Can anyone confirm an 07 LR3 does not have a transmission dipstick? Can you confirm that a leak at the sleeve is super bad? My local shop, which I just visited for the 1st time, did an inspection and came up w/ $4k of work! This rig has been maintained and in great condition, so not sure I believe everything is needed. They said the oil leaking from the sleeve can work its way to the , i think they said electronics, and ruin the transmission. They want a grand to do the pan gasket and sleeve.

I am doing the terrain control switch myself. They swapped one of theirs to confirm mine was bad. They wanted $600 so replace it. I bought a new one from a dealership with freight for $300 and looks like a 10 minute swap job. So I feel they are shooting very high on the charges.

This is the 1st Rover I have owned, never driven one. At 40 mph and up, it really sways, I think dangerously, when I move the steering wheel. It tracks well and straight, but if I had to jerk the wheel, I could loose control, I don't think that would be normal. I have the receipt from prior owner of doing the upper and lower control arm bushings. They are orange after market ones. I watched a video that says these are firmer than stock. The shop said otherwise, that they are soft and the problem and that I should replace with OEM for $1400. Pricing didn't look to bad to replace the whole assembly, more than bushing but...I don't think this rig was ever abused. Not a nic in the paint, or interior . 116k on it.
Thanks for the help. Love the forum.

 

Sleeve can be changed during pan filter renewal, as the filter is part of the pan. Got my pan off Ebay for $75 and sleeve for $25. Alantic British has a video on how to do this.

 

I bought all the parts and fluid that was around $250 and a local garage charged me around $250 to drain the fluid put in a new sleeve and new pan. $1000 is crazy.

 

Thank you!!

 

$1000 is not crazy. The actual labor time is close to 5 hours to change out the OEM pan.

not sure what mechanic charged $250, but that's a gift.

 

Actually it only took 4 hours. And even at 5 hours $100 an hour plus parts and fluid that's only $750. Atlantic British has pan and fluid for $234 right now.

 

When we bought our LR3 it had a leaking transmission sleave. We had it repaired at a local Indy shop. Cost $700. It was a fairly involved job, one that I would not want to do without a lift. 40,000 miles later no issues at all. Phil

 

So the mechanic that charged you $250 has an hourly rate of $62.50?

In CA that's a gift. The cheapest Indy Rover mechanic I know of is $90 an hour.

$750 sounds more reasonable for the job, and while $1000 is expensive, it's still not "crazy", especially when I hear how much people are charged for other repairs on rovers.

But keep in mind that while removing the t case sub frame, exhaust down pipe, unbolting passenger side engine mount, and one end of driveshaft(depending on technique) a mechanic can have a bolt break or strip which could complicate the job and add an hour or more to it.

 

Thank you, makes me appreciate the labor, lousy design for such a simple problem. uhg.
I will love the vehicle , provided I'm not out $4k this year or two! I'll let you know what my mechanic charges. Mesa Az, good guy and pays attention to detail.

 

There is no dipstick. Non of the ZF 6HP transmissions, whether used in Land Rover, Jaguar, BMW, Maserati, etc.... used a dipstick. They all have to be checked from underneath.

You definitely want to take care of that leak, low fluid will damage these transmissions.

How you fix it, is up to you. You can pay the increased labor to unbolt exhaust and such to use a factory pan, or you can pay increased parts (but less labor) to install a BMW X5 metal pan w/ separate filter. Anytime we pull a pan and do a sleeve, we also do the Mechatronics seal while in there, since they are known to split.