So your problem is wet carpet and the question is where is the water coming from?

The first questions are has it been raining and have you been using your air conditioner; also where is the carpet the wettest - to the left and or right sides of the transmission tunnel or more to the far left or right sides of the foot wells?

If no rain and you have been using the air conditioner, then the carpet is probably wettest to the left or right sides of the tranny tunnel. If so, one or both the heater/AC enclosure drains has slipped off.

If it has been raining, the odds are the water is a result of plugged sun roof drains and the carpet closest the doors is where the wet first shows.

This link has a number of files related to the heater enclosure drains.

DISCO3.CO.UK Photo Gallery - Heater Air Conditioner System

 

You are correct about the wrong part of town. In America, the 3 wins, but I was referring to Cannes France where they have the film festival.

Things are different there - the Grande Cherokee is seen as an exotic foreign job as well as being from America - both have a lot of cachet.

There is the odd US pickup over there as well - they take up as much width as the long haul Mann/Volvo/Mercedes trucks. The pickups do not work well however as chick magnets over there whereas in the town I live in, well, nothing is much better - the 3 is seen as a compact and the Ford Raptor, well it is king. It really appeals to girls who have long legs.

12 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Cannes | PlanetWare

 

Bwahahahaha....fair enough. I stand down.

What about the G-Wagen structural strength thesis; care to rebut?

 

It really is a good question and to be fair, I cannot really answer it.

I have often thought our 3 is double strong due to a communications error between Land Rover UK and BMW Germany.

LR UK designed the frame and drivetrain, but BMW, the body. BMW thought the new Discovery was to be unit construction and LR, well, that would be just too radical - there was no thought, and apparently no communication, which does make sense.

As such, when the time came to join the body to the drivetrain, well, there was also a frame, hence the weight negative and the rigidity plus.

There was also the issue of the glass roof - not having it pop out when the 3 was doing one of its balancing acts on one wheel.

That said, the G Wagon is narrower, shorter, a bit lighter, and until recently, live axles both front and rear so that reduces the need for a really stong frame.

The G Wagon is starting to introduce aluminum into its construction so that will some how change some things so yes, maybe the 3 is more solid but when one closes the side doors or rear hatch on a G Wagon, it somehow sounds better. The 3 sounds solid, but the G is more like a vault.

Of greater concern, LR is in my mind downgrading the 4 with I presume the idea of killing it whereas Mercedes has considered and rejected that idea and instead is introducing bigger V8's and V12 engines plus more axles as below. I call it the Brabus "Avalanche" Edition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_G-Class

 

If the water is just on the passenger side and I assume near the door, then the problem is either a disconnected sunroof hose or water coming in thru the right side A pillar.

My suggestion is to take some black 3M electrical tape and tape the perimeter of the sunroof so that the crack between the metal roof opening and the glass perimeter is sealed on all sides.

With the glass opening hopefully watertight, then get a water hose and let water flow over the glass for say 15 minutes but try to keep the water from flowing near the right A pillar plastic cover.

If the floor stays dry, then start slopping water in the A pillar area and see if water appears on the carpet.

There is a hole thru the metal of the A post that is there to retain the A post plastic cover. That hole can let water thru when a plastic seal fails. The fix is not too difficult if that is the problem.

 

The doors could sound more solid on a G-Wagen because of the thicker sheet metal...

 

Yes, our 3's doors are actually quite flexible whereas the G's doors do not seem to bend at all. There is also the question of the exposed hinges and the actual latch, but the doors sure feel like one should keep ones fingers from getting caught in them.

The 3's side doors are larger as well; I guess a little flat trap door would be easier to have a solid feel than something bigger and curved plus we have more glass; the G can be a bit Hummer like from the inside.

Our doors have hidden cast hinges that are preferable in that they are not subject to the effects of the elements as much. I gather the Mercedes hinges corrorde and hence the doors can get stiff to open - the rear in particular.

As to the latching mechanism, I do not know much about either one.

I think you are winning me over, but slowly - very slowly.

An option on the mil spec G wagons is a stand on bonnet - I guess it is not made of aluminum. Like the 3 and 4, there is also an AK-47 resistant factory armor package available.

 

I understand the difference between LSD and lockers but in function it fully locks the diffs front and rear. The system is quite remarkable and doesn't rely on brakes or a traction control to get the job done.

I wont go into great detail defending the WK Grand Cherokee because I simply like my LR3 more but there isn't one thing the LR3 has been able to conquer that I couldn't in my old Grand Cherokee.

I'll break it down this way.

Articulation.. LR3 hands down

Traction/4wd system.. Grand Cherokee. The system behaves in the same way as a locked front a rear vehicle(like a Rubicon). Less than one turn of the wheel and it locks up completely. The LR3 has an amazing traction control system but I personally liked the mechanical lockup better.

Clearance.. LR3. The LR3 is awesome in extended and super extended modes. I will say that it's much cheaper/easier to fit 33's on the Grand Cherokee(2" lift is all that's needed).

Angles are similar with a couple degrees to the LR3.

So is the LR3 more capable than my WK I had before? Slightly but it awesome all around.

This is ignoring a significant power to weight ratio in favor of the Grand Cherokee(I miss that).

Whats the point? Sometimes in model specific forums people lose touch with reality or put their vehicle on a pedestal to the point of becoming "fan boys".

I'm just saying the Grand Cherokee can hang, is actually very nearly as capable(vs NOWHERE NEAR) and that's all i'll say further in this thread.

 

Back on topic

at 104,000 this week. mechanical longevity has been a priority for me so you could probably beat them up a bit more and use less maintenance but I want it to be a happy truck as it were, at least to 250k. Bruce is correct, there are several diesel examples with ridiculously high mileage (at least to us), Aside from timing chain and a few other items those things run forever.

I have everything in a notebook but the skinny is:

>oil changes every 7000 miles
>diff fluids, t case fluids every 30k
>tranny pan/filter change, new fluid @90k
>getting a new front diff soon
>alternator died @ 102k (clogged with mud)
>new spark plugs at 103k
>new rear valve block @88k
>new rear air strut @88k
>new coolant @ 90k
>new thermostat @ 90k
>new front lower control arms at 88k
>needs new brake pads/rotors now @ 104k (the parts are sitting on the workbench, just need a slow weekend).

Some of the maintenance was due to aggravated driving conditions or just being rough.

 

My rational for preventative maintenance is that towing and downtime is expensive and then you still have to pay for the fix anyway.

Towing can be real expensive here as north of me, the nearest LR dealer is in Iceland. South is a bit better; east is about five hundred miles, and west, about 800 miles over the mountains on the Pacific Ocean.

Also I can say that now with 155,000 miles on the clock, my 3 is more reliable than it was when new. Over time, I have worked out most of the weak areas.

My latest major fix was replacement of all the idlers/bearings and the two belts at the front of the engine. To my surprise, the engine now sounds back to new with regards to quietness at idle. When one stands in front of it with the engine idling, it has that new engine quiet sound. I figured the previous whirring noises were old age and there was nothing one could do about it, hence not only did I get increased reliability, but a bit of the new car feeling. In fact now, on occasion, I have to look at the tach or blip the gas pedal when stopped at a light as I think the engine has quit; it is so quiet and smooth sounding now.

Last engine oil change, I also changed the oil in the front and rear differentials; next engine oil change will then be the transfer case oil. The tranny I do about every 70,000 miles. and plugs about every 50,000 miles. With the plugs, it is more a question of frequent replacement just so they do not freeze in the aluminum holes.