invisible Posted July 21, 2023 Share Posted July 21, 2023 My wife saw a 2005 HSE for sale at our neighbor's place and for her, it was love at first sight. Long story short, we bought it fo $7000 and then spent $7500 repairing it - see the work performed quotes below. The vehicle has 135K miles on it, has never been in an accident, three owners, including us. We drive about 250 miles (not a typo) per month - so in a year we put about 4K more miles. Now the odometer shows 139K miles. So far after that, the vehicle was behaving OK/fine, well, except the following: There was a weird case ignition key lock - the dreaded case for a lot, but in my case, I removed the cover of the steering wheel, unplugged/re-plugged cables, made sure that the battery is always charged - the previous owner had three fuses removed that were connecting the dash/infotainment screen, saying that it was draining the battery - but after putting the fuses back and charging battery I don't observe drainage any more and since December I never had ignition key locked again. There were a couple of times that I could not open the tailgate by pressing either the console key or the tailgate button. It eventually works by turning the ignition off, removing the key, and starting the car again. No idea what causes it. My main question is - should I anticipate another huge bill for repair? Honestly, when we were looking for a car, our budget was $10-$15K and the car should be lasting for the next minimum 4-5 years without major repairs. The guys who performed the work (it was not an LR shop, they specialize in BMWs) told us that the engine after the work is good for another 100K miles and the transmission should last at least another 30K miles. But I had/have no exposure to LR before and since that have learned that reliability is not the attractive point of the car - a friend of mine told me (after the purchase) - 'they are a money pit and expect to spend $5k/year just to maintain then in running condition'. Is it this bad? What should I expect? Date Description Qty Rate Amount 07/07/2022 Labor REMOVE AND 19 130.00 2,470.00T REPLACE TIMING CHAIN WITH RELATE PARTS 07/07/2022 Parts TIMING CHAIN 1 95.00 95.00T 07/07/2022 Parts COMPLETE TIMING 1 319.00 319.00T CHAIN GUIDE KIT 07/07/2022 Parts CAM BOLT 2 9.00 18.00T 07/07/2022 Parts CRANKSHAFT GEAR 1 147.00 147.00T 07/07/2022 Parts VALVE COVER 2 65.00 130.00T GASKET 07/07/2022 Parts LOWER TIMING 1 65.00 65.00T COVER GASKET KIT 07/07/2022 Parts UPPER TIMING 2 11.00 22.00T COVER GASKET 07/07/2022 Parts WATER PUMP 1 12.00 12.00T GASKET 07/07/2022 Parts VANOS SOLINIOD 1 13.00 13.00T GASKET 07/07/2022 Parts COOLANT 2 27.00 54.00T 07/07/2022 Parts CRANK SHAFT 1 29.00 29.00T BOLT 07/07/2022 Parts FRONT 1 25.00 25.00T CRANKSHAFT SEAL 07/07/2022 SYNTHETIC PERFORMED 1 121.00 121.00 SYNTHETIC OIL SERVICE WITH INSPECTION 07/07/2022 Labor REMOVE AND 2.7 130.00 351.00T REPLACE ENIGNE MOUNTS 07/07/2022 Parts ENGINE MOUNTS 2 156.00 312.00T 07/07/2022 Parts BANK 2 POST CAT 1 190.00 190.00T O2 SENSOR 07/07/2022 Parts THERMOSTAT 1 132.00 132.00T 07/07/2022 Parts POWER STEERING 1 310.00 310.00T PUMP 07/07/2022 Parts POWER STEERING 1 25.00 25.00T FLUID 07/07/2022 Parts LOWER OIL PAN 1 52.00 52.00T GASKET ____________________________________________________________________________ SubTotal: $4,892.00 Tax: $165.80 -------------------------------------- Total: $5,057.80 And another Date Description Qty Rate Amount 12/12/2022 Labor PERFORMED 1 140.00 140.00T DIAGNOSIS OF NOISE FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE, STEERING SOMETIMES HAS NO ASSIST,CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND HEATER. 12/12/2022 Labor REMOVE AND 2.2 140.00 308.00T REPLACE RIGHT FRONT AXLE 12/12/2022 Parts RIGHT FRONT 1 601.00 601.00T AXLE 12/12/2022 Labor REMOVE AND 1 140.00 140.00T REPLACE SERVOTRONIC CONVERTER 12/12/2022 Parts SERVOTRONIC 1 202.00 202.00T CONVERTER 12/12/2022 Labor REMOVE AND 1.4 140.00 196.00T REPLACE DRIVE BELT TENSIONER ASSEMBLY 12/12/2022 Parts DRIVE BELT 1 162.00 162.00T TENSIONER 12/12/2022 Labor REMOVE AND 4.5 140.00 630.00T REPLACE CRANKCASEVENT VALVE AND RESEAL INTAKE MANIFOLD 12/12/2022 Parts PCV VALVE 1 142.00 142.00T 12/12/2022 Parts INTAKE MANIFOLD 4 15.00 60.00T GASKET 12/12/2022 Parts FRONT MANIFOLD 1 11.00 11.00T COVER GASKET 12/12/2022 Parts REAR MANIFOLD 1 11.00 11.00T GASKET ____________________________________________________________________________ SubTotal: $2,603.00 Tax: $98.27 -------------------------------------- Total: $2,701.27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escape Posted July 21, 2023 Share Posted July 21, 2023 If you keep going to a garage that just throws parts at it (I seriously doubt it really needed a new timing chain at 130k miles!), yes, it will become a money pit. If you find a place that will only fix what needs to be done and bothers to repair rather than replace, you can run them for a fraction of the cost. Especially given your low annual mileage. Remember, Range Rovers, even the older ones, are still considered by some to be premium vehicles and therefor should command premium rates for all work, necessary or not. A mate has a 2003 and has spent on average €1200/year over the 4 years he's had it, and that's including replacing the transmission in the first year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisible Posted July 21, 2023 Author Share Posted July 21, 2023 Thanks for your insights. well, repairs needed to be done - it was an oil leak before, and the engine mounts were pretty much gone. Plus other stuff. The thing is - I don't have much choice - there is only one non-dealer LR repair shop in the town. When we took the car to them, they did not even want deal with it, saying that 'you'd better sell it for $2k as junk, because repairs will cost $15K'. The nearest reputable shop is 350 miles away. And they charge $200/h. In another forum, someone wrote - a side benefit of owning LR is increasing the skillsets and knowledge of their product owners by turning them into mechanics. I get it, but unfortunately, I don't have a garage or means to repair it by myself either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted July 21, 2023 Share Posted July 21, 2023 The 'US' is a big place. With your location only shown as 'US' it is difficult for any of us to give you any recommendations as to finding 'local' interested parties. It is also true that your wife fell in love with a high end import, they are always going to be more expensive to maintain than a home grown product. While I don't want you to give up on your search to satisfy the desire your wife has expressed it is perhaps time to throw some cold water on the flames she has ignited. While writing this I have recalled that there is a US centric web site called Rangerovers.net, but checking this memory before including it here I found you had already found the site, and posted the same question. On that forum you have used the name 'invisible'. If you carry on with that mindset I feel that no-one will be encouraged to help you. Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisible Posted July 21, 2023 Author Share Posted July 21, 2023 We are at highlands of Reno, Nevada. No paved roads and snow for 5 months during the year, plus +35C during summer times. I would not buy such a big thing but a high clearance/4WD/AWD vehicle is pretty much a must if one wants to reach our place from Nov to May. The nearest gas station or supermarket is 20 miles away. Quote If you carry on with that mindset I feel that no-one will be encouraged to help you. I don't quite follow. I asked a question - what should I expect, due to unfamiliarity with the product/specifics. Before buying it, we have not had cars for >12 years because we lived overseas in a huge city. The previous car I had was Lexus, I bought it 10 y/o, it served me for 8 years and totally I spent about $1500 on repairs during that 8 years. I am just trying to understand what to expect/to be aware of and what should I do proactively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted July 22, 2023 Share Posted July 22, 2023 4 hours ago, invisible said: I don't quite follow. I asked a question .... You also made it clear that you had no facilities or inclination to get mechanically involved yourself. You also made it clear the dealers were costing a lot of money. The alternatives involve finding knowledgable independent Land Rover specialists in your area, which in turn means input from people with experience of the area. Remaining 'invisible' shuts off those paths to a solution. I suggest you change your location information in this forum, and on RangeRovers.net, to include 'Reno, Nevada' as well as US. This basic information is then included in every post you make, enabling you to encourage input from people who know the area. Choosing a different car : although I have no personal Lexus experience, I have gained the impression they have a better reputation than Land Rover for reliability. In what appears to be a challenging area for auto-mobiles, the 'safest' advice appears to be selecting your vehicle based on what the locals use. Include the dealership availability in that assessment. Moving away from that buying pattern is always liable to be more expensive, I am merely emphasising the point, the choice is yours. Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted July 22, 2023 Share Posted July 22, 2023 Unfortunately, the more expensive a car is, the more expensive its maintenance tends to be. L322s were expensive new, and are complex, so a typical non-specialist mechanic is unlikely to have the knowledge or special tools and diagnostics equipment needed for such a car. But, if you can find an honest specialist close to you, it needn’t break the bank. The problem is finding one - many premium garages see customers as rich and ignorant and like to charge them over the odds for unnecessary work and parts. A local(ish) club is likely to know which garages are less prone to that sort of thing, and also often have club discounts with garages, suppliers and insurers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigj66 Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 Has your wife ever seen a Series Landrover? 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 A car can last as long as you want it to if you're willing to keep paying for repairs - your car is (or was) a very expensive complicated luxury car so it's never going to be cheap to run or simple to repair. If you're not willing/able to do any of that yourself it's always going to be costly as labour is the major part of most repairs. If a garage is going to charge you $200/h, a couple of hours of labour buys you a whole set of tools that can do 90% of the jobs you'd ever need done - a Haynes manual is cheap enough and there's videos all over youtube of how to do everything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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