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C949 DCL

1986 Land Rover Defender

Blue Diesel 2500cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires24 Apr 2027
Tests19 (10 pass, 9 fail)
Pass rate52.6%

Mileage

99,947 mi
Last recorded99,947 miles
Recorded on25 Apr 2026
Typical for 1986 Land Rover Defender124,952 mi

Below or average mileage for this year

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

RegistrationC949 DCL
MakeLand Rover
ModelDefender
Year1986
ColourBlue
Fuel typeDiesel
Engine2,500cc

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

10 pass 9 fail
Pass 25 Apr 2026 99,947 miles
Pass 22 Apr 2024 98,954 miles
Fail 3 Apr 2024 98,943 miles

Rear Axle insecure such that stability is impaired (5.1.1 (b) (ii)) DANGEROUS

Pass 10 Feb 2023 97,581 miles
Fail 31 Jan 2023 97,577 miles

Exhaust system insecure (6.1.2 (a))

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

Offside Front Floor excessively deteriorated (6.2.4 (a) (i))

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

Pass 25 Jan 2022 94,749 miles
Fail 17 Jan 2022 94,738 miles

Exhaust emissions exceed level of metered smoke for a turbo charged engine (8.2.2.2 (b))

Exhaust system insecure (6.1.2 (a))

Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn Panard rod (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Pass 21 Jan 2021 94,264 miles
Fail 23 Dec 2020 94,264 miles

Nearside Front Service brake excessively binding (1.2.1 (f))

Offside Rear Service brake effort inadequate at a wheel (1.2.1 (a) (i))

Rear Brakes imbalanced across an axle Axle 2 (1.2.1 (b) (i))

Service brake efficiency below requirements (1.2.2 (a) (i))

Steering box has excessive movement between sector shaft and the drop arm (2.1.3 (a) (ii)) DANGEROUS

Pass 24 Dec 2019 93,441 miles
Fail 18 Nov 2019 93,437 miles

Brake pipe excessively corroded main front to rear (1.1.11 (c))

Nearside Rear Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Nearside Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.1.3 (b) (i))

Offside Rear Suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Rear Brakes imbalanced across an axle Axle 2 (1.2.1 (b) (i))

Service brake efficiency below requirements (1.2.2 (a) (i))

Nearside Rear Service brake has no recorded effort at a wheel (1.2.1 (a) (ii)) DANGEROUS

Pass 8 Nov 2018 91,115 miles
Fail 29 Oct 2018 91,113 miles

Nearside Headlamp not working on dipped beam (4.1.1 (a) (ii))

Nearside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))

Nearside Rear Service brake effort inadequate at a wheel (1.2.1 (a) (i))

Offside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))

Rear Brakes imbalanced across an axle Axle 2 (1.2.1 (b) (i))

Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps (4.7.1 (b) (ii))

Service brake efficiency below requirements (1.2.2 (a) (i))

Pass 19 Oct 2017 90,409 miles
Fail 19 Oct 2017 90,409 miles

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

Pass 26 Oct 2016 88,454 miles

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

power steering box leaking

Fail 21 Oct 2016 88,452 miles

Nearside Front Headlamp not working on dipped beam (1.7.5a)

Nearside Front Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

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

Offside Front Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.2.2)

Offside Front brake disc contaminated by oil (3.5.1h)

Offside Rear Mechanical brake component has restricted free movement (3.5.1k)

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

power steering box leaking

Pass 8 Nov 2013 88,290 miles

Nearside Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Fail 1 Nov 2013

Bonnet cannot be secured in the closed position (8.4.1)

Hazard warning tell tale not working correctly (1.4.B.1e)

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

Nearside Headlamp aim too high and too far to the right. (1.8)

Nearside Rear Stop lamp adversely affected by the operation of another lamp (1.2.1f)

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

Offside Front brake disc contaminated by oil (3.5.1h)

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

Offside Headlamp aim beam image obviously incorrect (1.8.A.1b)

Offside Rear Direction indicator not working (1.4.A.2c)

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

Offside Rear rear brake binding (3.7.B.1)

Rear fog lamp not working (1.3.2b)

Rear fog lamp tell tale not working (1.3.1b)

Speedometer cannot be illuminated. (6.7.3)

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Nearside Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

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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C949 DCL is a 1986 Land Rover Defender in Blue with a 2,500cc diesel engine. This vehicle has been through 19 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 52.6%.

Across all 1986 Land Rover Defender models, the average MOT pass rate is 68.7% with a typical mileage of 124,952 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 C949 DCL, 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 40 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 C949 DCL?

You can check the full history of C949 DCL by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was C949 DCL registered?

C949 DCL is a 1986 Land Rover Defender, first registered on 4 July 1986.

Is C949 DCL safe to buy?

The MOT history for C949 DCL shows 19 tests with a 52.6% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does C949 DCL 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 C949 DCL. 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.