Well this is the second time I have had to replace the boot switch on Phoebe and for my sins I bought a cheap pattern part and it inevitably died over this winter. But it does allow me to show you guys a tool that every DIYer with a Defender or later vehicle needs to have in their tool box:

Trim Pliers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Spot-Tools-0...KRKQLIB8V8

They are not a sexy tool but they are amazing at preventing trim clips from breaking and extracting fir-tree clips. For the price they are brilliant and worth every penny of £7.







Two screws from the internal grab handles out. Insert tool. Squeeze. Pops the clip right out.

To get the switch out it is off with the exterior grab handle (six 10mm nuts) and unplug the internal connector.








Handle off





I chose an OE part this time from LR Direct, not the LR part and what turned up was... the LR Part... for a tenth of the price...





The difference between the cheap OE and the LR part is night and day. The LR part is completely sealed whereas the cheaper one is... not... I took the time to clean the inside of the handle out and noticed that two of the connective struts were broken, so plastic welded them back on again. I also DIY'd a new set of closed foam seals for the bolts and around the top of the handle. All back together and the boot opens once more with a satisfying whirrwr-clunk.






Whilst I was there I had been meaning to replace the foam seal around the high level brake light. Pop the internal panel. Use a flat head screwdriver to press out the light unit. Unplug the bulb and washer jet. This is a known failure point for water to get into the boot lid, then switch and fail....



But... Even though the seal was proper manky, it turns out the light lens itself had cracked and let water in to the boot. It wasn't like that back in October so all I can think of is that during the crazy cold spell before Christmas some ice had formed and cracked the light lens.







The evidence of water dribbling on the inside of the boot panel. A replacement light unit is on the way so for now...





All in all this is an easy DIY job that can be accomplished with the absolute minimum of tools and ability.

Ok, just to finish this bit off. The replacement high level brake light lens arrived this afternoon along with a pair of new bulbs.

So, the first thing to do is unclip the washer jet from the old lens, two small clips and a flat head will do the job. The o-ring on mine had perished so a new one was fitted. For reference it is a 4mmx1mm o-ring. Slot it in to position.





Refit the washer hose and bulb holder and clip the lens back in to position on the boot lid. Check that everything works, replace the inner trim... Job done... MOT compliant once again...

Thanks for taking the time and effort to make this thread so informative.

--Fantastic photos of method-- FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

You're welcome @IanMetro

+1 for what Ian said  2014 Freelander 2 TD4 Manual Dynamic
1956/7 88" Series One Land Rover
1956/7 88" Series One Land Rover - undergoing restoration

There is something wonderful about having the space to push the limits of a vehicle, practice, feel how it behaves in different scenarios. This weekend we received a little over 6 inches of snow...



So what is a Freelander 2 to do, but go out and find some fresh snow to plough through. The first lane was a "simple" fairly deeply rutted track where the front chin was just scraping the surface of the centre. The track included a number of deep drifts. Then up hill to one of my favourite dog walking woodlands where the snow became deeper and fresher.





I have heard that turning DSC off improves snow driving. It does not. It does reduce the amount the engine bogs down but at the expense of increased wheel spin and reduced traction and less forward momentum. But, the power slides weren't boring at all... Switching into snow mode allowed for slow controlled progress and Phoebe just kept plugging onwards. What was surprising, although it really shouldn't be, is that when I pulled up to get the dogs out all four of the brake discs were billowing with steam. So they were being worked hard, constantly to get to where we got to. Impressive as it is I cannot help thinking that it places a lot of stress on the vehicles systems. This goes for all modern SUVs and 4x4s.

The only Whoa that's not good feeling was when I rejoined the main road and built up speed and it honestly felt like Phoebe had square wheels. Well, not quite but all of the rims were full of compressed snow throwing the wheels ever so slightly out of balance. Not a great feeling. Actually the most worrying part of the the ice on the inside of the rims is not the balance but the proximity of the calipers and brake flexi hose leading to the caliper...



For reference Phoebe is completely standard on 19" wheels and shod in Vredstein Quadtrac Pros. Excellent 4 season tyre.

And then today it is absolutely lashing it down and snow is forecast for mid-week... Weird weather this week....

PRadd wrote:

+1 for what Ian said

You're welcome as well

Honestly not much to report on old Phoebe. She keeps plodding on as she always has done. Stalwart of the fleet

Just been for her annual prod and tickle by the keepers of vehicle safety and she passed with just a few minor advisories to keep an eye on, but are not at all critical. She is just short of 150k miles and there are a few ball joints with a very slight play in them.

The inner steering rack joint
OS rear ARB ball joint
OS rear brake pad thinner than others.

Quote:

Honestly not much to report on old Phoebe. She keeps plodding on as she always has done. Stalwart of the fleet Bow down

Just been for her annual prod and tickle by the keepers of vehicle safety and she passed with just a few minor advisories to keep an eye on, but are not at all critical. She is just short of 150k miles and there are a few ball joints with a very slight play in them.

The inner steering rack joint
OS rear ARB ball joint
OS rear brake pad thinner than others.


Looks like the calliper sliders are a bit sticky. Might only need new pads.

Have no idea about the steering rack yet or whether it is DIY'able or not. Not critical though.

And the MOT advisories are being ticked off... The other night Phoebe, who has just turned 150k miles old, had her rear calipers over-hauled, new LR brake pads, new anti roll bar (ARB) mounting bushes, a pair of ARB linkages and a wash-scrub-Lanoguard...

Wow... what a difference in braking and cornering The pads had a good 25% left on them so the improvement in braking was a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one.

The ARB bushes were absolutely... "bushed"... and as for the linkages only one of the ball joints was loose, but not like stirring a wooden spoon in a saucepan. The process was fairly straight forward, the only two things that needed doing were to drop the exhaust back box for space and the four ARB mounting bolts were a little stiff in the captive nuts. The up side was access for washing, scrubbing and lanoguarding.

But what a difference in the ride quality. Next on the Lise are the front lower control arms and ARB furniture. Phoebe deserves it...

Lovely hear that she's still going strong. Jules

Ah she's a peach is our Phoebe

Just a small vehicle related update. Managed to pick up a second hand tow ball mounted bike rack the other week. It is well used but has many many years worth of use left in it.

It needed a good rub down, rust converted, dash of paint (Raptor 1K) and some tube end caps. It now looks like it will last another decade or so

It will be used on both the Defender and the Freelander 2.







Love a good deal

Well... You know how it is... You get up and head out to the car to load the dogs in the back and...



I knew a while ago that this may happen so I have bought the proper number plate inserts and some screws. A fun 20 minutes first thing on a Sunday before breakfast :rolleyes:

Long live the Freelander 2 and the OzTent RV4. Love both these bits of kit...

Sometimes the small jobs are quite satisfying though...