Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2025 i Land Rover Monthly

I’M starting to wonder how long I will be able to continue to use my 1990 Range Rover as my daily driver, given that an increasing number of replacement parts are getting harder to find, even for a late four-door. SYD was rebuilt from the ground up between January 2009 and November 2011 and remains in reasonably good shape, but it was at risk of being sidelined a couple of weeks ago, when we found the transmission oil cooler was leaking. After several days of searching, we finally located a new Genuine Parts item in the Netherlands. It cost me over €700 (£585 approx) but it might well be the last one on the planet for all I know. I’ve spent ten years trying to find an unobtanium NOS Boge…

DO you ever have that sensation where your eye is drawn to a Land Rover and you can’t quite work out why? Then you realise it’s because you haven’t seen one for a while, at least in nice condition. This is exactly what happened to me when I spotted a Range Rover Sport sitting in the row awaiting its turn at an auction. The Sport has never been my favourite model, as I’ve always preferred the ‘full fat’ Range Rovers and Discoverys. This is also because the Sport gained a bit of a reputation for being a school-run special, or perhaps being the preferred transport of wide-boy types. But this particular car awaiting sale was a completely unmodified 2010 TDV6 HSE with unusual and glossy Firenze Red paint, no privacy…

AN above average mileage Discovery 3 should, in theory, have you running a mile. Carrying a fearsome reputation for unreliability, the universal buying advice is to buy a new one, and keep it within warranty. The car on these pages disproves that myth by some margin. This 2005 SE model, at the time of writing, has covered 958,000 miles. You might read that and expect it to be like ‘Trigger’s Broom’; the TV sitcom joke about the broom being the same one despite being 20-years old, and having had 17 new heads and 14 new handles in the interim. But you’d be wrong. Yes, it has had a few engines, but besides that, most of the car is – as unbelievable as it sounds – the same collection of parts…

WE are spoilt. As Land Rover enthusiasts and owners, we are privileged to have a vast number of skilled companies across a whole range of aftermarket segments available to us – probably more than any other vehicle brand in the world. In this series, Greg King spends a day with specialists in different fields – from modifiers and independent specialists, to parts suppliers and restorers, to see what makes them tick. YOU might expect a Series I Land Rover restorer to be based in an old workshop or garage, but it’s certainly not the case with CKD Shop. I pull on to a modern industrial estate in Warwickshire, with everything looking very clean, tidy and organised. Outside CKD’s building isn’t an old 80in dripping oil, but an electric van on…

2002 RANGE ROVER L322 Owner: Thomas Mills WITH the increased popularity of people buying the third-generation L322 Range Rover to use as an off-road tool and overlanding platform, I wanted to share with you the story behind my own car. My name is Thomas, I’m ex-forces and I’m now a business owner as well as retained fireman. I’ve always had a soft spot for the L322 Range Rover, and owning one has always been on my radar. Late one night I was scrolling through the classifieds on my phone, and I came across an Epsom Green 2002 L322 (chrome and cream everything) and an extended list of problems: “it wasn’t far from going to the scrap man,” read the advert. I bought the car regardless, for better or for worse,…

IT’S not unusual to hear of Land Rovers having covered 200,000 or even 300,000 miles; sometimes on the same engine, gearbox or axles, though rarely all of those major components. This doesn’t only apply to the early models: my own 2006 truck is heading for 200,000 miles and editor Martin’s later Freelander has already achieved that. We could say this is testament to the quality of engineering in Land Rovers, but there’s more to it than that. Major components aside, we frequently replace lesser parts and consumables, and it’s generally true that the better the quality of replacement parts, the longer they last, with Genuine parts usually lasting longest. But there’s cost effectiveness to consider. A cheap part costing £100 including fitting, that lasts one year, is poor value compared…

WE’VE all followed a Defender on the motorway in heavy rain. Amongst the grey road spray or in fog, the dim red pinpricks of the factory tail lights can take great effort to see. Modern cars commonly employ larger, brighter lenses and LED technology, and their lights stand out much more clearly. The Defender’s factory specification filament bulb system for sidelights and indicators is decidedly old technology now. We’ve had aftermarket LED sidelight systems for Defenders for a number of years. LED systems provide brighter, larger lighting, as well as a stylistic improvement to the look of our Land Rovers. As well as simply upgrading the factory filament bulbs, some owners are reaching the point of replacing older LED conversions due to issues. Not all LED lights are equal, and…

TRIBUTES have been paid following the passing of former Tata Motors boss, Ratan Tata, who recently died aged 86. The Indian businessman took over from his father, JRD Tata, as chairman of Tata Motors in 1991, and oversaw operations for more than two decades. When he stood down in 2012, the company’s profits were more than 50 times higher than when he took over. Tata was also instrumental in the company’s acquisition of JLR back in 2008. On behalf of everyone at the manufacturer, CEO Adrian Mardell said: “The entire JLR family is profoundly saddened by the death of Mr Ratan Tata. His personal achievements and legacy are unequalled in society, and the mark he leaves on our business and brands is greater than that of any other individual. “It…

A last-minute decision to motor over to the Newbury Spares Day means it is just the Lightweight and I heading out into the overcast Sunday morning, after the obligatory water check, oil top-up and deployment of an extra external bungee cord to secure the dodgy passenger door. Even though it’s fun to have company, I do enjoy doing longer distances in the Lightweight alone. There’s no need to fret about passenger (dis)comfort and needs or what they might be trying to say, no complaints to listen to and plenty of time for contemplation. I set the sat nav to avoid motorways, which adds an extra half an hour or so on the journey time but loses some 15 miles and offers what will inevitably be a superior driving experience for…

“ANOTHER challenge that the Project Jay team had to overcome was a major strike at Solihull, when around 6000 Land Rover hourly-paid workers went on strike for five weeks in early 1988,” remembers Brian Hipkins. “This was a particularly crucial time for the Build and Validation Programme and posed a significant threat to our crucial first builds. But due to the high level of commitment shown by all those involved in the build of these vehicles in Block 38, the Build Programme remained on target. “A leaked photograph of a complete Jay design buck appeared on the front cover of Autocar magazine on 24 February 1988 under the headline ‘The Secret Range Rover for 1990’, and the company made a great show of trying to find the person responsible, including…

Alex Massey was 16-years old when he got his first Land Rover – a 1953 80in over in Clermont, Queensland, Australia. He was always fascinated by the very early vehicles, and after one of his dad’s friends gave him a book containing road tests of the early Land Rovers, it grew into an all-consuming passion. Through amazing coincidence, Alex met Arthur Goddard in Brisbane – the lead engineer on the 1948 Land Rover project – who had emigrated to Australia in the 1960s. Along with fellow Australian Mike Bishop, Alex was instrumental in reconnecting Arthur with Land Rover, helping fill in some of the historic information gaps. This ultimately lead to Alex working with Land Rover on the Reborn programme. Rob Sprason’s introduction to Land Rovers bears a striking similarity…

IN a similar vein to both of those drives came another of my Peak District LRM get-togethers. They informally started in 2021, when LRM’s Ed Evans, Steve Miller and I met up for nothing more than a casual catch-up and drive around. And it was fab. We all work with Land Rovers and typically if we’re together we’ve got a job to do and little time to do it. To meet up with no itinerary, in our own cars and with great roads nearby, was a rare treat. This year saw the much-anticipated repeat. No Ed this time, but Steve and his wife, editor Martin, Land Rover Life editor Neil and myself met up for another drive. The Peak District offers some superb driving – once you leave the antisocial…

LAND Rovers aren’t like other vehicles, or even other 4x4s. They get tired, rusty and run-down, but never truly die. And while my Series III is still very much alive, the adventures I’ve had and people I’ve met because of it over the last few years, have solidified how much I want to keep hold of it. Which is why I’ve decided to add decades onto its lifespan with a Maer galvanised chassis. Longer-term followers of my adventures in welding the 109’s tired backbone up over the years will know that the original chassis has been patched and repaired in the past the years by previous owners, and has had two rear spring mounts, a rear crossmember and some further localised repairs to the front outriggers since I’ve had it.…

PREPARING AN OLD DIESEL FOR WINTER In the recent cold snap my Series III 88in diesel was reluctant to start up first thing in the morning. It eventually fired, but was a bit rough for a while. It has been all right since, and I still use it daily for work and towing off-road, but I’m worried it’s going to let me down during the winter. Is there anything I should be doing to ensure the old girl keeps running? James Leigh ED EVANS REPLIES: You may have a problem with one or more of the heater plugs. The heater plugs are wired in series so, if one packs up none will work, making cold starting very difficult. Later engines have parallel-wired plugs, so if one of those fails, the…

ALUMINIUM DEFENDER BUMPER £399 Website: mltk.com/ Treat your classic Defender to a front-end makeover with this tapered bumper. Made from TIG-welded laser-cut 4mm thick 5051 aluminium and finished in a durable gloss black powdercoat, the bumper has holes for a pair of Lazer Lamps ST-4 driving lights and can be fitted in conjunction with the company’s stainless steel steering guard for an extra £295. HYBRID ROOF TENT £2495 Website: tuff-trek.com Melding the robust structure of a hard-shell roof tent with the space of a soft-shell, the Sahara-X has its X-hinge outside the fabric, making it easy to open and close the tent without catching the fabric. The hinge allows the ABS top to lift out of the way and lets the rip-stop 320g blackout canvas tent fold out giving a…

I now have myself a V8-powered Series IIA trayback and I am very happy! In fact, it has been a great month for me – not only did the V8 transplant go extremely well, my 80in scooped Best Off-Road Vehicle and Best in Show at the All-British Day here in Brisbane. It beat some very nice vehicles including a couple of beautiful Rolls-Royces and even a Jaguar XJ220 (in all honesty, I would have picked the Jaguar – what a spectacular-looking car). Purists would likely be horrified that an 80in painted in the wrong green (I went for a 1950s Jaguar shade) with a black chassis (like the body, it ‘should’ be Bronze Green) beat vehicles that have been painstakingly restored to original specification: there were at least half a…

“I was always into fast cars,” smiles Tom Burnett wryly from the driver’s seat of his well-sorted Discovery. “Japanese stuff mainly – Mitsubishi Evos, Nissan Silvias, that sort of thing. Then I went out to Australia around 12 years ago to work, and bought a clapped-out Discovery 1 for A$1000 to get about in. Over the course of the following year, I ended up travelling around most of the country in it with nothing more than a pop-up tent. When I got back to Perth to fly home, I sold the Discovery to another English guy who went on to do the same thing with it. The Land Rover bug had really bitten by then, and I haven’t been without one since.” Hailing from north-east Wales, Tom had some prime…

THE launch of the Discovery in 1989 had a direct impact on the creation of the first Land Rover Experience centre, which opened in 1991. As the Discovery’s 35th anniversary year comes to an end, it’s a perfect moment to review how the Solihull centre came about, and how the LRE grew to be what it is today. And who better to join us on the journey than Land Rover legend, Roger Crathorne. “I joined Rover as an engineering apprentice in 1963 and officially retired in 2014,” Roger tells me, “but I continued to work for JLR as an independent consultant until finally stepping down in May 2023, when I was told the company was no longer particularly interested in its Land Rover history.” Of his remarkable 60 years with…

I’VE just stepped in after a fabulous drive. For almost two hours I’ve revelled in a deserted world. No traffic, no cyclists, no horse riders, nothing. Just the whole place to myself and a soundtrack of roaring crossplies. You see, the time of writing is the Euro football final and England is playing Spain. As soon as I learnt this was happening, I planned my move. Five minutes before the kick-off whistle, out of the garage rolls UAO 426 and off we head for a drive. I’ve done this for years, right back to the Royal wedding. At the time I had a Porsche 911 and even now I can recall the drive I had that day. On big national event days, everyone tunes in on TV, except for me…

REGULAR readers may remember my last update in the July issue, where I was busy beavering away in my shed, hoping to get my Penman trailer finished in time to take it to LRM Live at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern. Well, it happened! Well, when I say finished, what I mean is frame safely bolted onto the trailer with a roof tent bolted atop. That kind of finished. To get to that point, many more hours were spent dressing welds and ensuring each one of them was perfect. I’ll admit there were a couple of welds here and there I wasn’t happy with, so I ground them out and rewelded. One major thing to take from my first proper welding project is to never underestimate how much metal…

Call for a free quote on 01480 484 803 November 7 BLACKPOOL LIGHTS RUN Blackpool, Lancashire landroverclub.co.uk November 9 NORTHUMBERLAND LAND ROVER TOUR Alnwick, Northumberland uklandroverevents.com November 9-10 TYRO AND RTV/CCV TRIALS Little Baddow, Essex elrc.info MOORS & DALES GRAND TOUR Stokesley, North Yorkshire trailsandtracks.co.uk November 10 THE ARMISTICE INTERCLUB CCV TRIAL Brotherton, West Yorkshire ylroc.co.uk CCV TRIAL Stainby, Lincs lrlrc.co.uk/ CCV & RTV TRIAL Penrith, Cumbria nero.org.uk RTV/CCVT TRIAL Binegar Quarry, Somerset somersetandwiltshirelrc.co.uk CCV TRIAL Location TBC slroc.co.uk TRIAL Haggate, Burnley, Lancashire penninelandrover.co.uk PAY & PLAY DAY Dersingham, Norfolk mudmuncher4x4.co.uk PAY & PLAY DAY Harbour Hill, Aldermaston 4x4-withoutaclub.co.uk November 14 TYNEDALE LAND ROVER TOUR Hartside Pass, Alston, Cumbria uklandroverevents.com November 15-17 DEFENDER RALLY SERIES UK CHAMPIONSHIP Round 7, Scottish Borders Hill Rally scottish-hillrally.co.uk November 16-17 DAY INTO NIGHT RTV…

THOSE who read the driveline feature in the November issue of LRM will know this 2006 Range Rover Sport had developed noise from the transfer box rear output bearing after 176,000 miles. I’ve no complaints about that failure, and I’d say the car’s done well given that the original engine, gearbox and diffs are still all running nicely. Although we knew where the noise was coming from, continuing to drive with this obvious defect was too risky. Bearing wear can suddenly accelerate, so there was no knowing when total failure would happen. On this DD295 transfer box, replacement of an individual bearing is not really an option because it requires the box to be completely dismantled. Given that the bearing was worn (wear was also detected in the front output…