Landy 110 1992 (J368 XSG) - is it as bad as mechanic says..

Hello.

I bought a 1992 Landy 110 Station Wagon in January and last week it had brake problems so took it to a Landy specialist garage to take a look. They looked underneath and immediately told me I'd been sold a dud, as the chassis and bulkhead would need replacing within a year. I'm not an expert at all, I bought this so me and my family could have some old school fun camping and exploring. I'm including some photos and video and wondered if anyone here would share any opinions on what they see. Tricky I know without being there.. Bear in mind I spent 18K on this and was promised an outstanding example with excellent condition underneath.. I do realise that old Landys need love and all that.. but is it as bad as needing replacing? (Brake pad turned out to be 2mm on front right - odd as I purchased it having been promised a full service had been carried out)

Mechanic spotted:
 Chassis behind bump stop is heavily rusted
 Bad welding and undersealed throughout
 Wet diesel leak
 Hole in body cross member near seatbelt anchorage
 Holed brace crossmembers x 2
 Seamsealant on new plate, rather than welded
 Brace bulkhead chassis mount large hole, gone completely on right side
 No floor left near that location, front right behind wheel
 No floor well remaining front left
 The cross member has been cut
 There’s a vertical poorly welded end section at the back right
 Using the jack to lift the right hand rear to remove a flat tyre damaged the hole
used, revealing it to be thin and weak metal, not trusted for towing

Video is here going underneath the Landy:


I have lots of photos, but here's a few samples attached.

Cheers.

Liam

Sorry to say but that chassis looks fubar'd.
Take it back to where you bought it from and mention Trading Standards etc.

Ahh bugger. That doesn’t look good! Sorry to say that someone has fleeced you out of your well-earned money. Was this from a dealer or private sale?

As @Galladog , take the 110 back from where you bought it demanding redund.

When you find the next suitable replacement 110 be sure to get it inspected by someone who knows Land Rovers before handing over any money.

Sadly, yes.

Parts being held on by seam sealer imply either total ignorance or willful deception.

If this was a dealer sale, I'd think that (probably with the help of the court) a return would be very viable. There's enough wrong with it.

If the purchase has no recourse, it's now just a question of what to do about it.

Paying someone to weld up that much of the chassis would be expensive AND when they are going in so many places, even if those places are resolved, other issues won't be far behind. The cost of paid welding vs the cost of replacement may not seem different on the chassis.


Bulkheads are cheaper to buy than chassis, but they're no fun to do, AND if the decay is limited to the footwells on the bulkhead, it's way more feasible to weld. Access isn't terrible, and, if it's a single site (well both footwells) then it's not a hideous job.


Make sure someone hasn't bodged the top corners though - where the windscreen is held on. They often go there. And the crease behind the heater box...


But if it's just the footwells, maybe consider welding them. But the chassis is probably a false economy if you are paying someone to do it.


(Mine was in a similar state - much worse bulkhead, slightly better chassis - I diy welded the chassis whilst saving for a new one [now acquired but not yet fitted] and replaced the bulkhead as it wasn't worth welding - id say yours is, possibly, the same but in reverse)


The sills and c posts are likely bad on yours too.



Again, if it's a dealer sale, it's trouble, but you want to get your cash back. If it's a private sale you just need to work out the best plan from here.

Your Garage is pretty much spot on with assessment. Anything plastered in underseal should be avoided like the plague. My thoughts much the same as above I am sorry to say.

MOT History says it all really...


Its all fixable.....

They mention the underseal which has clearly been put there to avoid the MOT prying eyes.

Just goes to show that having an MOT does not mean all that much.
Its laughable that a misaligned screen washer is a Major fail when the main structure is so corroded.
I can say for sure it would have likely never have passed at my MOT station any time in the last five years.

bluedog333 said:

Ahh bugger. That doesn’t look good! Sorry to say that someone has fleeced you out of your well-earned money. Was this from a dealer or private sale?

Click to expand...

From a dealer, who I have approached for a Repair or Replacement as per my Consumer Rights (it's not inside the 3 months immediate refund regulations).

julianf said:

Sadly, yes.

Parts being held on by seam sealer imply either total ignorance or willful deception.

....


Again, if it's a dealer sale, it's trouble, but you want to get your cash back. If it's a private sale you just need to work out the best plan from here.

Click to expand...

Appreciate all the detail here. The mechanic told me he's expect it to cost 9-11K to fix.

ER1C said:

MOT History says it all really...

https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/results?registration=j368xsg&checkRecalls=true

Its all fixable.....

They mention the underseal which has clearly been put there to avoid the MOT prying eyes.

Click to expand...

I didn't even know that existed until you posted the link.. I've just seen the passed report. Thank you for sharing.

LiamWi said:

From a dealer, who I have approached for a Repair or Replacement as per my Consumer Rights (it's not inside the 3 months immediate refund regulations).

Click to expand...

Best of luck, let us know how you get on

The dealer will fight tooth and nail but you will win in the end. I would just write a letter and say you want refund or you will take it to the small claims court. With the photos/video and the mot history, add to that a summary from your competent mechanic the dealer doesn't have a chance.

I would argue against them repairing it as they have shown they are either incompetent and deceitful or just deceitful.

Great news you got it from a dealer for you.

LiamWi said:

From a dealer, who I have approached for a Repair or Replacement as per my Consumer Rights (it's not inside the 3 months immediate refund regulations).

Click to expand...

Think it might be 6 mths?

When it is sorted please name the dealer so we can all avoid them.

£18k for a J-plate Landy should buy you one on a galvanised chassis at least. As said, that chassis is really beyond repair. There will be a lot more rust than you can see. I’d definitely be seeking advice from trading standards around the vehicle, especially as you were obviously sold it as being in much better condition than it is.

lynall said:

Think it might be 6 mths?

Click to expand...

In which case it’s not far away. Get on it ASAP.

LiamWi said:

From a dealer, who I have approached for a Repair or Replacement as per my Consumer Rights (it's not inside the 3 months immediate refund regulations).

Click to expand...

At least it’s from a dealer (who quite frankly shouldn’t be allowed to deal in vehicles!), so there is some hope in sending it back.
There is a sticky thread in the General Land Rover part of the forum, called something like “Buying a Crock of Sh*te, or if you Already Have”. Definitely worth having a look there.

Here :

LiamWi said:

From a dealer, who I have approached for a Repair or Replacement as per my Consumer Rights (it's not inside the 3 months immediate refund regulations).

Click to expand...

As others have said, the cost to make it up to the standard which it was sold as, is significant.

The dealer, who has already proven their dishonesty (frankly anyone who knows much about cars would have spotted it was a mess, so I'd say that they are dishonest rather than incompetent) so, to let them loose fixing it as cheaply as possible will not work out well.

Again, even if someone welded up all the issues with the chassis, if it's rusted out where it has, the places where it hasn't rusted out YET really won't be far behind. It will be an ongoing problem forever now, as it has been for years already (as proven by the mot history).


I would suggest that you really want to do everything in your power to get rid of it back to the dealer, in full. Accepting a repair will, I'm sure, weaken your position.


As others have said, 18k for a vehicle of that age without a galvanized chassis etc already is deceitful money anyway. I don't say this to rub salt into the wound (which is why I didn't mention it before I found it was a dealer sale) but now I mention it to enthuse you to do everything in your power to get rid of the vehical for a refund, rather than accept a band aid.

Again, any repair that does not involve a new chassis will be temporary at best. The MOT history confirms that perfectly as it is.


...at 18k, the the dealer may even choose to replace the chassis rather than loose their exorbitant profit margin.

Ive been looking for another vehicle for a while, at the bottom end of the scale, as I'll pull it apart and re do it myself. Similar age / condition vehicles are under £5k. I was eyeing one up a while back that was not selling at, iirc, 3.5k. 200tdi 110 csw. That one was actually better condition, but didn't have a shifty mot.

Really, do everything in your (and the courts) power to get a refund and get shot of it. Don't have any sentimental bond to it, or think "it can be sorted" - it can but not cheaply, and, at 18k, it should have been done before toy bought it.



The chassis of my 300tdi disco was probably very slightly better when I scrapped it. Id been bodging it for years to get it though each mot, knowing full well it was close to end-of-life, so not wanting to spend time and effort on the repairs. This is exactly what has happened to your one.