I found an additional fact on Findlaw stating:

"What are "Secret Warranties"?

"Sometimes a manufacturer makes a design or production mistake on a motor vehicle. If dealers report a number of complaints about a certain part or vehicle, the manufacturer may allow dealers to repair the problem at no cost to you even if the warranty has expired. A service bulletin notifies the dealer of the problem and how to resolve it. Because these free repairs are not publicized, they are called "secret warranties." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.dot.gov) maintains a database of service bulletins filed by manufacturers."

 

Ok well here is the other thing you can do and im just throwing it out there. If you have taken your vehicle to the dealership most of its life or you've owned it, the service manager is capable of either supplying the parts or paying for labor. This is what they like to call GOODWILL the dealer gets a certain amount of goodwll a month they are supplied to do such repairs and i'll tell you if your service maganger was that concerned he would have given you that option.

 

I really feel for you, sigler. My '03 Disco has 62K miles and has shown the same symptoms as many others with the oil pump problem. My engine has not seized yet, but I am also not driving it until it gets in the shop. I'm going to be taking it in to the dealer in 2 weeks (will be away on business) and I'll let you know what the results are.

The worst part is that I just bought this thing in December '07! I finally decided to get my dream car and all it has handed me are nightmares.

When I bought it, I asked for the extended warranty through a 3rd party program, etc. However, the dealer didn't get that worked out until the beginning of this month. Luckily, the problem occured after I purchased the warranty. I am very worried that they will claim that it was a preexisting problem.

Again, I'm taking it to the dealer in 2 weeks and I really hope that things go smoothly. If not, I will probably be calling your lawyer as well!

 

When you say "dealer", are you talking about a Land Rover dealer?

 

If your Discovery is experiencing the same problems the engine will have to be replaced. My attorney informed my yesterday that he was moving forward and was especially interested in Oklahoma and California claimants as the laws in these two states will benefit all in the class action. Let me know what happens with your Rover.

 

BMW had a similar problem when the E46 M3 was introduced. The engines were just blowing up, left and right. BMW obviously knew about these issues regarding the engines in the 2001 MY, but did nothing about it until enough people complained and I'm sure several attorneys came forward with multiple lawsuits from multiple plaintiffs. BMW in the end decided to make good on the deal and replaced engines that were blown and for those that were not they gave place a 100k engine warranty on.

That is what LR should have done in this situation. In my mind this tainted the brand and makes me wary of ever buying a new LR and only used.

Chris

 

Woops, I said "E38 M3" and that is wayyyyyyyyyyy off, unless BMW came out with a 7 series M3 that I don't know about. It was the E46 M3 that had engine problems in 2001.

 

I googled "Land Rover Engine Failure" and came across this post. This is my exact problem. I have an 03 Discovery in the vin range. Last wk end I heard a clunk, my oil light came on and I decided to continue to drive my car home (a few miles). On the way home the engine seized and failed. Quote by the Land Rover Dealer is $8000 to replace. My car has 55,000 miles and all service has been done by the dealer. Ipurchased it with12k through the LR dealer and the warranty expired in Dec 07. The dealer has really not advocated for me at all and basically just asking what I am going to do (replace engine, replace car, or tow it away). I called cust svc and they were very aloof, telling me they will investigate and get back to me in 1-2 days. I live in Oregon and may be willing to joing a class action. I agree that I can't believe that this is the expectaion for a $45K car that is supposed to be a luxury brand. I was seriously considering replacing with the LR3 but now am having doubts. Please update me if you get any traction with Land Rover North America.

 

Add me the list of disgruntled 03 LR Disco owners with the oil pulm failure at 62K miles. Little assistance from LR. Any updates from the former posters/victims?
Tuna

 

Is your VIN in the TSB range of affected vehicles? I'm just curious. It seems like some within the range end up fine, and then I have heard that there are some OUTSIDE the range that go. I have a 2003 also that is outside the range...it still worries me.