Hi All,

New RR Sport owner and this is my first one, it’s a RR Sport 3.6 V8 TD HST in Red and as ~125k miles on the clock and the pictures are below. I have purchased this car due to the winter season approaching as the C63 goes under the covers, so I will have plenty of questions and queries from the forum as I am new to the brand and this model. As you can see from the pictures it has cream leather and is sitting on some large wheels, 22” to be exact and is very nice to look at, stood out from the norm although red is not my preferred colour. I do have some questions immediately to identify some things as I have been driving this car for a month and who better to ask then the experts:

1) I do feel that the ride quality is a little harsh than I would have expected coming from the Land Rover mark, this could be down to the fact it has 22” wheels and the only way to get back to comfort driving is to go down to 20”, or could this be something else? We have pretty bad roads where I am (Stoke Poges, Bucks) and at the moment I can feel every bump and rut but on a smooth road its super nice. But I could be open to a swap if there are a good set of 20” alloys going if this is the only way forward.

2) The leather itself could do with revitalizing, does anyone recommend any good products where I could get hands on and do it myself or would you recommend getting the specialists to do it? If so which, would you recommend in my area?

3) Servicing moving forward, I live in Stoke Poges, Bucks and cannot seem to find any independent Land Rover specialists near me so does anyone know of one around here?

4) I have noticed that the service history is part missing as the previous owner ha misplaced it, with this being a 2009 registered car and the history not being online what is the best way to get hold of the previous records?

5) I cannot see any history of the transmission fluids ever being changed on the car and would like to this as one of the items, again any recommendations of specialists to use around me.

That’s it for now, I am enjoying the car so far and hope this continues!

Regards
Naz

Last edited by nazim.yunas@btinternet.com on Mon Nov 08 2021 5:15pm. Edited 1 time in total

Hmm tried to upload some pictures but its not being visible for some reason?

Thanks RRS TDV8!

For the ride - yes, the 22 inch rims won't be helping. The suspension was designed for 19 and 20 inch wheels and the associated sidewall depth but also the suspension might be a bit tired now with 125k on the clock. It's worth noting that air suspension can be a bit crashy on certain surfaces although I think it's still better than coils would be. A swap to 20 inch rims and 275/45 tyres could help here - that would be a slightly deeper sidewall than the standard 275/40 tyres.

It's worth noting that if you're hoping to be a winter king of the road, you'll need a suitable tyre. Whilst 4wd gives you a traction advantage (to a degree), it doesn't help going around corners and braking. So if you're on slippery/snowy/icy roads on summer tyres, you'll still struggle. Full winter tyres or a winter-rated summer tyre / all terrain would help here. Something like the Michelin CrossClimate SUV would give you better winter performance without having to run separate winter and summer tyres. That's available in 255/50/19, 255/55/19 and 275/45/20. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Nice looking car love the colour, but I don't think you will find that it is a HST, as it appears to have Autobiography front and rear bumpers fitted not HST one's, also look's like someone has fitted a one piece tailgate as well from a later car or the wrong spoiler.

Cheers
Col

RRSTDV8 wrote:

For the ride - yes, the 22 inch rims won't be helping. The suspension was designed for 19 and 20 inch wheels and the associated sidewall depth but also the suspension might be a bit tired now with 125k on the clock. It's worth noting that air suspension can be a bit crashy on certain surfaces although I think it's still better than coils would be. A swap to 20 inch rims and 275/45 tyres could help here - that would be a slightly deeper sidewall than the standard 275/40 tyres.

It's worth noting that if you're hoping to be a winter king of the road, you'll need a suitable tyre. Whilst 4wd gives you a traction advantage (to a degree), it doesn't help going around corners and braking. So if you're on slippery/snowy/icy roads on summer tyres, you'll still struggle. Full winter tyres or a winter-rated summer tyre / all terrain would help here. Something like the Michelin CrossClimate SUV would give you better winter performance without having to run separate winter and summer tyres. That's available in 255/50/19, 255/55/19 and 275/45/20.

Col wrote:

Nice looking car love the colour, but I don't think you will find that it is a HST, as it appears to have Autobiography front and rear bumpers fitted not HST one's, also look's like someone has fitted a one piece tailgate as well from a later car or the wrong spoiler.

Cheers
Col

Nice colour!!

Looks like they did a lot of work and effort when they repaired it as well as expense, as they obviously changed the front wings, headlights etc. to match the later A/B bumper as well as updated rear lights. Is it possible it was stolen and partly stripped, not accident damaged which made it a cat D. Not sure about the chrome bling though.

Cheers
Col

Hiya and welcome. RRSTDV8 has covered it above. I run 20’s during the summer and put 19’s with winters on over the (err) winter. I think the ride is very comfortable on 20’s but it’s noticeably smoother when on 19’s. However you’ll loose the look of those massive 22’s , so you takes your choice. Contact Bodsy on here for a gearbox flush, he’ll also do your diffs and transfer box if you want. Couldn’t tell you an indie around your way though, so think about putting up a separate post. 2006 2.7 TDV6 HSE in Cairns Blue.

Rovertune in Reading would be worth a call if you're looking for an indie. They've been recommended by others on here over the years although I have no experience of them. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Col wrote:

Looks like they did a lot of work and effort when they repaired it as well as expense, as they obviously changed the front wings, headlights etc. to match the later A/B bumper as well as updated rear lights. Is it possible it was stolen and partly stripped, not accident damaged which made it a cat D. Not sure about the chrome bling though.

Cheers
Col

Stevepd wrote:

Hiya and welcome. RRSTDV8 has covered it above. I run 20’s during the summer and put 19’s with winters on over the (err) winter. I think the ride is very comfortable on 20’s but it’s noticeably smoother when on 19’s. However you’ll loose the look of those massive 22’s , so you takes your choice. Contact Bodsy on here for a gearbox flush, he’ll also do your diffs and transfer box if you want. Couldn’t tell you an indie around your way though, so think about putting up a separate post.

Thanks for advice and will reach out to bodsy very soon

RRSTDV8 wrote:

Rovertune in Reading would be worth a call if you're looking for an indie. They've been recommended by others on here over the years although I have no experience of them.