I'm booked in at Gumtree4x4 for next week. We're driving my wife's car back to France on Monday then I'm flying back to get Defender. It's an expensive song'n'dance, but driving it back without repair seemed too risky. Thanks again to all for help and advice.

Cheers for encouragement! But I've no tools here and no space to work, and, I don't even know what a transfer box looks like. I've booked it in with Gumtree 4x4 for next week. The bill, no doubt, will encourage me to improve my knowledge and have a go next time ...

I wish I had the knowledge/experience to take on something like that. But I'm a beginner ... During this conversation I had to google propshafts and UJs :-/

yeah it's option 1 or 3. I'd risk it and get repaired in France but that will probably be considerably more expensive, unless your buying wine, cheese, or a house, France is pretty expensive ... We'll figure it out, thanks again for help.

I don't know if its a clutch issue, they didn't mention the clutch (to my relief) although the guy yesterday was not happy with clutch - too heavy he said. I'll look into ashcrofts, thanks, trouble is we're here for a week with loads to do, and every move I make I've got a 3 year old and a 6...

Just back from Gumtree 4x4, nice guys, not a prop/UJ issue unfortunately. Screechy/whinny sound is thought to be gear box bearing, and also possible issue with transmission box. Big job, 2k, not possible before we're due to return to France. Might consider delaying the latter. Many thanks for...

I'll try and do so today. Many thanks for the help.

Cheers, I'll try and figure something out.

I get same thing, at same speed. I looked and drove another defender before buying mine, and the guy told me that they get unstable at 60+ if they've got 7.50 tyres - as they are too skinny for motorway driving. Then I bought my Defender, with 7.50s from someone else later that day, and it...

I'm in Brighton, but heading back to France on Monday ... I'm not sure what to make of this mechanic, he's very negative about defenders and advised me not to get one, he says he worked on them in the past for the army - long time ago I think. Soon as he got in it, today, he said something was...

Hope not ... He reckoned £2.5k for a new transfer box, presumably that includes fitting it! I get some pretty serious vibration through the steering wheel at about 60-65mph, could this be related?

Hello Drove to UK from southwest France last weekend, Defender 110 (2009), started making a slight screeching sound when accelerating - particularly light acceleration in higher gears. Mechanic just had a drive and listen, he said it needs new/repair transfer box, and this is a massive job...

Hello I'm having an increasing number of electrical issues with my 2009 defender SW. Today, the rear passenger indicator joined the reverse light, in not working. Changing bulbs does not help. I discovered today, that the panel which should protect those light sockets is missing and they are...

^ Yes, maybe a value problems, don't think I can do much about that. Can't get anything suitable from shops around here. Jack needs to lift from the axel on the Defender, so it needs to lift pretty high, and in particular to cup the axel - otherwise would be very unsafe I think.

I've tried and tried! Watched Youtube vids. Gonna have another go, as a new one from Paddocks is over £100 which is pretty excessive for a jack ...

I topped up the oil with engine oil, just to see if I could get it to work, it was almost at correct level anyway. I've tried to get any air out. The thing doesn't work! Bloody hell.

I read somewhere that calling it "jack oil" was really a marketing ploy, as you could use pretty much anything. I've no knowledge on the subject myself I hasten to add. Anyway, will order a couple of litres of "jack oil", enough for accidents and experiments ... Cheers for comments.

^ yeah it's a hydraulic bottle jack, this one - http://www.paddockspares.com/jack-lifting-1.html I've never used one before ... I tried and tried to get it working on the side of the road. I showed it to the guy who fitted our new tyre(s) and he couldn't get it working either - said it needed...

Hello Had a puncture recently and discovered my bottle jack does not work. Looked into buying a new one locally, but nothing looks suitable for a defender. The jack needs more oil I assume, but can't seem to get any specific "jack-oil" around here (live in rural France). Whats is Jack oil? Is...

^ Yes I like them as they're standard fit and Land Rover presumably know what they're doing - similarly military who presumably know what they're doing. Also, Defender is a beast and should have beastly looking tyres ...