2015 LR4 126,000 miles What Preventive Maintenance to do next?

[richord]

Since acquiring this mechanical marvel

I completed the following repairs/updates:

1. Replace main radiator, thermostat, all coolant hoses, flushed coolant, new fan.
2. Replaced both belts.
3. Replaced power steering hoses, the metal fittings were rusted but not leaking.
4. Replaced heater manifold pipe (rear cross over pipe) with aluminum version. The old one was leaking. Front plastic pipes had already been replaced.
5. Replaced both front cameras, blind spot sensor.
6. Replaced front air struts. They were not leaking but original to the vehicle.
7. 4 new tires. The Pirellis were 2021 with only 25,000 miles and plenty of tread but had cracking between the treads.

There are no oil leaks visible on the vehicle.

The only issue is I find the ride hard when going over road bumps. The lower control arm bushings appear to be the poly versions which I suspect may be the reason it rides hard.

Timing chains have never been replaced but there doesn't seem to be excessive noise from the engine.

No errors codes related to the engine, suspension.

I was thinking of replacing the lower control arms with OEM to address the ride harshness.

Any suggestions for preventive maintenance? My tools are getting lonely.

 

[itsaguything]

Ride harshness. Lots of opinion on this. I concur that poly bushes are not as forgiving. Personally, I don't use them.
However, start with the easy fixes??
1. Are the tires as spec'd or LT tires?
2. Rightfully inflated or over inflated?

 

[richord]

Ride harshness. Lots of opinion on this. I concur that poly bushes are not as forgiving. Personally, I don't use them.
However, start with the easy fixes??
1. Are the tires as spec'd or LT tires?
2. Rightfully inflated or over inflated?

The tires are Continental Crosscontact LX20 these are LT tires. They appear to be a bit softer than the Pirellis.

I tried both correctly inflated and under inflated to see the difference. I didn't notice much difference.

The ride on smooth roads is fine. There is a jarring harshness going over road imperfections and any holes.

I expected a smoother ride with the air suspension but even changing the front air struts there was no perceivable change.

The bushings were put in before I bought the vehicle. It appears the control arms are original to the vehicle, and they just replaced the bushings.

I used poly bushings on my 1987 Defender. The suspension on that vehicle is like riding on cement blocks

 

[powershift]

I did the water pump too on mine at 97k mi as well as changing ALL fluids new lower LCA's and more. It doesn't ride harsh at all. Its so buttah smooth that I gotta keep the speed down over speed bumps because I think that even though its smooth and cushy now over the bumps, if I keep doing it I might be advancing the LCA wear. You can't buy just the ball joints either and do a proper replacement job.

 

[richord]

I did the water pump too on mine at 97k mi as well as changing ALL fluids new lower LCA's and more. It doesn't ride harsh at all. Its so buttah smooth that I gotta keep the speed down over speed bumps because I think that even though its smooth and cushy now over the bumps, if I keep doing it I might be advancing the LCA wear. You can't buy just the ball joints either and do a proper replacement job.

The water pump was replaced when the previous owner had the from crossover pipes replaced.

I was wondering how far to go once I get started. Upper and lower control arms? The balls joints come with the lower control arms.

 

[powershift]

The water pump was replaced when the previous owner had the from crossover pipes replaced.

I was wondering how far to go once I get started. Upper and lower control arms? The balls joints come with the lower control arms.

If it were me I'd replace the LCA's and if the bump problem doesn't go away then look at the UCA's. There are LCA's sold to be compatible with Land Rover that have been known to fail completely and nobody wants that. I don't remember the brand I went with but it was said to be the same manufacture for Land Rover brand and that they are the same as the name brand. It could be true lol. They seem fine after 20k mi and lots of offroad usage.

 

[gsxr]

I'd also suspect the poly bushings as the cause of the harsh ride. I bought Lemforder LCA's which were made in UK and appeared to be OEM Land Rover, with the LR oval logo ground off. Most all other brands are cheap offshore junk, at half the price.

I'm seeing Lemforder LCA's at $275-$300 each currently. Genuine JLR / OE looks like $600+ each from discount dealers online. Cheap offshore LCA's are ~$150 if you like to gamble. Think I posted photos of the Lemforders in a thread here when I had them installed in 2021.

 

[itsaguything]

Due to the extra stiff sidewalls, I find LT spec's tires to be like running with wooden wheels. If there is jarring over the bumps, this is the first thing I would fix.

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding on the different tire load types. Your vehicle is not spec's to use LT tires. For your reading pleasure: https://tiresize.com/pressure-calculator/

 

[gsxr]

Ah, I missed the LT tire vs P tire. Yep - that won't help!!! The Conti and Tire Rack websites don't make this clear.

CrossContact LX20 Specifications

continentaltire.com

Tire Rack

 

[txfromwi]

Yes on the lower control arms.
Mine all needed replacing at about 60K.
I have never had luck pressing bearings so no way I will try to press those bushings, I went with OEM entire control arm assemblies.

You should have done this when you did the crossover pipes, but you absolutely need to replace the SuperCharger coupling and change the oil.

Transmission pan. filter and fluid.
If you can figure out how to remove and install the sleeve, then you can get deeper inside and you can also do the seals.

Transfer case and front and rear differentials.

There is a canister for the air suspension on the left hand side (US Drivers) accessible from the interior at the brake light.
There is also a drying agent for air suspension compressor, although it may just be easier to replace the entire compressor.
There a plenty of little valves etc. at many locations for the air suspension, I would just wait until they fail, but since you are looking for ideas.

Flush brake fluid.

For tires, I use Michelin Cross Climate 2.
Like driving a magic carpet, absolutely love them.
Our off roading is not extreme so no special tires for that.