Thread: Alarm(ing)

[FONT=""][COLOR=""][SIZE=""]Interestingly, I have just recently had the main cranking battery replaced too. And I think the random alarms have started after the battery replacment

The plot thickens………

Seriously guys, thanks for the replies but this seems to be another endemic problem in the D3's any ideas if there was every a software upgrade to cover this?

Great car but it is starting to do my head in with its "eccentricities"[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]

Try not to let it worry you too much.

How could a software update help - when the battery is going/dead? CPUs need juice and can't run reliably without it.

Really, this is merely a symptom of complex sensors and insufficient maintenance. Computer source code won't clean your dirty bonnet sensors.. nor replace your dead battery.

The easy to fix the bonnet switch is disconnect the wire to it. Did it a number of years ago when I had this problem. Never had the problem again. The micro switch that operates when you close the bonnet to me is not substanial enough for the task at hand.

[FONT=""][COLOR=""][SIZE=""]How could a software update help - when the battery is going/dead? CPUs need juice and can't run reliably without it.

Really, this is merely a symptom of complex sensors and insufficient maintenance. Computer source code won't clean your dirty bonnet sensors.. nor replace your dead battery.

….Yeah, nah. This car MY08 has been handled with kid gloves since I have had it; far more than any other previous vehicle I have owned. Regular services on time, all the time, with a Land Rover workshop not just any old grease monkey. Insufficient maintenance is NOT the issue here, what is the issue is design innovation, quality control and R&D by Land Rover before they released such a faulty product on the market.

As I have said previously it is the best big 4wd to drive bar none and rides better than most luxury sedans but it is starting to become a cost benefit issue, especially when you spend your time thinking "what next?". I would never take mine in any serious 4wd situations because I simply do not trust the vehicle. On the other hand I have an el-cheapo Pathfinder that I have used in the Vic high country for years which has made it home every time.

On a related matter, does anyone actually know how long the alarm sounds before switching itself off? I leave my D3 in a multi level car park while I am work during the day and I fear that this bloody thing is going to let go and do every bodies head in while it drains the battery. Is there any possible way to deactivate the alarm?

Thanks.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]

Originally Posted by Michael70

Regular services on time, all the time, with a Land Rover workshop not just any old grease monkey.

Does this workshop cleans the bonnet microswitch at every service?

Michael70
THe times it has happened to me, the alarm only seems to go for about 5 minutes, before golden silence.
I agree with Jonesy, it is highly unlikely that the regular services include such things as cleaning sensors. Personally I would prefer taht sort of work to having the car washed at every service.
Cheers
Mike

I think you will find that the alarm is only 30s. It feels longer when you can hear it going off. It will then tell you that it has gone off by quickly flashing the blinkers about 8 times when unlocking (instead of 1 long flash).

Seriously, it is to me a very minor issue. Too small for me to have spent more than about 10 minutes checking it out.

Regarding reliability, perhaps you have had other issues, but I have absolutely no problem with taking mine wherever it will go. Just the other week spent 5 days touring around west of Lithgow in areas where there are very few people to be found. I have done cape york, fraser island, outback NSW, flinders ranges, and many other smaller trips in the D3 with the whole family with no issues. Currently planning a trip to Birdsville, probably for next year. I have no reservations with the reliability.

[FONT=""][COLOR=""][SIZE=""]Thanks for the replies guys, it is a relief to find that it is only a 30s issue. I will inspect the sensor near the bonnet latch and see if it needs cleaning etc.

Regarding reliability I am loathe to put this thing in some serious low range country with all the electrical bobs and bits that sometimes seem to have a life of their own. I have taken the thing on a few duck hunts but nothing any 2wd car with a bit of clearance wouldn't do; certainly not like the tracks I negotiate when I go to sambar country in the hills.

The thing does drive really good and the size is perfect; just not strong enough to do real wilderness (low range, rock crawling) 4wding IMHO. Long range touring on bitumen or unsealed roads is all I am confident to do, although I wish I could do more.

Again thanks for the help, the huge positive with Land Rovers is the people that drive them!!~[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]