My guess is that there is probably one out of every thousand or so LR3 experiencing stalling problems, I am sure to some degree that you would not have same stalling problem with your new LR3.
The preheater is for the TDV6 engine available in other markets, not for North America V8's. Early press information did allude to a V6 coming to NA, but not sure if it will be the diesel.
By the way - saw the new RR Sport at the Philly auto show this week. It had the supercharged V8 and 20" rims and the terrain response, etc, etc. Look out X5 4.8is fans!
We have the same issues with the need to re-boot on cold days, however our problem becomes a "Suspension Fault" that will not go away until the car has had a "rest". Our dealer in Canada has told us that LR are aware of the problem and are working on a fix - what ever that means.
My concerns are beginning to mount on the way LR are handling the obvious serious defects in this vehicle. My wife (major driver) has had the stalling issue, and our dealership played it down (they had never heard of LR3 stall) - yea right.
In addition, we have had some additional teething problems with remote door locks (dealer eventually found a wire completely outside a wiring bundle and cut), security system failed, intermit wipers didn't work. The truck has been in the shop for 8 days with dash totally taken apart as they have attempted to fix things. I finally get it back today, with "new software updates that may fix some of the problems". (Great answer)
I am getting that sinking feeling after reading this forum and our own experiences, that I may have bought a lemon. A real shame as we are long term Discovery Owners and had always been very happy with our prior trucks.
No diesel in North America until (at least) new clean diesel designs are introduced. And I wouldn't expect the underpowered V6 petrol engine anytime soon; I don't think LR3 is ready to play in the "bargain" market just yet.
I went back to check the source (C/D review from 10/04) and you're right, not a diesel. It reads: "Next year, expect to see a price leader powered by a 4.0-liter V-6."
Where in Canada? Mine is still at the dealer's too, in Oakville, Ontario, while LR corporate tries to find the cause of the intermittent suspension failures.
Oakville - small world. Off to pick the truck up now. Have you had the cold weather issues as well, I am not sure how a software upgrade will fix this problem.
I'm not sure if there are Land Rover dealers that will accept Costco pricing. If you find one in your area, it's worth a shot.
I checked into Costco pricing when I bought a Lexus LS430 last year. I believe the Costco pricing was a set amount over invoice. I found that AAA pricing was 9% over invoice, which was a little less than Costco. I found an even better price using an internet service, but the dealer they "selected" was further than I wanted to drive. In the end, I went to the dealer I wanted and told them I would buy from them if they matched the internet price. They did, and I did.
When I went to the same internet site to price an LR3, it came back with MSRP as the "best deal" in my area.
Hi Karpaydm, I am considering buying an LR3 from the same dealership that you did. How were they to deal with aside from the problems that you are having,
All - spoke with the Sales Manager where I placed my order for HSE back in late January.
We talked on variety of topics - many derived from this forum.
First, let me say that the Sales Manager and all I have met at Land Rover Denver South in Littleton,CO have been spectacular.
In discussing the delivery date with the manager, he explained that the order was placed 25-January with expected delivery in mid/late May.
He understood I would like it sooner (don't we all), and offered, unsolicited from me, to provide a loaner Discovery any time I needed it prior to delivery of my HSE.
I have never owned LR before. But I can say, this type of forward thinking service is what will guarantee my return when I need another vehicle.
On matters of the vehicle:
1. I had ordered my HSE with the Cooler Box. I mentioned that the forum was reporting shortages. He stated he had not heard that. However, he went to check the order list and found that my vehicle and others that had also ordered the Cooler Box had had this option removed from the order.
2. On PTI/Bluetooth - word he has received has this now being dropped entirely as option. His understanding is that NOKIA/LR working on alternative/new technology.
3. On Stalls/Suspension Failures - his dealership has not seen and he has also called around to other locals and has not heard of any.
I have to say I am looking forward to joining the ranks.
rockymntnrover said: "2. On PTI/Bluetooth - word he has received has this now being dropped entirely as option. His understanding is that NOKIA/LR working on alternative/new technology."
What would that be? Direct brain implants? Unbelievable. I guess they'll just have to remove the feature from the Range Rover, too... and maybe all the competitors will, too. It's "old" technology, ya know. Are the masters of misinformation at it again?
Oakville - small world. Off to pick the truck up now. Have you had the cold weather issues as well, I am not sure how a software upgrade will fix this problem.
Are you in Oakville too, then?
Have not had a cold weather issue - just the repeated suspension failures.
I must say that my wife's former company car X5s (2001 automatic and 2003 stick) were awful in the quality control department and were general rattle traps. LR3 is superior in all regards, IMHO.
Mike, I know you've played around in the Land Rover GTR; if you have a chance would you mind shooting me an email? I have a couple of questions about the subscription before I plunk down the $$$ and don't want to clog up the board. Thanks, Jeff
Today I added some items to my LR3 I got this week. I added the Towing kit, electronic kit for the tow package and body side molding.
The tow kit wasn't too tough and took 45-60 mins. It was just a matter of opening back access panels, removing the back left light and lowering the spare. I then ran the wires and connected them to existing sockets.
The body side molding was a little tricky. I had to really make sure I lined up the line where the molding was going. I used a 2" masking tape to create a line just above the existing crease. Then after cleaning the area for the molding, I lined up the molding to the top of the masking tape and applied. They have adhesive strips so there isn't any glue mess. I used a blow dryer to heat the molding and ensure it was not going to come off.
Some things to keep in mind, the molding will scratch the paint if you try to line up the molding to the vehicle prior to removing the backing to the adhesive area. Good thing I was putting molding there and didn't have to adjust or else small scratches would show.
Round trip from Ft. Worth to New Orleans. Absolutely great. I have over 3,000 miles and there has not been one problem. One of the best vehicles I've owned. No fatigue and a joy to drive.
One question. Tried to us portable DVD player with audio Aux input. Used Belkin Stereo jack cord, but had too much background noise in system and couldn't use it. Went to headphones and worked great, but a shame I couldn't run audio through the LR 3's system. Has anyone found the right combination to run DVD through Aux? Thanks.
I haven't tried a laptop or portable DVD player yet, but I use the Belkin Car Kit with my iPod daily. Clean as a whistle. I've been meaning to try running movie audio through there, but haven't done a road trip with the kids yet. I might get out there tomorrow and try it out after my detailing ritual. I've heard many reports of engine noise though. I'm sure some sort of in-line filter could be had online, maybe between the DVD player and the AUX input. Just a thought. Then again, if it's anything like conventional car audio whine associated with high power systems, any car stereo shop could install a cheap noise filter near the alternator. Just another thought....Jeff
Round trip from Ft. Worth to New Orleans. Absolutely great. I have over 3,000 miles and there has not been one problem. One of the best vehicles I've owned. No fatigue and a joy to drive.
One question. Tried to us portable DVD player with audio Aux input. Used Belkin Stereo jack cord, but had too much background noise in system and couldn't use it. Went to headphones and worked great, but a shame I couldn't run audio through the LR 3's system. Has anyone found the right combination to run DVD through Aux?
Re audio: you do mean OUTput, yes, in other words the *headphone* output on your DVD player gets connected to the AUX input on the LR? And you turn the headphone volume up to full blast (at least on my iPod I have to)? That ought to work: if not, try another audio source (eg iPod) and see ifthe DVD player is the problem, or the cable, or the LR. Logical troubleshooting and I'm sure you'll have it going in no time.
My dealer has now offreed to replace the Pirelli tyres on my HSE (19") with Goodyear tyres. The Pirelli's are not Mud+Snow rated and in fact review very bad on snow. And in Canada we get... snow.
Any comments? Goodyears better? Good move to have them replaced?
Michael
PS truck still at dealer's with the intermittent suspension failure, but LR techs are on it.
Yes, I did read your trip experience with great interest (helped reinforce my decision to purchase).
I purchased a 2003 F 250 King Ranch w/6.0 Diesel. At the time there were a lot of negative situations with that engine and most of the posts on different boards were negative. My Truck had absolutely no problems. So I'm used to seeing a lot of negative things on the boards. Unfortunetly for those who have had bad experiences, the positives don't seem to help. Anyway, I tried all the above on the Aux input and will have to check with Car Toys, etc. to see if there are any remedies.
Besides that situation, the LR 3 is an awesome vehicle and I'm enjoying it and looking forward to another trip.
The tow kit wasn't too tough and took 45-60 mins. It was just a matter of opening back access panels, removing the back left light and lowering the spare.
It's nice to hear of someone doing his own installation. Is there any trick to getting the rear taillight off?
Regarding rockymntnrover's comment: "2. On PTI/Bluetooth - word he has received has this now being dropped entirely as option. His understanding is that NOKIA/LR working on alternative/new technology."
On February 9th, I received the following message from the Land Rover Customer Relationship Center:
"Bluetooth will be available Spring 2005."
As for Costco, my wife consulted the local store (Santa Clarita, CA) about the service and how they work with Land Rover (they had a Discovery on display in front of the Costco store). Apparently they work through the fleet manager at the Encino, CA dealership.
I am not ready to buy just yet, but when I do I will submit a request through them to see how good they can do.
The Porche Cayenne uses a 6 speed ZF. Don't know if they are the same (probably are except for maybe a ratio difference) nor how much they like synthetic ATF.
Bizbenz, I truly apologize if I offended you. I don't know anything about leases. At all. My question about the possibility of losing the security deposit in the event of an accident was asked in good faith to someone (you) who I think knows more than I do. I can't comment on your statements about the opportunity costs of such a large security deposit because I just don't follow your math.
It has taken 3 weeks for my dealer to work on the repair to my AC. There have been a litany of processes they have undertaken.
This includes phone tech support : unsuccessful.
Order the new blend door motor: unsuccessful
Replace intrument panel: unsuccessful
Order replacement 'actuator' (don't know what this is): unsusccessful.
It turned out, since it was taking so long, an engineer from LandRover USA (apparently visits about once a month, came out to check on the technicians early specifically to help with this situtation); identified that the blend door motor that they had been trying to install was not correct, but the catelog they were using (presumably provided by LandRover) had the incorrect part number.
They got the blowers to work again. However, the pick up was delayed by a day because when they put the dash back together, the radio did not work. The repair order said they identified the problem as a 'bent pin".
Unfortunately, when I went to pick it up the CD player did not work. This was especially frustrating as I specifically asked the service manager to confirm that they conducted the new car checklist to make sure everything was working before releasing to me. This fact almost confirms for me that the AC blowers were probably never checked before delivery.
I had to leave the LR3 there (today is Sat) and will have to check in on Monday to see what they can do now to fix the CD.
Equally frustrating in this entire process is the fact that the GM of the dealership does not want to speak to me. I have requested repeatedly through the service manager, the sales agent, and the dealership customer service director that I would appreciate a call to discuss the situation. To no avail. They ask for survey responses on customer service - and I have to say I will have to give them zero. While they are generally accomodating, pleasant over the phone, the lack of effort in this simple customer service tenet, demonstrates a deplorable lack of leadership that I can only think sets a poor tone for the rest of the operations.
I also want them to check the AC...it took about 30-45 seconds for cool air to start blowing...don't know if that is normal.
On the good side, they have provided me with a loaner car for this entire period. And there was no hesitation to let me keep the loaner when it was obvious that the CD player was broken and the repair had not be completed. Don't if that is standard practice with dealerships, but they are making it sound to me that they have done me a big favor.
I think the bottom line is that the technicians in the various dealerships have not been trained on the new LR3s...they know LandRovers in general, and try to fix by looking things up and calling tech support. It will take time for them to learn how to fix common / simple problems... all of us that have new LR3s with problems are simply experiencing the 'teething' process with the dealers...The takeaway is that if you are having a problem, it is best to persevere, or else it won't get fixed. It is just too easy at this stage in the life of the vehicle for the dealers to say 'I don't know'.
In CA, the vehicle has to be under repair for a cumulative of 30 days in the first 18 months for the lemon law statute to apply. I have already hit 21....
I'll be working for Ford in a few months and will be eligible for the A plan discount. I have the following questions:
1. What's the current leadtime to get an HSE? From order date to actual delivery.
2. Since the A plan gives significant discounts to Ford employees, do you think it's realistic for any dealer to actually sell a car under the the A plan program, especially when there seems to be an imbalance of supply and demand?
3. Do Ford employees get any special access to inventory, perhaps even factory direct, instead of going through the dealer process?
Here is my experience with LR3 dealers and accepting an A Plan. Late Dec. went into a dealer in Pasadena, CA. with A Plan pin number and check book, dealer refused to accept A Plan saying at first that Ford wouldn't allow it, then when questioned him further he said LRNA wouldn't, then when asking him again was he sure about his comments he stated, "he" wouldn't accept an "A" Plan as the LR3 was hot and would quickly sell itself without any discounts having to be given. He also said as we walked out no other dealer would either accept A Plan, NOT True, visited two other LA dealers, both happy & willing to accept, but only on SE, not HSE. Two weeks later when back at my other home in NYC, visited two NY dealers and two in NJ, all would accept A Plan and would do it on either HE or HSE. Under A Plan you are getting the truck at dealer "invoice", not dealer cost. As dealers get volume discounts, advertising, etc. from LR/Ford that nets the dealers cost on a particular model below the so called dealer invoice. Some dealers are greedy and had rather sit and not sell a unit at all, rather than selling and making a little less profit. Ford wants these LR3's to be sold and get them on the street for people to see. Hope this helps you and good luck.
PS The dealer in Pasadena was also a Cadallic, Volvo and Land Rover dealer, the term "Used Cadallic salesman" certainly fit the sale mgr.
Yes - I am in Oakville. Our HSE came with the Goodyears (Dec 22 delivery). We only have 2500K on them, they seem good in snow and no road sounds on the highway.
Budds seems very sincere in working with LR and myself getting to the route of our issues.
Well, I've had my HSE about a week and had my first possible stalling. I'm still not willing to say for sure. However, I was going down a hill and stopped at a red light at the bottom. As I was waiting for the light to turn green, I noticed that the various engine lights were on indicating the engine had turned off. The engine is so smooth and quiet, and it must have stalled as I came to a stop, that I never noticed it. In disbelief, I shifted to "park" started the engine and I was off. Went down the same hill six more times but was unable to replicate the "stall". The gas tank was full, outside temp was 42F. Unless, it happens again or until LRNA can definitely say what's causing it in the LR3, I'm reluctant to have my car just sitting in the shop..... Grr...
I have worked in many service related industries and have found it very common for GM's to be reluctant to contact customers. They have a great deal on their plate managing many different things with constant phone calls all day. It is frustrating that they can't spare 2 minutes of their precious time to tell us they are aware of our problem and will monitor the situation! Having had this problem often with my own GM's and customers, my recommendation is to phone him and keep calling him if you feel it is important enough. Don't wait for his call. Bother him enough and he might do something about it.
Land Rover offer dealers incentives to run a certain number of vehicles for a service loan programme. This is generally used for Service customers, but not warranty problems. If a problem arises, there are two prongs of attack, the angry customer who pushes and pushes to get what he wants, or the nice customer, who everybody at the dealership likes and will do anything to help. This is one of the reasons why a good relationship with your salesman/sales manager can help. If you are running into difficulties with the service dept., or they are simply out of cars, the sales dept. usually can come up trumps for a friendly customer.
Another word of warning. Some dealers record the results of the survey you are sent on their performance, and guess what, poor or even average scores for them will result in you being put on the don't help list. Think twice before you complete your survey.
Some dealers record the results of the survey you are sent on their performance, and guess what, poor or even average scores for them will result in you being put on the don't help list.
How do the dealers find that out? The surveys go to the manufacturers. Hard to believe they turn around and let the dealers know who is slamming them by name. That's a bit alarming!
Something similar did happen to one of our editors though (next to last paragraph):
1. HSE Availability: It is looking now like June is a realistic lead time for many dealers for an order. The only way to get one sooner is through a cancellation or from a big, big volume store for an oddly equipped or unpopular colored one. A very, very famous Baseball star in the CA bay asked recently for an HSE. LR would do all possible to get him one sooner, but he will also have to wait till June. Think about the other continents where the LR3/Disco3 hasn't even been launched yet, no new Disco II and no new LR3/Disco3 still. Anyone know how much longer before Africa, Middle East and OZ/NZ get their cars?
2. Ford Discounts: Many dealers are reluctant to offer any of the A,X,Z Plan discounting on the LR3 unless it is a unpopular combination. They don't get reimbursed the amount of the discount by LR so if you have a hot car, why sell it to someone for less than what you can get from another customer. To offer the discount is at the dealers discretion. One way of making sure your local dealer plays ball is to get hold of their LR factory rep. The rep. will often give them an extra allocation to make up for selling you one.
3. Special Inventory: Special Pricing members, including Ford and LR employees do not have access to special inventory and have to ultimately do their ordering and paperwork with a dealer. At this stage, there is no special inventory, demand is way too high.
Can you expand on the difference between dealer cost and invoice. What are the volume discounts, advertising etc. from LR/Ford that Dealers get? If a dealer shows me his invoice, is this not his true cost?
That was a good column to read, thanks for posting it.
A high score is incredibly important to a dealership as money and many other factors ride on them. It is also very important to many sales man as they can be incentivised by the scores. This is a good thing as it drives the dealership and sales staff to work harder at making sure you have a good experience.
BE CAREFUL! You phone conversations and survey results are shown in their entirety to the dealers and sales staff. Bad results can be recorded on your file at the dealership and affect their helpfulness.
"Outstanding is my only passing grade, Good is considered an F" quotes one salesman I know. It is important that if you are not satisfied with a dealership in certain areas, report it on the survey, but be prepared for the potential reprocussions down the line.
I've been holding on sending my survey in for that very reason. I figure that may give additional clout if I have any problems, For example to get a loaner... I must say I haven't had one problem with this car...Luck of the draw I guess..
I was not very happy with my experience when I went to pick up my car. It took 3 hours and the LR3 was not thoroughly checked, not everything worked, and it was not clean. In fact I had to bring it back the next day to get them to program the sunroof to work. However when they called to ask me about my experience I told them that it was fine. Then the next time I spoke to my sales guy I told about my positive response but that fyi there were a few things I was unhappy about that they needed to work on.
I have a HSE on order with Land Rover West Chester (PA)... with X-Plan pricing (I realize there is more dealer profit than A-Plan).. but I had no difficulties or hesitation from my salesman in accepting the X-Plan order.
The order was placed by the Dealer in Late Jan.. and I am expecting approximately 90 days wait until delivery; but hoping for early to mid April (grin).
I understand some of the reluctance of Dealer's to accept these pre-arranged pricing agreements; but personally, I find it very dishearting that [some] dealers are not willing honor the discount arrangements, particularly for the supposedly "strategic" alliance customers able to receive the A and X plans. (my 2cents)
Happy news. Got my LR3 back on Friday. Suspension has been fine ever since. I am falling back in love with the truck... just don't know if I trust it yet.
I had posted some time back about the problems I had with my wife's LR3 (transmission, locks, engine wouldn't start). The LR3 was towed to the dealer where they fixed the transmission, fixed the locks and "fixed" the engine. Well, the transmission still did the same thing, locks seemed not to unlock (good), but they never could figure out why the engine would not start. They just said everything had been re-set and it seems to work fine now. The fact that the transmission has the same problem and that they never really figured out what caused the engine not to start was enough for me and my wife. This past weekend I took the hit and traded it in for another vehicle. Sure I lost money, but personally it wasn't worth the headache or chance of leaving my wife stranded again. I liked the truck, but learned my lesson. I will never again buy a first year vehicle. To the rest of you having problems, I hope they are resolved. Coming from a Dico that never missed a beat, the LR3 was not acceptable. Reading the suspension control problems also weighed on my decision. Now I think this vehicle has so much "high trech" gadgetry that it will take them a while to get rid of all the bugs. On a positive note, the hit on the trade in wasn't so bad because it was such a new vehicle and basically had no miles on it. They don't even have a Blue book or NADA on it yet, so all in all it was worth the peace of mind.
Recently purchased the LR3 SE almost fully loaded, including the factory installed DVD system. Tried the AUX button on the radio to listen the sounds through car speakers, it seems like the background or some buzz noise is quite noticeable. does anyone encounter same problem?
when we try on the headset it works perfectly (digital sound). could it be the fact that only analog output is available through speakers for this particular DVD system?
I got a LR3 SE in Socal with 7 seater, rear AC, cold climate, towing, lighting package MSRP was $50750 plus DVD/Running board/wood interior/carpet (option + mark up is approx. $6500) out the door price we got was $53699. wonder if that is a good deal?
--Dealer Invoice is NOT his/her true cost. Each dealer for all makes/models have a "holdback" kickback. Larger dealers get bigger kickbacks per car. Pure REAL profit. The short version of this. You will almost never see the holdback number.
Comments
Relax and enjoy
By the way - saw the new RR Sport at the Philly auto show this week. It had the supercharged V8 and 20" rims and the terrain response, etc, etc. Look out X5 4.8is fans!
My concerns are beginning to mount on the way LR are handling the obvious serious defects in this vehicle. My wife (major driver) has had the stalling issue, and our dealership played it down (they had never heard of LR3 stall) - yea right.
In addition, we have had some additional teething problems with remote door locks (dealer eventually found a wire completely outside a wiring bundle and cut), security system failed, intermit wipers didn't work. The truck has been in the shop for 8 days with dash totally taken apart as they have attempted to fix things. I finally get it back today, with "new software updates that may fix some of the problems". (Great answer)
I am getting that sinking feeling after reading this forum and our own experiences, that I may have bought a lemon. A real shame as we are long term Discovery Owners and had always been very happy with our prior trucks.
Michael
I checked into Costco pricing when I bought a Lexus LS430 last year. I believe the Costco pricing was a set amount over invoice. I found that AAA pricing was 9% over invoice, which was a little less than Costco. I found an even better price using an internet service, but the dealer they "selected" was further than I wanted to drive. In the end, I went to the dealer I wanted and told them I would buy from them if they matched the internet price. They did, and I did.
When I went to the same internet site to price an LR3, it came back with MSRP as the "best deal" in my area.
Good luck!
w6000
We talked on variety of topics - many derived from this forum.
First, let me say that the Sales Manager and all I have met at Land Rover Denver South in Littleton,CO have been spectacular.
In discussing the delivery date with the manager, he explained that the order was placed 25-January with expected delivery in mid/late May.
He understood I would like it sooner (don't we all), and offered, unsolicited from me, to provide a loaner Discovery any time I needed it prior to delivery of my HSE.
I have never owned LR before. But I can say, this type of forward thinking service is what will guarantee my return when I need another vehicle.
On matters of the vehicle:
1. I had ordered my HSE with the Cooler Box. I mentioned that the forum was reporting shortages. He stated he had not heard that. However, he went to check the order list and found that my vehicle and others that had also ordered the Cooler Box had had this option removed from the order.
2. On PTI/Bluetooth - word he has received has this now being dropped entirely as option. His understanding is that NOKIA/LR working on alternative/new technology.
3. On Stalls/Suspension Failures - his dealership has not seen and he has also called around to other locals and has not heard of any.
I have to say I am looking forward to joining the ranks.
Regards
What would that be? Direct brain implants? Unbelievable. I guess they'll just have to remove the feature from the Range Rover, too... and maybe all the competitors will, too. It's "old" technology, ya know.
Are you in Oakville too, then?
Have not had a cold weather issue - just the repeated suspension failures.
Michael
The tow kit wasn't too tough and took 45-60 mins. It was just a matter of opening back access panels, removing the back left light and lowering the spare. I then ran the wires and connected them to existing sockets.
The body side molding was a little tricky. I had to really make sure I lined up the line where the molding was going. I used a 2" masking tape to create a line just above the existing crease. Then after cleaning the area for the molding, I lined up the molding to the top of the masking tape and applied. They have adhesive strips so there isn't any glue mess. I used a blow dryer to heat the molding and ensure it was not going to come off.
Some things to keep in mind, the molding will scratch the paint if you try to line up the molding to the vehicle prior to removing the backing to the adhesive area. Good thing I was putting molding there and didn't have to adjust or else small scratches would show.
I also put in the back cargo mat...nice quality.
AL
One question. Tried to us portable DVD player with audio Aux input. Used Belkin Stereo jack cord, but had too much background noise in system and couldn't use it. Went to headphones and worked great, but a shame I couldn't run audio through the LR 3's system. Has anyone found the right combination to run DVD through Aux? Thanks.
One question. Tried to us portable DVD player with audio Aux input. Used Belkin Stereo jack cord, but had too much background noise in system and couldn't use it. Went to headphones and worked great, but a shame I couldn't run audio through the LR 3's system. Has anyone found the right combination to run DVD through Aux?
Ha! I drove from Toronto to Ft Worth recently! See http://www.mvw.net/lr3/roadtest.php if you haven't looked yet.
Re audio: you do mean OUTput, yes, in other words the *headphone* output on your DVD player gets connected to the AUX input on the LR? And you turn the headphone volume up to full blast (at least on my iPod I have to)? That ought to work: if not, try another audio source (eg iPod) and see ifthe DVD player is the problem, or the cable, or the LR. Logical troubleshooting and I'm sure you'll have it going in no time.
My dealer has now offreed to replace the Pirelli tyres on my HSE (19") with Goodyear tyres. The Pirelli's are not Mud+Snow rated and in fact review very bad on snow. And in Canada we get... snow.
Any comments? Goodyears better? Good move to have them replaced?
Michael
PS truck still at dealer's with the intermittent suspension failure, but LR techs are on it.
I purchased a 2003 F 250 King Ranch w/6.0 Diesel. At the time there were a lot of negative situations with that engine and most of the posts on different boards were negative. My Truck had absolutely no problems. So I'm used to seeing a lot of negative things on the boards. Unfortunetly for those who have had bad experiences, the positives don't seem to help. Anyway, I tried all the above on the Aux input and will have to check with Car Toys, etc. to see if there are any remedies.
Besides that situation, the LR 3 is an awesome vehicle and I'm enjoying it and looking forward to another trip.
Thanks again for your input.
It's nice to hear of someone doing his own installation. Is there any trick to getting the rear taillight off?
On February 9th, I received the following message from the Land Rover Customer Relationship Center:
"Bluetooth will be available Spring 2005."
As for Costco, my wife consulted the local store (Santa Clarita, CA) about the service and how they work with Land Rover (they had a Discovery on display in front of the Costco store). Apparently they work through the fleet manager at the Encino, CA dealership.
I am not ready to buy just yet, but when I do I will submit a request through them to see how good they can do.
No. Aisin.
"An Aisin-supplied six-speed automatic transmission..."
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_- id=6847
I just read the manual on this. Just two screws.
This includes phone tech support : unsuccessful.
Order the new blend door motor: unsuccessful
Replace intrument panel: unsuccessful
Order replacement 'actuator' (don't know what this is): unsusccessful.
It turned out, since it was taking so long, an engineer from LandRover USA (apparently visits about once a month, came out to check on the technicians early specifically to help with this situtation); identified that the blend door motor that they had been trying to install was not correct, but the catelog they were using (presumably provided by LandRover) had the incorrect part number.
They got the blowers to work again. However, the pick up was delayed by a day because when they put the dash back together, the radio did not work. The repair order said they identified the problem as a 'bent pin".
Unfortunately, when I went to pick it up the CD player did not work. This was especially frustrating as I specifically asked the service manager to confirm that they conducted the new car checklist to make sure everything was working before releasing to me. This fact almost confirms for me that the AC blowers were probably never checked before delivery.
I had to leave the LR3 there (today is Sat) and will have to check in on Monday to see what they can do now to fix the CD.
Equally frustrating in this entire process is the fact that the GM of the dealership does not want to speak to me. I have requested repeatedly through the service manager, the sales agent, and the dealership customer service director that I would appreciate a call to discuss the situation. To no avail. They ask for survey responses on customer service - and I have to say I will have to give them zero. While they are generally accomodating, pleasant over the phone, the lack of effort in this simple customer service tenet, demonstrates a deplorable lack of leadership that I can only think sets a poor tone for the rest of the operations.
I also want them to check the AC...it took about 30-45 seconds for cool air to start blowing...don't know if that is normal.
On the good side, they have provided me with a loaner car for this entire period. And there was no hesitation to let me keep the loaner when it was obvious that the CD player was broken and the repair had not be completed. Don't if that is standard practice with dealerships, but they are making it sound to me that they have done me a big favor.
I think the bottom line is that the technicians in the various dealerships have not been trained on the new LR3s...they know LandRovers in general, and try to fix by looking things up and calling tech support. It will take time for them to learn how to fix common / simple problems... all of us that have new LR3s with problems are simply experiencing the 'teething' process with the dealers...The takeaway is that if you are having a problem, it is best to persevere, or else it won't get fixed. It is just too easy at this stage in the life of the vehicle for the dealers to say 'I don't know'.
In CA, the vehicle has to be under repair for a cumulative of 30 days in the first 18 months for the lemon law statute to apply. I have already hit 21....
1. What's the current leadtime to get an HSE? From order date to actual delivery.
2. Since the A plan gives significant discounts to Ford employees, do you think it's realistic for any dealer to actually sell a car under the the A plan program, especially when there seems to be an imbalance of supply and demand?
3. Do Ford employees get any special access to inventory, perhaps even factory direct, instead of going through the dealer process?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
PS The dealer in Pasadena was also a Cadallic, Volvo and Land Rover dealer, the term "Used Cadallic salesman" certainly fit the sale mgr.
Yes - I am in Oakville. Our HSE came with the Goodyears (Dec 22 delivery). We only have 2500K on them, they seem good in snow and no road sounds on the highway.
Budds seems very sincere in working with LR and myself getting to the route of our issues.
Land Rover offer dealers incentives to run a certain number of vehicles for a service loan programme. This is generally used for Service customers, but not warranty problems. If a problem arises, there are two prongs of attack, the angry customer who pushes and pushes to get what he wants, or the nice customer, who everybody at the dealership likes and will do anything to help. This is one of the reasons why a good relationship with your salesman/sales manager can help. If you are running into difficulties with the service dept., or they are simply out of cars, the sales dept. usually can come up trumps for a friendly customer.
Another word of warning. Some dealers record the results of the survey you are sent on their performance, and guess what, poor or even average scores for them will result in you being put on the don't help list. Think twice before you complete your survey.
How do the dealers find that out? The surveys go to the manufacturers. Hard to believe they turn around and let the dealers know who is slamming them by name. That's a bit alarming!
Something similar did happen to one of our editors though (next to last paragraph):
Very Pleased, Somewhat Pleased, Not Pleased: The Surprising Importance of "C.S.I." Surveys
Steve, Host
2. Ford Discounts: Many dealers are reluctant to offer any of the A,X,Z Plan discounting on the LR3 unless it is a unpopular combination. They don't get reimbursed the amount of the discount by LR so if you have a hot car, why sell it to someone for less than what you can get from another customer. To offer the discount is at the dealers discretion. One way of making sure your local dealer plays ball is to get hold of their LR factory rep. The rep. will often give them an extra allocation to make up for selling you one.
3. Special Inventory: Special Pricing members, including Ford and LR employees do not have access to special inventory and have to ultimately do their ordering and paperwork with a dealer. At this stage, there is no special inventory, demand is way too high.
A high score is incredibly important to a dealership as money and many other factors ride on them. It is also very important to many sales man as they can be incentivised by the scores. This is a good thing as it drives the dealership and sales staff to work harder at making sure you have a good experience.
BE CAREFUL! You phone conversations and survey results are shown in their entirety to the dealers and sales staff. Bad results can be recorded on your file at the dealership and affect their helpfulness.
"Outstanding is my only passing grade, Good is considered an F" quotes one salesman I know. It is important that if you are not satisfied with a dealership in certain areas, report it on the survey, but be prepared for the potential reprocussions down the line.
I've been holding on sending my survey in for that very reason. I figure that may give additional clout if I have any problems, For example to get a loaner... I must say I haven't had one problem with this car...Luck of the draw I guess..
I have a HSE on order with Land Rover West Chester (PA)... with X-Plan pricing (I realize there is more dealer profit than A-Plan).. but I had no difficulties or hesitation from my salesman in accepting the X-Plan order.
The order was placed by the Dealer in Late Jan.. and I am expecting approximately 90 days wait until delivery; but hoping for early to mid April (grin).
I understand some of the reluctance of Dealer's to accept these pre-arranged pricing agreements; but personally, I find it very dishearting that [some] dealers are not willing honor the discount arrangements, particularly for the supposedly "strategic" alliance customers able to receive the A and X plans. (my 2cents)
Contact me if you know how... would be good to know another Budds' customer with an LR3. There are apparently 20+ of us already in Oakville!
Mike
Scott
Some ROW markets should already have LR3 demo vehicles... in other words, "really soon now."
when we try on the headset it works perfectly (digital sound). could it be the fact that only analog output is available through speakers for this particular DVD system?
Don't forget the end of month/quarter/year bonuses, or the extra dough for selling slow movers or the free Caribbean cruises :-)
An ordinary buyer will never know the true cost. Heck, most salespeople won't even know.
Steve, Host