Being in the third year of L405 3.0 TDv6 ownership and being a huge fan of the engine, with no concerns about it's crankshaft, reliability or longevity, thought it was time to try and collate some stats from this forum... based on L405 fact, as opposed to speculation and/ or rumour.

The poll is intended for votes from those who have or have had a 3.0 TDv6

Inputs from mechanics who have been presented with L405s with 3.0 TDv6 crankshaft failure/ associated issues/ any advice on preventative steps/ remedy most welcome... unless suggesting "prevent experiencing failure by not buying the 3.0 TDv6"

The poll is not intended as a place to recount crankshaft failures on the RRS or the LR Discovery (L405 stats only please).



Ps... the forum moderators will be asked to QA those who vote to see if your history indicates you ever having claimed to have a 3.0 TDv6 L405

One theory Ryan, is that as cars get over 3yrs old and fall out of the dealer network, the engine oil servicing falls way below the standard of oil JLR recommend... The engine oil used in the 3.0 does not mix correctly with "other" oils allowing clots (for want of a better term) to build up and eventually block oil journals... Usually the crank fails on the rear most crankshaft baring! This to me suggests the rear journals are the smallest oil ways and more susceptible to blockage...

This is the same as 2.2 Defender and the 2.2 Transit engines... All of which fail the exact same way as above...

Thats my theory for what its worth sir

Another point to consider, if all servicing carried out by main agents was carried out by experienced staff then there would never be mistakes made in filling the engines with the wrong oil grade And would such mistakes ever be admitted to? Or even discovered?

The type of constructive and objective reply I'd hoped you might offer Craig. Very insightful and definitely one for owners to be asking those who service their cars about before any work is done (what oil do you intend to use?).

Cheers

17 votes logged and so far so good

Last edited by pld118 on 24th Jan 2020 2:27pm. Edited 1 time in total

To keep things balanced; despite 17 votes to date all reporting no crankshaft issues:-
From the associated crankshaft link, there is the odd example on this forum of L405 3.0 TDv6 crankshaft related failure -
https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic45832.html

However, due to being unconvinced over a 3 year period that there is an L405 crankshaft epidemic (the 3.0 L405 has been on UK roads since 2012), the gist of this thread is twofold:

(i) To find out from forum members whether or not their L405 3.0Tdv6 engines are/ have been a weakspot, based on confirmed crankshaft/ associated failures in L405 models - or in fact whether the 3.0 TDv6 should be considered a sweetspot

(and)

(ii) To find out from those who have experienced a crankshaft related failure in the L405 3.0 TDv6, whether they were left high and dry to pay repair bills themselves (or whether it was covered in some reasonable way)


Last edited by pld118 on 24th Jan 2020 2:27pm. Edited 2 times in total

I have a friend with a 2013 L405 3.0 with over 280k kilometres on it and I dont think its ever been serviced on time in the last 5 years and never by a main dealer since he got it in 2015. He would put cooking oil in it without a second thought and I also have a customer with a 2016 discovery with a 3.0 in it and it ate its crankshaft with 12k kilometres on it. He did get a new engine gratis as it was less than a year old at the time. Just my personal experience,, I do like the 3.0 engine and it suits the L405 but my preference is for the 4.4

If your buying second hand then I think the worry of a 3.0 might be a factor unless its covered by a comprehensive warranty that includes this issue. 2015 4.4 AB
GSXR 1000 K5
R1 1998

I have now owned 1 Disco and 3 RRS fitted with the Sdv6 and Tdv6 engines and never experienced a problem. That said the longest I kept any of the cars was 3 years.

I’m currently looking around for a L405 3.0L as after having driven the 3.0 and 4.4 I didn’t think that there was a great deal between them. I’m onboard with Craig regarding a robust service regime and once cars are out of warranty I tend to service them every 6 months using original or high quality oem parts and fluids.

Yes, we have all heard the horror stories of crank failures but based on my past experience of the engine I will happily buy a well serviced vehicle with the 3.0l lump in it.

Jim

Signing off as an L405 TDv6 owner after 6 happy and enjoyable years. That car proved itself very capable in all manner of circumstances, including effortlessly towing a trailer with another car on it.

Pleased to see that the poll and entries on this and many related, balanced , threads on this forum (to date) indicate a majority of L405 TDv6 owners on this forum with no issues, surely giving some level of assurance to current and potential L405 TDv6 owners, that there is no systemic problem for L405 TDv6 owners to contend with. Buyer beware? Yes, although caveat emptor ought to apply to all used cars that we buy? 😉

Our L405 TDv6 history:
Bought ours with 1 previous owner, having covered 42k miles. The car had been meticulously serviced/ quality oil changed until that point, an approach that was continued fastidiously under our ownership. Sold with 93k miles on the clock and looking/ driving as good as, if not better, than when we acquired it 6 years earlier.

Did we just get lucky that our TDv6 survived? Don’t think so. It’s now with a very happy new (eyes wide open) custodian and… shock, horror, that custodian paid a strong price for it (more than many 4.4 TDv8s on the market), and at the same time there were a number of others who wanted to buy the particular TDv6 as well (the point being not everyone has a downer on the TDv6 and they are certainly not worthless if you have or buy one).

Whilst not professing to be anything other than a RR enthusiast (ie certainly no technician/ engineer), I do now feel ‘owner qualified’ to endorse the TDv6 engine that was in ours:
If you have or fancy one, enjoy the L405 Tdv6 with confidence, just look after it 😉

Ps… at the time this post was made, there were 0 votes in all poll sections othe than 24 votes that said:
“No issues with my L405 3.0 Crankshaft (to date)” 👍😉👍

Deleted for pedantry.

Last edited by philip1972 on 2nd Mar 2023 6:36pm. Edited 1 time in total

 “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -where’s the fun in that?

Not off topic if its the same engine

The OP clearly states L405 3.0 only. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -where’s the fun in that?

And this is the L405 section of the Forum. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -where’s the fun in that?

Christ.

I will delete my reply.

Pedantry rules

IF same engine its relevant

To be fair, this was posted in 2019… the title made clear it’s about L405 TDv6 experiences and the opening post made that clear too. Call pedantry if you like… some might call your posts on this particular thread … trolling 😉

Each to their own