LR3 or LR4

ezzzzzzz

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2010
604
7
SE Va
I'm looking for another thorn in my backside. It will be for the wife and not driven off-road (for the time being). I'm looking for constructive criticism and advice as what to look for, pitfalls, etc. Right now I'm considering a LR3 or LR4. Any other recommendations? Input?
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
561
Seattle
Three words: pre-purchase inspection. Maybe that's two words.

Drive them both, get a feel for what you like or don't like, what features or packages you really want. That alone might help you narrow the choices. Others here will have more (and better) suggestions.
 

ERover82

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2011
3,899
450
Darien Gap
LR4: Better interior materials and design. More power. Better ride quality. Better exterior finish and design. Newer tech. Is that worth $10k more to you?
 

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
837
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
What is better about an LR3? They are getting pretty old and clapped out. The interior of an LR4 will hold up much better, IMO.

Jimmy, between a fuel pressure regulator in the return line and a combo of fuel pressure sender and PWM fuel pump controller, I am not sure I'd pick the second.
And that's the first thing I ran into. It was an expensive run-in with a thousand-dollar tow.
I do enjoy the power of the 5.0, though.
 

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
837
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
I've replaced at least a dozen fuel pumps on LR3s. The issues that you and Ben have experienced are rare as far as I know.
Yeah, but the symptoms were identical to a tee, and both were misdiagnosed by two different dealerships.
What we're may be onto here is this - it took about 15 years for people to be reasonably proficient in D1 troubleshooting and repairs and lifehacks. This time may never even happen for 5.0 LR4s (while the LR3 common knowledge base seem to be still growing).
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
561
Seattle
My Land Rover buddies in South Africa avoid the TDV6 on used vehicles. According to them, they are prone to camshaft failures and the cost of replacing that is prohibitive. At least in that market. People unload their D3s before that happens.
 

mgreenspan

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2005
4,723
130
Briggs's Back Yard
I've read about about the crankshaft nonsense on the engines. It doesn't seem as rampant as HGs on Rover V8s. Apparently using poly TFE engine treatment solves the cause of the engine seizures but doesn't change the poor design of the bearing obviously. Gasoline is out of the question for a vehicle in the UK so TDv6 it would be if I get a D3/4.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
I've read about about the crankshaft nonsense on the engines. It doesn't seem as rampant as HGs on Rover V8s. Apparently using poly TFE engine treatment solves the cause of the engine seizures but doesn't change the poor design of the bearing obviously. Gasoline is out of the question for a vehicle in the UK so TDv6 it would be if I get a D3/4.

We had a guy come to our shop from another market that sells them in the defender. He said they put a lot of engines in the Defenders that run them. Thats all I'm basing it on.