I may or may not be a Technician for a well known company and am happy to answer any questions anyone has if they wish to privately email me or make a public reply, feel free to do both. I have nothing to hide. (Expect who I am and where I work) I remember 2 of these cars people are talking about and fell bad they they leave the dealership the way they do. Firstly, let me say that a lot of these service lights issues are just updates that require a quick 20 plug into a computer as slot of the JLR cars need constantly updating. I know of an SVR that a tech has spent 1.5 days updating because all but 3 modules were out of date ( the car was 6 months old ). Its a shame that they need constant updates and Technicians get told not to update everything because it would take days to get just one of them up to date, yet some of the updates worry even me ( ABS being one of them ). The oil service indicator is a common update that happens to a lot of RR's, which is a wonder how they havent solved the issue by now.

It's a shame to see so many easily solved problems by just a simple computer update.

So why haven't JLR launched SOTA?

I have a friend who worked quite high up the JLR management (since been head-hunted) and she told me that SOTA was just about ready to go in April( she helped test it in a Disco 5). She was surprised that it wasn't available when I spoke to her in April. All LR cars from 1984
2021.5 Vogue SE D300 Carpathian Grey
2018 Vogue SE British Racing Green GONE

Is that an abbreviation for Sort Out The holes

To "not a tech" I would be worried about software updates on a otherwise fully working car , it might make workshop hours but what could it achieve for the owner .

To "Brunel" Get a low cost code reader , it wont read some of the very specialised codes on a RR but it will turn of the warning lights and help you diagnose some future problems

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vgate-VS890-Max...41cf9e5ada

This works well from my experience

Thanks. That is cheap. Have you tried it and do you recommend it?

With respect, should any of this be necessary on a high end luxury 4x4 +/- 100 k ?

Yes I bought the same unit at the start of 2018 and used it on various cars , I paid more ! Just remember its only a reader that will give you a range of codes that you can look up on google it wont tell you down to component level what is wrong - just point you in the right direction . It will deffo switch off the engine management light .

Thanks. I’ve ordered one

It is abundantly clear that the standard of customer service from a huge number of main dealers is simply outrageously abysmal. I first came across this from a main dealer 12 years ago and it is just criminal that LR have done diddly squat to sort it out since then. Talk about chickens coming home to roost, LR dealers (and LR themselves) have a dire reputation for customer sevice which they have proudly upheld for many a long year, right through the good times when it didn't matter (to them) up to the present where they are now moaning about falling off sales. REALLY!! So what exactly have they done to stop this, nothing, nothing whatsoever. It makes my blood boil. They have a world class product which they can't be bothered to design or build properly and then they use loads of complete charlatans to market it, then they wash their hands of it when they can't fix it (suspension knock on 405's!).

Their only saving grace is that most of the other 'premium' makes have exactly the same problem. All they have to do is to do their job properly, why is that so difficult? Drives:
2010 FFRR TdV8 Vogue - Stornoway Grey
2010 FFRR TdV8 Vogue SE - Zermatt Silver
1998 BMW E36 M3 GTII

It's about incentives (or lack of them) to deliver good customer service. If it was properly measured by JLR and the dealers and dealers suffered in their pockets for poor feedback (enforced by JLR imposing penalties or removing incentives) they would change. I don't believe that happens

Just spotted another thing (silly of me for assuming the PDI would have picked it up and for taking the salesman's word when I asked if it was in the car!) - no locking wheel nut adapter present. Tossers

These last posts are some of the most commonly talked about on this forum. Really is abundantly clear they really don’t give a rats ass. The issues stem from the top, whilst there are some very good dealers out there, they all get tarred with the same brush. It’s a problem of high demand sadly.

Sort of makes me smug that I am a bottom feeder, not been near a main dealer, ever, to buy a car, and not at all for @ 12 years (apart from super Dan@Duckworths)  .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

Brunel wrote:

Thanks. I’ve ordered one

The car obviously knew I was onto it - the morning before the scanner arrived the light disappeared!

It's been at the supplying dealer this week (returning tomorrow) to have all error codes looked at/reset; software updates done; servicing indicators reset; PDI done properly (I've been assured this time that they'll go through everything with a 'fine toothed comb'). The customer service chap I've dealt with has been excellent to deal with - I'll post a report once I've got the car back

Stuart