LR3 Newbie questions.

nwoods

Expedition Leader
  • front and resr control arm bushings
  • Front and rear sway bar bushings
  • Check camber/toe alignment bolts, see if at max setting or still has more thread to make changes
  • Check coolant pipes, ask about replacement history, there is a plastic union fitting thats known to fail with age
  • Measure voltage while running. LR3’s are VERY sensitive to having a specific voltage or else they go bat ******** crazy
  • Check right rear wheel well for wear/rubbing at “ 2 O’clock” for any potential danage to rear AC lines that are behind the plastic fender liners.
  • listen to the a/c blend door in the dash, can be sticky and hard to fix.
  • Front dash is probably cracked where air bag is. No big deal
  • Check passenger pop-out cup holder
  • Check sound level with aux port for your phone. Ask about bluetooth kit if installed. Test it.
  • Ask about CD changer, prone to fail and eat discs
  • Ask about windshield defroster wiring. Works amazing, truley, but kinda expensive to replace. If it has heated seats and no tiny wiries in the glass, then the windshield has been replaced with cheap non-OEM glass
  • Check top of roof for any damage to glass roof
  • Plan on serviciing the sun roof drain tubes (inside the A pillar). They clog easy and will totally ruin your day. Fix is very easy, but very important
  • Related to above. Carefully look at, smell, touch carpets in front footwells for signs of moisture
  • Do the front seats wobble? The track mechanism has plastic ball bearings that wear out
  • Front arm rests are probably thrashed
  • If provided (HSE) models, check the refrigerated cooler box
  • Check the heat sheilds ahead of the spare tire (under car) for damage
  • Check the hoist for the spare tire. Its a crank down cable thing that tends to bind up making it nigh impossible to change out spare.
  • Check nuts on rear lift gate gas struts for looseness. Really, REALLY hard to fix if the blind nut inside falls off.
  • Check rear lift gate door mechanism (electronic touch lock). Prone to fail
  • Listen to all speakers including subwoofer in tailgate. Btw, HSE has a MUCH better sound system than SE models
  • ASK about the EPB before testing it. The electronic parking brakes are prone to fail
  • ASK about sunroof before trying it. Of not greased, can jam in open position
  • Physically look at the condition of the brake fluid color. The lighter the better.
  • All the standard stuff you normally check on 100,000 mike vehicles
  • Plan on replacing the brake pedal switch.
That's about it, im tapping this out on my phone so forgive autocorrect issues.

V6/V8, i had a V6, loved it. I’d get a V8. I’d get an HSE because of the better spec. I’d get a 2017 or above for little things like auto windows each side, better seats/memory, newer air compressor style.
  • Oh! Can’t believe i forgot! Check air suspension! Ask about service history, plan on having compressor rebuilt, and full air system tested/serviced
  • Check for wear between front sway bar strut and air shocks
  • I’d plan to replace wheel bearings all

  • thats really a good list. Not meant to scare you. Most if those things are livable, just be mindfull of. Previous post about oils is right on, plus bushings, alternator/battery health, and air compressor are the big 4
 
Last edited:

03Evan

Member
The big issues with the LR3 are going to be the air suspension and the transmission. Lots of people will advertise them as needing “minor” transmission or air suspension work, but it can become quite costly.

My 05 LR3 has 301k miles on the original engine and transmission. It’s all about good maintenance.

That all being said, where are you located? You profile says LA, but I don’t know if you mean Los Angeles or Louisiana.

There is a well modified LR3 in Texas that a guy in the FB LR3 group has been trying to sell at a decent price. I also have a buddy in NorCal contemplating selling his well modified GX.


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The big issues with the LR3 are going to be the air suspension and the transmission. Lots of people will advertise them as needing “minor” transmission or air suspension work, but it can become quite costly.

My 05 LR3 has 301k miles on the original engine and transmission. It’s all about good maintenance.

That all being said, where are you located? You profile says LA, but I don’t know if you mean Los Angeles or Louisiana.

There is a well modified LR3 in Texas that a guy in the FB LR3 group has been trying to sell at a decent price. I also have a buddy in NorCal contemplating selling his well modified GX.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am in Los Angeles, I am actually in the market for a GX, thats what I want most but I am particular about condition as I dont plan to sell it. This LR3 from this thread I would intend to sell so not quite as concerned as long as its a good price and no headaches.


Let me know about the GX and if you can link me to the LR3! @03Evan
 

03Evan

Member
I’ll get some info on the GX for you. It’s got a frontrunner rack, lift, winch bumper and sliders. Not sure on mileage, but it is clean.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

catmann

Active member
You can possibly buy Umberto's LR4 - he is in your area and his new Defender is coming pretty soon. It's a 2013 HSE LUX, Red. He has 220k or so on it but you can be sure all the maintenance is up to date. He may already have it spoken for, I do not know. You can reach out to him here if you wish:

 

Sapper Dave

New member
Is there anybody in Los Angeles that could help me find an LR3 worth getting?
Give Abran or Aleth over at Carrs 4x4 in Huntington Beach a call 714-330-0873. They're awesome with Rovers and could probably put you in touch with someone looking to unload a well maintained LR3, and/or do the maintenance work on one you get for a reasonable price.
 

spikemd

Explorer
I've had my LR3 for 6 years and over 100k miles, plenty offroad. Its a rover, its fickle, but all the problem areas are easy to fix. The 06 to 09 Jag engine is arguably the best engine they have ever made. The 10 to 16 engines all have major timing tensioner issues or intake valve problems from direct injection.

Like all vehicles, plastic and rubber wears, even moreso on a 6k lb vehicle. Suspension and cooling components need to be replaced but this is not a rover specific issue. The rover specific issues are mentioned above in Nathan's post. I've offroaded with his truck's new owner a few times.

You must be willing to work on the truck yourself. If not, run away. Current labor rates at an LR dealer are over $200 an hr, no joke.
 

spikemd

Explorer
Last weekend in the Sierras. I am a big advocate of thenARB bumper as I had someone back into me causing over $3k damage to their volvo while it caused a scratch on my ARB. If I had a hidden winch, it would've cost thousands in damage to the LR3 bumper and side panel.20200808_173837_copy_1209x906.jpg
 

nwoods

Expedition Leader
You can possibly buy Umberto's LR4 - he is in your area and his new Defender is coming pretty soon. It's a 2013 HSE LUX, Red. He has 220k or so on it but you can be sure all the maintenance is up to date. He may already have it spoken for, I do not know. You can reach out to him here if you wish:

I endorse Umberto's rig. He's a quality dude.
 

sp543

New member
I was in the same boat last year, spent close to 6 months looking nationwide for a decent deal on a GX or LX but the market for them is just insane.

Ended up with a nice 06 LR3 and don't regret it at all. Bought it from the Land Rover dealership the original owner purchased new.

I wouldn't bother with the V6, the V8 is the way to go. Fixes to all the common issues are well documented.
 

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