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Stickleback

Member Since: 20 Jun 2014
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 93

2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Aintree Green

FIRST 1,000 MILES

Hello All!

Having lurked in the background for a few weeks, then joining the site a week or so ago, I thought it was time I introduced myself and put a few thoughts down about my first 1,000 (1,038 actually!) miles in my 110XS Station Wagon with the 2.2 Puma engine.

This isn't my first Defender, having bought a 6-month old 2.4 Puma 110 in 2008. I really loved that car, but circumstances change and so I ended up with a Range Rover Sport, which was nice but didn't have the same character as a Defender. In other words, you couldn't see the road between the front door corner and the sill, and it didn't leak in the rain blah blah blah...

Anyhow, life is full of twists and turns, and so on 29th April this year I became the proud owner of a brand new (!!) 110 XS Wagon in Aintree Green, would have posted picture here but need to work out how to. Anyway, you'll all know what one looks like anyway! I had black sawtooths, black checkerplate, steering rack guard and dog guard fitted, other than that its standard.

As I pulled across the car park at Farnells in Bradford on pick-up day, I was reminded of just how poor the steering lock is - but did manage to narrowly avoid taking out the display of pre-owned cars...

The drive home was fairly uneventful but I had forgotten in the past 4 years some of the more "character forming" parts of Defender driving. The throttle seemed to do nothing apart from make things louder. The brake pedal seemed to do not much other than make me pucker. Roundabouts and bends seemed to take on a whole new dimension. The heater seemed to be burning my leg or freezing cold. And the steering wheel didn't look like it was on straight - but when you straightend it up, you still went staright on..

In other words I BLOODY LOVED IT and hadn'r realised how much I'd missed the Defender experience.

Friends and colleagues either thought I was barking mad or the coolest guy on the block, depending if you "get it" or not. Having tried to explain to a number of people over the weeks, I now just tell them "if I have to explain, you wouldn't understand". Not original but does the job.

So, what's it been like over the first 1,000 miles?

Its certainly started to loosen up - the throttle now seems to have a positve effect of the rate of progress, the brakes work very well now they're bedded in, and having re-learned the art of driving, cornering no longer fills me with fear. The steering lock is still crap thgough...

I love the torquey engine, especially in stop-start traffic. I love the Defender waves! And above all, its huge fun and I actually look forward to the drive to and from work!

At around 700 miles it started to do the stuttering thing at around 2,000 revs - esepcially in 3rd - but since about 900 miles it's all good. It seemed like there was "dirt in the carburettor" (which of course there couldn't be) - maybe the ECU was learning?? Whatever, all is good now, but I'll need to keep an eye on things and go back to the dealers if need be.

I just love the quirks - for a £30k car the build quality of some fitments is truely horrible - little things, like the wiring to the heated rear window, the cheap and nasty plastics inside, the fact the mud flaps are rivetted on through the rubber (so I reckon will fall off soon), and the wiring under the bonnet looks like a kit car. Interestingly the rear windows either side of the tailgate are identical, with one put on "inside out" as the makers marks are backwards and on the outside of the left window, but all correct on the right hand one.

But for some unknown reason, I can completely forgive all of these things as the whole package is just so awsome

Final comment for now - I washed the car at the weekend, using my jetwash. So far, no leaks found!!!

I hope to see some of you around the roads of West Yorkshire (and wider!), and wish you all happy Defendering. I plan to post another update after 6 months to see if any of my euphoria has wrn off.

Hugs for now

Stickleback

30th Jun 2014 1:26pm

rustandoil

Member Since: 08 Sep 2012
Location: Cotswolds
Posts: 735

2005 Defender 110 Td5 XS DCPU Bonatti Grey

Welcome, pleased to hear you are enjoying your new 110, regarding the steering lock, search the forum for "adjusting the steering lock stops" i am sure something will come up. made the world of difference to my 110 when i did the adjustment...

30th Jun 2014 2:05pm

mk1collector

Member Since: 17 Sep 2009
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 6769

Welcome from another west yorkshireian

30th Jun 2014 2:55pm

caterham6

Member Since: 18 May 2014
Location: Manchester
Posts: 47

2010 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Santorini Black

SNAP.

30th Jun 2014 6:35pm

CR

Member Since: 28 Jan 2010
Location: Ireland
Posts: 947

2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 CSW Santorini Black

great report, you get it

30th Jun 2014 7:39pm

Stickleback

Member Since: 20 Jun 2014
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 93

Thanks for the welcome and comments guys!

Eddie - I'll definitely look up the lock stops thingy and see how easy it is for a mechanically inept cretin to sort out

New question though - with my last 110 I had a problem with the rear slidy windows that stopped sliding as they were chewing up the felt runners. I tried a search on sliding windows but wasn't very successful

It was a real pain with the last Defender's side windows sticking - LR are not the most secure of vehicles and on more than one occasion I had to leave the car with the side windows partially opened.

Is there anything I can do to the felt runners to avoid the problem again? It seems that the the runners get waterlogged and swell up, then as you slide the window they would kind of runkle up then chaos ensues..

We tend to have the side windows opne a bit as we often have our two retired greyhounds in the back.

Any useful pointers as to a better search criteria or solutions would be grately apprecaited

2nd Jul 2014 10:59am

Paddie42

Member Since: 24 Apr 2014
Location: Hamphire
Posts: 230

I found this thread a while ago about rear windows

http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic20628....vet+remove

Just trying to find time to sort mine out.

2nd Jul 2014 11:22am

Stickleback

Member Since: 20 Jun 2014
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 93

Cheers Paddie42 - looks a tricky job - maybe I'll wait and deal with the situation if it actually happens..

Meantime been buying some Defender2.net stickers for the truck

2nd Jul 2014 11:31am

MartinK

Member Since: 02 Mar 2011
Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border)
Posts: 2665

2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Orkney Grey

Welcome - I remember getting mine 2 years ago, and had many of the same thoughts. Enjoy

Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's)

2nd Jul 2014 3:50pm

david mitchell

Member Since: 01 Jul 2012
Location: Meath
Posts: 418

Welcome, fit some security and waxoyl, underseal it. Looking forward to seeing some photos

2nd Jul 2014 5:30pm

Fabio

Member Since: 05 Aug 2011
Location: Somerset
Posts: 589

2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Santorini Black

I changed from o disco 3 to a defender about a month ago and had the same thoughts...
Still learning how to park it!
And before the disco i had 3 defenders but it takes a while to get used to it again.
I have never seen my son or daughter so excited about anything as they are with the defender.

And i am almost as excited!!
Therefore very happy. All i have to do is start with the changes!!
Good luck with it!

2nd Jul 2014 7:17pm

Stickleback

Member Since: 20 Jun 2014
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 93

Ok- have finally worked out how to upload photos so here is the new truck

Click image to enlarge

And the previous one:

Click image to enlarge

2nd Jul 2014 8:36pm

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