Common Faults On Land Rover Defenders 90 and 110
It is no secret that Land Rover has produced many vehicles in their time. However, have they all been good ones? Have they all performed at a suitable level?
These questions tend to follow the enthusiasts of the Land Rover Defender. More specifically, the variants of the Defender – 90 and 110. Both of these particular vehicles don’t have the best history. They are prone to fault and failing, across a wide variety of different areas. To try and bring light to this, and make sure that you are correctly educated, we’re going to be taking a look at some of these faults here and now.
Lack of Comfort
Our first examination is of the Land Rover Defender 90. While considered by some to be a vital part of the legacy of Land Rover, it is also considered by many to be a grossly unreliable machine, with many failings. One such criticism is that it isn’t a comfortable ride. The opinion is that when travelling at high speeds or on roads which do not have a particularly well-maintained service, you’ll feel every dip, bump and imperfection in the surface below. This is not a desirable attribute by any means, and it does rank the 90 lower down on the scale than other Land Rovers which came before and after it.
Uneconomical Engine
Another fault which is aimed at the Land Rover Defender 110 is the lack of an economic engine. While this particular issue is less well choreographed and talked about, digging around on forums and message boards will reveal that the 90 does tend to guzzle fuel like it’s a finite and precious resource.
That is, of course, a large part of the problem. It IS a precious resource. With fuel costs higher than ever before, and has been rising for many years now thanks to the increase in vehicles on the road, people are experiencing a sharp up in their fuel costs. A bad time to have a car which consumes fuel a lot, no?
The 90 – A Big Pet Project?
It should come as no secret that the Land Rover Defender has been thought of by many as something you need to tinker with to get the most out of it. When you live in a rural area, and repairing machinery is second nature, then this becomes less of an issue.
However, it’s the majority of the public which has issues in this regard. A lot of people have found that various parts need adjusting, repairing in a short period of time, or just replacing entirely to make the system perform at the levels it is required to perform at. Whatever the need, it defeats the point of buying the vehicle from new. When you also factor in that a lot of Defender parts do not have the longest lifespan, you get a recipe for what can only be described as a disaster.
Land Rover Defender 110 – The Faults
In spite of what’s been said here and discussed, let us not forget the Land Rover Defender 110. While it may well be an older vehicle, it is not without its own set of faults and issues which make it a problem.
Unreliability is one of the most frequent issues cited by owners, with many complaining that the 110 just doesn’t give you a consistent level of performance from start to finish. This, of course, can be very troubling when you’re trying to use it every day, and a lack of power or an inability to slow down and speed up smoothly can all impact upon public opinion.
Aside from that, the 110 seems to suffer from some of the common complaints directed at all Land Rover Defenders from 1990 to 2016. Corrosion of the bodywork is one of the more frequent issues, particularly on the underside of the car. Just behind this, however, is often such complaints as the power assisted steering leaking and becoming useless for the driver. This is often paired with a failure in the timing belt. Both of these issues have the potential to be massively problematic for the driver, which is why it is so important that you are careful when interacting with a Defender for the first time.
Fuel Mixups
Another common issue is, believe it or not, nothing to do with the vehicle itself. As people, we are prone to error. A lack of understanding on the part of the owner can lead to the wrong fuel being put into the system. Putting a petrol fuel source into a diesel-based vehicle can be cataclysmic for the vehicle if not corrected urgently.
The problems usually begin when the injector pump starts to take in the petrol and introduce it into the engine, if you were using a diesel engine for example. The system is designed to process that kind of fuel so you will destroy your engine, and your vehicle should the wrong fuel go into it. In the event, you know that your system has been contaminated with the wrong fuel, and you’ve got pre-existing fuel in there already, you have a small window of opportunity to correct the fault. The new fuel will sit on top of the old fuel and not mix for about 10 miles, so get it to a garage as quickly as is possible.
Overall, these are just a few of the different faults that you need to consider when it comes to the Land Rover Defender 90 and 110. You need to understand these faults in order to make an informed choice when it comes to you and your vehicle. These faults can be problematic, but don’t let them stop you from getting the vehicle if you are genuinely set on one. Like many vehicles, the Land Rover defender has many admirable attributes which make it a highly desirable car. However, these are often overshadowed by its problems, which is why you need to be aware of them before you search for one.