2005 LR3 Purchase

[Photoflo]

all,

i have owned several land rover discovery's and currently have a 1998 discovery anniversary edition.

i was disappointed with it's towing ability when for the 1st time i towed my 1966 airstream trailer last week. the trailer weighs 2000lbs and the disco just didn't have enough muscle.

i've decided to purchase an LR3 - i almost pulled the trigger on a range rover HSE however i like the styling of the LR3 much better.

i have read the various issues associated with the LR3; front suspension, fuel injectors and air suspension.

*considering the LR3's within my budget have close to 100K miles, the air suspension is a concern and i was wondering if there is a way to test the system without a long wait period of several days as mentioned in some of the youtube videos on the subject. i'll most likely be trading in another car so i'll be purchasing from used car dealership. there are several nice examples here locally.

any help appreciated and also if there are any other issues i should be concerned about i'd like to hear them

regards in advance!

 

[kwlr3]

Expect higher maintenance costs on an LR3 over DI's and DII's but you will be rewarded with far superior build quality, comfort, off road ability, and the towing capability that you seek. I have owned all three. My 2005 Lr3 just posted 160,000 miles, owned since new.

How to test an LR3? Push every button, push every button on the steering wheel with the wheel at lock on both sides, cycle the suspension up and down until it overheats, switch in and out of lo-range at stops and on the move, pull the emergency brake at speed, run through every terrain response setting, try every combination of heating and air-conditioning, open and close the sun roof, up and down on every window repeatedly, lock the doors and try to get in from the outside and out from the inside, open and close the tail gate about 30 times, turn on the stereo and max out the bass and sub-woofer, turn up the volume listen for rattling in the front passenger door, leave the lights and stereo on with the engine off, then try to start it, drive the worst road in town with the windows up and no stereo listen for squeaks, do it again with the windows down, crawl underneath and look for oil leaks (should be none), power the seats through their full range, same with the mirrors, set the seat and mirror memory, move them then bring them back with the memory button, try cruise control adjust the speed, lift up the floor mats and feel for ANY moisture, If you do all that and everything works and no warning lights light up on the dash, then you have got yourself a winner!

Basically, get out the owners manual and do once every "thing". The LR3 needs luv'n just like any vehicle. It has brakes and tires that wear out, hoses that get old and oil that needs to be changed. But, it also has a very sophisticated and comprehensive (even 12 years later only a few other vehicles are close) suite of electronic controls. While those controls do from time to time malfunction they are really good at telling you they have a problem. The LR3 has been around long enough that any LR specialist can usually figure out pretty quickly what sensor is bad when the lights light up.

Buy it and enjoy.

 

[safaridave]

We have 2 LR3's SE's 2005's 4.4 V8's both have been very reliable. Main concerns rear diff bearings. Water leaks from Sunroofs or from warped cowl if leaks lots of error codes plus a non working key. Make sure EPB has been adjusted and working properly. I have never had to use the EPB to stop the LR3. If battery is weak, break switch faulty or bad rear bulb you will get tons of error codes etc.
Dave

 

[jptruck]

If you can find a 2006-2008, you might be better off. The 2005s had a lot of gremlins (as a former owner). They did make changes to the vehicles in later models to rectify the issues of the 2005 roll out.

 

[Houm_WA]

The issues that plagued the 2005s have been rectified; however, so that a properly maintained '05 is just as good as, say, a 2007 or later. The trick is finding one that has been taken care of! (I used 2007 as my cutoff because I think the '06s and '05s are virtually the same...fixes hadn't cut into production yet, I don't think)

 

[Photoflo]

all,
thank you for your replys - i did finally purchase a 2007 LR3 yesterday w/102K miles. charcoal w/black leather and carfax service history. the service history gets weak after 80K miles. i put this LR3 thru all the tests - air suspension/checking for leaks/trying all electrical components/etc - it is super clean and no dings or dents or even scratches on exterior. *the dash has a couple of small cracks.

i looked at 4 different LR3's and it was pretty eye opening seeing condition differences especially with the lowest mileage example at 69K being totally abused/dirty no records/etc.
i purchased it from a used car dealer as i traded in my 05 e320CDI mercedes diesel sedan.

**the only issue i have noticed is that on 2 occasions, when i put key in ignition and turned key, nothing happened. i tried 2x more times and then it started. this happened yesterday during my drive home when i stopped for 45 minutes at friends house and again this morning - this morning it happened 1x where i turned key and then 2nd time the LR3 started

yesterday when i noticed the issue i phoned the owner of the used car dealer who i dealt with and he said could be a low battery and to bring it by which i will do tomorrow when i have time.

does anyone here have any insight on this issue?

thx in advance!

 

[jptruck]

You either have a bad battery or a bad starter. Eventually, I had both issues on my 2005 LR3. Most likely, it's a bad starter.

 

[CMGRover]

Sounds like a starter.

 

[safaridave]

Our 2 2005 LR3 have never suffered from starter issues. one has 77k the other 105K.
The most troubled LR3's from 05-07 where the V6 versions.
Dave

 

[Photoflo]

update: spoke to owner of car dealer today where i purchased the LR3 - he explained he spoke to his mechanic who replaced tailgate sensor the day before i purchased LR3 and he left the tailgate open all day not realizing the interior lights were on.

i used my voltmeter and battery is showing 10.2 volts - so most likely the battery for non-start issue - i will charge it today and hoping it holds a charge - if not, owner of dealership said he will replace the battery or the starter or both if necessary.

i'm aware how cagey and unwilling used car dealerships are so i was quite happy he was willing to take care of the issue.

good news and thanks for everyone's input!