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Land Rover Defender (1948 - Present)

'V5' Log book and 'VIN' Does the 'V5' log book look like the pictures below?

Sections: 1. Registered keeper 2. Previous keeper 3. Special notes 4. Vehicle details 5. Registered keeper 6. New keeper 7. Vehicle changes 8. Declaration 9. Trade sale 10. New keeper supplement 11. Export.
Is the sellers name and address the same as the name and address in the 'V5' log book? If not, ask why not, and decide if you trust the answer. Check everything on the log book is spelt correctly and there have been no alterations made to the document. If you are in doubt about whether a log book is genuine, call the DVLA helpline on 0870 241 1878. Does the vehicle identification number (VIN) plate on the car match the number on the V5? The VIN plate can be in several places (The car hand book should tell you where it is, but usually it is under the bonnet, on the windscreen or near the drivers door or seat. Example pictures below).

Service book

y y y

Has the service book been regularly stamped? Do the stamps match the MOT and any receipts? Are key service details listed? For exam ple, cam belt changes - see model specific checks for the key service issues on this car.

Data Check ('HPI check')

Data (or HPI) checks tell you whether a car has any outstanding finance, been declared a write-off or been stolen. It is essential that you have your own check done, to ensure:

y y y y

The car is not owed to a finance company The car has not been written-off The car is not stolen The VIN number on the car matches the one the data check provides

Evolutions of Land Rover Defender (1948 - Present):

Year 1948 1958 1961 1968 1971 1983

Change or development Series I 80", 86", 88"/107", 109" Series II 88"/109 Series IIA 88"/109" Lightweight 88" Series III 88"/109" 90/110 new models included refinements such as coil springs, a wider track, 5 speed gearbox, constant 4WD, updated interior, as well as power steering as an option.

1990

Defender. PETROL - 2 (Early models only), 2.5, and 3.5 litre. DIESEL - 2 (Early models only), 2.5 (1984 to 1986), 2.5 T/D (1986 to 1990), 2.5 Tdi 200 series (1990 to 1994) 2.5 Tdi 300 series (1994 to 1998), TD5 (1998 onwards).

Bodywork Checks Standard checks to make on all cars:


Is bodywork free from dents, scratches or other marks? Squat down on your haunches and look along the sides of the car to check for dents. Ripples, small craters or swirly scratches in the paintwork indicate it has been given a quick top coat respray. Pull back rubber seals and lift door handles right up. Are the colours the same (but less faded)? If the colour under the rubber looks older than the rest or if there is a build up of paint where there has been an overspray it has been repaired. This tells you the car has been involved in some kind of accident, but it may be minor. You only need to worry if it looks like the car may have been in a major accident (see other checks below). Do both bumpers and all the cars panel colours match? Are all the gaps between panels (known as shut lines) consistent and evenly spaced? Any big gaps may mean the car has had a poor quality repair after a fairly major accident. Look at the number plates and the reflective mirrors in the back of headlights. Do they all match? If one headlight is darker than the other or the number plates dont match, it may have been in an accident Open the boot and bonnet. Does all the metal look the same colour? Different colours tell you there have been major bodywork repairs. Is the windscreen free from major cracks or chips? Are all the locks the same? If not, ask why not. Changed locks can mean the car was stolen or broken into. Paint Work. Never see cars in the rain or twilight as either condition makes it harder to sport defects. If paintwork has white marks that rub off with a light rub, it is probably old polish that hasnt been removed. Whilst it looks bad, it is a good sign; the car will usually clean up well. Is there any rust on the car? Look at all the bodywork, along the sills, under the bonnet and in the boot. Significant rust is to be avoided.

This picture shows a sill being squeezed to ensure it is solid and not rusting. Squeezing the sill all the way from the front to the back will confirm whether the sill is suffering from corrosion.

Specific Bodywork Checks for Land Rover Defender (1948 - Present):

Area Rear crossmember

What to look for Look below the rear towing point and follow the metal cross-member along the bottom of the car with your hand. Check for signs of rust either with your hand or by brushing the metal with another blunt piece of metal (e.g. a screwdriver). Listen for a change in the noise (a dink, ding noise) and look for flaking metal.

What it means If the rear cross-

What to do Negotiate a 600 - 700 discount or have the repair

member is rusty it will completed. need to be replaced.

Vent panels

Inspect the vent panels around the bulkhead (under the windscreen and

If caught early (i.e. minor spots of rust) this can be repaired. If the rust is

Negotiate a 25 discount for minor rust or budget 500 for a new bulkhead. Alternatively have the repair completed.

above the bonnet) for significant, the rust. bulkhead needs replacing. Door hinges Inspect the door hinges and surrounding metal work closely. Tap the body work to ensure it all feels and sounds the same. If there are patches where the tapping sounds or feels different, there may be filler hiding rust. C-section Look under the rear wheel arches (knocking any built up mud away) for a triangle of metal at the back of the arch. Look for rust around that area. Bulkhead Inspect the bottom of If the rust is severe, the bulkhead (the part of the body between the engine bay and chassis) for rust. the bulkhead will Negotiate a 200 discount for minor rust and 1,000 if you believe a new bulk head will be needed. Alternatively, have the If there is rust in that area, the c-section will need to be replaced. Negotiate a 350 discount or have the repair completed. The rust needs to be cut out and the body work repaired. The extent of the rust will determine the cost of repair. A rule of thumb is 100 per small spot of rust.

need replacing. If the repair completed. rust is contained, it can be cut out and the body repaired.

Diesel tank outrigger

Look under the car, to the right of the offside rear wheel

If these are rusting, they need replacing and the fuel tank will

Negotiate 410 discount or have the repair completed.

arch for the fuel tank. have to be rem oved. There are square pieces of chassis that jut out (outriggers). Check these for rust. Bump stops When looking under the rear of the car, look at the axle, just behind the wheel arch. Look for two large rubber blocks (one on each side). Check that they are not cracked or perished. If the bump stops are Negotiate a 12 discount or have the repair completed. cracked or perished they need to be replaced.

Engine Checks
Standard checks to make on all cars:

Is the exhaust smoke-free on start-up? A small amount of white smoke on cold or damp days is fine. Any blue smoke or excessive smoke means there is problem with the engine. Is the exhaust completely smoke-free once the engine is fully warmed up? If not, there is a problem with the engine. Is there plenty of clean oil? If the oil is black rather than golden brown it needs to be changed and suggests the car has not been recently serviced.

A dipstick is pulled out to check the oil. Oil should be golden-brown & over half full. A main oil cap is unscrewed from the top of an engine. This cap looks as it should, with just oil on the inside and no white creamy residues.
Is there plenty of water and anti-freeze in the radiator reservoir? Anti-freeze stops the engine freezing and rusting. Are there any signs of any leaks? Leaks must be identified and repaired quickly to prevent further engine damage.

A radiator in good condition (all the fins are clean, strong and complete). The fat top rubber hose should feel bouncy. If it is very soft and floppy or rock solid when the engine is running then the head gasket may be failing. NB

Radiator is by the yellow dot on the right and the reservoir, by the left dot.

Use heat-protective gloves.


Do all the belts and hoses look strong and free from frays, cracks or tears? If not they may be close to failure which can have serious knock-on effects. Where the model-speciifc checks recommend checking spark plugs, they will look similar to these:

Covered by leads.

Lead pulled off.

In socket.

If the model-specific checks need you to look for brake fluid or steering fluid reservoirs, they will look like these:

Oil leaks, (where the oil is clinging to the underside of the car) will look like these:

Specific Engine Checks for Land Rover Defender (1948 - Present):


Area Oil leaks What to look for Leave the car standing for 10 -15 minutes, then check What it means Common oil leaks come from blocked breathers forcing oil What to do Negotiate a 400 discount or have the repair completed.

for drops of oil on the out the front wading floor under the car. Also check the plug hole. Fixing this requires the engine

engine block itself for to come out. weeping or dripping oil. Experienced buyers may want to clean the oil off the engine and drive round the block to see if it reappears. Cam belt The following engines have cam If the cam belt and associated parts Ensure that the cam belt is changed before the car is driven anywhere if it is coming close to its interval. Changing the belt will cost 420.

belts: 2.5, 2.5 td, 300 (such as the tdi. Check the paperwork to see if the cam belt has tensioner) have not been changed, and the mileage is over

been changed on

these boundaries,

schedule. On most of the cam belt is likely these engines the cam belt must be changed within 5 to fail soon. Usually the engine has to be replaced or at least

years or 60,000 miles re-built after a cam (some 2.0l can go to 72,000). 300 Tdi Engine Head Gasket Open the bonnet and An engine with only look at the left hand side of the engine. Approximately 2/3 of the way back, there is a piece of metal jutting out from the side of the engine (where the head bolts to the main engine block). This will have up to 4 holes in it. Each time the head gasket is blown and repaired, one hole is used up. If there are 2 holes left, you can only repair the head gasket once more. V8 Engine Look for the water reservoir connected to the radiator at the front of the engine bay. You should be able to see red, green or blue fluid in the reservoir. It should not be brown. Head gasket Open the oil filler cap These symptoms on the top of the engine and check to see if there are any white creamy substances on the inside of the cap. Check the water reservoir (connected to the radiator at the front of the engine bay) for deposits of oil (grey sludge) floating on the top of the water. mean you need a new head gasket. The head gasket has failed because of water leaks and the engine overheating (see cooling system check). Negotiate a 700 discount or have the repair completed. Brown water means there is no longer any anti-freeze, which means the head gasket is more likely to fail. The antifreeze needs replacing urgently. Have the car inspected by an expert. Budget 50 for an antifreeze change and 550 if the head gasket is damaged. two holes has had a number of problems with its head gasket. Budget 700 for a head gasket. belt failure.

Cooling system

Under the bonnet,

Do not look at the

Check the car for leaks and head gasket failure before buying. Do not drive the car if it begins to overheat. Watch the temperature gauge very carefully.

look for a reservoir of side of the reservoir water connected to the radiator at the front of the engine. If the engine is cold, open the top and and think that the dirty mark left by old water is the current level; use the checks to the left. If the

check that the level is water is below the between the minimum and minimum the car is likely to have a leak

maximum markers. If and will overheat. the engine is hot, do NOT open the top as you will burn yourself. Instead push down on the car wing to make the car bounce. Look at the water as it moves in the reservoir to check its level.

Interior Checks
Standard checks to make on all cars:

Do all the controls and electronics work? Check: heating controls (both hot and cold), radio, windscreen wipers, all windows and sunroof, central locking and alarm. Do all the lights (inside and out) work? Where the model-speciifc checks recommend checking engine management lights, they will look similar to these:

Engine Management

Handbrake

ABS

Oil

Airbag

Battery

Specific Interior Checks for Land Rover Defender (1948 - Present):


Area Bulkhead outrigger What to look for Lift out any carpets What it means Rust in this area will What to do The extent of the rust will determine the cost. Have an expert examine the car.

or mats from the front need to be cut away footwell and inspect the metal work for rust. Also look around the side of the car and under the footwell and A-post for rust. Pay and repaired.

particular attention to the area around a large bolt under the footwell. Gearbox input drive As you let the clutch pedal up, to pull away, listen for and feel for backlash at the rear of the car (a thumping sensation and a dunk, dunk, dunk noise). Clutch Test-drive more than one Defender to establish how the clutch should feel. Does this clutch feel heavy? Gear lever Check that the gear lever goes straight into each gear without any crunching or difficulty. Water leaks Look around the windscreen and in the roof lining for signs of water damage or leaks. The gearbox needs to be re-conditioned and it is more costeffective to change the clutch at the same time. All Defenders develop leaks in this area. They can be rectified with silicone sealant. Negotiate a 100 discount for any leaks, or have them repaired. Negotiate a 1,200 discount or have the repair completed. This is an early warning sign that the clutch needs replacing. Budget 400 to change the clutch. If the clutch is heavy you may want to try and negotiate a percentage of this as a discount. The input drive and gearbox need overhauling. Negotiate a 1,200 discount or have the repair completed.

Specific Suspension Checks for Land Rover Defender (1948 - Present):

Area Hub oil seals

What to look for Inspect both the inside and outside of the tyres, in the middle of the wheels for grease and oil leaks.

What it means If there is oil or grease on the inside of the wheel, the car needs a new hub seal and brake pads. If the leak is on the outside, the car needs a hub and drive flange gasket.

What to do Negotiate a 100 discount for inside leaks and a 28 discount for outside leaks or have the repair completed.

Wheel bearings

During the test drive, listen for a droning/rumbling noise from the wheels.

The droning/rumbling Negotiate a 102 discount or have the repair completed. noise indicates that a wheel bearing needs replacing.

Suspension arms

Drive the car on a

If the car oversteers,

Negotiate a 140 discount (for front and back) or have the repair completed.

good flat surface and the rear suspension test the steering's accuracy. If it feels wobbly and vague arms are likely to need replacing. If the steering is vague and

rather than stiff and accurate, or oversteers (e.g. a slight steering change leads to the car aggressively changing direction) the suspension arms need attention. Swivel joints There is a big chrome ball on each side of the axle. Ask

wobbly, the front arms are likely to need replacing. It is best to have both done at once, and have the bushes upgraded to poly bushes.

Rather than continually changing the conventional oil,

Budget 25 per joint.

the seller if they have if one shot grease is ever been fitted with one shot grease. Shock absorbers fitted, they never need attention again. negotiate a 5 discount or have the repair completed.

Look under the wheel If cracked or arch at the shock absorbers. Look at the rubbers on the shock absorber and check them for cracks. perished they need replacing.

Recall History of Land Rover Defender (1948 - Present):

Date 22 Jun 1993

Model Built: 04/01/1993 15/01/1993

Recall A specific batch of inner tubes supplied as original equipment has been found to exhibit small perforations. In the worst case this could lead to deflation of the tyre (s). VINs: LD925367 to LD92591.

05 Jun 2000

Td5 diesels built: 01/09/1998 30/06/1999

As a consequence of the manufacturing process, the engine flywheel may develop surface cracks which, under certain high load conditions can propagate, resulting in disintegration of the flywheel. VINs: XA145775 to XA181042 (Defender), XA200000 to XA244647 (Discovery), XA900000 to XA907209 (Discovery).

22 Apr 2002

Land Rover has received a small number of reports that detail a potential abrasion condition between the front left hand flexible brake hose and tyre. In extreme circumstances, dependant upon the position of the hose, the front left hand tyre can contact the hose and cause abrasion to the outer lining material which could result in a brake fluid leak. VINs: XA159961 to 1A61705.

31 Mar 2004

Defender (with ABS fitted) built: 01/10/1998 01/12/2003

A potential fluid leak from the brake modulator may result in a reduction in the efficiency of the service brake or, in the worst case, complete failure of the service brake system. VINs: XA900016 and XA201612 to XA907213 and YA846241 and XA162896 and YA600000 to YA199999 and YA671407.

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