complimentary oil change about all you get

[techboydino]

hello everyone i have some gripes and questions for you all.

i took my LR3 in for the first 7500 mile service other than the bumpsotck needing lubing at 1000 miles. being the first vehicle i owned with complimentary service i was excited not to pay for oil change and lube. i have to say i was dissapointed. they told me about the whole inspection and oil change was covered. i asked about the engine filter, cabin filter, tire rotation and alignment. none were considered complimentary service. i can understand not getting a free alignment but tire rotation? it would cost me $139.95 for a tire rotation and rebalance. if you take the wheels off to check the brakes, half the work is already done. needless to say i took it to my old shop and they did it for $40. at least land rover washed my truck even though they forgot and did it as i waited to pick it up..

i had the software update, the dealer told me i wouldnt notice anything and that it was just engine and trans management update. i dont notice any difference.

i am still skeptical about the 7500 mile non synthetic oil change. i manage a parts shop and used to use K&N filters and Royal Purple in my other vehicles and change every 5-6k miles. i tested them with the amsoil test kit and sent in the oil for analysis and it was over 90% clean. but i dont know how good the rover filters are and dont put much stock in the factory oil.

a couple other questions.

1. has anyone had a locking rear diff installed after they purchased. i never had a truck/suv without one and mine was on the lot without it or i would have waited 6-8 weeks and paid a lot more to get the HD package. how does it handle in inclimate weather without it?

2. with 8000 miles i dont have as good gas mileage as i did a few thousand miles ago. i do both highway and city and get about 13-15 when i used to get 15-18. just wondering what you all were getting.

thats about it. thanks for the help in advance.

 

[davez26]

Sorry about your trouble withe the scheduled maintenance. It should have been more clearly by your salesguide prior to delivery/sale as to what is/is not included. The scheduled factory maintence covers just the basics of maintenece. Doesn't do everything, but to me, it is still a help. Cabin filter is part of the 12K by the way. Air filter is way out there, I think 45k, I'd consider changing it a lot sooner thatn that. Mine was full of sand @ 10K.
I've reccomended 3750 as an interval. I use my car pretty harsh, and it is cheap insurance.
The last time I priced it, it was around $8000 to retro a locking diff. I've heard better using salvage parts, but I don't know how well you can redo the software to accept a component it wasn't built with to get it to work without a whole lot of fuss. Fact is, the car has been dynamite without the locking diff in any conditions. My big beef on traction is the tires, but that is another thread altogether.

 

[nwoods]

Some of the maintainence items you've listed occur at later intervals. The 15k checkup is a pretty big one. Check the little booklet in your glovebox for the breakdown on what's done & when.

As for decreasing mileage, you are now used to 300 hp and are probably driving it harder. Also, the Goodyear HP's are not that great a tire and are probably wearing out. Your mileage is probably evidence of that.

The rear locker...I've not heard of anyone adding one. The challenge is that it's electronically controlled and you probably don't have the on board management system that controls it, nor the harness to plug it into. I priced the actual mechnical component at around $1600 I think (it was a while ago and I don't trust my memory), but there was nothing to control it.

Ultimately, it responds to electrical on/off current. I was thinking of rigging a switch into the cockpit that simply engages/disengages the diff on demand. Of course, it would jeapordize all sorts of warrenty drivetrain items, and there is no garruntee it would work, so it's an expensive experiement.

I off road my truck a lot, and like DaveZ26 says, it's pretty amazing without it, but there have been a few situations when rock crawling in Moab that it limited me (not having it), because LR3's that had it eased up the climbs that I struggled on. These were pretty technical climbs though, definately not your average everyday off road trails.

 

[techboydino]

thanks for info fellas. its good to hear that everyone seems happy with the traction even without the rear locking diff. truth is that i have had all GM SUV's in the past. the power was definetely not a problem with them but everything else was not up to par with my LR3. I always added a rear locking diff over the stock because the GM's were horrible without them. I could always just put a ARB air locker in if it came down to it. But if it performs well without then ill be good.

As for mileage, i know its a not-so-aerodynamic heavy SUV so i knew what i was getting into. I just dont know why its this much worse lately. I know the ethanol is not helping with power or mileage. I am going to change where i get my fuel and see if that helps. I'll check the tires too and see if they are low.

Im hoping the aftermarket world adopts the LR3 soon. There is not too much out there to satisfy my needs to change my truck. I would like to see a free flowing exhaust in the future. Not much else is needed except maybe some rock rails and on board air. Rims are already in storage for next year.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[davez26]

Now you did it...

Nathan makes rock rails. Hit his profile to take a look or PM him. I like them, but I'm a little light to buy them right now.
Sounds like you are a wheeler, Nathan and I both have our favorites for tires. Both are oversize. FYI, General is supposed to have some aggressive tread tires in the factory size soon, model is AT2.

 

[nwoods]

I've seen an 18" General Grabber AT2 on a Disco II a while back. Pretty good looking tire, and reportedly did well in some deep mud in Colorado earlier this season. I think the tire has excellent promise.

On board air is very easy in the LR3. I just installed one last week:
http://blog.nextstepdesigns.com/?p=34

There are now two companies working on sliders, and nearly ready for release. The one's I helped develop through www.RoverSpecialties.com can be seen here:
http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic6221-30.html (and the photo below)

Dave Lane (on this forum) helped develop a set through Slickrock Fabrications. He has a post here: http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic6895.html

RoverSpecialties sliders look like this: