I'm driving my LR4 about an hour from home and I see an incoming call from my salesperson at the LR dealer. I answer the call over Bluetooth and learn that my new Defender has arrived a month early.

Apparently the LR4 heard the conversation as about 10 minutes later I see the angry red battery and red triangle light up on the dashboard. So I know the alternator has checked-out and I have whatever charge is left in the battery to get somewhere. I shut off the heated steering wheel and seat. My destination target is a different LR dealer about 20 minutes away. 5 minutes away I see the ABS and traction control lit up, then transmission fault, suspension fault, 30 mph max speed, then full "Christmas tree of death" as I crawl into the dealership. Then it dies. I actually bought our other LR4 here. As expected, no loaner cars available and they can't even look at my LR4 until next Thursday. At least I can pick up my new Defender this weekend.

 

Needs a new battery!

 

Battery is 6 months old. Alternator for sure, as this is my second time with this event. It's a known LR4 problem that the passenger side valve cover gasket develops a slow leak that drips oil directly into the alternator and eventually shorts it out. But you're right I'm sure I killed the battery too which was better than sitting broken-down on the shoulder of I-95.

 

I hate when that happens. My 2013 LR4 developed a sudden and pretty serious coolant leak from a known plastic crossover pipe / manifold less than one week before my Defender was due to arrive - after 220K+ miles... I didn't get stranded either, but needed to carry a water bottle with me on the way to my indy mechanic. Had to get it fixed on my dime prior to selling it a week later, $800 and change. Oh well, I sold the car to a fellow LR club member and I would have hated myself if it had happened to him right after he paid me.

PS: But congratulations on your new baby Paul! Can't wait to see photos.

 

Oh no Umberto, not the dreaded coolant manifold. At least it didn't kill the engine as other LR4 owners have experienced. $800 is better than $8000.

This may be the last thousand dollar "investment" I put into that LR4. I need to keep it through March since it's wearing winter tires and Nokian doesn't make a winter tire in Defender sizes yet. But after that it may be time to move on, especially since I'm sure I'll enjoy driving the Defender more.

 

My 2011 LR4 is at 135K miles and I have not yet experienced the coolant manifold nor valve cover leakage over the alternator failure modes. I am glad to learn of them -- will be on the look out !

As for the timing guide tapping issue, I can hear them on a cold day, but have not had to "bite the bullet" yet and do the whole $5K timing chain and guides replacement thing (YET). This is the positive result of changing the oil very often, I suspect, and driving sedately.

I was left on the side of road on I-95 also, due to the tubes carrying fluid to the the transmission catastrophically failing and pouring the fluid across a mile or two of the interstate. Upside is I got clean fluid at the right time and it was covered by the extended warranty. Not bad.

If I roll-up the known coming costs, it makes the most sense just to sell my LR4 now .... but its not replaceable, as we know, and will never be. So, I will keep it beyond 200K miles, which at the rate we drive it, should happen beyond 2030. Trading it in on a newer LR4 I will lose the Ford V8 -- I don't want to do that !

Enjoy !!