Does the rep of "unreliable" still hold true?

[LR Max]

So far my LR3 has been reliable. That said, it has been maintenance heavy. They will require significant coin at 30k and 60k routinely.

If you can work on it yourself, that also helps out A TON on price. So far the only thing I haven't done is the transmission service (massive pain) and the alignment. Otherwise I've turned all my own wrenches. So that saves a bunch of money. Oh and I just bought tires. But it is what it is.

If you can keep up, as things fail, fix them and stay ahead on maintenance, they seem to be good. I've only got 5k on mine so far and its been a dream. Its been a very good in performance and comfort.

 

[counterbalance]

I read elsewhere that "about $200/mo" was a good number to use for your maintenance budget. I am personally a bit over that average -- $255 over the 22 months I've owned my '08 LR3 -- as I don't have the time to do my own, so I use a local indy mechanic. I've had all the usual issues -- AMK compressor upgrade, poly bushings, etc. -- and am hopeful I'm over the biggest repairs that are common around 90k miles. I hope that helps.

 

[MLu]

My D2 is my daily driver, it has 335,000 km on the clock and I put about 15-20k more on it per year. On average, it's needed about one trip on a flatbed per year. Some of the issues leading to that I could have maybe fixed or botched together if it was that kind of a situation, but on my way to the office I'm not going to start messing around underneath the damn thing on the side of the road. For an almost 20 year old vehicle, I'd say that's slightly worse than average as far as failures go, and it has been and continues to be slightly above average in terms of cost of ownership. That being said, the things that have failed are things that are sort of known points of failure, and more a question of being old, rusty and in road salt country rather than specifically due to being a Land Rover. I've ended up removing the ACE system and switched the airbags for steel, purely in the interest of removing possible future problems. That being said, there are a things that will fail, but the good thing is everything has already failed on someone else's truck, and the repair has been extensively documented. And most things can be fixed in your driveway.

It's the last of the "simple" rovers, while still being a good compromise between being fairly comfortable and half-decent off road.

Edit: oh, and the electronics have given me close to no problems at all, apart from a roof leak that led to some interesting behavior as the body control module got wet. But that sorted itself out as it dried.

 

[davis31052]

If you decide to buy a D2, expect to touch every single part and system from bumper to bumper. They are now pushing 20 yrs old, most likely a third owner, and little to no maintenance done. It'll need everything.
If its making the infamous "land Rover" tick, go ahead and do a full rebuild with top hat liners. The transmission, at least in my case, has been trouble free. Also remember, if you look at a LR D2 and its not leaking oil, don't drive it cause it out of oil.

My daily driver is a Toyota 4Runner. Every asks me "why do you spend money on a LR when you have a Toyota?".
My reply, "Anyone can do a cross-country tour in a Toyota. I'm gonna do it a 25 yr old British luxury 4X4, because I can".

 

[mpinco]

For pre-owned vehicles, not just Land Rovers, the only thing that matters is usage profile and maintenance history. Previous owners can be easy on a vehicle or they can trash them, no matter what they paid for them. There are poorly maintained LR4's that wouldn't make it across a state while there are D1/D2's you could drive across continents.

 

[JamesWhoo]

Reliability is very subjective. Depends upon maintenance and how hard you drive it. Some people can get 200K miles out of a vehicle with hardly any problems while other are in the shop all the time at 60k. If you take good care of your LR it will treat you right.

 

[Jwestpro]

Routine maintenance is pricey...mine is in now for upper front control arms...$1,200 or so.

$1200?! I did all 8 of mine last summer. Are you only having the UCA done. not the lower as well? It's the right time to do everything in that zone like sway bar bushings, end links, brakes, hubs, etc anything that might be needed.

 

[Tbacus]

One of the instructors at last years OEX put it well. He said Rovers and Toyotas are both very reliable. The Rover just needs more maintenance. I have a 1996 D1 that takes me to amazing places in the Utah desert. I never think twice about traveling out there alone and it has never stranded me (touch wood...). But before every long trip I do check the oil. Sure it’s a 20+ year old truck and things break, but as long as you keep up with it.

That said, my wife did just buy a 2011 Tacoma. I think she is trying to get me to turn it into our overland rig and leave the Rover at home. I was amazed how dry everything was under the hood. If my Rover wasn’t leaking oil somewhere, I would think it was empty.

 

[Victory_Overland]

One of the instructors at last years OEX put it well. He said Rovers and Toyotas are both very reliable. The Rover just needs more maintenance. I have a 1996 D1 that takes me to amazing places in the Utah desert. I never think twice about traveling out there alone and it has never stranded me (touch wood...). But before every long trip I do check the oil. Sure it’s a 20+ year old truck and things break, but as long as you keep up with it.

That said, my wife did just buy a 2011 Tacoma. I think she is trying to get me to turn it into our overland rig and leave the Rover at home. I was amazed how dry everything was under the hood. If my Rover wasn’t leaking oil somewhere, I would think it was empty.

I cruise around in my buddy's new Tundra and its super nice and rides great. My lady is stuck on a new Forerunner and I'm pretty sure she's gonna get whatever she wants since she's paying for it. However, we both love my 08 LR3 to death and her's will never be wheeled like mine is. They are great trucks and built for the average person to be able to afford, unlike the last few years of Rover's marketing strategy.

You're right though, no matter what vehicle we are going to own, if we rely on the dealer to do the maintenance after we drive the hell out of them and don't maintain them, it is going to cost thousands more than what some preventative maintenance and care would save us.

Hence, I work on my own....hahaha......

 

[TOUGE]

$1200?! I did all 8 of mine last summer. Are you only having the UCA done. not the lower as well? It's the right time to do everything in that zone like sway bar bushings, end links, brakes, hubs, etc anything that might be needed.

Land Rover is an absolute rip off, they quoted me $1600 for new tierod kits, installation and wheel alignment. A wheel alignment is $200 at the dealer and parts were $346(What I ended up paying just for both tierod kit) So that is around $1000 in labor for a 40-60min job.


My LR3 has been way more reliable than I expected. I bought it quite cheap for what they were for at the time with HD and cold weather package and spotty service history. I gave it every fluid possible change when I bought it and did a full front control arm rebuild(I knew this before buying it). Only thing I have die is the alternator and the rear shocks over the last weekend on Death Valleys notorious corrugated roads. The IIDtool has been a godsend though, I would have set the car on fire and left it on the side of the road if I wasn't able to clear the random and stupid codes the car throws.

I have had a 100 series Land Cruisers strip front diff( common problem with the first gen 100 series) while in deep mud and electrical issues with Toyota Prados(non fancy version of the Lexus GX the rest of the world got) all cars have their issues.

 

[LR Max]

$1600 for tie rods!!?? I spent $75 on LH and RH side (from LRDirect) combined and had it all wrapped up in about 2 hours. Spent $130 for a 3 year alignment warranty at Pep Boys. Good to go.

Seriously Tie Rods on a LR3 are easy.

 

[Victory_Overland]

Inner and Outers are super easy and parts are fairly cheap from any of the shops we use on here.

Yeah, LR is killing it on labor because they expect 95% of the people will not work on their own vehicles. Of course, they also are building them so we can't work on 90% of the parts.....lol

I can't even stomach buy parts from a dealer anymore when we have places like LRDirect and AB who provide great service and quality part selection.

 

[krick3tt]

Buying parts from AB directly is a good move but also they have many videos that explain and show how to do much of the work yourself, saving big dealer labor costs.

 

[SteveMfr]

Anecdotally you may find that there is a gulf between the Dii and D3/D4 platform in terms of reliability. The reputation earned by Land Rover for reliability was on full display with the Dii (and P38), particularly as that engine block really went past its years of good machining.

The D3/D4 platform is a completely different beast. In terms of reliability, it's head and shoulders better-there are things you'll need to account for because it is essentially a laptop with wheels but once that is accepted they can be superb trucks for your application.

This.

We get a LOT of insight into the problems people have with their LR's - not just electronics/diagnostics btw. Here are a couple of take-aways:
1. Mechanically, modern vehicles (not just LRs) are miles superior to their 20+ year old brethren. Comparing an axle replacement on a live-axle vehicle to an axle replacement on a modern LR is not really a good comparison (sorry TeriAnn...). Catastrophic axle failure on a newer LR is a rarer occurrence whereas axles were used more or less as mechanical fuses on older LRs. Older LR owners usually carry an axle or 2 as a spare if traveling to remote areas.
2. LR was... adventurous in the use of electronics in the 90's and BMW (who were always incredibly adventurous in this regard) didn't help. Ford fixed a lot when they took over, and from the Ford-generation vehicles on (ca. MY 2006 / AJV8 L322, Sport, LR3, LR4...) LRs became much more reliable.But even early L322s are light-years better than the P38... And the D2...
3. All more modern LRs are relatively reliable in that they will not often leave you stranded - but they may cause you to consider drinking heavily when it comes to ancillaries / sub-systems. And going to LR dealers to have these items repaired will cause even wealthy individuals to take up drinking. Find a good indy when you're out of warranty.

If you are a DIYer or plan on self-sufficiency for remote travels, you will need a diagnostic tool and some additional skills. Not hard in this day and age, tho. No more difficult than learning how a carburetor or diesel injection pump worked back in the day.

I drive my LRs with an utter minimum of service - not by design but because I have notoriously bad luck with any repair shops regardless if indy or dealer and because I don't have the time to do everything the way I'd like. Even my P38 was remarkably reliable for that (aside from heater stepper motors, door locks/BECM issues, and millions of other minor problems). In 25+ years of LR DD I've had only one issue where I needed a tow (knocking on wood) .

 

[mpinco]

At $200 for an alignment you have a dealer or a local cost/tax issue, not a LR issue. My recent LR4 alignment was $120.

Newer LR's are more complex, resulting in repair by the owner more difficult but not impossible. Access to help from the community is much better these days with forums. Beginning with a D1, through a RRC and now a LR4 my maintenance cost have been dominated by wear-out items, not failures. From brakes to fuel pumps to oxygen sensors to alternators. For older D1/D2/RRCs the top issues were door locks and window rocker switches. The lock issue was a small over center spring of GM origin while my RRC window switches comprised of springs and balls was made by ....... Mercedes.

The technology trajectory of all new vehicles will result in higher maintenance cost. It is why many are looking closely at the Cummins 2.8L diesel crate engine. Wouldn't be surprised to see someone drop one into a LR3/4. They are already going into Defenders, D1's, D2's and RRC's.

Recent trip to dealer - someone brought in a LR4 for "service". It was trashed, from body damage to interior to I'm sure many unseen issues. Some kid attending a local college, out of state plates, parents probably paid for LR4 and needed maintenance. ..........Dealer parts list was $14K. I wouldn't drive that truck down the block. I would drive my D1 across the country without thinking twice.