Land Rover mechanic in OBX?

[toddjb122]

Does anyone have a mechanic you would trust in the Outer Banks, NC for Land Rover service?

I have a likely water pump issue, needing it to be replaced or at least get up and look at the hoses.

I know there is a dealer up in Virginia Beach. That’s a good way from me and when I called them a few years ago for service they couldn’t get me in. I’ll try them first but would leave it down here for work if possible.

THANK YOU for any tips.
Feel free to email or PM me. I’ll post results here either way.

-Todd
toddjb123 at hotmail com

 

[scott schmerge]

Does anyone have a mechanic you would trust in the Outer Banks, NC for Land Rover service?

I have a likely water pump issue, needing it to be replaced or at least get up and look at the hoses.

I know there is a dealer up in Virginia Beach. That’s a good way from me and when I called them a few years ago for service they couldn’t get me in. I’ll try them first but would leave it down here for work if possible.

THANK YOU for any tips.
Feel free to email or PM me. I’ll post results here either way.

-Todd
toddjb123 at hotmail com

Todd,

If you are somewhat handy, the job is not a hard one. I live in Charlotte and know of some mechanics up here (but we are still a ways from you).

I’m happy to walk you through the repairs if you’d like. I would replace the front crossover pipe at the same time while you are in there. There’s also a small plastic pipe that runs off the back of the water pump that should be replaced.

 

[kennyao3001]

If you do try to fix this here’s a video I made. If not it at least gives you and idea of what to look for.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[toddjb122]

Thanks guys. I’m on vacaction with no tools and even my tools at home would likely limit me for anything that didn’t go to plan.

It doesn’t seem there is anyone to trust down here to work on LRs from asking around a bit. I have an appointment at the VA Beach dealership tomorrow which will hopefully resolve things.

 

[scott schmerge]

Thanks guys. I’m on vacaction with no tools and even my tools at home would likely limit me for anything that didn’t go to plan.

It doesn’t seem there is anyone to trust down here to work on LRs from asking around a bit. I have an appointment at the VA Beach dealership tomorrow which will hopefully resolve things.

If you check on Facebook LRNA pages, you might be able to find one. Sorry couldn’t keep you from the stealership.

 

[toddjb122]

Well, I ended up getting it 60 miles up the road to my family's place, but didn't want to risk driving it another 85 miles up to the dealership so I had it towed up there.

Dealership called me by 8:20AM the following morning to confirm that it was the water pump, they had already gotten approval from my Carmax warranty to honor the repair, and it'd be ready after lunch.

All in all, pretty happy with service, other than I'm not sure if they flushed out the old antifreeze or not and filled with fresh Castrol SF. I had asked to drain it completely and refill because I had to add Dex-Cool to it. I seem to remember reading somewhere that Dex-Cool may break down over time sooner than the Castrol and gum things up.
Should I be concerned? (i.e. change the fluid).

So, the problem cost me a half day on the front end trying to diagnose the problem,
the cost of a tow, my $150 warranty deductible, and another half day to drive up to Virginia Beach and pick it up. All in all, not too bad. I'm very glad the dealership was able to get me in so quick.

I had considered taking it to a good mechanic at the beach, but was advised against it (by another mechanic). I think that was a good call as it would have taken at least 3 days to diagnose, get warranty approval, wait for parts, install by a mechanic who had never worked on an LR, hope he also did the crossover pipe and knew what seals to keep and which ones to toss. Versus having a landrover mechanic do it in half a day.

15 years of driving a LR down to the beach, many trips, lots of sand miles... first time I had to get a repair. Not convenient, but not an awful track record.