Looking at a 2013 LR4 - main areas of concern?

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
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AZ
Getting ready to pull the trigger on a 2012 LR4 with LUX package and REAR LOCKER.

As far as I can tell the only difference between 2012 and 2013 is radio/nav upgrades for 2013.

Anything else I should be concerned about? It’s going to have a PPI at the Land Rover dealership before I purchase and then fly to Sacramento to pick it up and drive 800 miles back home to AZ.
 
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Blue

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Mar 26, 2004
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Well, the LR4 in Sacramento fell through. Big surprise but the little dealership misrepresented the truck. They guaranteed that the truck had been inspected by a certified mechanic and all issues were repaired or replaced and it was ready to drive across the country. The PPI at Land Rover Sacramento showed 5 bad tires including a damaged (cut) inner sidewall on a front tire, some blown fuses, leaking coolant pipe, LCA bushings shot, right upper timing cover leaking, power steering hose leaking, bad serpentine belts, and 90K service almost 5K past due. Tried to get them to drop the price by $1000 to defray $1300 coolant pipe repair at LR Sacramento so I could fly up, install a cheap front tire and drive it back to AZ but they would only lower by $200. On with the search.....and always get a PPI!
 

Blue

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Mar 26, 2004
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Yep, ugh is right. I don't expect these little resellers to provide a perfect used car but you can only be so full of shit before it starts overflowing and getting on everything.
 

discostew

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Sep 14, 2010
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You probably dodged a bullet on that one. The coolant outlet pipe leaking is a sure sign it's been hot. I had one overheating in a really strange way. During the diag part of that job I overheated it a few times trying to figure out what was going on. Doing all that testing and boiling over I found out how quickly that coolant outlet pipe melts and comes apart at the o rings going down into the block. As soon as the light came on I could hear the coolant water hammer on the heater core and I shut the thing down. The coolant outlet had already melted. So any time I see that pipe leaking I figure it's beeen hot. Remember what I said earlier, once it gets hot,it's a boat anchor.

That truck would be fine all summer and start overheating regularly when it got cold up here. If I started it up in the shop at room temp I could drive it all the way home( 50 Miles). If I started it when it was outside in the single digit temps, I wouldn't make it 1/2 mile. It ended up being head bolts pulled out of the block. What I call a clamping failure.
 

Blue

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Mar 26, 2004
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My local mechanic said that both coolant pipes should be replaced by about 70k miles here in the AZ heat and definitely by 100k in other (cooler) climates. I had planned on renewing the coolant pipes as preventative maintenance anyway, no matter which one I buy. It’s going to be 117 here tomorrow for Pete’s sake!

Now the Sacramento dealership is considering having the Sac LR dealership renew the coolant pipes and throw on a new front tire to save the deal. We’ll see if they’ll do it for me. I sent them a long message today detailing the issues and the “unroadworthyness” of the vehicle. They are also asking me nicely to please pay for the PPI....
 

Blue

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Mar 26, 2004
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AZ
Used car lot / dealership, using them synonymously. I bailed on this one.
 

Blue

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Mar 26, 2004
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856
AZ
Can’t locate a decent LR4. May start looking at 2012 Range Rovers again...
 

p m

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Oh Bill,

Let me entertain you.
We drove from San Diego to Mammoth Lakes on Sat. - 420 miles. Upon arrival - noticeable gas smell. I chalked it to 9k ft difference in elevation and went to sleep.
Next morning - once you start the truck, it smells of gas. And there are drops of it on the protection plate under the tank.
Dan Kemper called it correctly in 10 minutes and told me what broke and what part to buy. It's on top of the gas tank.
Have some tools but not much, but ACE hardware is close by. Need either firewood or some jackstands - you don't want to pull the tank laying under an EAS truck.
Fast forward.
Local shop pulls the tank and JBWeld epoxies the crack in the filter housing (that we'd assume to be fuel pump housing in the tank). Charges me an hour.
Putting "Mammoth Lakes" in delivery address changes Amazon's delivery from "one day" to September 15.
LR Reno has the part at 2.5x the price, but won't sell over the phone and won't overnight ship. They could work on it, but schedule uncertain and they would need at least six hours to do pull and reinstall the tank. Not knowing that I already had a conversation with the parts department, service manager tells me it's a very high-demand part and it is unlikely they have it in stock. I tell him they have it and I know it.
Now how to get it... 162 miles between Mammoth and LR Reno. Judging by mileage and dashboard indicators, about 10% of gas goes not into the motor. I have the newfangled Expedition Exchange fire extinguisher, but it is not encouraging.
Mammoth-Yosemite airport is closed, and so are ALL car rental places around.
So...
My son to the bailout - the part comes from Hornburg Land Rover in Beverly Hills, at 4x the Amazon price, delivered to Mammoth Lakes in a rental Grand Cherokee.

Don't get me wrong, when these trucks run, they are the cat's meow. Better than Jerry McGovern's 110. But when they stop...

I will be proud of our Land Rover family if LR4 comes home not on a flatbed.
 

Howski

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Oct 19, 2009
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Alabama
Peter, I swear you seem to have gremlins in the worst possible scenarios. Blue, just think of modern Rover issues as a trade off for being glued to the temp gauge in a D2. The problems suck when they do happen but not as bad as popping a head gasket
 
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p m

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It may be true. But so far the ratio of flatbed miles to miles under own power is not in favor of LR4, compared to D1s and Classics.
I never needed more than a 100-mile tow AAA benefit until I got the LR4.
 

ERover82

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Nov 26, 2011
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Darien Gap
It may be true. But so far the ratio of flatbed miles to miles under own power is not in favor of LR4, compared to D1s and Classics.
I never needed more than a 100-mile tow AAA benefit until I got the LR4.

Unless something drastically changes, I'm done with JLR products. There are too many less pretentious and troublesome alternatives to persist in the belief that JLR has any honest relationship to the company that embodied the spirit of adventure.
 

Blue

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Mar 26, 2004
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Unless something drastically changes, I'm done with JLR products. There are too many less pretentious and troublesome alternatives to persist in the belief that JLR has any honest relationship to the company that embodied the spirit of adventure.

What are the alternatives? Toyotas run forever and don't break, which is phenomenal....I actually can only imagine the pure joy of virtually no repairs....but Toyotas are about as exciting and inspirational as a Honda generator. I also feel like I'm stuffed in a sock drawer when I'm in a 4-Runner...they are claustrophobic as hell. I guess I've been spoiled by the high ceilings and giant windows and all the interior airspace of my Discos. Even the RR feels a bit claustrophobic to me. Jeeps are junk, forget Ford - the Bronco looks encouraging but it's a year out and then who wants the first model year and they'll be unobtanium anyway. I have no interest in anything from Government Motors or any pickup truck in general, the MB G-Series is just too damn expensive, I'm not a liberal lesbian so Subaru is out, and the rest of the SUV offerings are just tall cars.
 

Blue

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Mar 26, 2004
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And Peter, your LR4 always sounds like a nightmare. Giving me second thoughts on an LR4 even if I found a good candidate.
 

ERover82

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Nov 26, 2011
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What are the alternatives? Toyotas run forever and don't break, which is phenomenal....I actually can only imagine the pure joy of virtually no repairs....but Toyotas are about as exciting and inspirational as a Honda generator. I also feel like I'm stuffed in a sock drawer when I'm in a 4-Runner...they are claustrophobic as hell. I guess I've been spoiled by the high ceilings and giant windows and all the interior airspace of my Discos. Even the RR feels a bit claustrophobic to me. Jeeps are junk, forget Ford - the Bronco looks encouraging but it's a year out and then who wants the first model year and they'll be unobtanium anyway. I have no interest in anything from Government Motors or any pickup truck in general, the MB G-Series is just too damn expensive, I'm not a liberal lesbian so Subaru is out, and the rest of the SUV offerings are just tall cars.

Plenty of pickup options. I find being able to carry cargo outside the cabin is very valuable. For SUVs: Chevy Tahoe, Nissan Armada, used Land Cruisers, Toyota Sequoia, Jeep Grand Cherokee. Bronco and Grenadier are on the horizon. None are home runs, and it depends on your use-case, but they're decent options for many.
 
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p m

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And Peter, your LR4 always sounds like a nightmare. Giving me second thoughts on an LR4 even if I found a good candidate.
oh no, it isn't by far and large. Besides a couple of "fucked up in the middle of nowhere" episodes -
I only had 400 miles riding on the bumpstops in the 100k miles in my ownership, which is better than average.
Coolant crossover pipes gave me enough of a sniff to get replaced in time - the outcome could be pretty bad.
Only two LCA/bushing replacements so far, one soon to follow.
The nightmare of timing chain guide replacement is still looming.

And you're correct, there are no comparable alternatives.
 

Blue

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Mar 26, 2004
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AZ
I think we may have a wiener.

Found a 2013 LUX and HD package loaded LR4 in Peter’s back yard. Waiting for PPI appointment confirmation from LR San Diego. 69k miles and good dealership service history. Same colors as my D2 - silver outside black inside....may make the loss of my loved one and the transition more bearable for my sensitive nature.
 
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