We hope that makes sense! Having "Defender Front LH Door With Push Button Handle" is ok for that part, but won't work for a set of pads that fits many vehicles.
We use the "British" names for things - e.g. a shock absorber is not referred to as a damper, and a hood is something that goes on an Anorak.

Lots of parts have a rider that they are "From LA123456" or similar. This tag reffers to the last 8 digits of the VIN Number, and some are quite significant, particularly the change from LA to MA for Defenders and Discovery I's (200 to 300 Tdi).
Where part is referred to as being "to end VA", for example, this means that it would be up to VA999999 (if that existed), and equally "from VA" would mean from VA000000 (if that existed too!). One or two parts just say "VA", which would mean it lies between those two numbers. As clear as mud? Good.....!
Other numbers are prefixed by a letter in brackets, as in:
(E) = Engine
(G) = Gearbox
(T) = Transfer box
(A) = Axle
and probably some others that escape me at the moment....
Obviously, these refer to that components serial number (and good luck to you if you can find an axle serial number anywhere!!!).


LH, RH, LHD & RHD?
Land Rover always use the terms "Left Hand" (LH) and "Right Hand" (RH) from the point of view of someone sitting in the drivers seat looking forward.
Left Hand Drive and Right Hand Drive are always abbreviated to LHD and RHD respectively.
What is an "A Post" etc
This the terminology used to identify the uprights that support the roof - it's easier than saying "The one at the front by the windscreen" etc.
A Post - this is the one at the front of the front doors, alongside the windscreen.
B/C Post - on 3-door vehicles the post at the rear of the front doors is known as the B Post. On 5-door vehicles this is known as the B/C (or just BC) Post.
D Post - on 5-door vehicles this would be the one at the rear of the middle row doors.

What are the "Middle Row Doors"?

Land Rover describe the doors (and seats for that matter) behind the front diver and passenger seats, where fitted, as "Rear Side Doors", or even just "Rear Doors".
This can be a tad confusing and over the years owners have come up with the term "Middle Row" to describe them. Norman has taken this up as it avoids confusion. He also uses the term to descibe seats and floor panels etc.

What does "OEM" and things mean?
Norman has tried to show the branding of each part. This refers to the type of box it comes in, not necesserily the manufacturer. We don't sell any "White Box" parts - everythng is sourced from recognised suppliers.
OEM means the part is made by a supplier that manufactures parts for at least one autmotive manufacturer, not just the aftermarket. It does not mean they supply that part to Land Rover, or indeed any part to Land Rover. They could supply LDV with something and thereby become an OEM supplier.
Genuine means it comes from Land Rover (don't forget - a G on the end of the part number does not necesserily mean Genuine - see below).
The others should be self explanatory.

What is all this "Use ABC123456" stuff?
Norman assumes that our customers are approaching their search for parts from one of two angles-
You know what the bit is because you have the remains of the old one in your hands but don't know what the part number is,
or.....
You have a parts book and are looking for a specific part number.
In the former case, Norman has tried to use the structure of the site to aid you in your search, so you should (!) be able to logically go Vehicle->Type->Sub-component->Part. In the latter case you may be looking for a part that has now had it's number superceeded, so by following the "Use..." you should be able to trace it's up to date number. Some parts have had up to 5 numbers over the years, and the transition to the new impossible to remember format numbers (ABC123456) means that over time all old parts should receive new numbers!
Series II & III sections are going to be merged shortly. This is simply because so many parts are common its easier to note the differences in the description rather than have whole sections with one or two differences.

Why have some parts got a G on the end?
For a given part there can be a number of different quality specifications. Some companies only offer you the cheapest possible parts, which are indeed perfectly adequate for their intended use. Norman reckons, though, that there are some customers who use their vehicles considerably more, or who absolutely rely on their vehicle (like our 110 which is on (and off) the road every day in all conditions). Those customers may wish to purchase higher specification parts, so we offer these as alternatives for you to choose, right up to Geunine parts.
Differentiating between parts specifications, though, isn't simply a question of looking for a letter on the end! If you want to ask about a particular part, please feel free to ask - we will give an unbiased opinion based on our, and our customers, experience.


Brake & Clutch Pipes
Flexible pipes are referred to as "flexi" pipes - it just saves a bit of typing!
Air Conditioning
Air Contitioning parts are referred to as Aircon
Hand Brake or Handbrake?
Handbrake parts don't have a space in them. Well, at least it's consistent.
Early Series II Axles - Pendant & Non-Pendant
Early Series II axles are "Pendant". This means that the steering arm is on top of the swivel housing, rather than underneath ("Non-Pendant"). If you have one of these axles, don't panic. Unless the actual steering arm is broken, most of the other parts just go in the other way up! The cone bushes were available last time Norman checked, but don't bank on it!
CV Joints
What fun! These are usually related to axle numbers, but since several expeditions have yet to actually find one on an axle things get very confused. Various different axle designs appeared on various different vehicles at various different times. StoreMan Norman is now allowed a decent pencil in favour of his nice chunky crayons so he's done a pretty picture.
Using this diagram it is hopefully clear what info we need to get it right; the height, whether or not a snap ring slot is present and the overall height of the joint. From this we should be able to select the correct one.

Vehicle Names
For simplicity's sake, we don't usually differentaite between 90/110 models and Defender 90/110 models - it's just gets too confusing! Td5's are differentiated though, as many changes took place around it's introduction. This is a good example of where VIN numbers come in handy.
Range Rover's come in three flavours; The Range Rover Classic, the 38a (click here to see why calling them P38, or P38a, is wrong) and L322 (the current ones).
Discovery's come in Discovery I and Discovery II, with Discovery III now arrived.
So far, a Freelander is a Freelander, differentiated by having the original Rover diesel engine, 1800 petrol, Td4 diesel or V6 engines.

Defender
What most people now refer to as the Defender was originally known as 90, 110 or 127. Around the time the Tdi engines became available they name officially became known as Defenders, in either 90, 110 or 130 flavours. The change from 127 to 130 was only to "make it easier", no change was made to the vehicles wheel base. As mentioned above, we refer to all these vehicles as Defenders simply because most other peolpe do, and it avoids confusion.
Defenders have had the following engines over the years, the second column shows how we reference them on this site:

Engine	Our Reference	Comments
2.25L Diesel	2.25 Diesel	Fitted to very early 110's - very rare. Completely ignored in later parts books.
2.25L Petrol	2.25 Petrol	Fitted to very early 110's and some 90's - 110's very rare, 90's more common, but not much so. Does get refferenced in later parts books, though not for 90's.
2.5L Petrol	2.5P	Quite common in 110's (but often replaced), quite a lot of 90's. Though on paper only slightly "better" than a 2¼ Petrol, these engines can produce remarkable results in a 90, though 110's are perhaps a tad heavy for them.
2.5L Normally Aspirated Diesel	2.5D	Not the most invigorating engine in the world, but a good plodder. Almost complete lack of top-end power means drivers have to learn how to get the best out of them. Somewhat prone to cracked liners/porus blocks (particulalry NO.4 cylinder) on high-mileage engines, or when used for heavy towing or motorway running. However, they are nowhere near as bad as the Saloon Bar Experts will have you believe, and are ok for runnabout vehicle in a 90.
2.5L Turbo Charged Diesel	2.5TD	This is essentially a 2.5D with a turbo bolted on. It has terrible reputation for cracked liners/porus blocks, which when in a 110 that has been worked hard is fairly justified. In a 90 though, they are quite nippy and will last quite well if not thrashed.
200Tdi 2.5L Turbo Charged Diesel	200Tdi	The 200Tdi is an absolutely belting engine. The first direct injection diesel engine in a passenger carrying vehicle in the world. Anyone who slags these engines off doesnt know about engines. With even basic oil and timing belt changes for maintainance they are good for 300,000 miles. They will most likely suffer a head gasket failure at around 70 to 110,00 miles, but once fixed with the modded head gasket they will be fine.
300Tdi 2.5L Turbo Charged Diesel	300Tdi	A development of the 200Tdi, this also is an absolutely belting engine. There were some timing belt problems initially, but contarty to the Saloon Bar Experts thinking this did not affect all engines, and the belt problem, where necessary, only needs doing once. The major development over the 200Tdi is a lot more top-end power - for which Land Rover won a Queens Award for Technological Achivement.
Td5 2.5L Turbo Charged Diesel	Td5	Land Rover's first all new engine since 1956ish, the V8 being bought from Buick and re-developed by Rover. With the same 2.5L capacity spread over 5 cylinders it has much more car-like charecteristics, and while being pretty robust it's doesnt have the same low-down torque and engine braking as the 200/300Tdi, but will go faster.
Rumoured 2.5/2.4 L Ford Diesel	NA	An engine designed to give Transits a good trun of speed on the highway. In a Defender? Oh dear......
3.5L V8 Carb	V8 Carb	What can you say! The Rover V8 is a legend in it's own lifetime. Very robust, it is quick to pick-up when the accelerator is pressed and has bags of torque at low revs. This makes it ideal for off-road driving and trialling, as well as towing. Prone to worn camshafts around 70-100,000 miles, but it's dead easy to fix and pretty cheap too.
3.5 to 4.0L V8 Efi	V8 Efi	As above, but with a good turn of speed. The block problems associated with the 4.2L and above don't really apply to Defenders.

Series Vehicles
Series I
What we can find to stock we'll put on the stocklist
We'd love to stock everything, but its the good old supply and demand situation unfortunately.
If you are a maker/supplier of Series I parts we'd be delighted to add your parts to our stock.
Series II/III

Gearboxes - some late Series IIa's were fitted with the all-synchromesh SIII gearbox, and anyway not many Series vehicles still match the spec of the vehicle that left the factory. Essentially, if the clutch slave cylinder is mounted vertically, then it's a SII/IIa box, if its mounted horizontally then it's a SIII - though it is possible to fit a Sereis II bell-housing to certain SIII boxes. When ordering internal parts for any gearbox, we need the serial number, including any prefix and/or suffix letters, if there are any. Some incorrect combinations of parts will go to gether, and work, but the din is amazing!

Axles and brakes. 1980 is the big date here, where "rationalised" axles were introduced (the replaceable seal shoulder on stub axles disappeared mostly), and more significantly 88" brakes were changed to 109" size. If you are not sure, measure your drums (10" or 11") before ordering.

Td5 Engines
Some parts are referenced as being to, or from, ECD3.
ECD3 (aka EURO3) is an EU emissions Directive that necessitated one or two minor mods to the Td5 engine. The change is from July 2001 - Norman's trying to work out engine or VIN numbers.

Discovery I ABS

If the ABS light comes on for a while, and then goes out, the fault may not be with the ABS system. Try to establish is the light comes on after one of the front wheels has been given a good thump, e.g. going over a pot-hole or speed bump. It there appears to be a connection, it may be that the bearing in the back of the stub axle is the culprit. If this has failed, the CV joint (which has the ABS ring on it) can move up and down realtive to the sensor, thus the sensor cannot "see" it for a while and will therefore show a fault. The fault is stored in the ECU for a while, and if after a given time no more faults are reported the ECU will clear the fault and out the light out. Until the next bump!

38a Range Rover

BMW Diesel won't start when warm. Sometimes the car will decide not to start immeduately when hot, but will need a bit of cranking to get going. There are all sorts of exciting solutions to this problem, involving non-return valves and that sort of thing. However, try this first! Check the condition of the spill rail pipes - they go hard over time, and eventually will get so bad that they will crumble when touched. Replacing these has fixed the warm start problem every time so far here.

L322 Range Rover

Yet another howler from BMW.....(happens on their cars too). Owners have found their L322 engine covered in oil, doing a very good impression of having destoyed itself. Panic ye not, to date the is has always been the breather adjacent to one of the rocker covers, Part No. 8510298, becoming blocked.

Go Back

Search this site or the web        powered by FreeFind     Site search Web search