I guess thats the ideal - know where the weakpoints are and sort them before problems arise. I Guess the major on mine is the suspension so an option would have been to replace all ball joints and links and be done with it? Maybe I will have to anyway I suppose. Its frustrating when there is no warning beforehand I suppose but I take your point.
T

Not a blue one...no

Well, not intended to be defensive, honest. But think about that advert for the VW Golf, the one where various car salesmen use the line "Just like a Golf"

Just like a Range Rover, eh ??

The original and still the best. No question about it really. Literally everything else I've driven is a poor second, and second place is the first of the losers. Is it perfect? No. Doesn't have to be thought. Just has to be the best available option, which I reckon it is.

Get the tools out, fix it up, and fall back in love. You know it makes sense.

For those of us with a few miles on our clock the "just like a golf" always brings a smile. Back a while CAR magazine was given a Golf long term test car that prompted them to put a picture of a lemon on the front cover and list the problems. Let's just say the brand managers at VW saw all their clever advertising undone in an instant. I think they withdrew their advertising from CAR for some time. We should remember that a lot of what we perceive about LR and the others is down to how they are presented in the media. We all know you should never believe what you read in the papers.

I think others have highlighted some of the shortcomings of the other brands and I can only reflect on the fact that my sister now drives a D4 after finally losing patience with Mercedes (an E-Class estate). 2019 D5 HSE Lux SDV6 Indus
55 D3 SE
98 MX5 1.8 RS
gone 17 older variants of FFRR

Just looking through your history of motors and see some similarity. Saab x2, BMW x2, Merc x1, Lancia Integrale, Skoda, Ford, Vauxhall, Mazda but I always seem to have a Range Rover as a constant. Either you get it or you don't. It's your choice as an individual regardless of what anyone else says. If it works for you then stick with it. Which of my cars do I regret getting rid off most? The Integrale - it kept needing work, broke down several times, stripped its main bearings but did I hate it? No. 2019 D5 HSE Lux SDV6 Indus
55 D3 SE
98 MX5 1.8 RS
gone 17 older variants of FFRR

I have gone through a history of unreliable cars too, perhaps it happens to most of us that try something different to the norm.

I had a 1971 Mercedes Stacked Headlight S class which cost a fortune to run, was a complete rust bucket, but always got appreciating looks and comments, was amazingly comfortable and I still consider getting one again even though it nearly bankrupted me.

I had a Series 3 SWB that had many mechanical issues that cost me a fortune as a student to fix, but even with its basic comforts and vague steering, brakes, heating etc, I loved driving it and still want another one.

I had a 1994 RR Classic that had constant problems with the electrics and suspension, but I will always remember my last drive in it after storing it in the garage for a year and the smile on my face for the few moments it seemed to work well. You cannot beat the different driving position and character compared to most other cars. I still want another one.

Touch wood my L322 has been reliable, I have had the brakes and bushes changed and although the costs hit you in the gut initially, after driving a fiat hire car for a week, when I got back in the FullFat the smile came back again.

I've also had a range of cars that were reliable and trusty (Golfs, BMWs, Mercedes) and despite the reliability I cannot really remember and great feelings driving them, and would never get them again.

There are some cars that are built to just fulfill a purpose, and there are some cars that try to fulfill a dream. Dreams are rarely as good in reality but without them our lives would be hollow. That's why i drive a Range Rover. Tom

Current Drive
2011 4.4 TDV8 Autobiography - Santorini Black - Ivory Leather

Previous Drives
2004 Model Vogue Td6 (Touchscreen) - Java Black - Parchment Leather
1994 RR Classic 3.9 V8 Soft dash - Niagara Grey - Grey Leather
1972 Series III SWB Safari - Green (Hand Painted) - Black Plastic

Here is my 2 cents worth. We have a Toyota Landcruiser VXR (Company car) that spends at least a week per month in the workshop to have something fixed, A/C, steering, suspension, brakes, clutch, leaking seals etc. etc. etc. Compared to that the S/C is a dream, sofar I had both rear brake calipers (cheap as chips) and the A/C (expensive but considering it didn't move for two full years probably understandable).

So the supposedly most reliable 4WD in the world turns out to be the least reliable car I ever had (and I had Alfa Romeos, a lot of them, including a GBP 200 Alfetta that made laughing stock of brand new cars during a pretty cold winter !!). I switched to Japanese cars because of the poor reliability of all the other cars I drove (British, American, Italian, French although my Peugeot 405 diesel was extremely reliable) and the Landcruiser and my Civic both weren't that great. The Galant V6 I had was brilliant though.

Still the S/C has been great for the past 10,000 miles and Lagos is not kind on cars (it is almost like driving offroad especially in the rainy season right now). So Tom, I am very sorry to hear that you have a bad apple out of the basket with probably a higher percentage of bad apples then say Toyotas but still, just look at the forum, there are also a lot of good FFRRs around.

Once you do lose faith in a car, I feel you should get rid of it but if you like the model, maybe give it another try with a good one (Gary Elliot ??) as they aren't all bad and that goes for FFRRs and Landcruisers  MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

Not sure where I start.

I currently own three Land Rovers. One leaf sprung. One coil. One air. My FF is my 5th LR in 7 years including the other two I own. Two V8 Discovery 1's preceeded my FF. My 300Tdi 110 is my first and a constant.

I'm on my second E-Class. First one was mechanically solid and utterly reliable, but the body went to lace. The second will be / is mollycoddled. Quality ain't like the W124 (especially the electrics), but it's gorgeous and sinister and subtle.

Previous VW's (solid, but anodyne other than my old Scirocco), Alfa's (utterly charming), Saab's (solid, stout and staid but bloody marvellous!!). You get my drift.

I went into FF ownership with my eyes open. I knew I'd have big bills (and need big balls to justify they needed paying) and I don't regret it. Yet.

The experience is unique, like my other LR's. I can park it and just look at it all day long. Beautiful thing! Wouldn't do that with an Audi or ML. I can drive it sedately with not a care in the world. It relaxes me like no other car has ever done. I can sit inside it and the interior oozes class and style and magnificence. I don't have to worry about the weather or the roads or the load. It's consumately capable. It's a complete package. Si. <This is my name.

I eat rat poison.

A man ain't truly been insulted until he stands buck naked in front of a woman and she didn't even notice. Or care.

I am sorry to hear you are having such a bad time with your car. From my experience I would say the Range Rover is maligned and yours sounds worse than normal. If you like the brand a lot and want to win, perhaps chop it in for another one? So at least you win in the end and prove to yourself it was just that one car.

I am new to the current shape one but had a P38 4.6 before, the supposed bad Range Rover, she was a total sweetie! Did 126,000 miles, faultless, even got featured in LRO! Rescued broken down cars including Golf, Disco 2, new Range Rover.

I also know another three high mileage P38s 4.6 of differing age, NONE have ever been naughty, all now high mileage. And yet these cars are awful according to many who have never owned one. I know there ARE some horror stories out there too! Usually from poor care and ignoring noises getting worse for the most part.

Anyway I am not trying to sound smug just highlight from personal experience that Range Rover's are really not bad and if you really like the brand and it is do-able chop that naughty one in for an 07 or 08 plate TDv8 one owner with full LRSH and get a warranty with it and hopefully become a very happy bunny!

Good luck with what you decide! That all said, if you want the ultimate vehicle it has to be a Suzuki GSX-R but that said not sure how much horsey vet kit you will get on it!!! Good luck with whatever you go for!!

Just to further highlight the image thing with cars. I have one of the (BEST) Mercs ever, the last s124 estate E320, totally pampered all it's life same Merc dealer from new, most reliable car with nothing ever really going wrong on it sir..... NOT!! Various ongoing problems from suspension to engine to air con!! And the car has no excuses. Perhaps that makes you feel a tad better???

Sorry to hear about your problems, but I have to side with the others here. They are what they are, and as I love driving it sooo much, I wouldn't contemplate anything else. Yes, I've had a few issues - one very expensive one, but I repair it, and get on with it. The bad memories soon fade once I'm driving it.

Oh, and I also have an 86 Range Rover - that the media reported as being one of the most unreliable vehicles ever made. It has been in our family for 18 years, and has NEVER left us stranded. It has always been well maintained, and anything that needed replacing always was. The only fault that has occured was the lights not working once - suprise, suprise - but once the car was 'de-lucased' we had no more issues.

I've had plenty of other cars that have given me a lot more grief than any of the LR's I've owned.

Just my 2 cents worth - I wouldn't drive anything else.