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Attempted this repair, unfortunately the connector for the batter came off the circuit board instead of the battery unplugging from the connector…new circuit board at dealer and install $2k. Bummer.
This should be an easy repair by someone who is technically-skilled. Even sight unseen, I'm confident I could fix it in minutes, for example, and I'd like a look at the module anyway. You wouldn't happen to live in So Cal, do you?
Great video btw. I was thinking as I was watching that it would be far better to undo the 2 nuts on studs that hold that little electronic ECU box on, remove that from the car, then remove the battery.
Attempted this repair, unfortunately the connector for the batter came off the circuit board instead of the battery unplugging from the connector…new circuit board at dealer and install $2k. Bummer.
Same thing happened to me. Although well intentioned, the instructions above are not what Land Rover recommend. You can find the workshop instructions here which warn that the connector can be easily broken. Also, the Gap tool cannot do the 'Telematics Control Module Battery Replacement Reset' (I reported that to Gap who reproduced the issue).
If I were to do this again, I would fully remove the panel and then remove the TCU from car. I did this after I broke the connector to find out what had happened. Removing the panel is a pain, but it's better than having to replace the TCU if you break the connector. The connector is very fragile and seems a poor design for a serviceable item.
I tried that, thinking it would be better, 3 bolts, but the wiring harness is entirely too tight/short for any real movement without unplugging the unit which I didn't feel like getting into. I forged on through the replacement with some tedious moments. Success though! Much better than the 1k in labor the dealer quoted me!
@wade b - How old is your Defender? Was it out of Warranty? Wondering why you got the $1k quote and others got warranty. Was it your Dealer trying to charge or your Defender out of warranty? Thanks for any thoughts.
@wade b - How old is your Defender? Was it out of Warranty? Wondering why you got the $1k quote and others got warranty. Was it your Dealer trying to charge or your Defender out of warranty? Thanks for any thoughts.
I've had it for 3 1/2 years. It's a 2021 and yes, out of warranty, I've had plenty of fun with it, I'm at 72k miles. My dealer has been great actually, Cole European in Walnut Creek, CA. To do the job the "right" way, a number of large, interlocking interior panels need to be removed, that's why it's so expensive to replace this tiny part. Just poor placement of the battery, hopefully future models will have an access panel or something. Popping the clips on just the one panel as illustrated here is for sure a tedious, but a far more economical route. Good luck!
Fiddly process. About an hour of torture and $20 for the battery.
The TCU resets by removing and replacing the battery and then clearing any erroneous faults. These are usually bad data errors due to the tired battery. Easy with GAP.
This is the TCU reset outlined in the shop manual. That’s why there is nothing to reset in GAP.
step 1 replace battery
step 2 clear codes.
TCU is now reset.
it’s a maddening location to place this battery. No thought given to future maintenance simplicity. A little access panel in the plastic trim would have been an obvious feature to include.
