Sounds about normal for Land Rover customer service!
Following a poor initial experience my car hasn’t been near a dealer in the 4+ years I have had it, but two weeks ago it went in to have the front brake hoses replaced under the recall notice…..

I booked it in 5 weeks in advance as I needed a curtsey car and had told them I needed it back that day or the next as it was being MOT’d and serviced elsewhere later that week (actually the Thursday)

Arrived at 8am Monday morning, they were expecting me and I was duly give a brand new 16 plate Discovery Landmark (fully loaded and a mighty impressive vehicle)

At about 4pm I got a phone call – “Sorry, we’ve had to order some parts for the recall, they are arriving tomorrow. Your discs and pads are xx% worn, would you like us to replace them?”
They quoted a reasonable price for the discs and pads (probably as all the wheels were off anyway!) and I said please go ahead, although I did point out that having booked the job in 5+ weeks ago I was slightly surprised no one had bothered to check they had the correct parts in stock.

4pm Tuesday “Sorry, we won’t be able to finish the work today, we have been unable to bleed the brakes and have ordered a new set of hoses and a new set of calipers, can you pick it up tomorrow?”
I ask why they think its necessary to fit a new set of calipers given the old ones had worked perfectly for nearly nine years, but having established Land Rover/the dealer are paying, I’m really not too interested (and secretly quite pleased!)
I say that’s fine, but I need it back by 3:30pm as I’ve a school induction for my eldest son.

2pm Wed when I call the dealer, “Sorry, it won’t be ready until about 6pm” so we agree I will pick up at 8am on Thursday – remember, its going for a service and MOT at the independent I use…..

8am Thursday I arrive at the dealership. Chap who is looking after everything for me is with another customer so I wander to the kids play room, which happens to have a massive window into the workshop (very impressive, 20 or so lifts and all spotless)
There on one of the ramps is my car with no wheels on……

I’m pretty at this point and stalk back out to reception where a lady asks me if she can help. I loudly explain that

• I am here to pick my car up to take if for a service and MOT elsewhere
• That doesn’t look likely as its currently sat on a ramp with no wheels on
• They can put my car back together, drop it off at my independent, drive their curtsey car to my work, at which point they can have the Discovery back!

The chap dealing with my vehicle then breaks off from the other customer and offers to service and MOT my vehicle for free. Ok I say, call me when it’s done and leave.

Friday – not finished the service, I can keep the Discovery for the weekend.
Monday – MOT done, failed on a rear hose and a hub bush. I tell them to fix it and re-MOT.
Tuesday – We’re waiting for the parts to arrive
Wednesday – We’re fitting the parts but cant get booked in for the MOT retest until torrow.

Thursday – I phone them. At 4pm, 4:30pm and 5pm. Can’t get through to the chap dealing with my vehicle, no one else can help, no call back.
5:30pm I phone them and ask to speak with the Dealer Principal. Constructive conversation ensues and car is promised to be ready, fully valeted, the next morning.

Friday midday – I finally pick my car up, all work complete fully valeted and with a Harvey Nick’s hamper on the passenger seat.

So, two weeks to complete a brake hose recall, it cost the dealer free service and MOT and Land Rover a brand new set of Brembo calipers!
Given I had a brand new Discovery for the duration it wasn’t too much of a hardship, but it was a shambles and has rather put me off buying a 405 as my next car. 2007 Zermatt Silver TDV8 Vogue SE - now sold but was a great car!

Bad i know, but it sounds like you had a really great result.

Ok update time..........

drum roll ..........

I have my car back

I had to threaten that if I did not have it back by 12pm today them it would be nearly 3 weeks before I could pick it up and the hire car would be sat in a field somewhere, etc....

So I've had more phone calls / updates in 3 hours this morning than I have had in a month, including a first call at 7.45am from the dealership ! resulting in my picking the car up at 1pm. The guy dealing with it today was very nice, professional etc.... and I simply could not be bothered making a fuss.

As expected I got nothing in writing but had a good chat with him about what the issue was. His comments:

- they have had a few with this problem
- it first started with the run out previous models
- the 3 litre L405 use the same engine with some modifications
- they have now started to see the issue with L405's with a wide VIN range from first production (mine is a March 2015 car I think made in early 2015)

When I asked does that mean the new engine in my car could suffer the same fate again he said no the effective VIN range was known.

This implies to me that JLR have identified the root cause and rectified it but it affects late old model and at least L405 manufactured to early 2015 ie quite a VIN range as he stated.

Re the Turbo's they where changed as a precaution (and caused the delay due to being on back order) as the back pressure when the engine had ceased had filled them with oil.

I asked if I had to run the engine in and he said no, drive it as normal but it will take some driving hours for the ECU's to relearn my driving style and in particular adapt the gear changes. So that implies the ECU's have been reprogrammed. I'm not sure if its because they are coded to an engine or if new software was needed for a revised later engine.

So there you go, car drove like a dream (I've already done 100 miles in it) and fingers crossed.

ps I never got asked anything about the hire car at all, so I left it dumped on the dealership parking with the keys in the cup holder.
JLR phoned me an hour later to see how I was getting on as they had been unable to get an update from the dealership , yes I did laugh out loud when they said that. I gave them the good news, no one mentioned the hire car.
So "poor rangy" will probably sit on the dealership forecourt for god knows how long before someone realises it needs to be dehired but I have a get out of jail free card re the damage as anyone could have driven it the minute I drove off site

So the only good thing to come out of this is confirmation that I don't like the Range Rover Sports

Welcome back!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Glad you got it back., looked like it was touch and go there for a while 😄😄 2015 4.4 AB
GSXR 1000 K5
R1 1998

Nice one mate, glad it all got sorted. What did the whole process take, a month?
In all honesty, even though the dealer treated you like , thats not a bad turn-around for a new engine.
I know I've had cars gone for longer for much less work. Well done for persevering  Jordan


'56 SC 4.2 ‘21-Current
'56 SC 4.2 ‘16-‘18

Glad it's sorted. And I bet the 'poor Rangey' is too!

Update after having the car back now for a few days........

I'm getting some sort of transmission shake it's quite subtle but given I experienced a shake in the minute before the engine blew I have got to assume it's related.

I am actually going away tomorrow and when I get back I'm travelling around the country for a week or so in the car so I won't get chance to get it into a dealership for probably a month. Given JLR think I went on holiday last week I'll phone them when I get back next week to report the issue and get the car booked in. I'm tempted to take it to a different dealership though, probably Liverpool.

Ps not heard anything about the hire car but I did miss a call today from the dealership who left a message for customer service feedback

And you posted on a public forum that you damaged their car, if they ask you about it you are going to say you didn't do it and anyone could have done it as you abandoned it at the dealers, insecure, with the keys in it.

That is Fraud, I believe the maximum penalty is currently 10 years....

It's also questionable that failing to inform them that you caused damage to their car is a criminal act..... Pete
__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

Damn, I'll turn myself in

Obviously you know little of criminal law but sure can use a keyboard

My mate has had this yesterday with his sport!
SDV6 with 11,000 miles?

Haylands wrote:

And you posted on a public forum that you damaged their car, if they ask you about it you are going to say you didn't do it and anyone could have done it as you abandoned it at the dealers, insecure, with the keys in it.

That is Fraud, I believe the maximum penalty is currently 10 years....

It's also questionable that failing to inform them that you caused damage to their car is a criminal act.....

WTF?

Haylands is correct in his deduction of the law on this one, we can all sympathise , but there are limits, just saying

Frauds only 4 iirc lol on a side note I was talking to a tech at the main stealers the other day and he said they will all be recalled soon as it seems to be a sensor problem L322 2008 vogue
R53 Cooper S Works tuned beyond the works SOLD
R33 Nissan Skyline in rebuild 400bhp atw