New 3.0 engine installed - video

[GregMilner]

*Sigh* - a bit disappointing when LR send you a brand new engine and the techs dirty it up with all the dusty peripheral bits off the old engine (well, if you count 31,000km as 'old')

After a week in the shop with the body (and everything else) off, hopefully I'll get it back in time for the weekend. I just hope when they put it back together there aren't any spare nuts and bolts left lying around:-)

RRS new engine - YouTube (http://youtu.be/33XpCqZypHY)

[Graeme]

I just hope when they put it back together there aren't any spare nuts and bolts left lying around:-)No worries, just save them for next time!

[john_paul_128]

Amazing view with body off, thanks for sharing!

[jb747]

Pity you didn't have a time lapse camera....

[GregMilner]

Yeah, would have made a great video. Gordon (the service manager, with whom I'm now on first-name terms, we have each other's number on speed dial - never a good sign) just called and said I should have the car back this afternoon.

He said all the left-over nuts and bolts are in a snap-lock bag in the glove box. I hope he was kidding.

[games1]

Hi Greg

Hope all goes well with this motor. Also have found the service agents here in WA pretty helpful.

Regards

George

[GregMilner]

I agree George. Gordon Wales at Barbagallos Service - fantastic service, they bend over backwards. He just phoned to say my car's ready. Yippee.

[thomasb]

is this part of your ongoing smoking exhaust issue ?

[Slunnie]

He said all the left-over nuts and bolts are in a snap-lock bag in the glove box. I hope he was kidding.

Classic! :D

.... because you know if he was a professional he would have thrown them in the spares bin!

[GregMilner]

is this part of your ongoing smoking exhaust issue ?

Yep. Got the car back today. It evens smells like a new engine. And (thankfully) no more blue smoke out the back. (Well, it's early days)
All power to Land Rover's massive, ever-increasing profits. They certainly didn't quibble about giving me a new engine. In fact it was their idea. Got to love that.
Now the dilemma: do I take advantage of the fact it's got a new engine inside a 31,000km old car, sell it like that and buy a new one with 2012 specs, or drive it for another 18 months - by which time the engine will only have done 15,000km max - and wait for the new lightweight RRS due in early 2014?

It's a tough one....if they were going to fit the new RRS with the 4.4 engine and 8-speed ZF gearbox it'd definitely be worth waiting for...

[thomasb]

my d4 is 18 months old and done 29000 lm ....recently its started to blow blue smoke when i accelerate hard ..usually after a spell of sydney stop start traffic ................hope im not developing your problem

[GregMilner]

Thomas had you just had a service when it started blowing blue smoke? It sounds ominously similar to the issue that struck my RRS...18 months old, about 26,000km. Exactly the same, it would blow clouds of blue smoke on sharp acceleration after a day or two of normal driving around town.
Refer your dealer to Gordon Wales at Barbagallo service department in Perth, he's intimately familiar with my car...he's had it in his shop almost as much as I've had it over the past six months.

(happy to report though that day two after getting it back, no obvious issues with the new engine.)

[Graeme]

(happy to report though that day two after getting it back, no obvious issues with the new engine.)
You've got to get 26K up before it proves to be any different!

[GregMilner]

Very true. Which means another 18 months with fingers cross. They're going to ache a bit.
Glad I bought that extended warranty through to 2016!

[thomasb]

thanks greg .....its due in for a service soon and ill have them look at it then .............would have thought its not what you'd expect from a modern diesal at only 30k !!

[GregMilner]

It seems far from uncommon among these engines, unfortunately. LR are well aware of the problem, they've replaced turbos on a number of cars at my dealership, but as far as I know they've never gone as far as replacing an entire engine before mine.
I wouldn't muck about with it Thomas, tell them about my experience over here. If they start talking about replacing the secondary turbo, they did that on mine - twice - still didn't fix the problem.

[gghaggis]

I wouldn't muck about with it Thomas, tell them about my experience over here. If they start talking about replacing the secondary turbo, they did that on mine - twice - still didn't fix the problem.

A bit of caution here - in many cases, the dump-pipe/secondary turbo replacement HAS cured the problem. In fact Greg is the only case I know of that's had to have a complete engine replacement. So I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that a new engine is the minimum requirement for a cure.

Cheers,

Gordon

[Graeme]

I'm a little nervous that mine sometimes produces oil smoke on morning startup as I discovered again today when I got back out of the vehicle immediatley after starting rather than just driving off. Perhaps it always does it but I don't get to see it.

[GregMilner]

Mine is the only case of engine replacement I know of too Gordon. And I'd already had two secondary turbo replacements, plus a body-off scavenger pump replacement.

[Nomad9]

Hi Greg,
Great to see a good result, I saw a sport at Southerns with the body lifted to do the turbo, seemed a bit radical but apparently easier. With the low klm's motor agree the engine has done next to nothing but the rest of the drive trin still had the 31k on it, a machine is only as good as the oldest component, or something like that. So unless they are going to zero the speedo you'll always be selling a possible 46 klm vehicle.
I like the way you think though, any excuse to get something bigger and better, I'm with you.........

[GregMilner]

Yes, given eveything that's happened it is a good result. I don't know that having a new engine will add much to the resale value, but I guess if you put two similar cars side by side and one has a new engine it'd make it a quicker sale. As I said, I'm tempted to put it up for sale while it's still new, but I can't make up my mind - buy a good 1 year old Vogue 4.4, wait till the new RRS comes out in 18 months or just keep the existing car. Though I'd like to sell it while it's still got several years warranty on it.

[Nomad9]

Hi Greg,
All very valid points. I've just got the Sport after selling the D3, just couldn't afford the D4, plus I've had a hankering for a Sport for a while, specifically a Rimini red one. Personally I love it, despite being a bit short on bolt on goodies it is a great bus. Drives well, looks good, economical, comfortable the list goes on............. Doesn't seem to be the same camaraderie between the Sport owners that I had with the D3, mainly I suspect because I refuse to wear a tie..............

[Scouse]

but I guess if you put two similar cars side by side and one has a new engine it'd make it a quicker sale. Being in the trade, I'd personally go for the car with the original engine especially on a fairly new (under 10 years) car.

Any car ad for a newish car that mentions having a new motor rings alarm bells with me.

[101RRS]

Being in the trade, I'd personally go for the car with the original engine especially on a fairly new (under 10 years) car.

Any car ad for a newish car that mentions having a new motor rings alarm bells with me.

That would be the same for me as well - in my ignorance I would be thinking that hmmmm has to have a new engine just after new - car must be a bit of a lemon. Unless the price was truely exceptional stay away there are plenty of other cars to choose from - so if selling I would not advertise the new engine aspect.

Garry

[Graeme]

I don't understand why it might be beneficial to sell the vehicle now that it has a new engine. I would view a new engine as a bonus but don't think I'd pay much more for it as 30K is still new anyway, but perhaps others would pay more.

[GregMilner]

You're all probably right about the resale issue. I went to Barbagallo Land Rover today to buy a new cargo mat (a bit of a gouge at $250!) and out of curiosity went into the showroom. Asked about RRS TDV8s and discovered they haven't been produced since 2010.
So I asked the salesman about trading mine in on a new Vogue 4.4 Luxury (hey, let's aim high here) and - knowing mine had a new engine - he hummed and scratched his brow for a while, and brightly said they'd give me oh...70K for mine as a trade-in. Wow, generous. Not. Which, he said, would make the change-over only....um, er, only $107,000.

I think I'll be keeping the Sport for a while.

FOOTNOTE: this is one of only two dealerships (both owned by the same guy) in WA, the richest state in the country. They had not a single Sport left in stock, and only one Vogue. Can't get enough of them for the demand. Little wonder LR is making record profits.