Cleaning "Jag" (no need to comment)

[BigBriDogGuy]

It was one of the first truly nice days in Western Washington State and the urge struck me to hand wash and detail my 2011 LR4 HSE Lux (Santorini Black). I'm a first time Land Rover owner. Had it for a couple months. Still learning about the rig and what it can do, what problems it has, and what needs to be fixed. Right now, it's mostly solid. I can drive it in normal mode on pavement all day long. Yes, the alternator went out and needed to be replaced a few weeks back. And there was that partially clogged sunroof drain that needed to be cleared. Oh, and the $130 headlight that burnt out and I had to replace, can't forget that. Still, I've enjoyed owning it, driving it, and (yes, I'll admit it) admiring it.

During my cleaning jag. I started to notice little flaws and imperfections that I never saw before. You get that deep into it and you start to uncover stuff that you wouldn't normally be aware of because it isn't line of sight. A small scrape here. A tiny gouge there. A rock chip. A rusted fastener head buried in the crease near the door hinge. Stuff like that.

Basically, what it comes down to is the vehicle is 12-years old. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful and in good shape (for it's age). I guess you could call it "normal wear and tear". For instance, you nicely wash the windshield and notice it's sand pitted. You wash the rear tailgate window and notice it's mildly scratched. At some point, it no longer feels like you are cleaning. Instead, you get to a level where it's clean as it's ever going to be. Additional cleaning only exposes more worn and dinged up areas. Understand, this is nothing major, it's just that when you really examine it close up, you find it's a little "dog eared" in places. That's to be expected in a vehicle that has been driven around and used for 12-years.

The point is there is no fixing old. It's never going to be new again, no matter how well you clean it or how many parts you replace. The overall condition is what you would expect on a 12-year old vehicle. I guess the question is what are you really trying to accomplish? Even if you were able to restore it to mint condition, it would be like one of those vehicles you see at those classic car shows. They look neat. They look cool. But they don't look new. They look well-maintained (for their age).

There can be advantages to accepting that something is a little worn. For instance, you can use it without worrying about every little thing that might happen to cause it to be in less than pristine condition. That's a solid benefit. Also, when it comes right down to it, most (if not all) of the stuff that you see when you are running through it with a fine tooth comb, isn't even noticeable when you pull back to a normal vantage point. For instance, someone might say, "Wow, nice shiny black car!" And you might say, "Yeah, but did you see that little scuff at the base of the fender?" To which they might say, "What? Oh that. Yeah, I guess I see it now that you point it out." It's not line of sight. It's below the level of normal perception and interest. The overall impression is "clean" or "straight" or in "good" condition. There is no need to go beyond that. It's just going to get dirty again anyhow.

After all, we live in a world where people will pay a premium price for artfully ripped up designer jeans.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

There are a couple of local used car lots that specialize in Land Rover and other similar vehicles (BMW, Mercedes, etc.). I was up early looking for an excuse to escape from the wife and kids as they slept in. As I sipped at my coffee, I thought I might cruise by the lots before they opened just to check it out. It was a little weird seeing rows and rows of mostly black Range Rovers, G-Wagons, X5s, and so forth. I even drove past a black LR4 that could have rolled off the assembly line the same day as mine. There was also a Mercedes G-class jeep-style vehicle that reminded me a bit of the LR4's low hood/tall cabin/square body design.

Here are my take-aways from that little outing. First, my 2011 LR4 fits right in with any of those vehicles that I saw on those lots. It's straight and clean. The only difference I could tell was the ones for sale were sitting in a parking lot and not being driven, so they were spotless and detailed, both inside and out. Mine has the look of every other car you see driving down the road. It's normally kept, not pristine. Second, there is nothing singularly unique about my LR4 as a stock model. The basic design is iconic compared to a lot of other vehicles out there, but I saw dozens and dozens of vehicles on those sales lots that look essentially the same or offer similar features. The stock LR4 is just a starting point. Unless it gets customized or modified, it is virtually indistinguishable from others like it.

My final observation (and perhaps most impacting) has to do with price point. I complain my fair share about the reliability and cost of maintenance and repairs, as well as the low MPG and cost of premium gas. Then I look at those vehicles for sale that are essentially no different than mine and they are being offered for 2x or 3x (or more) than what I paid through a private owner. That difference is substantial in real terms as well. We are talking a difference of $10,000-$20,000 (and up). That Mercedes G-class goes for nearly $100,000.

Someone might suggest that you could get a Toyota or Nissan or US domestic for closer to the same price as what I paid. Not so fast. I also cruised by my local Toyota dealership (where I bought all of my vehicles prior to the private party purchase of the LR4) and the used vehicles they were offering were all in the mid-$30,000 to mid-$40,000 range (and up). Again, we are talking tens of thousands of dollars difference.

I'm not trying to make excuses for the LR4s reliability problems. Those are real and can be infuriating. That said, even with those problems, (plus the downtime and cost of getting them fixed) it takes some of the sting out when you look at what you've got compared to what's out there. At that price point, it leaves a lot of room for repairs and maintenance (upgrades even). Of course, all of this is based upon a couple key assumptions. First that the LR4 doesn't totally blow up and die. Second that the repair and maintenance costs don't collectively run into the tens of thousands of dollars. You could legitimately say you'd have been better off biting the bullet and paying more upfront for one of these other vehicles if either of those things happen. Until it does, I'm good.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

I've read a few posters stating, "Don't chase problems on an LR4." Wasn't sure what they were talking about, but I feel like I'm starting to get a sense of it. There are a couple of things that have stuck in my head. For instance, I was watching episodes of LR Time where they were tearing down an engine to replace a shattered crank shaft. The DIY enthusiast, Christian, was making a point of not replacing good OEM parts just because he was deep into the engine assembly. His take is that if the part is sound and to spec that it is better to leave it in place because it is "time tested" while replacing parts just to replace them opens up the possibility that the replacement part could have problems and fail. I also remember describing to the local independent Land Rover technician some of the preventative replacement measures that have been recommended on these forums. He said, "Well, the maintenance schedule doesn't mention anything about preemptively replacing water pumps or timing chains. Understand the timing chain because it is an interference engine, but we would normally check to see if there's a potential problem before we would replace it. Same with the water pump."

Early on, I contacted the guy at Tapa about his remanufactured engines. He was a kick to talk to, real earthy, swore a lot. It was kind of refreshing to talk to someone that wasn't overly polished and slick. He was telling me about the inherent weak points in the stock engine and how he upgraded certain components to correct those issues. He mentioned heavier sleeves and beefier timing belt tensioners, and a few other things. He said there were only a few shops that he worked with that he trusted to install his remanufactured engines and that you had to agree to replace the water pump, along with all the hoses and fittings, in order for him to warranty it. Plus, he wanted your old engine to rebuild to offset part of the cost for the remanufactured one. When he said "remanufactured" I thought he was talking about an older engine that he rebuilt. Instead, he assured me that his upgraded engine was totally new.

I don't even know there is anything wrong with my engine. Seems to be running pretty smooth and strong. Why would I consider replacing a perfectly good engine? It might last another 50,000-100,000 miles. By that time, there's all sorts of other things that could be wrong with the rig, or I may just be bored of it and looking for a change. The point being that a brand new remanufactured engine may sound like a cool idea, but does it make sense to drop it into a 12-year old vehicle? Ideally, I think the best scenario would be to have everything run its course and age out at about the same time. 20 years and/or 200,000 miles is about all anyone can reasonably expect.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

On the dangers of excess (capacity, among other things). Yesterday, I watched a video comparing the Mercedes G-Class and the Jeep Wrangler. I was prompted to do so because I saw a couple G-Class rigs for sale at the local luxury used car lot. I was curious why they would be so much more expensive than other vehicles in the same category, so I decided to investigate further.

Turns out the G-Class is kind of like a designer handbag that goes for $5,000. It's a status symbol and a prime example of what used to be referred to as "conspicuous consumption". Basically, the idea is that you want something that is otherwise common, but obscenely priced to show that you are rich enough not to care. Basically, it's rubbing other people's noses in it.

In the case of the G-Class, it appears that there is more substance and capacity to merit the price point than you might find in a designer handbag. The demonstrator on several occasions lamented that the G-Class was "over-built" for a vehicle that would never see off-road duty. In fact, she was quite adamant on that point. When she said "never", she meant N-E-V-E-R because that isn't why people in the income bracket that could afford one would be motivated to buy one. For instance, she mentioned that Kim Kardashian owned one and that inspired others that admire her lifestyle to buy one as well. Once again, it's that conspicuous consumption thing, buying something to show it off and flaunt it in the face of others that can't. And what better way to really "twist the knife" than to own a highly competent off-road vehicle that others would salivate to own with the knowledge that it will never be used for its intended purpose but, instead. will be driven around like a trophy and fashion statement to the mall and yoga class?

Now I can point the finger at these well-to-do pigs and criticize them all I want, but when I look in the mirror I have to admit there is a bit of that impulse that goes on at a different level when it comes to my LR4. For instance, I have been eyeing hidden winch setups that have been installed on other LR4s. In doing so, I have to ask myself, "Why a 'hidden' winch?" Well, because I like the look of the stock grill and don't want to obliterate it with a bunch of heavy metal and tubing that makes it look like my rig is wearing a football helmet all the time. Then the deeper question arises, "Why a winch at all?" Ah, that gets closer to the heart of it. Why indeed? The fact of the matter is that I will likely never put this rig into a situation where it is so deep into the weeds that it will need a winch to extract itself out. Truthfully, a winch is totally superfluous to my needs. So why would I yearn to own one? It's because I like the feeling of having that capacity, even if I probably will never use it. What's more, I feel an odd sense of loss and disappointment with not having that capacity, as if I'm shorting myself on some level.

Maybe I won't get a hidden winch and here's the reason why. I would feel like a poser to get a winch that I will never use and is little more than off-road eye candy. Even then, I would need to justify not having one to myself. I might say, "I don't need the extra weight" or "I want to keep it stock" or "less to go wrong" or whatever. What I really should say is that excess capacity and unused capacity is as much of a detriment as lack of capacity. It's just a bunch of useless junk piled onto the rig. That's legit. Maybe a better question is "How can I strip it down and get rid of all this excess bloat?" (I think they call that "downsizing" or "right sizing".) That doesn't just apply to this vehicle, but my entire living situation. (You wouldn't believe the amount of kitchen gadgets my wife collects, board games that are stacked in the closet, or video screens my kids have.) Under those circumstances "you" become the bottleneck. You only have so much time and interest and more stuff than you know what to do with. If you have your "go to" whatever, why do you even bother with the rest? It just gets abandoned and piles up. I'd rather travel light and fast.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

I washed and waxed the rig yesterday. This morning I did the wheels and tires for the first time ever. I was a little reluctant to do them. I thought cleaning and detailing tires and wheels was a bit much. After all, it's a Jeep-style vehicle. Shouldn't the tires and wheels look dusty and dull compared to the rest of the rig? I figured that since I did the body and I had the product that came in a kit I might as well give it a shot. After all, what's the worst that could happen. It's water-based and should wear off in a week.

I've got black 19" wheels with Goodyear Duratrac A/T tires. I'll tell you what, I had no idea just how much brake dust was coating the wheels. I washed the tires and the outside rim of the tread and really scrubbed the wheels. That was a task. I applied the tire shine and waxed the wheels (I figured they were metal like the rest of the rig, so I just washed them with the same car wash soap and wax that I used on the body). At the end of the day, I couldn't believe the difference. The wheels shined and the tires looked like fresh rubber. I'm actually glad that I decided to give it a try. The dull and dusty wheels were fine, but the detailed ones look pretty sharp with the freshly washed and waxed body.

In the late afternoon, I got a suspension fault driving at low speed to pick up my girls from the church after school program. It was amber and the system prompted me to press "OK" to clear. I had my digital diagnostic unit on me and I thought it would be a good opportunity to see if I could find out what was going on. I messed around with it a bit and the closest I could find is that the gallery wasn't letting air out correctly. It's odd, because my driveway has a pretty good slope. Regardless if I pull in head first or back in rear first, whatever part is elevated will lower about 10 seconds after I exit the vehicle, trying to auto-level. The thing is if it is doing that all the time, there must be air getting into the gallery and also discharging. How else would the suspension raise up enough to have it level out on an elevated surface? I mean I can hear the hissing sound of the air escaping every time it attempts to self-level.

In any case, I read all these other posters with their horror stories about suspension faults. All I know is that mine seems to drive just fine. The diagnostic tool isn't a big help either. It throws a lot of codes and most of them are historic, some are intermittent. Even if I did know what was going on, I don't have a DIY shop or tools to fix it. For me, the thing that is really maddening is the fact that I get these fault messages and then plug in my diagnostic tool and stress out about what it is or what it might be. This whole time, the rig is running like a top. It makes me wonder what I should rely upon, an electronic warning message and a cheap diagnostic tool or the fact that it runs and drives just fine. I'll just add it to the list of stuff that needs to get fixed.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

My driver's side door has been hard to shut lately. I was afraid that I might have bent it downwards using it to brace myself getting in and out of the truck. Then today I lightly closed it and it bound up and didn't close. I found that it was catching against the rubber door liner around the door opening that was starting to split and bulge. I had noticed this damage a few days back and looked up what the part would cost, around $150 if I recall. Seeing the problem in front of me, I said, "Forget that" and went into my garage to find some tape to see if I could do a quick and dirty repair.

This winter, we put up some Christmas inflatables that were from the previous year and had developed some significant tears and holes. I bought some clear patching tape that really did the trick. It was a big, wide, roll and I had plenty left over in the garage. I cut off an appropriately sized strip and wrapped the damaged portion of the door seal. I closed the door and it easily swung into place without any interference. It was like magic.

You might say, "Okay, so what's the big deal?' The "big deal" (at least for me) is I found that I can fix a problem on this rig without running to the OEM storehouse and emptying out my pockets. I got lucky. I just happened to have exactly the right thing that fixed the problem completely and cost me absolutely nothing. That was a satisfying feeling. Eventually I may shell out the cash for a replacement door seal. The point is that I now have that option. It's a choice, not another forced purchase.

The other realization is that I got into a cool luxury SUV for dirt cheap only to find that it has all these other aspects to it that I have become enamored by. Those luxury features are all well and good, but that isn't why I purchased the vehicle. It was a true 4x4 with reasonably low miles for its year and it was a lot cheaper than anything else I was seeing out there on the market with similar age, mileage, and capacities. Bottom line, I didn't buy the LR4 for its luxury appointments. I bought it because it was cheap and fit the bill.

Underneath all the rest, that central fact hasn't changed

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

I fixed something else today and discovered the source of a problem I've been puzzling over. Under my rear driver's side fender on the forward portion under where the passenger's door opens there was a flap of rubber that was hanging loose under the wheel well. All this time, I figured it was just something that gave way over time and came undone from the body, a small item that unless you were looking directly at it in just the right position, you would never even notice. Certainly it wasn't interfering with anything and so it wasn't causing any problems, that I could tell. Still, it kind of bothered me that it was hanging like that when the other side was totally clean and intact.

I was sipping on my morning coffee and looking at this imperfection and decided to investigate it further. I opened the door and examined the partially hanging piece. It seemed like old rubber of some sort with ribbing along one side. It also had a little hole in it and white dust was sifting out of it and landing on the top of my rear tire. I manipulated it a bit, it suddenly came loose from the inside lower lip of the fender. I went around to the opposite fender to see if the same piece was there. I didn't see it. Then I realized there was a little channel along the inside lip of the fender and that the rubber piece was intended to be folded in half lengthwise and tucked up into the channel. I folded the old rubber and worked it into the crease and, after a couple of minutes, the entire length was seated back in place. Now, it looked exactly like the opposite side. It was satisfying because all it took was some attention to detail and resourcefulness and a few minutes of my time to diagnose the issue and correct it. The little flaw that had kind of bugged me was now gone. All was right with the world, once again.

The other thing was my windshield. At high speeds it makes this sort of vibrating buffeting sound. I took it to a glass shop to have it looked at and their take was the pillar covers were sound but the glass was aftermarket and installation was sloppy. There is a significant gap on the passenger's side of the window where it meets with the roof next to the pillar molding. That gap along the top edge decreases incrementally as it makes its way across towards the driver's side. By the time the windshield reaches the driver's side pillar, it's totally flush along the top edge where it meets the roof of the vehicle. I was thinking it might be a flaw with the vehicle itself, that the top edge of the roof might be warped in some way along the passenger's side. I thought that unlikely, but not impossible. As I examined the glass closer, I noticed there was a small blacked out strip that ran along the right and left side edges of the glass. On the driver's side, you could see about 1/4 of an inch of the blacked out strip running inside adjacent to, and parallel with, the pillar molding. On the passenger's side, that same blacked out strip was visible towards the bottom next to the cowl. But by the time it got up to the top of the windshield where it met the roof, that black strip disappeared under the pillar molding. To me, that was confirmation that the windshield was installed crooked and the reason for the gap at the top on the passenger's side. I suspect that when I finally decide to get it replaced, it will sit flush and all that vibrating and buffeting I hear at higher speeds will be gone. Since the sound doesn't bother me that much, it may need to wait until I get the windshield replaced over the due course of time.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

Real vs. fake. That's what struck me today. I was at the parking lot of the grocery store and saw a black Dodge Nitro. It seemed it could be the kissing cousin of my black LR4. When I got back to my rig I looked up the Nitro on my phone and it turns out it was a limited run of a more muscular looking version of the Jeep Liberty. I've seen the Jeep Liberty and I'm not all that impressed. I looked up the specs on the Nitro and it was like a toy compared to the LR4.

The point is that my LR4 is real. It's solid, legit. It's not one of these plastic things that is made to look like something because plastic can be molded into whatever design you want. As a result, you pay the price when it comes to maintenance and repairs. Maybe that's because it's the true price, the price that you would need to pay to maintain and repair a vehicle that is real and authentic. The way you get around that is creating entire lines of vehicles that are basically throw away. They capture your fancy for a year or two after they come off the assembly line and then start to look ragged and dog eared.