The alarm bells have suddenly rung because there are just too many failings on Land-Rover vehicles.”Worryingly for BMW demand for four-wheel-drive vehicles, which rose so sharply during the late 1980s and early 1990s, appears to be tailing off. In 1993 Land-Rover made 68,159 vehicles, by 1995 production had soared to 127,287. A recent report by brokers Salomon Brothers on the European motor industry said Rover had “some of the worst production economics in the industry”.Production is on course to have almost doubled in the past four years. For several weeks there have been reports that the German management now running Rover is not happy with many aspects of the way the company operates. Equally, British insiders at Rover say much the same thing about their German counterparts, claiming BMW makes agreements, only to break them the next day.A more fundamental cause of the difficulties at Solihull appears to be the way managers there have coped with expansion. “I wouldn’t say there are more quality difficulties here than elsewhere,” said a spokesman, “and we’ve got plenty of people addressing quality on a day to day basis.”For BMW, which saw Land-Rover as the jewel in the Rover crown when it bought the company almost three years ago, the reliability record is deeply embarrassing. Quentin Wilson, from the BBC’s Top Gear programme which helps to produce the UK version of the JD Power survey, explained: “Solihull has for far too long sat back and sat on its laurels.

People just seem to shrug their shoulders about the quality problem, but owners are increasingly realising the situation is not specific to them.”Rover said it was disappointed at the JD Power survey, but does not agree that Land-Rover has a particular problem compared to other off-road makes. The central locking plays up all the time, the front wheels seem to wobble when I go round bends, I don’t think it’s ever been in for a service without masses of warranty work Worst of all, my 48,000 mile service cost pounds 940. I had a Jeep before this and nothing went wrong with that at all.”One suggested cause of the reliability failings is complacency at Land- Rover itself. It started with a noisy gearbox, but then I found the front suspension was lopsided and the car veered to the left all the time. The windscreen has fallen out three times and the car leaks oil constantly,” he said.The high profile Range Rover, launched in a blaze of publicity at the UK’s most exclusive country house hotel, Cliveden, has been recalledtwice in its short life, the first time because of suspected air conditioning faults, the second because of problems with the rear suspension.One owner of a two-year-old Range Rover, who runs a manufacturing company in the Midlands, said: “This is the third Range Rover I’ve had and stupid things seem to go wrong constantly. The only bright thing about it is that it makes lots of after-sales warranty work for us sorting things out.”Warwick Banks, who runs a business modifying Land-Rovers, is one owner who has complained endlessly at the defects in his Discovery model “There’s no question about it This is by far the worst vehicle I have ever had. The Germans are said to be desperate not to suffer the same problems with Rover that Ford had when it acquired Jaguar.Land-Rover dealers are understandably reluctant about speaking out at the quality problems, but the head of one dealership, who did not want to be named, said: “I’m afraid we can only confirm the horrendous reliability problems.

We’re trying to be loyal because it is a British make, but it is not a good situation. The catalogue of problems was highlighted in the latest influential US car quality survey by consultants JD Power, which placed Land-Rover bottom out of 37 manufacturers. They come as BMW is grappling to turn the loss-making company round, pouring in pounds 500m a year in investment. Worst of all, the top of the range model, the pounds 50,000 Range Rover, is gaining a reputation for unreliability.
Critics of Rover suggest these difficulties are part of a wider malaise. Land-Rover owners are in revolt at a succession of “horrendous” quality defects on the four-wheel-drive vehicles which Rover’s German owner, BMW, is said to have labelled a disgrace. BMW was said to have “gone ballistic” at the survey statistics and has drafted in extra engineers and quality controllers at the Solihull plant near Birmingham to sort matters out.

Wiggins management would take charge of the new group.8Cybertec, up 3p to 15p on Ofex, has fixed up a deal, said to be worth pounds 4m, with Anglo Corporation to distribute its video telephones which are used with standard personal computers.8Walker Crips Weddle Beck, one of the biggest private client stockbrokers, is due to make its market debut on Thursday Shares were offered at 70p.. But it is talk of a reverse take over which seems to be responsible for the recent strength of the shares. It hopes to buy control of its Wassa goldmining operation in Ghana which could lead to a cash call.TAKING STOCK8Wiggins, the property group, rose 0.25p to 9.25p, nudging its peak. It is expected to score from its international business park in Kent and its intriguing plans for the reclamation of contaminated land. But Colleagues, a marketing group with two profit warnings in a fortnight, lost a further 14p to 105p.Glencar Exploration was unchanged at 64p. The company needs to find new financial advisers and stockbrokers by early next month to protect its AIM listing.Michael Page, the recruitment group, jumped 37p to 354p on results, dragging rival Robert Walters 18p to 148p.

Mr Lewis’ other main investment is a near 30 per cent interest in Christies International, the fine art auctioneer.Firecrest, the internet business, had another eventful session, falling at one time to 35p It closed at 43p, off 15p. A pause after last week’s breath-taking escapade was obviously necessary.US and German interest rates are under the microscope this week. The Left Bank it is not.Astrologically inclined investors who think Wall Street rises if Saturn is in its element may find support for their theories in a new book from former trader Henry Weingarten. Investing by the Stars: using Astrology in the Financial Markets may be a load of old cobblers to committed chartists but Weingarten is convinced it can work.”Astrological techniques can help traders improve their performance by up to 5 per cent. If you can guarantee that, they eventually won’t care how you achieve it.” So there we are, on a full moon, sell ICI.A man claimed for 17 appendix operations on his insurance while a woman claimed for the loss of an eye on five separate occasions. Melix Financial Services, related to Bahamas-based Joseph Lewis, has lifted its sharholding to 22.16 per cent.