2011 LR4 Honeymoon - Day 1

[BigBriDogGuy]

So I bought the 2011 LR4 today. Had a bit of a scare when the "Service Required" message flashed briefly after startup. Saw on the threads here that's just a prompt to get your oil changed. I was waiting for something to blow up, given Land Rover's reliability issues, and you are always taking a risk on a used vehicle. It was a bit dirty inside since it was a private party sale. I decided to vacuum the carpets and wipe down the hard surfaces. That gave me something to do instead of stressing out about the purchase.

During the cleaning process, I got to know the vehicle and some of its unique features. For instance, I was able to fold the 3rd row seats up and down to vacuum around and under them. I also discovered hidden cupholders for the back seat. I can't tell you how excited I was to find those cup holders. I have two young girls that need a place to put their drinks. That's non-negotiable.

My cleaning jag calmed my nerves and put things in perspective a bit. The vehicle was good. It looked solid, well cared for. It wasn't detailed and I could see it was being used on a regular basis. I also was impressed with the layout and design. The engine might seize or the transmission fail, but the cabin was innovative and well thought out. I could forgive myself for being sucked into wanting something this nice.

I drove the LR4 around. At first, I was babying it, waiting for the worst to happen. But then it didn't. I began to get the sense things were going to be okay. it was just a used vehicle some guy sold and not a scam. So I started driving it, and I mean really driving it. I was enjoying it in a way that I haven't enjoyed driving for years. I could put my foot on the pedal and feel real acceleration. I could push it through corners and feel my body slide into the lean. Oh yeah, I was starting to have fun. I was beginning to like it.

We'll see what happens tomorrow...

 

[joey]

Nice story and looking good.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

Day 2: Today I learned that none of my 12v outlets are powered. I don't do Apple so the cord that came with the vehicle (and the adapter to make it compatible with modern iPods/Pads/Phones, etc.) was useless to me. I decided to get one of the USB chargers that plugs into a cigarette lighter port. That didn't charge my android phone (on any of the ports). However, I did find a factory installed USB port in the center column by the Apple port. That one worked. So I can charge my phone and that's all I really need. I would like to get the other 12v ports up and running, but the DIY stuff I have seen here involves modifications that I'm not comfortable with (and I'm not sure of the unintended consequences). I don't need a battery getting drained or my other wiring fried. I need the vehicle to run, drive, and be mechanically sound. I'm not willing to risk that for a few working 12v ports that would be nice to have but I would only occasionally use.

I was able to get my phone synced to the vehicle through Bluetooth. That was a win.

The last thing that happened today that kind of got me spooked was the noise my engine was making at start up and the loudness of it in general. I was concerned there might be something seriously wrong with the engine. I had read in the owners manual that you could check the oil by going to a menu on the dash display. After having driven the LR4, I stopped in a parking lot and attempted to access the info. Instead, what I got was a screen that looked like the engine had no oil and a warning that the oil check system was "not available". I looked under the hood for a dip stick to check the oil level manually. I found none. Later, I learned that there is no such creature in my LR, it's all done electronically. Finally, after scanning these message boards and watching a few videos on YouTube, I was able to figure out that you couldn't use the oil sensor screen until the vehicle had been resting for 10-15 minutes. I did that and it worked. It looked like I was about 1/2 quart low. I went to my local auto parts store and bought a quart of the recommended Castrol 5/20. I poured 1/2 a quart into the vehicle and drove home. Once there, I waited to check the system for 15 minutes. While I did so, I read another post on the topic. That one said your vehicle needed to be perfectly level in order to get an accurate reading. Since my initial reading was with the vehicle in my driveway with the nose down considerably, that reading of needing 1/2 quart turned out to be off, by a lot. When I checked the oil level again after having topped off the engine and while parked on a flat surface, it showed the oil was now at the maximum level allowed.

That leaves the engine noise issue. After reading a couple posts and listening to a few engines posted on YouTube that the other posters believed were just fine, I realized that mine was making the same noise as all the other 5.0L V8 engines. As one poster commented, they became a much happier LR4 owner once they accepted the fact that the engine is just loud. I can live with that.

After a couple days of this I am realizing how valuable the "tribal knowledge" of this forum is to new LR owners. On several occasions, I have come across stuff that I had no way of knowing. Stuff that spooked the hell out of me and filled me with dread that I had been taken for a ride and I was about to face the "moment of truth". So far, all of that stuff has turned out to be normal, or at least explainable. For instance, how was I supposed to know there was no dip stick or that you sucked the oil up out of the top of the engine rather than draining it out below? Now I will say that most regular folks don't have the time, patience, or interest to wade through all these perils. At the first sign of trouble they would bail on the entire thing and go running to a low-maintenance and straightforward Toyota or Honda.

Let's see what happens tomorrow...

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

Day 3: Put some Sea Foam into the gas tank last night and filled it up with premium 76. I was told to expect it to blow smoke out of the tailpipe as the Sea Foam cleaned out the engine. There might have been a little color to the exhaust, but I didn't notice much. I was told the Sea Foam could clean fuel injectors and that some of the engine noise could be from those. Not sure I am noticing much of a difference in the sound of the engine. I've been hyper-vigilant about every aspect of the vehicle since I purchased it a few days ago, but I am starting to let some of that stuff go.

Took it out on a couple trips today. The first in the morning was about an hour round trip drive to a spit of land called Semiahmoo just a stone's throw from the Canadian border. That was nice. The ride on this LR4 is smooth as butter. It's one of those rigs that feels nice to cruise in at a moderate speed and just take in the sights. I had nowhere particular to go and was just enjoying the ride.

I stopped at a turn out that included a small abandoned parking lot near the sea. I strolled around the vehicle to give it a closer inspection. Looking at the rear bumper. I noticed there was a rectangle plastic face plate set into the middle. Below that, barely visible, were a couple metal loops spaced about 6 inches apart. Having worked for a custom boat trailer manufacturer at one point in my life, I sensed there was likely a box tow hitch receiver between those two loops hidden behind that plastic cover plate. Sure enough, tow package. Weird, the guy I bought it from had no idea. I wonder if nobody did, even the original owner?

The second trip was a longer one to Mt. Baker Ski Resort. We have had light snow in the area for a few days here and there over the last couple weeks, but nothing major. Now, if a guy drives an hour East up into the mountains, there's plenty of snow. Sounded like a good way to test out the 4x4 to see how it handled. The drive worked out fine. It's the kind of drive you might imagine. Narrow two lane roads twisting up through the mountains alongside a river with snow collecting in the bows of the evergreen trees and on the shoulder of the road. Roads were basically just wet until I got to the ski lodge parking lot which was covered with packed snow. The parking lot was about the size of two football fields with rigs parked in lines in whatever configuration seemed to make sense to their owners at the time. The LR4 handled fine. Of course, it wasn't a huge challenge. There were buses and front wheel drive cars driving on it as well. Still, it gave me a sense.

The one thing that enraged me in all of this was the navigation system. It's outdated and basically so counter-intuitive that it's useless. At one point, I had a British woman's voice telling me to go in the opposite direction than I knew I should be headed. Then I couldn't get her to shut up. It was maddening. Finally, I was able to cancel the navigation trip and turned to my cell phone that was 100x as intuitive and effective. There was also a strange vibration rattle at higher freeway speeds that would come from either the glovebox area of the dash or the windshield pillar on that side. I couldn't figure out for the life of me where it was coming from, or why. It was mild, so I wasn't too worried about it.

My Day 3 take away is the LR4 probably isn't going to blow up. I pushed it pretty hard today and it drove like you would expect any normal vehicle to drive. Yes, the engine sounds like a very loud sewing machine and it may involve lifters or fuel injectors or whatever, or maybe that's just the way you would expect a 2011 5.0L V8 motor to sound. The tachometer stays pegged and doesn't flutter at all in idle. The motor has plenty of power and responsiveness. It doesn't feel sluggish or sloppy in any way. My sense is that a motor with real problems would have some performance tells rather than mere sounds that might indicate something, or not.

Oh, I almost forgot. A couple last items. I was in the back with the tailgate down securing my pup's wire dog crate in the back cargo area to the tie down loops when suddenly the rear end of the vehicle lowered automatically. I was like, "What in the... ?" Apparently if you are messing around in the back like that the vehicle thinks it might be easier if it lowered the tailgate to provide easier access. That was weird, but kind of nice, I suppose. The other thing is that I intentionally lowered the vehicle to allow my girls to get in more easily and then without thinking drove off from my driveway without raising the vehicle to normal height. The next thing I know, about 100 yards down the road, the vehicle raises itself to normal height and then informs me it has done so. Well, thanks for covering for my boneheaded mistake.

Let's see what happens tomorrow.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

Day 4: Top Drawer or Down and Dirty. Like I said, I took the LR4 to Mt. Baker Ski Resort yesterday and it got a lot of dirt on the body and undercarriage as a result. I was looking at it this morning and thinking, "You know, if I am going to use this as an off-road rig, a little dirt flung around on it shouldn't be all that big of a deal." But then I thought, "You know, it's so nice, I really don't want the paint to get all messed up or the undercarriage to rust out simply because I delayed washing it." In the end, I found a touchless carwash booth that did a really nice job. Now it's all back to being clean and shiny.

This brings up an interesting point. Land Rover has been marketed to upscale clientele that envision themselves as sophisticated outdoors types. The selling point is that Land Rover has created a vehicle that handles like a luxury car on the pavement, but can legitimately be taken off-road. And they even admit it, those that appeals to are kind of a unique market. How many people that really want a capable off-road vehicle care about luxury appointments? On the flip side, how many of those shopping for a luxury vehicle feel the need to take it out into the wilderness and beat it up?

So you are kind of left with a challenge, what is it going to be? A luxury vehicle or an off-road vehicle? I have looked at the heavy roof racks and grill guards and winches and all that. There is a part of me that really appeals to. But doing that to my clean, black, beautiful LR4 feels like turning it into a Jeep Wrangler. On the other hand, it's a really nice looking stock vehicle and it rides as smooth as butter on the pavement. You could take it down a dirt road, no problem. Heck, you could take it to the County Fair and park it in some cow pasture. Snow on the roads, fine. Truthfully, it's probably overkill for all those normal off-road duties. To me, it's probably more valuable as a nice looking and fun daily driver or around town errand runner or Summer road trip vehicle than a heavily modified off-road toy. It's just too pretty and nice to bolt a bunch of heavy bars onto it and take it out into the middle of nowhere and beat it up and dirty it up only to come back home and try to clean it up and repair all the damage (at a premium price). No, if I am going to do that, I want an old beat up 4x4 that I can take out into the woods and do whatever I want with and never look back.

Below is the down and dirty dream version.

Compared to mine now.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

Day 5: Tow Master. I saw there were some tow hooks located under the rear bumper in front of the spare tire. I watched a video on how to install a towing receiver on the LR4. The video showed how easy it was to remove the plastic faceplate to expose the receiver mounting mechanism ("you could do it with a quarter"). I decided to opt for the large standard tip screwdriver and one of the plastic fasteners holding the faceplate in place snapped in two. (So much for "you could do it with a quarter".) My reaction wasn't positive, to say the least. I removed the faceplate hoping to find some sort of receiver or 7-pin electrical connector. Instead, I saw a mildly rusted round ring located in the center of the bumper and empty rectangular holes on each side of the ring where the 7-pin connector would have been installed. So I busted off the stupid plastic fastener to find absolutely nothing useful.

Now it's not that big of a deal. The receiver box and 7-pin can be ordered for a reasonable price. The install is a simple bolt on process for the receiver, fastening it to the existing tow bar inside the bumper. The 7-pin may be more tricky. There is a trailer place here locally that can do all of that. In another life, I sold custom built boat trailers and they were the vendor we would send locals to when they needed their rigs wired up to pull the trailers. I called them and they assured me they could do the work. I said I was worried about the Land Rover electronics not playing nice with whatever wiring job they might do. They said they were used to dealing with ECUs and they would make sure it all worked out once they were done. The other thing we talked about was an electric brake controller. The rep said she believed that some of the Land Rovers came with that feature internally. I said that I wasn't aware of any such feature on my 2011 LR4 and, if it did exist, it probably no longer worked, was outdated, too complicated to be useful, or otherwise unreliable. I figured it would be better to start over fresh as long as the LR4s ECU didn't throw a fit over a 3rd party electronic installation.

The other thing I looked at after that whole fiasco was the fuse box panel beneath the glove compartment. None of the 12v ports in my vehicle work and I was hoping to locate blown fuses and replace them in order to get the 12v ports up and operational again. There was a diagram on the back of the glove box, but one look at all those fuses and a handful of relays stuffed into that cramped space and then looking at my brick layer hands with sausage fingers and I decided to shut the glove box and have the pros deal with it sometime. I didn't have an immediate need for the 12v ports anyway. I had enough fun for one day. I had snapped off a stupid plastic fastener to access a tow receiver that didn't exist. I didn't need to take it to the next level and shut my entire vehicle down because I removed a fuse and the ECU didn't like it, or whatever.

I feel a little stupid about this stuff. I mean, really, removing a plastic fastener? Checking for burnt fuses. These things should be easy, no-brainers. I'm sure that once you have done them a couple of times, it would seem laughable that anyone would shrink from such routine tasks. The thing is that I know what I know and I know what I don't know, but I also have a good sense when I am pushing things to the point that I end up breaking important things in the quest to fix trivial ones. It's called over-doing it and it never ends well. I figured it best to let it go and leave well enough alone.

 

[alldazed]

Atlantic British has the correct plug and play trailer wiring harness along with a plug and play trailer brake controller. They also have the removable factory receiver that slots into the assembly you see at the back. You can also find them used and are rebuldable- video and kit on powerful uk.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

Thanks alldazed. I'll check it out!

The UK factory hitch appears to only work for European trailer standards. Also, it doesn't look particularly robust. I saw the video on the US bolt on version. That looks a lot more durable. I've also put a locate on the bolt on and 7-pin aftermarket products. The wiring harness does look "plug-n-play" to me too. With a 2011 LR4, I'm uncertain of the condition of any loose connectors on the vehicle end. It wouldn't surprise me if they needed some work to complete the connection.

Do you happen to know if any of these models came with a a factory installed electronic brake assist?

Thanks again,

Brian

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

Day 6: Braking Glass. This morning the guy from Safelite came to the house to repair a pretty good sized rock chip I had in my windshield (about a nickel to quarter size, depending on whether you are measuring the spider web or the cracks running out beyond it.) The serviceman drove up in his company sedan covered entirely in the Safelite logo and colors. It also had a big crack in the windshield at eye level on the driver's side (hand to God, I swear it's true). I said, "Hey. I noticed you have a big crack in your windshield, you may want to get that fixed." He turned and looked at the offending crack and muttered, "Um yeah, that happened last night on the way home." We walked over to the vehicle and I showed him the chip. He said, "Yep, we can fix that. But I have to tell you that it may break your entire windshield. See, we have to put pressure on it to do the repair and windshields don't like pressure. The good news is that if it breaks the cost of the repair will be applied to the replacement cost. You want to move forward with the repair?" I said, "Sure."

It actually turned out pretty good and the windshield stayed in one piece. Before the appointment I was reading postings on the forum message boards about glass chip repairs to these heated windshields. One of the scenarios was nearly identical to mine, and the reasoning in the end was likewise the same. Get the damn thing repaired and don't worry too much about the heating elements. It's the cheapest and least risky option Anything else will cost a lot more and potentially lead to other problems. Best to leave well enough alone. One more box ticked off the list.

The other thing I have been looking at is getting a proper tow hitch and 7-pin round/4-pin flat trailer connector installed. I'd already watched the video on how to bolt on the trailer receiver. That part looked pretty straightforward. The next step was to watch a video on how to install the electrical connectors. I watched a couple videos on the process and it looked straightforward enough. The one thing I don't know is if the vehicle comes with a factory installed brake actuator. If so, the rest of the install process looks pretty much plug-n-play. I still don't entirely trust myself to do the install. It always looks easy when something that knows what they are doing is the one doing it.

 

[alldazed]

There’s no factory installed actuator. It’s a simple plug and play addition though. Plug in is under steering column. Curt makes the plug and play wiring harness and and the brake controller.