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Having moved to the BVI for work, I decided to purchase a used Range Rover (I have always loved them) "for" my wife to drive here since the roads are not the greatest, particularly where we now live. I bought a "cheap" 2010 "Range Rover (L 322) 5.0L supercharged with nearly 200,000 miles on it because the move was an expensive one and I was trying to be thrifty. This has already turned out to be the most expensive vehicle I have ever (and will probably ever) own. In summary, the car lasted 8 miles, it overheated coming off the boat from the U.S. where I bought it, and this was the beginning of the end for the car (and potentially for me). From the shipyard, I took the car to a local garage where they replaced a radiator valve (for $400 no less). They returned the car "fixed". It then failed the very next day on the way to registration and that mechanic has washed his hands of it. Apart from scream a bit there is not much I can actually do to address this realistically. Having moved the car, I received, a few days ago, confirmation from my mechanic (who has been praised for his understanding of RRs by a few people I know on the island but could potentially be the worst mechanic in the world for all I know) that the car needs a new engine because of the heat damage. He tired to replace the heads but cannot get the bolts to tighten which he says is a terminal engine problem. Without any sarcasm, he also quoted me $15K for to source a secondhand engine, which is far more than the car is worth. On the other hand, if I don' t purchase a new engine, I have created a very expensive paperweight and emboldened my very pissed off wife - she though that purchasing the RR was stupid to begin with (since there was no dealership here) and is not about to get off that horsey.... Today, however, a light at the end of the tunnel, a friend of mine explained to me that Range Rover used Jaguar engines in 2010 for the supercharged version of the L322 and that it would therefore be possible to swap my Range Rover supercharged engine for a Jaguar 5.0L supercharged engine (XFR, XJ, or XKR made around that time to enhance compatibility), get a new engine harness to connect it in, tighten a few screws, and, magically, find myself back on the road for a 50% discount.... Given my recent experience this sounds too good to be true. Can anyone comment or offer advice? From what I can tell, and to my utter astonishment, my own research seems to confirm the fact that the engines are similar, possibly the same (not sure across what period this holds true) but I don't believe the swap is straightforward. Am I correct? If someone could take the time to guide me with this they would have my eternal gratitude. I am about the turn the Range Rover into a car shaped reef which my wife is encouraging, I expect because she intends to plant my feet under said reef so that I too can sleep with the fishes. What do you guys think? Is there hope ...?
Please can you help with my L322 nightmare?
