Hello all,

New LR Forum member and possible 2013 LR4 owner with a 100k miles. CARFAX indicates regular dealership service with oil changes averaging between 9k to 15k miles including recommended maintenance conducted IAW maintenance schedule. Most notably, LCAs and spark plugs were replaced at 60k and water pump was replaced at 84k.

During test drive, the coolant hose popped off which covered the front portion of the engine bay, but it did not overheat the engine. Dealer indicated the coolant clamp and hose were replaced, but there was still a residual smell of it (possibly burn-off) during the second test drive. I’m planning to have an independent PPI performed at San Diego LR to ensure there aren’t any other underlying issues and confirm the repair was performed correctly.

Also, on the second test drive the cold start I was listening for the dreaded tension guide issue. There was some noise but it went away after about 30 seconds and did not return when the engine was warmed up. I could not confirm that it was the timing chain slap.

My question: Is it worth getting a third party extended warranty, or just factor in the cost of preemptive repairs in the beginning. I’ve read a lot of issues with coolant crossover pipes as well as tension guide issues with the timing chains. Should I just knock it out at a local Indie right off the bat, or would it be better off to steer clear of this vehicle...

Any information is helpful.

Thanks in advance.

-Brandon

 

Well, you definitely have some red flags there, hence your concern. I just picked up a bargain bin 2012 because the engine had overheated. Found out it was indeed the front cross pipe. Worth noting, if you don't take the intake manifold OFF, you would never even know that thing has started to go until it is too late. It's 100% not visible. When it starts to leak it would just pool coolant on top of the engine around the oil cooler. And let me tell you, that pipe looked like you had dropped the end in a deep fryer.

My opinion would be get that warranty and make sure it covers catastrophic engine failures. Especially make sure it references no exceptions to overheating. A used engine is 5-10k + labor. Overheating usually puts the engine far past bring rebuildable.

With 100k, I would also take it in after purchase and get the front and rear plastic coolant pipes replaced, the t-stat replaced, and drop in a new water pump not too far down the road. Just for peace of mind.

That all being said, I love the LR4 and I'm on my 4th Land Rover. You kind of have to love these things to find all of the above worth it.

 

Truer words were never spoken.

I did have the opportunity to speak with the Selling Dealership mechanic to performed the coolant service As it turns out, it was the front coolant crossover pipe that burst, but he only replaced the front. From what I could tell, it didn’t appear like the engine overheated... some steam and coolant... no MIL light or overheat indicators... the only thing that I got on the dash was a low coolant level indicator. The PPI from LR Service Dept came back clean. LR recommended I plan for LCAs and the air compressor within the next 25k miles. They performed a pressure test on the coolant system which came back with no leaks, so I’m thinking that I may be in the clear.

I’m going to go with a third party extended warranty “comprehensive” for 5 years and an additional 48k miles to push it to 150k. It will give me piece of mind, in case the coolant system does fail causing a catastrophic engine failure. That should also cover me in the event I need to get the timing chain and associated parts replaced. It’s my piece of mind coverage... And they do cover LCA, which I thought was great. The company is Veritas Global Protection. Hopefully they’re good. Their reviews are predominantly positive. I spoke with their customer service who provided me with the “Say this, don’t say that”... and their exclusion list which was minor.

Thanks again for the help.

 

Make sure those issues and the fact that you feel the need to get a warranty are reflected in the price you pay.