Hi all,
Looking for some advice from other Discovery (or similar engine) owners.
I have a 2018 Discovery HSE with 40k miles. My service advisor recommended replacing the plastic coolant crossover pipes proactively, since they are a known failure point on these vehicles and can lead to major engine damage if they go. Known Land Rover issue and referenced a TSB, but it would not be covered under warranty in my case and definitely not something I would do on my own.
Only 40k on the dial, but it is now 8 years old, so I am trying to decide whether it makes sense to do this now rather than wait for a failure.
A few questions:
Would you go ahead and replace the crossover pipes now as preventive maintenance, even at only 40k miles, based more on age than mileage?
If doing this job, are there any other related items worth replacing at the same time since things will already be opened up?
Has anyone had this done in the NYC metro area and found a dealer or independent shop that knows these vehicles, has done this before and charges a reasonable price? The dealer quotes I am getting are insane.
Appreciate any advice, especially from anyone who has done this on a 2018 Discovery or similar engine. Thanks!

 

Probably a little premature. If you have the original style crossover with the large seam it might not be a bad idea as when they fail they tend to fail catastrophically. There seemingly a pretty wide range of when the original style can fail though the layer 1 piece units get a little more longevity

 

If you plan to keep the vehicle for less than another 60 to 80K miles then if you do it now you will be covered as long as you own it and you would need to or want to do it while you own it anyway.
If you plan to keep it longer than another 60 to 80K miles I suppose you could wait another 20K miles but doing it now will give you piece of mind and it's just going to cost more later.
As for other items to replace at the same time, there are a few other plastic pieces, and related pieces, thermostat housing, and as long as you are there, might as well replace the two belts since there's not really any extra labor. If your coolant is 3 years old this will cover that service too. I have posted a list of parts and part number from my service on this forum. I had 70K miles on my 2017 Si6 and the end of my crossover pipe crumbled and broke off during disassembly so it was ready to give out.
What you may not realize is that even if you were watching your temp gauge and shut down the engine the second the leak caused the temp to go up you would already be too late because the temperature sensor is on a section of tubing that is not getting coolant after a crossover pipe failure. So the failure that causes the coolant temp to spike never allows the coolant to reach the sensor.

 

Thanks, this is really helpful information and exactly the kind of insight I was looking for. I did not realize the issue with the temperature sensor location, and that definitely makes this feel more serious from a preventive standpoint. I was fortunate enough to get some of the other common Discovery issues handled under warranty over the years, including the leaking windshield and infotainment problems, but this one is unexpected and obviously pretty pricey.
I mostly use the vehicle on weekends to get out of the city, but even with relatively low mileage I am now well over $8,000 in maintenance in less than 6 years between annual service visits that are usually around $1,000 each, front brakes, and a new battery. I will also need rear brakes soon, and probably tires as well. The tires only have around 20,000 miles on them and still have tread, but they are now 6 years old.
The NYC metro area is notoriously expensive for this kind of work, and to be fair I knew that going in when I bought the car. I absolutely love the vehicle, but my wife is definitely not thrilled with the running costs, and there are only so many excuses I can make. I will have to make some executive decisions.

 

The coolant preventative maintenance is only for someone comfortable with self repair. It's not a small effort. Quite a few of the other services are easily done yourself if you are so inclined and will save you a lot of money. I'm not sure how much a shop charges for brake pads but they are very easy to replace if you have a few tools and somewhere to work (need to disable the electric parking brake to do the rear pads) . A shop will usually replace the rotors as part of the service and this really increases cost. I have 80K miles on my rotors and they don't need replacement in my opinion. Other people have other opinions. I also have 60K miles on my pads and they are nowhere near needing replacement. Mixed driving including lots of mountain driving, but I am easy on it and not in New York. Your annual service visits at $1K are probably padded with lots of stuff you can do for much less.
Anyone can change air and cabin filters and wiper blades themselves. Oil changes are very easy to do for half the price of a shop. Coolant and brake fluid change is easy to do also. Tire rotation if you have a jack or two. Tire balance is unnecessary unless you have an issue. Maybe you can find a facility that allows you to work on your own vehicle inside for a fee.

 

I had my crossover pipes go bad at 37k miles on my old 2017 Si6. If you are smelling coolant, I'd have them done immediately. If not, you can wait. I'd have them done before 60k-70k when they usually seem to go bad. Luckily now the OEM parts are aluminum instead of plastic.

 

Wow, at 37k. Did you smell coolant or was there another indicator?

 

Thanks. I can do some of the minor stuff myself but very limited living in Manhattan. Time and space are a premium. Anyone recommend a NYC metro independent shop?
And I know it's Manhattan but jeeezz.

 

Yes, there was a strong coolant smell. Repair was just under $3k at my local Euro shop using OEM parts.

 

For $1250 they change your oil and cabin filter. And check everything else. You can check all those things yourself. And replace a cabin filter in minutes with no tools. Plus really, do you need a cabin filter change?
And for an additional $400 in year 2 they change your key fob batteries and service your HVAC system. I wonder what that service means. Do they spray air freshener on it? Or maybe they turn it on and see if it blows hot and cold. Just saying you could do without those expensive maintenance packages and do what matters.