Hello all:

I'm looking into an 2008 RRS or a Jeep GC with the Quadra Lift for possible SUV options. I have about a 30k budget, and I'm well aware that the RRSs come with baggage.

The RRS is the best looking SUV on the road, hands down. I also like the quality of the materials inside and out. The RRS feels like a very solid car This is something that the Jeep GC lacks. The Jeep has thin plastics, and cheap exterior dress up. The Jeep is a decent car, but the RRS is a lot better looking.

After browsing thru this board, I've found a lot of the problem areas of the RRS. Obviously plagued with various electronic quirks, and suspension woes. It seems like the engines and trannys are solid (please correct me IF I'm wrong.

I'm a DIY guy, I like turning wrenches and fixing stuff in my free time. I feel a lot more satisfied working on my vehicles and saving wads of cash. But I don't want DIY car projects to be my life. How easy is it for the amateur mechanic to work on these trucks? One thing I like about my Subaru, is if something is wrong, all I have to do is plug in my Tactrix to find out whats wrong, and usually, they are easy fixes. Is it easy to diagnose and fix the average issues on these trucks without having to go to the dealership to reset ECUs, TCUs, etc?

Thanks for all of your help!

 

I'd love to fall in love with a car brand, especially an off-road brand, and the love hate thing with these cars might give me my fix.

 

I haven't owned an RRS or worked on them for that matter, but of all the rovers you can buy, the sport seems to be one of the most solid. Working on MY rovers is pretty easy, but the issues you will encounter with a sport are going to be more complex. My Jags have the same engine that the RRS has, aside from a few modifications I'm sure. I absolutely love that engine, very solid, powerful, efficient and turbine smooth. However, having worked on one, it does require special tools to work on it and is not nearly as simple as the older rover V8s like in my RR and Disco.

Considering the other option is a Jeep, from a reliability stand point. I would actually choose the RRS over it. Naturally I'm going to favor LR, but I have wanted to like Jeeps, but can't. They are just as bad if not worse than Rovers. As a dealer I get to test them out, and they do not age well at all. My friend does extended warranties on cars, and Jeeps are rated just as bad as BMWs in their system. That being said, if I'm going to have problems I'd rather it be in something I love driving. However, you are looking at newer ones, so you are probably not going to have many issues at all with either vehicle. And if you do not like the car, you can always sell it. Rovers sell pretty quick, at least in my area they do.

Good luck with your search.

 

LR Scott, thanks for your feedback.

As far as specials tools are concerned, can you enlighten me a little? Required tools for fluid changes, brakes, plugs, etc?

The Tactrix for my Subaru, which I mentioned in the first post, can diagnose, reset, and edit pretty much all of the functions of the ECU. I'm assuming that the IIDTOOL from Gap-Diangostic.com is pretty much the same thing?

 

This is where I got the tool kit: JAGUAR V8 TIMING ALIGHMENT TOOL SET,1997-10 DELUXE KIT | eBay . You can rent the tool kit, but I ended up just keeping it cause I have needed it on a few other occasions when helping friends or having to replace the tensioners on other Jags. On older Jaguars, the tensioners had plastic bodies, naturally they fail prematurely. And then the timing chain develops slack and then slips and can ruin the pistons and valves. On the new Jag V8, the tensioners are metal and they do not seem to have that problem anymore. However, if/when your RR ever reaches 100k miles, I would definitely pull the valve cover and have a look. If the car was well looked after, had oil changes every 3k with good oil, then usually they don't need to be replaced, even the old plastic ones. The timing tools are also needed to replace head gaskets, as the chain needs to be removed. However, it is rare that these engines need head gaskets, they are far more forgiving when over heated than the old rover v8. I doubt you will need these tools, just cause the rover you are wanting to buy is so young.

I haven't used one, so I couldn't tell you. I just use a generic OBD scanner that can clear codes, and read live data. It would be very helpful to have a setup that can diagnose your RRs problem when it has one. When most of the newer LRs have an issue, that seems to be the way to figure out what is wrong, just because they are so complex technology wise. Oh, I should mention, not sure about an 08 RRS, but on a lot of the newer ones they no longer have an oil pan drain plug. They suck the oil out using a machine.

 

jesus is that some sort of sick joke?

 

Unfortunately no... I think they made the switch in 2010 with the new engine, so the 08 RRS should have one. Yeah its stupid, but it seems to be the trend with the new luxury cars, not just LR.