mmbirtcher
Observer
I noticed a marked improvement in off-road performance after affixing this sticker...
2011 LR4 HSE Build and Service
- Thread starter mmbirtcher
- Start date
mmbirtcher
Observer
I finished some work on the drawers last summer also, but never shared. I still have to do the actual drawers which I hope to have time to work on after our move in July. Vent hole for the fridge location. I put it there so it's accessible to the passenger while on a road trip. It was also flush with the platform so we rolled the mattress out right across it. Sleeping on the platform over a couple of weeks - well, I think I like the rooftop tent better. But, I'm in luck as my Gobi rack gets delivered Thursday!
I'm really not much of a carpenter...
I'm really not much of a carpenter...
mmbirtcher
Observer
The Gobi Stealth showed up on Thursday. Well-packaged, high quality product! A thought about how I chose the Gobi rack over others. The first was that its made in the US (yes, I understand that my car wasn't). The style of it, while shorter reminded my of the older style Safety Devices racks. While the price is high at just over $1800, that included shipping to my door, full stainless hardware, a removable sunroof panel, complete flooring, mounting specific to the LR4, a daypack in duck canvas (also made in USA!). If I went with another brand, once I added up the extras, they seemed pretty comparable in price. So far, the directions are clear, easy to follow and include good color photos. I am completely pleased with the purchase.
We all hear about their extended lead times. It turns out I had a change at work requiring a move. They were happy to hold my rack, then ship it to me at my convenience. I held them up and they just parked it in their warehouse for months - no problem. And I hadn't paid for it yet. I do recommend you call them for good customer service though...
I got about 1 out of 4 of these plastic inserts to come out without breaking. The Gobi instructions address this and they're just a bit time consuming.
This looks worse than it is. Mostly surface rust and I followed Gobi's instructions to use thread lubricant on all bolts.
Cleaning the threads out with a 6mm tap.
The water channel was pretty dirty underneath the trim.
Easy two-man job to set up top. I would prefer that Gobi not switch the hardware to Standard from Metric hardware for the rest of the assembly, but I did find metric tools to fit the 9/16" (14mm).
The ladder is next which has already led to problems on the LR side with a broken bolt and rusted out hardware on the rear ligate handle. I will repair and rebuild instead of dropping $842 plus painting on a new one. Still to do is attach the awning and put the tent on. We're moving soon so I'll just leave those attached for now.
We all hear about their extended lead times. It turns out I had a change at work requiring a move. They were happy to hold my rack, then ship it to me at my convenience. I held them up and they just parked it in their warehouse for months - no problem. And I hadn't paid for it yet. I do recommend you call them for good customer service though...
I got about 1 out of 4 of these plastic inserts to come out without breaking. The Gobi instructions address this and they're just a bit time consuming.
This looks worse than it is. Mostly surface rust and I followed Gobi's instructions to use thread lubricant on all bolts.
Cleaning the threads out with a 6mm tap.
The water channel was pretty dirty underneath the trim.
Easy two-man job to set up top. I would prefer that Gobi not switch the hardware to Standard from Metric hardware for the rest of the assembly, but I did find metric tools to fit the 9/16" (14mm).
The ladder is next which has already led to problems on the LR side with a broken bolt and rusted out hardware on the rear ligate handle. I will repair and rebuild instead of dropping $842 plus painting on a new one. Still to do is attach the awning and put the tent on. We're moving soon so I'll just leave those attached for now.
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NorthwestDriver
Active member
Too late to help you, but it may be of help to others…
If one untwists those plastic inserts like a screw rather than pry them, they come out more readily. I actually installed roof rails on my LR3 yesterday, successfully removing 5/6 without breaking. I had my tap set ready though.
Also great that you added anti-seize and had SS hardware. Very common for the fasteners to corrode in place and then break off when attempting to remove. If a bolt does break, the nuts you can connecting to in the roof are actually internally threaded bolts. If a fastener shears off, you can replace the whole nut rather than try to extract the broken fastener.
That is a VERY nice rack. Congrats!
If one untwists those plastic inserts like a screw rather than pry them, they come out more readily. I actually installed roof rails on my LR3 yesterday, successfully removing 5/6 without breaking. I had my tap set ready though.
Also great that you added anti-seize and had SS hardware. Very common for the fasteners to corrode in place and then break off when attempting to remove. If a bolt does break, the nuts you can connecting to in the roof are actually internally threaded bolts. If a fastener shears off, you can replace the whole nut rather than try to extract the broken fastener.
That is a VERY nice rack. Congrats!
Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee
Well-known member
Nice thread, I've always liked the looks of the HSE and because of that I'm looking at a 2011, he's asking 14K. It's the same colors as the one you have, beautiful. I tried checking the value but don't know enough about them to even fill out Edmond's Report! I'm really wondering what that 5.0 gets in MPG??? Is that the same 5.0 in a F -150? And, do these really have all the reliability issues of a lemon? Oh, it's much higher mileage, 151,000! Any quick response/few words would be appreciated, again nice build going there.
SkiWill
Well-known member
It's not the same 5.0 from Ford, but commonly thought to be since there are a lot of Ford parts on the motor and Ford manufactured the motor under contract to JLR.
Common 5.0 issues are timing chains and guides (biggest $$) and coolant crossover pipes, particularly the front is failure prone and considered a maintenance item. Some say change the front crossover pipe every 60k miles, others 90k miles or whenever it starts leaking. It's not what I would say expected, but some people have reported catastrophic failure of this crossover pipe which lead to an engine overheat ruining the engine and mechanically totaled the car. It has happened, but I'm not sure it is a statistically significant number. The timing chain issue has varying opinions. Some say it's a "when" not "if" situation that it will need to be replaced. Again, I'm not sure that's really the case, but internet searching for Land Rover issues is sort of like shooting fish in a barrel. More frequent oil changes than the 15,000 mile interval in the manual should be a given. I'd never buy an LR4 without knowing the maintenance history.
These were EPA rated 13 mpg city and 17 mpg highway. I get about 14 mpg depending on speed. Slowing down definitely improves mileage substantially, but they will be very thirsty due to simple physical limitations. LR4s are very heavy and aerodynamically challenged.
I love my LR4 due to capability and usability of the interior. It's a great family hauler, utility vehicle, hunting truck, and luxury cruiser all in one. That said, I'd never recommend one to someone that didn't specifically need all of that capability and know (or be) a good independent Rover mechanic that could keep them out of trouble. In my case, I drove a 4Runner and felt like I had been beaten with a baseball bat. I drove the LR4 and felt refreshed. Price of maintenance = worth it. Your experience may vary.
The way you have to look at the LR4 is that you can buy an LR4 for $14k (or whatever) or similar a Land Cruiser for $45k. The price of the Land Rover is the price of admission, not operating and maintaining. The price of the Land Cruiser is, in my opinion, over priced, but will generally just work and require fairly basic and comparatively inexpensive maintenance while being similarly thirsty. There's convergence after a while for total ownership cost. If you don't have experience and expectations of extra maintenance costs and requirements of a European vehicle, I would steer clear. You really have to love a Land Rover to enjoy, and justify the cost, of a high mileage Land Rover. If you tell your wife that it's a deal because it's $14k and then think she'll be upset if you spend $5-8k catching up on deferred maintenance in the first year, then don't buy the LR4.
Back to your regularly scheduled LR4 maintenance...
Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee
Well-known member
Thank you very much, I recall owning a 67 XKE in '78, again, thank you for the reminder I will stay clear of these as well, but I really like the look and the interior.
SkiWill
Well-known member
I'm not as familiar with the 4.4 LR3 since I don't own one, but externally the looks are very similar, and they are supposedly some of the most reliable vehicles JLR has ever made. So maybe look in that direction for a hobby car.
To be fair, the LR4 is night and day more reliable than that '67 Jag was in '78. But, the LR4 will have high maintenance costs and you will need to stay on top of the maintenance. For me its worth it given the other benefits, but I totally understand why it's not for most people.
Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee
Well-known member
@SkiWill thanks again! I'm not sure "most reliable vehicles JLR has ever made" equates to the reliability of my F-150, the XKE was one of the best Jags ever made, 
Seems cost of ownership goes down with lower priced vehicles, like my TR 4-A and my Bugeye Sprite were both pretty reliable and inexpensive to repair, back then I could do most of it myself. I can't turn a wrench like I use to and I'm lost with late model vehicles, I don't even change the oil on my 1800 VTX trike myself.
Thanks, but I'd better just admire the Rovers, Mercedes, Jags, Porsches and such others. I even passed up on an '89 VehiCROSS, love those, now 33 years old!
Seems cost of ownership goes down with lower priced vehicles, like my TR 4-A and my Bugeye Sprite were both pretty reliable and inexpensive to repair, back then I could do most of it myself. I can't turn a wrench like I use to and I'm lost with late model vehicles, I don't even change the oil on my 1800 VTX trike myself.
Thanks, but I'd better just admire the Rovers, Mercedes, Jags, Porsches and such others. I even passed up on an '89 VehiCROSS, love those, now 33 years old!
mmbirtcher
Observer
Put new front brakes on the other day after having Lucky 8 send me EBC discs, pads and a new sensor. The dealership wanted about $1500 for that job. Parts cost me about $450 from Lucky 8. They use their LR’s to what I would say is their design limits so I use what they recommend. I did have to purchase a set of thin wrenches from Home Depot to get the calipers off and a 21mm 12-point is required for the pad holder-bracket thingy.
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mmbirtcher
Observer
I used a 1/2” breaker with a pipe extension over the handle.
mmbirtcher
Observer
I recently had the 4 in for replacement of the recall fuel tank flange. While there, the dealer did a multi-point inspection which included an air/fuel ratio CE light. Among other things, they stated it needed all new exhaust and catalytic converters to the tune of about $10k. No kidding.
A month or so later, I did the spark plugs and found a split air tube that’s part of the emissions system. I replaced it and the CE has been gone for over 2000 miles. The lack of investigative skills of technicians is incredible. the independent shop I now use said they always check all the emissions vacuum lines and such when the light comes on.
A month or so later, I did the spark plugs and found a split air tube that’s part of the emissions system. I replaced it and the CE has been gone for over 2000 miles. The lack of investigative skills of technicians is incredible. the independent shop I now use said they always check all the emissions vacuum lines and such when the light comes on.