I'm a new member and would like to ask a question right off the bat [go figure].

Bought this '01 Discovery II 1.5 years ago since we enjoyed our aging '95 P38 Rang Rover.

All has been well since we bought it after the original owner had already done the heads, head gaskets, etc...

Today my wife goes to lunch as usual and when she goes to leave a 94 year old lady runs into her rear bumper pretty forceful, enough to jerk the Land Rover forward pretty good. Now my wife had the car started and in park awaiting the A/C to get cold [it's 100 degrees and it's black soo...] when this happened. Her and a few others tried to get the lady to stop but she left, apparently panicky. My wife called the police since one of the people got the lady's tag #. My wife called me and said she couldn't get the key out. I figured she was stressing and I told her it will come out, make sure it's in park etc... to which she confirmed it was.

While waiting for the police she kept trying to get the key out to no avail. She restarted it and noticed an M & S blinking on the dash and another idiot light as well so she turned it off and this time the key came out but she can't lock the doors??????

Anyway, the lady was called by the police and came back but said my wife hit her............. After some exchanges of the details from both parties and my wife explaining she called the police, she had the ladies tag #, the lady left, etc... it was concluded that since it was on private property there was nothing they could do or recommend so take his form and present it to our insurance. I met her and did just that as she went back to work. Coincidentally enough both parties the same Allstate Ins, even the same agent.

My wife calls me as I'm headed to the claim office to tell me the Land Rover is stuck in gear or something, lights are flashing, etc... So, I go back and sure enough when I go to drive it, it's like it's stuck in gear, no power and the M&S lights are flashing and the light that shows a vehicle on a down hill grade is on.

?????????? I took her back to work and left the Land Rover sit.

I called a local Land Rover mechanic and he described it as the Rover was in limp mode, likely due to a damaged "XYZ" or shift inhibitor switch, likely due to the bump causing the shift mechanism to move beyond it's limits. He said to go ahead and drive it home but this switch will need replaced before the shifter will operate correctly and will affect the ignition and door lock functions as well. I drove it home but geez it has no power when taking off [stuck in high gear] and it's hard to get the keys out without holding the shifter or running it back and forth and get lucky the little light will be on next to the park position. I still can't lock it.

I can't believe a bump like this can cause a malfunction this dramatic in a supposedly tough offroad vehicle and he claims the switch will run $700-900 installed. I did notice the exhaust pipe was loose [she hit on the drivers side] too [rattles bad] and the bumper was cracked also.

I guess I'm looking for supporting info on what I've described concerning the M&S lights and the drivability.

Thanks

 

I think the diagnosis is probably pretty close. But switch may be able to be adjusted. Seems like insurance should be able to cover this.

Moving you to another area of the foruim so more eyeballz will see this.

 

Okay.... but I guess no one has any input.

My mechanic said once these switches get out of range they fail and replacing is the only reasonable option. It looks like I've got to take it o the shop for a verification and an estimate per the adjuster requesting an estimate. He's a good hour away though so I need to call and ask if it's okay to drive it that far on 65MPH highways as it it.

Thanks!

 

If you want a used XYZ switch I have several with mileage around 100K for $100. That includes shipping and a 60 day warranty.

Installing an XYZ switch is really not that difficult. A 13mm wrench and a 10mm socket and you'll have the old one out and the new one in. Granted, it's tight up there where the switch is located but I've always found the cost of a new part plus the labor charges to be great motivators for DIY.

 

I doubt that the sensor is bad, don't rush into something on these Rovers till you know for sure. Do you have any fault code numbers, if so what are they?
Do you have the old ladys insurance information, if so contact them reporting a claim and have them pay to have the truck properly repaired on her dime.

 

buy the used one ..its happened to me 3 times in 8 years .

 

I haven't done anything yet. The claim rep lady [or whatever she is] has an attitude and I've avoided her. She says it's a 50/50 claim because the old lady says my wife hit her. Bulls-it, we're getting a written statement from the security guy that saw everything. Typical insurance crap. We haven't been driving it, it just seems like it might hurt it more since the transmission is stuck in high gear/limp mode because of this damaged switch. The adjuster met my wife at the vehicle last Thursday and wrote a $710 estimate for bumper damage but said he'd need a diagnosis and an estimate for the XYZ switch replacement. I'm not putting on a used part nor am I a DIY'er and this definitely happened directly after impact. I should have asked for a rental car with the attitude and nonsense we're enduring from Allstate, whom we've been with 28 years with no claims and safe driving all of those years.

 

Buy the switch from Paul, only after having your fault codes read.