Front diff vibrates at highway speeds

[toddjb122]

170k miles!?!?! Wow. Anything (besides the diff) to report as far as issues to be aware of?

I polish the truck twice a year and the paint still looks as good as when it rolled off the lot.
Engine seems solid. Chassis seems solid. All my computer gremlins finished their gremlining 120,000 miles ago.
Oil on dipstick is still clean. No drips.
I just run the normal maintenance and have a good non-dealer mechanic.

The only significant wear going on is in the interior. Not awful, but that's the only place you can see the age of the vehicle.
The hood ornament letters turned dark...I was going to fix them but they are now 95% dark gray...when the rest of the matte silver is gone, it'll look intentional!

I actually figured I would have replaced it by now, but I feel guilty doing so just for an upgraded interior. I'll take it to 200K and hope LR has a vehicle out then that I want. But more than likely the truck will have depreciated so much by 200K that I'll feel guilty selling it for what I can get for it! LOL

 

[Houm_WA]

That's great info; thanks. I figure on having mine forever....I mean 'til death do us part. What can I really get that is so versatile AND capable off-road? Nothing....not for under $100k except the LR4, but that's basically the same thing. I think the LR3 is tougher than the venerable Range Rover, too. (double frame)

...thing brought me home from the Yukon Territory (in wintery weather) for goodness sake. I could never get rid of it.

 

[toddjb122]

....thing brought me home from the Yukon Territory (in wintery weather) for goodness sake. I could never get rid of it.

LOL, I'll have to look up that story.

I didn't know about the frame differences between this and the RR. Interesting. Well, I guess these days the RR is marketed more for Sunset Boulevard driving than off-road. With the added capability of being able to lump over any over-eager paparazzi better than a 5 series.

Other point to note (back on my vehicle) is I get out on the beach a handful of times a year and do plenty of snow driving (i.e. salt). The undercarriage has held up fine. My mechanic gets a kick out of the places he finds sand that my rinse hose couldn't reach but the vehicle hasn't rusted out yet. (I did replace the gas tank skid plate last year though)

 

[tlt]

If I were buying one up north, I would probably try to have it undercoated. It seems like a lot of bits do rust, which is a shame.

 

[Houm_WA]

A few things: No story to look up; I took a trip in March up to Whitehorse to see the Northern Lights. Rover on a ferry up to Alaska then drove to the Yukon; three nights, saw the Aurora; drove back. Temps as low as -17F and drove on ice/snow/slush quite a bit on the 1600 mile trek home. Pics are too large to post here. I should set up a dropbox and put the link here I suppose.

The Range Rover is TOUGH, don't get me wrong....its stiff monocoque chassis does the job; it's just that the LR3 has its own monocoque chassis (not sure it's as stiff) that sits on a full box frame.

I coat all steel underside parts with this stuff called "BOESHIELD" that was developed by The Boeing Company. I apply it once or twice a year; steel stuff that isn't covered by skid plates underneath looks pretty good.