Replacing the Hazard switch in the post 2001 Defender has long been an expensive undertaking. A switch that originally cost about £15 has risen in price over the last few years to a whopping £136!
To compound matters the switch is now obsolete at Land Rover, so any second hand ones are being retailed on eBay for megabucks. With no aftermarket alternative available that’s left us scratching our heads as to what you’re supposed to do if your switch breaks, or your re-building/ creating the late style dash.
Well the good news is, there is a solution of sorts. Step forward the Rover 200 25 Hazard switch. After a bit of ‘playing round’ with various switches from the 1990’s we discovered that the Rover 200 switch and the Defender Hazard switch have exactly the same footprint and wiring scheme. This means it’s literally a plug n play solution to replace broken hazard switches.
The one difference between the switches is the hazard symbol. The Rover switch was mounted in a portrait hole in the Rover dashboard, and therefore the hazard legend was positioned to match this. This means when you rotate the switch to fit the landscape hole in the Defender dash the legend is at 45 degrees to how the original switch legend sat.
Whilst we agree that is not a perfect solution, it’s currently the only option if you need a Hazard switch to complete your build or get your car through it’s MOT. Plus at a retail price of just £30 that represents a saving of over 100 quid. Food for thought…
To order your 'alternative' Td5/Tdci Hazard switch click here.
