Heresy?

[mikeford]

I own a 2012 D4 that is nearly out of extended warranty (4 and a half years old ), I am contemplating change of vehicle. I love so much about my discovery but I am planning traveling a lot more towing my 2 tonne caravan. Vehicle support in my travels is concerning me with the specialized needs of my D4, especially after having to use Land Rover Assist recently, the RAA man walked up to my car didn't even look at it and said it needed to be towed to the dealers he did not have the required specialist equipment or training to do anything else. I was in the Adelaide southern suburbs, not outback South Australia. There are only 3 dealers in South Australia, Millicent (4.5 hours away), Port Lincoln (7.5 hours away) and Adelaide (45 minutes away). I have been thinking about a vehicle with significantly better dealer support, being out of warranty is making me feel uneasy. Any sage advice oh wise ones.

[Graeme]

What was the problem that required dealer attention and do you now think that a dealer trip may have been avoided if you knew what the problem was at the time? Demystifying the vehicle by having a diagnostic tool may give you the confidence to retain the D4.

[justinc]

Don't forget that nissan toyota mitsu etc now are all in the same boat with no simple systems on board and tow trucks are the norm for all in remote parts of this country. Before anyone says ' its alright for you, you can fix it yourself ' but thats not why i drive a vehicle i love. It does everything perfectly right for what i need and I've chosen the model that i believe through experience has the highest reliability and least problems overall. So whatever you choose to do remember that you need to enjoy the vehicle you drive☺

Jc

[Tombie]

Plenty of Toyota, Nissan and Isuzu pass through here each day on flat beds.....

[Russrobe]

As said above Mike, not sure on how far you've ventured but if you can get to Gordons weekend course 3 hours from Adelaide you might change your mind. The info he gives is priceless, i'll be doing another one of his courses before we go away again.
Green Oval Experience Land Rover training, Range Rover modifcation (http://www.greenovalexperience.com/south-australia-training) His booklet is a good read and a must have too.

Gap Iid tool from Duckworths, they are great to deal with(You get a big confidence boost when you realize there's a place you can get decent priced parts delivered within 3 working days from the UK too, it's not that hard to organize parts delivered to the middle of nowhere once you have the right contacts!)

Alright the repairs that require the body off are a bit daunting but really, anything this extreme will be on a tow truck to the nearest capital anyway, for any manufacturer.

You mention you're towing, don't forget you have hands down the best tow vehicle on the market. Are you prepared to give that up?

Good luck.

[mikeford]

Are you are suggesting that I need to buy a diagnostic tool to find out problems with my D4 that the dealers don't seem to be able to find. There is also the issue that updated software is apparently needed for various issues, I bet that is not easy to get hold as a privateer. Still waiting for my D4, supposed to have back on friday, monday 6.30pn now, apparently Land Rover head office are having significant computer system problems at the moment. Hopefully see it tomorrow.

[Bytemrk]

I think what the guys are suggesting Mike, is that if you plan to go remote in ANY new high tech 4WD, the wise man takes some sort of diagnostic tool that suits his vehicle - which would allow fast diagnosis of a problem should it occur.

The tool I carry allows me to easily identify a fault code one of the many ecu's in the car produces.... that information should be enough to point any bush mechanic in the right direction. (Never needed it BTW)

Over 10 years ago I was camped at Arkaroola in the northern Flinders. I had a V8 D2 at the time. The local mechanic came over asked me if he could look under my bonnet or if I had a manual - because he had a TD5 D2 in his workshop.. it had thrown a fan belt. He had a new serpentine belt the owner carried.. but he had no idea which way around it went. A little bit of knowledge can be very useful.

Carrying things to help with unexpected problems is not new - I always used to carry a manual and a few spares.... now I carry less spares, and electronic copy of the manual and a diagnostic tool.

[justinc]

The big issues for non landrover owners is that there are NO equivalent diagnostic tools available that are in the same league as Gap and BBS etc. The market is there for these and is well supported so we as owners get a good boost in that department. Some may laugh at the fact that there IS such a market but lets get real everything now is run by ECMs. An acquaintance with a late diesel hilux had to miss half of a tag along 6 week tour because of a faulty dash harness and even the dealer had it for days to try and pinpoint. We are all on the same boat unless you go back in time and get a vehicle from the 80s or 90s. Err nope. Not for big towing duties safety and comfort.

Jc

[Roverlord off road spares]

I've chosen the model that i believe through experience has the highest reliability and least problems overall.

Jc
Justin you don't know how good that makes me feel,
Cheers, Mario

[Roverlord off road spares]

Over 10 years ago I was camped at Arkaroola in the northern Flinders. I had a V8 D2 at the time. The local mechanic came over asked me if he could look under my bonnet or if I had a manual - because he had a TD5 D2 in his workshop.. it had thrown a fan belt. He had a new serpentine belt the owner carried.. but he had no idea which way around it went. A little bit of knowledge can be very useful.

.
They obviously don't have google in Arkaroola.;) One thing those people that carry spare fan belts, should also carry a diagram with it on how it is fitted, helps a lot as not every one can remember how it routes once its come off.

[justinc]

Justin you don't know how good that makes me feel,
Cheers, Mario

😁😁 i feel that way everytime i get behind the wheel especially with the 3t van attached! Possibly is the best vehicle i have ever towed with.

[DiscoMick]

All modern vehicles are highly electronic. All require diagnostic tools. All get trucked to dealers. All dealers often hang onto vehicles for days while parts are flown in from central warehouses. D4s are quite reliable.