Spare parts & service

These are the spare parts we are bringing for our Land Rover Defender 110 (2012 model):

• Air filters (if you are driving in dusty and poluted countries you might want to change your air filters more often)
• Diesel filters – use original ones!
• Oil filters
• Car differential fluid
• Clutch fluid
• Oil for brake
• Extra windshield wipers front and back
• Engine belt (we just used our spare engine belt, a small rock had gotten into the system and cut the belt)
• Set of electric fuses
• 2 sets of bulbs for front and back lights (update: bring more bulbs, we already had to change the bulbs for the small front lights after 2 months)
• 2 spare tires
• Different screws and bolts

On the road

It can be difficult to find spare parts or good service on the road. In Canada and USA they do not sell new Land Rover Defenders. You might see really old ones here and there, but the Land Rover service centers are not prepared to deal with Defenders.

USA: We took Frida for service (20000 km) in Lynnwood north of Seattle, Washington State, and  we wrote the guys about a month in advance to let them know we were coming so they had time to prepare. We had a spare set of filters with us but otherwise they would have had to bring a set home from the UK. We received excellent service from the guys and can only recommend them (Jaguar Land Rover Seattle, 19910 Poplar Way, Lynnwood, WA 98036).

Belize: In Belize, close to the border with Guatemala, we suddenly saw a big Land Rover sign by the side of the road. It turned out to be LR-BELIZE LTD also called “Land Rover Defenders in Paradise”! A company run by Graham Herbert and his wife who settled in Belize in 2005. They are basically the first qualified place going south or the last qualified place going north to have your Defender repaired, buy or order spare parts, equip your car for expeditions etc. It seems the guys can do almost anything – but if you need spare parts they most probably need time to order the pieces. Contact info@lrbelize.com (www.lrbelize.com).

Guatemala and Costa Rica: We changed filters and oil in Guatemala City and again in San Jose. In Costa Rica they claimed that the filters had not been changed in Guatemala and Land Rover has not been able to help us resolve this question. So we ended up paying for two services to be sure that all was ok. We would recommend only to make the absolutely necessary service in Central America.

Argentina and Chile: We took Frida for service in Buenos Aires, Argentina (48000 km) and in Santiago, Chile (60000 km). We got a decent service in Buenos Aires and a very good service in Santiago. Furthermore, we changed the tires on Frida to GoodYear Wrangler at a very reasonable price in Osorno, Chile.

Japan: We received an excellent and fast service in Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido. Just the usual change of filters and oil. We had with us the filters but actually the diesel filter was not original Land Rover and later it turned out to be leaking a little bit.

Russia: In Russia we took Frida for service in Kazan, southeast of Moscow. We changed filters and oil plus made all the usual check-ups including a scheduled check-up of the engine. Additionally, the guys discovered that the engine belt had been cut by a small sharp rock which had gotten stuck to one of the rollers. Fortunately we had an extra belt with us so it was quickly done. Good service!