Hey all, I'm in Eastern Washington, Spokane, to be specific. Wife wants an LR4, and we've got a potential candidate. 2015, Lux model, all black, one owner, 118k miles. VERY clean inside and out, clean vehicle history report, runs and drives like a top. Only thing giving me any pause on this one is under the bonnet, there's evidence of a prior coolant leak. Coolant smells fine, no oil on the surface or scent of exhaust, zero gunk under the oil cap. Check engine light is on for a fuel pump which the dealer says they'll fix. I took a couple snapshots of what looks like dried coolant residue on the bonnet liner, and it looks a couple years old to me, but I'm not sure. I drove it for about 30 min during the middle of a hot day in Spokane (ext temps were over 90), AC on, and had my ultra gauge hooked up to monitor coolant temps. Took 15-20 min to get up to temperature, it got up to 219, then the thermostat would kick on and drop it down to 210-217. Drove a combination of fast and slow, uphill, down, and flat. Appears to be functioning nominally. And yet, the bonnet liner gives me some pause. Perhaps a hose blew, or the thermostat housing cracked at some point? Or is this a clear indication of a boilerover/overheat? Should I go for it and just make sure to get a warranty? What say you gurus? Thanks in advance!

-Kris

 

Welcome to the club, @knewsom .

Glad you are choosing a later model version. However, be aware that at 100,000 mi, you are at the cusp of a lot of necessary scheduled maintenance.

Yes, if a coolant hose split (and they do at this milage) there would be residue. Shame it wasn’t cleaned up.
Also, do some research. LR4s are heavy vehicles. Bushings, tires, brakes, fuel…
The batteries (there are 2) should be brand new and registering not less than 12.6v when not running.
At that milage, I’d expect ALL fluids to be changed (brake, coolant, diff, ptu, transmission, steering, supercharger)

You may like this particular version but be informed, there are many available. is it a mall crawler or a camp mobile? The 2 speed transfer case is an option, as are the locking diffs.

There are a few things to watch out for:
noisy timing chains means a significant repair bill.
Cross over coolant lines means removal of supercharger.
as does the PVC valve.
Rear brake lines can significantly corrode…. meaning a body off frame correction.
See the alignment report!
Air suspension should work flawlessly and quickly.
The air conditioning should be flawless.
There is independent front and rear climate control…

So many resources… have a look at LRTime youtube channel.

Cheers.

 

Thanks Guy!

really solid info here, I’ve read a number of threads. I’m new to LR4s, but have had a few rovers in the past, a 99d1, an 04d2, and still have a project truck, a 94 RRC LWB.

This one will be primarily for the wife, as a two or maybe three times a week driver, with few miles put on it. We’ll occasionally need it for dirt roads, and for snow and ice, as we live in the inland northwest. On-road performance on slippery surfaces is more important than off road capability, so low range and a locking cdl aren’t so important. Good AWD and traction control, more so. A little bit of ground clearance is nice, and any stock rover foots that bill perfectly. The most important parts are comfort, drivability in various conditions, and (relatively speaking) reliability.

I’d like to have it inspected by a Land Rover mechanic, is there a standard inspection to ask for? Or should I simply specify the items you’ve mentioned and those in the pinned thread in this forum?

So far based on my preliminary inspection, the only way things that appear close to needing replacement are the brake rotors, which I’m quite confident in doing myself. There’s not a speck of rust anywhere on this truck, based on the vin report it spent its entire life in western Washington, so basically no salt on the roads, and based on how clean it is, it was probably garaged. Tires look practically new, so unfortunately no info to be gleaned from uneven wear.

Are there warranty companies to avoid? I’m considering purchasing one with the truck, for at least a year or two of comprehensive coverage.

cheers!

 

Don't touch it if it hasn't had the coolant pipes, thermostat and water pump changed. They are pricey. My neighbor just had his water pump and cross-over pipes changed, $2,800. When they blow, the engines heat up fast and it ususally results in the need for a new motor. Another friend called me earlier this week. His girlfriend has a 2017 Full-sized Range Rover, 5.0 supercharged with about 95,000 miles. Cross-over pipe failed, dealer quote for a new motor......$60,000. It was a dealer-maintained vehicle since new, Dealer didn't change the cross-over pipes at 80,000 miles as recommended. He is looking for a used replacement motor, they are in the $12,000 range plus install, probably in range of another $10,000. Truck is only worth $30,000 to $35,000 on a good day. If I were buying, I would make sure that it had all of the required maintenance items completed with documents and then some. Best of luck. Phil

 

If these parts haven't yet been replaced, that doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it, that would be like saying if it's still on it's original tyres, don't buy it. These among all other cooling circuit parts are regular maintenance items, so expect to have to replace parts every 50-100K miles. I speak from experience.

 

If it has a big fat book of service records, from as few shops or dealers as possible and you're willing to clean-slate it (do the coolant pipes and swap all the fluids and fix anything else you can find) right off the bat, could be a great vehicle. I bought mine at 72K, did the coolant crossovers ($1200, not $2800 like the guy who obviously got screwed by somebody), plus all fluids, and new tires and I'm now at about 110K miles. It's an expensive truck to maintain if you over-maintain it as you should. Not sure I'd buy one just for driving a few days a week and requiring AWD. There are a lot of cheaper, easier to maintain vehicles out there that could do the job. But the heart wants what it wants. .

 

Unfortunately it has ZERO service records on the VIN report, and I didn't see a book of them in the truck, but I didn't look through the compartments very well. We aren't in a huge rush, so it doesn't necessarily have to be THIS LR4, but the price is decent, and it's at a dealer so we can trade in the wife's old car without the rigamarole of trying to sell it. I don't mind "clean slating" a Rover, it's what I did with my last few, but this is a newer one for me, and I'm having to adjust a little to the prospect of not doing most of the work myself.

And yeah, the heart wants what the heart wants. I tried to get the wife into a Ford Escape, or a Subaru Forester, a Mini Countryman, a Jeep Compass, etc... No interest in those lol, guess I shouldn't be surprised haha. After I test drove this truck I told the wife, "There's zero chance you'll settle for anything else after driving it".

 

Buying an LR4 with 118K miles without a well documented service history seems like a recipe for disaster. I'd take a fat binder of receipts any day because at least you can follow the story. I was lucky to find one that had full dealer service records and folder of receipts going back 7 years. In the absence of that, having a full top to tail inspection by a reputable indie dealer (and ideally running a lab test on the engine oil), maybe you'd know what you were potentially getting yourself into. When they're working and well-maintained, they're so great. But like an earlier reply mentioned, there are a few very serious issues like those fault crossover pipes that can be a 60-second fail at highway speed leaving you with a $35,000 paper weight (since the re-man engine is probably $20K and a new one - forget it.) Good luck!