Land Rover servicing in the UK
 

Hi Guys
We are Australians who have just completed a 10 month overland trip from Cape Town to Europe in our 2009 Puma Defender "Tin Can" and will arrive in the UK in the next week or so. Although we had no real trouble at all, our Land Rover needs a really thorough service after possibly dubious servicing in Botswana and Kenya. It's air-conditioning system also gave up somewhere west of Kampala and was not helped by a dodgy repair shop in Nairobi. We intend storing the vehicle in England over the winter whilst returning to OZ then coming back next year to use it around Europe.

The question is hopefully simple: Where in south east England (preferably somewhere near London) can it be suggested I take it for a service to a Land Rover servicing shop who understands the rigours of overland travel and who can be relied on not to rip us off? If experience in OZ is anything to go by, official dealers are often not the best bet?

Stan Rogers
Tincaninafrica | Overland-Cape Town to Cairo & then?

Dunsfold Land Rovers in Surrey have the best mechanics by far for landies from my experience of owning one here for 12 years. Dunsfold DLR but they are pricy at about £55 per hour. But simply excellent. Land Rover themselves often phone to ask about older models. They run the Dunsfold Collection Dunsfold Collection so complete anoraks. Tell them Darrin sent you and they will know your a traveller.

Foleys Specialist Vehicles are in Essex, near Epping. They mainly rebuild vehicles, but have a good reputation, not sure about mechanically??but they know Africa well. foleysv.com

Brownchurch who make roof racks had a good mechanic a few years ago, a bit pricey also, but honest people who know landies well, but I don't know who their mechanics are now. brownchurch.co.uk

Avoid dealers! Crap and about £120 + vat (20%) per hour.

Summarized nicely by Roamingyak.

Opt for Dunsfold - beautiful location with a nice pub walking distance.

I know next to nothing about LRs, other than driving them into the ground when they come in NATO green, but £55 per hour for a good mechanic is a reasonable rate for the UK. Certainly stay away from main dealers - an online search should throw up lots of independant garages and you could look at Land Rover magazine, or the online specialist forums for the adverts of services; unsurprisingly, they are all over the UK if you can tear yourself away from London and the SE of England.

Also, consider doing the basic things - oil changes for instance - yourself and then get it checked over for the more difficult items.

Hi Stan and Marianne,

Foleys are good guys. They specialise in expedition prepping Land Rovers. They did some modifications on ours before we left and talked us out of many things we were thinking of as being not worth the expense (and they were right). In other words they're pretty pragmatic. They also gave our Landy an overhaul when we returned last year (sorry don't have costs to hand).

Foley Land Rover Sales, Conversions, Repairs, Export and Servicing. Defender, Discovery, Range Rover. Covering Bishops Stortford, Woodford Green, Loughton, Cheshunt, Harlow, Epping, Hertford, Ware, Thornwood, Turnford, Roydon

Hope you don't mind me butting in, but I'd be interested in any LR specialist outfits like Foleys at a higher Latitude. (Towards Edinburgh).

I have a good general mechanic for most stuff, but taking it to a LR specialist prior to a trip I'm planning might be a good idea.

Matt :)

Matt,
Land Rover Monthly has ads for:-

Welcome to 4MuddyFeet
based in Northumberland, and

Mark's Garage for Land Rovers
based in East Lothian, and

Car Servicing Glasgow | MOT Centre | Land Rover Specialists
based in Glasgow

Most business ads in the magazine are based much further south, but these 3 are listed in the back of the magazine as "local servicing specialists".

you may want to read this ?

Driving in the UK with non-UK number plates : Directgov - Motoring

Thanks - I better get my head around some of that and form 308?

Also, just to add to your joy, London now has a Low Emission Zone (LEZ), which your new puma won't be caught by, but I think you have to register your license plate with them in advance so they know you shouldn't be fined.

Low Emission Zone | Transport for London

Welcome to the police state of the uk.

Awesome, thanks mate! Will check them out.

Matt :)

Thanks!
 

Thanks Mate! We will opt for Dunsfold as it seems like a good spot also? We have already planned the route - and will be sure to say Darrin sent us!
Cheers
Stan

And I thought that Egypt and Sudan were bad! Don't worry, I think this time we will avoid central London as I had heard about the LEZ tax (although I would love to have a photo of Tin can at Trafalgar Square!
Cheers

Book in advance with Dunsfold and politely explain you are finishing a long African trip, want a good checkup and service(?) plus the list of things you know you want looked at. Some of the office staff have changed, so not all of them will know me. Phil the owner can be a bit grumpy, but he knows everything about any landy.

It is a nice place, but it is also in the middle of nowhere, just a pub and a very basic shop in the countryside. So you will need to drive there and away each night etc. So try to make sure you can drive if it takes more than one day...

(If you ask Phil very nicely and gently he may let you camp in the yard for one night or so...)

You can drive into London with your Puma for no cost, but I think you need to register first...?

Thanks Darrin. Its actually turned out that Dunsfold cannot service Land Rovers newer than 200 according to Phil (whom I emailed). They don't apparently have the equipment.

So we are going to go to Foleys instead. (Which is a bit closer to Leighton Buzzard where we will be staying on a friends farm anyway).
Thanks for all your advice (and I think your advice to that other overlander about not taking a trailer to Africa and opting for a rooftop tent spot on! We thought our Hannibal rooftop tent excellent).
Cheers