2002 Defender TD5 110 MK III

[Peak Times]

2002 Defender TD5 110 MK III

Having had my mind set on buying a 300tdi I have now puchased (in France) a MK III Defender TD5. Myself and an ex series landy owner test drived the car and it seems a gem.

My question is:

1. What is different about the MK III TD5 Defender

2. Though the vehicle is low mileage and has not been off roaded, are there any common problems that I should be looking out for.

Regards,

Mike

[Disco Mike]

Can't help you on the differences but would suggest you change out all your fluids and filters unless you have a old work order showing it was done in the last few thousand miles.
Good luck with your truck,
Mike

[TerryS]

I have never heard the designation "Mk III" before and I don't think Land Rover used it. The 110 began life, in '83 (the '90 in '84) with 2.5 petrol and diesels, then went to 2.5td. Next came the 200 Tdi, then the 300Tdi, and last was the TD5. There were various interior improvements to the dash, such as switch locations, and radio in the dash pod, but the basic chassis, suspension and axles have remained unchanged (except for the change to rear discs). Gearboxes have changed abit, with the R380 being todays flavor, replacing the LT77.
Door cunstruction stayed pretty much the same as the series trucks until recently, when they finally improved the frame design, especially on the rear door. One thing they never improved on was the vehicles ability to rust. Chassis, bulkhead, body cappings (haven't been galvanized for years) and sills rust as well as the old seeries trucks. In my mind the best single improvement they ever made was going to an intercooled diesel. Many like the TD5, some only after tweaking the computer. Many also hate it and still prefer the basic non ECU 300Tdi. Aftermarket intercoolers with larger surface area give noteworthy performance improvement. Land Rover stopped making the 300Tdi in '99 and will cease production of the TD5 this year, but the 300 carried on in other countries by licensees. Brail stopped making it this year. The published info is that they will be using a low emmission Ford diesel next. some think this is a watering down of the gene pool, but Ford diesels have a very good track record.