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F48 MVJ

1989 Land Rover Defender

Blue Diesel 2495cc
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MOT Status

Expired
Expires25 Sep 2026
Tests23 (16 pass, 7 fail)
Pass rate69.6%

Mileage

124,592 mi
Last recorded124,592 miles
Recorded on26 Sep 2025
Typical for 1989 Land Rover Defender127,912 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

RegistrationF48 MVJ
MakeLand Rover
ModelDefender
Year1989
ColourBlue
Fuel typeDiesel
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

16 pass 7 fail
Pass 26 Sep 2025 124,592 miles

Offside Rear Hub seal leaking

Fail 23 Sep 2025 124,592 miles

All direction indicators not working (4.4.1 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Hub seal leaking

Pass 18 Jan 2024 124,027 miles

Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Front Brake hose slightly twisted (1.1.12 (b) (i))

Nearside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Front Seat belt slightly damaged (7.1.2 (b) (i))

Fail 15 Jan 2024 124,027 miles

All direction indicators adversely affected by the operation of another lamp (4.4.3 (b))

Fuel system component leaking high pressure pump area (6.1.3 (b) (i))

Nearside Side repeater not working (4.4.1 (a) (ii))

Nearside Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))

Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength top axle mounting cross member (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Rear fog lamp not working (4.5.1 (a) (ii))

Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Front Brake hose slightly twisted (1.1.12 (b) (i))

Nearside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Front Seat belt slightly damaged (7.1.2 (b) (i))

Fail 6 Jul 2023 124,020 miles

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

Nearside Rear Direction indicator adversely affected by the operation of another lamp (4.4.3 (b))

Nearside Side repeater not working (4.4.1 (a) (ii))

Rear fog lamp not working (4.5.1 (a) (ii))

Cab or chassis corroded within 30cm of a mounting, but not seriously affecting overall security Surface corrosion across chassis (6.2.2 (d) (i))

Coil spring corroded NSF, OSF, NSR, OSR (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Nearside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Front Seat belt webbing slightly damaged or frayed (7.1.2 (b) (ii))

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

Rear Suspension bump stops missing.

Pass 17 Aug 2021 122,742 miles

Nearside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Front Seat belt webbing slightly damaged or frayed (7.1.2 (b) (ii))

Fail 10 Aug 2021 122,719 miles

Central Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))

Nearside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Front Seat belt webbing slightly damaged or frayed (7.1.2 (b) (ii))

Pass 26 Aug 2020 122,433 miles

Central Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material to front (1.1.11 (c))

Fail 19 Aug 2020 122,429 miles

Front Windscreen washer not working (3.5 (a))

Nearside Front Side repeater light intensity significantly reduced (4.4.3 (a))

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

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

Offside Rear Upper Shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush (5.3.2 (c))

Central Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material to front (1.1.11 (c))

Pass 29 Mar 2019 121,080 miles
Fail 14 Mar 2019 120,976 miles

Offside Front Upper Axle swivel pins and bushes swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn (5.1.2 (b) (i))

Towbar excessively corroded within 30cm of towbar mounting (6.1.6 (i) (i))

Offside Front Seat belt webbing slightly damaged or frayed (7.1.2 (b) (ii))

Pass 20 Mar 2018 114,124 miles

Offside Rear Shock absorber upper bush slight free play

Fail 20 Feb 2018 114,124 miles

Ball joint has excessive play Drop arm from steering box (2.2.B.1f)

Nearside Front Upper Shock absorber has an excessively worn bush (2.7.4)

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

Nearside Headlamp not working on main beam (1.7.5a)

Offside Front Brake hose excessively deteriorated Contaminated with engine oil (3.6.B.4d)

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

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

Pass 2 Feb 2017 108,323 miles

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

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

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

Vehicle structure slightly corroded within 30cm of towbar mounting (6.6.6)

Pass 9 Feb 2016 105,920 miles
Pass 13 Jan 2015 103,921 miles

Offside Seat belt damaged but webbing not significantly weakened (5.2.2a)

Pass 13 Jan 2014 101,050 miles
Pass 8 Feb 2013 98,933 miles
Pass 7 Feb 2012 98,027 miles

front brake discs pitted rear brake pipes corroided

Pass 7 Jan 2010 97,430 miles

Power steering component(s) has slight seepage from a component (2.3.3b)

Pass 19 Aug 2008 97,253 miles
Pass 20 Aug 2007 96,728 miles
Pass 18 Aug 2006 95,749 miles

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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F48 MVJ is a 1989 Land Rover Defender in Blue with a 2,495cc diesel engine. This vehicle has been through 23 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 69.6%.

Across all 1989 Land Rover Defender models, the average MOT pass rate is 67.8% with a typical mileage of 127,912 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 F48 MVJ, 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 37 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 F48 MVJ?

You can check the full history of F48 MVJ by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was F48 MVJ registered?

F48 MVJ is a 1989 Land Rover Defender, first registered on 5 May 1989.

Is F48 MVJ safe to buy?

The MOT history for F48 MVJ shows 23 tests with a 69.6% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does F48 MVJ 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 F48 MVJ. 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.