the coffee was good and he provided a detailed quotation promptly. Seems they sell about 50 Defenders a year and have a lot of experience. I had the same good service when I visited Lookers Chelmsford and saw Sales Executive Samantha Webb. Very efficient, a short test drive, a good discussion and a formal quotation provided promptly. Her quote was similar to Colchester, but not the discount level I needed to meet my budget. Stratstone Woodford (North London) were next, this was a bit of a long shot as I assumed they sold lots of RR/RRS's and maybe not too many Defenders. Their Land Rover Sales Specialist Gary Harvey in fact drove a 90 XS SW himself, towed a horse box and knew what he was talking about. He provided a detailed itemised quotation to my exacting standards very promptly and the service I got and the discount meant he got the deal. I could have got a slightly larger discount from Lapworth Associates probably, but decided to stay in the UK dealer network. All three dealerships were without fault and it's a pity the other two had to lose. I went over to the Stratstone Service Centre yesterday and viewed the vehicle before its handover on 1 May and checked it was all to spec. From what I've read on this and other forums, I'd asked Gary to request the mother & father of PDI's with the tank breather pipe checked, all the propshaft bolts checked, the paint on the roof and gutters checked, oil pan, etc etc. The Workshop Manager there is an off-roader himself and took all those concerns to heart and double-checked everything for me - all appears OK to date - a very pleasant afternoon in fact. So, it's probably down to Lode Lane now as to whether my continuing "customer experience" is as good as it has been to date. I'm touring the factory next week (£30...!) so I'll get a good idea of the production line quality as I've been over three BMW factories in Germany and Austria in the past and was very impressed with their work. So - there are good dealers, and good deals and good service to be had.

Does anyone know whether the standard fit radio/CD on a Puma 90 XS SW (the one with the Aux line in socket) also has on the back the power connection for an automatic powered radio aerial? I've not been able to find out the actual manufacturer of this unit - maybe Philips ? Also - can you indeed fit such a thing in the space under the wing where the current manual aerial fits? and is it a nightmare job to take the cables back to the back of the radio/CD? And lastly, assuming it is sensible to do it - anyone got a suggestion of a good quality powered aerial? Thanks

A few weeks back I was invited down to a LR Driving Experience Centre for a half-day on/off-road with their 57-reg Defender 110 XS. I specifically asked my host, the Manager of that Centre, whether ARBs were now any additional advantage as the vehicle had ETC. His opinion was No. I presume all the DE Centres have to use standard-fit Defenders, and they'd reckon they have good examples of all/most tricky conditions. They're also doing courses at various levels all day long and I'd guess they could be considered pretty expert. He demonstrated with one front wheel on a pair of heavy duty rollers, with ETC on and off (he had a trick/undocumented way of turning it off - some ECU sequence I presume) and with the centre diff locked and unlocked. I'm no expert in any way in this area. You would think that ARBs may help just a bit extra in some form of extreme situation, but as the ETC logic would not be aware of their presence, you might easily bring on a conflict that actually degrades the overall ability to remove oneself from some muddy hole?

I asked QT Services about fitting their diff guards to a new 2008 Defender 90 and their reply was "you should be fine fitting our standard front guard and the new style rear guard (A1050 & A1080)" - the quoted price was £119.85 including postage and VAT. I can't find the A1080 on their website so can't give you an idea of what that would cost individually. Hope this is of some assistance

UPDATE: Centinel replied to my enquiry regarding suppliers: "Rogers of Bedford, Bedfordshire White Arches Caravans, Northamptonshire Alternatively, you can buy direct from us with a credit card over the phone on the number below (0161-652-7080). The clutch claw costs £89.95 which includes VAT. Postage will be £5" (to UK addresses)

Anyone know of any retailers for the Clutch Claw ? I have asked Centinel for this info and will post an update when they come back to me. Thanks

I'm putting a day aside - they'll pop you into St Alban's or Harpenden to look around or go up to London or whatever. I guess it takes a while to clear the underside and do the job and then the hard wax need time to harden up, so I suppose it's sensible to give the process enough time before you drive off.

The price from Rustmaster for my 2008 90 XS Station Wagon is £425+VAT and a £100 deposit is required when you make the booking. No idea if a 110 attracts a higher fee, maybe so (extra doors, longer underside etc). In most things I, and I suspect the rest of us, usually seek a discount, but I thought this was a fair undiscounted price for what I hope will be a very good comprehensive service/investment, particularly as I don't intend to sell the vehicle. Also, you only get what you pay for. Again, I have no connection with Rustmaster whatsoever and have yet to experience their service, but their e-correspondence with me to date has been very professional.