Looking to buy a 2008 RRS

[austag]

Hello,
I'm looking to buy a 2008 RR sport TD6. As much as I'd love a newer one, finances don't allow. So just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this year/model of RR. Any known issues etc.
Thanks heaps.

[Plane Fixer]

Welcome to the Aulro community.
Whether it be a Disco or RRS a good service history is vital and an extended warranty will give peace of mind.
They are awesome vehicles which would be the best to drive in their class. You will be told how unreliable they are, granted there are lemons in any make, but a 2008 will be well sorted and will give many K's of enjoyable motoring.
All I can say is simply ENJOY!!!!

[Nomad9]

Hi Austag,
I bought a 2007 RS in May to replace my D3, I have found that there isn't much in the way of bolt on goodies such as bull bars and LR tanks etc, if they are out there somebody prove me wrong.
Me I love the vehicle, drives well, comfortable, looks the part and when I eventually get to go camping and things I'm sure it will be just as good.
The drive train is similar to the D3, I've used a lot of the service items from my D3, filters etc so they didn't go to waste.
If I was you I would make sure you get a bit of the fruit you can get with the Sport, sat nav, DVD in the head rests, sun roof etc it is worth it. Mine hasn't got the e-diff, trying to find one with the E-diff proved a challenge.
A couple I looked at had been service by the "one stop shop" mobs, the service messages were up and they didn't look or sound as good as the one that I bought which had been serviced by LR for its life. As mentioned earlier it does make a difference. Warranty if you can get it, watch for shudders in the transmission see if you can see if the steel pan has been put on.
If you want to find better value for money consider shopping over East, I got a better specified one $10k cheaper in Sydney than I could get here in Perth, drove it back , ran like a dream.
Good luck you won't regret the decision to go for the RRS. Have a look at Jemson Motors, not sure if I'm allowed to say that, they really did a good deal and looked after me really well.

[Phoenix12]

My thoughts.......

Ensure you get a fully comprehensive and independant inspection done prior to purchase..... It might cost a few hundred, but when done correctly you will have a much better picture of what you might need to repair / replace down the track.

I recently bought a 2007 TDV8 with 62000 km's from a wholesaler in Victoria for $58000 ! But I bought just before the end of financial year, so everyone was looking to offload ! Wholesaler's are good because they deal in moving product as fast as possible and are happy to negotiate for quick sales.

Still though, you need that independant inspection.

Cheers

[Sleeping Wood]

Hi Phoenix 12, can you disclose who the wholesaler was ?

[fonfe]

Test drive over an uneven surface.
RRS and discos used to have the most horribleness of suspension wearing -they have improved but still worth checking out. In the time I've worked for land rover I've done countless front lower ball jont changes, front lower arm bushes, front and rear ARB bushes and active roll bar changes. And a few EPBs.
BUT please don't let that put you off. They are a great car in my eyes and I only really get to see them for servicing and when they are broken so don't let that taint your desire. I personally wouldn't "chip" one as 90% of the cars ive come across with dead engines have been running a chip so I'd not bother.
Don't put over 20" wheels on it as the suspension will die quicker, and get one that has been serviced by land rover not a run of the mill garage. (The EPB failure is normally due to the rear shoes not being adjusted properly which to do by the book you need to use IDS/SDD) -non dealers don't normally have it.
Stick with genuine filters, castrol 5w30 (depending on your climate, for the south I'd stick with it) EGRs fail sometimes (both sides) and I've seen an injection pump catch light before.
AND don't you DARE put a Kahn body kit on (I will hate you for ever) haha
If you want a kit.....it's all about the stormer LR kit.
Oh and change your fuel filter every service -only saying that because from what I've seen the fuel quality in Australia is far less than it is in Europe and for the cost of the filter and the time to change is worth doing.

PS. Once you've got one and you find you need wheel alignment doing don't take it to a place that offers wheel alignment for $60. The job will be a crap one, worth spending the money to get it set up perfectly on a laser machine with all settings checked or itl cost you in handling and tyres later on.
Sorry about the jumble I've put this advice in....I've just written each bit as its come to me.

[fonfe]

Oh yeah I forgot......
Check no one has jacked the car up on the suspension compressor! Very common for tyre places to do that. Rattle from the bracket will drive you round the bend!

[Phoenix12]

Hi Phoenix 12, can you disclose who the wholesaler was ?

Sent PM.....

Cheers

[austag]

:) thanks Fonfe. My post was back in October, since then I have bought myself a 2008 RRS. Very pleased with it. It had only done 48k! So far it's done 3 off roading trips with no major issues. Had a bonnet sensor issue which kept thinking the bonnet was open. Tho there is a rattle in the tailgate that is doing my head in!! :censored: can't locate what the problem is. It's got 18" rims which is great. Totally agree with the using only the dealer, had LR's before and tried others, never again! I know it costs a bit more, but worth it. They know their product! We talked about a chip, but really for what it gets used for, there is no need for extra power and from what you say...definitely won't do it, won't risk it. I noticed with in a few weeks of getting it that the back tyres were scrubbing out badly on the outside, straight in for a wheel alignment at Bridgestone, hopefully they are one of the good ones that you say. No scrubbing since. We've plated the transmission and the EAS for protection, too costly to damage those.
Thanks once again! :D

[fonfe]

Ahhh whoopsie shoulda looked at the date doh!
Bonnet sensor issue I've come across has been the latch at fault, was this your cause? If so DON'T lube up your new latch. (One of the master techs I very first worked with used to think that was why they died....odd as it sounds I know) so we all stopped spraying lube on during servicing and they seemed to stop failing. Could of been coincidence but not going to harm it by just popping a tiny bit of tin grease in there instead of spray lube. (Could of even been the official LR service lube we used to use that was the issue ...don't get given that in dealer over in oz it seems though)

With the tailgate, strip of the rear trim and get someone to sit in the boot with a torch whilst you drive on a bumpy bit of road. You may have better luck finding it. Could be the actual striker plate not in far enough so its the actual tailgate itself moving though but your best bet is one person in the back one driving to find it.
Outside tyres scrubbing depends if they are continental cross contacts.....if they are its sort of a trait of them that LR released a TSB about years ago. Depends how bad the scrubbing is ie what are the measurements across the tyre?

[101RRS]

Tho there is a rattle in the tailgate that is doing my head in!! :censored: can't locate what the problem is.

Are you sure it is in the tailgate - I had a similar noise and couldn't find it, then then I noticed that it was not there when the rear seats were folded down - turned out to be the little seat rattling when upright.

You must have better dealers than most of us - I would never use them unless absolutely necessary - they certainly know less than they charge and their workmanship is not so good. Repair by replacement with you footing the bill even when wrong is the norm - gone are the days of diagnosing issues.

Garry

[fonfe]

Are you sure it is in the tailgate - I had a similar noise and couldn't find it, then then I noticed that it was not there when the rear seats were folded down - turned out to be the little seat rattling when upright.

You must have better dealers than most of us - I would never use them unless absolutely necessary - they certainly know less than they charge and their workmanship is not so good. Repair by replacement with you footing the bill even when wrong is the norm - gone are the days of diagnosing issues.

Garry

That's a very good point Gary, hopefully who ever is in the boot of the vehicle will be able to hear if the noise is behind or in front of them so he can find it.

In regards to dealers you do get bad dealers I'm sure anywhere in the world but in the uk I think it's a lil bit better in the London area as there are more dealers in a smaller area so there's the reputation to uphold as its only a 1 hour drive for the customer to go somewhere else? (That's my only guess)
Place I'm with in townsville is being managed in the same way as back home....every vehicle goes through the health check system where the whole car is checked over even if its in for something small like a lightbulb, all the work is quality checked and re road tested by either the workshop controller who's been a landy tech for 20+ years or the manager or is ex Aston martin and has both a marine and automotive engineering degree so they know their stuff very well. It's quite rare for one of our techs to miss something but with the quality checking it is always found before the customer collects their vehicle. If a miss diagnosis has been carried out, it's sorted straight away without costing the customer. We also wash and vac every car that comes through the door unless its a waiting customer who's in a hurry. I personally hate washing the cars as a tech (what tech wouldn't!? Haha) but I do agree with the managers view of its worth going that little bit extra for the customer as some of them drive from 400km away to use us. We take the view that its better for the job at hand to sometimes take a little bit longer than the quoted labour time and for us to swallow the extra lost labour cost as in the long run we get returning customers that trust us fully. Back home I've dealt with customers who book their vehicle in for service and say if if there's anything wrong with the vehicle and itl cost under $xxx dont call me, just go ahead and do the work. -that's a sign the customer fully trusts your work and honesty. This is the level my current dealer is trying to achieve with their customers. It will take a long time and the manager has only been there 9 months and myself 1 month so far but I think they are on the right track towards it.