When is it time to say goodbye?

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M32H32IS

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I will say that in my experience and seemingly others reading countless threads here is that the LR4 will plague the owner with minor issues constantly.

Not sure why hubs fail so early on these, as they use quality parts. Same for drivetrain.

It’s odd to me.

Potentially neglect? I just don’t see as many issues from sub-200k Toyota products as I do from Rovers. I’m assuming they’re both abused in similar fashion.

I’ve owned an FJ80 and a Sequoia. Admittedly the FJ had a Headgasket failure which is common on them. Mileage around 244k. Sequoia (‘19 TRD Sport 4x4) had 120k trouble free miles. Replaced with GLS450 that’s the wives car & family hauler. I daily a Lexus RCF & use the LR4 as my fun vehicle. I would love to daily the LR4 and use the RCF sparingly, but the reliability concerns of the LR4 have me apprehensive.

I had a leaking heater core & soft pipe and was terrified to drive it BC I thought it was a Headgasket.
 

ktm525

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I purchased it because the dealership represented it as a 1-owner that had over heated. They claimed to have pulled the engine, stripped it down to the block & had a VERY reputable local machine shop clean up the block & heads. They also claimed to install new internals - pistons + crank, etc.

They had been driving it about 5-10 miles a day with no issues. Allegedly.

On my drive home from the lot after paying them $15k cash, the low coolant light came on. I was assured they’d resolve the issue no matter the cost.

Long story short, their mechanic did a hack job and never sent the block or heads to the machine shop. Engine was toast.

On short drives it was OK but my trip home was +/- 60 miles.

I ended up booking a transplant for a real reman and went ahead & purchased new cooling system parts as insurance.

The engine + cooling system cost me an additional $14k.

It runs well now, but I’m sorting small issues that arise, that I expected to arise when originally purchased. What I didn’t expect was to replace the engine immediately.

Well at least you got that out of the way. ;)
 

BigBriDogGuy

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Yeah, you got hosed. I understand "as is" but it sounds like the dealership straight up lied about the work that had been done. I'm in Washington State and there is a bit of legal protection from those extreme types of predatory practices (at least with the dealerships). Not sure they work all that well, but I think it stops the worst of that sort of thing.

I hear what you are saying with the constant minor maintenance. The local mechanic that works on these things warned me before I bought it that I needed to be prepared for the ongoing cost of maintenance and repairs. Reading these posting boards has got me paranoid about everything. I bought my 2011 LR4 w/ 100,000 miles a little over a month ago and really haven't had any problems. There are little things that come up and they start to freak me out and then I read a post and realize that what is going on isn't critical, it's "normal" (for an LR4).

The thing that helps to talk me off the edge of the cliff is the vehicle runs and drives beautifully. At idle, the tachometer never waivers at all. It shifts smoothly as it makes its way up the tree. It seems to have plenty of power, but I tend not to push it because it is such a heavy vehicle. I could punch it from a dead stop until I get up to speed, but normally that simply means I will need to apply the brakes and come to a stop at the next light or stop sign. In that sense, I am attempting to preserve the brake pads as much as the engine. Truthfully, I enjoy the smooth ride and tend to cruise along at a moderate speed. It kind of puts me into a relaxed trance state.

At startup, it's a little loud and rough. There is a ticking noise that other posters have identified as the fan clutch, it always goes away after a few minutes and never returns until I have another cold start. Once the engine warms up or I have driven it for a mile or so, the engine maintains a steady noise that I describe as a "loud sewing machine". I can definitely hear the engine when I am outside standing next to the hood, but inside the vehicle that engine noise goes away. Again, from the posts and some YouTube links to these engines being run, posters seem to be in agreement that's just the way they sound.

We'll see if I change my tune once I have to pay for preventative maintenance or the vehicle goes down and I have to shell out big bucks for a major repair. The point where I would throw in the towel is if I were to say, "It's a dream when it runs, but it rarely runs for long and, even then, you have to dump a ton of money into it on preventative maintenance just to keep it on the road." At that point, it just wouldn't be worth it to me. In spite of the upside, I'd see it as a net negative.
 
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LR4Slavo

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I bought a 2010 LR4 a couple of years ago with 106k miles on the clock, got it for barely nothing as it had overheating engine issues and the dealer told the previous owner that it needed an engine replacement at a cost of $20k! Took on the project as I've seen these repaired and with the low cost of the truck, should the repair go sideways I could always part it out.

Luckily, got the engine repaired (did all the work myself, minus the heads that went to the machine shop), in addition to the overheating the timing had skipped on the passenger side with a few bent valves confirming the case. Got everything sorted, and she's been awesome since. Before I got into the truck, my intention was to rebuild it, drive it for 6 months or so and sell it. A year and 11k miles after the rebuild, I'm attached as ever... it's become a permanent part of the fleet. I compare it to a hot girlfriend I had in college, she's expensive, she complains all the time, she's high maintenance requiring constant attention but damn she's great in the sack and looks great under my arm - irrational
 

BigBriDogGuy

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Hi LR4Slavo, I hear ya man. My neighbor who is a private pilot and loves his cars (really good guy) commented about the LR4 and asked how I was liking it. I said, "It's like dating a beautiful young woman that you know isn't entirely reliable." He smiled and genuinely laughed. Any guy that's been there (and I suppose most have) can relate.
 

Longtrail

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I feel the same and love seeing how this thread has evolved, I've always got an inner smile when I go drive the lady :) (Mad!)... Certainly, it took a while to get her the way I wanted and for sure there's a lot more work and pain involved (timing chains and cross-over pipes) but there is something so special about this vehicle and the issues are typically well known. As BigBriDogGuy implies, there's no need to gun it - these machines tell you exactly how they want to be driven; and still for a huge brick they handle exceptionally well!
 

Mozambique

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I would agree that my 2010 has always been a pleasure to drive. In 5yrs of ownership and 70k km it has not been cheap to maintain even with myself doing most of the work, but has not stranded me ever, and I still love it!
 

modesto_man

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I agree! I drove an 06 LR3 to 150k miles with virtually no problems.... and then got my 12 LR4 with 20k miles on it in 2015. It's still my daily driver and regular off roader at 160k miles. Love these rigs.
 

Mozambique

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12 months after starting the thread, I just did my 2022 taxes. Comparable maintenance costs to last year of around $CAD5k. That did include $1,500 on tires though. Nothing major broke in 2022, money spent on new compressor, tailgate switch repairs, tow hitch and harness, 3rd brake light assembly, replacement rear park sensors and harness, Krown oil spray, replacement used d/s seat cushion etc.
 

ktm525

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For the past 10 years the maintenance costs on the LR4 are $0.104/km Canadian. About $0.12/mile US

Does not include fuel, registration and insurance or the purchase price

My Ridgeline is about half of that. That being said different vehicles and yes Land Rovers are not cheap to keep on the road.
 

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