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J8 SXL

1998 Land Rover Defender

Red Diesel 2495cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires9 Sep 2026
Tests24 (18 pass, 6 fail)
Pass rate75%

Mileage

174,916 mi
Last recorded174,916 miles
Recorded on10 Sep 2025
Typical for 1998 Land Rover Defender110,057 mi

Significantly above average — investigate

4 checks still locked for this Land Rover
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Vehicle Details

RegistrationJ8 SXL
MakeLand Rover
ModelDefender
Year1998
ColourRed
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

18 pass 6 fail
Pass 10 Sep 2025 174,916 miles

Nearside Rear Diff seal leaking

Nearside Rear Reversing lamp note working

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

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

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

Fail 8 Sep 2025 174,916 miles

Nearside Rear Direction indicator incorrect colour (4.4.3 (a))

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

Nearside Rear Diff seal leaking

Nearside Rear Reversing lamp note working

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

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

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

Pass 22 Apr 2024 174,685 miles

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

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

Pass 16 Feb 2023 174,186 miles
Fail 15 Feb 2023 174,178 miles

Front Registration plate does not conform to the specified requirements (0.1 (d))

Rear Registration plate does not conform to the specified requirements (0.1 (d))

Pass 3 Feb 2022 173,533 miles
Pass 26 Jan 2021 172,550 miles

Steering box leaking oil (2.1.1 (e) (i))

Fail 25 Jan 2021 172,550 miles

Registration plate does not conform to the specified requirements Front & Rear (0.1 (d))

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

Steering box leaking oil (2.1.1 (e) (i))

Pass 21 Nov 2019 171,448 miles

Both front lower swivel joints have play

Pass 15 Mar 2018 170,078 miles
Pass 9 Feb 2017 169,441 miles

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

Pass 26 Feb 2016 169,011 miles
Pass 18 Feb 2015 167,530 miles
Pass 30 Jan 2014 166,042 miles
Fail 17 Jan 2014 166,034 miles

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

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

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

Fail 11 Dec 2013 165,847 miles

Exhaust emits an excessive level of metered smoke for a turbo charged engine (7.4.B.3b)

Nearside Front Radius arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

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

Nearside Rear Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (3.5.1g)

Nearside Rear Direction indicator excessively damaged so that it is not visible from a reasonable distance (1.4.A.2e)

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

Nearside Rear Trailing arm attachment bracket/mounting corroded and its strength is seriously reduced (2.4.G.1)

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

Nearside rear brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.5a)

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

Offside Front Lower Axle swivel joint has excessive play in a swivel pin (2.5.A.3b)

Offside Front Radius arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Shock absorber has a serious fluid leak (2.7.3)

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

Offside Rear fog lamp not working (1.3.2b)

Offside Rear rear brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.5a)

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)

Rear Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2)

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

Service brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)

Trailer electrical socket damaged so that lead cannot be securely connected (1.9.3b)

Front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2)

Front registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (6.3.1d)

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

Offside Rear Vehicle structure has slight corrosion (6.1.B.2)

Oil leak

o/s/f sidestep has jagged edge

o/s/r wheel corroded

Pass 12 Nov 2012 154,600 miles

Nearside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)

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

Offside Rear Vehicle structure has slight corrosion (6.1.B.2)

Prop-shaft universal joint worn

reverse light lens damaged

Fail 12 Nov 2012 154,600 miles

Nearside Front Seat belt damaged sufficient to significantly weakened the webbing (5.2.2a)

Nearside Front Track rod end loose (2.2.B.1d)

Nearside Rear Rear reflector missing (1.5.1a)

Nearside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1.E.1)

Offside Front Ball joint dust cover insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.2.C.1c)

Offside Front Front wheel bearing rough when rotated (2.5.A.2)

Offside Front Lower Axle swivel joint has excessive play in a swivel pin (2.5.A.3b)

Rear fog lamp not working (1.3.2b)

Rear rear brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.5a)

Service brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)

Nearside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)

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

Offside Rear Vehicle structure has slight corrosion (6.1.B.2)

Prop-shaft universal joint worn

reverse light lens damaged

Pass 11 Nov 2011 144,727 miles

Brakes imbalanced requirements only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.B.5b)

Front Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (2.4.A.3)

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

Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (2.4.A.3)

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

Pass 8 Nov 2010 134,080 miles
Pass 19 Oct 2009 122,018 miles
Pass 12 Nov 2008 11,618 miles
Pass 24 Oct 2007 99,939 miles
Pass 19 Oct 2006 89,624 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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J8 SXL is a 1998 Land Rover Defender in Red with a 2,495cc diesel engine. This vehicle has been through 24 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 75%.

Across all 1998 Land Rover Defender models, the average MOT pass rate is 70.3% with a typical mileage of 110,057 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 J8 SXL, 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 28 years old, this Land Rover Defender is well into its expected lifespan but still has years ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the history of J8 SXL?

You can check the full history of J8 SXL by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was J8 SXL registered?

J8 SXL is a 1998 Land Rover Defender, first registered on 1 January 1998.

Is J8 SXL safe to buy?

The MOT history for J8 SXL shows 24 tests with a 75% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does J8 SXL 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 J8 SXL. 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.