In Honour of owning My TD5 110 for six months and lurking for about the same period i thought i Ought to finally create and account.

I couldn't find a welcome or introduction section in the forum, so i thought i'd start here with a few pics of my Lucinda, So named for my first love.

I bought her 6 months ago, Owning a defender was always (sort of) on my bucket list. It was a bored flick through autotrader waiting for my work laptop to update that i saw a defender Just outside reading for £16k. It was a black '08 Puma with a winch, Khan Design grille, sawtooth alloys, snorkle and light bar. I mulled it over, and did the math and found out i could buy it.

Alas, it was sold. The idea was implanted though, I had to have one, my wife was using the disco and i needed something for work that was capable of towing and carrying lots of people. The next one down was an '03 TD5, a little rusty and a little mucky, i called the number and arranged a viewing.

I took my brother with me (a body dinger, who i had only just started speaking to after two years), and we met the owners, the battery was dead or it was broken, but all it took was a jump startand a quick test drive, and i felt sold... Almost...

We talked the owner down £2K, and went home and i applied for the remaining money required as a personal loan. For some reason however there was a delay in the transfer of funds and i got worried about actually paying. But it eventually went through fine, paid them the money and told my father.

"Oh what car have you bought now?" knowing I was always buying a new car. When i told him i saw his face turned to horror as he knew the defender as the thing that breaks down.

I talked him through my method of thinking, we must be the only family in the world who doesn't know a man with a van, that i'm always having to pay stupid prices on parts for other cars as they simply didn't exist, and that i want a car that would last me another 20 years and (hopefully) still have value at the end of it. I'm quite prone to being caught in serious accidents (two in one day, and three over the same week) so being able to repair something myself would come in handy.
He wasn't sold, but he wasn't exactly telling me what i should do with my money as he usually does.

Anyway we went to pick it up and i had my first "defender experience", the whole fuel tank thing, where the halfway mark is just to the right of centre and the quarter tank mark is just to the left of centre. Driving home on what i thought was half a tank and actually less than a half, left me worried as the fuel warning light came on passing through the dartford tunnel but i made it to thurrock and stuck about 40 quid of fuel in there.

Me and my brother took it out twice that weekend, once to visit my grandmother and one just for a drive. Monday Came, ot was cold and it snowed, started twice, But that Monday my client had sacked the security company that guards their office, and a gate that should be open at 07:00 wasn't opened until 09:30, leaving our cars lined up outside on a busy A road to enter. Me being a smartass though i could leave the Heating (if it can be called that), Heated seats (if they can be called heated), sidelights, the radio and the heated windscreen (that actually works) on whilst the engine was off.

When it came to enter, A thousand tiny clicks was all that came from my starter, This would be my second "defender experience", Luckily my client has a large drop off point that my clients depulty director helped me push into, he even tried to help me jump start but that didn't work with his puny 1.8L engine. I had to call my father to jump strart me and it worked, I left the engine running for about an hour, whilst i worked up in the consultants suite. When it came to starting up to go and come back from lunch it started OK. But when it came to Going home, it wouldn't start again. Luckily my father left me the jump leads and one of my colleagues came to my rescue in a 1.3L fiesta and about 6000 RPM to jumpstart.

I took it to halfords and got a replacement battery (albeit a smaller 90AH as the suggested 120AH didn't fit). And it worked great but beast of the East was on the way.

Pulling into the office i was perhaps going ... a little too fast, a downhill slope and sharp left turn left my ABS fluttering, i had to turn or fly into a ditch annd hedge. I turned left successfully, but as i released the breaks my left wheels spun under ice and i ended up doing a 90 degree turn into a hedge. A volvo was coming the other way and watched in shock and awe as a 3 tonne defender came round the corner doing 40' and spun out into a hedge. I managed to back out, i checked the damage and was surprised to learn that the only the light guards had been bent a little. this was my third "defender experience".


I took a week of in March as i bought a metric butt tonne of goodies to put on my defender.
A black fascia.
Two sheets of Dynamat for the door cards and bonnet.
Two new front door cards.
A mountney heritage timber steering wheel and chrome boss.
An terrafirma Roof console.
Some aluminium Knobs for the gear and transfer lever.
A K&N air filter.
Terrafirma Parcel shelf (that still needs fitting because it has no instructions)
A straight through exhaust (that still needs fitting because the nuts won't move)
An EGR blacking kit (that still needs fitting because i can't get to the hex bolts)

I also took the Liberty of Fixing the transfer box so it would not longer be jammed into High range, and also bled the brakes.

A couple of weeks ago i took another week to Fit a snorkle kit, and a Wraparound soft Nudge bar. Problem is i Took it to a garage to get the tracking done on a saturday, they detached the bumper clamps and undid the steering guard then told me "they couldn't align it" )AKA can't be arsed.

Now i've had my fourth "Defender experience" now that my Fuel tank water warning light is on, and my starter takes about 20 turns in order to start some days, a week ago i had to buy a new relay after the starter got stuck on, but i fear that it will get stuck again.

Anyway after 6 months i still love the damn thing, its a joy to drive, there's just certain "je ne sais quoi" about it that makes driving it enjoyable despite it not being comfortable. By far my favourite thing about it, is spotting other defenders and hailing them. My first thought about that was "They must have known the previous owner." By far my favorite experience was talking with a Frenchman who grew up in africa who owns a decked out puma 90 at a fuel station on the A12.

Anyway i'm here now, so hello, i'd appreciate some recommendations on some decent garages in Brentwood or Romford area To get Some of the problems resolved, Maybe even Further if they're specialist CSK caught my eye.

I'll Use this thread to update pics as Lucinda Evolves as i Have plenty Planned for her.

After the hedge incident:



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Evolution:

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Good write up and welcome to the forum

Once you start reading all the mods you can do you will never be bored again, though they might empty your bank account and owning a Defender you learn the special art of telling your partner the mods cost half of what you paid for them  For those who like Welsh Mountains and narrow boats have a look at my videos and photos at..

http://www.youtube.com/user/conwy1

Thanks mate I've already lined up a long list of upgrades! (RIP credit rating) Current: TD5 '110 "Lucinda"
Previously: Disco 3/4 2010 Manual, BMW 325D SE, '08 Nissan Pathfinder, '08 Nissan Navara, '08 Focus ST, '97 Vectra track car.

Nice 110! Like it a lot

Welcome and a great intro  1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up. Keeper.

Cheers
Clayton.

Managed to Get Lucindas starter motor fixed for £100 (Half install half Supply) all in at my local hidden gem.

Here's Lucinda down the yard, Messed round with the colours as the colour on my cameras going i think.



Click image to enlarge Current: TD5 '110 "Lucinda"
Previously: Disco 3/4 2010 Manual, BMW 325D SE, '08 Nissan Pathfinder, '08 Nissan Navara, '08 Focus ST, '97 Vectra track car.

That's a lovely picture, and a lovely truck. Lucinda is a nice name. The modifications are endless, you'll need a bank account to match...
Id advise that you spend some dosh on security, and then continue making it look pretty

Here's my pride and joy... The Dutchess




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Click image to enlarge Regards
Adam

Loving The Duchess
The Defender 110 TD5 XS

My Defender story - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic64005.html

Cheers bud, likewise, the security on mine is better than stock (i won't go into details.) But still looking to improve it.

Surprisingly she's been nicked twice and been involved in two crimes, a case of livestock rustling and theft of Red diesel.

Luckily failed both times. Current: TD5 '110 "Lucinda"
Previously: Disco 3/4 2010 Manual, BMW 325D SE, '08 Nissan Pathfinder, '08 Nissan Navara, '08 Focus ST, '97 Vectra track car.

Wow, it has had a hell of a life. Lots of history.

Look forward to hearing more of the story in months to come. Regards
Adam

Loving The Duchess
The Defender 110 TD5 XS

My Defender story - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic64005.html

Wow, it has had a hell of a life. Lots of history.

Look forward to hearing more of the story in months to come. Regards
Adam

Loving The Duchess
The Defender 110 TD5 XS

My Defender story - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic64005.html

Hi there fella, looks a good one! I tell you what I bet people don't pull out on you at the last minute now, since you installed the bull bar, Since I installed mine, people do think twice
Yeah we have all had some drama with our defenders at some point, My drama, is sorting out other peoples bodges. Check out my thread  Defender 300 TDi 90 ---/--- Peugeot 306 HDI hatch back

yeah No one messes with the metaphorical "Bull" because they don't want to mess with the metaphorical "Horns" little do they know its a big softie.

My former colleague (who had it in for me) Complained about both lucinda and the bull bars: "what do you need a great big thing like that for?" "Why do you need Smash plate on it?" <Sic> She put in a formal complaint when i said with my tongue in cheek that it was for "running down lazy coworkers and schoolchildren".

I could tell a whole story as to the HR meeting that followed.

As for more stories Luncinda is a bit a workhorse or runabout, Most of what she does is drag steel about and ferry people about as i'm permanent designated driver (8 Months no drink so far). Current: TD5 '110 "Lucinda"
Previously: Disco 3/4 2010 Manual, BMW 325D SE, '08 Nissan Pathfinder, '08 Nissan Navara, '08 Focus ST, '97 Vectra track car.

So as many of you may now Lucinda tried to crush and decapitate me whilst practicing a wheel change. (The week before I bought Lucinda i had a flat in the focus in now where in Essex whilst it was dark and raining elephants and rhinos) I couldn’t even get he wheel buts off but tried to simulate the jacking anyway.

The thing started creaking and it shot out a good 8 or 10 foot, needless to say I’ll get a bottle jack. It also tore the bull bar mount free.

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Click image to enlarge Current: TD5 '110 "Lucinda"
Previously: Disco 3/4 2010 Manual, BMW 325D SE, '08 Nissan Pathfinder, '08 Nissan Navara, '08 Focus ST, '97 Vectra track car.

I’ll show you the other things I’ve done so far

I fitted a mountney 15 inch classic steering wheel, I liked it at first and works with a disklok but I think it might be too flashy. Just waiting for osloblues mother to sew up the leather and I might put the original back on. I like the Momo as my boss has one but 15 inch is perfect for me.

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I also fitted a clarion nz502e as I don’t like having to carry a separate satnav, it’s noisy in terms of the motor and a bit clunky but I like it as it discourages me from using Satnav everywhere I go, so from now on it’s there and back on satnav second time round I do it from memory.
Aside from that it’s got Bluetooth, aux, speaker and an input for a reversing camera.

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Lastly I fitted a terrafirma two part overhead console. It was a fu*king pain to fit as the rear bolts weren’t long enough, I think when I upgrade the headlining I’ll ditch it and have a one piece parcel shelf. I also purchased the parcel shelves for this and other than the extra long screws and spacers for the sun shades, the only other instructions was fix it to the console. So I think that they’re not going on until I find a garage to do it. 5/10 would not recommend

Click image to enlarge Current: TD5 '110 "Lucinda"
Previously: Disco 3/4 2010 Manual, BMW 325D SE, '08 Nissan Pathfinder, '08 Nissan Navara, '08 Focus ST, '97 Vectra track car.


Last edited by OsloBlue on 16th Oct 2018 9:52am. Edited 1 time in total