Well after almost 18 months of trouble free Full Fat Range Rover ownership I have/had a problem! A story worth telling purely as a knowledge sharing exercise for anyone else with a LR Warranty. My apologies for the long post.

About a month ago Big-White as he has become known developed a squeal from the front of the engine. It deteriorated over a couple of weeks and I booked him into my local dealer last Wednesday to have the cause of the squeal identified, and hopefully cured. My suspicion a failing tensioner or, worst case possibly a water pump/alternator/AC compressor bearing.

At 5pm last Wednesday the squeal went bang, then thump, thump, thump, and the engine stopped. Fortunately Big-White waited until he was home and parked on the drive before lunching his alternator belt. A Range Rover with a conscience, that's a first? A small hiss was coming from the engine compartment too, almost like an air leak. I didn't bother even opening the bonnet, I just rang my dealer and cancelled the cars appointment for the 4th March. Then I rang the 'grown ups' at Land Rover Assistance (I bought the 'official' Land Rover Warranty having bought my FF from a BMW dealer in Norwich in late 2015).

LRA were brilliant, seriously brilliant, within 30 minutes the AA arrived, he took a look under the bonnet and confirmed the worst. The alternator belt had snapped. Recovery was required. The flailing belt had also eaten the bottom hose from the radiator to the engine and the remains of the alternator belt were tucked tidily away behind the crank pulley. LRA called me back within another 30 minutes informing me that recovery was arranged for between 7am & 9am the following morning. A courtesy car had been arranged, a 66 plate RR Sport and I could collect it anytime tomorrow from my nominated dealer. I had an appointment in Oxford on the Thursday and LRA even offered to take me in a Taxi from my home near Grantham to Oxford, wait at the hospital and then bring me home! That would not have been cheap I'm sure! I declined and used my 'other' car and travelled in that. LRA did cover the cost of the taxi from work to Market Rasen some £75 so I could pick up the courtesy car later on the Thursday. My 'expectations' were met and well managed as they say!

My broken RR was recovered to Duckworth's at Market Rasen. Jack from Duckworth's Service Department rang me to say it might be Monday before they could look at the car (they were very busy), fine no problem for me, I have a RR Sport to run around in, my FF is a drive/garage queen most of the time so it matters not one jot how long he's away. Monday arrived and the call duly came. It was not good news. The cause of the snapped belt was, a snapped belt! The pulleys/tensioner all seemed OK, as did the water pump etc etc. Hmm. Snapped belts are one of the few things the warranty doesn't cover, bummer. I asked to be emailed a quote for the work which duly arrived on Tuesday. I was surprised to see that several idler pulleys and tensioner were listed as part of the quote which totalled nearly £1,200. I asked for some discount, and the estimate was reduced to £973, slightly better but still not great. Several telephone calls and emails (with videos showing the old tensioner apparently working) later it was decided to refit all the old pulleys and tensioner with new belts, start the engine and listen! I had everything crossed as you can imagine. No squeal = big bill, squeal = warranty covered the costs. This morning I received a phone call to say they didn't need to start the engine, every time the belt was fed over the old tensioner the bearing would collapse and the belt would come off. BIG sigh of relief at my end.

Moral, be firm, be persistent, stay polite, and don't lose your cool. New radiator hose, a coolant change, several idler pulleys, one tensioner, 2 belts and labour all covered by LR Warranty. I knew one of the damn bearings was singing, I'm no mechanic but a life spent in and around heavy plant/machinery and trucks has taught me to know a dying bearing when I hear one!

If your 4.4 FF develops a squeal don't hang around as I did, get it sorted, if the belt does snap the secondary damage creates a eye watering bill for two belts costing a total of £36.70 excluding VAT!

As an epilogue to the story I've also just learnt they my 'weeping' rear shock absorbers (picked up on last years MOT) are also covered by Land Rovers Warranty. Might as well book it in to have those replaced as well.

Think my £1,250/year warranty is definitely worth it!

Looking forward to having Big-White back home where he belongs, in rude health. If you can afford the LR warranty and your FF is under 10 years old with less than 100,000 miles then put your hand in your pocket, honestly it's worth it.

The 66 plate Range Rover Sport I have as a loan car is very 'nice', but it's not a Full Fat Range Rover and never will be! --RiDDO