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| WhiskyJackR Member Since: 25 Nov 2014 Location: Lizard Posts: 159  
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I took delivery of a 90 XS station Wagon on November 30 2013.
What have I learnt between then and now? A lot of thought goes into the engineering of a Defender which is clear. The production process is largely a manual one so the car is in many respects hand built. This translates to a well engineered product with a variable build quality. From the conversations I have had with people far more knowledgeable than myself it is normal to have issues with a new Defender. Apparently everyone experiences mechanical and water ingress problems. How these issues are dealt with under warranty by your dealer and LR make the purchase experience an acceptable or otherwise fit. My vehicle went in twice to resolve an issue with a squeaky rear hub. After the second visit the problem was sorted. It still grated on me as I had driven 3000 miles with a squeak in my left ear, however in the end it was sorted, perfectly! I then had leaks from both front bottom corners of the windscreen frame and a really big leak from the rear offside window at the front edge. I spent the time to photograph, test and video the main leak. When I went to the dealer they brought out the service technician, a very friendly chap, Mr Mundy, he reviewed the video and then asked for a copy to be sent to him. To further complicate things the near side passenger door had been obviously ill fitting from new and had been diagnosed on a previous visit as not correctable without work on the body. So on this visit this issue and the leaks needed to be resolved. The assessment of this issue was undertaken on a previous visit and it was with the dealer for 4 weeks at that time. Due to the cost of repairs LR approval was sought. SO I left the vehicle with the dealer for a second time. Two weeks later and just in time for Christmas I got it back, and, the bodywork fix was perfect, absolutely unblemished! Since Christmas It has sat outside in torrential rain storms and the interior remains bone dry 
So, I can say that after some teething issues my dealer and LR resolved all of them. Not something I am used to. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and that was perfect from the get go with no major issues to be dealt with at all. Later in its life once the Jeep was out of warranty issues did arise and Jeep pretty much gave me the finger. Most say that with a Defender once you've worked through the unavoidable production issues you have a pretty sound truck. Only time will tell. My dealer is Carrs Land Rover in Truro and they have given me excellent service without blinking. |
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22nd Feb 2015 11:11pm |
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| WhiskyJackR Member Since: 25 Nov 2014 Location: Lizard Posts: 159
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I took delivery of a 90 XS station Wagon on November 30 2013.
What have I learnt between then and now? A lot of thought goes into the engineering of a Defender which is clear. The production process is largely a manual one so the car is in many respects hand built. This translates to a well engineered product with a variable build quality. From the conversations I have had with people far more knowledgeable than myself it is normal to have issues with a new Defender. Apparently everyone experiences mechanical and water ingress problems. How these issues are dealt with under warranty by your dealer and LR make the purchase experience an acceptable or otherwise fit. My vehicle went in twice to resolve an issue with a squeaky rear hub. After the second visit the problem was sorted. It still grated on me as I had driven 3000 miles with a squeak in my left ear, however in the end it was sorted, perfectly! I then had leaks from both front bottom corners of the windscreen frame and a really big leak from the rear offside window at the front edge. I spent the time to photograph, test and video the main leak. When I went to the dealer they brought out the service technician, a very friendly chap, Mr Mundy, he reviewed the video and then asked for a copy to be sent to him. To further complicate things the near side passenger door had been obviously ill fitting from new and had been diagnosed on a previous visit as not correctable without work on the body. So on this visit this issue and the leaks needed to be resolved. The assessment of this issue was undertaken on a previous visit and it was with the dealer for 4 weeks at that time. Due to the cost of repairs LR approval was sought. SO I left the vehicle with the dealer for a second time. Two weeks later and just in time for Christmas I got it back, and, the bodywork fix was perfect, absolutely unblemished! Since Christmas It has sat outside in torrential rain storms and the interior remains bone dry
So, I can say that after some teething issues my dealer and LR resolved all of them. Not something I am used to. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and that was perfect from the get go with no major issues to be dealt with at all. Later in its life once the Jeep was out of warranty issues did arise and Jeep pretty much gave me the finger. Most say that with a Defender once you've worked through the unavoidable production issues you have a pretty sound truck. Only time will tell. My dealer is Carrs Land Rover in Truro and they have given me excellent service without blinking. |
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22nd Feb 2015 11:13pm |
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| WhiskyJackR Member Since: 25 Nov 2014 Location: Lizard Posts: 159
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I took delivery of a 90 XS station Wagon on November 30 2013.
What have I learnt between then and now? A lot of thought goes into the engineering of a Defender which is clear. The production process is largely a manual one so the car is in many respects hand built. This translates to a well engineered product with a variable build quality. From the conversations I have had with people far more knowledgeable than myself it is normal to have issues with a new Defender. Apparently everyone experiences mechanical and water ingress problems. How these issues are dealt with under warranty by your dealer and LR make the purchase experience an acceptable or otherwise fit. My vehicle went in twice to resolve an issue with a squeaky rear hub. After the second visit the problem was sorted. It still grated on me as I had driven 3000 miles with a squeak in my left ear, however in the end it was sorted, perfectly! I then had leaks from both front bottom corners of the windscreen frame and a really big leak from the rear offside window at the front edge. I spent the time to photograph, test and video the main leak. When I went to the dealer they brought out the service technician, a very friendly chap, Mr Mundy, he reviewed the video and then asked for a copy to be sent to him. To further complicate things the near side passenger door had been obviously ill fitting from new and had been diagnosed on a previous visit as not correctable without work on the body. So on this visit this issue and the leaks needed to be resolved. The assessment of this issue was undertaken on a previous visit and it was with the dealer for 4 weeks at that time. Due to the cost of repairs LR approval was sought. SO I left the vehicle with the dealer for a second time. Two weeks later and just in time for Christmas I got it back, and, the bodywork fix was perfect, absolutely unblemished! Since Christmas It has sat outside in torrential rain storms and the interior remains bone dry
So, I can say that after some teething issues my dealer and LR resolved all of them. Not something I am used to. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and that was perfect from the get go with no major issues to be dealt with at all. Later in its life once the Jeep was out of warranty issues did arise and Jeep pretty much gave me the finger. Most say that with a Defender once you've worked through the unavoidable production issues you have a pretty sound truck. Only time will tell. My dealer is Carrs Land Rover in Truro and they have given me excellent service without blinking. |
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22nd Feb 2015 11:15pm |
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