Land Rover is obnoxious.

[jzk]

So I took my LR3 into the dealer for "warranty" work because the airconditioner wasn't working. I bought the $3000 extended warranty a few months ago - what a joke that is.

So on the first trip they put in some dye to find the leak, and I am supposed to drive it around for 2 weeks. Fine.

I take it back in, and the next day I get the call. It is some lines that run under the rock sliders and your warranty company doesn't cover it. $1580 is the toll. Like a *******, I agreed to it knowing full well that I would be hard pressed to spend $600 for anywhere else to fix it. I won't make that mistake again.

I look through my paperwork to find my warranty, but I can only find my brochure which says "Excellent Coverage" right on the front of it. Excellent coverage my ass. The brochure says it covers everything but normal maintenance, squeeks & rattles, non-factory installed electronics, exterior metal, upholstry, and trim. Then of course there is an asterix that says a full list is on the actual contract.

So I ask Land Rover if I can see a copy of it, because for the moment I am unable to find mine. No, they don't have a copy. They sure did have a copy ready and waiting a few months ago when I was putting my three grand on the table. What a joke. They gave me an 800 number to call.

The first time it was in, they called my wife to tell her I was in emergency need of front rotors and brake pads. And, for only $885 they would be happy to do it. How can they possibly charge $885 for $175 in parts and a one hour job? I bought the parts from Atlantic British and did the job myself. It took me 2 hours, and I had to run to NAPA to get a torx bit for the rotor set screw. If it takes a trained mechanic with a lift and all the tools right there an hour, then they are a *****. And, I had to jack up each side individually.

 

[toddjb122]

Ewww. Doesn't cover those lines? That sucks.

I look at anything under my truck, exposed to the elements, as a risk area.

 

[roverman]

I'm more surprised the A/C lines are under the rock sliders than that LR service sucks.

 

[jzk]

I'm more surprised the A/C lines are under the rock sliders than that LR service sucks.

They told me that had to drop my rock sliders to get to them. Of course, extra charge for that. I mean, the guy at the last rally took all of 1 hour to install them in the first place. How hard could it be to take out a few bolts and drop it?

 

[techboydino]

was this the LR factory extended warranty?

 

[jzk]

was this the LR factory extended warranty?

Yes. It was the best one that they had. Of course, now they act like they have nothing to do with this 3rd party extended warranty company.

 

[toddjb122]

FWIW - I had a question about those lines a while back and was told they are the lines running to the rear AC unit. Maybe both systems share one reservoir. ?

 

[nwoods]

I don't know if they share a reservoir or what, but yeah, they run under the door sills, so they are PROTECTED by the rock sliders, not impacted by them.

I get a lot of crap from my dealer about my skids and sliders, so I just simply take them off now when it is time for service. They have blamed them for all sorts of things, even tire alignment issues. It is very easy to do by yourself if you have a rolling floor jack ($100 at Sears). My favorite was a rattle in my drivers side door that everyone in the service bay agreed they could hear, but they could not solve it. Conclusion: rock sliders. Total BS, I took off the rock sliders and returned the truck the next day. They kept it another week and never did report a fix, but the rattle went away. Frustrating because I TOLD THEM what the rattle was. It was a piece of glass from a broken window I suffered once (freaking Los Angeles street thugs!).

John, do you have an independent repair shop near you? If so, you REALLY need to start taking it there and not the stealer.

My truck just hit 50,000 miles this week. No more dealer issues for me!

 

[jzk]

Just to be clear, the dealer didn't blame anything on the rock sliders, they just act like it is a pain in their ass to remove them.

Yes, I have another guy to do work on the LR3, but I had it in there because I do have a crappy Land Rover warranty. I should have just told them to pack it up - again, my mistake.

One problem with the rock sliders is that the bolts are getting too rusty. I am either going to replace them or paint them with rust bullet.

 

[OffRoving]

If solidarity provides you any comfort:

I took the LR3 in for a new suspension air compressor. The dealer wanted to charge me FOUR [4] HOURS to remove the slider [one slider] and reinstall. The service advisor told me that is what they charge to do the factory side steps as well. Here's what I did, I asked him a few simple questions on how he determined the price and commonality between the factory side steps and our sliders:
1. How many bolts does 4 hours cover?
2. etc.etc. basically asking him about every step in the process.

He conceded to know knowing jack about the parts or the time it takes for each step in the process. I told him I would pay 30 minutes to remove the slider and 30 mintues to reinstall it. I told him that if he could defend a longer time than that, fine, but until he could that was the deal.

I didn't get charged. The tech said it took him 5 minutes to remove and 10 minutes to put back on. The tech got a 6-pack of beer in thanks for his honesty and the service adviser got spoken about by me to the GM.

Unfortunately with dealers [in any brand], they default to "that's what we charge......one hour minimum.....that's the best I can do". I default to "make it defensible and I'll pay you extra for good service and honesty".

Sorry about your experience, but you're not alone my friend.

Cheers.