r/LandroverDefender

Hi all. Does anyone know a good South-UK based Land Rover breaker please?

Ideally would have a large variety of parts of older defenders and discoveries as I am in the need of a lot of parts.

Thanks in advance :)

I need to sell my Land Rover defender that only has around 15k miles and is hardly used. I bought it new which ended up costing over 100k after taxes and all the fees. I got a quote from carmax and carvana and both were between 40 to 45k which is over 50% loss.

I’d hate to do that but I don’t have the time to deal with selling privately and risk anything shady. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do?

Have a defender 110 utility back. I would like to buy the running rails that allow me to move the front seats just a little further back. However that really leaves little leg room on the rear seats.

Is there a simple solution (I’ll take medium difficulty solution also) to move the middle row of seats back a bit too into the boot space to give the leg room again? My concern is the anchor points, I fail to see how I can move them at all?

Has anyone had a go at this with any success?

Even any ideas, throw them out. Worst case I’ll just stay slightly bent up, it’s worked for the last 10 years…

Looking to get insurance in California for a defender I’m buying but no carrier is able to locate it with the VIN? Anyone else have this problem? Or know what carrier to go through?

I’ve tried with Hagerty but they aren’t insuring this vehicle in California at the moment

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to get some advice from people who know Defenders well.

When I was 22, I accidentally crashed my dad’s Land Rover Defender TD5 90. It was total loss, and I’ve never really allowed myself to forget about it.

That car was my dad’s pride and joy. I remember him having the chassis galvanised because he wanted to keep it going for as long as possible. He absolutely loved that Defender.

After the accident, my dad was mainly worried about me and my health. He never really made a deal about losing the car and never made me feel guilty about it. I know it must have hurt him to have lost it... he basically stayed completely silent about it.

At the time of the accident, I was obviously nowhere near being able to replace it. But the thought of getting him another Defender has stayed with me for the last 13 years.

I’m finally getting to a point where I’m earning enough that, if all goes well, I should be able to save enough by next year to buy one without putting my own family in financial trouble.

I know it won’t be his old Defender, and I know I can’t undo what happened. But I’d really love to give him another one someday. I think it would mean a lot to both of us.

So I’m looking for some advice from the Defender community, especially people in Belgium / Europe.

What should I be looking for when viewing one? What are the big things to check? Are there particular TD5 issues I should know about? And what are the things that should make me walk away from a car?

I’d rather spend a year finding the right one than rush into buying the wrong one.

Any advice, tips, things to look out for, or even recommendations on where to look would be massively appreciated.

Hopefully, if everything goes to plan, I’ll be back here next year with a picture of my dad and his new Defender.

Hey everyone,
Complete beginner here and I’m getting a little overwhelmed by all the choices, so I’d really appreciate some advice before I buy/return another machine.
I have a 2024 Land Rover Defender 110 S and want to start taking care of the paint myself. I’m not trying to become a professional detailer or do major paint correction. My goals are mainly:
● Remove/reduce light swirl marks and minor scratches
● Polish the paint and bring back the gloss
● Apply wax/sealant/ceramic spray
● Maintain the Defender maybe 1–2 times per year
● Learn how to do it properly without risking the clear coat
I originally bought a cheap cordless buffer that came with orange foam pads and fluffy bonnets, but after looking into it more, it seems like it was mainly a waxing/buffing machine rather than a proper DA polisher, so I’m returning it.
I’ve since been looking at various Amazon cordless polishers, including SPTA and some of the generic brushless 5” models with two 4Ah batteries. The problem is that I’m having a hard time figuring out which ones are actually true dual-action/random-orbital polishers versus rotary machines or glorified wax applicators.
What I’m looking for
I’d like to spend around $150 total, although I have some flexibility if spending a little more makes a significant difference.
Ideally I’d like:
● Cordless
● True DA/random orbital
● 5” backing plate
● Brushless motor if possible
● Battery + charger included since I don’t currently own a Ryobi/DeWalt/Milwaukee/Makita battery ecosystem
● Enough battery life to realistically work on a large SUV
● Beginner friendly
● Replacement pads/batteries readily available
I’m also confused about 8 mm vs. 12 mm vs. 15 mm throw. For a large vehicle like a Defender, would you recommend 15 mm, or is an 8 mm machine easier/better for someone learning?
I’d love recommendations for the whole ~$150 setup
If you had roughly $150 to get a beginner started, what would you buy?
Specifically:

1. Which cordless DA polisher?
2. Which size/throw?
3. Which cutting, polishing and finishing pads?
4. Which compound/polish? I was considering Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound + Ultimate Polish.
5. What would you use for final protection — wax, sealant or ceramic spray?
6. How many pads would I realistically need to polish something as large as a Defender 110?
7. Is cordless realistic for doing an entire Defender, or am I making a mistake by ruling out corded machines?
8. Are the cheaper Amazon cordless DAs worth buying for someone who will only use the machine a couple of times per year, or should I spend the money on something like Griot’s/Ryobi/etc.?
9. I’m not looking for perfection or a professional two-stage correction. I’d rather safely get 70–80% of the swirls out than chase every scratch and risk damaging the clear coat.
10. Seattle-area question
11. I’m in the Seattle, WA area.
12. If anyone local knows a good detailing-supply store where I can actually walk in, talk to someone knowledgeable, see the machines/pads, and buy everything locally, I’d love recommendations.
13. I’d also be interested in a local detailer/shop that offers beginner classes or would be willing to teach someone the basics of DA polishing.
14. Amazon links are welcome too.
15. Thanks! I’m trying to buy the right setup once instead of accumulating a collection of cheap buffers that I end up returning. 😂

I’m looking into a ‘96 Defender 110 with the factory TD3 engine and 2 shops I’m talking to in southern California is quoting around $14k just to get it CA-compliant and registered. Is that normal or am I getting scammed? I get that diesel emissions rules in CA are their own can of worms but what is actually driving that cost?

Trying to go in with realistic expectations before I commit. Appreciate any guidance from people who’ve actually done this.

Hi everyone,
I have a Land Rover Defender 110 TD5 and I’ve noticed a strange intermittent high-pitched noise coming from somewhere inside the cabin.
It doesn’t happen all the time. When it does, it’s a continuous high-pitched sound that lasts for a few seconds, something like “eeeeeeeeee…”, and then, just before stopping, the pitch drops noticeably (“eeeeee… eeeooow”).
We can’t pinpoint exactly where inside the cabin it’s coming from, probably from the front.
The strangest thing is that it doesn’t only happen while driving or with the engine running. On at least one occasion it happened while the Defender was parked, with the engine off and the key completely removed from the ignition for several minutes.
The vehicle has the original Land Rover alarm/immobiliser, but it also has a couple of aftermarket accessories:
Rear parking sensors
An aftermarket LCD/CarPlay head unit
There are no obvious warning lights or other symptoms that seem to occur at the same time as the noise.
Has anyone with a TD5 Defender experienced something similar?
I’m particularly interested in knowing whether there are any original Defender components, relays, alarm/immobiliser modules, buzzers, etc. that can remain powered after the key has been removed and could make this kind of high-pitched sound.
Any ideas on what I should check first would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Hi, I'm having trouble finding any retailer in Australia that has the belhousing bolts described - the 4 on the bottom of the bellhousing. Anyone got any ideas?