L322 Owners - step forward...
Discussion
Evening all.
I am interested in L322 owner experiences, I'm sure there must be plenty of you here?
These have what appears to be a fairly negative reputation in terms of reliability, but is it deserved? There are countless examples for sale at very high mileage.
Often the horror stories are second hand, rather than first - "my mate Dave down the pub spent £10k a year on his"
On the face of it, they look a very nice car, inside and out, for £10-15k (for later 2010+ diesel models). Plenty of parts available, and plenty of knowledge out there.
So, how have yours been to run? Please include the age and model as I suspect a 2002 version may differ quite a bit from a 2012.
I am interested in L322 owner experiences, I'm sure there must be plenty of you here?
These have what appears to be a fairly negative reputation in terms of reliability, but is it deserved? There are countless examples for sale at very high mileage.
Often the horror stories are second hand, rather than first - "my mate Dave down the pub spent £10k a year on his"
On the face of it, they look a very nice car, inside and out, for £10-15k (for later 2010+ diesel models). Plenty of parts available, and plenty of knowledge out there.
So, how have yours been to run? Please include the age and model as I suspect a 2002 version may differ quite a bit from a 2012.
I had a 11-plate 4.4 diesel with 99k miles on it.
Lovely thing to drive. Mid-30s possible with a light foot on a long run.
Problems; oil cooler gave out and even once fixed meant I had weeks of occasional drips and a lot of burning smells from the residual oil that had collected in various places.
Zf8 gearbox slipping badly between 2nd and 3rd (it would take 3 attempts to change up). An oil change may have fixed this but I think it had been left too long by the previous owner.
Rear entertainment screen on the driver's side had an intermittent fault.
A little later I had a 3.6 tdv8 L320, and I thought that was a better engine/gearbox combo even if it struggled to top 30mpg on a long run. The ZF6 used the engine's torque better rather than hunting for the perfect ratio, and it seemed a lot perkier off the line than the 4.4 I had in the FFRR. If you can find a 3.6 L322 that's had the turbos done, I would seriously consider one instead of assuming the later 4.4 / ZF8 is the one to go for.
Lovely thing to drive. Mid-30s possible with a light foot on a long run.
Problems; oil cooler gave out and even once fixed meant I had weeks of occasional drips and a lot of burning smells from the residual oil that had collected in various places.
Zf8 gearbox slipping badly between 2nd and 3rd (it would take 3 attempts to change up). An oil change may have fixed this but I think it had been left too long by the previous owner.
Rear entertainment screen on the driver's side had an intermittent fault.
A little later I had a 3.6 tdv8 L320, and I thought that was a better engine/gearbox combo even if it struggled to top 30mpg on a long run. The ZF6 used the engine's torque better rather than hunting for the perfect ratio, and it seemed a lot perkier off the line than the 4.4 I had in the FFRR. If you can find a 3.6 L322 that's had the turbos done, I would seriously consider one instead of assuming the later 4.4 / ZF8 is the one to go for.
Just sold my 2012 Westminster (4.4 TDV8) after owning it for 2 years and 12,000 miles.
Lovely thing and I only really sold it due to a change in circumstances. Just routine maintenance for the first 18 months and let me down once when the battery failed in Dec last year which also caused a few other knock on issues.
I'm not going to sugar coat it but they are spendy things and do require you to keep on top of preventative maintenance. I'd be budgeting £2k-£3k per annum for servicing / maintenance.
Lovely thing and I only really sold it due to a change in circumstances. Just routine maintenance for the first 18 months and let me down once when the battery failed in Dec last year which also caused a few other knock on issues.
I'm not going to sugar coat it but they are spendy things and do require you to keep on top of preventative maintenance. I'd be budgeting £2k-£3k per annum for servicing / maintenance.
Denis O said:
Buy a 4.2 supercharged and forget mechanical problems. It's a Jaguar engine and bombproof, unlike the oil burners, which are made of cheese.
Yep.I had a 4.2 supercharged - bought it new, sold with 150,000 trouble free miles on it for buttons. Mine seemed totally bulletproof.
I have a 2010 4.4tdv8
as said, lovely things when all working. need plenty of pre-empt maintenance. things will go wrong unfortunately even the latest 2012 cars are obviously 11 years old now. I had a 5.0 s/c autobiography but i prefer the 4.4 diesel. my current one is a Vogue so opposite end of the spec list from the autobiography but less to go wrong. I am happy without rear screens (which dont always work), seat cooling, split screen etc etc.
In the past 18months i've had replaced/repaired lower arms, stabiliser links, alternator, battery, coolant leak (not sure where), AC compressor, brake lines.
That is all on top of brakes, tyres, wheel refurb, rusting upper tailgate.
I'm hoping mine will now go a few months without needing too much!
Still my favourite LR product of all time though. I have a new defender on order to replace it but am hoping to keep it and tuck it away.
as said, lovely things when all working. need plenty of pre-empt maintenance. things will go wrong unfortunately even the latest 2012 cars are obviously 11 years old now. I had a 5.0 s/c autobiography but i prefer the 4.4 diesel. my current one is a Vogue so opposite end of the spec list from the autobiography but less to go wrong. I am happy without rear screens (which dont always work), seat cooling, split screen etc etc.
In the past 18months i've had replaced/repaired lower arms, stabiliser links, alternator, battery, coolant leak (not sure where), AC compressor, brake lines.
That is all on top of brakes, tyres, wheel refurb, rusting upper tailgate.
I'm hoping mine will now go a few months without needing too much!
Still my favourite LR product of all time though. I have a new defender on order to replace it but am hoping to keep it and tuck it away.
You need deep pockets.
My L322 run-out 2012 Westminster has been with me for nearly 5 years.
For the first few years it cost around £1,000 PA in routine servicing & preventative maintenance & was very reliable.
Last month, a replacement oil cooler, suspension components, brake lines & sundry items cost me £4,800.
Within a week of it being collected, it broke down for the first time (suspected starter motor) & is currently back in the garage.
Insurance is now expensive (main stream insurers either not interested, or quoting a couple of thousand pounds plus). Plus, Road Tax will soon be nudging £700 PA.
Look at the latest Harry's Garage & Clarkson video on "You Tube"- Clarkson apparently spent more than his Range Rover was worth, on replacing the twin turbo's on his.
The car dealer (High Peaks Garage or similar?) who loves Range Rovers -again regularly posting on "You Tube" had a £7K bill on a recent Range Rover L322 & repeatedly says these cars are not for those wanting economical motoring, or who need finance not to be able to buy an L322 for around £14k using their own cash.
My L322 run-out 2012 Westminster has been with me for nearly 5 years.
For the first few years it cost around £1,000 PA in routine servicing & preventative maintenance & was very reliable.
Last month, a replacement oil cooler, suspension components, brake lines & sundry items cost me £4,800.
Within a week of it being collected, it broke down for the first time (suspected starter motor) & is currently back in the garage.
Insurance is now expensive (main stream insurers either not interested, or quoting a couple of thousand pounds plus). Plus, Road Tax will soon be nudging £700 PA.
Look at the latest Harry's Garage & Clarkson video on "You Tube"- Clarkson apparently spent more than his Range Rover was worth, on replacing the twin turbo's on his.
The car dealer (High Peaks Garage or similar?) who loves Range Rovers -again regularly posting on "You Tube" had a £7K bill on a recent Range Rover L322 & repeatedly says these cars are not for those wanting economical motoring, or who need finance not to be able to buy an L322 for around £14k using their own cash.
I have a 2006 L322 4.2 V8 supercharged and have owned it for 3 years - bought at 86,000 miles and currently on 103,000. Off the top of my head, other than the routine/consumable stuff, its issues have been:
- Coolant leak No.1 - traced to a tiny little fractured pipe at the back of the engine
- Coolant leak No.2 - new auxiliary radiator required
- Proper electrical meltdown - traced to an unclipped underbonnet drain channel that allowed rainwater to pour onto part of the wiring loom. The most exposed wire went brittle and fractured. That took the garage 3 weeks to track it down, as it was a power feed wire and had enough connection left to measure OK in terms of continuity, but it couldn't carry any current!
- Car ground to a halt in Ireland - new alternator and battery required
- Coolant leak No.3 - new auxiliary water pump required.
- 'Suspension Fault' - currently sitting outside on the bump stops and waiting its turn in the garage which is two weeks away still. From the hissing noises, I'm guessing a knackered air suspension bag. However, just before the suspension meltdown it did give me another low coolant warning and then later went into reduced performance mode, so other things may be afoot.
So, it has not been an entirely trouble-free ownership experience so far but, to be fair, some of the items, such as the radiator and alternator, don't seem unreasonable for a 16 year old car. I have it maintained by an independent Land Rover specialist well known in our area, who know the things inside out (so much so that they occasionally have brand new models in that the local main dealers can't fix). The trouble is, the twin facts of specialising in Land Rover products and being really, really good means that they are always ridiculously busy. My booking for the suspension repair is two weeks away, but I made the appointment three weeks ago!
I'm sure a sensible person would have got shot of it long ago but I bloody love the damn thing. It drives superbly and it makes me ridiculously happy just being in it. It's also in very good condition - so much so that said Land Rover garage coo over it every time it comes in and repeatedly tell me what a great car it is and what superb condition it's in. When I booked it in this time and gave them the registration number, the instant response was "Ooh - that's the lovely grey one isn't it?"
Even Mrs. D.R. is very fond of it and is of the opinion that we should keep it well fettled, look after it and keep it for the long run, and she's an accountant! Like I said, though, that's fine with me.
And, anyway, while it's sitting outside broken for 5 weeks I'm making a serious saving on petrol...
As an aside, I previously owned a 2005 model with the 4.4 BMW V8 petrol engine. Avoid like the plague!
- Coolant leak No.1 - traced to a tiny little fractured pipe at the back of the engine
- Coolant leak No.2 - new auxiliary radiator required
- Proper electrical meltdown - traced to an unclipped underbonnet drain channel that allowed rainwater to pour onto part of the wiring loom. The most exposed wire went brittle and fractured. That took the garage 3 weeks to track it down, as it was a power feed wire and had enough connection left to measure OK in terms of continuity, but it couldn't carry any current!
- Car ground to a halt in Ireland - new alternator and battery required
- Coolant leak No.3 - new auxiliary water pump required.
- 'Suspension Fault' - currently sitting outside on the bump stops and waiting its turn in the garage which is two weeks away still. From the hissing noises, I'm guessing a knackered air suspension bag. However, just before the suspension meltdown it did give me another low coolant warning and then later went into reduced performance mode, so other things may be afoot.
So, it has not been an entirely trouble-free ownership experience so far but, to be fair, some of the items, such as the radiator and alternator, don't seem unreasonable for a 16 year old car. I have it maintained by an independent Land Rover specialist well known in our area, who know the things inside out (so much so that they occasionally have brand new models in that the local main dealers can't fix). The trouble is, the twin facts of specialising in Land Rover products and being really, really good means that they are always ridiculously busy. My booking for the suspension repair is two weeks away, but I made the appointment three weeks ago!
I'm sure a sensible person would have got shot of it long ago but I bloody love the damn thing. It drives superbly and it makes me ridiculously happy just being in it. It's also in very good condition - so much so that said Land Rover garage coo over it every time it comes in and repeatedly tell me what a great car it is and what superb condition it's in. When I booked it in this time and gave them the registration number, the instant response was "Ooh - that's the lovely grey one isn't it?"
Even Mrs. D.R. is very fond of it and is of the opinion that we should keep it well fettled, look after it and keep it for the long run, and she's an accountant! Like I said, though, that's fine with me.
And, anyway, while it's sitting outside broken for 5 weeks I'm making a serious saving on petrol...
As an aside, I previously owned a 2005 model with the 4.4 BMW V8 petrol engine. Avoid like the plague!
I once owned a '58 plate TDV8 Vogue SE for two years. Lovely thing, super comfy, unstoppable on any terrain. I did about 40k miles. Most of my issues were MOT related items (rusty brake pipes, leaking PAS pipe) until the dreaded EML. Aftermarket specialist diagnosed it as the left bank EGR valve. They advised I replaced both, as they're next to each other and the parts only cost £250 each. I was quoted £3,000 all in, which unfortunately was a bit too steep for me to handle at that time, and so with equity still in the car (and the EML intermittent) I part exchanged it.
If I had to chose again, I'd pick the same year (the last one before the fully digital dash, which can be very problematic) but with the Jaguar 4.2 petrol V8.
If I had to chose again, I'd pick the same year (the last one before the fully digital dash, which can be very problematic) but with the Jaguar 4.2 petrol V8.
I owned a 4.2l supercharged, one of the first 2006 models. A suspension bellows popped, and the starter motor went. Other than that, just little niggly things went wrong on it - the kind of stuff you save up and get it all done when the car is in for a service - one of the proximity sensors, a numberplate bulb, that kind of thing.
I chopped it in because I wanted a 5.0l supercharged instead, and I found a nice clean 2010 one. I've still got that after 6 years. It's never let me down, and it's very rare it needs anything other than a regular service. (Admittedly, a big service isn't cheap!) One of the mounts for the offside adjustable side step sheared the other week, getting a spare was a bit of a production but we got there in the end! Dead easy to replace if you can find them, though. Other than that - just regular servicing.
I'd certainly have another if this one starts to go very wrong. Fab car!
I chopped it in because I wanted a 5.0l supercharged instead, and I found a nice clean 2010 one. I've still got that after 6 years. It's never let me down, and it's very rare it needs anything other than a regular service. (Admittedly, a big service isn't cheap!) One of the mounts for the offside adjustable side step sheared the other week, getting a spare was a bit of a production but we got there in the end! Dead easy to replace if you can find them, though. Other than that - just regular servicing.
I'd certainly have another if this one starts to go very wrong. Fab car!
I've had 2 L322's, early 4.4 petrol with the BMW engine & currently have 4.2 Supercharged.
Both pretty reliable - nothing major on either cost wise but they do consume stuff like brakes & suspension bushes fairly rapidly. BMW engine liked coolant components but nothing major. Biggest problem on them is rust on the rear arches/sill & tailgates. If you look at just about everyone they will have some rust forming. Just found a guy on Ebay selling repair panels for the sill which work well.
First one was sold with 180k on the clock, current one is up to 150k
Both pretty reliable - nothing major on either cost wise but they do consume stuff like brakes & suspension bushes fairly rapidly. BMW engine liked coolant components but nothing major. Biggest problem on them is rust on the rear arches/sill & tailgates. If you look at just about everyone they will have some rust forming. Just found a guy on Ebay selling repair panels for the sill which work well.
First one was sold with 180k on the clock, current one is up to 150k
Took one from about 50k miles to 184k (TDV8)
Faults over that time were battery, alternator, fuel pump, turbo and turbo hose - annoying but no worse than my previous Mercedes - only changed out of necessity as I needed a reliable car at nothing's going to be 100% at that mileage.
Loved it - am considering another FFRR as my next car
Faults over that time were battery, alternator, fuel pump, turbo and turbo hose - annoying but no worse than my previous Mercedes - only changed out of necessity as I needed a reliable car at nothing's going to be 100% at that mileage.
Loved it - am considering another FFRR as my next car
sleepezy said:
Took one from about 50k miles to 184k (TDV8)
Faults over that time were battery, alternator, fuel pump, turbo and turbo hose - annoying but no worse than my previous Mercedes - only changed out of necessity as I needed a reliable car at nothing's going to be 100% at that mileage.
Loved it - am considering another FFRR as my next car
Good for you!!Faults over that time were battery, alternator, fuel pump, turbo and turbo hose - annoying but no worse than my previous Mercedes - only changed out of necessity as I needed a reliable car at nothing's going to be 100% at that mileage.
Loved it - am considering another FFRR as my next car
Dad
2006 4.2 SC. Owned it ten years this summer. Probably £1k pa in depreciation in that time. Done roughly 50k miles in that time.
We have used it as a family bus - urban driving and long motorway drives and not much in between. Serviced annually at about £1k pa average, maybe a little bit over.
Biggest consumables are brake pads and suspension components (ignoring speed humps because you can has a cost, it turns out).
Big ticket items: front suspension airbags failed a couple of years ago; coolant leak that took a bit of effort to find (engine out); a big bill this year which I think was a collection of little things added up.
It’s only stranded us roadside because (a) dying battery needing a jumpstart, and (b) stuck float in the fuel tank meant the gauge read 3/8ths full when it was empty. In ten years I’d give it a 9/10 for reliability. I’ve taken it into Europe a few times and all over GB and not once felt worried (the two roadside strandings were both within 10 miles of home - go figure).
TBH the last three years have thrown some big bills but I’m hopeful that having stumped up for them it should see us for another few years yet. And although it’s a bit sunk cost fallacy thinking, it’s cheaper - by a lot - to cover these bills than it would be to replace it with something else.
The next challenge is to see how much the s
tty security that the L405s have will affect the insurance renewal. It shouldn’t but plenty of “shouldn’ts” become “wills” very easily.
We have used it as a family bus - urban driving and long motorway drives and not much in between. Serviced annually at about £1k pa average, maybe a little bit over.
Biggest consumables are brake pads and suspension components (ignoring speed humps because you can has a cost, it turns out).
Big ticket items: front suspension airbags failed a couple of years ago; coolant leak that took a bit of effort to find (engine out); a big bill this year which I think was a collection of little things added up.
It’s only stranded us roadside because (a) dying battery needing a jumpstart, and (b) stuck float in the fuel tank meant the gauge read 3/8ths full when it was empty. In ten years I’d give it a 9/10 for reliability. I’ve taken it into Europe a few times and all over GB and not once felt worried (the two roadside strandings were both within 10 miles of home - go figure).
TBH the last three years have thrown some big bills but I’m hopeful that having stumped up for them it should see us for another few years yet. And although it’s a bit sunk cost fallacy thinking, it’s cheaper - by a lot - to cover these bills than it would be to replace it with something else.
The next challenge is to see how much the s
tty security that the L405s have will affect the insurance renewal. It shouldn’t but plenty of “shouldn’ts” become “wills” very easily. I think this all revolves around what kind of owner you are and what kind of car you're purchasing...
If you're someone who has to have every single thing perfect, and won't touch anything yourself, be prepared to funnel a serious amount of money into the fire unless you buy an absolutely perfect car.
However, if you're prepared to put up with the odd niggle, and maybe think about doing some simple things yourself, they can be a great option imho.
Mine is a 2007 3.6 TDV8 - bought in a rough state but fundamentally OK for £2300, now spent about £1k tarting it up and it's in a good state.
If you're someone who has to have every single thing perfect, and won't touch anything yourself, be prepared to funnel a serious amount of money into the fire unless you buy an absolutely perfect car.
However, if you're prepared to put up with the odd niggle, and maybe think about doing some simple things yourself, they can be a great option imho.
Mine is a 2007 3.6 TDV8 - bought in a rough state but fundamentally OK for £2300, now spent about £1k tarting it up and it's in a good state.
2010 5.0 S/C here. Owned getting on for 8 years, bought at about 80k, now up to over 125k miles.
Other than normal wear and tear (tyres,brakes,etc...)
Water pump did me in once, had to get towed home and replaced it the following day myself for about £150 or so
Worst was the transfer box stting itself one day, had to get towed home and local specialist replaced the box and had to send the gearbox away for a rebuild as the output shaft on that was worn almost smooth where it goes into the transfer box - all in all a £4k job
Air suspension fault displayed, 10 minutes with a soldering iron to repair strut wires
A few suspension arms/bushes, only to be expected with the mileage
Replacement rear adjustable dampers, one had blown making the ride awful - £450 or so for 2, fitted myself
1 worn leaky air con pipe - £200 or so
1 worn leaky air con condensor - £200 or so
1 worn leaky steering cooler - £200 or so
Battery - £100
Can't think of anything else in 8 years of ownership although there's probably a few bits I'm forgetting. Main one was that transfer box imploding, but considering how much power the 5.0s/c engine can deliver off the line I'm not surprised!
Prior to this I had a 3.6 TDV8 - main ones on that were the EGRs , turbos and alternator when it got passed 100k miles. But all in all a pretty robust car that served as a daily for several years. That alternator was the only time I was ever stranded in that one.
If you're half handy with the spanners you can fix a lot of these things yourself. I did the condenser on mine about 6 week ago, means removing most of the front of the car which sounds horrendous but it's all just bolt off bolt on.Took me a day as a first time effort.
Other than normal wear and tear (tyres,brakes,etc...)
Water pump did me in once, had to get towed home and replaced it the following day myself for about £150 or so
Worst was the transfer box s
tting itself one day, had to get towed home and local specialist replaced the box and had to send the gearbox away for a rebuild as the output shaft on that was worn almost smooth where it goes into the transfer box - all in all a £4k jobAir suspension fault displayed, 10 minutes with a soldering iron to repair strut wires
A few suspension arms/bushes, only to be expected with the mileage
Replacement rear adjustable dampers, one had blown making the ride awful - £450 or so for 2, fitted myself
1 worn leaky air con pipe - £200 or so
1 worn leaky air con condensor - £200 or so
1 worn leaky steering cooler - £200 or so
Battery - £100
Can't think of anything else in 8 years of ownership although there's probably a few bits I'm forgetting. Main one was that transfer box imploding, but considering how much power the 5.0s/c engine can deliver off the line I'm not surprised!
Prior to this I had a 3.6 TDV8 - main ones on that were the EGRs , turbos and alternator when it got passed 100k miles. But all in all a pretty robust car that served as a daily for several years. That alternator was the only time I was ever stranded in that one.
If you're half handy with the spanners you can fix a lot of these things yourself. I did the condenser on mine about 6 week ago, means removing most of the front of the car which sounds horrendous but it's all just bolt off bolt on.Took me a day as a first time effort.
Surprised no one has mentioned the rust issues properly yet.
They rust and can rust badly.
Rear arches, sills, tailgate and subframes all can go and are costly to fix properly.
If you find one that doesn’t have rusty arches etc.
Get it treated to preserve it.
If fuel economy isn’t an issue then I would definitely go petrol as they seem to get an easier life.
The tdv8 is a great engine but turbos are £3-3.6k to replace both.
Regular oil changes helps as manky oil doesn’t help.
I looked long and hard at them before I gave up.
Too many were either rusty, or had disgusting colour combos for interior trims.
Why so many people picked vets forearm red leather with cherry wood is beyond me but it’s not a choice I would make.
They rust and can rust badly.
Rear arches, sills, tailgate and subframes all can go and are costly to fix properly.
If you find one that doesn’t have rusty arches etc.
Get it treated to preserve it.
If fuel economy isn’t an issue then I would definitely go petrol as they seem to get an easier life.
The tdv8 is a great engine but turbos are £3-3.6k to replace both.
Regular oil changes helps as manky oil doesn’t help.
I looked long and hard at them before I gave up.
Too many were either rusty, or had disgusting colour combos for interior trims.
Why so many people picked vets forearm red leather with cherry wood is beyond me but it’s not a choice I would make.
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