There's no argument here, cars (Defender sw's)) pay £490 now if first registered from 2006 onwards, all commercials which include vans and pickups, pay £220 now. It's your statement, that all Defenders since 2011, are classed as commercials, that is misleading.

Use an Ipod.

Estates and SW's are currently £490 and have been since 2006 - less annual increases. Vans and pickups are currently £220. Go and check the link I posted. If you can find an estate registered after 2006 that only costs £220, I would be pleased to know about it

That's rubbish. Station wagons are still at £490 according to the government car data site: Select a search : Directgov - Car fuel data, CO2 and vehicle tax tools

It's for station wagons from around 2006 I believe, at £490. Vans are still much lower at £220. The tax for my 2005 90 CSW was £245 at last renewal. There is one reason why TD5's are worth more than puma's.

Interesting, I must have the most desirable model then. 2005 90 CSW. Last year before the road tax doubles to over £400. I didn't think they still made TD5 models in 2007, as mentioned above?

It won't adversely affect resale value, no one is that bothered who does a service, if anything an independent would be preferred.

I found the cheapest source of long-life antifreeze concentrate (orange stuff) was a Vauxhall main dealer. Much cheaper than halfrauds.

Salt has the same effect as acid, it's the chlorine ions that do the damage, it just takes longer. I'm still amazed at the extent of it in your pics. I would whip the engine out and establish the extent of it and treat it properly.

Cast iron shouldn't normally corrode. It's one of the most durable materials known. Looks like it's been attacked by acid.

Shotgun won't help much - large dog much better. My dog can hear the postman when he enters the street, trouble is he's only about spaniel size and the despite a lot of noise, is the friendliest on the planet.

Where in Ireland can you use cruise control? Not many miles of motorway.

Is it good preventive maintenance to renew the injector seals, or are they better left alone if still original build items? I've never checked the clamp bolts on my 49,500 mile engine, is this also a good idea?

It is cheaper for the insurance company to write it off, but you can insist on it being repaired. There are several threads on here where owners have insisted on repair and ended up with a shiny new galvanized chassis. Keep turning down all offers until you are happy, the insurance company...

Why do they cut the cable if they want to start it and drive away? Is it just to stop the alarm sounding? Seems as if an alarm with battery backup would fettle them if it was well hidden.

Spot on mate - strangely a shagged gearbox is a common cause of vibration. FFS fix the leak.

He's going for the Ebay record of how many spelling, grammar and punctuation errors can be packed in to a short description.

Could be, but not likely when it runs and pulls OK when started. Read the first post. It bump starts straight away, so that's how he diagnosed an electrical problem.

Check battery voltage. Should be around 13V on a fully charged healthy battery. It might crank the engine OK, but the voltage could be too low for the ECU to operate correctly.

It should do 250K easily and still pull almost like new. FSH is very rare at that mileage/price.