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