I have always had an aversion to taking my vehicles to the dealership for service. Except for the things I literally can’t do myself, or computer related issues, I feel I can do it better because it is MY vehicle and I will always take the extra time and give extra attention to every detail. So, after getting my ‘22 Defender 110 back from the latest recall, the NSFM update, I decided to look under the hood for curiosity’s sake. Imagine my reaction and dissatisfaction when I found the engine cover flopping around on one attachment point. There are three pins on the engine which line up with three rubber grommets on the underside of the cover. One grommet was missing entirely, one was dislodged and not doing anything it was designed for, and given enough time probably would have vibrated out eventually. So the entire cover was affixed at one point. Horrible workmanship, and now I need to take time out of my schedule to drive back there to have them fix something so innately simple that the act of performing this improperly should make anyone wonder what qualifies that mechanic to perform the rest of the work that requires a more intricate understanding of vehicle repair. I will be taking this up with the General Manager and expect something in return for my time, travel, and total dissatisfaction with the attention given to this menial task. Pathetic.

 

There's actually 4 pins and grommets. I didn't get my Defender back with all the clips/grommets after the dealer had their paws on it. (They had to replace an alternator when it was near showroom new.)

 

Funny enough, my D90 has 3 and my D110 4! I ordered more from Amazon as recommended on the forum.

 

Look at it this way, it shows as a service visit to a Land Rover dealership. That might matter to anyone who is interested in it down the road for trade or resale. Otherwise people have no earthly idea who has been wrenching on the vehicle. Some people trying to do their own work have no clue what they're doing nor have the tools on hand to do it properly.

 

Dealer lost 2 of mine as well on an oil change visit.

 

This just shows a lack of care with your property.
l have had the engine cover off mine a few times and have never lost any grommets.

 

I'll go a step further. Yes, dealer should be more aware of this in service. But really... who at JLR decided that these things should so readily fall out. Poor design.

 

Ummm, I’ve taken the engine cover off numerous times, and it has gone back on quite easily, without any finagling, so the design is not at fault. The person replacing it did not take the three seconds to align it properly. Nearly every plastic trim piece on modern vehicles today is attached using clips, inserts, grommets or similar. Nothing JLR did in its design makes reattaching this a problem. Lack of attention to detail is the problem, in my opinion. And if they remove this cover numerous times a week in their duties, they should have no problem putting it back properly. Others have reported the same issue, so it seems to be ‘unskilled labor’ at fault. There is no excuse for returning a vehicle in this condition.
EDIT: Just went out to check, and yes I realized there are FOUR grommets holding the cover in place. The fourth is placed in the far right, looking at the engine, forward corner of the cover. But as stated earlier, it takes very little skill or effort to ‘seat’ the cover over the pins, and a slightly firm push to engage all four of the attachment points, as I just did for the second time today. Any semi-skilled mechanic should be able to do this blindfolded. Too bad my dealership is having trouble finding semi-skilled mechanics.

 

Not what I'm talking about. It's not the tech incompetence (or my own). It's that the things fall out of their holders when you are holding the engine cover. I can properly remove my engine cover, then stand there, and shake the engine cover, and the rubber grommets fall out. Apparently they just slip out of the holders. That's what I am referring to...

 

In my post I mentioned that one of the grommets was dislodged from its position in the plastic ‘tower’ (for lack of a better description), so I pulled it out and in putting it back in it took some moderate force to seat it properly. There is a small lip in the top circumference of the grommet which seats firmly into the ‘tower’. Once I had it in place it doesn’t seem like it will pop out anytime soon. I think what may be happening is if the hole in the grommet is not aligned perfectly with the male pin on the top of the engine, and it is pushed into place, it can become dislodged, like mine was from the dealership. And over time the once supple and slippery grommet may become a bit stiffer, making the alignment that much more important. Not to sound gross, but I’ll sometimes rub a little ‘spit’ on the grommet to make it slip on a bit easier, avoiding the use of extra force which could dislodge it. Most likely these mechanics are just slapping the cover into place, closing the hood, and moving on the next job. And if not aligned just right, this will happen time and again. Not a surprise to hear of others getting their vehicle back and finding missing grommets, too. I’m going to print out these other posters experiences and show the service manager that this is not an isolated instance and that they should make their mechanics aware of this shortcoming in the ‘customer experience’. Funny though, how when picking up the vehicle the SM gets in my ear about his rating, and how he needs all 10’s in the survey I will be receiving.