While on my photo safari in New Mexico it became evident that my transfer case leak had come back. I had gear oil added to the case by 2 oil change shops while in Socorro to keep it safe and made it to Albuquerque and went to the LR dealer there on Wednesday. They did a check out and informed that I really needed a complete transfer case reseal job as oil was leaking pretty well from my input and rear shafts as well as the access plate gasket (RTV cement) that I had paid $350 to the dealer in Shreeveport a month earlier while driving from Atlanta to Houston. They said they would do a complete reseal, every gasket and seal and it would cost around $1100.00 and it would carry a one year warranty. The labor involved seems pretty intense to get the case off and I do not have a lift at home or the right kind of jack or support and possibly all of the tools I need. I agreed as I needed to get myself and my wife back to Texas for the upcoming work week and I felt really uncomfortable driving 1000 miles and not knowing if I was leaking so bad as to ruin my transfer case.

It took a day and a half and I had the added expense of a rental car to get around in. I picked it up Friday morning and upon driving off, my wife noticed that the exhaust seemed a little louder on the passenger side just under her feet when it was first started up and it was cold. We had a very tight schedule which did not allow us to return to the dealer to check it and the noise seemed to disappear as the system heated up. I was almost back to Houston when my check engine light came on (which has never happened since I owned it). I got home fine and this morning checked out my car. I use the CarChip device to keep track of the running status of my car and usually leave it plugged into the OBDII plug in the dash. I hooked it to my laptop and it gave me several codes regarding the O2 sensors. I was surprised as I had replaced all the O2 sensors a year ago as precautionary maintenance. So I got under the car to look around and found that the right rear sensor wire is completely ripped away from the O2sensor and it must have been not secured or routed correctly by the mechanic in NM and it got picked up by the Cardon joint of my front shaft which ripped it in 2 in an instant. See pics.

I also noticed that their is a support nut missing (which may have just come off or never been put back on) and I assume the exhaust noise is from some joint in the Y exhaust pipe as this has to be removed to get the transfer case down. The noise is worse when cold and goes away when it is hot so it may be a bad exhause gasket or poorly tightened fitting.

I got on the phone to the local LR dealer in N. Houston and spoke with the service adviser who listened patiently and said that they could certainly examine my Disco but there would be a $120 diagnostic fee. I said, "OK but if your techs find that my job from the dealer in NM was not right and at fault the fee would be waived right and the necessary repairs done?" "No", she replied, and said I would be responsible for any repair costs and it would be up to me to speak with the dealer in NM and get my costs taken care op by them.

Sorry folks if I am dumb here but with most of my other vehicles I have owned, if you go to the dealer and need warranty work later on a repair it is fixed and handled between the dealers as far as their costs for the work. That is one of the supposed advantages of paying the high labor costs of a dealer.

I could sure use some advice and please don't tell me I should not have used the dealer as I had to get the repair done in an unknown territory for repair shops and I assumed that the dealer warranty would trump anything an independent could offer.

I've attached some pics.

 

Sorry to hear of your ordeal man. A lot of Dealers out there are hurting, so it's no surprise you're getting the run around by the Houston dealer. My gut feeling is that since it's not a "Land Rover Vehicle warranty issue", but rather an individual dealership repair issue; your only recourse will be with the dealer in New Mexico. That New Mexico dealer is likely to tell you 'Bring it in and we'll take care of it". Normally that's an acceptable offer, but it's doubtful you want to make a trip back to New Mexico to have them put a few bits back together while you wait another day, get a hotel & rental, and spend all that time driving across West Texas. Having seen how these things tend to go, you're likely to end up footing the bill.

Good Luck

 

Well...your dealer will charge you the $120 just to look at your truck, they did not work on it to begin with so that is understandable.
BUT, since the work was done by a dealer they should cover the cost needed to correct the other dealers screw up as long as you did not go past the warranty period.
Call the dealer that worked on your truck, play nice, you get more fly's with honey than vinegar.
If they wont play ball then it is time to get nasty.
Your dealer should be more than happy to work with you, hell, they get to bill the other guys for whatever they want.
But since they did not screw up the work they are fully entitled to your $120, if they want to be nice and wave it or try and collect it from the other dealer thats up to them.

And just a FYI, there is no need to remove the t-case from the truck to reseal it, it can all be done in your garage as long as you have the tools needed to remove and replace the seals.
There are 3 front out put, rear out put, and the inspection cover.
http://www.discovery2.co.uk/rear_output_seal.html

 

Yes but my input seal was leaking the worst and for that you must remove the unit to access it; there is no way to get to it when it is attached to the transmission.

 

Sorry, I thought you meant the output seal, the one that goes to the front driveshaft.
Sorry, my mistake.

 

Just thought I would give an update though nothing is official from the local dealer yet.

I left my Disco at the Houston LR North dealer at 7:30am this morning which is the time they scheduled me to bring it in to be checked over. 7 hours go by and now it is 3:30 and I have not heard anything so I called and spoke with the service guy who checked it in this morning. He informed me that he just spoke with the technician just a few minutes before I called (funny how this always seems to be the case!!!).

He then said they were working up an estimate and that he would be in touch with an answer soon but that my transfer case is still leaking and will need to be resealed again! He then informed me that Land Rover does not warranty any seals or gaskets and costs would be involved!!! What the F--k I asked? I told him that the service people in NM had assured me that the warranty was a full one year parts and labor and he said maybe they mislead me! I asked him if he had spoken yet with the service person I dealt with in NM and he said that he had not.

I left all my paperwork from NM service job in the car so I am waiting for him to call me back and tell me what the estimate is before I talk to his service manager and the guy at the LR dealership in NM.

I have no problem with this dealer having to recoup costs from the dealer in NM if they have to do it again or fix the other issues but I can not even imagine that Land Rover does not warranty repairs involving gaskets or seals!

 

This really sucks.
No warranty ever covers gaskets and seals, they will cover labor, but gaskets will be on you, which sucks.
Especially since the shop in New Mexico probably just didn't torque things right.
This really blows.

 

Sorry Spike but I've never heard of a repair that excludes gaskets or seals either from a dealer or chain or even an independent shop and if the local dealer persists I will demand to see it in writing. I guess what I am puzzled by is the LR service dept. in NM told me twice before leaving and once over the phone this week that they would warrant parts and labor 100% for one year and the local dealer here in Houston acts like this is a big mystery. I can hardly be the only LR owner to need something worked on that was done by another dealer. By the way, this is a big labor repair, close to $750 for labor and $250 for the assorted seals and gasket repairs.

I guess the core thing that is bugging me is that I chose the dealer in NM instead of an independent shop not only because I was passing through and did not know any other shops but also because they should have well trained mechanics, access to the necessary parts and the warranty which would protect me when I got home if there was a problem. When a company warrants their repair they are putting their name and reputation behind the work they do.

I'll see what I hear today, they never called me back yesterday.

 

Have you called LRNA yet, to talk to them about this?

 

I really think the dealer should fix it for you. I am sure it is a situation where the dealer in NM does not want to pay up for the Houston dealer's mistake. And NM, seeing as how crappy of a job they did, is going to lie so they don't have to pay NM. Even if the gaskets are not covered under warranty, they are still leaking after a repair was done on them not even a week ago which means they F***ED up and need to repair it. I would do what Baylink suggests, and get LRNA involved if you haven't already. This whole situation enrages me. Our dealer in Idaho is a descent one, but I get very angry when I see what passes as a Land Rover dealer these days. And it is the crap reputation of these dealers that ultimately reflects on the brand. Which causes people to write bad reviews on the vehicle because some dumba$$ who was drunk under your car, made not ONE mistake, but numerous. Sorry to get upset, but I have had crap like this happen to me before with independents and the thought of it gets me pissed!