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the engine has been overhauled or replaced. Make certain the
job was done right and that the engine was properly maintained.
The cooling system works hard on Defenders; check the radiator for
fresh antifreeze and little corrosion on the cooling fins.”
“Lastly, beware of a car that’s been over-accessorized. Make
certain that all components work with the suspension geometry of the
car. You don’t want an off-road giant that becomes unsafe on the
highway. For example, if you see a car with a lift kit, check the sway
bars. If they’ve been removed, what would the car be like on the open
road in daily use?”
Mike Smith of East Coast Rover, Rockland, ME, has maintained,
refurbished and restored many Defenders. First off, he notes that
“Defenders are Series III’s on steroids. The love of a Defender
is a love of things antique. You need to love to maintain. It requires
antique car-type maintenance. He says that evidence of
knowledgeable maintenance and the right parts are critical to
determining the likely condition of a Defender.”
“For example, the fuel injection relays are located in a seat
locker where over time, they’ll get corroded and/or fail. If you know
to look for this, you’ll save yourself unnecessary replacement of fuel
pumps and injectors. But you need to get the right replacement, the
Genuine Land Rover Parts 5-pin relay. Using the generic 4-pin
one means that the oxygen sensors will not send out the correct
information to a diagnostic system. So your car might start fine
but then stall out when it warms up. The missing pin is making all the
difference.”
“Oil changes are important for several reasons. Most
importantly the Rover V-8 is inherently an older design that counted
on 3,000 mile changes for long life. If you’re used to oil and filter
changes at 10,000 or 25,000 miles, don’t assume that you can wait
that long on your Defender, too.”
“There’s an old saw about Land Rovers that if they don’t leak,
they’re out of something. But you shouldn’t see copious leaks from
transfer case seals or driveshaft pinion seals – that’s a sign of neglect.
Off roading tends to push dirt into the seals and that causes the leaks.
The conscientious owner will replace damaged seals so they stop grit
and water from entering, not wait for them to leak out. “
“You won’t believe how much bad wiring we have to undo, so be
careful of cars with lots of accessories and demand evidence that they
were installed to professional standards. Look at the core of
Defender, not the brightwork or off-road equipment. Unfortunately,
the small number of Defenders sold in the US means that the dealer
network doesn’t always have that knowledge base on staff.”
Above all else, remember that all Land Rovers love maintenance.
Mike Smith notes he just purchased a Discovery Series II with
260,000 miles. It has a service stamp for every service interval.
Except where a dog chewed the seat and the failure of a subwoofer,
everything works on the Rover. That’s a cautionary tale for the
Defender buyer. Check that maintenance work shows evidence of
knowledge, high standards of repair and/or installation, and Genuine
Parts or tested accessories. Then you’ll have a Defender for the ages.
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