I wonder on their 3,000,000 mile drive on the LR3 all over the world,how muchproblems did they have compare to whatwe had with only less than 1,000 miles on our vehicle.


The dealer will always tell you thereare no problems with any other vehicles or if anyone else has a problem with their car like yours. They will tell you that "THIS IS THE FIRST PROBLEM THEY HAVE SEEN WITH THESE CARS, AND YOU ARE THE FIRST TO HAVE THE PROBLEM" even though it has happen many times. Trust me. I had a 05 LR3 HSE & a 06 RRS HSE.

Except for minor things like brake squeaking, Low Coolant Level message. etc. They'll tell you that it has happen to many cars recently and not to worry about it.

 

Me and the girlfriend are going to pick up our new 06 LR3 here in an hour or so. We test drove everything and this is what she liked the best. The new X5 was terribly user unfriendly and felt stiff. We drove it for about 25-30 miles and played with it in the parking lot for about 15 minutes, still have no clue how to turn the radio down. The LR3 felt more nimble, more power, and was just more comfortable, not to mention it looks a whole lot better. It is easing that you all pointed out the new ones are much better. We are purchasing the extended warranty. However, my job took me to IN and she still lives in AL, therefore there will be much traveling between states until her contract down here runs out. I'm trusting this will be a good vehicle. Also, where I live in IN is trecherous in the winter (near my origional birthplace) so i'm hoping all the systems make it easier for someone who has never driven in such conditions. Hopefully I can reply to this post in a few months that it operated flawlessly and got her back and forth with no issues, if not, may have a huge issue with LR.

 

I would like to thank everyone who responded to my questions about the LR3 reliability issues. The points made really did assist me with making my decision on whether or not I would by one. Just as a note, I did go to one of the dealerships and talked to them about the vehicles. After thoroughly going over all of the information, the salesman and I went out to take oneof the new LR3's for a spin. Unfortunately, it had been raining some and they would not take the LR3 over the driving course which I found sort of strange. They said that since the course was wet that they would not drive on it. We went out and got into one which I liked as far as color and options. The salesman explained all of the vehicle features and options. I found that the vehicle layout is superb. Space was well used and the 3rd row seats were set up well with plenty of room. The seats, however, were not exactly the most comfortable that I had sat in. I found them to be quite hard and they did not seem to do a good job of enveloping the body. Of course, this an issue that comes down to personal preference. At this point my experience with the vehicle started going down hill. After turning on the ignition the display began to read that the bonnet was open. We both got out and checked both the hood and the reardoor. Both seemed to be secure. The saleman said that it would be fine to go ahead and take the vehicle out. After getting on the highway the vehicle seemed to have plenty of power and hadno problem pulling the weight of the vehicle. We experienced none of the problems mentioned about the transmission lurching or popping on stop and goes. One thing I did notice was that the vehicle tended to want to wander on the road and the steering did not seem exactly precise, however, I have driven other SUV's including a few that I have owned that did just as bad or worse. Another point worth mentioning is that when driving straight the steering wheel was not on center. It seemed that it was a good two inches or so off. Other than these few issues, the test drive was uneventful. Once we got back to the shop we started looking again at the open bonnet issue since the display kept giving us the warning. Since I read some of the fixes on here I kept cutting the car on and off in hopes that it was just a computer glitch. This did not fix the problem. We got out and started inspecting the hood more closely and noticed that the left side of the hood was 1/4 to 1/2 inch higher than the other leading us to believe that there was some sort of obstruction. We opened the hood and examined everything but we could not find a reason for the problem. I know these issues could happen to any vehicle and should not be taken that they are indicative of all LR3's but I must say that the experience left me very uninspired. Since the vehicle we will purchase is for my wife and not me, reliability is a must. I know I will probably get bashed for this but I am a long time Jeep owner. I have owned 7 and one or more of each model made and beside a few minor problems that were quickly fixed I have had no major problems out of any of the Jeeps. As a matter of fact my wife is currently driving a Jeep Liberty Limited and it is without a doubt the best constructed Jeepwe have owned to date. The Mercedes/Chrysler merge has definately benefited the Jeep brand. The only thing we have missed from our last vehicle which was a 2002 Grand Cherokee Limited is the Quadra Drive system. We live on a mountain where in the winter ice and snoware definately a problem and the Jeep with the Quadra Drive always worked flawlessly and never slipped or spun on the ice even when coming to a complete stop and starting again on the hill. Anyway, I immediately went to my Jeep dealership and took a Commander out for a test drive. The front and second row seat had about the same amount of room and were much more comfortable. Where the Commander really falls behind the LR3 is from the 3rd row back. The LR3 had a dip in the floor where you can place your feet and get into a relatively comfortable position. The Commander floor is flat and the position is not near as comfortable nor does it have as much leg room. In the back area of the Commander the floor is raised up a few inches to cover the tire and I found that it did not offer as much storage room because of this. I could also forsee the raised floor giving a bit of an access issue when storing some larger items. While driving the Commander I found that the driving positions and the seats were much more comfortable. I liked the command position of the seats in the LR3 but I found that the seats in the Commander could be raised or loweredgiving you either a more car like driving position or a much higher driving position giving you acommanding view of the road. I am 6' tall and there was plenty of headroom for me to take the seat into a high position for driving. One other item worth mentioning which is not exactly a function item is the difference in sunroofs. The LR3 sunroof seemed very small and unless I did not open it right,the glass did not go all the way into the roof. TheCommander had a much larger sunroof and the glass completely disappeared when opened. Of course, they both havethe rear roof glasses. The layout of the dash seemed much more intuitive and easly accessed in the Commander but then again, that is a point of preference. Driving the Commander felt much like driving the LR3. They bothed seemed to weight a ton, which they do, and they both felt very solid and as if you could drive through a brick wall. The steering in the Commander felt much more precise and I did not feel any of the wandering sensation that I felt on the LR3. Outfitted with the Hemi the Commander had no problems pulling the weight and I would assume that both vehicles would be equally as thirsty at the gas pumps. I love the idea of the Terrain Response System and the ease of it's use, however, I am still spooked at all that can go wrong with the system. The Quadra Drive on the Jeep would most definately do just as well in most situations (and I do have personal experience with it) and there is much less to go wrong with the system.Another area that the Jeep falls behind inis the clearance issue. The LR3, of course, has the adjustable air suspension which gives it another 2 inches or so when needed. On the other hand, however, since the Jeep doesn't have it, it can't break and as far as I can tell there has beenno shortage of problems in this area for the LR3. All that being said, it has come down to which vehcile do we get? Again, I know this is a Land Rover Forum and there is certainly no disrespect intended, but I think I will have to stick with the tried and true (at least for my experiences) Jeep. There are some benifits that the LR3 offers that I think I am going to miss out on but I think peace of mind takes the day for me. I have never been dissatisfied with a Jeep that I have owned yet so I suppose I will take another plunge. Again, a thank you to everyonewho responded to my questions and I wish you all the best of success with your Land Rovers.

 

DMoore,

Thanks for the update. As you mentioned, it often comes down to personal preference and you're quite familiar with the Jeeps already (similarly, I went from a 98' Discovery to a 2005 LR3 HSE). Congrats on your purchase, I'm sure it will serve you well, and you probably saved some moolah as well if the MSRPs are any indication (Jeep Commander MSRP $27,540-$38,405 vs Land Rover LR3 $38,285-$52,985).

 

roverdawg,

I ordered a 2007 Commander Overland and I am locked into a few rebates. Had I bought the LR3 I would have gotten the HSE with all options. I'm not sure if there would have been any rebates or savings on the 2007 LR3, however, it appears that between the two models I will be saving around 10K. At that price difference money was not the real issue but thatamount of savings will sure buy alot of gas!

 

Hello.........

I've had this "suspension fault" light going "bong and bong" on me and it is getting pretty sick. My LR3 was purchased here in Korea and the Tech Support is pretty sad here. Either they are ignoring my issue or they just don't know how to fix it here............... Also, has anyone has had problem with squeek noise from the LR3...... yeah, this again has not been for the past 3 visits. But, all in all, I love my LR3 other than these above menioned, but getting pretty sick with service I am getting here in Korea.

 

jk2jksr,

Had the same problems with the suspension. Make sure they are aware of Land Rover's fix in the form of updates B034 & B036. this is a hardware and software based fix as they'll check the suspension compressor and a couple of other parts and upgrade if necessary, then they'll update the suspension software, which seems to stiffen up the suspension somewhat but gets rid of the suspension faults ( I went from daily faults to not a single one since). Good luck!

 

We drove twoCommanders fordecent test drives.Enginehasgood power but crude in comparison to the Jag's 4.4 V8. Sitting in the back I wound down the window then closedit up to the stops and they make this awful "clack" sound. Just a detail but one of more I'm sure. Seating position Ididn't like too much - kindof bunker like. Are they coming out with a Brinks ArmouredServiceedition soon? The value of the Jeep is great and there are some awesome deals to be had.I do like it but it's just not cultured enough inevery aspect - drivetrain,body, interior, basically everything.

 

Hi:

For what its worth I have an 06 SE LR3. It is the V8 model with the "heavy-duty" package, bluetooth and integrated phone. I've had it about 8 months, 6500 miles and no problems. I've taken it off-road on a wheels even and it performed great.

When it was in for the 1500 "quick-check" that the dealer performs, they updated the firmware on the transmission, etc.

I'm very happy with the 06 model. The CA dealers include scheduled matinenance (except break pads and tires). This may be North America, but I'm not sure.

From what I have read, the 05 LR3 had an amount of "first year" issues.

The other thing to find is a good dealer. I bought my car at a Land Rover dealer agood distance from where I live because they treated me right. In addition, I actually drive to that dealer for service, when there is a dealer about 5 miles from my house. BTW, I've only been to the dealer twice: 1500 mile "quick check" and the first 6mos/7500 mile service.

Rich
NGOphotographer

 

Have you ever owned a LR before??? bit like Marmite you either love em or hate em. If you love em then its for life. Im a bit ahead of you in as much as I have just signed TODAY for my 06 Disco HSE and I can't wait for it. but I was also very concerned as I have been forced into replacing my old disco 2SE 2002 model because it sudnely decided to chuck all it's moving parts out of it's pram one day...gearbox developed a nasty ticking noise and the head is blown...With a 148k miles on the clock it was a no brainer...over £2k of repairs, or buy a new one

As I understand it from my research a lot (not all) of the early Disco 3's had grmelin problems: electrical and mechanical but most if not all of these have been sorted out with call back and updates and supposedly the 06 / 07 models are bullet proof now...How can you consider a Merc??? solid I admit but no personality...know what I mean

Good luck