I would take it to a reputable land rover dealer,national chain stores do not work on these vehicles day in and day out,dealers do and will fix it right and garrantee thier work and parts...

 

Yes, take it to the dealer where they now hire kids with no experience, who know little or nothing, charge to $120 plus a shop rate hour, over estimate/charge and give you a warranty. Yes, go there one time and get it out of your system, but do it for an one of their $150 oil changes, then go find a godd small local shop that know what they are doing, use Rover parts, that still have a one year warranty and charge a whole hell of alot less for better work.

 

wow you must feel better getting that off your chest mike...but you are right.

 

A simple block test should determine whether or not there is an internal coolant leak. The tester is cheap and comes with full instructions. As far as DM's comments regarding the dealer, some of it is true, however there are still a few of us left that know what we are doing!!

 

yes like I said a reputable dealer will have good techs,I myself being one of them so don't ****ball all of us mike

 

Hey, read your probs with sympathy. After spending lots at dealerships, I have found a very good mechanic & you mentioned Long Island. The name is Coventry Motors in Huntington Station off of Jericho Tpke,run by Peter Knudsen, shop foreman is Bill Farley - phone is 631 547-6430. Peter is a master mech in Jaguar but is extremely capable in LR - I have spent a good deal of time and money getting my LR @ 112K running great. He charges $90/hour and is very fair, fast and competent. Never let me down on promises for time, but works M-F 8-6.

I hadsimilar symptoms to yours - was an external leak though - timing chain cover, behind water pump - replaced all, including chain and gears for about $600. Keep it cool and full 'til you get it fixed.

I'm sold on this guy because after he finished the job above on a Friday, he didn't like the sound of it running. I found out at around 6 that I wasn't going to have the truck for the weekend, and was disappointed. Around 9 PM (remember, it's Friday) he calls to say it was unrelated to the work he did (oil pickup tube touching pan). I like to think I care about my work that much.

Also, he's not afraid to tackle tougher problems - I purchased an ABS modulator shuttle valve kit from Atlantic British and he put it in and all is fine. Dealer wanted $2000 - "we don't do kits" - well, they don't do my truck anymore, either.

 

Thanks Disco Mike, Rich and Sideburns for the advice. Considering all your feedback, Coventry Motors seems to fit the bill of local, independent and reputable so I will give them a shot. I think my AAA membership will actually tow it there from Ronkonkoma so I don't worry about overheating it. I will post again after I get this thing sorted out. Thanks again everyone. MM

 

Let us know what they find and what sort of estimate by parts and labor.

 

Just dropped the Disco off at Coventry Motors today and waiting to hear diagnosis. Guys there seem genuine and they have Disco experience, so fingers crossed I get away with my shirt still on! More after I hear back...

 

Just got first diagnosis from Coventry Motors on the 00 Disco. They replaced the burst hose and pressure tested cooling system. No signs of air getting in or running hot. They are going to hang on to it for a few more days and continue to test. They recommend changing all hoses and belt under hoods since we have 96K miles so I will definitely agree. They did notice a few drops of coolant coming from under throttle body (?) but they are not sure it's something to worry about. I saw this issue on other postings so I will research further before I ask for advice on that. More by end of week on this topic...