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RDD 128W

1981 Land Rover Defender

Blue Petrol 2495cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires1 Oct 2026
Tests33 (20 pass, 13 fail)
Pass rate60.6%

Mileage

23,491 mi
Last recorded23,491 miles
Recorded on2 Oct 2025
Typical for 1981 Land Rover Defender59,707 mi

Below or average mileage for this year

4 checks still locked for this Land Rover
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Finance
Write-off
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Vehicle Details

RegistrationRDD 128W
MakeLand Rover
ModelDefender
Year1981
ColourBlue
Fuel typePetrol
Engine2,495cc

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

20 pass 13 fail
Pass 2 Oct 2025 23,491 miles
Fail 2 Oct 2025 23,491 miles

Offside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))

Pass 30 Sep 2024 23,316 miles

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

Pass 18 Sep 2023 23,126 miles

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

Oil leak, but not excessive Front and Rear diffs and transfer box (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Fail 13 Sep 2023 23,126 miles

Nearside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))

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

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

Oil leak, but not excessive Front and Rear diffs and transfer box (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Pass 29 Sep 2022 22,972 miles

Offside Indicator tell-tale inoperative (4.9.1 (a) (i))

Fail 28 Sep 2022 22,972 miles

Nearside Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))

Nearside Seat belt not functioning as intended Not Retracting (7.1.2 (c))

Offside Indicator tell-tale inoperative (4.9.1 (a) (i))

Pass 21 Sep 2021 22,725 miles
Pass 14 Sep 2020 22,575 miles
Pass 20 Aug 2019 22,287 miles
Pass 25 Sep 2018 22,044 miles
Pass 19 Sep 2017 21,688 miles
Fail 19 Sep 2017 21,688 miles

Stop lamp insecure Both (1.2.1a) DANGEROUS

Pass 8 Sep 2016 21,286 miles
Fail 8 Sep 2016 21,286 miles

Nearside Stop lamp not working (1.2.1b)

Offside Rear position lamp(s) adversely affected by the operation of another lamp (1.1.A.3f)

Offside Stop lamp not working (1.2.1b)

Fail 11 Aug 2016 21,278 miles

Exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content excessive (7.3.B.1a)

Nearside Rear Stop lamp not working (1.2.1b)

Offside Rear Stop lamp not working (1.2.1b)

corrosion of o/s/f cover under steering box

corrosion on o/s/f body /chassis fixing point

oil leaks

Pass 28 Sep 2015 19,744 miles

Offside Rear wheel bearing has slight play (2.6.2)

Fail 28 Sep 2015 19,744 miles

Nearside Headlamp aim too high (1.8)

Offside Headlamp aim too high (1.8)

Offside Rear wheel bearing has slight play (2.6.2)

Pass 28 Jan 2015 19,696 miles
Fail 27 Jan 2015 19,696 miles

Nearside Front Suspension spring mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)

Nearside Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.2.2)

Service brake is causing the vehicle to swerve to the nearside (3.7.C.2)

Steering wheel locking device insecure (2.1.6)

Nearside Rear Suspension spring mounting prescribed area repaired, but not inappropriately (2.4.A.3)

Offside Rear Suspension spring mounting prescribed area repaired, but not inappropriately (2.4.A.3)

both headlamps have poor beam image

Pass 28 Nov 2014 19,585 miles
Pass 13 Dec 2013 19,456 miles

Nearside Front Axle swivel joint has slight play (2.5.A.3b)

Rear Leaf spring splayed but action not impaired (2.4.B.1c)

Steering system has slight free play detected at steering wheel (2.2.A.1a)

Fail 12 Dec 2013 19,454 miles

Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2)

Nearside Front Axle swivel joint has slight play (2.5.A.3b)

Rear Leaf spring splayed but action not impaired (2.4.B.1c)

Steering system has slight free play detected at steering wheel (2.2.A.1a)

Pass 31 Oct 2012 18,864 miles

Nearside Front front brake juddering slightly (3.7.A.2b)

Offside Front front brake juddering slightly (3.7.A.2b)

Oil leak

Fail 20 Oct 2011 18,195 miles

Nearside Front position lamp(s) not working (1.1.A.3b)

Rear Exhaust has part of the system slightly deteriorated (7.1.1a)

both front tyres sidewalls slightly perrished

Pass 20 Oct 2011 18,195 miles

Rear Exhaust has part of the system slightly deteriorated (7.1.1a)

both front tyres sidewalls slightly perrished

Pass 13 Oct 2010 17,397 miles
Fail 13 Oct 2010 17,397 miles

Offside Front position lamp(s) not working (1.1.A.3b)

Offside Rear fog lamp not working (1.3.2b)

Pass 6 Feb 2010 16,680 miles
Pass 17 Sep 2007 16,621 miles
Fail 11 Sep 2007 16,621 miles

Nearside Rear Suspension spring mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)

Offside Rear Suspension spring mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)

Offside Rear Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)

Rear Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)

serface rust to nearside and offside chassis

Pass 7 Apr 2006 16,516 miles

All leaf springs and chassis corroded.

Both front tyres perished.

Offside front leaf spring anchor bush has slight play in.

Offside front shock absorber has slight play in lower bush.

Slight play in offside rear hub bearing.

Various oil leaks.

Fail 16 Mar 2006 16,508 miles

Exhaust emissions hydrocarbon content excessive (7.3.B.1b)

Nearside Front Ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f)

Nearside Rear Suspension spring mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)

Offside Rear Suspension spring mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)

Offside Front Leaf spring has slight wear in an anchor pin and/or bush (2.4.B.2)

Offside Front Shock absorber has a slightly worn bush (2.7.4)

Offside Rear wheel bearing has slight play (2.6.2)

all leaf springs and cassis corroded

both front tyres starting to perish

possible clutch fluid leak from flexi hose

various oil leaks

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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RDD 128W is a 1981 Land Rover Defender in Blue with a 2,495cc petrol engine. This vehicle has been through 33 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 60.6%.

Across all 1981 Land Rover Defender models, the average MOT pass rate is 67.1% with a typical mileage of 59,707 miles. This particular vehicle has a lower pass rate than the average for its year, which may indicate maintenance issues worth investigating.

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 RDD 128W, 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 45 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 RDD 128W?

You can check the full history of RDD 128W by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was RDD 128W registered?

RDD 128W is a 1981 Land Rover Defender, first registered on 27 March 1981.

Is RDD 128W safe to buy?

The MOT history for RDD 128W shows 33 tests with a 60.6% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does RDD 128W 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 RDD 128W. 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.