I have always loved the LR4s but have stayed away do to ‘reliability’ issues. I can’t get them out of my mind so I’m on the hunt. With all of my research, reading these threads as well, I cannot seem to nail down exactly what these reliability issues are. We are not DIYers, as many of you are, when it comes to cars and I’d very much appreciate any specific info you can share. Thanks.

 

See the above LR4 pre-purchase checklist in the above "sticky" section.

The LR4 is an amazing vehicle, but it does have many maintenance/repair issues. The early issues (40K mikes) will be a seeping water pump and suspension control arms and bushings. It also wears out brakes (pads & rotors) and tires every 35K miles.

If not a DIY person, my advice is to buy one from a dealer with a CPO warranty. That coverage to 100K miles will more than pay for itself. Look for an HSE-LUX model (or Silver or Landmark versions) as it adds nicer features like a better sound system, memory seats, nicer leather, refrigerator, etc. If going offroad you will need the heavy duty package with 2-speed transfer case which will be harder to find.

Finally, change the oil every 7500 miles, not 15,000 as LR recommends. It's way cheaper than buying a $9000 timing chain job. With very basic DIY skills you can change the oil and filter on an LR4 yourself in about 15 minutes. See this excellent video:

 

Not sure I'd agree with all that's said above. Brake wear depends on how a vehicle is driven. For example, my last set of discs on my LR3 lasted well over 50K. Wear on suspension components depends on where you drive drive it. LCA/bushes etc should last 60k+. Hubs may start to show wear around the same time, but these aren't anything to do with reliability but rather are a factor of the weight of the vehicle - it is comparatively very heavy.

The LR4 is actually a pretty reliable vehicle. It has some complexity due to the air suspension, but that's also one of its greatest strengths. I would tend to agree that more frequent oil changes are probably a good idea, but there's not a huge amount of empirical evidence to back it up given how advanced oils have become. Changing the transmission fluid at around 40K as opposed to 100k+ seems to improve things. Change all fluids more regularly than recommended (coolant, brake, etc).

I've had a lot of LR3s and L4s over the years. I LOVED my LR3 V8 but spent last year looking for the latest LR4 I could find - right across the US. I ended up finding it (one of the last 2000 built) on my doorstep at a dealer. It was almost perfect and I'm very happy with it. But it was ridiculously expensive. Nevertheless, it was the best I found in a year of looking and prices are strong, so be prepared for that. Buy the best you can afford based on history. Get a LR certified vehicle if you can find one for peace of mind.

 

I agree that for whatever reason, my LR3 brakes lasted about 50K miles but I have not been able to get more than 40K miles out of the larger LR4 brakes.

The LR4 air suspension is extremely reliable. I finally changed my compressor at 120K miles since it got very loud, slow and seemed to run all the time.

However, unlike the amazingly reliable LR3 Jaguar engine, the LR4 Ford engine has issues.
- Nearly every LR4 develops a seeping water pump leak by 50K miles.
- Rear coolant manifold and front crossover pipe are plastic. They dry out and become brittle and should be changed by 100K miles. Some LR4 owners that have had these fail fried their engine in minutes as all the coolant dumped out. Because the coolant dumps out of the top of the engine there is no warning as the sensor in the coolant expansion tank still reads full. You can read more here: https://www.landroverworld.org/threa...t-death.42590/
- 2010 thru 2012 models develop timing chain guide issues, especially if you don't change the oil more frequently. 2013's and newer have improved timing chain guides.
- Most of us have experienced an alternator failure around 130K miles. This is caused by a leaking passenger side valve cover gasket dripping oil into the alternator.

 

Other than a lot of batteries and a BMS replacement in warranty, my 2015 was good until 4 years and 80K miles. That's when nearly every single coolant pipe (not hoses) began cracking and leaking, water pump, radiator cracked, front lower control arm bushes, alternator, AIR vacuum pump oil leak, etc. I also had a 2013 Range Rover SCV8 with basically the same parts, and it too began having the same issues, though much earlier on. I had a 2009 Range Rover SCV8 with the AJV8 engine and it had far fewer issues. Same with the 6 Jags I have owned prior to the new generation of engines.

 

I'm currently looking at a 2012 LR4 with 157k miles that's listed for $13.9k. Current owner for the last two years has taken it in for more than regular service anytime anything would pop up - but I don't have the complete records for the previous owner who bought it new. I'm going to run a carfax and see if maybe I can track down some info from a past shop.

With that in mind, is there a hard and fast rule regarding the timing chains? I've read a ton about simply not buying a 2010-2012 unless the tensioners have been fixed, but also that with regular oil changes it seems to help mitigate the issue.

So, let's say it's been well loved, hasn't had the tensioners fixed yet, but also doesn't show any clicking sounds to indicate issues - pass or move forward cautiously???