Hello all,
Just joined the forum since I just bought a 2011 LR4 HSE. Drove it a lot the first week, but noticed a "whirring" noise the first day. Talked to salesman about it and was convinced it might be normal. I was not convinced, so took it to the dealer and it needs a new front differential. There are metal shavings in the fluid.

Question is: What do I do about a brand new Land Rover with major mechanical issues?

 

I would demand they replace the entire vehicle!

 

What you might want to demand and what will happen are 2 different things.
First, never talk to the sales people about truck issues, they are dumber then the mechanics that the dealer has work on them.
Go have a work order written up and get on with your life, these things happen.

 

Mike,
Thanks for the pointed advice. I am not really pissed about it; my concern is whether this is indicative of future problems with this particular vehicle since 1) this was installed defective and 2) quality control did not catch it.
Rob

 

It is never a good idea to buy the first model year of a brand new model.
However things happen, its under warranty, get it fixed and dont look back.
If this truck turns out to be a lemon then you have the Lemon Law on your side.
Just keep all of the records for everything you have done, including oil changes tire rotations etc.
Make sure you are using the proper fluids and fuel and get it serviced on time.

 

Rob,

That stinks. I have a 2010 LR4 HSE LUX Plus and have had my fits and spats with issues, though nothing of this magnitude with anything mechanical. My issues included:
- Discolored spots on the hood - two of them - one dead center, the other over the right front tire. You could only see it in certain lighting conditions.
- All sorts of camera issues with the surround system. First, two cameras were displaying blue screens. This was fixed by replacing a camera and the wiring harness. Them different cameras started acting funky, so they needed to replace another camera and apply a software update. Now, when it gets hot, the rear camera flashes in and out. Now my front left camera is not working. Turns out, there is another wiring harness problem that was just announced.
- The rear seat entertainment system controls have reset volume to max, did not allow the radio or cd to be changed by the rear passenger. The ipod would reset to the first song after the car was turned off for 8 - 10 hours or more.

Needless to say, all of these issues have be given the highest attention by my dealership. The hood was repainted, software updates applied and most of the issues no longer exist. I will be bringing the car in to get the camera fixed in the next few weeks.

I would agree with the others. It will be hard to just demand a new vehicle. Give them an opportunity to fix it. If other things break, refer to your paperwork and know the laws in your state should you need to go that route. In all likelihood this is a fluke.

If it makes you feel any better, just saw a brand new Acura MDX parked in the intersection tonight, flashers on. The vehicle couldn't move. This coming from Honda, a company well known for its exceptional reliability.

Spike - not to dawg you, but 2010 was the first year for the LR4 And while it is redesigned for 2010 with lots of "new" parts (I want to say like 800 or 1,500), it still shares a lot in common with the LR3. The first model year or two generally have more issues, but LR has been great about getting fixes. Just look back at the first LR3s from 2005. Those were riddled with issues, but after that, things have gotten significantly better.

Good luck Rob. Once you get it fixed, you'll forget about it and really enjoy your ride. I can't get over how great ours is. I have already been to a dealer wheels event and we have at least 2 planned for 2011.

 

Wow, thanks how many land rovers do you think you have worked on and how many models do you know about personally? Wait, thats right you were a service advisor. You get the info from us. Your job was to advise the customer. You never got dirty like we do. You have no idea how to deal with any our computers, our vehicles and our warrantee times and practices. And on top of it, know every vehicle inside and out from the beginning. We have to, so do everyone a favour and get off your high horse here on the internet and come down to earth for a while. Cause down here you got to be alot smarter then a service writer to make a living at working on land rovers. But you wouldn't know that cause you don't do it. Now if I chose I can stop giving out info, hell if all those so called dumb techs could stop giving out info. Where in the world do you guys think you would be without us? Still throwing parts at stuff and misdiagnosing stuff.


I understand you don't like us, we are beneath you. You don't like people who choose to get dirty for a living. But we are here and little respect goes along way to everyone being happy with their rovers.

 

Follow up on front differential. Dealership owner called me this morning and was very apologetic. Truck is getting fixed and should be done early next week. Called Land Rover USA and talked with a very helpful customer service representative. We will see if they come up with anything.
Service Manager and entire dealership team have been consumate professionals. Big difference from the BMW I traded up from.
I hope to have no further issues and do really like this vehicle.

 

Yes you are right 2010 was the first year, I was at the launch at my dealer.
I re-read his post and saw he said 2011, so my mistake.
Thank you for bringing that to my attention.

 

Always let your salesperson know when you have issues with a vehicle they sold you. Of course you have to go through the service department, but an unhappy customer is bad news for a salesperson who lives by commission.
If you're not happy with your purchase you won't be back and that's money out of his pocket.
A good sales person will make sure the service department makes you happy.