Hi all,

My husband and I purchased a 2016 LR4 with 50k miles. I’ve read and was told that after 50k miles the LR4 lower control arm needs to be replaced. Additional issues we were told to expect are air suspension and pumps that will need to be fixed. We were also advised not to exceed 5k before an oil change.

We are driving from DC to LA with our dog and I’m 6 months pregnant so we’re getting the car inspected by an independent Land Rover specialty shop to make sure it’s good before we hit the road.

We’d love your experience to help us know what types of maintenance issues we can expect with the LR4. What common issues arise? Any suggestions or tips on how best to maintain the vehicle? Any tips for on the road or good tools to have on hand? We appreciate your expertise!

Thanks!

 

Congrats on the purchase (and the pregnancy). I have a 2016 as well - about 58K miles. I’ve had it a little over two years now - about 20K miles, and no real problems (knock on wood). It’s a great car - very capable and comfortable (but terrible gas milage).

Lower control arms will need to be replaced - mine are still hanging in there, but probably soon. It’s not the kind of thing that will leave you stranded. When the bushings wear out, you’ll start hearing a heavy clunking in the front end over bumps.

Air suspension - you should be good for quite a while longer. I haven’t heard about frequent problems until you’re around 100K.

Oil change - if you didn’t buy it at a land rover dealer, I’d have an oil change soon. Otherwise, you have no idea what they put in it. That concern aside, if you are running a good synthetic, there is no reason to do 5K changes in my opinion. I change at 10K and my last oil test showed that the oil still had plenty of life. Oil changes with an oil extractor are super easy on this car - both oil and filter can be changed entirely topside.

The one major issue that should be addressed preventively before about 75K miles is replacement of the plastic coolant crossover pipes front and rear. These are known to fail and, when they do, you have just seconds to shut the engine down before they overheat (which, unfortunately, can mean a new engine to the tune of $15K-20K). Its not a small job as the supercharger and intake manifold has to come off to get to the pipes. A dealer will probably charge $2500 or so, an independent shop a little less. If you or your husband are mechanically inclined, it’s DIYable - several of us have done it and you can search up the repair on landroverworld.org. If you are smelling coolant before 75K, it’s time. I started smelling coolant around 52K and took care of it - the pipes were definitely degrading. Most people seem to get a little more time.

Water pump should be replaced when you do the coolant pipes.

Another very common problem that always seems to strike on a trip is the upper tailgate actuator. Hit your tailgate button a few times in a row to pop it open. It should activate quickly and sound “crisp” each time. If it sounds like it starts to get weaker with each push (in a row), it’s dying. Once it dies completely, you can’t get into the rear hatch. Good news is that it’s not too bad to fix - mine died the morning we were heading out on a trip and I picked up a new actuator and fixed it in about an hour. You can look up that repair on youtube and on landroverworld.org - maybe here in these forums as well.

It’s a heavy car and will go through brakes and tires pretty quickly, so might have those checked before your trip.

The car is very sensitive voltage problems, so have your battery and alternator checked (or check yourself) before your trip. If you check with a multimeter yourself, pop the hood - let the car set doors closed and without the keyfob around it for a good 15 minutes or so (to let all the systems shut down - it really takes that long), and then test the battery voltage. You should see about 12.6v. Around 12.2v is a dying battery. With the car running, a multimeter on the battery should show above 14v, like 14.5 or thereabouts. Much less and your alternator is probably on its way out.

The best “tool” to have, in my opinion, is a good diagnostic code reader. Many of us have the GAP IID tool from Gap Diagnostics. Its expensive ($500), but its good. You can get into many systems with it. But whatever you choose, I recommend getting a code reader and keeping it in the car. If something goes awry, it will help point you in the right direction.

Probably a longer response than you wanted, but there it is (and I’m sure I’m forgetting some things). Good luck and enjoy.

 

Thank you so much. This was so thorough and helpful!

 

@jlglr4 very thorough post. We just purchases a 2015 LR4 after 8+ years with our LR3 and your post was spot on to most of the onsie, twosie advice I see in other places. I have our truck at our mechanic right now and plan on addressing everything on your list right down the line. Thanks so much for taking the time to post this.

 

Good post jlglr4
Also don't forget about the fuel pump, mine went out at just under 60K

 

Which pump?

I'm pretty active on landroverworld.org and I rarely see fuel pump issues.

What the other guy posted is pretty much spot on. Most important fix being the coolant crossover pipes. That's one of the only things that will screw you really badly on these.

 

Fuel pump and regulator .. all in $2K cost.

All those repairs Jlr4 mentioned plus the gasket replacement is about $6K-$8K for me in total costs. SUV will be getting expensive in the next 15K miles.

 

I thought I should add to this, as it is a great guide for people. Whilst my 2016 Landmark is relatively new to me, at 60k miles it has gone through most of the previous issues

1) Coolant pipes. I did not deal with this, though someone else did. No record in CARFAX, and the lack of records (as is often the case) meant I had to check. But they are the updated type, without the moulded split line, so it was done in the past (pre 55k miles). So if you have not had it done at 50k miles, it simply has to be planned. It looks like my water pump was also done at the same time.
2) Fuel pump replaced at 45k miles
3) LCA replaced at 60 k miles
4) Both engine mounts were replaced at 60k miles
5) Rear door activator for latch. This got weak and then failed. Coaxed into life to open once more (time left) and it becomes a one-hour job and $100 max. Get it before it tops working completely, otherwise, the job is tough.
6) Rear high-level brake light fell off. Really. It seems the sealant failed. Took an hour or so and $150 for a new unit to fix, but a strange one.
7) The main battery needs to be replaced every 4 years or you risk many small issues. It is not worth the stress. The AUX battery will fail, and most never replace it as start-stop seems to be the only use of it, and few if anyone want to use it.
8) Check the supercharger belt and brake lines are replaced on time. More so if the car has only ever seen JiffyLube.
9) The rocker cover gasket was leaking. Not a major issue some say, but can lead to bigger problems. What should be a simple fix, is not. A lot of labour as the supercharger will need to come out. This was again at 60 k miles and a a huge bill.
10) For HSE LUX or Landmark cars, watch out for the upper dashboard leather shrinking and splitting in the sun. It looks a simple issue, but to fix it correctly you need to remove the dash, and it is a $3k plus project. Some just create a fix, but it looks wrong. Almost better to strip dash back to non HSE LUX finish.

I still have a vibration that I can feel through the steering wheel at idle, a stereo speaker that distorts when the music gets too heavy, a strange noise from the steering wheel when rotated (a squeal) and I can also feel a slight resistance (non linear) when turning the wheel, the HVAC seems to create a noise when coming to a standstill, must be a fan of some sort, others describe it as rickets, and vibration at 70 mpg suggests a tire 1st harmonic issue.

As others have mentioned, it will get through rotors and pads at a steady rate.

BUT, I love it. What a fantastic vehicle. A perfect family ride, so versatile, and it just looks so much better than so many generic current designs. It is a modern classic and despite having many other later and "greater" it is our family number 1.

 

errr, the OP posted in 2021...
But if we have deviated from the original posting, I quite like your input, @Billywedlock .
What is interesting is the lack of consistent build quality. Some of these issues you have listed I have not enjoyed as of yet.

!! I hope LR and the Tata Group read this and takes appropriate action!!

Your number 7. I wholeheartedly concur. But this is with all the modern JLR products. (and MB, BMW, Volvo, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, ...)
Your number 8. This is preventative inspection and maintenance in my book.
Your number 10. Nearly everyone on the planet ignores the best practice to maintaining the interior leather. All my vehicles have the leather dash. Never had an issue.

And just like you, I luv it.

 

This has been a good read. Loving my new to me LR4 but finding it difficult to find resources and write ups on doing the work. I finally got myself a service manual but it’s not like my honda accord where there are a few dozen YouTube videos of any service you want to do to it. Plus being called different things (d4 vs lr4) and having different drivetrains makes it difficult to find relevant info.

I just did the LH motor mount and it was a PITA but I’ll do a write up for anyone else that wants to give it a try.