2009 Range Rover Sport 3.6-litre V8 turbo-diesel Engine Blown Up!

[MUMSRIG]

Hi all,

After some advise.

My sister has a 2009 Range Rover Sport 3.6-litre V8 turbo-diesel and the engine now has a hole in the side of the block. The vehicle is approx 18months old and has just clicked over 14000klm's.

I have not personally seen the damage as yet as i work away and the vehicle is at the dealers. My sister (who has no mechanical aptitude and is not expected to) said that she was driving in a remote area but on a major arterial road and travelled 166klm's when smoke emitted from under the bonnet and the vehicle ground to a halt on the side of the road leaving a trail of oil and leaving her stranded in the middle of no where with no mobile reception. And YES the fluid levels were checked prior to setting off. Fortunately a passer by was kind enough to give her a lift to the nearest phone and the Roadside Assistance was called. The vehicle was towed to a holding yard before then being sent to a dealer almost a week later for assesment.

1 item of note is that the vehicle is overdue for it's first scheduled service now by approx 2000 klm's and anything up to 9 months. This service was due to happen on her next break and she had arranged for time off to bring it to the city which is an approximate 2400klm round trip, hence the reason for the delay in the time it has taken to get the vehicle serviced, coupled with the fact that the Regional Dealership no longer exists. Makes it a bit hard when you spend upwards of $130g's on a vehicle that you can't get serviced by a dealer locally, (YES, even the local servo wouldn't dare to touch it) especially when you were assured that there would be a regional dealer to service your new pride and joy when purchasing the vehicle in the first instance!

The first question I have is: Can anyone tell me when the Karratha Land Rover Dealership closed down?

Secondly: Has anyone experienced any issues with this motor before?

Thirdly: The initial assesment has come back that the motor will need replacement and could cost anything up to $30000 with Land Rover Dealer stating that they may not honour the warranty at this stage. Does anyone have contact details for the WA Regional Service Manager?

Obviously my sister is devistated by this news, nothing is confirmed as yet as to what will occur next as she works in a remote area no where near where the car is now. She will now have to arrange flights or a hire car to get to where her vehicle is and also to get home at a later date. More expense!

I know the decision would ultimately be Land Rover Australia's as to whether the warranty is honoured but I also know how much pull a dealer has in the way they report their findings to the higher authority as I am a mechanic myself and have worked in dealerships.

Alot of conclusions may be made here as a result of what I have posted, but the fact remains that this vehicle is not much more than a year old, has never been driven offroad except for graded gravel roads and it is now sitting in a state of disrepair requiring major attention with no promise of 'said attention' from the Dealer.

Thank you

[scarry]

Geez,that is bad,i hope things only get better

LR & there dealerships in remote areas,& their trying to push all these new model defenders for country areas ,they gotta be joking.
As for the vehicle,2k over for a service isnt too bad,i would presume would be OK,if they push the time,9months,there could be a problem there.

More than likely if they can prove the motor failed due to a lack of servicing,well there could be a problem there as well.


Good news is i have always found LR very good with warranty claims.

Never heard of a failure with that motor,but others may have.

[Scouse]

As long as the engine did not run out of oil through neglect, then I'm sure LR will honour this repair. They might ask a few questions and the dealership will need to do a bit extra paperwork for such an unusual problem but that's nothing to do with your sister.

[Slunnie]

As long as the engine did not run out of oil through neglect, then I'm sure LR will honour this repair. They might ask a few questions and the dealership will need to do a bit extra paperwork for such an unusual problem but that's nothing to do with your sister.
I'd bet they wont commit to anything until they have checked the motor.

[Scouse]

I'd bet they wont commit to anything until they have checked the motor.Hence the extra 'paperwork' comment. The dealer will have to take photos & submit a report to LR but they usually act pretty quickly in cases like this.

I'd like to know the cause though, these engines have been extremely good from what I've seen.

[midal]

MUMSRIG
In answer to your first question, the Karratha LR dealership closed down about 18 mos-2 yrs ago. The LR spares etc were all picked up by Moxham Motors in Karratha but I'm unsure whether or not they picked up the actual dealership responsibilities for servicing etc.
Cheers
Mick

[MUMSRIG]

MUMSRIG
In answer to your first question, the Karratha LR dealership closed down about 18 mos-2 yrs ago. The LR spares etc were all picked up by Moxham Motors in Karratha but I'm unsure whether or not they picked up the actual dealership responsibilities for servicing etc.
Cheers
Mick

Excellent, thanks Mick.. Thats the info that I'm after.

It goes to show that dealers will push for a sale even though what they tell you may not be quite right!

That timing sounds about right as there was a 3 or 4 month wait for the Rangie from when the deposit was given to when it arrived at the dealer. They basically sold the car to my sister on the pretence that she would have a local servicing agent that she could rely on to service her new Rangie as they new full well where the vehicle was going to reside.

My father has a V6 TD Disco 3 and lives in Newcastle (biggest regional city in Aus) and L R have even closed that one down.

Pretty sad. I can understand them closing dealers for financial reasons but they need to be able to provide an alternative for all their loyal L R owners out in these areas. Maybe something like a registered repairer type scheme as there are usually L R privateer's out there that are even ex L R mechanics with a small business, maybe they could look at authorising these guys for repairs and maintenance?

[midal]

Excellent, thanks Mick.. Thats the info that I'm after.

It goes to show that dealers will push for a sale even though what they tell you may not be quite right!

That timing sounds about right as there was a 3 or 4 month wait for the Rangie from when the deposit was given to when it arrived at the dealer. They basically sold the car to my sister on the pretence that she would have a local servicing agent that she could rely on to service her new Rangie as they new full well where the vehicle was going to reside.

My father has a V6 TD Disco 3 and lives in Newcastle (biggest regional city in Aus) and L R have even closed that one down.

Pretty sad. I can understand them closing dealers for financial reasons but they need to be able to provide an alternative for all their loyal L R owners out in these areas. Maybe something like a registered repairer type scheme as there are usually L R privateer's out there that are even ex L R mechanics with a small business, maybe they could look at authorising these guys for repairs and maintenance?

MUMSRIG
Due to the amount of money involved for a new engine, it may be in your best interests to contact Moxham Motor Karratha to clarify the dealership responsibilities issue.
I spoke with the previous principal dealer after the closure and he informed me that it was not LR's decision to close down, it was his. He said that business was going very well at the time. He owned a large parcel of land where the dealership was situated and it was at the time when the resource boom was going right off, companies were desparately fighting for room in the area and someone made him an offer that was way above the value so he took it. It all happened so quickly that it took a lot of people by surprise, myself included. It may have been helped by the fact that the head mechanic who had worked there for over 10 yrs had just left as well, but that is only supposition on my behalf.....no bad rumours intended. Good luck with the issue, hope it works out to your satisfaction.

Cheers
Mick

[inside]

It would be interesting to know what the dealer's findings are. Sure a car can have problems but you would think modern engines today have a certain amount of self preservation built in. Better to shut the engine down than put a hole in the block.

Please let us know the outcome.

[Blknight.aus]

heres the out that they are likely to use.

Due to the fact that the last service is overdue by more than the allowed 10% of time and kilometers we will not honour warrenty in this case. Had the service been completed on schedule a service tech would have identified a fault from the condition of the oil/particulate in the filter.

[Scouse]

Had the service been completed on schedule a service tech would have identified a fault from the condition of the oil/particulate in the filter.I doubt that very much.
How many techs would examine the old oil closely enough on a 1st service too diagnose an imminent engine failure? FFS, the oil drain might only be about 10cm from the sump plug & they're going to check other things while the oil is draining anyway.

Hang on, I think I'm going to find one quite soon.



At 14000km & 18mths old, this WILL NOT be an issue for LR unless it has actually run out of oil through neglect or an accident.

[Graeme]

From the initial report, it appears that there was more than enough oil in the engine for it to end up as an oil trail on the road.

[richard4u2]

most oil companys say thier oil is good for 20000 k's
i bought a new holden pv back in the early 70's, it through a rod out of the block at app 2300 k's they put in a new short motor , no dramas

[scarry]

I had an XF falcon P/v company car many yrs ago that had an oil leak that turned out to be a small hole in the side of the block.
Ford techs drilled & tapped a thread & screwed in a plug,all done under warranty.
Had the van for 4yrs,never leaked oil again.

Maybe this is what they will do to this Rangie

[Hoges]

Need "LOTS" of exposure on this issue through this and other LR websites ... I'm sure the LR people take an interest. The technique is not to take NO for an answer... keep asking to get to the next level up and then the next etc, all the while keeping us uptodate here.... If they LR want to build market share one might imagine that they need to do something about getting the servicing/parts distribution sorted out...

I sense the rot has set in however... some LR PR clown has been quoted recently in the motoring press as describing the next LR soft SUV as " ...a FASHION accessory" :eek:

[mike 90 RR]

I know the decision would ultimately be Land Rover Australia's as to whether the warranty is honoured

...and I would expect the report to be a bit more detailed, than "She's buggered" written on it .... It would be LR head office that makes the decision, so I would wait for that, before crying "Foul"

Mike

[rovercare]

heres the out that they are likely to use.

Due to the fact that the last service is overdue by more than the allowed 10% of time and kilometers we will not honour warrenty in this case. Had the service been completed on schedule a service tech would have identified a fault from the condition of the oil/particulate in the filter.

10%, where's that written?

[Scouse]

Need "LOTS" of exposure on this issue through this and other LR websites ... I'm sure the LR people take an interest. The technique is not to take NO for an answer... keep asking to get to the next level up and then the next etc, all the while keeping us uptodate here.... If they LR want to build market share one might imagine that they need to do something about getting the servicing/parts distribution sorted out...

Sometimes too much publicity is a bad thing for the owner. Just keep it nice & polite, don't let it get out of hand in the public domain & you'll come out the other side with a nice new engine.

You can bet you bottom dollar that LR visit AULRO. I, and others on here, know for a fact that they do.

[strange_rover1]

I would be pretty sure that they would take into account that the vehicle is a long way from any service centre and that the one it was purchased from has now closed down. I reckon they will come to the party and replace it under warranty just to avoid any bad PR.
Shano

[Slunnie]

I would be pretty sure that they would take into account that the vehicle is a long way from any service centre and that the one it was purchased from has now closed down. I reckon they will come to the party and replace it under warranty just to avoid any bad PR.
Shano
They'll try the old good will line before that. We'll pay for the new motor while you pay the $30,000 labour to change it.

[MUMSRIG]

Sometimes too much publicity is a bad thing for the owner. Just keep it nice & polite, don't let it get out of hand in the public domain & you'll come out the other side with a nice new engine.

You can bet you bottom dollar that LR visit AULRO. I, and others on here, know for a fact that they do.

Too true,

No bad eggs here thus far.

The update is as follows:
I flew back to Perth (I also work away) last Tuesday my sister also flew in the same day so we took a trip down to the dealer and they had found a hole in the block plus another small hole in the sump as well as a puncture marks in the casing from inside out.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/10/538.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/10/539.jpg

This was found to be as a consequence to a breather pipe becoming dislodged at the top of the engine. Hidden by the shrouds of course.

The typical $2 part causing irrepairable damage. The hose clamp is suspected to have not been tight enough and the rubber hose has come away from it's position allowing the oil, which is apparently recirculated through this pipe (my thoughts are that it is part of the EGR system like a breather pipe?), to be expelled towards the firewall. As a consequence to this the engine has obviously lost oil and then oil pressure in quick succession casuing it to (my presumption again) spin a bearing and attempt to seize. Now we are talking about a vehicle driving at the posted speed on the open road in excess of 100kph. So when the engine has effectively seized my sister has felt a chugging sensation with the vehicle loosing power and pulled to the side of the road. This would have been the time where the rod has attempted to exit the block.

The two hose clamps you can see at the top on that approx 2" diameter by 2" long rubber hose are apparently the cause of all her problems.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/10/540.jpg

I hear you ask....didn't she hear anything? Didn't the oil light come on the dash?

Well, the only thing she heard was her Harmon Kardon audio system that Range Rover have kindly fitted to these vehicles cranking out the solefull beats of what ever she listens to at a rather high volume.
The lights, well yes, they came on when the chugging sensation was felt and when she pulled to the side of the road was when the dash displayed that the engine was shutting down which I assume is something built into these cars to offer the motor some protection if a failure occurs? Once stopped smoke was then seen emmitting from the bonnet and this is when she noticed the approximate 20metre oil slick trail on the road behind.

This is what the Rangie looked like last Tuesday.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/10/541.jpg

When we spoke to the dealer, the Service Manager assured us that he would be "looking after the customer" and that this was an unheard of issue for Land Rover and that there would have to be a fair amount of investigation into the reasons as to why this has occurred.

Currently the motor is out and has been disassembled and a report has been sent to Land Rover Australia. We are currently awaiting their reply. I spoke to the Service Manager yesterday and they had been asked by LRA for more information of which they had replied to the relevant questions.

I hope that the outcome is favourable and that we don't have to take the matter further. The last thing we want to have to do is to fight tooth and nail for a positive outcome on a vehicle that is so new and was so expensive to purchase initially. Especially for a now 27 year old girl who has worked extremely hard and saved her pennies for a very long time to buy the car of her dreams.

The only complaint thus far with the service received is that I have had to do all the chasing. The dealer hasn't once called us to give an update. It has only been after I have left messages to find out the status. I had also asked to see the vehicle and engine in strip down mode and this did not occur. I was told that they needed the hoist and had to get the vehicle off, even though they new that I was available for the week as I was on break and only love 15minutes away. Other than that they have been good to deal with. I'm off to work for another 8 days and my sister flew out yesterday for 2 weeks, so I'm not sure what the progress will be like over the next week or so.

Please note# that the above descriptions and events are depicted in my words not my sisters. Conclusions have been made which are based purely on the information provided by the servicing dealer and from my mechanical experience as a mechanic of 15+ years.

[MUMSRIG]

OK, we have recieived a response from Land Rover Aus and they have been true to their warranty conditions and are replacing the engine in my sisters Rangie.

The dealer received a reply yesterday and the new motor will be shipped shortly form the East.

Thanks everyone for your replies and keeping this thread tidy.

I must say that we have been suitably impressed by the professionalism at the dealership that the vehicle is at, especially with the Service Manager. Understandably this has never happened to one of these vehicles before and hopefully will never occur again so they have had to provide an aweful lot of info to LR and have had to answer alot of questions in reference to the engine damage.

They will also be performing the required services and other warranty work along with a wheel alignment whilst the car is there. They will more than likely need the vehicle for the best part of a month to have it back on the road.

Cheers

[spudboy]

Excellent news.

I have always have good results from LR with warranty work. If it was their problem they'd just get on and rectify it. Sometimes it took a while for them to work out what they were going to do about it..... but once a decision was made, it was always quickly sorted out.

Glad you have eventually got some positive results.

[Scouse]

That's great news.
I haven't heard of this happening with the TDV8 before so let's hope it's a one off as they're a great engine. I recently had the chance to drive the new 10MY range, with the new 3.0TDV6 & 5.0 supercharged engines, & the TDV8 was still the pick of the bunch IMO.

[Psimpson7]

Great news. Good on LR.

[spudboy]

Also - thanks for posting up such a detailed response, and the photos. Good to see and hear all the things that happened.

[eucryphia]

Good news :)

Land Rover is back on my next car purchase short list.

I know you can get 'service agreements' for cars, 'insurance policies' really.

But I reckon they're just excuses for expensive repairs and parts, are there any competitive 'pure' insurance policies available instead? NRMA?