LR90XS2011 wrote:

does anyone get or know what causes a knocking noise when rolling in neutral at low speeds, goes away in gear

pannawonica wrote:

My gearbox when hot becomes cluncky, not a problem but I do notice.
This generally occurs after 2 or 300ks in 30 deg c days after high speed.
This made me think it maybe oil/operating temperature related issue.
In two weeks its going in for service at the stealer 1600 km away.

JASPERTHEHORSE wrote:

Welcome to Defender ownership.

The gearbox is notoriously rattly and clunky. If you had ever driven a TD5 version you would be able to draw a good comparison of ease of use in the puma. To make the clutch easier on the leg muscles they made the clutch plate lighter with more spring assistance with a net result of the box feeling a bit soft for the car. It seems very hit and miss if you get a good un or a duffa. Ive got one customer who is on his second gearbox and third transfer box. Hes convinced that the geometry is out of line but nonetheless he loves the damm thing to bits.

Leaky footwells? believe me when I say that they are a million times better than they have ever been. You will never ever get a pure watertight seal on a defender, its just not possible due to the method of construction. Plenty of TD5 owners will testify to having a pint of rainwater dumped in their laps when going round corners on rainy days.

Corrosion? Yep it comes pretty much as standard from the factory. Especially on the bolt on bits. Mind Im surprised to hear about a corrosion bleb on the roof. Most certainly NOT normal.

In short. Defenders are 1970's technology somehow exsisting in a very modern world and regretably this is a big reason why we are losing our present model in the very near future for ever. If you have the opportunity, try and book a factory tour and prepare to be amazed when you see how the T5 chassis is assembled versus the army of humans who cobble defenders together, and I mean cobble together.

I dont know, we just love them to bits and seem to accept there shortcomings but theres still no need to live and put up with duff mechanical bits though.

The main difference between Defender and T5 is that the Defender team work with interest in what they do, it is hand built by guys and girls- some of whom have 30 or 40 years service on the same job !!
T5 on the other hand is rushed through production, with - dare i say cheap quality parts that are only designed to last 3 or 4 years ..... by people who have no interest whatsoever in what they do or what the end result actually is. You will never see the true Solihull on a 'factory tour' .
Defender team is around 300 heads in assembly, T5 is around 1300 !!!

I'm not having a go ... but writing that it is 'cobbled' together is insulting to the workers who build Defenders.
the parts have changed but the engineering hasn't.
It will be a very sad day when the last one rolls past my work station !!!!!!!!!!  spent 20 years fixing them ... the dealers just wont listen !!!!

shrekman wrote:

I'm not having a go ... but writing that it is 'cobbled' together is insulting to the workers who build Defenders.

horse manure! One only need to put a brand new Defender on a lift to see the shoddy workmanship and poor build quality.

A full 18 months after we got ours, the local stealer found out that the bolts securing the top frame to the bottom frames had not even been tightened, some of them even lacking the nuts.

So yes, cobbled together it is.  --
2010 Defender Puma 90 + BAS remap + Alive IC + Slickshift + Ashcroft ATB rear
2015 Range Rover Sport V8 Supercharged



Defender Puma Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zZ1en9
Discovery 4 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zXrtKO
Range Rover/Sport L320/L322/L494 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zc58JQ

JWL wrote:

With a bit of thought to the last post, would it not be more of an issue with PDI checks at the stealers who, traditionally were allways responsible to "double check" so to say the vehicle before it is handed to the customer. This action when it worked, made sure the vehicles were in A1 condition when the owner drove the vehicle off the forecourt, any problems were reported back to the manufacturer to action any changes to quality control and gave Joe Public faith in the quality of the product they were buying.

Personally I do think that the stealers should be more responsible for making sure that what they are selling has been fully checked over, for Christs sake it's probably the one and only time that they can look over the motor without getting their hands too dirty

Even if the stealers did look over the cars, cracks that might not leak or be seen by the customer would probably be ignored to save them work and keep the customer "production line" moving
"Managing quality" these days means managing it down to the minimum level the customer will put up with
and remember the parts are now made in China  Tell someone you love them today because life is short.
But shout it at them in German because life is also terrifying and confusing...