John Craddock Buyer beware

i brought a Defender 110 Van side first registered in 1998 from john Craddock on the 21/4/11

the car was described as mecanicley sound both when i phoned up to enquire and in person when i collected it im no mechanic but i looked over the defender and the chassy and body looked sound other than that i took the word of the garage that it was an ok drive

on the way back from Cannock to my home in scarborough the drivers door lock failed so it would not keep the door shut so i phoned the next day and Craddocs agreed to send out a new lock mechanism which thay did and i had it fitted when going to check the oil etc under the bonnet i discoverd that the bonnet release did not work also during thease checks i found that the horn was not working the fog light and one of the tail lights where also dead i emaild the garadge reguarding the bonnet release and the fact that i did not expect in a few days so much would have gone wrong the reply i recived made me feel that John craddocks did not care about customer service at all

so i decided to use a local independent land rover specialist to fix the faults i had found while doing this i aske them to check over the land rover ready for its mot in august i got a bit of a shock when the list came back

drivers and passenger seatbelts damaged.
passenger catch ill adjusted.
all four track rod ends on steering dangerously worn.
front radius arm bushes worn.
rear damper bushes seriously worn.
rear propshaft uj worn.
front propshaft uj worn.
front damper bushes seriously worn.
steering damper bushes worn.
various brake pipes corroded.
rear dif seal leaking .
various engine oil leaks.
all 4 wheels have worn and ill adjusted bearings.
rear diff oil needs replacing.
rear brake discs and pads worn.
fuel tank leaking.
brake fluid discoloured.
auxilary drive belt worn.
ignition barrel sticking.


i think you will all agree that this is not a list of faults from a defender that 11 weeks ago was "mecanicley sound"

iv had the work done to get the car safe and back on the road this has involved fitting things like new seat belts, full new stearing box, rear dampers, all 8 wheel barings and ignition barrel

in now saving to have all the busings replaced with polly bushes and have been advised by the garadge to keep an eye on the oil level as its still got varius leaks and that the diffs are worn

so thats more stuff to add to my wish list


i know there will probubley be lots of replys to this saying how good the service at John Craddock is i know thats what i found when i searched befour going there to buy but i feel its important that i put this experiance on here

iv been in touch with trading standards who are unable to do anything official due to time elapsed and the fact that iv had the work done but are going to contact John Craddock about this

like i say im ready for the lists of good experiences but this has been mine and it might just save somebody else from being stung

i apologise for the spelling in this post but im extremely Dyslexic and its part of the deal

i bet that ''local independent land rover specialist'' loves people like you

Why didnt you speak to craddocks about your long list of faults if you wasnt happy?

Sean said:

i bet that ''local independent land rover specialist'' loves people like you

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Agreed

just out of curiosity how much money have you spent sorting that list out ?

and did you ask to see all the bits the landie specialist said were dangerous or in need of replacing?

Sean said:

just out of curiosity how much money have you spent sorting that list out ?

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Loads

[JP];1553275 said:

and did you ask to see all the bits the landie specialist said were dangerous or in need of replacing?

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No

So let me get this straight. You bought a Landrover without looking it over.
I can understand with the dyslexic thing that you would find it hard to look up the word gullable too.

you should of given me a shout i would of come and looked at it for you :hysterically_laughi

Ah reckon that if ye took somebody that knew what to look for, then things might've been a little different.
Normally, most folks try and do a wee bit of research on the model / make of motor that they are buying.... just to get an idea of where to look and what to look out for.
If ye haven't owned a Defender before, then it'll be totally different to what you've been used to

it could be worse, least it's not a hippo

the garage showed me all the parts and explained what had been changed and why like i say im no mechanic but i do know that the defender feels very different as to why i didn't contact Craddocs with the list like i say in the post after contacting them about other faults and asking there opinion i was pretty much told thats defenders and made to feel like i was being told to go away. i know defender ownership is interesting but a door latch fault and failed bonnet opening in a few days suggested to me that checks may not have been made. like iv already said im expecting lots of posts to refute this but its my experiance and i feel it needs to be up here for balance

Sean said:

it could be worse, least it's not a hippo

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Aye, true Sean.. true

First bad report I've heard about John Craddock, really hard to make any comments without being there and seeing the vehicle first hand. Only ever heard good things about Craddock so I would be a lot shocked to find it as bad as you say? Any pics?

i looked at lots of guides before going ahead and buying with my lack of knowledge and experience thats why i went to a dealer instead of buying privately

I have used Craddocks..a lot..as anyone who knows my 90 will verify...I have never had a problem with either parts or service, even when i lived abroad. I actually was there this week and looked at their vehicle stock, bit pricey but as a dealer i'd expect that. Generally the vehicles looked ok, there were faults but show me a landy that hasn't got any.

Also they allow me to wander about behind the counter looking for stuff, no problem at all...they know their stuff and value their customers as far as i'm aware.

If you're gonna complain about door locks then i suggest you sell the landy now otherwise you will need years of therapy and medication as you realise that you have bought a vehicle that needs constant attention.

lomo-landy said:

the garage showed me all the parts and explained what had been changed and why like i say im no mechanic but i do know that the defender feels very different as to why i didn't contact Craddocs with the list like i say in the post after contacting them about other faults and asking there opinion i was pretty much told thats defenders and made to feel like i was being told to go away. i know defender ownership is interesting but a door latch fault and failed bonnet opening in a few days suggested to me that checks may not have been made. like iv already said im expecting lots of posts to refute this but its my experiance and i feel it needs to be up here for balance

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sadly that list could could be applied to nearly every landy of that age, even one that's got a recent legal MOT cert, did you expect it to be faultless ?

do you not think it's in the ''local independent land rover specialists'' interest to find problems ?

lomo-landy said:

the garage showed me all the parts and explained what had been changed and why like i say im no mechanic but i do know that the defender feels very different as to why i didn't contact Craddocs with the list like i say in the post after contacting them about other faults and asking there opinion i was pretty much told thats defenders and made to feel like i was being told to go away. i know defender ownership is interesting but a door latch fault and failed bonnet opening in a few days suggested to me that checks may not have been made. like iv already said im expecting lots of posts to refute this but its my experiance and i feel it needs to be up here for balance

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Ah'm not takin' sides on this.. But things don't last forever. Some things may have been checked and proved to have been workin' at the time. Ye can fit a brand new part and it breaks next day!! (been there!!).


Oh aye... try and use the quote button please (bottom right)

Bonnet failing to open, did you open the bonnet before purchase? Did you check lights? I have checked my lights in the morning, and one had gone during the day. A garage that has been asked to look for faults will find them, its not necessary right but its business.
As buster says, I have taken a part out of a box and it not work.
I have never used Craddocks, so not going to make any remarks to seem to be taking sides, or in their favour, but things can, and will break with no reason or warning

I use craddocks all the time (at least once a month) and find them to be really sound and helpful they are very pricey to buy a landy from and have no experience buying vehicles from them but the lads and lasses on the counter have always been great.