I have conceded that upgrading the Defender sound system is out of my league. (I did our Honda Passport with the help of trim removal tools, speaker mounting rings, wiring connectors and detailed instructions from Crutchfield) For the Defender I'm working with a custom shop here in Boston. Options are a Focal system for $8K and an Audio Development system for $11K. Both options include lots of Dynamat and about half of the cost is labor. Seems like ridiculous money but back when OEM high end sound systems were available as an option, most were around $6K. If anyone in the Boston area wants the contact info for the only 2 shops I found competent enough to do a custom Defender sound system, just send me a private message.

 

Thanks for the tip! I just cranked up the subwoofer on my base Meridian, and that definitely made for an improvement!

 

I placed an order for a Defender 110 SE X-Dynamic today (since my Rivian build date keeps getting pushed back). I believe the dealer said estimated delivery would be in mid-late June. He did mention a possibility of the Meridian Surround System being downgraded if not available.

 

I'm under the impression that when the car comes in June, the sale will be at sticker price. Are they still marking up Defender 110's in some areas?

 

In some areas, mostly Cali, Florida, and Texas. But most are not here in the States.

 

I ordered mine in June 2022, was told early October, then eventually December 13 was the date. So far I love the vehicle on the beach and in the mountains and in the snow.

I have although had these issues:

1) missing USB charging ports in back and third row area
2) air suspension failure - awaiting part
3) steering lock-up because of lane warning sensor - awaiting apparent software update (or just unplug battery)
4) no clear sight rear view mirror
5) no heated third row seats, nor can the HVAC be controlled in the third row independent of the second row
6) manually adjustable steering column
7) missing mudflaps
8) missing overhead sunglasses storage

Has anyone tried to have any or some or all of these sorts of issues remediated by the dealer? These are a mix of specifically paid for options that were left out, plus things that were listed on the Configuration Build Sheet back in June that were never addressed and left out. I tried to initially ask about the heated seats in the third row issue along with the nonexistence of the control method for the third row heat & air itself, but didn't have my Conf Sheet with me, so I was pretty much told to keep 'er moving. So far I figure once they get the part in for the air suspension failure issue, I should address all of these at once at a minimum; plus, since the mudflaps are completely necessary (unless you never leave the garage) and I ordered them from Lucky8 I'll just ask the dealer to install them for free when I'm in there...LOL...

 

There's quite a bit of information regarding the USB shortage being an active Recall on all Defenders (similar with your second key being delivered after you actually get the car, sometimes by months).
The rest aren't really going to be resolved as they aren't sending the parts, for instance the clear sight camera is something that mine didn't come with either, and I'm almost positive it doesn't even have the wiring to be able to retrofit it. In talking with L/R GM, LR is constantly cutting out features for non high-spec cars. And they aren't going to be retrofitted for you, likely going to have to find an installer and someone with a Pathfinder to update coding.

The only thing I would say, just make sure you aren't paying for the features you're not getting :-(

 

Did you get explicit info from your salesman that your car will be sold at MSRP? I ordered from Pasadena and paid a mark-up. I was told they are still not taking orders at MSRP as of this morning and that I'll be able to may MSRP only if there are no mark-ups on in-stock vehicles by the time my is delivered.

 

I was told that they are no longer marking up stock vehicles above MSRP, but are including premium add-ons to boost dealer profit. Since they didn't have any cars in stock that had the options I was looking for, he recommended I order a vehicle for June delivery. He said that special order vehicles won't have the dealer installed premium add-ons added (unless buyer requests it). This was all via text messages which I have saved. But, it's not explicitly stated in writing. I guess I'll wait until June to see. If there is still a markup, then I'll just get my deposit back.

 

I paid a $5k mark-up and deposit on the ordered vehicle but was also told that there won't be any dealer installed add-ons since it is an ordered vehicle.