I own a 2019 Range Rover Velar. It is now 5 years old and has 45,500 miles on it. About in early June, an engine warning light became active on the car. I sensed no issues but took it promptly to the Land Rover dealer I purchased it from. They took a look and ran the codes on the computer and reset it and told me to drive it and if it came back on to return. About two weeks later the engine suddenly began misfiring and almost stalling in idle. I immediately drove it back to the dealer. A few days later they told the the following needed replacement: Coolant Thermostat, Timing Camshaft with VCT sprockets, chains and tensioners, and Intake Manifold Gaskets. This totaled around $4,000. I agreed and about 10 days later the dealer service dept called back saying that they couldn't get the engine to fire correctly and I needed the CVVL compression assembly replaced. This was another $4500. I agreed and paid. Then around two weeks later they called again and said the engine needs replacement as the third cylinder is not firing correctly. Luckily, the dealer petitioned Land Rover and after three weeks of discussion and since over 30 years I've purchased 7 other Land Rovers, Land Rover USA agreed to pay for 90% of the engine replacement costs. I was out another $1,200.

After a long two and a half months I finally got my Velar back and its running perfectly. After one week, I noticed small fresh oil spots on my garage floor around the size of a quarter. I took it back to the Land Rover dealer service department thinking probably something was just not tightened up properly after all the service. As something to note: the car has never leaked any oil or anything else in the 5 years I've owned it. I just got a call back from the service department saying that its a leak from the Central Front Differential and a small coolant leak from the Auxilllary intercooler. The differential will be $7,500 and the Auxillary intercooler will be $1400.

I'm definitely not a mechanic but logic tells me at the least, the differential was somehow damaged or altered in all the previous repair work. For anyone mechanically inclined, is this possible its unrelated and just very odd timing? Any advice would be appreciated. I will meet with the service manager tomorrow to discuss. I don't want to seem like a bad customer, but I am going to challenge this unless some smarter people than I am tell me I'm off base. Thanks again in advance for any info or recommendations.

 

Could you please update if your issue was resolved?
I signed up for a 2025 velar 5k miles and getting the delivery this week. Posts like yours are already making me nervous
In hindsight, could you have done anything different like more regular maintenance checkups to avoid engine problems?

 

The differential and intercooler issues may be related to the extensive repairs done on the car. The amount of disassembly for the engine replacement might have disturbed or damaged other components like the differential. Given that the oil spots appeared after the repairs, it's worth challenging the timing and asking the service department if these issues could have been caused by the earlier work. It's not unreasonable to seek clarification and potentially some compensation, especially since your car had no leaks before the repairs.