L

Longtoe1

New Member
Hi my name is Chris and I'm new to this site and I am looking for some advice. If any one could help I would be greatly appreciated.

On driving my Range Rover 2.0 diesel engine has just been declared non repairable by a dealer after just 28k miles. The first I knew there was a problem was on a short run on the motorway in which the engine block light came on.

On phoning said dealer they advised me as the car was running ok to return home, as they did not have any service slots, and call Land Rover assist. I did just that and an AA representative visited my home and assessed the problem. On running some tests he asked to drive the car to the local petrol garage to see if he could hear anything. On his return he reported that it had an internal cotrol module fuel injection error message and software malfunction and also error message for exhaust gas re-circulation control. His conclusion was that the car was clear to drive.

The next morning I was taking the car to the dealer to get it serviced which by admission was late as it was at 28000 miles and my incorrect understanding was that it need to be done either at 21000 miles or two years. This was my fault.

However on route the car started to make a noise from the engine initially but nothing major and no indicators alerted. The car was delivered to the dealer who did checks and after two days have now stated that range rover have stated that the engine is unrepairable and that this had been caused by an oil leak due to the fact it had gone 7000 miles over the service period. Can I just state that at no point has the oil indicator alerted.

More so Range Rover have also said this is not covered under the warranty as it had gone so far beyond the 21000 miles without service. The report stated that the car had an oil leak and only had 2.5 litres of oil which this caused the damage.

My question is should this cause a 20 month old cars engine to fail and also why would the oil indicators light not appear if it was so low on oil. A friend of mine is a big Range Rover geek and he stated that the engine should still be able to operate without damage with that amount of oil.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as surely a high end car that is sold as an off roader and tough should not fail without certainly more warning and also why did the AA not pick this up?
 
There is a dipstick/oil level monitor on board is it the p400 PHEV?

Why did he need to take it out to specific place to check it over, baffles me..

Why not take it for a spin and return it to your dwelling and check the codes there with you looking over his shoulder..

Quite odd imo.

But yes, if they're not talking out of their arse a severely low oil level will spell disaster for an engine..

Rather funny that it has an oil leak at that mileage..

Ahh some things never change...

And TBH 20k between services is mental, no matter what pimp juice is flowing through that motor, no oil i've drained after 12k has ever looked healthy let alone 21k, quite the opposite.

Is it a heavy rattle or more of a light tap?

Oh and in my experience the oil level idiot light will only show when it's far to late.


Dealers are RIP OFF!! Merchants aswell, so be aware of that..
 
oh wow. where to start. Chris

first off. no matter how many sensors, check the oil and coolant and other rudimentary stuff regularly. relying on sensors is relying on a sensor not failing or sticking. did you ever pull the dipstick ? is there a patch of oil where you park it ? that knuckle rap over..

my cayenne needs a service. I looked at the service check list. what a load of gumpf… check door handle operation for security, windscreen wipers tyre pressures blah blah blah.. oh... air filter change, oil change that's it. plugs and serpentine belt is not on the service list, they are 'extra cost' items ! f...k off ! paying £220 + vat to do b/s that I check routinely and reset the service interval on computer. the point is, is that service intervals are guidelines. yes you can get the service stamp in the book, but what if you change plugs, oil and filters between intervals ? when I lived in Los Angeles it was common for people to do oil changes every 6 months regardless. it also depends on the environment the car is operated in. IE you can go 5, 10, 100, miles between services if you do routine maintenance.

so the engine is claimed as toast ? does it run ? if there was no oil in it, it would seize up. 10 miles dry would do that, even less! did they diagnose where the oil was leaking from ?

you'll notice on this forum that people are tearing engines apart, slipped liners, blown HGF's (done two myself) Bike Teacher Dave has just worked with a buddy of his on a strip down on an L322. unless you have a cracked block or slipped liners (V8 not a diesel) or ceased solid then the block is probably toast, but saying that, Saint v8 managed to rescue a seized solid block on my 1971.

I cant comment on tractor (diesel) ones there are others on here who have forgotten more than I will ever know about RR tractors but I suspect that the dealer is setting you up for a big bill. Diesel engines are more hardy than petrol ones. but i'll bet that a diagnosis of an irreparable engine is suspect!

don't give up hope.. and toss the dealer.
 
ukadamwest said:
oh wow. where to start. Chris

first off. no matter how many sensors, check the oil and coolant and other rudimentary stuff regularly. relying on sensors is relying on a sensor not failing or sticking. did you ever pull the dipstick ? is there a patch of oil where you park it ? that knuckle rap over..

my cayenne needs a service. I looked at the service check list. what a load of gumpf… check door handle operation for security, windscreen wipers tyre pressures blah blah blah.. oh... air filter change, oil change that's it. plugs and serpentine belt is not on the service list, they are 'extra cost' items ! f...k off ! paying £220 + vat to do b/s that I check routinely and reset the service interval on computer. the point is, is that service intervals are guidelines. yes you can get the service stamp in the book, but what if you change plugs, oil and filters between intervals ? when I lived in Los Angeles it was common for people to do oil changes every 6 months regardless. it also depends on the environment the car is operated in. IE you can go 5, 10, 100, miles between services if you do routine maintenance.

so the engine is claimed as toast ? does it run ? if there was no oil in it, it would seize up. 10 miles dry would do that, even less! did they diagnose where the oil was leaking from ?

you'll notice on this forum that people are tearing engines apart, slipped liners, blown HGF's (done two myself) Bike Teacher Dave has just worked with a buddy of his on a strip down on an L322. unless you have a cracked block or slipped liners (V8 not a diesel) or ceased solid then the block is probably toast, but saying that, Saint v8 managed to rescue a seized solid block on my 1971.

I cant comment on tractor (diesel) ones there are others on here who have forgotten more than I will ever know about RR tractors but I suspect that the dealer is setting you up for a big bill. Diesel engines are more hardy than petrol ones. but i'll bet that a diagnosis of an irreparable engine is suspect!

don't give up hope.. and toss the dealer.
Click to expand...
Probably doesn't have a dipstick.
 
Gulp!
Oil level check every week, esp if there is a drip on the driveway.
Oh man that's a harsh lesson and the dealers attitude sounds less than helpful. Wasn't he the one that said "drive it home" just after the Engine block light came on, and did not send a low-loader to bring the car in?
How many total miles on the clock? You say "After 28k miles" is that 28K miles in your ownership or 28K total?
I cannot imagine a brand new car failing so early, or a new owner failing to get the service done in good time so as to preserve the warranty; so I am assuming its 28K miles in your ownership with more on the clock.
You are in a tough spot for sure. My commiserations.
It may not be a total wreck, but I suspect you will get nowhere with that dealer at all.
 
DanClarke said:
Gulp!
Oil level check every week, esp if there is a drip on the driveway.
Oh man that's a harsh lesson and the dealers attitude sounds less than helpful. Wasn't he the one that said "drive it home" just after the Engine block light came on, and did not send a low-loader to bring the car in?
How many total miles on the clock? You say "After 28k miles" is that 28K miles in your ownership or 28K total?
I cannot imagine a brand new car failing so early, or a new owner failing to get the service done in good time so as to preserve the warranty; so I am assuming its 28K miles in your ownership with more on the clock.
You are in a tough spot for sure. My commiserations.
It may not be a total wreck, but I suspect you will get nowhere with that dealer at all.
Click to expand...
Methinks it's 28k total.
"The next morning I was taking the car to the dealer to get it serviced which by admission was late as it was at 28000 miles and my incorrect understanding was that it need to be done either at 21000 miles or two years"
Also the vehicle is only 20months off the line. So 28k sounds about right.
Wasn't there someone else a while ago with engine failure that the dealer tried to fob off.

Addit: Just remembered , it was a 100k engine and they were told they had had their moneys worth at that mileage.
 
Approach the supplying dealer politely ask if theres anything they can help with ........such as a policy claim where the manufacturer makes a contribution , some times all of it.......but bare in mind its not the dealers responsability or decision.
Second thing......if the vehicle is on finance its the property of the finance company and they can be persuaded to stump up for repairs
Third thing.....read your warranty terms and conditions.......your car is warranted against manufactureing faults, not owner neglect
 
2.0 diesel in Range Rover Sport has a mechanical dipstick so relies on the driver to check the oil level.

Failure to carry out maintenance in line with manufacturers’ schedules means that the part that fails (engine in this case) is not covered under the terms of the warranty.

All clearly explained in the handbook
 
gold rover said:
I have to say , on any vehicle, let alone a new one, going 30% over the given schedules, is a ' hell mend you' act. Also everyone with an ounce of sense , understands it's always stated as x miles or y years whichever comes soonest. Not choose which one suits.
Click to expand...
Was exactly what I was just going to say after seeing your previous post.
OP is between a rock and a hard place I think. It may NOT be totally trashed, but it will be damaged.
How do you get a dealer who doesn't want to engage in a fix, to do something positive?
 
DanClarke said:
Was exactly what I was just going to say after seeing your previous post.
OP is between a rock and a hard place I think. It may NOT be totally trashed, but it will be damaged.
How do you get a dealer who doesn't want to engage in a fix, to do something positive?[/QUOTE]
Charm, persuasion and hope? Also the suggestion that social media is a powerful tool.
Click to expand...
 
Dealer probably doesn’t have a tech capable of rebuilding engine, so they prefer to fit a new one anyway, but over mileage on servicing is warranty get out.

Unfortunately we find ourselves accepting the fact,
 
Longtoe1 said:
On phoning said dealer they advised me as the car was running ok to return home, as they did not have any service slots, and call Land Rover assist.
Click to expand...

Why would any dealer advise you to take the car home and then ring LR assist, surely they would have just advised you to ring LR assist as they wouldn't be in a position to state it was ok to take home?

I would however take this up directly with LR if the dealer has stated they are not willing to assist. Irrespective of missing the service interval if it is an oil leak that has caused the problem then there is a defective part putting the responsibility onto them. You do however need to confirm there was definitely a leak from the engine and it was not just low from normal driving.
I note you have never actually stated you have never checked the oil level of the engine only that the first you knew there was a problem was when the engine warning light came on. Can you confirm if the oil level was ok before you set off?
 
I think the only slim thread you might have is the oil leak, that is a there fault, they don't make them to leak, so it shouldn't be there, and because it was it ran out of oil, so you could get a 50/50 split court decision, I would try and find my legal position on this first
 
Think you need legal advice rather than just opinions on here. There is a load of excellent info on this forum on how to build and repair, but no dealer or manufacturer is going to take any opinion stated here as evidence.
I would start Googling solicitors on this one.
 
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