Okay.....having some issues with my recently purchased lr3....took it to the local Land Rover dealer to get things sorted out. I had the following symptoms. A hum from the driveline and a clunk when going over bumps and when you firmly tap the brakes.

This was the diagnosis and pricing....let me know what you think please...all prices in USD

Reservoir, coolant recovery- replace due to bad sensor for the low coolant light
labor 208.50 parts 93.08 Misc 14.60 Tax 8.80 Total 324.98

Fog lamp cracked lens
labor $55.60 Parts $208.55 Misc. $3.89 Tax $17.37 Total $285.41

Front Lower Control Arm...Replace due to bushings and ball joints loose
Labor $347.50 Parts $342.37 Misc $24.33 Tax $29.98 Total $744.18

x2 because both lower control arm bushings and ball joints are loose

Replace both sides front tie rod kits due to freeplay
Labor $278.00 Parts $298.28 Misc $19.46 Tax $25.97 Total $621.71

alignment front and rear $172.07

Differential Assy (Front) - Replace due to making grinding/ humming noise
Labor $764.50 Parts $1421.24 Misc $35.00 Tax $119.05 Total $2339.79

 

You have discovered why many of us DIY when we can and seek out competent indy shops.

 

All that sounds about right for a dealership price wise. I'll say the same thing Buzz did, seek out a good indy shop or buy some tools and get greasy. I love finishing a job and knowing how much money I saved by doing it myself.

 

Plan on tackling the lower control arms myself. I found a set of arms with new ball joints installed for 279.99 shipped for both arms. I am most concerned about the diff. I was wondering if I could maybe put a heavier gear lube in and quiet it down and hope it lasts a little while longer. Can't afford it right now even if I could do the labor. The part is too much

 

Check with Justin @ Lucky8 LLC he was advertising new diffs for the LR3 the other day. I didn't take note of the price though. You can also check on Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market to see if a good used diff would be a viable option.

 

The diff lube is an interesting point. The spec is 75W90; and heavier is available. But when you compare this diff at 0.61 liters of fluid, to a D1, with 1.7 liters of fluid; and the LR3 is about 1300 pounds heavier, and the LR3 has 300 hp vs 188.... I wonder if we will be seeing a lot more of the front diff failures on LR3s. I mean you have more weight being moved or slowed down by the diff (when you let off throttle), more power going thru it, and less lube to move heat away. Oh, and that front diff is factory spec for 10 years or 150,000 miles on that fluid.....

 

I can't imagine not changing diff fluid for this amount of time, especially because of what you mentioned above and how there is so little fluid in there anyway. Given how many diff. issues there are in these lr3's, i'm changing my diff fluids now on my 08 w/ 23k.

To the OP - a lot of people on disco3.co.uk have been putting the Range Rover Sport control arms in because they're stronger. They're not much more expensive, but you might want to think about that because it sounds like they're lasting longer.

 

Jmeyers, If your planning on replacing the lower arms, you should tackle the front diff at the same time. you will need to tear the front suspension down to remove the front driveshafts anyways. The dealer parts price for the diff sound very reasonable, you can also call Justin @ lucky 8. I think he's got some remanufactured units also. I would not put a used diff in. It's too much work to find out it still makes noise.

As far as the control arms go I'd look at the dealer price, they're not that expensive,
Make sure you get all new hardware too, ie: lower arm bolts eccentric washers lock nuts etc...theres a good chance you'll be cutting them out with a sawsall.
I'm not 100% on the lower arms but am pretty sure the lowers are the same for LR3 and Sport. the upper arms on the Lr3 are stamped steel and the Sports are cast.

 

Yes, my indie shop said the RRS lowers will work in the LR3 - supposedly the bushes are a little tougher wearing and are the same as fitted to the Discovery 3 Armoured. The upcost is about $30 a side I think. Instead of paying $330 each I opted for refurbished LR3 which had the bushes and ball joints all redone and carried the same warranty as new parts for $250 each.

 

Okay, Thanks for the suggestions folks...I put in 85-140 castrol dino in today and took it for a spin...you can BARLEY hear it if you listen but almost all of the noise went away. Hopefully it will hold up for a few months until I can get a new diff. Thanks guys