Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2019 i Land Rover Monthly

JLR has unveiled new facilities at its Gaydon site in Warwickshire, creating one of the UK’s most sustainable non-domestic buildings and the country’s largest automotive creation and development centre. The Gaydon site forms part of Jaguar Land Rover’s Destination Zero mission; an ambition to make societies safer and healthier, and the environment cleaner. It hopes to do this by achieving a future of zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion – across its facilities, and through its products and services. Gaydon is home to almost 13,000 highly-skilled engineers and designers who are developing the current and next-generation Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles. The industry-leading centre is also creating future autonomous, connected, electrified and shared mobility technologies that will enable Jaguar Land Rover’s long-term, sustainable growth. The advanced product creation centre…

D2 OUTRIGGERS PRICE: £95 CONTACT: Britpart.com YOU’RE not a real D2 owner or you’re not driving it enough until you have replaced an outrigger. All types available. THUNDERPOLE T-3000 PRICE: £99.99 CONTACT: thunderpole.co.uk THE Thunderpole T-3000 CB radio is a unique CB radio with a front speaker design that can be mounted almost anywhere. Good performer and lots of great features. Comes pre-set to UK channels of course. INSPECTION LAMP DOCK PRICE: £119.94 CONTACT: sealey.co.uk SEALEY’S Rechargeable Floodlight/ Inspection Lamp Docking Station comes in kit form with two LED1801s, a 5V-2A mains adaptor and 1m USB charging cable. Inspection lights charge when docked. The Slim Folding Inspection Lamp features 12 SMD LEDs which produce up to 500 lumens. Great for confined places. D3 WINCH BUMPER PRICE: £575 CONTACT: Britpart.com AS…

AS everyone knows, the African elephant has a gestation period of 22 months, the longest of any mammal. But the frilled shark takes 42 months to give birth and a certain deep-sea octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica, since you’re asking) was monitored guarding its eggs for no fewer than 53 months before they hatched. But they pale into insignificance compared with how long it took Land Rover to give birth to the L663. Of course, it depends on when you think the replacement for the real Defender was initially conceived, and we’ve all tended to focus on the 44 months between the end of real Defender production in January 2016 and the grand reveal of its successor, the unsurprisingly-named new Defender, in September. But the reality is that its origins go back…

THEY reckon you can choose from up to 170 options for the New Defender, ranging from an on-board compressor for inflating your tyres, to a pressure washer for hosing off your mountain bike after a spot of trail riding – if you’re mad enough to do that sort of thing for a hobby. Then you can stick your muddy clothes, wetsuit or small dog (yes, yes, I’m joking) in the side pannier pictured above, to keep the interior of the vehicle clean. It’s all very clever marketing. Defender buyers see themselves as individuals – let’s face it, you had to be a bit eccentric to want the old model – and now they can indulge that desire for personalisation to their hearts’ content, while paying JLR lots more money for…

Any regrets that it has taken three years from the death of the old Defender production to the birth of the new Defender? It’s never ideal and a seamless transition would’ve been preferred. I suppose the lapse of time created this sense of anticipation for our customers and journalists. I don’t think we’ve lost any traction as a result, the reaction today shows that and the demand for the New Defender will back me up on that statement. Are you confident of getting people like the military and electricity providers to sign up for fleets of the new Defender? While today was all about the launch of the 110 as it goes on sale, today we showed you the whole Defender family and range. This includes the commercial option, our…

• Seaview Hotel County Road, John o’ Groats, WK1 4YR. 01955 611220, seaviewjohnogroats.co.uk • Loch Ness Shore Camping and Caravanning Monument Park Lower, Foyers, Inverness, IV2 6YH. 014 5648 6333, lochnessshores.com • Linhe Lochside Holidays Corpach, Fort William, PH33 7NL. 01397 772376, linnhe-lochsideholidays.co.uk / • Bainbridge Ings Caravan and Campsite Hawes, Dl8 3NU. 01969 667354, bainbridge-ings-countrypark.co.uk/ • The Tower Hotel St Katherines Way, London, E1W 1LD. 0800 330 8005, guoman.com/en/london/the-tower.html • Karrageen Camping and Caravan Park Bolbery, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 3EN. 01548 561230, karrageen.co.uk/ • Land’s End Hotel Sennem, TR197AA01736 871844.landsendhotel.co.uk…

October 16 – 19 ■ USA – Chile Challenge 4-Wheel Drive Trail Caballo Lake State Park, New Mexico chilechallenge.org October 18 ■ UK Landrover Events, North York Moors 4x4 Tour North Yorkshire uklandroverevents.com October 18 – November 3 ■ Morocco – Ardent Off Road, Morocco Explorer and Exclusive Tour Morocco ardentoffroad.com October 19 ■ Solent and District Land Rover Club, Greenlanes Basingstoke sadlrc.co.uk October 19 – 20 Discovery Birthday Party Plymouth discoverybirthdayparty.co.uk ■ Suffolk Land Rover Owners Club, Ladies Tyro Trial, Driving Day and Autojumble Newbourne slroc.uk.com ■ ARD Ventures 4x4, Yorkshire Wolds and Moors Weekend Whitby, North Yorkshire ardventures.co.uk ■ Trails and Tracks 4x4 Adventures, Northumberland Grand Tour Hexham, Northumberland trailsandtracks.co.uk October 19 – November 3 ■ Morocco – Ardent Adventures, Morocco 4x4 Tour Algeciras ardentoffroad.com October 20 ■…

EAGLE-EYED LRM reader’s would’ve noticed that I was trying to sell a 2000 Defender 90 the past few months. It too has a factory-fitted straight-six, BMW engine, just like my 110, the Green Mamba. Well I can officially announce that it has now been sold. While I did try the LRM Classifieds it actually sold through an online car auction website called themarket.co.uk and I would highly recommend using it. Why? Well for starters the Defender sold for more than I was advertising it in LRM. While it is a classic cars auction site, it has recently sold several Defenders. Now that the new Defender is out, does this make the old one a classic? Its design and looks are certainly timeless and iconic. So how did the auction process…

DAVE PHILLIPS CONTRIBUTOR 1996 Discovery 300Tdi 1984 Ninety 300Tdi MARK WILLIAMS CONTRIBUTOR 2005 Freelander 1 TD4 HSE Station Wagon STEVE MILLER CONTRIBUTOR 2007 Discovery 3, 2004 facelift Freelander 1 Td4 SE TIM HAMMOND CONTRIBUTOR 1991 Range Rover Classic 300Tdi 1987 Range Rover Classic 3.5 EFI V8 1986 Range Rover Classic 300Tdi 1984 Range Rover Classic 3.5 V8 1984 Range Rover Classic 3.5 V8 1982 Range Rover Classic 3.5 V8 1982 Range Rover Classic 3.5 V8 1989 Land Rover Discovery 200Tdi ALISDAIR CUSICK CONTRIBUTOR 1995 Range Rover Classic 1957 Series I…

I use the vehicle painting workshop of Mr Anthony O’Neill for having complete chassis and all manner of components painted. The workshop is familiar with my requirements, and with the special techniques needed to make paint stick permanently to raw steel and galvanised steel. Anthony has painted many refurbished and galvanised bulkheads for me and was keen to see what he could achieve with a brand-new galvanised bulkhead. As a perfectionist, sometimes the results from the refurbished bulkheads did not please Anthony. The finish achieved on this new bulkhead was a different story and, following the multi-stage process of preparation and paint, the results proved to be excellent.…

NEED TO KNOW COST: Flare tool from £30; Bender from £10; Cutter from £5. TIME: 30 mins. DIFFICULTY: MODELS: All models. TOOLS: Kit of brake pipe flaring tools, pipe bender, pipe cutter, 10mm and 16mm spanners. WORK SAFELY: • Follow the instructions with the flaring kit to ensure you produce the correct type of flare for the brake fitting, otherwise the joint will leak and be unsafe. • A female flare (Operation 2) is used, for example, when connecting to the male end on a hose. A male flare (Operation 1) would connect, for example, to a brake caliper, drum brake wheel cylinder, master cylinder, or into a three- or four-way connector block. • If the flaring kit has the facility to make a single flare, ignore it – a…

DID you know musculoskeletal disorders make up about 30 per cent of all workplace injuries? Well, as part of Land Rover’s pledge to deliver a safer, more intelligent workplace, engineers are working on the next generation of protective workplace clothing – in particular a lightweight 3D-printed glove. Designed for people working on the production line, for example those required to fit clips or fasteners into the chassis during assembly of Land Rover’s vehicles, the unique 3D-printed glove would provide support to reduce muscle fatigue, but also be flexible and comfortable enough to wear during an eight-hour shift. With Gaydon home to one of the largest 3D printing facilities in the UK, JLR saw an opportunity to use its advanced manufacturing expertise to design and 3D print a lattice-style structure. Having…

I read Dave Phillip’s ‘Vocal Yokel’ article with interest in the latest issue and whilst I appreciate that it is his column’s role to spark lively debate, I would like to provide some counterpoints to his diatribe against HS2. Yes, the budget has increased. The reality is that with a project this complex, in a country as heavily populated as Britain, route options were always going to be limited; furthermore it is only as the design of the railway has proceeded that the ground conditions have been studied in depth and this has led to a more accurate picture of the overall costs becoming known. With regards to the point about getting an earlier train, I commute from Manchester to Birmingham every day, a journey of 1.5 hours. I get…

WHILE waiting for my friend Pete to materialise for a leisurely drive, I put the time to good use by removing the usual assortment of cobwebs and moss that the Lightweight regularly accumulates, prowling around with a grubby cloth and a flagon of tap water. But the autumnal detritus the exterior has attracted really requires a serious power wash. Having been introduced to off-roading in an old Defender in the Lake District, Pete is now a willing accomplice for all things Land Rover. So, after a lovely long drive through Devon’s stunning lanes, we motor into Totnes to track down a jet-wash. The longest wash option is clearly needed and, while Pete nobly gets stuck in with the hot foam brush, I drift behind him with the spray hose complaining…

Richard Howell Thomas Founder and former editor of LRM I am very disappointed. I had hoped for a modernised, legislation-compliant, outstandingly practical, 21st century Land Rover. I had hoped for rugged integrity – a vehicle that could survive in the wild, absorb the bumps and knocks and bring everyone home safely. Instead we get an ‘off-road super computer’ and bulging wheel arches. Oh please! The reality of Land Rover’s ‘replacement’ for the Defender is simply this: it isn’t one. I am certain it is a fine car and no doubt all those electronics will thrill would-be buyers who like that kind of stuff. But a Defender replacement? No. Richard Hall LRM contributor ANYONE hoping that the new Defender would be a more refined, sensibly updated evolution of the original was…

WHEN you’ve become the first Brit to complete a Dakar after having much success in the Tuareg Rallye (and several other off-road competitions in Egypt and Africa), the journey across Britain from north to south probably pales in comparison, right? Wrong. When you’re doing it in Series I that doesn’t start every morning, never mind cover that sort of distance, and with your seven-year-old daughter in tow, not surprisingly you gain the same sense of achievement. We’re talking about Ben and Hope Metcalfe, who drove the length of Britain in their 1955 LWB 107 pick-up in aid of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. Ben takes up the story: “Pre-children I used to do overland racing. It actually all started thanks to this very magazine who wanted someone to drive the…

What was your favourite part of the adventure? Seeing the Kelpies – they’re big horse head sculptures in Scotland. And your least favourite? Breaking down, but it only happened twice and daddy sorted it. What are the best things about your Land Rover? I like the fact it is old and it’s got lots of storage for sweets. If you could ask your Land Rover any question what would you ask? Did you enjoy your trip? And I think she would say, yes I did. If you could go anywhere in your Land Rover where would you go? A sweetie factory. This winter daddy is rebuilding the axles so we can take her to Europe. Then, the year after, we’re hoping to go to America followed by China. If you…

PATRICK CRUYWAGEN EDITOR 1998 Defender 110 2.8 TREVOR CUTHBERT CONTRIBUTOR 1984 Land Rover 90 Mazda 3.5 Tdi automatic soft top (rebuild project) 1990 Land Rover One Ten LHD V8 soft top 1994 Defender 130 Tipper 300Tdi 1998 Defender 90 Station Wagon 2.8i BMW six-clyinder petrol 2002 Discovery 2 Td5 Adventurer 2004 Defender 90 Td5 hard top DAVE BARKER CONTRIBUTOR Discovery 4, Freelander 2 XS Defender 90, Series I ED EVANS TECHNICAL EDITOR 1976 Series III 88 soft top 1989 Ninety Station Wagon 1998 Discovery 300Tdi 2000 Freelander 1 L-series 2000 Defender 110 Td5 2006 Range Rover Sport TDV6…

WHATEVER happened to all the fuss over autonomous vehicles? Manufacturers have gone strangely quiet and I suspect the idea is suffering the same fate as the first proposal for a replacement Defender: the controversial DC100 which everyone loathed and was quietly dropped. Next in the queue are battery electric vehicles. Despite current hype, only two types are available: low-cost small cars with restricted range that are inadequate for family use, and large cars that might manage a useful 300 miles but are impractically expensive. Neither satisfy the needs of most of the population – the working people who need to drive for a living and for their lifestyle. The 300-mile range Porsche Taycan at £138,000 doesn’t exist for these people, and a low-priced Nissan Leaf isn’t going to carry the…

NEED TO KNOW COST: £1770. TIME: 8 hours. DIFFICULTY: MODELS: Defender 90, 110. TOOLS: General workshop tools, trim removal tool, paint spraying equipment, compressed air source. PARTS £ COSTS: New galvanised bulkhead, £1650 (Shielder Chassis Ltd); Etch primer, 2K primer, 2K finish paint, £120, (LM Paints Ltd). CONTACT: Shielder Chassis Ltd Tel: 02837 518271, shielderchassis.com • LM Paints Ltd, Tel: 02825 892155 WORK SAFELY: • Wear protective gloves. • Wear safety boots. • Wear eye protection when cutting and filing. • Specialist breathing equipment is essential when applying 2K paint.…

ANY toolbox should be practical, so we took a selection of common tools – spanners, sockets, screwdrivers and a ratchet wrench – to see how well they fitted into the removable tote tray in each product. Underneath, we loaded up with larger items including a hammer, a can of WD-40, a torque wrench, a hacksaw and an adjustable wrench. We marked the tote tray and any organiser boxes for versatility and number of dividers offered. All these points were balanced against build quality, overall practicality, weight, size and cost, including the price per litre (ppl). Retail figures came from makers and online sources.…

RETAILER Farnell Land Rover’s Philippa Haigh has been named a Rising Star at the 2019 Barclaycard Everywoman in Retail Awards. The senior sales executive at the Vertu Motors’ Farnell operation in Guiseley collected the prestigious national award which recognises women under 30 who are excelling in their career, and making a valuable contribution to their organisation. Having started her career when she was 19 as a customer support assistant, she has progressed through various roles and is now a respected and successful member of the sales team. At just 23, Pippa is now the company’s top-performing premium franchise sales executive and has been fundamental in helping the business achieve an 82.3 per cent CSI score, with the national average sitting at 73 per cent. The judging panel of industry heavyweights…

“It is range anxiety that is holding back the sale of electric cars, despite financial incentives offered by the government” THEY say that as you grow older, policemen start to look younger. That’s open to debate, but I can categorically state that cars are getting bigger. My very first car, bought when I passed my test at the age of 17 in 1973, wasn’t a Land Rover — it was a nine year-old Ford Cortina Mk1. BEB 339B, my pride and joy. Back then it was what was known as a middle-sized saloon: the sort of family car driven by sales managers. Today it looks like something from Matchbox. You’d struggle to get me inside, never mind a family. It’s the same with Land Rovers. In its day, an 80in…

I have few Land Rover adventures to share this month as much of my time has been spent on the driveway working pretty intensively on my latest project, a 1966 Series IIA. I am sharing much of the restoration on my Instagram account (@jackuar_land_rover. The level of interest and support from those that follow me has been fantastic – several people have even sent me spare parts that I have struggled to source locally. I am tackling the project on my driveway with only fairly basic tools and I hope my efforts may go some way to encourage others to work on their Land Rovers. It is certainly very rewarding to be able to do jobs yourself and it can save you a lot of money. “When you chose to…

Wil Jenner: I will be happy if they’ve fixed the drips from the roof and the draft from the doors. The old Defender might be full of character but it wasn’t the most welcoming after being out in the cold and wet all day. It has a heater that’s as good as your dog’s panting breath. Denys Shortt: Great design that will appeal to millions worldwide. The low sales of old Defender will be transformed with this modern techy machine. £35k for a commercial is affordable. Steve Dowden: Land Rover used to stand out from the crowd, now they’re just another SUV that will blend in with every other model on the road. Such a shame! Peter Biggs: Been unable to buy a new old-style Defender double cab chassis in…

• Loch Ness Centre and exhibition 01456 450573, lochness.com/exhibition/opening-times-prices.aspx • Ben Nevis visitscotland.com/see-do/iconic-scotland/ben-nevis/ • Ben Nevis Distillery 01397 702476, bennevisdistillery.com/ • The Kelpies visitscotland.com/info/see-do/the-helix-home-of-thekelpies-p889261 • Hadrian’s Wall english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hadrians-wall/ • Angel of the North gateshead.gov.uk/article/3957/Angel-of-the-North • Durham Castle 0191 334 2932, dur.ac.uk/durham. castle • London Dungeons thedungeons.com/london/en/ • Tower of London tower-of-london.tickets-london.co.uk • Stonehenge, english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/ • Minack Theatre 01736 810181, minack.com/ • Land’s End cornwall-online.co.uk/attractions/lands-end/Welcome.html…

WE all like a book on holiday, and with the aid of my son I found a good one with a Land Rover theme you may enjoy. Desmond Bagley’s Running Blind is worth a read for a Land Rover fan. Bagley talks of Land Rovers and off-roading as we know the subject. Think of an Ian Fleming’s Bond book with a Land Rover and off-roading in, and you’re there. Written in 1970, I’m bewildered by the post-83 90 on the cover, particularly as the book describes a long-wheelbase camper with a pop-top. Still, when did you last read a novel mentioning the final drive ratio of a Land Rover in low range?…

• Wear thick protective gloves when working with sharp edges, grinding, cutting and when using an angle grinder. • Hold the angle grinder with two hands to control torque twist and kick-back. • Wear eye protection when grinding, cutting, wire brushing, sanding, releasing springs and clips, when opening fluid lines and working on overhead parts. • Wear a particle filter when removing rust and cleaning brake parts. • Wear steel toe-capped work shoes that will protect against falling objects and ensure better grip on slippery floors. • When welding, wear specialist welding protective gloves, clothing and mask. Ensure appropriate fire-fighting equipment is available close by. • Never work on a cooling system, nor remove the filler cap, until the engine and coolant are fully cooled; and then always remove the…

WHEN brand-new steel is galvanised, there is generally less rectification work needed than is the case with galvanising older products. The finish on the galvanised steel is generally better and there is less in the way of impurities adhering to the surfaces. Shielder carries out rectification work at the factory – drilling out holes that have filled in, sanding off zinc drips and re-tapping threaded holes, as well as seam-sealing the joints. However, I brought the new bulkhead into my workshop to fully check it over and do a little extra seam sealing of my own – there is only one opportunity to make the job perfect, so the extra effort is worth it, for peace of mind.…

Union rules DO check you have the correct unions for the pipe, particularly in respect of the thread. Never mix UNF and metric, and ensure you don’t have DIN flare male unions, which have a flat shoulder on the back to work with a different bubble shape. SAE unions work with an angled face both sides of the flare. Check threads, too. As a guide, metric males are too large for UNF females, but beware: metric females will just catch the thread of UNF males – potentially dangerous on a brake system. Be careful, and be absolutely certain you have the right thread and bubble. Identification AS a guide, metric fixings are zinc passivated, with a square shoulder (right), imperial are silver in colour and conical (middle). The exception being…

WE looked for the best all-year-round screenwash and focused on those without a rain repellent to ensure we compared like with like. Each was mixed to its winter concentration and stuck in the deep freeze, and we timed how long they took to ice over. To tackle baked-on bugs and a measured smear of oil on the screen, we used the wipers and just 100ml of the summer solution, monitoring how much was shifted. We then factored in winter and summer costs using makers’ and online prices to name a winner.…

ONLINE forums have been buzzing with posts from disgruntled Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque owners following last month’s revelations about design flaws in the Ingenium engines’ diesel particulate system, which causes potentially catastrophic oil dilution from unburnt fuel. We also have a leaked memo that JLR has sent to its dealers, telling them to advise customers of the problem, which is caused by short, stop-start and low-speed journeys below 40mph. If that is typical of the sort of driving you do, dealers should explain that diesel Discovery Sports and Evoques built in 2016-17 model years are likely to be problematical — and to sell you another model, or a petrol version, instead. A scan of that memo is shown in full on this page. The most revealing case histories…