Hi guys, I need to tap a little of your expertise here.

I'm searching for a nice LR3 and thought I had found the one: really beautiful condition, well maintained, 70k miles, 08. It's for sale from a non-Rover dealer so today I took it for a test drive to a Land Rover specialist to have it inspected.

It had rained the previous night and when I got in the car I noticed some water in the front cup holder, drips on the armrest, water in the front tray of the passenger front door, and some water slowly dripping form the front sunroof. I know this can be a common issue but I mentioned this to the LR people when I got there. When the service guy pulled out the back moonroof sun-shade he got soaked with water. It had been leaking in the back and running along the inside of the roof to the front as well as pooling on the sun-shade. They said the front drains were totally clear and that if it wasn't a clogged drain backing up it could be a fault in the body which could even require a whole new roof (!?)(They didn't mention the rear drains and I didn't know there were any until getting home and researching). They also suggested there was a good possibility that water had been getting in the frame of the car and that it could screw up a lot of the electrical and cause problems later on with corrosion etc. To inspect it they would need to take out the headliner and several interior panels which of course we couldn't do because it wasn't our car. The LR guys said overall the car looked good but they said that because of the leak they recommend I walk away from this one.

I will say the one odd thing on the test drive was that the rear windshield wiper would not shut off. Once the car was turned off and restarted it was fine though. I wonder now if this is the sort of little gremlin glitch that might be lurking in the damp depths of this vehicle.

I'm beginning to wonder if there are any decent LR3's on the market or if people just hold on to the good ones. The ones I've had inspected all seem to have major problems. There aren't many for sale, and ever fewer with less than 70k miles.

Have many of you LR3 owners had a substantial leak like this or heard of them happening? How serious do you guys think this could be / is it really reason enough to walk away from an otherwise nice LR3?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

There is an issue where the drain tube have a rubber elbow that passes through the body and this elbow breaks and causes leaks. I don't think this would cause them to leak on the center console.

That would worry me a little. I've heard of the terrain response controls going bad if they get rained on from leaving the roof open. They are kind of pricey. Though probably not the most expensive thing that could go wrong on an LR3.

 

It might take a while to find the right LR3 for you...but I think it's worth waiting for. These suckers are nuanced enough...why start with any strikes against you?

 

Thanks guys,

Jafir: I'll research the elbow issue and have them take a look at it. When I test drove it there were no errors while switching through terrain modes.

houm_wa: Yes, there is certainly nothing quite like the LR3 so I'm not giving up my search.

I was actually wondering if this leaky beast might be ok so long as we don't find any water damage when we remove the headliner. If leaks in the roof are not uncommon problems in LR3s then maybe it's a good thing I at least know about this one now and can have the dealer fix it before I buy it (?). I am having them do a proper inspection for any corrosion/water damage and to try and diagnose and fix the cause of the leak. The car is in otherwise great condition with no other known problems. I guess I'm just not sure how much confidence I should have that the inspection will be able to identify any and all problems.

 

Philly: What have you done to ensure it's in great condition? Have you checked the following: Tie-Rods, Steering column U-joint, LCA/bushings, Differentials, EAS system, EPB, Rear hatch handle...? ...and finally have you looked at the wiring loom that runs under the door trim on the passenger side to ensure that there is no corrosion there?

Those items above are ones that I think every LR3 owner deals with at some point. Those of us that are long-time owners can throw in a few more! (I've had an alternator, both f/r anti-swaybar bushings, air shock (with all the fixins like snapped swaybar end link, busted height sensor and ruptured wiring loom...but that was because it happened off-road with 32" MT/Rs on).

Bottom line: You are in the right place, ask tons of questions...and take the answers as guidance in helping you find the right vehicle. In my opinion water ingress is a hunk of Kryptonite to the LR3 and I'd be worried about downstream effects with leaking that pervasive.

 

Wow, I have a leak so bad right now I actually think it would collect less water if I left the sun roof open. On top of that I live in South Louisiana and it's now rainy season. Short term, I've told passengers that seat cushion may be used as floatation device, long term, every weak end, I have started pulling pieces of the paneling inside off the vehicle to locate the issue. I feel your pain buddy.


2005 LR3

 

I suggest fixing that pronto or you'll be feeling a lot more pain....

 

You know a Land Rover is English as water leaks in from everywhere - well that is what it seems like. They think rain inside a vehicle is a norm.

Plugged up sun roof drains are a norm and if left unsorted, the water collects in a channel under the door sills where all the wiring is - like maybe a hundred conductors. Corrosion sets in re the wires and finding the problems is not fun.

Since it is the passenger side seat that is wet, the odds are the front passenger side A post water drain is plugged. Usually the hose is plugged at the bottom end which by removing the air vent on the fender, one can access the hose end.

To remove the vent, stand with your back to the fender, hands behind your back, fingers in the vent and lift up on the vent. That procedure works, looking at it and pulling up does not.

With the vent removed you should see the end of a hose. The factory end is sort of closed up and hence plugs. The fix is just to cut the end off so the hose is full open. Then try to push something stiff up the hose to clean it out. Leaves collect within. Have a jug of water handy and trying pouring some into the open sun roof channel - eventually water will flow freely out the hose you have cleaned. Once the passenger side is done and draining, try much the same on the drivers side.

Water, slurppies, pop etc, poured over the up down controls and the terrain selector in the centre console is a LR stopper - it is recommended that not be done unless you have lots of time and money.

Basically I do not see water leaks as a big deal as long as you know how to eliminate them. You can however make a big deal of them to the point that the owner may pay you to haul the burden away. When you get all fixed up, you will know how to maintain your 3 and have a real deal as well.

 

Thanks again for all of your help guys.

We walked away from the leaky one and never looked back. Yesterday we bought ourselves a dry one (for now). It's a beaut, one-owner car with proper maintenance records and regular oil changes. We bought it from a BMW dealer and had a Rover dealer do the inspection and all looks great.

If it ever does start to leak I think I now have all of the info I need to remedy it quickly. This forum is a huge help. Cheers.

 

Congrats! What Bbyer suggests above is a quick easy check to see if your sunroof drains have been "snipped." I'd do that and check the windscreen cowl today...that way if something needs addressing you can do so preemptively and now wait for the water ingress that leads to so many other problems.