kittykat

kittykat

Member
Hi,
i'm new to the site & relatively new to owning a defender.
i have a 2007 90's comercial style defender, i have been having problems with the back door which has dropped. the vehicle is still under warranty but the branch we bought it from who originally said they would fix it ( before xmas) are now saying that it is a normal fault with this vehicle & that it is the weight of the spare tyre that makes it drop so they can't fix it!
has anyone else experienced this & are they right that they can't fix it or are they just being lazy?
 
they are bull****ting you, get back down there and get it sorted. you have bought the vehicle in good faith. there is a fault with it. the garage are legally obligated to fix it. theres a section on here called "so you bought a piece of ****" or something like that. it's a sticky, find it and read it then storm back with all the info you need to get their eyes watering and don't come back till it's sorted.
 
gegs88 said:
they are bull****ting you, get back down there and get it sorted. you have bought the vehicle in good faith. there is a fault with it. the garage are legally obligated to fix it. theres a section on here called "so you bought a piece of ****" or something like that. it's a sticky, find it and read it then storm back with all the info you need to get their eyes watering and don't come back till it's sorted.
Click to expand...

might be a good idea to find out from the OP what size tyre and rim they had fitted first ?
 
Sean said:
might be a good idea to find out from the OP what size tyre and rim they had fitted first ?
Click to expand...

so the fact that the garage agree to fix it then changed there mind and said it was a normal problem is nothing to do with it.
what is a normal problem?
 
gegs88 said:
so the fact that the garage agree to fix it then changed there mind and said it was a normal problem is nothing to do with it.
what is a normal problem?
Click to expand...

everyone knows the rear doors can't handle carrying heavy wheels for long, i'd say that's a fairly "normal" problem - nothing we can say here is going to change the garages mind is it, they've made a commercial decision - if the OP can change their mind then good on um
 
gegs88 said:
so the fact that the garage agree to fix it then changed there mind and said it was a normal problem is nothing to do with it.
what is a normal problem?
Click to expand...

hes gonna have to argue that one with the garage fact is hinges on the rear door aint designed to carry a heavy ass wheel. is this the garage's problem? not really. they cant really fix it by replacing the hinges cos it will just go saggy again.
 
thanks for the advise... i've spent the best part of the day on the phone with them today & still no solution. all they seem concerned with is the fact that we have one of their courtesy cars & they want it back! going to see if they have changed their mind tomorrow, their argument is that it would only drop again if they replaced the hinges because of the weight of the wheel so i am going to see if they will replace the hinges & not put the wheel back on the door because we are going to get a swing away wheel carrier.....
its worth a try but i won't hold my breath! this issue is only 1 of a long list of problems we have had with the aylesbury land rover dealership... they are a bunch of incompetent pencil necks!
 
What's shocking is that the 2007 defender, after years and years of revisions, hasn't been fitted with an uprated door to cope with the spare tyre.
Makes me glad to have mine already mounted on the bonnet.
 
kittykat said:
thanks for the advise... i've spent the best part of the day on the phone with them today & still no solution. all they seem concerned with is the fact that we have one of their courtesy cars & they want it back! going to see if they have changed their mind tomorrow, their argument is that it would only drop again if they replaced the hinges because of the weight of the wheel so i am going to see if they will replace the hinges & not put the wheel back on the door because we are going to get a swing away wheel carrier.....
its worth a try but i won't hold my breath! this issue is only 1 of a long list of problems we have had with the aylesbury land rover dealership... they are a bunch of incompetent pencil necks!
Click to expand...

If they do fix it then you have a good chance of the door dropping again so you will be back to square one at sometime.
How about a 'compromise' ..... get yourself a good wheel carrier, one that opens with the door for safety and ease (about £120). If the garage will sort out the door and fit your spare wheel carrier as part of the solution (1 hr job) it wont happen again... end of. Not perfect but

However, if you have standard original wheels fitted (and spare) then you do have a reasonable case. 'Not fit for purpose' springs to mind and the thread mentioned about 'buying a heap of sh*te' is very helpful. Maybe bypass the dealer and speak to Land Rover Customer Service Centre on: 08705 000 500
 
Ok so i've been in touch with the landrover head office again & after telling them that if my dogs get stuck in the back of the landrover due to the faulty door & die from heat exhaustion i will be suing both Stratstone & landrover... long story short they have agreed to order new hinges & fix the door & i am going to get the swing away wheel carrier from "Paddock" & fit it myself (I'm hoping this is as straight forward as it looks?!?) so a small victory for us little people :p
thanks very much for all your help & advise it is much appreciated.
oh & out of interest do you guys know if it is possible to mount the spare wheel onto the bonnet of the 2007 model? Oh & yes it is just a standard tyre as was originally fitted...
 
kittykat said:
Ok so i've been in touch with the landrover head office again & after telling them that if my dogs get stuck in the back of the landrover due to the faulty door & die from heat exhaustion i will be suing both Stratstone & landrover... long story short they have agreed to order new hinges & fix the door & i am going to get the swing away wheel carrier from "Paddock" & fit it myself (I'm hoping this is as straight forward as it looks?!?) so a small victory for us little people :p
thanks very much for all your help & advise it is much appreciated.
oh & out of interest do you guys know if it is possible to mount the spare wheel onto the bonnet of the 2007 model? Oh & yes it is just a standard tyre as was originally fitted...
Click to expand...

nicely done. ye you can mount the wheel on the bonnet but you need a reinforced bonnet. I got one on my 110 with all the fixings minus a few bolts which ur welcome to swap for yours I aint too far away from you. But i just seen you have the bulge in ur bonnet i dunno that makes a difference...
 
Last edited:
BuzzLand said:
Hmm, how can you tell if you have the reinforced bonnet?
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look on the inside there should be a sort of frame which the wheel mounting is fixed to. BUT if you put a really bug wheel on it the tyre will rest on the raised edges of the bonnet and deform them.
 
MudHunter said:
nicely done. ye you can mount the wheel on the bonnet but you need a reinforced bonnet. I got one on my 110 with all the fixings minus a few bolts which ur welcome to swap for yours I aint too far away from you. But i just seen you have the bulge in ur bonnet i dunno that makes a difference...
Click to expand...

thanks for the kind offer, the bulge is due to the different engine shape in the 2007 + models so i'd need to get a reinforced bonnet with the same bulge.
do you go on any off roading tracks nearby?
 
kittykat said:
thanks for the kind offer, the bulge is due to the different engine shape in the 2007 + models so i'd need to get a reinforced bonnet with the same bulge.
do you go on any off roading tracks nearby?
Click to expand...

dont quote me on this but i think the bulge is just a safety feature to provide a sort of crumple zone so you might be able to fit a flat one on. And also find out if the bulge bonnets can carry wheels.

As for off roading a fair bit of laning round here but check the herts laning thread for updated stuff and organised days.
 
Throw a couple of heavy blankets over the bonnet and get someone to lift the spare on with you. Then have a sit in and see what you think of the restricted view to the front. Some people are ok with it some cant see over it.... worth doing before you decide.
 
MudHunter said:
dont quote me on this but i think the bulge is just a safety feature to provide a sort of crumple zone so you might be able to fit a flat one on. And also find out if the bulge bonnets can carry wheels..
Click to expand...

yu can quote me if ya want. The bulge is there because the ford engine sits higher in the engine bay. LR wanted to fit a lower profile sump pan and fit the engine lower in the bay But Ford didn't want to splash out on the retooling/design/manufacturing costs. so the bonnet was changed instead.

Old defender doors sag after having a wheel attached But they should have sorted it out with the newer model. Might be interesting to hear from any other puma owners to see if they've had this problem.
 
redhand said:
Old defender doors sag after having a wheel attached But they should have sorted it out with the newer model. Might be interesting to hear from any other puma owners to see if they've had this problem.
Click to expand...

nope, they still sag.
mind you, mine gets opened and closed 20 or 30 times a day.
 
thanks for the off roading thread info "mudhunter"

i thought it was a different shape engine in the newer model... a friend told me the new engine is basically a ford transit!!!

i will give the wheel on a blanket idea a go before i spend any money, thanks :) I'm pretty tall for a girl so should still be able to see over the top.....

i will be glad when the door finally gets fixed, had to wrench it open with 1 foot planted firmly on the back of the landy today :eek:
 
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