Hello all,


I am looking for independent mechanic specifically in SF East bay, closer to Fremont area for my new LR4 described below! I saw some recommendation for South Bay and Redwood City area but they are all 30 mins drive for me. If no other option I have to use them. Anyone familiar with Jaguar-British European Motors on Moraine St, Fremont ? Seems to have good reviews in Yelp and 5 mins from my home!

After 3 months of daily Cargurus/Autotrader/Carfax scans and calling up dealers all the way upto New Jersey/Texas/Arizona, finally landed this beauty from Watsonville,CA just 40 miles from my home! Almost the best I can hope for..2016 Landmark Edition in Yulong White with HD package + Adaptive Cruise Control + Rear Seat entertainment. Option wise only the tow package is missing...not a big deal, since I can get it installed even now. 1 owner private party sale from the original owner, Dealer maintained throughout at LR Monterey. I called up the dealership service department before going in for the deal, the lady at the service desk was super helpful and knowledgable. I requested to know what service was done and she read out pretty much all of it.

Key items being coolant crossover pipes in 2022, new brakes earlier in March. Only issue is ECO system battery failed their load test in the last visit and the part was backordered. It was a $450 fix..so thought its ok. Overall the owner was on top of all issues if at all. Based on service records, control arms seem to the major one that's not done so far. In any case I want to take it to a mechanic for a full look over. Hence my request above.

Here is a walk around video of my LR4..

Thanks in advance.

 

Beautiful truck! If you don't find a mechanic in your neck of the woods, I highly recommend Nick and the team at Exclusive British European in Campbell. Good luck!

 

I am not far from you, and I did a similar,thing a 2016 Landmark . British and European have an excellent reputation. I will listen to other ideas too. My cross over pipes have been done, at least the front ones. I will ask the LR dealer who serviced it for all of it's time, as the carfax indicates nothing. I hope LR Newport are as accommodating as you found LR Monterey. I wish people would keep service records.

The Eco battery is just an Exide part, do not bother with the JLR part, it should be around $100 and a 30-minute fit. I did one a year or so ago whilst in the UK.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The British and European you are mentioning is the one in Campbell or Fremont?

 

Interesting. I would take it to a dealer for the pre inspection myself. There is a syllabus they need to follow.
cheers

 

I talked to British & European (in Fremont)..unfortunately they are going to retire soon and close up shop . It could happen by November or best case if they can extend the lease by June 2024. Seems that whole area is going to be converted to a residential complex.

 

OH NO ! That is a huge amount of knowledge and know-how being lost. We will need to have another research. The trouble with main dealers is that they generally cannot be bothered with anything out of warranty, and rarely solve problems. They are what I term fitters, not mechanics. Meaning they can bolt on and off parts, but little else. I did see during a tour of the San Fran LR dealer (which is in the most amazing building) that they were working on a number of older cars, so they may have experience.

I guess that by now all of the issues with an LR4 are known, and it is more keeping up with maintenance and looking for early signs of the bigger problems (coolant leaks for example are the really big one) . I just had to replace the rear (trunk) upper door actuator . It took an hour, cost $120 in parts, but saved a real PITA time if it had stuck shut. The videos online are so helpful. They are actually quite simple vehicles with a great following now, and becoming like the origional Defender in terms of interest.

One thing I did note on some Landmark and HSE Lux vehicles I saw when looking to buy, was an issue with the leather dash trim being shrunk of pulled apart I assume from sun damage. I asked about repairing one and it was huge $ as the whole front interior needs pulling out. So I am using a screen shield to try and help.

 

yes, this situation is well written up in the jaguar forums as well. Pulling the dash is not as complicated as some may think and the workshop manual does lay out the procedure and time estimate. It is damage from the sun. Preventative maintenance of proper leather care is paramount, or this will happen.

Use the proper leather conditioner! Even hand cream is better than most those products leaving a “shiny” finish.

A buddy of mine used “shoe stretch” to expand the leather and 3M 77 adhesive to keep it in place. It seems to have done the job.

Thankfully, it has not happened to me.
Cheers.