Getting back into a Land Rover - LR4
 

Hello,
Have not been here in a while since we sold our 2004 D2 about 5 years ago. I think it served as a good intro to Land Rover and I certainly gained quite a bit of mechanical abilities having to keep that vehicle running. In the end the block developed a crack after a head gasket job. I guess should have got an LR3 back then ;)

We have the itch for another Land Rover and this time we are looking at a late model LR4 (2015-16) with under 60k miles. As to not repeat our previous ownership experience I am researching quite a bit. After hours of reading this forum and others I think I have a good picture of what to expect.

- The SCV6 is a fairly reliable engine (couldn't find many threads or other info on common failures). Timing chain issues where only on earlier 5.0 V8s pre 2013.
- The ZF transmission is reliable, not many common issues I could find. Fluid maintenance seems fun with the single piece pan/filter. I saw the AB conversion kit.
- Newer LR4s have the AMK compressor and should be less prone to early failure.
- I'll be replacing lower control arm bushings in the near future
- Replacing tires/brakes/rotors every 25k - 30k miles
- Battery maintenance is critical.
- Rear lift gate actuator issues are common.
- Sticking with the maintenance schedule is critical...true of every Rover.
- ....with the exception of oil changes every 7k miles or so.

Did I miss anything big?

The vehicle is a 2015 LR4 HSE with 52k. Got the options from Topix and is attached to this thread. Carfax shows it was a 3 year lease and was serviced at a LR dealership around the appropriate times.

I plan on doing most of the maintenance and repairs myself except complex engine/transmission repairs or repairs that require specialized tools. I also see getting a GAP scanner or similar is a good idea.

Some questions I have:
1. What would have come with a new LR4 as far as keys and other accessories (e.g. jack, owners manual, etc). The one I am looking at has the RSE option which should have come with a remote and two wireless headsets, correct? 2 key fobs with emergency keys?
2. I plan on getting a pre-purchase inspection at a local LR dealership. Any ideas on the costs and thoroughness? Any experiences to share?
3. The wife is spooked from all the D2 issues and would really like an extended warranty. I am thinking just powertrain coverage in the event of catastrophic failure. Any recommendations on a decent one? Not a vet, so USAA is out. Some that I have tried already don't cover Land Rovers :)

Thanks for reading!
Rich

SCV6 has the same plastic cooling pipes as the 5.0 that are prone to failure. Suggest changing front outlet pipe and rear crossover pipe(big job with supercharger).

Trans needs to be serviced every 70K miles, forget what landcover says.

Get a full blown warranty, we have a handful of customers that did, and they love it(if its not a CPA, they will be able to sell you an aftermarket warranty) if buying from a private party it will be hard to buy a warranty.

good luck.

Thanks for the feedback and noted about the extended warranty. Its not CPO (stand alone dealer) and I was trying to avoid the up-charge you pay on that but maybe its worth it in the end versus having to buy separate coverage.

Just to close this thread out we ended up with a 2016 HSE with 39k miles, bliss, surround camera, voice command and nav. It was CPO with factory warranty left plus we got the extended 7/100 warranty on it. Little more expensive if we bought from a non land rover dealer but I think worth it in the long run.

Thanks again for all the feedback. Will do my best to give back to the forum.