Ok, this question is for all LR3 owners who considered owning (or have owned) a Range Rover L322, but who are now owning an LR3. Obviously I know that everybody's needs and tastes are different. The reason I am posting this question is because I have owned an 03 Range Rover HSE for about 4 years, and I think I have another 6-12 months left before it starts to really fall apart. It's now got 180,000 miles, I have owned since 105,000, and it's on the original Transmission. I mention this because these Transmissions are notorious for failing. Many people would say that I'm lucky to have made it this far on the original Transmission. I do take it off-road whenever I can, and therefore it does have some scrapes. One of the reasons I'm considering an LR3 over a Range Rover is the absence of Off Road accessories for Range Rovers, e.g. off-the-shelf Winch Bumpers and Skid Plates. I have not spent a penny at the local Stealership, even though it's only 5 minutes away - I have either done all repairs myself, or used a qualified independent shop. I live in Madison, Wisconsin, therefore cold winters. I use it as my daily driver. When I get another vehicle, I believe it will either be an 07 or 0 Range Rover Supercharged, or an 08 LR3. If an LR3, then definitely looking for the HSE version with Luxury and Heavy Duty package. Although I haven't studied this forum yet to be educated about the most common issues to expect as part of a normal LR3 ownership experience, I am well aware that any Land Rover is an 'interesting' vehicle to own, and I'm willing to put up with the weird stuff and fix when necessary. In other words, I have the time and motivation to fix what I can, and am happy to pay someone else when I need to. I consider the 'cost' of Land Rover ownership to be worth it. In other words, please shoot me if you ever see me in a Prius. One final comment - -I know you will reply with your opinions, and I don't expect them to be always entirely objective. I'm fine with that. I don't want everybody to get into an argument here, just looking for some real-world experiences. So - The question is, Range Rover HSE or Land Rover LR3?

 

Personally if I had the money, I'd get a range rover sport, if it is big enough. Same guts as an LR3, but not quite as much cargo room, etc. When my LR3 goes down for the count, hopefully they will be in my price range.

 

This has been discussed before, but not in great detail. On-road, I'd rather have the RR, especially Supercharged. Done and done.

Off-road, they each have their merits in terms of the measurables. It's worth noting that the LR3 has a monocoque body AND a full frame....as well as a reasonable (yet expensive) aftermarket of goodies. For those reasons I give the LR3 the nod in the off-road department.

In terms of maintenance, I'm sure they both have their care 'n feeding items. On the LR3 it's stuff like: front lower control arm bushings (all bushings really), EAS compressor (though latest generation is reported as strong), hatch handle failure, EPB actuator failure, Cooling system bleed valve, brake switch, MAF Sensor, dirty throttle bodies....most of these last 5 or 6 are minor items. There are more....some folks have had issues with steering components getting old and losing their suppleness/lubrication. The air shocks are good for about 100k and when they fail it can be a real problem, particularly off-road. Sunroof drains need to be "snipped" at the valve-ends and cleared out.

What else, guys? OH! Differentials....make sure the one you find doesn't whine or one of the diffs is on its way out. Seems like the new ones are better and the smart owner changes the oil every 30k miles or so.

 

OK, so I did it. This morning I purchased an 08 LR3 HSE with LUX package and Heavy Duty Package, with a Warn 9.5 Winch on front. 76,000 miles. 3,000 mile / 90 day Powertrain Warranty with $100 Deductible. From the St. Louis area. One owner. $21,000. Extremely clean interior and exterior. Very impressed by how smooth and solid it feels. Purposely test-drove over bad roads, and it soaks up the bumps very well. Very smooth shifting, and the 6 gear transmission is a nice upgrade to the 5 speed bmw-based engine my Range Rover HSE has.

I made sure the dealership put the vehicle up on the lift, so that I could examine the underside, with a very bright flashlight, for 2 main reasons -

1. Damage, issues, leaks, broken stuff, rust, etc - Especially because there's a Winch on front - Has it been wrecked, underneath?

2. Aftermarket protection - Skid plates, etc.

All good...

Took it on a 200 mile trip today, all good. No issues.

My plan now is to become a good 'student' by researching every thread on this Forum! I will be concentrating on 'preventative' maintenance - fluids and parts that I should be changing BEFORE they cause issues. At less than 80,000 miles, and with all maintenance performed at the same Land Rover Stealership up until 65,000 miles, I'm thinking it isn't too 'late' to change any of the fluids.

Forgive me, I'm too lazy tonight to search the Forum for answers to the following questions -

1. Winch. Warn 9.5 XP. It is 'missing' the remote control. A very quick search on Ebay brings up a ton of Remote Controls (some wireless) for less than $50. I don't want to get a piece of cheap junk - What remote control shoul I get?

2. Winch. Cable is not metal. Some sort of plastic / nylon / whatever... Do I need to get a metal cable?

3. Winch. The last meter or so of the cable has some sort of flexible plastic 'sleeve' wrapped around it, looks like it's supposed to be there, but this part of the cable wasn't wound into the cable-housing. So it was wrapped around the front bull-bar, which looks silly, untidy, and unsafe. I just want the 'hook' sticking out the front of the Winch. Thoughts?

Yes, I am brand new to the interesting world of winches...

4. Front 'Skid Plate', probably below the engine oil pan. It's about half an inch thick, looks like Aluminium (yes, correct spelling where I come from...), and I think that there's a good possibly that it's a more heavy-duty, aftermarket, replacement - Thoughts? It does have the "Land Rover" logo stamped onto it.

Thanks everybody in advance for welcoming me to the LR3 party. I strongly believe in 'paying it forward', and plan to be an active member of this forum.

I'll try to post some snapshots in a day or 2...

Simon

 

2. Synthetic is stronger and safer than similar sized steel cable.

3. That sleeve is there to protect the rope. While it has a stronger breaking strength, it doesn't like abrasions (though honestly, steel cable doesn't either).

 

Congratulations!!

 

Congrats. We shopped and drove several L322's before finally purchasing our LR3...hard-loaded SE. A couple of the deciding factors were the 3rd row seats (need 'em when I need 'em), Terrain Response AND the additional space.

We looked at some Sports and I absolutely loved the idea of the Supercharged engine, but when it came down to it, the Sport is really about the same size as my '02 P38...adequate, but limited in interior space. (Keep in mind that my prior vehicle was a chipped Powerstroke F250 4x4 Crew).

My wife still longs for a supercharged Sport (well honestly, she'd prefer the supercharged big boy) and I want her to have one. Not sure how we'll pay for the gas...but for now she is happy with her A6 Quattro with the big 4.2 V8...and boy does that car go...and at 28-31 mpg!!!

Bottom line, I love LR (his name, the P38 is JR) and I love the added space and convenience. I just wish I could either get the supercharged gasser or the turbocharged diesel. What would I be wiling to replace LR with...a nicely modified/updated/appointed Defender 110 with a strong supercharged or turbocharged diesel. Someday...

 

Show us a pic. Yes the rope is better. As far as the winch line sleeve you should be able to winch it in to the hook. pic would help see what winch tray option was installed.

The LR3 comes factory with a black steel skid plate directly under the engine. It could have been replaced like I did for an aluminum one. It may also be the aftermarket trans plate that are most times aluminum. Again a pic would help identify. The after market aluminum ones are generally 6-8 mm thick and plenty strong and weigh less. Look in the back cargo area storage boxes for the remote. That is the usual storage space for it. if not there I would get the warn remote that was an option for that winch.

 

The third row seats along with the fold down second row seats is what convinced us.
Almost always just two of us, but when the grandkids are over we need the extra seating of a "family" vehicle.

 

Hello again,

1. I took some snapshots of the Winch.

2. Bad news - I found a really good off-road shop near where I am this week, Springfield, Missouri, to talk about a Remote Control for the Winch. We connected a Warn Remote, but nothing happened. Bottom line, after doing some pretty good testing, and trying to trace the Winch wiring all through the system, there's a pretty good chance that something's wrong.... Don't know what yet. Didn't have time to take everything off and apart to test properly.

3. Good news - I owned the vehicle for more than 24 hrs before discovering something wrong with the vehicle.

Having lived with a Range Rover as both my daily driver and off-road vehicle for 5 years, it would actually be a significant lifestyle change if I had a vehicle that wasn't in need of constant repair, and I'm actually pretty comfortable with my current lifestyle, so my 'Glass Half Full' attitude will remain intact.

Having said that, it would be nice it the Winch worked, so any advice is gratefully received.

Thanks, Simon