Pictures below show various stages in the re-build of a 22 year-old Land Rover Defender 110. This project was undertaken in November 2013 by Mark Kelly Land Rover Services of Tavistock, Devon, UK, which specialises in re-builds based on a new galvanised chassis and bulkhead.

Visit: Mark Kelly Land Rover Services +44 1822 611 353

Author's comments...
a list of moans...

I've had remarkably few serious problems with my Land Rover 110 and I would not want to own or drive any other vehicle on a regular basis. I've been familiar with Land Rovers all my adult life and have owned this one since 1993. But while the engineering and mechanical qualities are second to none, Land Rover's persistant failure to address known problems was notorious, while the quality of some of its 'trim and finish' components was very poor. Here is a moan list:

1. Frequent problems with the power-steering box (Gemma): the lower seals fail and all fluid and power is lost. This unit was never robust enough for the work it was required to do (and was not designed for Land Rovers). The expensive, conventional solution is to replace the power-steering box. A laborious but equally effective solution (costing very little) is to replace the seals from below, leaving the unit in position. This will probably last as long as a new/renovated unit.

2. In temperatures below around -18 degrees (common in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Canada, etc.) door-locks can freeze solid and many rubber components solidify and fail. It is inexcusable that the locks fail: I'm fairly certain the original 'recessed' Land Rover mechanisms would not fail in these circumstances. The silly 'improved' push-button handles are rubbish – see below. The rubber items include the seals around the doors (which then cannot be properly closed); engine mountings and all the bushes. This is unforgivable in a vehicle supposedly designed for rugged all-weather conditions. However, these problems disappear in warmer temperatures and seem to cause no long-term damage.

3. A design flaw can make it impossible to fully close the driver's or passenger's windows when the wind is blowing in certain directions. The solution is to open the opposite window a small amount for a few seconds while you try again. I'm not joking...!

4. A frequent cause of problems is the rear A-frame ball joint (situated above the rear axle). This 'link ball' is particularly susceptible to wear if the vehicle is frequently used for towing. When worn it causes 'lurching' and 'knocking' in the suspension. It needs to be kept well-greased and replaced as soon as a problem is detected. It's advisable to check on its condition when buying a second-hand vehicle because it can indicate how much heavy-duty work the vehicle has experienced.

5. The heating system in many models (e.g. 1991/92) is infuriating and quite inadequate. Frequently the heater produces about twice as much hot air on the passenger's side (in right-hand drive models), making it impossible to achieve a satisfactory balance for both driver and passenger. One solution is partially to block the heater outlet, e.g. with chewing gum, on the passenger's side!

6. Land Rover began 'prettifying' its models in the late 1980s and early 1990s with lots of fancy plastic trim, plastic door-cards, saloon-car style interior panels and flimsy dashboard controls which were all designed to make Land Rovers look more like 'cars'. This demonstrated how little the manufacturers understood the needs and priorities of their client base. Poor design and poor quality control led to a terminal decline in Britain's car manufacturing industry in the 1970s and 1980s. So, it was astonishing to see Land Rover's best-engineered and best-selling military-quality vehicle being dragged down-market with trashy door-handles, locks that rusted and failed, flimsy plastic dashboard trim and exterior plastic trim that fractured easily in cold weather. The vehicles even boasted an indicator system whose audible warning sounds could not be heard above the sound of the engine.
This accounted for the number of Land Rovers driving around with their indicator lights flashing unnecessarily. To make matters worse, the visual warning signal too could be difficult to spot in bright daylight.

7. One of the most irritating and thoughtless design flaws in the Defender range of Land Rovers is the positioning of the hydraulic clutch fluid reservoir in the engine compart-
ment (attached to the bulkhead). Bearing in mind that the good condition of the clutch function is essential to the vehicle, it seems extraordinary that this reservoir (which needs to be checked every 1,000-5,000 miles) is surrounded by other components and pipes which make it almost impossible to unscrew the reservoir's cap. I've watched British army mechanics defeated by this problem.

8. Beware of inviting elegantly-dressed female passengers to sit in the front seats. Land Rover has thoughtfully provided a locking clasp to the two under-seat storage compartments that is guaranteed to catch and wreck expensive stockings or tights. Instead, encourage female passengers to stretch themselves out elegantly along the rear seats.

9. Another irritation is the protruding door-handles (introduced in the late 1980s). For decades Land Rover had sensibly produced vehicles with robust, recessed door-handles. Eventually the entire motor industry followed suit – recognising the advantages: improved aerodynamics and safety while reducing risk of knocks and damage.
This of course was precisely the moment when Land Rover decided to introduce old-fashioned protruding door-handles with a flimsy mechanism.

10. Many 200 Tdi engines have a tendency to vibrate at precisely the frequency necessary to loosen the nut on at least one of the rubber fuel lines. When loose, diesel then pours down the right-hand side of the engine. You can expect this to happen only when you're wearing your smartest clothes and it's pouring with rain. If you own one of these extraordinary vehicles be sure to keep a 7/16 (inch) spanner available at all times. When this occurs, explain to your partner or passenger that it will be vital that you yourself stay in the cab gripping the steering wheel very firmly while he or she goes outside, raises the bonnet, finds a suitable box to stand on, reaches inside the engine compartment to locate the leak, tightens the offending nut(s) while holding a torch gripped between their teeth, etc...

11. Corrosion: One of the most infuriating aspects of the earlier Defender series was that the manufacturer allowed aluminium body panels to be in direct contact with steel-work (bolts, fittings, etc) which soon led to a chemical reaction between the metals that led in turn to corrosion. This was an inexcusable engineering design flaw. It even extended to the welding of aluminium components in the 'extended' 110 version. Despite years of evidence that this was a design fault, Land Rover continued to sell new vehicles which it knew would suffer exactly the sort of corrosion problems that the expensive aluminium bodywork was supposed to eliminate. Furthermore, in luxury versions of the Defender series, which were fitted with carpeting throughout, a non-aluminium strip was placed parallel with the front door sills and door seals, to keep the edge of the carpet in place. This strip quickly corroded and destroyed the door seals. Anyone restoring a Land Rover Defender should nowadays replace any steel components (bolts, brackets, welds, etc) with stainless steel or aluminium equivalents wherever possible.

12. A word of warning! Land Rovers are supremely well-designed for all-terrain, all-weather conditions (despite the remarks above). They keep going under almost any conditions. But because they take uneven ground and remarkably steep gradients in their stride, many drivers expect too much of them on bends and lateral slopes. Land Rovers are not as stable laterally as many drivers imagine and can roll easily. Although they are powerful, always remember that performance (and safety) are directly related to the extent and quality of the contact between the tyres and the road surface. This interface consists of an area of perhaps as little as 10cm x 10cm on each tyre. So, while tyres which are effective on sand may be far less effective on snow or a motorway surface, all tyres can be lethal on ice. Land Rovers can weigh up to two tonnes, have very powerful brakes and some carry up to a dozen passengers and all their kit on high-pressure tyres – all of which makes the vehicle hard to control on ice. Sadly I've seen too many of my colleagues injured or killed in roll-overs and skids – often because they believed Land Rovers were capable of almost anything under all circumstances.