My Range Rover Classic has been chosen to represent the model-year in the official 40th Anniversary Heritage Run from the factory at Solihull to the LR headquarters and British Motor heritage centre at Gaydon, just like the 109 did in the LR 60th Anniversary run two years ago. The big difference is that this time we will be in the classic run.
I haven’t included the Range Rover much on this site because it’s dedicated to my 109, but for those of you who have not stumbled across the few previous comments on my Range Rover, I’ll quickly summarise it.
It was built in 1995, which makes it from the last year of the model’s production. It has the “soft dash”, which is rare enough, but I was very specific about the vehicle I wanted. I eventually managed to track down a coil sprung 300Tdi with R380 Vogue. This means that I can actually afford its fuel bills as an everyday family car without the need for an LPG conversion (which either takes the space of the spare wheel or needs torpedo tanks under the sills), the manual gear box doesn’t sap the less slightly reduced power of the Tdi (and I dislike automatics anyway), it’s very reliable and doesn’t cost much on maintenance. Further more, by getting the even rarer Vogue rather than the more common Vogue SE, I have cloth seats that don’t crease, crack, scratch, creak or burn in the summer, I don’t have a leaky sunroof and I don’t have a myriad of unreliable, irreplaceable seat electrics that tend to fail after 80,000 miles.
The Range Rover even came in a great colour combination – Epsom green, which looks really good on a Classic, with two-tone grey interior, and (thankfully) black rather than chrome bumpers. The previous owner had made a few minor alterations, comprising replacing the standard grey 3-spoke wheels with TWR alloys (a factory option at the time), fitting running boards which give a measure of protection to the bodywork as well as making entry easier for my kids, and police spec rear springs, which take the weight of the Boge strut and lift the tail end to give it a stance comparable to a Range Rover Sport. All these changes are very minor, but they give the vehicle a much sprightlier and younger appearance.
I did make some small interior changes; the fitting of a dog guard to keep my “enthusiastic” puppies out of the main part of the cabin, and the fitting of heating pads to the front seats, just like on the SE, using SE switches and trim panels – all the wiring and plugs were already a part of the standard loom. I also fitted a heated front screen, using the SE switches and fuse box in conjunction with the existing, redundant standard wiring loom. The one further planned mod is to add air conditioning from a 300 Tdi discovery ES, which shares the same system as the 300Tdi RR Vogue SE, so all that will be visible inside is the single dash switch, and all parts will be standard. It’s important to me that this vehicle be as original as possible, and that any mods be sympathetic and period with genuine parts.
Of course, Range Rovers have a few well known weaknesses. Most of the body is surprisingly good; there is only a little bubbling or rust in the typical places, but it will get a respray in the next couple of years. The upper tail gate was replaced several years ago with an aluminium one, the timing and serpentine belts have been replaced, a leaky steering box has been replaced and a failed injection pump was replaced with a new Wolf unit.
I have just had to remove the “Tdi” badge on the tailgate for repair because these badges are no longer available. The glue had failed and the letters had curled, so removing them with the aid of a hair dryer, straightening them and re-attaching with “Uhu”. The letters were then brush painted with clear lacquer to touch up the cracked and flaked original lacquer and to protect their paint from future polishing off. they will have to be removed and retained during the respray, but I have already managed to obtain new replacement “RANGE ROVER” badges for the bonnet and tailgate.
Another recent repair is the head lining. It’s not just common for Range Rover head linings’ fabric to separate from the backing – it’s almost unheard of for it not to happen after about ten years. Mine had just started in the corners at about twelve, but there it stayed until last year, when the majority of the fabric finally came away. I had toyed with the idea of repairing it myself, but having tried the same job on a Saab 900 in the past, decided to get it done professionally. I used Nationwide Trim, who specialise in this job. They do sell new head linings outright, which is their normal business, but since their single-piece linings are for sunroof models and their plain roof model linings are all two-piece, I wanted the original backing used. They did a good job, with only a few minor bumps or imperfections where the backing was damaged – it looks almost as good as new. Sadly, the original fabric is no longer available, so they use a newer fabric of the same colour but slightly coarser weave on all their linings. It still looks great, despite that.
The final job for the heritage Run, other than the thorough cleaning and polish it will get next Saturday, was to repaint the steel trim strip on the top of the rear bumper that hides the gap between the bumper and rear of the body, which had started to get a little surface rust.
Hi Nick,
Just read your blog on the RR with interest. I to own a Soft Dash 300 Tdi manual, no eas, classic – M443KAC – which I believe is an ex LR vehicle. I ran for a number of years commuting from near Reading to Tewkesbury and grew very attached to it. We returned to NZ in 2005 and bought it with us. Unfortunately it was found to have too much corrosion to put on the road despite looking perfect externally. It has languished in the garage for the last few years while I decide what to do with it. The worst corrosion is in the A pillars. I am hoping that the bulkhead and front pillars might be the same as a similar year Discovery. You wouldn’t know whether they are or, would you? I liked your comment about the BERR as it was certainly a fabulous vehicle for my purpose.
Cheers,
Graham Russell.
Auckland NZ.
grahamrussell@xtra.co.nz
Hi Graham,
Sorry to hear that your RRC is in trouble. I’m pretty sure that apart from the rear floor and quarter panels, the entire body shell is the same as a 300Tdi Discovery. It’s really just a different set of panels on the same shell, except for the rear end. There may be small differences in bracketry, but nothing much.
From what I have seen, good RRC prices are starting to creep up again, and rare examples like ours should be future Classics. It’d be a big job to swap body shells, but depending on the depth of your pockets and how much you like the car, may be worth the cost to you. It certainly won’t be financially worthwhile, at least in the short to medium term as the value of the restored car will be less than the cost of the work (unless you are able to do it yourself), but looking at the prices of top-condition 2-door models and noting that the soft dash is next on the desirability and rarity list, I think we can reasonably expect values to increase in the future.
Mine has had a few holes in the floors, but the structure seems OK so far. I plan to keep on top of it and hope to avoid a major rebuild, but the RRC is notorious for inner shell decay. I’m not holding my breath!
Nick.
Hi Nick,
Thanks for the reply. Since the email I have bought another soft dash – V8 Auto with the intention of breaking it and using the parts to rebuild mine. However it is almost too good to break so may sell it on and go down the Discovery route. I will let you know how I get on. Might take a while a though – we have a 110 Defender and Freelander to keep roadworthy as well!
Cheers,
Graham
Hi Nick,
What an interesting write up on your Range Rover. You should definitely devote a little more of your website to it!
I own a ’95 MY Soft Dash LSE which has (as i’m sure you’ll know) the 4.2 V8 fitted. I have owned my Classic for 3.5 years now and wouldn’t be without it, despite all its foibles.
Through my ownership I have replaced the headlining, fixed many many leaks (mostly from factory defects/panel gaps!), replaced the seat ECU battery (in turn repairing the non functioning seats/mirrors) amongst many other things. I have also re-manufactured some Overfinch door armrest pads which transform long distance driving.
Future plans are to fit a new bottom tailgate which I already have but it requires paint, new front screen and top tailgate with the OEM 3rd brakelight. (currently on order) I am also waiting for my TWR spoiler and D pillars to come back from the sprayshop to be fitted.
Regards,
Andrew
Sounds very good, Andrew. I did briefly consider an LSE because the standard model’s leg room in the second row is very poor if the front seat occupants need their seats all the way back, which includes me if I’m driving, and I’m only 6′ tall; very tall drivers must be really cramped.
I decided against it on a few grounds, though: I was worried about parts availability for doors and trim, being such a rare model; the LSE was not available with a Tdi because it is too heavy; parking would be a little more difficult in town, and finally; I just prefer the standard length’s aesthetic.
The first few considerations are little problem if you have the space on your driveway to park the car, don’t use it much in towns, and have the space in the garage to keep a pair of spare rear doors if you stumble upon a good pair. The looks are a very minor issue, but since I had bought the Range rover to replace my 109, but had intended the Saab to remain as the main family car, rear passenger consideration was not terribly important. Of course, when it came to selling the 109, Helena saw the look on my face (we had a very keen buyer), and a last minute inheritance of a few thousand pounds meant we could keep the 109 and sell the Saab (which she loved) instead. So we now have no car suited to long distance cruising with the full family, but I do have what I consider the prettiest car LR ever made… Thank Christ Helena is so understanding!
Hi Nick,
Just read your blog and perhaps you can lead me in the right direction.I bought an 94 RR Classic SE (petrol) with 160,000km a couple of months ago in apparent excellent overall conditions. However I am desperate as I started getting this terrible exhaust fume smell inside the cabin which has become unbearable. I took it to a Land Rover garage and they’ve checked just about everything from the exhaust pipe to the engine and everything seems to be working fine.
Is it normal that RR Classic’s exhaust fumes be so toxic and with such a strong smell?
How could this smell be entering the cabin, specially on the left hand (driver´s side)?
Any suggestions on where to look for the cause of this? I can´t drive it anymore as I feel sick after a 20 minute drive…
let me know your comments.
Cheers,
David
Hi David,
It is most certainly not normal, and smells of exhaust fumes on any car should be urgently rectified. Exhaust fumes contain numerous toxins which, even if they don’t harm you though direct poisoning, could easily cause you to crash through partial incapacitation, with obvious consequences. Fumes in the cabin are an MoT fail and serious safety issue.
Fumes can build up under the car body and rise up into the cab if the exhaust(s) is too short, not expelling the gas clear of the body overhang. If an exhaust has been modified to improve off-road departure angles by cutting it shorter, then this is a likely cause.
Assuming the exhaust is standard, I’d start by looking at the manifold studs and gaskets, and the manifold joints with the exhaust down pipes. Also look for warped manifolds, as can happen with age. From there, just work aft along the pipes, checking for corrosion, holes or bad joints. If you still can’t find anything, then a blocked muffler box or catalytic converter could be the fault.
I would urge you not to drive the vehicle until rectified, except to a place of repair, and on such a drive to have all windows fully open. I’d suggest taking it to an exhaust specialist – it’ll be much cheaper than a LR specialist, and your dealer has obviously missed something. In my experience, franchised dealers have some of the most inept and disinterested mechanics because the senior technicians are over-stretched training up the many apprentices who do not understand what they’re doing. They also have a dependency on electronic diagnostics, not common sense, and have no experience or interest in any vehicle outside of its warranty period. A scathing view, but one built by numerous experiences with franchised dealers of several different marques…
Good luck.
Hi Nick
I have a metalic green 1995 LSE that’s darker (BRGish ?) than Ardennes – do you know if that’s Epsom ?
Also where did you source the tailgate RR decal?
AW
Hi Andy
Epsom is likely – it was used only on 1995 Classics, though there was a more vivid green used in conjunction with Brooklands body kits on some LSEs and Autobiography spec vehicles.
I got the decals from my local LR specialist. The Tdi and green “Classic” badge are no longer available.
Nick