LR3 buyers guide

hillstrubl

Founding Member
I was talking to Dave S. the other day and he suggested that I posted all that I've learned in the almost 2 years that I've had my LR3. Honestly its one of the most comfortable vehicles on the highway paired with one of the most capable vehicles offroad that I've ever driven. Below is a pasted email to a friend of mine that was looking for one, I figured it couldn't hurt to share.
Please let me know if you have any questions and/or want any more info on anything I mentioned.

I also highly recommend the first issue of Alloy and Grit, they do a great recap of everything D3/LR3 too -> http://knightsbridgeoverland.com/co...-rover-magazine-winter-2016-issue-u-s-edition

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Common problem areas and things to check:
-Water Ingress from Sunroof vents, water can collect in the passenger side door sill (under the carpet) where there is a HUGE wiring loom and several splices that then corrode and cause all kinda of electrical gremlins. - I had this and had a failure on my EAS (electronic air suspension) and keyless entry. Both easily fixed once I (by "I" I mean a combo of Trevor from British 4x4 and John Palita at Palita's Automotive , both GREAT shops and if you live anywhere near them definitely check them out) found the splices.
Here's what to check, shove your finger under the plastic trim (or pull it up a bit, you won't break it) to see if there is ANY moisture in that carpet.

-Brake switch failure - this one is weird. LR3s tend to eat the brake light switch then it causes upstream wiring and erroneous warning lights. - nothing really to check if you're not getting error messages like "cruise control unavailable", but mine had this too and its a 60 second repair. Save yourself $30 and buy the brake light switch for a 2009 Ford Focus instead of the ~$50 LR3/RRS one. Keep a spare in the glove box, its a 60 second fix.

-Bleeder screw on top of the engine - also something that failure is rare, but when it does its a big deal. basically its a little plastic brittle t-valve that is a terrible design. 2 seconds to swap it out (engine cold) with this

-Thermostat housing - another common issue due to brittle plastic, if not leaking you're good, but higher mileage ones will begin to weep coolant, not a huge deal until you're able to replace, not a terrible job either.

-EAS system - in ~2008 or so they updated the compressor for all LR3s from a Hitachi to an improved AMK branded one. My Hitachi started to fail mostly because my car was from Buffalo and was COVERED in Salt. I know plenty of people with Hitachi compressor LR3s that are fine but its something to check. - Get in any LR3 you're looking at and raise and lower the suspension a BUNCH of times. Its either going to fail or its not. If it does it'll usually just overheated and will be fine once it cools down. - I like the piece of mind that the better AMK one has, but I wouldn't not buy one (aware of the grammar) with a functioning hitachi (the way you'll know is if its 05-07/08 and has never had a compressor replacement, its a Hitachi). When/If they do fail, its not always the whole suspension, you can usually repair it. But its not worth it... (also consider replacing the tank too if rust is prevalent on it)

-Ball Joints - mine are fine, but I've heard this was also something to check. Get in the car, go 15mph then SLAM on the brakes. Huge clunk bad ball joint(s) - $1500 or so to fix because its easier to replace the whole arm with a ball joint preinstalled then pull the arm, press off old, press on new, then reinstall.

-Navigation - Get one without satnav (my opinion), the ONLY benefit that I can see is the increased amount of data regarding the EAS system you can see on the LCD screen

-Trim levels, etc - I have a LR3 SE, Non-HD. Basically that means there are a few things I don't have like parking sensors (no thanks) but HD refers to the automatic locking Diff. I know a few people with and without the HD package, they're both as capable as the other on the trail, in the snow, etc, the HD just can do it a bit faster. Its not something I'd seek out personally, the traction control (standard) is honestly good enough. I know guys with non-HD LR3's on 34's that crawl up stuff even my defender had trouble with.

-7 seater, most are but don't assume if you want that feature, I've seen 5 seaters in both trim levels. The seats are actually very good, an adult can sit in them. Plus under the floor when folded gives a lot of "hidden" storage spots for shovels, tools, etc
 
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Ray_G

Well-known member
If we're talking buyer's guide stuff or new owners:

-Brake light bulbs; much like the brake light switch spare you should be carrying in your glove box, center console, or cubby get some OE brake light bulbs and carry those too. If/when you get the boing boing/lights/Transmission failure, Terrain Response System, special programs off, etc messages check the brake lights first (both the marking light that comes on with the headlights as well as the actual brake light that illuminates when the pedal is pushed.) Symptoms are nearly identical to the brake switch.

-These trucks consume a lot of electricity, so if you are having the aforementioned issues and it isn't the brake lights, and the brake light switch doesn't fix it, go pull up the passenger side carpet to check for water ingress. If it isn't wet-test your battery!

-Other trim related thoughts; the Harmon Kardon stereo that comes in the SE/HSE/LUX models is a PITA to upgrade after the fact b/c it interacts with the truck through a MOST ring. Bottom line is if you are wedded to factory nav, have to have the little display of locked/unlocked difs, or perhaps more importantly want ipod integration, or bluetooth, best to find one that has it from the dealer-retrofitting it is possible at some expense and there are alternatives like the Kenwood KOS V500/V1000 system but these are time/labor intensive.

-The Cold Wx climate package is worth getting, seat heaters are excellent.

-The HID lights are superb, worth getting that too.

-If you have any desire to offroad look for a model that has 18" rims, the 19's reduce tire options (and sidewall) a great deal. The factory 18's are good wheels and provide adequate options in the AT range, aftermarket wheels exist but at significant cost for things like Compmotive, though L8's new steelies could make having a set of street 19's and offroad 18's viable for many.

-You can covert to coils, there are lots of opinions on this. Here's one guy's experience:https://nas-row.com/showthread.php?t=175
 

AdamSanta85

Well-known member
Thanks guys. Was the highest spec sound system (HK Logic 7 I think) available on an SE? Do you need navigation for the high end audio system? Is HID available on SE? Those are my two must have options.
 

stu454

Well-known member
Callsign: KN4CBB
I'll throw in a bit.

Sunroof: Leaks around the A pillar could be due to a clogged sunroof drain. There is a drain on each side, heading down the A pillar. You can access each one by removing the grab handle and door seal. Then just pull down the headliner a bit and you can see where the drain tube attaches to the front corner of the sunroof tray. Pull it off and check it. I blew a tiny bit of compressed air through them to clear debris. With the sunroof open you can pour a bit of water in the tray. If all is well it will drain out of the bottom of the body below the A pillar. I've heard that the drain tubes can rot but I have not had to deal with that.

Heater core: Make sure the heat blows strong from both lower vents. Issues here point to a bad heater core.

Power: These trucks have more computers than a spacecraft. As noted above, issues with warnings and other strange behavior may indicate a battery or alternator issue. Swapping the alternator isn't as bad as you would think, given it's location low on the passenger side. Auto zone offers a $200 or so Duralast unit with a lifetime warranty. I'll report back after I get an idea how it behaves.

Cowl: This should fit nice and snug along the windshield. If it doesn't, replace it as water can find its way into the cab. A local friend chased down a leak to there after it killed am ECU. Swapping the cowl is a thirty minute job. Remove the windshield wiper stalks, pop off the old cowl, and pop on the new one. You may not have to remove the exterior A pillar trim. I was able to sneak the new cowl in place without messing with the trim too much.
 

Ray_G

Well-known member
Thanks guys. Was the highest spec sound system (HK Logic 7 I think) available on an SE? Do you need navigation for the high end audio system? Is HID available on SE? Those are my two must have options.

Yes, HK Logic 7 is avail on an SE, doesn't have to have nav, and the SE can have HID. You just described my truck!
 

AdamSanta85

Well-known member
Yes, HK Logic 7 is avail on an SE, doesn't have to have nav, and the SE can have HID. You just described my truck!

That is exactly what I want! HK Logic 7, HID, coldweather SE (with HD if I am lucky but not needed).

I was limiting my search to HSE but now I don't need to. I don't care about wood trim or 19" wheels or stuff like that.

How can I tell if a truck has the HK Logic 7? HID are easy to spot.
 

Al Blue4.6l

Well-known member
That is exactly what I want! HK Logic 7, HID, coldweather SE (with HD if I am lucky but not needed).

I was limiting my search to HSE but now I don't need to. I don't care about wood trim or 19" wheels or stuff like that.

How can I tell if a truck has the HK Logic 7? HID are easy to spot.

Logic 7 trucks have two speakers in the front doors plus the tweeter. Non-Logic 7 trucks just have one speaker and a tweeter.

I really wish my truck had the cold weather package - but my wife liked the first one we looked at so I struck while the iron was hot ;)

You'll love the truck once you get one. They're great.
 

stu454

Well-known member
Callsign: KN4CBB
Rookie question: how does one tell if they have HID's? My truck is an HSE with nav and Logic 7, but no Cold Climate (originally a Florida truck).
 

WeBeCinYa

Well-known member
Rookie question: how does one tell if they have HID's? My truck is an HSE with nav and Logic 7, but no Cold Climate (originally a Florida truck).

Round projectors are main top part of headlight, vs just a halogen reflector.
 

hillstrubl

Founding Member
I've now had 3 causes of "HDC not available"/"Cruise Control not available" - Initially it was a brake switch (2 yrs ago), then water ingress/wiring corrosion along the passenger door sill (last year), this weekend it was a brake-light bulb. 2 min swap and error messages gone. The reason I bring it up is the symptoms are identical despite different causes.
 

Al Blue4.6l

Well-known member
I've now had 3 causes of "HDC not available"/"Cruise Control not available" - Initially it was a brake switch (2 yrs ago), then water ingress/wiring corrosion along the passenger door sill (last year), this weekend it was a brake-light bulb. 2 min swap and error messages gone. The reason I bring it up is the symptoms are identical despite different causes.

hah. Fun.

the wiring issue definitely a good reason to keep on top of warped cowls and plugged sunroof drains (and to keep spare brake lights switches and bulbs in the truck)
 

hillstrubl

Founding Member
hah. Fun.

the wiring issue definitely a good reason to keep on top of warped cowls and plugged sunroof drains (and to keep spare brake lights switches and bulbs in the truck)

Yep, I carry a brake light switch, only had to change it on the side of the road once though. haha
 

hillstrubl

Founding Member
What do you mean break light switch? Is this part of the internal tail light? Or do you mean the park break switch inside?

$_58.JPG


About 4" above your ankle when hitting the brakes
 

Al Blue4.6l

Well-known member
FWIW - I completely disagree that it isnt worth replacing the hitachi compressor if it fails. a new one it like $400 from lrdirect and its a 15 minute swap.
 
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