Are Defenders Warm? What Can I Buy?

Langers said:

'Comfort' and 'Defender' are two words which should never be seen in a sentence together!*

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*Except in the following context;

Oddie said:

"Having spent the day in me defender, i required me doris to "comfort" me when i got home"

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Hey OP, take no notice of the winging girls. Just cause their experts don't mean they know anything

I have a 1994 Ninety, County Station Wagon, and I find it comfortable and plenty warm enough, after 10 miles or so admittedly. With the CSW you get insulation and carpets to keep the noise down and a set of seat in the back as well. £5k should get you a reasonable one. IMHO

Don't forget though, comfort and warmth is a relative concept. If your used to driving about in a new Jag your have a big shock, but if your used to driving a quad bike in the nude in the arctic with a seat made of hedgehogs, pleasure awaits

got no problems with comfort in mine drove 340mls to birmingham and back no problems with a quick pee break both ways.

heaters could be a bit better but then my bottom door seals are pretty much non existant and that will be sorted soon enough.

saying that discos are warmer, comfier and quieter but i wouldnt go back

I bought a '91 Ninety and was a bit concerned after all the comments about them not being warm but true it does take a bit longer to warm up than a modern car but once the engine is warm I generally have the fan on low and the heat about half way and it's toasty even in these temperatures, plus I use mine everyday.

Just get one you wont be disappointed.

John506 said:

Thinking of buying my first defender just after christmas, I will only have about £5000 to spend and it will also be my everyday car so I want it reasonably comfy.

I know it's very basic inside and not going to be anywhere near as comfy as a car, but 1 important thing would be to be able to get it up to temperature in the cabin.

Also thinking about spending 3 of the 5k I have on the vehicle, then the other 2k on doing it up.

So if I have 2k, what things can I buy to ensure an nice warm cabin on one of our horrible cold winter days!!

Thanks!

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I dont think the heaters are that bad either! A new matrix can help and is a good investment anyway,engines have been lost from coolant loss.
I cant believe all the heater threadsHelsbels is more of a man than these wussies!
Just drive one! You will either be hooked and you wont give a **** about the heater.Or you will never want to go in one again:doh:

I cant keep my heater on! way to warm! notch number 3-4 with an inch gap in the window!

Deependers they vary one can be ****e another is great.

I've got my Defender to be reasonably comfy and warm now.

Cost me less than £100, but I can now be nice and warm in her and be able to have a conversation with my passengers.

It involved:

Flash banding the rear wheel arches, Footwells and Gearbox Tunnel
Boarding the rear panels out with 6mm plywood covered with foam and vinyl. In the cavity I inserted Jablite insulation.

This has made an unbelievable difference.

See below for pics:







I might start making these on the side...

Could buy a coat.

For the record, before anyone calls me a pussy - my 110 has got NO heating whatsoever (heater matrix bypassed for the time being) and I've used it every day for the last week (including through the snow and ice). Have had to keep the window open and the vents cracked in order to stop the windows from misting. Jolly cold indeed, but it keeps you awake!

I find mine comfy and the heater warms up nicely after a while. Just make sure when you first get in on a frosty morning your wearing Lots.

Worst thing in mine is draughts tbh.

I have a 110 V8 csw , its comfortable , and the heater will fry you , diesels are abit more problematic , as they tend to not generate as much hot water as the V8:flame2:
but as said if you make sure they are adjusted correctly they are perfectly adequate from a heating point of view , the 90's are bit bumpier ride than the 110 .

wickford90 said:

you might be lucky and get it just above freezing point, invest in some thermal knickers / socks / vest and big wooly you will look like a tit but at least you will be warm.
dont forget an ice scrapper for the inside.

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Got to agree here - an ice scraper is a must for the inside. Spent last week driving one hand on the steering wheel and the other scraping the ice off the inside of the glass! As fast as I could scrape my breath was freezing the glass up again!

cliveinkent

Took the 90 and the wife to the beach yesterday evening, went for a swim.
Was lovely.uke2:

natas said:

Took the 90 and the wife to the beach yesterday evening, went for a swim.
Was lovely.uke2:

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Cough
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sypher said:

Your kidding right ..... Ive a an Eberspatcher D3LC in my 90 and its like opening an oven door after its been running for 10 mins Very toasty indeed .

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Same here, I've a Webasto Night heater fitted by the National Grid. It's about 10 years old, but some of the new ones have a timer on and stuff so your Landy is toasty before you get into it on a morning.

That said, it's not too bad if you wrap up as though you are off for a short walk and be prepared to shed clothing once up to temp as to keep the windows non-misty you need the heat-up. You get used to it very quickly though.

Turboman said:

Just drive one! You will either be hooked and you wont give a **** about the heater.Or you will never want to go in one again:doh:

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Totally agree. A Defender could rob you blind, smash up your house and cut off your arm and you'd still love it.

Turboman said:

I cant believe all the heater threadsHelsbels is more of a man than these wussies!

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Thanks! ... I think!

I plan to fit a curtain behind my seats so that I only have to heat the front, which should make it quicker to heat up and warmer.

But I also have an Eberspacher D1LC which I run off a timer so everything is defrosted before I leave for work and return home.

my heater is brilliant in my '87 90, even with the weather we have been having, after a 10 mins its loverly and toastie, after 30 mins I have to turn the heater off to cool down for a bit!

The only advantage of running a petrol engine in my 90 is that it is so inefficient it generates a lot more heat than the TD5 90 I had for a while so the heater works well (but in my TD5 it was purely ornamental). It almost makes all the petrol I use worthwhile....