LR3 Quest

[ADlR3]

well as posted before i was on a quest to finding an LR3 that was reasonably priced due to tight budget, the reason i chose the LR3 was because i wanted a Land rover that looks great and has a modern look, can use for a daily ride and at the same time be able to take offroad on the weekends.

well started with a real neat wouldnt beleive its a used vehicle type of cleanliness and shape, took it for document preparation at adnoc the same day but heard a metal to metal sound, took it to premier, 2 days later they hit me with an estimate of 30-35 thousand dirham job so that deal didnt go through.

my quest was over on Wednesday, when i found a 2005 HSE model purchased originally from Al Tayer, it did have a lot of kilometer on the clock though, apparently has been off road a lot of times, and needed new tiers but after testing it numerous times from a day before and on Wednesday in traffic and off road, i decided to go ahead and buy it, the transfer was done Thursday, changed the tiers at upgrade, changed the oil and oil filter at castrol, gave it a good wash insideout because it was a mess, drove it back to abu dhabi with a smooth ride and amazingly comfortable for a 2005 that looks like it has been abused model with no noises or rattling. stopping at a couple of petrol stations on the way just to check engine compartment and power train, everything was nice and cool.

Friday morning, started it and went to carrefour did some shopping, on the way back i had a christmas tree decorating the dashboard and all kinds of chimes ringing. and messages starting with low coolant, to differential overheat and everything in between, stopped the car immediately and turned the engine off although the temperature gauge was only on half, opened the bonet and everything was okay or i didnt seem to see anything, the reservoir coolant bottle was full. I managed to get home, with the low coolant level message on the screen, gauge on half and the airbag red light on the dash, checked the engine again but this time i kept it running, sure enough the coolant bottle was empty

trying to put a finger on what exactly might have happened, since i dont have any option but to take it to Premier tomorrow but i also want to be able to sleep i did a little search on everything that has to do with LR3 on the net,

i found out that the christmas tree might have been due to water residue from the day before when i washed the car (big NO, NO never wash your engine), i did a hard rest to the ECU but unfortunately i cant drive it to test if that worked or not, due to the low coolant issue.

the airbag red light is due to loose connection from under the driver seat might have triggered it when i moved the seat when i got into the car, i checked that and sure enough the light was gone.

the coolant level issue, i found a puddle under the front driver side directly under the coolant tank, so i am thinking it might be a crack in the tank or something in that vicinity, the hoses looks, feels dry and okay around the engine, and radiator, the oil is clear, i couldnt get to the transmission oil to check if the coolant is escaping through the lines at the transmission cooler.

now since i dont want to be testing anyone here in abudhabi that has not been known to any of you Land Rover Owners, i think my best bet is premier motors, and i better prepare myself for another home mortgage back home to be able to pay them

well folks that was my first couple of days experience with the LR3, i know i didnt buy a brand new car, and i was expecting some trouble, but not that soon

[nutbolt]

First things first: Coolant level, is the most URGENT AND IMPORTANT part that one shud never ignore or prolong.

For coolant level check, there is always two way check that you need to do. Once in the morning when car is cold, check the level at bottle, then start the car and wait for 5 - 10 mins when car reaches optimum temperature. The level should stay same without any noticeable difference. If there is any difference in level then wait until it cool down and then add coolant, litle bit extra, so that it can overflow and reach to ideal level when car is at ideal temp.

Checking for other leaks in line to transmission cooler or radiator is good practice, so that it doesn't loose coolant over period of days. Get those leaks fixed asap and keep monitoring the coolant bottle level as a regular safety check.

Washing in the engine, is best done with steam not with water. Or even better is with diesel spray, but you should have time to let it dry completely otherwise diesel wash will be like dust magnet. With any engine bay wash, one should cover alternator, fuse box, and ECU side completely with plastic and avoid splashing water around it.

Airbag light is known error in almost all LR, that yellow socket under driver seat need to be properly secure with tape or cable tie or else with every extreme full front or full back move you will have this light.

Another important thing for you to remember as a new Landie owner. If you see "Gearbox faulty" then dont panic its an indication of weak battery, as electronic gear oil need regular volt from battery and slight disturbance in volt supply show this message.

If its a high mileage car you got, better check all fluids condition or even better to change all diff fluids, coolant, brake oil once right now so that you can monitor there life and kms driven. All fluid change might cost you around 500 - 1000 dhs but it will save lot of future confusion and chances of failure. Also remember to go for semi synthetic engine oil or normal mineral oil and change at 5k - 3k period than fully synthetic, because in fully synthetic you might end up in oil leaks and spoiling your parking bay. In landies all oil seals are very prone to leak and less forgiving than toyota and nissan, so thinner the oil easier it will leak.

Good luck with new ride and have fun with it and welcome to the Land Rover owners club.....!

[ADlR3]

Thank you for the advice nutbolt, I read somewhere that I should also have the cam belt changed, given the car age, do you think I should pint that out to premier or they will know what is needed. Service history was with altayer up to 80k the balance 40k is unknown :-/

[sohailrangi]

Mabrook for new Landies, let the professional take care and leave it to their best knowledge. I am sure they will judge what needs to be changed or repair as per present condition which is irrespective of the km or age.

[ADlR3]

hello all, as i am still calling it a quest i thought i will just update this post

my 2005 LR3 went to premier workshop and had the major service done to it costing a bundle, in addition to few recommendations that needed to be done, however due to low finances, i opted to postpone, i drove the car for a couple of days and had a blown upper water hose, towed it to the dealer again, they ended up changing the whole cooling system, from hoses, radiator, coolant tank to fan, with pressure test and the works (supposedly). few days after, early in the morning before starting the engine i checked the coolant and it was down, opening the cap it was under pressure. again i took it to premier, they said they need to do an overnight pressure test wtf they said they did a pressure test when they hit me with an 8k invoice the second time. next day they gave me the news of cylinder number five leaking water, it might be a liner or a gasket and a high quote of starting at 6k but might be more depending on the findings after they open the head.

took the car from premier and sent it to a place named Crystal in musaffah where i have seen a lot of RR's under repair. and gave me a quote of 4k and a one week for the job, now my lr3 is laying there being worked on.

the irony is that from the time i have owned my land rover i have not been able to drive it for more than one week all together i hope that this will be the end of it visiting the mechanics for a while

[khalidh]

Thats sad to hear all this ordeal. Landies arent that bad, and you dont loose heart so far. Its just that your bad time is very good and bringing all past ugly shit at the same time. Take it easy, give some money to donation and im sure you will have perfect car back in your parking very soon. Good luck man.

[Kim M]

Hi - any update on this situation, I hope it's all sorted now and you're able to enjoy your car

[ADlR3]

Hi Kim;

Thanks for your concern and question, actually I got the car only today, after going through hell with the musaffah mechanic, anyway to make the long story short, besides the head gasket I had a broken cam, which the dealer didn't have, so got one from sharja yards off a RRsport, hopefully I will update this post with good news next week after I try it. Hopefuly this will be the end of it for a while.

[nutbolt]

Good luck, bro

As head gasket and broken cam job isnt normal thing. Have some patience and hang in there. Have patience and hope all your woes end soon. May your LR get well soon.

[Kim M]

You'll have to join us one weekend, at least if anything else happens there'll be some bods around to help.

Pleased to hear it's all good though