Arkonik Reviews 175

Time for a followup review after almost 3 months with my Arkonik. I love my truck, and we are getting along fabulously as we're coming up on 4000 miles now! The engine has definitely gotten stronger as she’s worn in and the handling of the truck is better than I ever would have imagined. While my original intention was to drive her 2-3 days out of the week, I’ve found myself commuting 5 days out of the week, which is a testament to how enjoyable the drive is and how capable she is as an urban daily driver. Snow is due to come soon in the Sierra Nevada Mountains so looking forward to planning my first long range trip with the truck to Tahoe. We are still working out some kinks but the Support Team has been phenomenal and I truly have confidence in everything getting sorted out as she continues to further get broken in.

I am only a few weeks into having my D90 but at this point I am ready to leave a review.

To start I want to be clear on a few things:
This is a TRUCK: If you know you want a Defender, and you know what having a Defender is like (or understand it), AND you want a white glove build and that level of service, then I would definitely recommend Arkonik.

The process:
I went with Arkonik partially because of their process, in that there is one. Unlike many custom build shops there is a pipeline and they work vehicles through it consistently. This was very appealing to me when shopping for this truck because I did not want to be in some unknown state with unknown blockers coming in throughout.
There aren’t guessing games about parts or countless missed deadlines. This process was as much for me a selling point as the products they deliver. I did not want to ever be without understanding of where I was in the process and what was expected next and Arkonik was great at this. Very transparent and very solid on dates.

Sales and Ordering:
There was no pressure here and no attempts to upsell. The team is knowledgable, accessible, and had great comms. I recommend spending a few hours going through their previous builds and making your list of Need/Want/No. I think I looked at every photo on every build they have posted and came in with my lists ready to go. Tom was incredibly easy to work with on the selections, had some very good input and did a wonderful job circling back on decisions. The entire front end team was a pleasure to work with.

Build Process:
This is when the fun really started and after approving the final design I got the login to my portal and my build photos. Seeing the team in action and the build in process is just cool. Being able to share those photos with friends and family so they could see the progress as well was great. Importantly at this point, the communications and photos keep coming and seeing the progress was amazing. It was like seeing the end-of-show build montage on any of your high end car restoration shows but it was MY TRUCK!!

Import and Delivery:
All the onerous paperwork is fully covered by Arkonik and aside from reading status updates from them, I did nothing. So many thanks here!! I can't imagine trying to even be part of this process.

The final handoff with Eric went very smoothly and he clearly knows his way around these trucks. The walk through was very thorough and it is clear to me that he is available going forward to answer question I may have. Follow-up with the whole team has been great, questions I have had answered, and where I have things I will be doing on the truck, I have videos to help with the process. Really I could not ask for more on the service here.

Conclusion:
I could not recommend the Arkonik team more if this is the truck you are looking for. Top notch service and communication and the final product is stunning.

I am absolutely thrilled to call myself an Arkonik owner! I purchased a 1992 D110
200 TDI with performance upgrade. The entire process, from choosing my vehicle specs, to talking with current clients in the US prior to placing a deposit, visiting the Arkonik facility in the UK, watching with bated breath as my client portal was periodically updated, to finally receiving my rebuilt Defender last week and experiencing the handover process with Eric has been first class. The Arkonik team, namely my “handler” Grant Spicer, have been extremely helpful and insightful about the process of importing and owning a life-long dream. I could not imagine embarking on this journey with any other outfitter. I cannot wait to enjoy my Defender for years to come!

“My experience with Land Rover Defenders is almost entirely field based, mostly from driving aged variants on unpaved tracks. This has certainly shaped my opinions about these venerable trucks. But it wasn’t the heated leather seats, functional air conditioning, hand–built wiring harness, upgraded aluminum panels, or blue–printed motors that impressed me about the two Arkonik Defender 110s I recently drove at their Lake Tahoe press launch. I was amazed that after four hours on a reasonably technical Sierra trail, there was no dust ingress into the interior. I was astounded that there were no interior rattles. I was in complete disbelief after a full day’s testing, which included sustained highway speeds and driving off–highway nearly seven hours, that there were no oil leaks. Yes, I did climb under with a flashlight, right under the watchful eye of company owner Andy Hayes.

Arkonik addresses persistent, decades–long 110 and 90 issues from the ground up at their facility in Somerset, England. The result is an extremely comfortable, highly capable bespoke workhorse. It is evident that they have done their homework with the iconic Defender.” (Bryon - Overland International/Overland Journal/Expedition Portal)

This is an A+ operation across the board... Besides the vehicles that they make by hand being the most impressive I have ever seen, you can see and feel the labor of love that every single employee puts into their trucks. If you are looking for a Defender.. LOOK NO FURTHER...

This is your shop. 100% the best there is.

My Defender 90 soft top (featured and called the Dune on their website) from Arkonik is technically from 1991 but to call it a rebuilt or refurbished Defender is like calling the Marvel Comic, Captain America, just a soldier. While it is technically true, he is actually so much more and by analogy so is the Defender. It’s actually a brand new Defender custom made to my specifications, a super Defender if you will. The Dune has exceeded my expectations (which started out extremely high) and their service is beyond what any car dealership has even dreamt to obtain. The biggest compliment I can give is to say without question or hesitation I would do it again. One of the best purchases I have ever made. If a Defender is what you want, and you want the best, then look no further. You are home.

I was drawn to Arkonik over North American builders because of their authenticity. My decision gained momentum after a few emails and a telephone conversation with them. I found them very accessible and willing to speak to all of my concerns. It takes a huge leap of faith to wire large amounts of money to an unknown source. Is this a legit company or a scam?
Regular correspondence and an invitation to visit helped put my mind at ease. They did not disappoint. I took them up on an offer to visit their facility and was very impressed. I grew up in shops and car dealerships and knew quality when I saw it. The entire staff is very engaged and encouraged to talk with clients. The restoration work is concours level.
This attention to detail continued all the way through delivery and commissioning of the vehicle at my home in Canada. The shipping and import people, transport driver, and technician who went through my Defender with me are all consummate professionals. The vehicle has greatly exceeded our expectations in terms of quality of workmanship, modern updates, and overall value.

It must have been a very special alignment of the planets the day I discovered Arkonik. At first I was somewhat surprised by the leading time of 16-18 months. Anything you buy online nowadays is to be delivered ASAP. Online retailers try to deliver merchandise in 24-48 hours. At the end it really took 17 months from the moment of ordering a Defender 110 until its handover. The more I waited to receive my D110 the more I started to appreciate the “slowness”.

The long process of building an imaginary Defender, choosing configurations, accessories, colors, patterns, the leather for the seats, etc was an unparalleled excitement. Once the actual built started I received images of the progress on my customer portal each week. Seeing images of a chassis muting into my imagined Defender on a weekly basis was pure excitement.

I realized only than that looking through Arkonik’s site and possibly pick an already built Defender, clicking on it and having it some weeks later delivered at my driveway would make this Defender not MY Defender.

It would be like any ordinary car buy where I go online, choose a model and than go to the store and drive with it home. Besides, flying to the UK, visiting Arkonik, getting to know the crew first hand who was working on my car, do a side-trip to Eastnor Castle and drive a Defender 110 with a Jaguar Land Rover instructor for a day gave the whole process an unique and unforgettable touch to the slowness.

The longer this process went on, the more I had the feeling that I need to go back to the moment I discovered Arkonik, talk to Grant Spicer over the phone as if it would be the first time and restart it all again.

All waiting comes to an end, eventually. My Defender arrived finally at my driveway and it looked far better than in my wildest dreams. Eric Yohe came by for a personalized hand over. Half day went by with him explaining the car, its care, its particularities in all detail. His life long expertise was palpable in each showing and answering.

My Defender is now my daily drive. You might think this is the end of my relationship with Arkonik? It ins’t! A 1,000 miles down the road and they are still involved to ensure that this car will take me farther than anything else in my life.

my name is Tres Blair and I must say with my experience buying from Tom and Andy at Arkonik was simply the best car experience I had every had! I had never built my own car before nor had I ever wanted 1 model of 1 car more than a Defender! I had wanted this my entire life. Working working with Tom on this process with my many changes was simple perfect and very easy to do. When they hand delivered the car to me on TIME and everything was as they described I simply could NOT ask for more from my experience.
I simple love the D110 they built for me and it is a work of art and function and could not have gone any better.
If anyone has question call me anytime as their product has simple exceeded my expectations 843.276.5404

Very good handwork I was there. Very good communication, looking forward to my custom Defender 90.
Hubert

I had a great experience with Arkonik! I had a Defender 90 re-built exactly the way I wanted and love the way it turned out. From start to finish, the entire process was professional, enjoyable and easy. Even being located in the Southeastern US I was able to always communicate with Arkonik! I highly recommend Arkonik.

I can't say but awesome things about Arkonik. I entrusted the build of my custom Defender to the guys at Arkonik. I always wanted to own a badass Defender. Based on government regulations, a Defender was nearly impossible to find here in the U.S. I did my research and selected a couple of companies, some here in the U.S. and some in Europe. The only one that promised to meet the requirements for the vehicle that I wanted was Arkonik in England. From the moment that I inquired to the day they hand-delivered my badass Defender, I had complete customer service that exceeded my expectations. Since inception, I had the opportunity to handpick customizable options for my Defender: engine, mechanics, color, interior, electrical work, and so forth. Not only I was able to pick them but I was also able to follow the build from my home and during a visit to their factory in England.
If you are interested in an original Land Rover Defender, then Arkonik is the company to choose. Arkonik will harvest an original Defender and preserve its originality and personality. Besides the badass look and personality of the Defender, the one thing I love about them is the sound of their Rover and TDi engines. It's like the unique sound of a Harley & Davidson.. you would not say it is is a Harley unless it possesses that sound.
So, if you want a badass Defender that possesses the heart and soul of the quintessential Rover, then this is the company you should hire.

After countless hours of on-line research and reading about Arkonik's client experiences , I knew Arkonik was the obvious choice for my new defender. What I did not know at that time was how enjoyable the entire process with Arkonik would be.
From the very first phone call through completion, every person I worked with was professional and helpful. The process was straight forward and Arkonik did everything they said they would do. The people at Arkonik are first class.
Bottom line; Arkonik only restores/ builds Defenders; no other makes or models to distract them. They know every bolt.
They have it figured out. Thanks for everything Arkonik,
Cheers, Tom Archer

Arkonik’s perspective on achieving their clients’ vision is well-stated: “Restored by us. Reimagined by You.”

I’ve been a North American Spec Defender 90 owner since 2012, having shopped for the right one for 2-3 years. I love the 1997 Willow Green LE I ended up with, but have always fancied the ROW D110 for its capabilities, 4 door versatility and what I would call its proportional correctness. In late 2017 I began reviewing various build sites and quickly narrowed my choice to Arkonik. After pouring over the Editions, options, reviews and other information, I gave them a call. In short order Tom Maxwell and I hammered out a preliminary build and I became an Arkonik customer - Happy Holidays!

More recently I visited the shop in advance of my build, which is scheduled to commence in October / November 2018 for a January 2019 delivery. My expectations were mixed – clearly high build quality, but what was the operation really like? I was surprised to see probably 10 Defenders in various states of build progress (more than expected) as well as 3 completed vehicles. Quality was off the charts! Rebuilt chassis, transmission, axles and engine with all new components – check. Virtually everything else, however, is brand new, with all components meeting and in most cases far exceeding OEM. Suspension, vehicle-specific wiring harness, lights, switches, rack, bespoke interior, body panels excepting the roof – everything new! Sound deadening – check! Rhino coated chassis and under body – check! Improved weather stripping – check! Incredible paint job – check! Quality control personnel pouring over and driving the vehicle – check! Truly fit and finish second to none. I have a good baseline with my NAS Defender and can honestly say that Arkonik takes the Defender to a completely different level - one that FAR exceeds the original vehicle. A special part of my shop visit involved meeting virtually the entire Arkonik team that will be completing my build – a fine and engaging group of craftsman and support staff dedicated to helping you achieve your dream Defender.

During my visit Tom and Grant Spicer arranged for an off-road experience at Eastnor Castle. Grant and new Arkonik team member Toby Cole and I drove there in the morning for an incredible afternoon of off-roading amongst Eastnor’s 5000+ acres and some 66 miles of trails. Driving a late model 110 we started out in the prepared course area climbing stairs, negotiating a rock canyon, experiencing a mixed fall line course (read driving on three wheels), wading and finally understanding the unique Land Rover diff lock feature via an area with varying degrees of traction (or lack thereof). We then progressed to the trails and enjoyed probably two full hours of climbing, descending, twists, turns, mud, roots, rocks and wading. I have a fair amount of off-road driving experience, but the prepared course area, trails and the LR Experience instructor’s coaching vastly improved my skill level and understanding of the vehicle. Eastnor is an experience not to be missed!

Advance notice / warning! After you submit your build specification, you will wear out the website reviewing the various editions for build details, of which there are PLENTY to discover. You’ll also be faced with 2-3 new Editions per month – via Arkonik’s newsletter - that will further pique your interest and drive you to refine your specification. Just when you think you had it all figured out you’ll be contacting Tom Parry or Nathan Davis for a revision. Not to worry, the current lead time is 16 months - you’ll have plenty of time!

Amazing experience from start to finish! From design to daily updates of the restoration in progress to delivery of the vehicle in Toronto Canada. Everything was exactly as promised. The ongoing support is equally professional and diligent. These guys are 100% customer focussed. Happy to share my experience with anyone considering ordering a custom Defender from Arkonik.

Scott Manicom
416 938 9532

I was going to give you guys 10 stars, but the rating maxed out at 5. I’m beyond excited about the current build of my 110. Arkonik is truly “best in class” in the Defender restoration business. I am so happy I made it over to see the shop and meet the team in person. I’m beyond satisfied so far, and I know exactly what I’ll receive in a few short months. I am more than willing to talk to any prospective customers should the need arise.
Cheers, Matt

I started the process of purchasing my 110 a little over two years ago and received my car in Q4 2017. All I can say is, the Company's customer services is outstanding. I was very nervous throughout the process of designing the car and sending international wires. If you have a passion for a defender, I couldn't recommend a better company to work with to realize that dream.

If you are looking for the premier company from which to purchase your dream Defender, it does not get any better than Arkonik. From start to finish including delivery, they are absolute tops.

I happened upon Arkonik when I was bitten by the Defender bug in 2014. The website was like the Victoria's Secret catalogue when I was a youngster – full of gorgeous models that I would never see lounging in my...well, my garage! As we had already planned a vacation to England with our girls, and Arkonik is located in a beautiful area near Bath, we arranged a factory visit as part of our trip through the countryside.

I am not sure what my wife and girls expected. They probably thought that they were wasting the day on some dumb car bunny trail. But right from the start, they were sooooo into the trucks; looking at the stock of carcasses, checking out all the production areas, critiquing the various designs, sitting and looking in every single Defender on the grounds. It was clear that they were also bitten hard by the Arkonik bug and were experts on them four hours later! By the time we had designed and quoted mine with the Sales Team, my giddy wife said: "Let's write the check!"

Despite all of that, I wanted to wait. I was planning to go and check out several other similar operations… and I did. THEN we wrote the check and got in line! Why? Simple – Arkonik loves making these bad boys even more than you will love owning them. They are a great bunch of people, who really turn these humble trucks into something that is far superior in every single way than when they rolled off the Land Rover production line, even in 2016!

They have a vision of what these trucks can be and they execute it flawlessly. The body and paint are amazing and the process if getting them to that level is painstaking and thorough. The engine build shop basically puts all new parts onto the refurbished block, with many custom parts that are higher quality than the original. The interiors are fantastic and really catch people's eye.

The really fun part of the process is picking all the options for a full custom build, the results are jaw-dropping.

Literally, I cannot tell you how many people turn and look, come up and ask "What IS this??" plus all manner of other goofy behaviour in the presence of these gorgeous beasts.

The professional aspect of Arkonik impressed me in every department. Things get done on time and you are kept up to date with the process on the portal or via email and phone. There are constant check-ins with you during the process and no detail is too small to get noticed and handled: this aspect is very important when you are sending sizable chunks of cash overseas and hoping it all turns out well! It does…100%

Delivery day is a fun deal and it's great to see the finished product in the driveway! I had already seen and driven in mine a few months ahead of delivery when I was in England, but it still felt fresh and tingly when it arrived. A very nice touch from their customer service department is to have their residential expert do a personal handover and explain the truck inside-out and spend time with you to make sure all is as it should be and that you are completely comfortable with your new truck. I have not heard of another company that does this and it's extremely useful.

In short, Arkonik is as good as they appear and promise and the truck is even better than I'd hoped in every way. I have zero reservations in recommending the Arkonik team to anyone smart enough to invest in a Defender and have done so with a dozen friends who have expressed an interest. You will not be disappointed, not even a little bit. Go get one now!!

After ordering not one, but two Defenders (his and hers...), my family recently visited the Arkonik "factory" in Mells to see the production. I want to express our most heartfelt appreciation for the hospitality and welcome Tom, Grant, Nathan and the entire build team showed us while on site. Our visit to Arkonik was a particular highlight while in England, as we really were able to see the depth of dedication to excellence you and your colleagues bring to your product. Seeing the entire process live and watching all the craftsmen work their magic, with all the intricate handwork that goes into the production of an Arkonik Defender, was a sight to behold. We are doubly as excited as we were the day we ordered our vehicles, as now we have a face for every production part of the vehicle. The energy and passion that the craftsmen bring was evident from the engine block all the way to the final polish of the doors. We want to thank every member of the production staff who spent time with us explaining what they work on and let you know that we left exceedingly impressed with the quality of the workman and the product. Arkonik has taken an iconic truck and built it to the standard it deserves to be shown in public. Every time we step into one of our trucks, hear the tight click of the door closing, fire up the engine, release the clutch and steer out to the road, we will know that the team who built our vehicle is the best in the business.

Among all the companies that "attempt" to restore Defenders, there is only one that truly accomplishes a full and impeccable restoration. From the very beginning, the entire Arkonik team rolled up there sleeves to help in the build process. From paint, to interior, to hardware and accessories, Arkonik's team was patient and provided amazing advice based on hours of consultation. During the build process Arkonik was in constant communication and when improvements could be made to my selection (not an up-sell like many auto manufacturers) Arkonik reached out to me and would advise me of other options I might give serious consideration to. The process was flawless and the ENTIRE Arkonik team is to thank for that.

Without a doubt, Arkonik is the cream of the crop. Their service and trucks are SECOND to NONE!

If you want the best, there's only one name to call... ARKONIK!