Body off for Exhaust Gasket repairs 2007 D3 2.7 245K feedback please

[LRD3Tim]

Hi All, I have a 2007 D3 2.7 245,000kms owned for 18 months now in pretty good nic. Really enjoy the ride, quirks etc. learing to live with the warning codes (use a icarsoft scan tool). Since I've owned it I have had a leak from exhaust gasket bolt failure probably. Finally getting it repaired (LR specialists), but advised body needs to be removed to do so - given its location etc. Apart from the cost and at some point in the furutre if I don't have it fixed may get worse - melt some plastic bits etc. especially if under pressure towing a van. (I have a UK caravan 1.9 ton gross ttl). At present using it as a daily driver, but have recently taken it (vehicle only - no van) to Fraser island from Sydney so 3k trip. Went okay. Would like to ask the group please for feedback - if anyone has had body off repairs to their D3 and if so, was vehicle okay after. no issues, and while the body was off what else did you get fixed or looked at given body off frame / access etc. I get LR built these vehicles this way to unbolt etc, seems a bit extreme, but just want to know its worth it. I paid 16k for vehicle and reguarly change oil / filters 10K intervals. Will do long trips in Oz with the van in future. Thanks

[PerthDisco]

Interested in what symptoms/ noises led you to diagnosis?

Others have repaired broken exhaust studs body on via access through wheel well.

The car is built to take body off for major repairs. Straight forward on stock car unless you have many accessories fitted.

If taking body off I’d definitely take opportunity to do some other items that become incredibly easy;

Replace brake vacuum pump and gasket.

Replace radiator

Replace fuel pump belt

Replace turbo

Replace turbo intake hoses with silicone kit

Replace plastic block coolant elbow inlet fitting behind the turbo intake hoses (this is an absolute must!!)

Replace steering column uni joint.

Other than a new turbo these are cheap items in the scheme of things that will set you up for another 10 years of motoring.

Check out Advanced Factors online or other LR shop and you’ll see pricing is not scary.

[p38arover]

Replace the timing belt and the belt behind the engine.

[Airmech953]

An experienced workshop should know how to avoid damaging the CanBus wiring. The shop that had the body off my machine damaged a wire in the rear LH wheel arch. They eventually gave up trying to clear all the fault codes, couldn't start the engine, and sold it to me for scrap value.
I eventually found the damaged wire and repaired it. Job done! To be fair to that shop, the manhours that I invested in fault finding would have been uneconomical for them.

[loanrangie]

Replace the timing belt and the belt behind the engine.Easy enough with the body on.

[veebs]

I had this exact problem - body needs to come off if the studs that snapped are at the back I think - otherwise body on

Got some other stuff done at the same time - turbo being the biggest. Never driven better!

[Porker]

I just had the body off for a new turbo. The workshop manager suggested that they have a look at known issues whilst the body was off and my report reads “inspected common failure points no attention required “. The one thing they did replace was rear sway bar D rubber set because it is easy while the body is off apparently,it was only $60 nothing compared to the rest of the job. I have 205000km on my D4. Regards Paul.

Sorry to answer your original question, other than resetting to my radio station and the loud whistle from the cracked turbo gone you wouldn’t know the body had come off.

[p38arover]

Easy enough with the body on.

Front, yes, rear, no.

[loanrangie]

Front, yes, rear, no.

yeah it is, did it in my driveway at home - not as difficult as people make out.

[PerthDisco]

yeah it is, did it in my driveway at home - not as difficult as people make out.

Point is each of these ‘hard’ jobs is $800 to $2k of labour individually for a Indy to do therefore by the time you knock them off as part of a body off job you’ve come close to paying for the process. You wouldn’t want to have take the body off again within a year for something you had access to at the time when you have a car at 250k km or more. It’s a mid life birthday refresh.

[loanrangie]

Point is each of these ‘hard’ jobs is $800 to $2k of labour individually for a Indy to do therefore by the time you knock them off as part of a body off job you’ve come close to paying for the process. You wouldn’t want to have take the body off again within a year for something you had access to at the time when you have a car at 250k km or more. It’s a mid life birthday refresh.True but I wouldn't do the belts if they weren't anywhere near being due.

[BradC]

yeah it is, did it in my driveway at home - not as difficult as people make out.

On a D3. I've had a look at a 2.7L D4 and there's less room to move. On the 3L D4 there's also the requirement of timing it. So it's not cut and dried.

[p38arover]

Ahh, I was thinking of the D4.

[loanrangie]

OP has a D3 so D4 is moot.

[twr7cx]

The bodies on these are designed to be removed. If going to the trouble of removing though I'd have a long list of other items to check and do at the same time (for me a new torque converter and rear fuel pump timing belts would be definates).

Re your fault lights - really something you should sort to get the best from the vehicle, especially if towing and off roading. Use a GAP Diagnostic IID Tool or a Land Rover specialist to help do so.