Land Rovers Suck!! Hear me out!

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Geo

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Sorry to hear about your Land Rover problems. I have had Land Rovers for 39 years and they have never seriously let me down.
Probably just lucky but now scared to go to something else in case it gives me problems. Geo
 

Rex Rekstad

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Just a tip, when the temp guage goes Red and the engine is smoking from the heat, turn it off.
 

rjowenusa

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I feel for you Matt I really do. I currently own 3 Land Rovers (a D2 and 2 LR3's). Mileage between 130K and 165K. Altogether I've owned 6 Land Rovers and none has ever left me at the side of the road but they each have 'quirks'. I do have to wonder if the cylinder damage occurred because your wife tried to get the car home after the coolant leak? I teach my family that if either the oil light or a major coolant leak (steam etc.) occurs they pull over immediately and call for help. I don't agree that Land Rovers are crap. Two of mine saved our bacon during hurricane Harvey as our home suddenly flooded when the dam was released. Out of 700 cars in our neighborhood only my two Rovers got out. I agree other manufacturers produce vehicles with fewer issues as they get older. It's a choice I make. To actually try to answer your question - what to do. That's a cost benefit analysis. A used engine (or rebuilt short engine) whould be where I would start looking. Definitely not $28K! You can buy a really nice used Rover or Suburban for that kind of money.
 

ktm525

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It's good practice with these to pop the hood and have a sniff. Lingering faint coolant smell will tell you of a leaking WP or Y pipe ready to let go (that is how I diagnosed my WP). My routine is to sniff the area and then listen obsessively on start up for any metallic timing chain sounds. So far so good.

As other posters have alluded these vehicles are not crap but they do need to be maintained and that is not cheap. With my 2010 I fully expect (and budget) to put $2500/year into it to keep it reliable.
 

ruthabagah

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Just want to add my sad story to this thread... I loved my LR4, I really did, that's until the water pump failed (2nd one), the thermostat housing cracked, the lower pipe bursted and all of this without warning on a flat highway in mild temperature. My truck was well maintained, and according to the LR tech I spoke to, he is seeing more and more of the 5.0 having the same problem. This fun repair cost me 3000 USD. A quick glance on this forum seems to show a trend.... that was unfortunately the last stone for me. Since the local LR stealership only gave me $6000 for my trade in (2010 LR4 HSE Lux, perfect conditions in and out, but 135K miles) If I bought a 70k USD Discovery, i went next door, got my trade in at $10500, and bought a cheaper SUV. bye bye Land Rover.
 

Hayseed_LR4

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I had and loved my LR4 - loaded up 2016 HSE Lux. In the approx 10 months (approx 30k+ miles) I had one hub, over a dozen pads and rotors, master cylinder, and other brake parts changed to try to fix a problem. It was not fixable and they bought it back. Went to Fpace and loved it but back with the D5. Could have switched back to BMW but not only did I have issues with it (like all brands) but corporate BMW is a bunch of arrogant jacklegs. At least JLR stood by me and made it right. My D5 is going in next week for a few tweaks. But I am far from saying the LR sucks.
 

ktm525

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Just want to add my sad story to this thread... I loved my LR4, I really did, that's until the water pump failed (2nd one), the thermostat housing cracked, the lower pipe bursted and all of this without warning on a flat highway in mild temperature. My truck was well maintained, and according to the LR tech I spoke to, he is seeing more and more of the 5.0 having the same problem. This fun repair cost me 3000 USD. A quick glance on this forum seems to show a trend.... that was unfortunately the last stone for me. Since the local LR stealership only gave me $6000 for my trade in (2010 LR4 HSE Lux, perfect conditions in and out, but 135K miles) If I bought a 70k USD Discovery, i went next door, got my trade in at $10500, and bought a cheaper SUV. bye bye Land Rover.


I guess. My water pump replacement (weeping but caught it early) was $500 and the crossover pipe (fine but preventative) another $200 and this is in cheap Canadian pesos. Sounds like your local LR dealer took advantage and rode you hard. What did you buy? A Sorrento? Highlander? A complex vehicle like the LR4 once it gets over 200k kms (about your 135k miles) scares many. At that point best to drive it into the ground.
 

ryanjl

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I can relate to this comment, and I didn't get a RR until 2007...

I can relate too. Back in the early to mid-90's I'd continuously check the Land Rover website and "modify" the various models with all the available accessories. It was one of the first applications of java than I can remember; you could select a Discovery, pick a color, and outfit it with the Brownchurch brushguard and Safety Devices roof rack and Hella lights. The Camel Trophy was at its peak. Also on the Land Rover website, there was a page devoted to Land Rover owners. It required a model, year, and VIN to enter.

In 97, I bought a '94 Disco with 20k on the clock. I remember test driving it for a night, bringing it to my garage, popping the hood, and just staring at the Land Rover logo on the radiator. The interior was funkier and cooler than any other vehicle I'd ever had. The radio had a button that would tune in the weather band. I still remember the smell of the leather. I immediately went and joined the member page on the Land Rover website and saw it was filled with pictures of annual off road rallies. I made my desktop background a picture of a Defender cresting the overlook on Black Bear pass, right before the switchbacks.

Within a year and a half and 20k miles, I sold the Discovery and vowed to never own a Land Rover again. I wasn't ready for all the maintenance and constant gremlins that would creep up. Seemed like as soon as I would fix a switch or get something working, something else would break.

I guess time heals all wounds. By 2015, I was ready again. My LR4 has been on a whole 'nother planet in terms of reliability.
 
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