Thread: My D4's Reliability (or lack thereof)

I traded my Freelander 2 TD4 for a new D4 TDV6 (HI-ICE, rear e-diff) back in Oct 2010 and whilst I loved the car, this one hates me. Since the beginning I have had problems - here is a quick timeline.

Nov 2010 - three weeks after delivery was found to have a leaking o-ring in the steering rack - needed a replacement steering rack which was fitted end of Jan 2011.

Dec 2010 - when away on holiday there was a loud bang and I pulled over thinking it was a tyre. Dash lit up with engine fault. Had to be towed to dealer. Problem was turbo charger hose. I lost a few days of my holiday waiting for the car.

Jul/Aug 2011 - intermittently the centre display (sat nav, stereo, rear camera etc) would stay locked on with the Land Rover logo. After a couple trips back to the dealer who couldn't replicate the problem, a software upgrade apparently fixed it.

Dec 2011 / Jan 2012 - on holiday and battery died. The closest dealer did not have one in stock and I would have to wait at least 2 days to get one shipped in from Melbourne. I asked about swapping one out with the showroom car (I don't think many people buy cars over Christmas/New Year). Dealer wouldn't do it - had to detour to Melbourne to get it replaced under warranty.

July 2012 - on Moreton Island (weekend trip showing the relatives from Czech Republic around) the car wouldn't start - engine would turn over but no go, no fault lights. Had to pay for tow back to the ferry and LR Assist took over once back on the mainland - we got a taxi home. I called LR Assist the next day for a status report. Apparently the car had been delivered to the dealer - they could call the dealer for an update or I could call. I called the dealer - they didn't have my car. They checked with the other dealers in the area and could not find it. Eventually the car turned up at the tow depot and was delivered the next day. After a week of not being able to find out what was wrong with the car it was determined the problem was the crankshaft position sensor. The car was pulled apart and sensor replaced. I got the car back 12 days after it broke down.

It now gets even better, 2 days after getting the car back it now has a suspension fault. The car is back at the dealer today.

Is this normal for a D4? I hope not.

This is not the car I wanted. The reason for "upgrading" to the D4 from the FL2 was so I could do some trips away to places like Cape York and central Australia, maybe even the Simpson.

From my point of view, the car fails to meet the basic requirements of:

- being of acceptable quality i.e. safe, free from defects and durable
- fit for purpose (it is advertised as an "all-terrain vehicle" but at the moment I would only trust it as a driveway ornament)

At the moment I can't rely on this car to get me to work let alone go on a trip to a remote location.

I have sent a letter detailing the full circumstances to Land Rover but have not had a reply after a week - not even a call to say thanks for the letter, we are following it up.

The car is on a four year lease so backing out of this early will cost me.

I hoping that someone out there might be able to help me with the following questions:

Any suggestions on how I can get the car that I paid for? (My mates' suggest trading it for a Landcruiser - ).

How do I get in contact with Land Rover so that they acknowledge that there is a problem and take action?

thanks

Dean

I would try another dealer. Compreessor failure would not stop it from starting. It does not sound like they are giving you any support with LR.