How to properly store Land Rover Defender

Hey guy's, so recently I have heard loads of different stories and thoughts from a few friends, and what I have read online, about the proper way to store a landrover, to keep it in good condition and such, It's a ex-mod soft top 110 Defender, and I am hearing mixed things from don't put tarp on it, or put tarp on it, leave handbrake off or it will seize, things like that, just wondering if someone could tell me the proper way to store one, all I have to work with is a drive way sadly, and as far as security goes, a disklok

Any help would be greatly appreciated, just recently got the vehicle, first landrover / vehicle, so I'm a bit new to all this

Thanks in advance!

storing for how long?

About half a year, she is declared SORN, and until I finish my course and get back into work I wont have the money to insure her

If you're going to do it properly it'll take a bit of work.
Firstly I'd buy some fabsil and give the canvas a couple of good coats of that to keep it water tight.
The problem with TARPS is they can trap condensation in between the truck and itself so unless you splash out on a breathable car cover I wouldn't bother.
If its not going to move at all jack it up and put it on axel stands keeps the tyres from getting a flat spot also stops people stealing it, also put the transfer box into neutral that'll slow them down too.
Put a plastic bag over the exhaust and airbox 1 to stop condensation building and 2 to stop rodents making a home in the airbox.
Give things like latches, catches, hinges, locks etc a spray with WD then a coat of white grease.
Personally I'd remove the battery completely but make sure the oil is good the water has the right amount of anti freeze in it and the washer bottle also has screen wash topped up.
Now there are two schools of though on the fuel empty it out or leave it in, I'm a leave it in bloke because the quality of fuels today aren't as bad as they used to be and I'd rather have fuel in the lines and around the pump etc than air that may contain moisture.
My series one was left like that for almost two year admittedly in a garage but when I went out to it stuck a charged battery on it, disconnected the fuel lines, cranked it over a few times to get the oil around put the fuel line back on and it fired up straight away .
Hope that helps?

I have had mine laid up in the garage since end of september.

I just put it up on axle stands, disconnected the battery and made sure the oils etc are all good. Half a tank of diesel. hand brake off, gearboxes both in neutral

if i had it on my drive i would probably just have done the same.

Make sure you put a diskok or whatever on for security aswell

I wouldnt stress to much mine sat around not being moved or anything with no prep for almost 8 months at withams before i got it and new battery and it fired right up

oh and on nice days i would prop the doors open and let it vent a bit. I wouldnt worry about keep starting it or anything, although if you do leave it for at least a half hour or until its upto temperature then run it for another 15mins or so. you battery might not like this if you do it to often though

I'd concentrate as much on security as everything else. Can you take the wheels off completely and store them separately? Then think of security lighting or even hooking some form of alarm into the house.

Oh and the handbrake, leave it off.

Apart from that the best that you could do is operate and lubricate everything as often as you can. Open and close the doors, windows and bonnet and wash it to stop the dirt getting into the paint and moss and algae building up in all the little cracks and crevices.

Stick it in the corner of a field, leave the drivers window half open and forget about it. That's what seems to happen to most Land Rovers when they aren't required.

My suggestion is not really serious but this is my 2000th post.

kmanderson62 said:

Hey guy's, so recently I have heard loads of different stories and thoughts from a few friends, and what I have read online, about the proper way to store a landrover, to keep it in good condition and such, It's a ex-mod soft top 110 Defender, and I am hearing mixed things from don't put tarp on it, or put tarp on it, leave handbrake off or it will seize, things like that, just wondering if someone could tell me the proper way to store one, all I have to work with is a drive way sadly, and as far as security goes, a disklok

Any help would be greatly appreciated, just recently got the vehicle, first landrover / vehicle, so I'm a bit new to all this

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

Change the oil, fill tank to the brim with diesel.Cover if possible, but try not to do it when the vehicle is wet!
Handbrake might rust to the drum, so probably best left off. If you plan to leave the vehicle altogether remove the battery and charge it periodically. If you will be around, try and start it once a month and drive it back and forward, even if its only a few feet, to prevent feather edge seals sticking to shafts and being damaged on restart.

Thanks a lot for all the advice! Don't think I could get the wheels off, but all the rest I'll get a crack on at

Thank's a lot guy's!

Just took the tarp off the vehicle, and the canvas is all faded out white where poles are, and on the left it looks like loads of blobs of fading, think the canvas can be saved?

Will try and take photos if required

Yes its where the tarp has been sitting on the canvas and holding the water against it.
Keep the tarp of and go to go outdoors or somewhere like that get some tent and canvas cleaner give it a good scrub and fabsil it should be fine.

Alright great, thanks mate, will do that tomorrow

yeah i wouldnt worry about the tarp, the canvas needs to breathe. Leave the tarp off

Go buy yourself a couple big tubs of fabsil and a garden sprayer to apply it. concentrate on the seams

Everyone knows land rovers should be stored vertically

flat said:

yeah i wouldnt worry about the tarp, the canvas needs to breathe. Leave the tarp off

Go buy yourself a couple big tubs of fabsil and a garden sprayer to apply it. concentrate on the seams

Click to expand...

Im sure you are right about the canvas top, but the tarp is good if you live in any West facing area where there is a lot of salt in the air. Doesn't do metal any favours to be left outside here!

This is what my canvas is like after I removed the tarp, think this can be fixed with the tent/canvas cleaner? Its like all faded out where poles are, will this affect it etc?

Photos are high res so cant post with IMG tag, they are hosted on dropbox

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28473944/New folder/DSCN0435.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28473944/New folder/DSCN0434.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28473944/New folder/DSCN0433.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28473944/New folder/DSCN0430.JPG

hmm life size pics

kmanderson62 said:

This is what my canvas is like after I removed the tarp, think this can be fixed with the tent/canvas cleaner? Its like all faded out where poles are, will this affect it etc?

Photos are high res so cant post with IMG tag, they are hosted on dropbox

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28473944/New folder/DSCN0435.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28473944/New folder/DSCN0434.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28473944/New folder/DSCN0433.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28473944/New folder/DSCN0430.JPG

Click to expand...

Nah won't affect it, mine is like that. Just use the fabsil and the colour will 'come' back. Not a lot you can do about the fade, but it is just cosmetic. Eventually save up for a new canvas if you really want but I wouldn't get to stressed, the fabsil will look good but you will prob have to redo it every few years

Ah thats perfectly fine then, I got a disklok today, but I don't think it works right at all, I ordered a medium, realizing I probably needed a large, the guy I bought it from, said if i removed the foam things inside it would make it a large, and well, does this look right to yous?

Disklok problem? - YouTube

Nah that ain't right it should spin freely on the steering wheel to prevent steering occurring, I dunno about moving the foams, it would make it spin, sure I guess, but the foam isnt that thick on my large disklok.

I would try change it, where did you get it from?