So overall - am I going to see a HUGE difference in getting an LR3 fixed versus - say my Envoy? I have a good mechanic I guess I just need to see if he knows anything about LRs! Also I think the LR3s are in my budget so what years are best to stick with?

 

In 2009, LR experimented with system changes that ultimately went into the LR4, or not.

They had got the 2008 units about as good as it could be so they got bored and started to tinker. In 2006 they were still somewhat challenged.

Your mechanic best be good as it seems simple problems always have a wrinkle so at times finding the fault can be not fun. The fixing is usually not that difficult once you know what is wrong - but that is the hard part. As such, you will spend a lot of time on the boards in order to provide consulting advice to your mechanic, so yes, it will be a huge difference.

Your mechanic will also need a diagnostic computer smarter than what a Chev or Ford would need so that can be a real problem for most.

It seems that as Chrysler in the seventies hired laid off Cape Canaveral rocket scientists, the word is Land Rover in early 2000 apparently hired a bunch of eggheads released from Area 51 due to cutbacks. The optical bus and the NAV provide only a glimpse into their efforts. The PWM electrical charging system is only now starting to show up on a few domestic vehicles and remains a mystery to most, and my most I mean LR dealers as well.

 

There is a reason why the reliability reports for last year in the UK place LR as...well....not favorable.

But, we all still love our Rovers.....regardless. That is what love is all about...though thick and thin.

 

Well...who the hell designed the K-car then. That one sucked....

Yes, I am a Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth fan....

 

It was the early eighties when the K Kar came out and it was Lee Iacocca of Mustang fame who brought the idea over from Ford to Chrysler.

Lee Iacocca - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Now as to the LR3, that is even more fun.

 

A good point is made about on the job training and software / diagnostic computer upgrades for the mechanic shop. Those costs have to be absorbed somewhere (usually your bill). Just like having your own copy of the shop manual for the mechanic. Although we can do that with a USB drive these days, one guy a few months ago printed off the RAVE for his mechanic. Soon we'll see owners buying the diagnostic software. Or pirated versions. Or code readers will get a lot smarter.

Meanwhile, a box of chocolate donuts goes a long way at the shop, as a stealth business bribe, they eat all the evidence....

 

Once upon a time, a carton of cigarettes could achieve the same goals, but alas, times change and now a box of donuts can work wonders.

I would agree that with specialized vehicles, more and more, the owners will have to provide or provide access to the books, the software, and the diagnostic equipment. This is pretty much the rule with aircraft now and is starting to be so with heavy equipment as well.

The Faultmate people have pretty much completed beta testing on a device that effectively connects your Land Rover over the internet in real time to guys who for a fee can do the diagnostics and if the fix is software related, remotely update as required. (You can be the "guy" as well.)

In a perfect world, this would mean the BlueTooth could get updated remotely, or more prosaically, the suspension could be put in that precision mode so that your local independent could to a wheel alignment. Naturally this means you would be part of the maintenance team as well as footing the bill. Gee, that sounds like the way airplane fixing works. And no, your independent does not need WiFi; you can connect over your cell phone. This means fixes etc can occur anywhere on the Planet - even works over a Sat Phone so that should solve my service concerns north of where I live. As it is, the next dealer north of me is in Greenland and cell phone service, well the polar bears gnaw on the towers, or if not the towers, the fixers, hence the Sat Phone.