Hello All, I just signed up as I am thinking about purchasing an 02 Rover. This would be my first RR and Some of these posts scare me as far as problems / maintenance etc. I am understanding that RR's necessitate more maintenance than other vehicles and I think that is a trade off I am willing to live with. However, what I was hoping to find out is if anyone knows a good independent shop in Denver, CO that I could have check this RR out before I buy it? I was also wondering what that would cost me? This RR is an 02, HSE with 92K roughly.
I was hoping to buy this truck tomorrow after driving it and looking at it myself but now I think I should get it looked at by a pro. Sorry for the long post. I am just trying to get all of the info that I can before making my final decision. What a beautiful piece of machinery though. Any info would be helpful. Thanks, Justin

 

The only verified shop on RangeRovers.net is JC's Rover and 4x4. It is in Englewood, so I don't know how far from Denver that is..

Also DiscoMike is in Colorado, so he might have some more places to check out! The most important thing to check is the Electronic Air Suspenion (EAS). Above 80k, some of the parts are at their end. Any qualified shop will be able to tell you if youre working with worn air bags, feeder lines, or compressor. The good news is the system is rather straight forward to work with, so even if you have a potential problem with the EAS, it's not a no-sale problem.

Also make sure the AC cycles through all of the positions (floor, defrost on dash, upper vents, floor and upper vents..etc). The blend motors can sometimes fail causing only a few of the positions to blow.

I absolutely love my '01 SE, but I do miss the navigation [&o]. Nice thing about my SE is it was custom, so I've got the 18' wheels, grille guard package, and cold climate . The only problem I had to deal with when I got my Range was the previous owner had neglected fluids and what not in the time she was selling. Took a weekend and flushed the coolant, rear axle, changed oil, and topped off brake fluid! Other than that no real issues so far.

As for the 'pre-purchase inspection', expect to pay an hour of labor at a dealer ($90 or so), or $50-ish at an independent shop with any luck.

Good luck!

 

Thanks WolfPack. I live in Englewood so that should work; I will look them up. The guy selling this RR says the front bags are new and the rear have about 20,000 left in them. He said he would replace the rears if I wish (we didn't discuss how much that would be as of yet). He told me that the air suspension system is not an issue as long as you plan on replacing the bags every 60K or so. Do you, DiscoMike, or anyone know if that is true? This truck has all of the options and just looks great (Black on Black including 19" rims from an 06, LR Cargo Rack, LR Front Guard w/ lamps, etc.) DiscoMike, I would love to hear from you since you reside in the great state of CO, maybe you've seen this RR online?
Thanks again for the advice, Justin

 

He's feeding you a line to make the sale. He's absolutely incorrect. Wolfpack is right about the EAS system showing problems around 80K. It's not just the air boots ....it's all kinds of things with that system. Valve block, air compressor, electronics, air boots, and numerous fault codes plagued my Rover at around 80K miles. I replaced the air compressor twice, all 4 of the air boots, and had work done on the valve block as well as multiple resets to the computer to clear the fault codes that kept appearing every 2 weeks. The system would send faults to the computer even when there weren't faults my mechanic could find ....when a fault would appear, the compressor would, in some instances, not kick on and the truck would remain in the "entry" stop level or sometimes would fall to the "bump" stop level and not rise until the code was cleared with an Autologic. Sometimes it would lift all the way up to the highest level for no reason while I was driving it. I'm sure I looked like a fool when these things would occur and I can just imagine the people laughing as I'm driving down the highway w/ the truck riding on the bump stop ....not fun. It was like driving a circus at times. I'm not saying that all Rovers are this bad but be prepared to expect problems such as these w/ the EAS. It's not as easy as replace the boots every 60K and you're good to go. I eventually switched to the coil springs suspension and no more EAS problems. It was about that point when the engine started needing work, like top end rebuild, etc. The truck only had 104K on it at that point. I'm not trying to disuade you into not buying the Rover b/c I do love the trucks but just want you to be advised on their quirkiness and costly upkeep. They cost a small fortune to keep in good health. Good luck with this 02', though. Keep us posted on your decision.

Pads Fan

 

Thanks Pads Fan. I will let you all know what I decide. Thanks Again for the advice.


Elway