Main dealer trying it on for £40k!
Discussion
Hi all, looking for some advice as I’ve never been in this situation before.
My Range Rover Sport SV went into the dealer today with an engine management light on. The car actually drives fine, except it starts to feel off once you get to around 70mph.
The dealer is now claiming I’ve driven it through high water and essentially flooded the air intakes/turbos, and they’ve quoted around £40k for repairs. This doesn’t add up at all — the car hasn’t been through flood water. At most it’s seen some heavy rain.
For context, the car only just came back from a service last Friday, where they identified a wastegate issue and said the turbos were “smoke tested”. I was told everything checked out fine.
Then on Saturday morning, the engine management light came back on right at the start of a 4-hour journey to Cornwall. I tried calling the dealer but couldn’t get through to anyone. I called again on Monday and booked it in, and it went in yesterday.
Today they called saying they can see “tide marks” and that one of the filters (or a filter) is torn. My question is: could this be caused by it not being refitted correctly after the smoke test/service? If something was left loose or assembled incorrectly, could that cause water ingress (even from heavy rain) and/or a torn filter?
What would you do next in my position? Any advice on how to handle the dealer, what to ask for (evidence/report/photos), and whether this sounds plausible would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Kind Regards
My Range Rover Sport SV went into the dealer today with an engine management light on. The car actually drives fine, except it starts to feel off once you get to around 70mph.
The dealer is now claiming I’ve driven it through high water and essentially flooded the air intakes/turbos, and they’ve quoted around £40k for repairs. This doesn’t add up at all — the car hasn’t been through flood water. At most it’s seen some heavy rain.
For context, the car only just came back from a service last Friday, where they identified a wastegate issue and said the turbos were “smoke tested”. I was told everything checked out fine.
Then on Saturday morning, the engine management light came back on right at the start of a 4-hour journey to Cornwall. I tried calling the dealer but couldn’t get through to anyone. I called again on Monday and booked it in, and it went in yesterday.
Today they called saying they can see “tide marks” and that one of the filters (or a filter) is torn. My question is: could this be caused by it not being refitted correctly after the smoke test/service? If something was left loose or assembled incorrectly, could that cause water ingress (even from heavy rain) and/or a torn filter?
What would you do next in my position? Any advice on how to handle the dealer, what to ask for (evidence/report/photos), and whether this sounds plausible would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Kind Regards
Because you are talking turbos and 'SV' I am assuming you are in the latest 4.4 BMW powered SV.
There is no way an old SVR with the 5.0l will have got water ingress to the point it would bork the intake through rain, pressure washing or unsealed bits.
But....the 4.4 has only previously been rated to 500mm in the X5 and X7, and not the 900mm of the L4series. Though I have never heard of the 4.4 being affected by water ingress (I have had 3) and JLR will have thought about this, given its in the fatty and the sport.
There was a Panny on here which got water ingress from a pressure washer that tore the air filters. That's probably what has happened. I assume they washed your car at the service....
There is no way an old SVR with the 5.0l will have got water ingress to the point it would bork the intake through rain, pressure washing or unsealed bits.
But....the 4.4 has only previously been rated to 500mm in the X5 and X7, and not the 900mm of the L4series. Though I have never heard of the 4.4 being affected by water ingress (I have had 3) and JLR will have thought about this, given its in the fatty and the sport.
There was a Panny on here which got water ingress from a pressure washer that tore the air filters. That's probably what has happened. I assume they washed your car at the service....
C63sxb said:
Thanks, yes it is the 4.4 SV.
They did indeed wash my car!
I just cant get my head around it
Well. Seems pretty clear to me. Pressure washer into the grille, water into the intakes. A commercial one can tear the airfilters. Not suprising it will flood some of the pipework, and then once the air flow and pressure get higher, engine light. They did indeed wash my car!
I just cant get my head around it
f
k knows how you will prove it. Maybe get an independent mechanic and put this hypothesis to them. Maybe put it to the MD first, and tell them that is your intent. They may own up.
The jetwashing might explain the water ingress and torn air filters, would it also explain the tide marks?
I’d just take it somewhere else. Though first I’d put it to them that they caused damage by washing the car and demand all money you have given them back.
Do you have a dashcam to prove you haven’t been bombing it through Rufford Ford, etc? Though I suppose dashcams don’t save anywhere near that amount of footage. Or GPS data from the car showing where you’ve been, thus proving you haven’t been off road or through any fords.
I’d just take it somewhere else. Though first I’d put it to them that they caused damage by washing the car and demand all money you have given them back.
Do you have a dashcam to prove you haven’t been bombing it through Rufford Ford, etc? Though I suppose dashcams don’t save anywhere near that amount of footage. Or GPS data from the car showing where you’ve been, thus proving you haven’t been off road or through any fords.
Just to clarify, originally the car went in for a few issues
Knocking noise from the front of the car –
They replaced the front suspension, however the knocking noise was still there on collection.
ECU Light on- (however it was driving fine)
Advised this was a turbo waste gate issue
21K Service-
This was complete
I’ve had the car 14 months (6 months old) and have spoken to the supplying dealer this morning. He says there must be an issue or some damage to the intake system to allow water in.
He said that the 900mm is actually quite conservative when it comes to wading in that model
Either way, its not been driving through flood water.
Whats really frustrating is the dealer wont call me back, I’ve had to chase them for information and what I get back isn’t worth a wan…..
Knocking noise from the front of the car –
They replaced the front suspension, however the knocking noise was still there on collection.
ECU Light on- (however it was driving fine)
Advised this was a turbo waste gate issue
21K Service-
This was complete
I’ve had the car 14 months (6 months old) and have spoken to the supplying dealer this morning. He says there must be an issue or some damage to the intake system to allow water in.
He said that the 900mm is actually quite conservative when it comes to wading in that model
Either way, its not been driving through flood water.
Whats really frustrating is the dealer wont call me back, I’ve had to chase them for information and what I get back isn’t worth a wan…..
C63sxb said:
Just to clarify, originally the car went in for a few issues
Knocking noise from the front of the car
They replaced the front suspension, however the knocking noise was still there on collection.
ECU Light on- (however it was driving fine)
Advised this was a turbo waste gate issue
21K Service-
This was complete
I ve had the car 14 months (6 months old) and have spoken to the supplying dealer this morning. He says there must be an issue or some damage to the intake system to allow water in.
He said that the 900mm is actually quite conservative when it comes to wading in that model
Either way, its not been driving through flood water.
Whats really frustrating is the dealer wont call me back, I ve had to chase them for information and what I get back isn t worth a wan ..
Any chance it could have been driven through high water on a test drive after a sevice?Knocking noise from the front of the car
They replaced the front suspension, however the knocking noise was still there on collection.
ECU Light on- (however it was driving fine)
Advised this was a turbo waste gate issue
21K Service-
This was complete
I ve had the car 14 months (6 months old) and have spoken to the supplying dealer this morning. He says there must be an issue or some damage to the intake system to allow water in.
He said that the 900mm is actually quite conservative when it comes to wading in that model
Either way, its not been driving through flood water.
Whats really frustrating is the dealer wont call me back, I ve had to chase them for information and what I get back isn t worth a wan ..
The smoke test would be a result of the light being on, ie testing for leaks. Apart from the dealer, has anybody driven tne vehicle without you being present?
£40k for a dealer engine replacement isn't unusual (stupid price, but not unusual) and I've seen numerous similar quotes for BMWs and MBs as an example. A friend recently had a fairly new MB A-Class written off after putting diesel in a petrol car. Nuts, but it's where we are now.
£40k for a dealer engine replacement isn't unusual (stupid price, but not unusual) and I've seen numerous similar quotes for BMWs and MBs as an example. A friend recently had a fairly new MB A-Class written off after putting diesel in a petrol car. Nuts, but it's where we are now.
UPDATE
As the service advisor couldn’t be bothered to call me back (as promised), I went down there and spoke to his boss.
We both looked over the car and he’s confirmed the original diagnosis was wrong — it hasn’t been driven through high water. The engine covers are spotless FFS. Hardly rocket science.
However… water has made its way into the intake system and damaged the turbos. One of the air filters has perished and the other is heavily stained from water ingress.
So a couple of questions:
Should / Would this have been spotted during the turbo/smoke test they did?
How is water getting in there? Has something failed (seal/duct/drain/etc), or is it a design issue? It’s not exactly a common car.
The air intakes themselves butt into the bonnet, but I couldn’t actually see where they’re drawing the air from.
As the service advisor couldn’t be bothered to call me back (as promised), I went down there and spoke to his boss.
We both looked over the car and he’s confirmed the original diagnosis was wrong — it hasn’t been driven through high water. The engine covers are spotless FFS. Hardly rocket science.
However… water has made its way into the intake system and damaged the turbos. One of the air filters has perished and the other is heavily stained from water ingress.
So a couple of questions:
Should / Would this have been spotted during the turbo/smoke test they did?
How is water getting in there? Has something failed (seal/duct/drain/etc), or is it a design issue? It’s not exactly a common car.
The air intakes themselves butt into the bonnet, but I couldn’t actually see where they’re drawing the air from.
DavePanda said:
sixor8 said:
If you had ingested water in a ford, etc and blown the engine, you could claim off the insurance maybe? It's a sort of 'accident.'
If you'd ingested water in a ford and blown the engine, the car would still be at the ford. I find it hard to believe that water ingestion would just cause a problem that only shows at 70mph? and turbo replacement isn't a huge job.
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