Good evening gentleman.

I have made the transition from disco 3 and then disco 4 ownership to a FFRR, and have frequented the relevant forums. Needless to say, having purchased a 2008 Range Rover vogue I am very pleased with having moved over to the FF side!

However, I have an issue with starting the car sadly. I have done a search but a scenario that replicates mine seems hard to find. When I turn the ignition key, half the time the ignition goes through the stages and starts as per normal. The other half of the time, when I turn the key once the the screen comes on, the second turn I get no dash lights and consequently no starter motor engagement. When this happens, i turn the key back and forth and I can tease it jnto doing the starting procedure. Further to this, when is does start after this pantomime, I receive a 'transmission fault, selected gears only' message. I then turn the engine off and restart and the car will drive fine, gearbox fine, no issues at all. The car is in exceptional condition, with sub 80k on the clock and been serviced regularly.

I hope my explanation makes sense, any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated indeed.

Many thanks indeed,

Russell

Am going to get in before Stan and say try a battery reset before anything else.

Failing that it could be down to the battery voltage. Most electrical problems seem to be caused by low battery voltages and or alternator problems.

Have a look at the battery is it an original LR one? Is it date stamped to see if it has been changed.

Use the search function on here and search for Hidden menu. This will let you have a look at some of the parameters when the car is running. Use this to see a rough voltmeter on the centre screen which then will give you an idea of whether the alternator is doing a good job. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
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I've seen something very similar recently on a 2007 TDV8 - turned out to be a faulty ignition switch.
This wasn't expensive but a right PITA to fit, the fact that the dealer had one in stock suggests that it might be fairly common?

Good evening, gentlemen.
This evening I gained entry to the diagnostics menu on the nav screen. I was able to read a battery voltage of 12.5v without the engine running, and 14v with it running. Would this be in line with what should be expected of the battery? It's not a landrover one, and doesn't look too old but isn't dated sadly.

It is getting worse, sometimes nothing happens at the click of the 2 ignition. Anybody have a guide on fitting a new one, and does it involve getting keys changed etc?

The one thing that doesn't add up to me is why the transmission fault occasionally, but I suppose the electrics on these things are strange!

Your help greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Russell

Those voltages look about right,
If it is the ignition switch at fault then you don't need to swap keys or recode things, the electrical bit detaches from the rear of the ignition barrel.
I can't remember which website we found the instructions to do the job but it wasn't difficult just very time consuming because there was loads of dismantling to do starting with the plastic trims in the drivers footwell and working upwards. I do remember that remove most of the dash to get to the bit we wanted.

Well that's good to know, I think I may get it booked in somewhere, the thought of all those dash clips is making me nervous!

Thanks.

Russell

In the event that any one else experiences the issues described above, it was the ignition switch that was faulty. I have had the electronic part replaced, not the whole barrel, and the vehicle is behaving normally again!

Thanks for your information.

Russel