Greetings All,
I am planning on acquiring a later model LR4. yes, yes, i would investigate the vin against LR’s service registry to ensure it had been maintained.
On reviewing theses many threads I’m starting to lean towards a feeling that the scv6 is not the way to go. Not because of the change of engine but in fact due to all of the ancillary systems that seem to need constant maintenance.
An fyi, I am not new to Jaguar or LandRover. And I have had essentially very dependable versions…. certainly more dependable than my colleagues with most other brands.
So, what are your opinions about the most dependable versions of the LR4?
Cheers

 

I think you're right about the SCV6. I wanted a new one and all the latest features and designs and that was the way to go but now many years later and servicing it myself, there's way too many extra bits and piece which fail when compared to the N/A V8. Those I know who've more miles on their first gen D4 V8's have had virtually no issues other than coolant leaks which on the N/A aren't that difficult to repair.

 

I'm relatively new to LR4 Ownership. I bought a 2016 back in December 2021. It was a one owner vehicle that had a service agreement, and a pretty good history. In the last 15 months there has been maintenance, nothing that couldn't be DIY'd by a fairly novice mechanic with great community support. What I've had to replace so far:
Leaky vacuum brake pumpFailed air compressor
Failing PCV valveRear crossover pipeUpgraded the Supercharger couple (it needed it) when doing the rear crossoverGeneral Maintenance:
Changed the oilBought new tiresChanged the brakes
Prior to my ownership:
Water pump and front crossovers were replacedDifferentials and transfer case was serviced
That's pretty much it. Everything except the supercharger coupler would be something to watch for on the V8s. But you'd be starting with at best a 10 year old vehicle (2010-2013). Finding a good one may be difficult, even a good one will like have deferred maintenance items that will be coming due soon. I guess that maybe changing out the PCV valves and the rear crossover might be an easier job on the V8s, but it's not like that is something most owners will have to deal with many times in their ownership.

I expect that soonish I'll need to drop the transmission pan, replace lower control arms, keep an eye out for leaky air struts, and maybe some other stuff I'm not thinking of. Wouldn't surprise me if the thermostat needed to be replaced or some other common issue that every other make deals with too.

All that said, if you aren't planning on doing your own maintenance, it's going to cost you an arm and a leg to maintain either one of the options. It's not a commuter car, it really is a more complicated machine, built to handle more than just pavement, of course it is going to have more systems to handle that additional load. More systems means more maintenance, it's pretty straightforward math.

 

:-) Thanks for that. Yes I'm very mindful of standard maintenance... and I don't get too dirty any more ;-) And I'm fine with that.
I do want a "truck" to go and "get dirty", in style. Glad to hear you's is working out well. Do you have the locking transaxle? (Button to the right of the eco mode button) or a blank there?

 

I'm in a 2016 with locking center and rear diffs. Being able to more easily identify that feature was one of the reasons I went with a SCV6 model. Basically if it is 2014-2016 and has the 5 off-road modes, you get that rear diff lock. On the 2010-2013 models they all have the 5 modes and you have to look for that actuator on the rear diff, or be able to appropriately decode the vin. I didn't want to manage that effort. Although, I do think the simplicity of the V8, a long with it's exhaust note, did sound tempting. Not sure I really needed the second diff lock, but it's nice to have just in case. Certainly needed the low range transfer case, which also comes with the 5th off road mode on the SCV6 models but is standard on the V8s.