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490 TRF

1988 Land Rover Defender

Blue Diesel 2494cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires23 Jan 2027
Tests25 (18 pass, 7 fail)
Pass rate72%

Mileage

173,525 mi
Last recorded173,525 miles
Recorded on13 Jan 2026
Typical for 1988 Land Rover Defender127,342 mi

Above average mileage for this year

4 checks still locked for this Land Rover
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Vehicle Details

Registration490 TRF
MakeLand Rover
ModelDefender
Year1988
ColourBlue
Fuel typeDiesel
Engine2,494cc

All premium checks include

50+ data points
Finance Check (Experian) Insurance Write-off Salvage Auction Stolen Check Previous Owners Ex-Taxi, Police, NHS Mileage Anomaly Import / Export Scrapped Check Plate Changes

MOT History

18 pass 7 fail
Pass 13 Jan 2026 173,525 miles

Offside Front Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing damage to inner sidewall. (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Offside Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.7.1 (b) (i))

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

battery tray corroding.

rear crossmember corroding.

Pass 24 Jan 2025 172,826 miles

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.7.1 (b) (i))

battery tray corroded.

rear crossmember corroding

Fail 22 Jan 2025 172,824 miles

Nearside Rear Vehicle structure or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting chassis. (6.2.2 (d) (i))

Suspension component ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt rear A frame ball joint (5.3.4 (b) (ii))

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.7.1 (b) (i))

battery tray corroded.

rear crossmember corroding

Pass 17 Jan 2024 171,635 miles

Front Registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (0.1 (b))

Fail 17 Jan 2024 171,635 miles

Stop lamp(s) all not working (4.3.1 (a) (iii)) DANGEROUS

Front Registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (0.1 (b))

Pass 2 Sep 2020 170,330 miles
Pass 13 Sep 2019 168,401 miles
Pass 23 Aug 2018 164,390 miles

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Pass 14 Sep 2017 159,323 miles

Oil leak ()

both rear tyres perished

Fail 11 Sep 2017 159,312 miles

Central Rear Suspension arm has excessive play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded chassis rail (2.4.A.3)

Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases flexi pipe section (7.1.2)

Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Oil leak ()

both rear tyres perished

both wiper blades split

Pass 25 Aug 2016 153,171 miles

Centre Rear Suspension arm ball joint dust cover damaged, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Oil leak ()

both front hub oil seals leaking

Fail 25 Aug 2016 153,171 miles

Centre Rear Suspension arm ball joint dust cover damaged, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Oil leak ()

Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d)

both front hub oil seals leaking

Pass 23 Sep 2015 152,968 miles

both front tracktor joints weeping oil

n/s and o/s front metal brake pipes poor condition

rear chassis rails poor condition

Fail 21 Sep 2015 152,968 miles

Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases rear box (7.1.2)

Nearside Front Ball joint dust cover excessively damaged so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt front most (2.2.C.1c)

Nearside Front Ball joint dust cover excessively damaged so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt rear most (2.2.C.1c)

Offside Front Driver's door cannot be opened from inside the vehicle (6.2.B.1b)

both front tracktor joints weeping oil

n/s and o/s front metal brake pipes poor condition

rear chassis rails poor condition

Pass 29 Apr 2014 152,946 miles

Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Front Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.2.C.1c)

Nearside Rear Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Pass 30 Apr 2013 150,495 miles

both front brake pipes slightly corroded

both rear shock top bushes slightly worn

slight play o/s front wheel bearing

steering damper bushes slightly worn

Pass 12 May 2012 142,488 miles

both rear top shocks poor condition

oil leak

passager door handle ok time of test

rear tyres getting low

Fail 9 May 2012 142,466 miles

Intermediate drop arm insecure (2.2.B.1a)

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.2.C.1c)

Nearside Front Tyre fouling a part of the vehicle (4.1.D.2)

Offside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Front Tyre fouling a part of the vehicle (4.1.D.2)

Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d)

Steering system has excessive free play detected at the steering wheel (steering box fitted) (2.2.A.1a)

both rear top shock bushes poor condition

oil leak

passenger door handle poor condition ok time of test

rear tyres geting low

Pass 28 Apr 2011 130,412 miles

Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Front Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Pass 6 May 2010 117,283 miles

n/s mirrow is in poor condition

oil leak

slight play in both top shock bushes

slight play in drop arm track rod end

sligt play in both front trailing arm bushes

Pass 28 May 2009 106,334 miles

corrosion in exhaust

wear in ball joint at pitman arm end

Pass 26 Jun 2008 90,170 miles
Fail 25 Jun 2008 90,163 miles

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f)

Nearside Front Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Nearside Rear Lower Shock absorber has a slightly worn bush (2.7.4)

Offside Rear Lower Shock absorber has a slightly worn bush (2.7.4)

Pass 27 Jun 2007 77,374 miles

Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Rear Rear wheel bearing has slight play (2.6.2)

Pass 4 Jul 2006 69,375 miles

Front Torsion bar slight play at an end fixing (2.4.E.2)

Offside Front Track rod end ball joint has slight play (2.2.B.1f)

How Reliable is the Land Rover Defender?

Based on 2,960,045 MOT tests across 181,953 vehicles.

72.3%
Pass Rate
3,550
Miles/Year
43
Year Lifespan
181,953
On UK Roads

Top MOT Failure Points

Shock absorber has an excessively worn bush 77,499
Brake pipe excessively corroded 77,229
Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively 57,749
position lamp(s) not working 53,914
Stop lamp not working 52,341
Full Land Rover Defender reliability report

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490 TRF is a 1988 Land Rover Defender in Blue with a 2,494cc diesel engine. This vehicle has been through 25 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 72%.

Across all 1988 Land Rover Defender models, the average MOT pass rate is 67.9% with a typical mileage of 127,342 miles. This particular vehicle has performed better than the average for its year.

The most common reason a Land Rover Defender fails its MOT is shock absorber has an excessively worn bush, accounting for 77,499 recorded failures. If you're considering buying 490 TRF, it's worth having these areas checked by a mechanic before committing.

The Land Rover Defender typically stays on UK roads for around 43 years. At 38 years old, this Land Rover Defender is approaching the upper end of the typical lifespan for this model.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the history of 490 TRF?

You can check the full history of 490 TRF by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was 490 TRF registered?

490 TRF is a 1988 Land Rover Defender, first registered on 2 August 1988.

Is 490 TRF safe to buy?

The MOT history for 490 TRF shows 25 tests with a 72% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does 490 TRF have outstanding finance?

Finance checks require a premium vehicle report. This checks against all major UK finance providers to see if there is any outstanding finance on 490 TRF. If you buy a car with outstanding finance, the finance company can repossess it.

No warranty or guarantee of accuracy is provided for any free data on this page. The data guarantee applies only to information obtained through the purchase of a full check.