Thread: Disco 4 Engine System Failure Warning - beware!

To the OP, I haven't read all the other posts in between.

I have to say that over the ownership of three Disco's a 300TDi, a TD5 and a D3. My experience of LRA is very much in line with yours, they try to cover issues rather than issue recalls, they immediately try to blame the owner or something else before considering the product may be at fault and they require extreme pressure and threats to finally come good on what should be their obligations.

My only advice when dealing with them is stick to your guns and never give up and use whatever threats are necessary because that is the only language they appear to understand, customer satisfaction appears to be an entirely alien concept to them.

This brings back the discussion I had with them on my 300 TDi when the timing belt let go and they claimed the reason they hadn't recalled them was that it was not a safety issue. Well I can tell you that when mine let go it siezed the engine and caused all four wheels to lock up. The only reason it wasn't fatal was that it was going up a hill on a fairly quiet suburban street. It was extremely lucky it hadnt happened on the previous few days when I had been driving from Melbourne to Brisbane overtaking semi trailers at 110 kph at 2am.

They originally claimed it wasn't a known problem (the car was about three weeks out of warranty). It was only the fact that I knew someone who worked for a land rover dealer that I knew it was well known and that there was in fact a kit made to correct the problem that allowed me to call their bluff on this.

I have read this thread with interest, In January my D4 3l went into limp mode with the dreaded red triangle appearing with Engine System Failure. I lost my vehicle to LRA for 6 weeks. My Blog on D3 UK noted nearly each day what happened and what didnt happen.
Basically, I was travelling on flat terrain Cruise Control set at 104klm and I lost power. It took six weeks for the ECU to be reprogrammed and after weeks of constant angry confrontations with LRA and Land Rover itself (I flew to Sydney and confronted the "Customer Service" Manager himself at LandRover Headquarters in North Ryde, nice bloke by the way and got things done), my car was returned "fixed". At that time this had not been my only fault reading. I got a pile of them, Gearbox failures, injector failures, steering columns locked, low power etc. Each time I turned the car off and got out resetting, these went away. LRA was notified about these, they told me to advise the dealer at next service. (by the way none of these showed up in the dealers printout). I do have a traxide system fitted but it was not hooked to a second battery at the time of failure.
While my D4 was away "being fixed" I purchased an FCR. Immediately on the vehicles return I continued to get fault code readings spasmodically. I played with the new FCR and cleared them. None were a substantial warning so I noted and cleared in case they returned. None repeated and none left a red or amber triangle. These warnings continued up until about late April and have stopped..... completely!!!
I have just returned from a trip from Goondiwindi to Darwin around Litchfield, Kakadu down to Uluru Mereenie Loop and back to Goondiwindi via Hughenden and Winton, a total of 10,880 kilometers and I did not have one hiccup or warning in that entire 3.5 weeks. I used the traxide second battery system continually as the Waeco did not leave the car as we shifted camp daily.
I know it would be too much to think that it has worked itself out but, fingers crossed and touching wood, it seems to be going OK.
It is a fantastic vehicle, but it is disappointing to know that the customer service backup does not match the product they sell. I have said it a thousand times and no doubt will say it a thousand more but the word "Assist" should never appear on LRA's shingle.

Maybe reconnecting the Traxside kit to the other battery fixed it?

Maybe !!! LOL.

All I can say is that I own Land Rovers in spite on LRA not because of them.

Hi uttanutta, you say you didn’t have the second battery connected.

Did the problem stop at about the same time you did connect the second battery, like say with in a week or two?

Also. is your auxiliary battery an Optima Yellow Top?

I have my reasons for asking.

I am currently in Katherine on our Long Service leave trip (3 months) towing a Jayco Swan camper trailer and also got the dreaded red triangle with Exclamation symbol). I wasn't towing at the time and the warning was simply - Restricted Performance. the car went but now power or accelleration. We stopped and looked for the Darwin dealer details (off for first service shortly) and there was a long, audible beep and we turned the car on again and the system warning disappeared and all is running beautifully.

I'm thinking above LR Assist's office there's a big red triangle with Restricted Performance below it.