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Sad to say but: These instructions are not going to work or be followed in the real world of towing, roadside, in poor lighting, in inclement weather — ie where vehicles are not treated like artwork.
Why is it so important that the key remain in the vehicle *after the underhood emergency park release is located and triggered, while being towed, and thus the steering wheel remains unlocked? Jeez.
All in, the Defender towing instructions seem a bit ridiculous.
BTW - In a prior role I produced a reality television show about tow truck drivers / companies - they towed high end vehicles, highway rollovers etc. I spent hours (hundreds) riding along. I never once saw a driver consulting a vehicle specific or manufacturer manual prior to or during a recovery. And no owner has a clue, and he/she often isn’t with the car anyway. It is very much a “hook and drag” thing in the real world. Cars in park. Dragged up ramps. This was pre Tesla so no widespread electrification safety issues, but those sorts of specific “read the manual” seem more appropriate to first responders and not tow drivers.
I’d bet you’d be lucky to find a tow who knows to put the vehicle in neutral w the park brake on, release the underhood lever, leave the key inside the car etc etc etc
Last edited by nashvegas; Jan 4, 2022 at 09:51 AM.
TOTALLY agree with you @nashvegas ! The design arrogance and ignorance of JLR know no bounds. To expect any tow operator to do anything other than what has been conditioned for decades is a ridiculous assumption. However, I posted that for those who want to know or those who DIY. I'd far rather trailer my Defender myself to the "nearest" (1 hour+) Dealer than to let BillyBob do it.
TOTALLY agree with you @nashvegas ! The design arrogance and ignorance of JLR know no bounds. To expect any tow operator to do anything other than what has been conditioned for decades is a ridiculous assumption. However, I posted that for those who want to know or those who DIY. I'd far rather trailer my Defender myself to the "nearest" (1 hour+) Dealer than to let BillyBob do it.
I don't have the time but it would be really sweet if someone was able to put the steps on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet with images, we could print it, laminate it, and stick it in with the jack.
FOUND IT! My problem was I was searching the Interwebs and not my hard drive. I knew I'd picked it up. JLR changes their document locations so often (potentially intentionally) that it's hard to relocate them. "Defender Vehicle Recovery Guide" Publication Part # LRL 18 03 68 201 (Hike!...Sorry US humor). I can share the PDF if anyone has a Google Docs location that they want to host it on. The only challenge is that it's a 30 page PDF, not a 1 pager! It's not just legal disclaimers. It covers most of the ways you need to tow it, unlock it, get the Activation Key to work, disable EPB, disable transmission park, yada yada yada. You need to recover it, it's in there. Here's a couple samples:
FOUND IT! My problem was I was searching the Interwebs and not my hard drive. I knew I'd picked it up. JLR changes their document locations so often (potentially intentionally) that it's hard to relocate them. "Defender Vehicle Recovery Guide" Publication Part # LRL 18 03 68 201 (Hike!...Sorry US humor). I can share the PDF if anyone has a Google Docs location that they want to host it on. The only challenge is that it's a 30 page PDF, not a 1 pager! It's not just legal disclaimers. It covers most of the ways you need to tow it, unlock it, get the Activation Key to work, disable EPB, disable transmission park, yada yada yada. You need to recover it, it's in there. Here's a couple samples:
Happy to host it. Just sent a link for a folder in my drive. You should be able to upload it there.
Sent. Thanks for hosting! Just spent more time reacquainting myself with the publication and for the life of my don't know why it's not in iOwner or otherwise WIDELY distributed. This is the gospel from JLR on how to get the Defender to the Dealer when something goes wrong...
Also adding some search terms so this can be found later
Land Rover Defender Vehicle Recovery Guide
Land Rover Defender Towing 2020
Land Rover Defender Towing 2021
Land Rover Defender Towing 2022
Land Rover Defender Electric Parking Brake Release EPB Release
How to Tow Land Rover Defender
How To Release Transmission Land Rover Defender
Open Land Rover Defender with Dead Battery in Key
Land Rover Defender Jump Start
Land Rover Defender Jumper Cable Connection
How to Jump Start Land Rover Defender
How to Change Tire Land Rover Defender
Last edited by _Allegedly; Jan 5, 2022 at 08:16 PM.
The part about removing the rear wheels, then basically half disassembling the rear brake calipers to release the parking brake in an emergency (throw that o-ring away!) ... is utterly amazing.
