New owner - warranty about to expire

[broiler]

Hi everyone, I've been reading this forum for a few days and thought I should introduce myself, and also I have a question.

I just bought a 2005 LR3 HSE on Saturday. I love this rig! I traded in my 2000 ML320 and the LR3 is such a nice step up. I have 49K miles on it, and on Monday I'm taking it in to have a wiring harness added at the dealer. Since the warranty is right at the end I also want them to check for any problems that would be covered by the warranty. When I called the dealer they said that the vehicle had been in for all of the scheduled maintenance visits at Seattle Land Rover (all done right on schedule too!), so I'm going to assume that all of the recall items have been done. The only thing I'd like them to look at is something I learned about on this forum - the lurching following a rolling stop. This has happened twice now and I hope that the transmission reprogramming will help this.

Are there any other things I should have them look at specifically before the warranty is expired?

Here are some pics of my LR3. I haven't seen any other gold ones, but I think it looks sharp.

Thanks!

 

[Houm_WA]

You may have them check your tires/alignment. I don't think you could get them to pay for a new alignment, but have them look at it. I've been successful in having them "check" the alignment of the vehicle after reporting concern over the tire wear.

...and I live in Seattle so it's the same people.

Those tires look pretty good in the picture; they can't be the original Goodyears though. What are they? Michelin Syncrhones' tread looks the same from a distance, so I'm guessing they are either those or a replacement set of HPs.

Do you plan on taking this rig "out?"

 

[broiler]

Yeah they are Michelin Synchrones. They are modestly worn, and the wear appears even.

As far as taking it off-road, maybe a little, as we like to camp in the Gifford Pinchot forest, and there are a lot of forest roads that I like to explore.

I'll be taking it into Bellevue Land Rover for service. My wife has a Jaguar X-type that we've been taking there for years, and they have seemed decent so far.

I'm trying to decide if I should get an extended warranty. I haven't looked into the pricing, but I'm guessing it's expensive. I had an extended warranty on the ML320 and it really paid off as I had to get a new transmission at about 65K miles. It would have cost about $6,000, but was covered by the warranty.

 

[JackMac]

Congrats on your new purchase!

If dealer maintained, you should be up-to-date on recalls and software upgrades. You may want to check the little things - premature steering wheel leather wear, premature wear on the letting across the front/hood.

About the trans bump thing, I went in to have it reflashed recently due to that issue, and was told that I already had the latest version, so action was taken. Then last week I replaced brakes/rotors (at 38.5K) and guess what - problem gone! Go figure, but perhaps the brakes were grabbing unevenly and causing some binding in the drive train. Just speculating, but good as new now.

That said, sadly my LR3 goes up for sale next week. Love it, but time to move on.

 

[Houm_WA]

38.5 k miles and brakes replaced? JackMac, what style of driving would you say you do? Do you use sport mode a lot? Do you use Command Shift?

broiler, the extended warranty is gonna be a couple grand and carries a $100 deductible. I think it's probably money well-spent. What went wrong with your ML transmission? My bro has one of those (it's a 430 though) and his manu-matic (or whatever MB calls it) simply doesn't work. Did yours totally go out or was it something like my brother's problem?

I have the Synchrones too....so far so good.

 

[JackMac]

38.5 k miles and brakes replaced? JackMac, what style of driving would you say you do? Do you use sport mode a lot? Do you use Command Shift?

Hi there Houm_WA,

Yes, I use sport mode frequently (we live in a hilly area) but not CommandShift. I replaced the rotors, pads, and sensors. Good as new now.

It did manage to get more miles than others have reported on the original set of brakes.

p.s. - hope that extra OEM spare worked out for you...

 

[broiler]

broiler, the extended warranty is gonna be a couple grand and carries a $100 deductible. I think it's probably money well-spent. What went wrong with your ML transmission? My bro has one of those (it's a 430 though) and his manu-matic (or whatever MB calls it) simply doesn't work. Did yours totally go out or was it something like my brother's problem?

I have the Synchrones too....so far so good.

The ML started shifting really hard then it started to just miss shifts, kind of like the feeling of a slipping clutch on a manual trannie. The Mercedes dealer shop guy said that it was probably just a freak thing, as the ML's have very sturdy trannies and he'd only seen one other fail. The best part of the story is that I had only 5 days left on the extended warranty! If it had happened one week later, I would have had to pay $6000. Phew!

 

[Houm_WA]

JackMac, thanks to that spare...I met my wife !

Long story short....the day after I got the tire I drove up to Les Schwab and had it put on. While it was there I walked up to the gym to work out. I was there at an abnormal time as a result...and that day, at the gym, my wife and I met.

So...Thanks !

 

[jjvd21]

Early model LR3's have a tendency to have a slight suspension or steering knock. There is a TSB out for this. I'd have your dealer check the front bushings, control arms, steering rack, ball joints, bottom wishbones, etc. Mine is in with the dealer as I type this getting the front bushings replaces, we'll see if that takes care of it. I'd describe this as preventative maintenance.

 

[Houm_WA]

this steering knock....does it happen in every-day driving situations?

I've experienced a knocking sort of feedback through the steering wheel while off-road going over bumps, but it seemed somewhat normal to me.