Fiddling the milage...

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Potential Defender 90 Owner

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It seems practically impossible to buy a low milage tdi now adays given that they ended in 1998...

Having spent the last two months researching everything I can about defender 90's, 110's, speaking with farmers and other owners of Land Rovers, it seems that even with a full service history and recorded MOT milage many have I have spoken too have high lighted that after their MOT is complete they disconnect the speedometer for 6 months of the year. I know this is illegal but it seems like a lot of people I have spoken too are doing it or know of other that do it.

So.. my question is this... is it possible for the milage to be tampered with on the TD5 or the TDCi, ie the digital speedometer and milage clock. If this is impossible then obviously I could choose a TD5's or TDCi which may allow me to buy a 90 with non tampered milage.

I appreciate all help and comments.
 
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I think you will find that with the correct technology ALL mileometers can be fiddled, it is big business and the only loser is the new owner.

There ARE low mileage TDi's around, the engine itself was manufactured until only 2-3 years ago for RTW spec vehicles and while new vehicles were for export only the engine could still be bought as a genuine LR part and fitted into older vehicles (you couldn't fit it into newer vehicles due to emissions regs).
My own 300TDi for instance has covered under 25K miles from new, it's not for sale but there will be others out there.
 
Nothing is impossible. There are more than a few firms on the interweb offering just such a service. One of them was even highlighted on Top Gear, or was it Fifth Gear, on the telly. Their underlying justification was termed "mileage correction" for instance if you purchased and fitted a replacement speedo and wanted it to display the correct mileage. Surprisingly its not illegal to modify the displayed mileage in this way. It only breaks the law if you then misrepresent the true mileage when trying to sell the vehicle on. Computerised MOTs have stopped a lot of the clocking as displayed mileage is recorded but they can not tell if the speedo has been disconnected between MOTs.
As in all things there are other clues that will give a way high milers.
 
Having listened to so so many horror stories regarding buying a Defender I feel I have no option but to almost buy a new one (not that I can afford a new one). Although it will guarantee the milage is correct, that it aint been rebuilt from various other defenders, aint been towing a huge weight every day of its life or that significant welding has been done under the heavy waxoyl impeeding your visability.

When you so desperately want one, but dont have the mechanical expertise or knowledge how do you buy a defender without being ripped off ???
 
take a screwdriver and a mate who knows defenders with you... don`t buy the first one you see and drive lots of them to get a feel for the vehicle. coming here was a good start also :D
 
Potential Defender 90 Owner said:
Having listened to so so many horror stories regarding buying a Defender I feel I have no option but to almost buy a new one (not that I can afford a new one). Although it will guarantee the milage is correct, that it aint been rebuilt from various other defenders, aint been towing a huge weight every day of its life or that significant welding has been done under the heavy waxoyl impeeding your visability.

When you so desperately want one, but dont have the mechanical expertise or knowledge how do you buy a defender without being ripped off ???
Click to expand...


How much do you want to spend . This might help us put you in the right direction for a defender:)
 
its condition thats important one run around at 40 on short journeys will be worse than one run on motorway for similar mileage,body work is most important and hardest to fix including trim seats etc,find a decent person to go with you
 
I wouldn't be too concerned about the mileage tbh, as has been said they're pretty bullet proof.


There are plenty of posts regarding what to look for when buying a Landy.
 
Ive got a budget of 10k...

Im in the North West... who is good to go see and who is a defo dont go near ??

Just followed a few threads on dodgy dealers... So any advice would be massively appreciated.
 
Potential Defender 90 Owner said:
Ive got a budget of 10k...

Im in the North West... who is good to go see and who is a defo dont go near ??

Just followed a few threads on dodgy dealers... So any advice would be massively appreciated.
Click to expand...

stay well away from yan the lannyman he sells rot boxes for top money he is always on ebay we went to look at one a few years ago the chassis was falling off.
 
For £10k you should get something very nice

Be less hung up on mileage and more on chassis/body/engine condition - as mentioned, if loved they can run for ever.

Pistonheads, autotrader all have their place - but key is to read up on what you're looking at, do an HPI check and crawl all over it armed with a screwdriver and hammer.

Take a knowledgable mate with you if you can, or find someone local on LZ who will have a look with you

Any seller unhappy with that level of inspection - walk away.

I'll try and re-post a guide I found

Found it!

http://www.repairmylandrover.co.uk/defender-repairguides/defender-buyers-guide
 
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A big thanks 'Station House' for taking the time to find that buyers guide, a very useful piece of information... I will say its left me feeling like I have a very important exam and aint revised...

I feel like I will need to look over as many Defenders as it takes till I get a good feeling about one, keep researching on a daily basis essential information and when I finally think I have found the one, be sure to get a second and possible third opinion from others much more experienced than me.

Your help is appreciated folks !!
 
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It is not true that every landy on ebay is rotten. You still have to go and give it the once over just like you would if it was on a dealer's yard or some bloke's drive with a for sale sign in the window. If you buy blind off ebay you could well get a surprise as there are some dodgy people out there but it's not ebay that's the problem.
 
It's easier to tamper with a digital one than an old style one. Digital can be changed to anything you want with a laptop. My uncle has a 4 year old van with 800 genuine miles on it... it had a new dash board before it's first MOT which reset everything.
 
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