Best place in Melbourne to Service a D3

[davemc]

Hi,

We brought a secondhand 2006 D3 4.0l just wondering where is the best place to service. Should we go to the local Land Rover in Doncaster or is there a cheaper independent place around locally.
I know some of the mobile places say they do Disco's not sure if I trust them.


Thanks in Advance Dave

[Disco4SE]

Hi,

We brought a secondhand 2006 D3 4.0l just wondering where is the best place to service. Should we go to the local Land Rover in Doncaster or is there a cheaper independent place around locally.
I know some of the mobile places say they do Disco's not sure if I trust them.


Thanks in Advance Dave
Hi Dave,
Personally, I would stick with a Landrover dealership.
ULR Malvern have been great.
Cheers, Craig

[rmp]

Refer to the FAQ above

[trobbo]

I had ritters do the last service on my car and was happy with the work and very happy with the customer service. Ritters are in Burwood.

Not sure if there is a reason why AMV are not listed in the faq as a landrover repair workshop. They work either solely or predominantly on rovers. Greg who owns AMV used to work at ritters and when I had a chat to him about D3's I was satisfied that his knowledge was sufficient for them to work on my car for servicing. He knew the common problems, cost of replacement parts and components such as transmissions. They are located in Ringwood.

www.amv.com.au (http://www.amv.com.au)

[rmp]

Not sure if there is a reason why AMV are not listed in the faq as a landrover repair workshop.

Because when I wrote that entry I forgot about them and nobody pointed out the oversight till now. I've added them.

[Neil P]

We brought a secondhand 2006 D3 4.0l just wondering where is the best place to service.

For oil ,filter and grease stuff , do it yourself . It's easy and cheap.
4.0 petrols have nothin' on 'em to bother with ;)
I'm assuming you've not got a warranty obligation ?

[trobbo]

For oil ,filter and grease stuff , do it yourself . It's easy and cheap.
4.0 petrols have nothin' on 'em to bother with ;)
I'm assuming you've not got a warranty obligation ?

it may be cheap an easy to do but I'm not sure I would want to try and sell a D3 with an incomplete service history when there are so many petrol ones to chose from.

[Neil P]

That's just what the " Industry " wants the Punter to go with ......
Some of us don't want to pay $400 labour to some Tosser.
I've never had a problem trading ANY vehicle I've maintained
myself , in 35 years.

[Dirty3]

Hi Dave,
Personally, I would stick with a Landrover dealership.
ULR Malvern have been great.
Cheers, Craig

I too have been dealing with ULR for my past 2 Disco's and will continue to them with my D3. I have also used Ritter before and also found them to be of good service.
Cheers, Neil.

[DI5CO]

Glen at Rover Land in Ferntree gully is good also.

[discojools]

Peninsula Rangie Automotive run by Damien in Frankston also very good.

[tequesta]

I'd recommend MLR near the city for three reasons.
1. I work in the city, and being able to drop the car off in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon was important.
2. On a price check, they work out to be marginally (5%) more than non-dealerships, outside of the CBD.
Hope it helps...
3. They have yet to do anything wrong..

[chuck]

I am also happy with MLR.
Used to go to an independent with my D2 however they ended up being as expensive as MLR & did not do the "little" things ie globes, handbrake adjustments etc.
They are happy to talk & advise.
I get a loan car as I bought & service my car there.
They also have a shuttle that takes me to Southbank if a loan car is un available.
My 18 month service cost less than my daughters comparable service on a holden barina!!!!

Regards

Chuck

[davemc]

Thanks booked it into Doncaster Land Rover.. See how we go.
I got a extended warranty when brought it second hand so anything big they will look after it hopefully.
I did vow never to take my car back to the proper manufacture for a service after getting ripped off years ago with my Mazda.

[Dirty3]

I did vow never to take my car back to the proper manufacture for a service after getting ripped off years ago with my Mazda.

I recently took my D2 to a local mechanic to get a RWC done as my Land Rover dealer did not do RWC (don't know why). Anyway, the local mechanic mentioned that the fuel filter was leaking, and oil filter etc. I had only had the car serviced the month before at my dealer. No noticeable leaks....anyway I needed it done to sell it. $500 later I was not impressed. My dealer were happy to rectify any issues from service, but as time was crucial I went with the local guy. He never gave me the old filters to show where they leaked and passed the RWC on a technicality. But really, they were after a quick buck. Yes my dealer costs more, but they have also been exceptional for service AND the most important thing.....they know Land Rovers. You pay for what you get in life!

[Watpub]

That's just what the " Industry " wants the Punter to go with ......
Some of us don't want to pay $400 labour to some Tosser.
I've never had a problem trading ANY vehicle I've maintained
myself , in 35 years.

To be honest trading is not the issue - if you "trade" a car presumably you are doing so to buy another. A dealer is not going to hassle you over servicing if a sale is involved.

I've had my last two vehicles serviced regularly by the guy up the road who has stamped the books. Both vehicles were sold privately (because you get more this way) and all potential and actual buyers were MOST interested in a stamped book.

Unfortunately, the guy up the road isn't equipped to do the D4. Given that services on the D4 are infrequent I'll be taking it to a dealer for servicing. I fully intend ultimately to sell the vehicle privately and I reckon this makes it easier to do so.

Ron

PS Anyone want to buy a well-maintained D4 in about 4-5 years, contact me then ;)

[davemc]

I recently took my D2 to a local mechanic to get a RWC done as my Land Rover dealer did not do RWC (don't know why). Anyway, the local mechanic mentioned that the fuel filter was leaking, and oil filter etc. I had only had the car serviced the month before at my dealer. No noticeable leaks....anyway I needed it done to sell it. $500 later I was not impressed. My dealer were happy to rectify any issues from service, but as time was crucial I went with the local guy. He never gave me the old filters to show where they leaked and passed the RWC on a technicality. But really, they were after a quick buck. Yes my dealer costs more, but they have also been exceptional for service AND the most important thing.....they know Land Rovers. You pay for what you get in life!
I had the same problem at Mazda. Work done where they did not show you evidence.
25k or less on the clock, needed new pads and machining. Would not show me pads and used the old if you do not get it done your warranty is over.

So yes there are lots of bad mechanics.. Which is not great

[Watpub]

I might be hijaacking this thread a little, but I've just picked up my vehicle from Sniegy at MLR (Melbourne City Land Rover - Port Melbourne) after having a few accessories installed (brake controller, Traxide's brilliant auxiliary battery system, roof rails, and mud flaps) and I've got to say I'm very impressed. They even washed my car!:D

I've bought may new cars in my life and taken them back to many a dealer for service/warranty work. But this is the first time I felt I was putting the car into the hands of someone with a passion for them. Sounds corny, but actually does make a big difference when you hand the keys over.

The work, communication, and customer service were first rate and Sniegy and his crew do an absolutely fantastic job - thanks guys. [thumbsupbig] I'll be back.

Ron

[davemc]

OK follow up.
Got it back from service last week. Good job, kept us up to date with things. Had the normal mark up things though. Wanted $150 for wipers, which I politely said no. Seeing its raining all the time and they are really good. Best I have had in a car. Oh then the $150 ummm for rubber.
Battery said to be on way out as well $350.. Checked elsewhere $175-$200 so get it done in the next week or so. HDC light comes on now and then on startup said it was the battery. Is that correct?
Mentioned we had extended warranty so a couple of things found and fixed with extended warranty. I do wonder if found if no extended warranty :)
Wife not happy as was not washed as they say on website, I was in a rush so did not go back in.
Loan car was a camry which is a bit of a bummer :)

Will we use again. Not sure.

[dado.mago]

I had ritters do the last service on my car and was happy with the work and very happy with the customer service. Ritters are in Burwood.

Not sure if there is a reason why AMV are not listed in the faq as a landrover repair workshop. They work either solely or predominantly on rovers. Greg who owns AMV used to work at ritters and when I had a chat to him about D3's I was satisfied that his knowledge was sufficient for them to work on my car for servicing. He knew the common problems, cost of replacement parts and components such as transmissions. They are located in Ringwood.

www.amv.com.au (http://www.amv.com.au)

Sorry buddy, but I feel to post this because I dropped the car few times at Ritters, and other than the prices not really cheap, last time they took 1 week to figure out an electric problem, they didn't call me to advise that it would cost a lot, and when I picked up the car the charged me 1400$ :eek::mad:
The day after the headlights were gone; I brought back the car and the took 5 days to fix the problem.
In addition the changed the battery (same specification of mine) and they charged me double the price I paid at Autobarn! :twisted:
Never went back to them and never will, sorry but the don't look to care very much to the customer, just to the money you pay.

Then I have been to Romsey Land Rover and I have to come back for head gasket replacement bad done (they never skimmed the head although I suggested it), so I am looking for a good mechanic! :(

[oldsalt]

I've had some work done on my D3 by MLR - Port Melb and they are very good, called me re any "extra" work to be done - dropped me at Spencer St station to catch my train home .. and the D3 was nice and clean when I picked it up. So far so good - I'll be using them again very soon for a couple of big ticket service items that are coming up...
cheers

[discojools]

Always found the dealers in Melbourne to be pretty good. Have started to take both my Lanrovers to Brighton Landrover recently. Have been excellent and Mike (ex Landrover UK) who is service manager really knows his stuff and a good bloke. I think they are slightly cheaper than the other dealers and you always get a Freelander or Evoque as a loan car. Also don't have to wait weeks to get appointment. Highly recommended.

Jools

[tonyci]

I have also used MLR (Docklands), always found them to be pretty good.
Sniegy is excellent if you need advice on accessories and installation there of.
ULR Malvern a sister company of MLR have also been pretty good.
Cheers
Tony

[Bytemrk]

Because when I wrote that entry I forgot about them and nobody pointed out the oversight till now. I've added them.

Rob,

I think you should have Roverland, 95 Dorset Rd Ferntree Gully in your FAQ's too.

Glen and his guys really know there stuff I don't use anyone else.

[Stuart02]

Can anyone recommend a good independent service centre within striking distance of the inner-west of Melbourne? I actually have a lot of confidence in the ULR guys for standard stuff, but clearly there's a price to pay, and a limit to what they can do wrt modifications. I don't have all day to get to one of the eastern suburbs independents and back again though!! Thanks

[mikeyp]

Hi I found a superb service center in Abbotsford, which can be a pain to get to but they have courtesy cars which suits me. It funny that not more people no about them, but they do a lot of Land Rovers, I have a 06 range rover sport TDV6 and had heaps of issues with it until i took it to these guys, they sorted it out and its been going great ever since. My faith in the brand has been restored.

Its called Pickards Automotive the guy to talk to is Greg.

[Timmy]

Just wanted to give a shout out to Damien and the guys at Peninsula Rangie (Kookaburra St, Frankston).

They were able to squeeze me in at short notice before Easter weekend and service was cheaper than anywhere else quoted. The car was turned around in a shorter timeframe than advised which topped it off.

It's a fair trek for me, I took the D3 there because they knew the car, but I'll continue going there again for sure.

Plenty of other Landies to ogle over as well!!!

[Stuart02]

Can anyone recommend a good independent service centre within striking distance of the inner-west of Melbourne? I actually have a lot of confidence in the ULR guys for standard stuff, but clearly there's a price to pay, and a limit to what they can do wrt modifications. I don't have all day to get to one of the eastern suburbs independents and back again though!! Thanks


I'm replying to my own query incase anything's changed in the last few years on the west side of Melbourne? When Les Richmond were in Thomastown I could at least catch a train back in, but now they're over in Campbellfield?! I've lost faith in the North Melbourne guys I was using, as they insisted on genuine everything which I was fine with, right up until for some daft reason they didn't use Lifeguard in the transmission, and charged me to replace it with the stuff that actually works. [bigsad]

I'm thinking it might be time to drop the pants and head back to Port Melbourne...