So I've got the itch. I'm jonesing for an LR3. There's a local one that I drove today. It has an extensive CarFax service history (63 records over the past 11 years), but it had a couple problems. Yeah sure - it has 171,000 miles. But I also know I'm buying an 11 year old car, so I don't expect perfection. I'm really just looking for a sub-$10,000 winter "beater" that I can drive 5,000 miles (+/-) each year. What I'm hoping for here is that you guys can give me some guidance as to whether I should move forward with a PPI or just keep looking.

FWIW - I'm comfortable doing some wrenching on my own, and I'm used to fussy European cars. My daily driver is a 2011 Cayman, on which I've done oil changes and suspension work. I've also done brake jobs (pads, rotors, and fluid flushes) on my wife's MDX. And I've owned BMWs, SAABs, and Audis (but never a British car). Point being - I'm not afraid to get my hands a little dirty if need be.

Problem 1 - Air Suspension (shocker, I know).
First, the air suspension raises the rear faster than it raises the front. I'm not sure if this means the front compressor is bad or if the front bags are bad. I suspect the compressor; but I don't know for sure, because it seemed to lower the vehicle pretty evenly. I'm not sure what that means.

Problem 1.5 - Air Suspension, Part 2
This may have been my fault because I was fiddling with the air lift switch quite a bit. I was driving along when I got a message to the effect of "Slow Down or Vehicle Will Lower", and the air suspension light in the center console next to the switch was flashing. I pulled into a parking lot, lowered the suspension, and raised the suspension, and that seemed to fix it.

Problem 2 - Parking Sensors
The light in the on/off switch for the parking sensor button kept flashing. I assume this means it's not working? I pushed the button, and the light stopped flashing completely, which I assume means the system was turned off. But when I pushed it again to turn it back on, the light started flashing again. I tried backing up to an object, but I didn't hear anything. That, however, is not very telling, because I have a high pitch deafness. (For example, the top six or seven keys on a piano all sound the same to me - like a click.) So if the sensor beeps are high pitched, it could be that I just didn't hear them.

Problem 3 - Clunk After Moving from Dead Stop
This is the "scariest" problem, at least from a feel perspective. When starting from a dead stop, there's a bit of a clunk just after the truck got going. In other words, the clunk wasn't happening upon initial acceleration; it was happening maybe 1 - 2 seconds later. I don't think it was the 1st-to-2nd shift, because it happened even when I had the transmission in "manual" mode and before I shifted it from 1st to 2nd. My thought is the drive shaft or a differential...? But I didn't hear any significant whirring or humming while driving.

Any input you guys can provide would be appreciated.

ETA - the good stuff:
No clunking over rough pavement or with slamming on the brake.
CarFax shows the trim on at least one of the A Pillars was replaced.
No smoke on start up.
Both the upper and lower rear hatches gates worked fine.
EPB engaged / disengaged just fine both via the switch and by pressing on the gas (for auto-disengagement).

 

Problem 1 is a non-problem....that's normal. Problem 1.5 also not a problem....it lowers if you break 24 mph I THINK....that for Problem 2, you inadvertently turned OFF the parking assistance and that is why it was flashing and not beeping. Problem 3, need a better description of this clunk. Could be anything from a control arm bushing to the infamous "CA stop clunk" that was fixed by a service bulletin or the rear diff with a worn clutch pack. Do you know if you have the locker? Does it have a full-sized spare? (the spare check is not conclusive but can at least inform if you DON'T have the locker).

If no locker, your clunk is not gonna be the clutch packs in the rear diff.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. It doesn't have a full size spare, so I assume no HD Package and thus no locker. The clunking doesn't happen on braking, so I didn't think it was from the CA bushings.

 

Okay....I wasn't sure if maybe it was the CA bushings and the observation of the clunk was delayed. Hmmm....lots of posts on this board about the transmission. I bet you can find similar symptoms.

 

My parking warning switch light never flashes, was than an update? Mine if off until speed it low enough then it lights up and functions. Unless I press it, then of course its off and the light is off. You could have a locker as the spare size does not dictate any certainty on what was equip. But also being an SE put it in doubt. You can decode the VIN at this site, it usually works for most Rovers. www.vindecoderz.com

For the clunk, check the rear upper arms. You can do so in off-road mode and use a pry-bar between the arm and frame.

 

Thanks, Dakota. I ran the VIN through VIN Decoderz, and it shows only as "Rear Axle Differential - Rear Axle Open Diff [027CB]," so I assume that wouldn't be the locking diff.

Based on your and houm_wa's responses, it sounds like it's at least worth moving forward with a PPI on this LR3....