Convince me to buy a 2013-14 D4 ... or not

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Originally Posted by 101RRS

Not being negative at all, but if a buyer cannot decide themselves and needs to be talked into buying a product by others then maybe that product is not for them.

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As Homestar and others have worked out, I'm on this forum to learn about a vehicle that I have never owned. This forum seems to be a wealth of knowledge from actual owners which is why I am asking for peoples opinions and to learn as much as I can so that I can indeed make a decision.
Apologies that my attempt at a catchy Thread title has been misinterpreted and taken so literally. Please interpret it as others have, as another way of asking for friendly advice. If you don't have any then thats fine and I wish you all the best.

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Originally Posted by Ean Austral

Gday and Welcome to the forum , The reason people opt for a diagnostic tool is that these cars rely on several different ECU;s ( maybe not the best description but you might get the idea ) so being able to access them and read and clear any faults , saves costly trips to the dealers but also enables you to trouble shoot yourself if needed. No use having a top of the line tool kit but not knowing where to start , the code reader will give you an idea on where the fault is.

I am pretty sure all newer model cars would use some form of ECU's so would guess they would be in the tool kit of most modern car owners.

Cheers Ean

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Thanks very much for the welcome Ean, and to all the other helpful replies!

Are there common faults to look out for that people use the GAP etc tools for?

I'm definitely trying to go into it eyes wide open, hence joining this forum and reading as much as I can here.
I'm not new to outback travel and I'm aware of the reality that is a lot of remote places, even a land cruiser can't just be patched up as there simply aren't any mechanics or tyre places anywhere near you.
The comfort and power etc are certainly things that I am looking for, without the size and thirst of a 200 series.

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Originally Posted by Birdboy

Thanks very much for the welcome Ean, and to all the other helpful replies!

Are there common faults to look out for that people use the GAP etc tools for?

I'm definitely trying to go into it eyes wide open, hence joining this forum and reading as much as I can here.
I'm not new to outback travel and I'm aware of the reality that is a lot of remote places, even a land cruiser can't just be patched up as there simply aren't any mechanics or tyre places anywhere near you.
The comfort and power etc are certainly things that I am looking for, without the size and thirst of a 200 series.

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I wouldn't say there are any stand out faults , and in most cases if you do get a fault you can turn off the car , get out and lock it , wait a few minutes and get back in and the car will go back to normal function , the fault will be stored. A bad earth for instance will see the dash light up. You also have the benefit of reading live data like water / oil temps and more with a diagnostic tool.

Because the car has air suspension the worse thing is it dropping to the bump stops which gives not much ground clearance , so being able to reset the suspension with a diagnostic tool is very handy. That said I have heard that people have just got the car back to normal height and pulled the suspension fuse in an emergency.

A diagnostic tool was the first thing I purchased when I bought our D3 , not because I was worried about the car , it was more that I refused to have to give the dealers my hard earned just to read any faults if / when they may happen. Its not something you should see as anything other than a essential tool for the car , no difference to a wheel brace and jack. Hope you never need them , but they are there if needed.

The reality is that very few mechanics in rural /remote area's will have a code reader for a L/R , so even if you are not mechanically minded, between this site ,a code reader and someone with some skills will get you out of most situations.

Unlike some , I wouldn't hesitate to take my D3 anywhere , I was told never to take our D2 remote , but it did most tracks including the old gunbarrel and the canning stock route without issue , On the CSR we even met people who sold their land Rovers and purchased other brands because so many people had told them they would never make it.

Anyways, best of luck with your selection no matter what vehicle make or model you replace the prado with.

Cheers Ean

Just clocked 100,000km of ownership on my D4 SDV6SE 3.0.
Best and worst car I've owned, but love it all the same, "warts and all".
Extremely capable and yet finicky.
Awesome drive, bugger to work on, but if well sorted, an absolute dream.

Maintenance is key, oil change every 10,000km minimum is a must, and looking after the transmission, transfer case and diffs is essential (oil services and fluid flush) but no different than any other late model 4wd.

I've found service costs very reasonable comoarison, and the availability and price of parts is well below that of the other big 3 .

Won't be selling mine anytime soon, we've been across and up and down this wide brown land, would not do it again in anything else.

As others gave said, do your research and get any potentials checked by a reputable independent who has experience with them.

If it makes you feel any better, I bought a D3 a couple of years ago and it has just clocked over 527,000Kms. It was used by a previous owner for a tourism business, with regular servicing by a good Independent mechanic (which is vital for these vehicles), and has been pretty much everywhere. The newer 8 speed D4's are the pick of the litter as far as refinement goes in the D3/4 family and are awesome to drive. Because these vehicles are more complex - to do the awesome things they can do - a fault reader will save you some headaches for reasons mentioned in previous posts. Think of it as another tool in your tool-kit. Also, if you are worried about the air suspension failing offroad, there is an aftermarket air-up kit available that will get you out of trouble (see the Green Oval Experience website). The D3/4 FAQ page and AULRO users should help you with most of your questions, but a drive in one will put a smile on your face and probably seal the deal. Good luck with whichever vehicle you choose!

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Originally Posted by Eric SDV6SE

Just clocked 100,000km of ownership on my D4 SDV6SE 3.0.

Maintenance is key, oil change every 10,000km minimum is a must, and looking after the transmission, transfer case and diffs is essential (oil services and fluid flush) but no different than any other late model 4wd.


As others gave said, do your research and get any potentials checked by a reputable independent who has experience with them.

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Thanks Eric! What would be the most important potential things to look for in something with less than 100,000km on it? Would you expect something with 50-80000 to have had transmission etc fluids changed?

From my perspective, I always try to buy the last year of a model run. Hopefully by then most of the issues have been ironed out. Also as a new model is coming you often get a better deal (extra options) at no cost. Look at a 2016 model

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Originally Posted by Birdboy

Thanks Eric! What would be the most important potential things to look for in something with less than 100,000km on it? Would you expect something with 50-80000 to have had transmission etc fluids changed?

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Welcome Birdboy

I’m onto my second D4. Never had a major problem, Simpson crossed twice, VIC high country too many times to count.

When shopping for my second D4 (sub 100k kms) I looked for the following. The below are a replacement for an independent mechanic to look at...but they were things I was curious about:


1) service history
2) tested front LCA joints (drive along quiet road, coast for a bit, slam on brakes - should be no clunking from front suspension)
3) cycled air suspension down and up a few times...compressor is on rear passenger side under car. I got quite ocd and timed the cycle - approx 2 mins for the compressor to finish running - from low height to normal road height. If you do this too many times an overheat warning will appear.
4) check Electronic park brake - it will make a small noise when engaging..,but any loud screeching..and I mean loud, be careful.
5) front brake (and to lesser degree rear) rotors. Depending on kms, they could either be shot or recently replaced.
6) quiet road - give a heavy right foot. Some black smoke ok; white / blue not good.
7) signs of oil leaks underneath
8) under car damage - woolies car park damage most likely, but also interested if it had actually been off-road.

After my hunting around, and checking the above stuff - I found my baby at a dealer...so some piece of mind and a dealer service history.
Good luck...

E

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Originally Posted by Birdboy

Thanks Eric! What would be the most important potential things to look for in something with less than 100,000km on it? Would you expect something with 50-80000 to have had transmission etc fluids changed?

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- Regular or more than regular services, the factory service interval of 24000km is just too long.
- fuel filters every 10,000km.
- timing and fuel pump belts at around 120,000-150,000km, if these fail it’s game over for the engine, requires specialised tools, LR or good indies charge $1600-1800 to change, cheap insurance I say.
- Front lower control arms are a weak link, the hydro bushes fail early
- transmission oil change every 50,000km with either lifeguard (LG8 8speed or LG6 for the 6speed) or acceptable alternatives (I use Penrite BMV). ZF and LR say the fluid is lifetime but that’s not exactly true if you want longevity, especially when towing
- Electronic Air Suspension - the compressor requires a service kit if the car raises slowly. Air compressor is robust and can be easily rebuilt kits are easy to order on line.
- air struts and bags are strong and should last the life of the car, but replacements if required they are available and fitted similar to conventional struts.
- rear and front diffs need regular oil services, just lik any other, std 80W90 oil unless it has an electronic rear diff, then it’s a “special oil”
- transfer case requires regular oil changes too, same as any other 4WD, and requires another special oil, but alternatives are available, e.g I run Royal Purple Synchromax in mine with no issues.

- the sequential turbo can have air control valve issues, and have been known to cause manifold and intake tract issues, check for oily residues outside the throttle body and manifolds, or under the engine cover is a good tell tale.

To me, all of the above is pretty standard, especially considering it’s a large, capable and versatile high end 4WD. Service costs are (imho) lower than a 200 Series, for example injectors for the D4 3.0 V6 can be had for between 250-500 each ex UK (depending on the cylinder) whereas for a 200 Series they are 1200each, and it’s a V8...

i do all servicing my self now that the extended warranty is finished, (I’ve owned it for 5 years now) and if I cant do it, I take it to an independant, or to Land Rover.

Finally, the extended platinum warranty is worth it’s weight in, um, gold, mine was $3500 over 4 years of finance and worth every cent as it was a true bumper to bumper warranty.

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Originally Posted by Eric SDV6SE

- fuel filters every 10,000km.

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Really? Isn't the factory spec 52,000km for the fuel filter? Have there been issues with them blocking that you're recommending them to be changed 5 times more often?

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Originally Posted by Eric SDV6SE

- timing and fuel pump belts at around 120,000-150,000km, if these fail it’s game over for the engine, requires specialised tools, LR or good indies charge $1600-1800 to change, cheap insurance I say.

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Have there been issues with the belts failing before their 182,000km/7 year service? I get that it's an interference engine but usually they are speced with a safety margin so that the belts won't fail at 182,001km...


Remember it's rare that anyone joins an online forum to start a thread to share how great everything is going with their vehicle! So what your seeing here on the forum is those that are experiencing issues, concerns or questions which is likely a small portion of the overall D4 owners.

In 2009 - 2014 I spent a lot of time in the then-current model Land Cruiser 200 series with the turbo diesel V8 and automatic transmissions and the Prado with the 3.0L V6 turbo diesel and 6 speed manual gearbox. I wasn't a fan of the LC200 other than the engine, but I really really really like the Prado - I found the engine never lacking, manual gearbox was good to operate, sat on the road well, fit and finish was good - I really just had no complaints about it at all, it met ever requirement!
We only purchased our MY12 D4 recently. It's the 2.7" TDV6 model which is the pov pack, cheapie. Overall it's a level above the Prado that I really liked. It's a bit more refined, quieter on the road, engine is even stronger, etc etc. An SE/HSE with the 3.0L S/TDV6 would push likely it a level up again!

Good luck with your decision and purchase which ever way you go!