I have had my 2009 LR2 for about two years now, and just over the winter, it began starting very weakly. It would start, but it sounded like it was really struggling to do so. I had the charging system checked, and it checked out fine. But the battery seemed to have a low charge. So I had the battery replaced with a DieHard battery about 6 months ago. Then it started normally, until the last week, where it started struggling to start again, and then just this morning wouldn't start at all. It tried to turn over but didn't have enough energy to do so, and is now sitting in my driveway. I have read that some other LR2's have had starting issues, but am not sure what to do about this. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this with a brand new battery?

*NOTE: Door locks, internal lights, stereo and Nav, all appear to be working normally, and when it doesn't start the drivers dash screen says "Reduced Engine Performance" on it.

 

Some additional information might solicit more help:

- What is the mileage?
- Have you been going into the dealer for all scheduled maintenance (e.g., software updates, spark plugs)?
- Do you have extreme weather in your area?

 

Mileage: nearly 60,000

Dealer: No, I live in Montana. There are no dealers for at least 200 miles. However, I do have a personal mechanic that specializes in Land Rovers. He has two himself. But not sure if he can help with Software updates. (Could a software update really cause something like this?)

Extreme weather: Yes, I live in Montana. However, weather recently has been temperate. 60's - 70's (Fahrenheit) But over the winter it also had some trouble starting. Never really didn't start. But seemed to have a weak start until I replaced the battery. Then all was fin until this past week. Started getting weak again, and then this morning, it wouldn't start at all.

 

You're in a difficult situation being so far from a dealer.

I would try to jump start it from another vehicle. If it starts, then at least you know the problem is not the starter. If it doesn't start and you get that telltale ticking noise (solenoid) when you press the Start button, then it may well be the starter.

The best case is that you can get it jump started so the problem will be something other than an expensive starter. One of the known problems with the LR2 is that some of the electronics continue to operate when the engine is shutoff. Battery power is drained overnight or during prolonged periods between operation and this reduces battery power for the next start attempt. This problem is documented in TSB LTB00391. A copy of the TSB can be found in this forum post:

https://landroverforums.com/forum/lr...e2/#post419529

LR technicians frequent this forum so you might get lucky if one chimes in with suggestions. Please post again when you get this problem resolved.

 

Thank you for that information. After looking into it a little bit more, it definitely seems to fit those characteristics. As both occasions where it drew down the battery were after about 6 months of my phone being connected to the car. It seems like the Bluetooth is constantly staying active, and draining the battery. If I leave the car without driving it for about 24 hours or less. Do you know if there is a way to run a software update on the car without having to take it to a dealership?

 

I have seen online ads from independent service shops that claim to be able to apply software updates to Land Rovers. I don't know if any are in your area. You might try calling around to local service shops that specialize in European or British vehicles and ask them if they have this capability.

At some point, you're going to have to pay the dealer (or some capable independent shop) to bring all your software to current levels. A 2009 Land Rover is a computer on wheels. You can't escape the dependency on the software.

 

So I got my LR2 back from my mechanic, who diligently looked into everything to find the cause of the Lr2 not starting. He professes that nothing is wrong with it. Checked the battery, starter, charging system. Checked to see if anything was pulling any kind of draw on the battery while the car was off, and he couldn't find anything wrong with the thing.

So it looks like the only possible thing I can think of is it must be the software. Can anyone give me a rough cost range of what getting your cars software updated would cost?

 

Does your last post mean that you are able to jump-start the vehicle?

Service costs can vary between dealers based on geography. I've read on other forums that one owner was charged $100 to upgrade software on an out-of-warranty vehicle. Suggest you call up the closest one or two LR dealers and ask them to give you a phone estimate on what they would charge.

If you get a friendly service rep on the phone, you might be able to have them look up your vehicle in their system (have your VIN # handy) and they can check your last software update and let you know if an upgrade would even help with the problem you currently have.

 

Thanks for that info, I will look into it. As far as the jumpstart, yes it jumpstarted immediately with no hesitation once the cables were connected.

 

I can chime in with a few pointers.

Yes the update prescribed needs to be confirmed if its applicable to your vehicle and my suggestion would be to call the LR Dealer in Denver 303 347 1500 for Vin applicable details/flash.

Yes this platform is prone to numerous parasitic draws and like many newer vehicles tracing the draw can be a challenge even for skilled mechanics. If your guy is old school, the old technique was to pull fuses or disconnect circuits to check for the "leakage ".

Today's modern can bus systems don't like that and disturbing a circuit won't make the module its connected to go to sleep. So it keeps drawing excess power. These days you use an amp clamp and DVOM like a Fluke to trace it down.
Folk like you up in the upper tier don't have much LR dealer choice.
Its Denver, Seattle, Salt Lake, or Calgary choose your poison!
Amistades
T/V