Whenever I was making the decision to buy my car, I thoroughly researched on the Internet through forums like these - for years.

I knew I always wanted either a vogue or a sport - even before I started learning how to drive (have been driving for almost 4 years now). It will be a year this month since I've had my RRS, and I thought a post like this would be helpful to someone else who was in the same situation as myself.

I'll have had my range rover a year this month and I think it would be useful to go through how much money I've spent on the car to date - mainly from a maintenance standpoint - as this is something many first time buyers seem to forget, whenever they are fooled by how cheap some of these cars can be purchased for now. Just because some of them are cheap to buy now - does not mean that they are cheap to run, and in many cases - buying a cheaper model with lots of miles on the clock is going to come back and bite you where it hurts the most... your wallet.

When the opportunity came for me to buy the car - I took it for a test drive to check and see if it had any of the standard issues that plague these vehicles. Since the car was not exactly cheap (I paid £15,000 with 105,000 on the clock) I didn't expect that much to be wrong with it - it looked extremely well maintained from the outside and the inside (I don't think the back seats were ever used), there was no stretching on the leather - it was pristine - and still is

When you are driving one of these vehicles for the very first time - it's very hard not to get carried away on the luxuriousness of it all. It's a nice big car, and you feel king/queen of the road when driving it - but some things you need to pay attention for on a test run are:

- Does the air suspension work?
Check if the vehicle can be lowered, raised and set back to standard ride height. My vehicle could rise but would not lower again unless I restarted it. I knew this was a compressor issue from the research I had done so I wasn't too worried about it.
- Are there any squeaks and knocks when going over bumps or making right turns?
This is something I wish I had paid attention for - the suspension arms, bushes including control arm bushes are prone to wearing out in these vehicles once they hit a certain age (like any other vehicle) - replacing these is quite a labour intensive job and can be costly (depending on where you go)
- Take it for a long drive and check for any other faults on the dash
If you get any red faults - run away
If you get any amber faults - ask the seller if they are aware of this/do your own research/reach out to an independent specialist and ask for their advice
- Park the car up and have a look at it - does it flop to one side?
If so, the car has air suspension problems and probably needs a new airbag(s)
- Check the service history
Do not purchase a high mileage range rover if it does not have any service history. If the car is 100,000 miles or over - I would not be purchasing unless the timing belt has been done
- Go by your gut feeling.
If the car is something you really want and you are prepared to spend the money on fixing it whenever it needs fixed - go for it. If you are just expecting to service it once a year and have plain sailing all the way through - this car is not for you. Do not believe people on forums that say they have owned a range rover for x amount years and have put thousands of miles on the clock and have 0 issues with the car - because they are clearly not driving a range rover if that is the case.

In my first year - I've spent in around £3,000 in repairs to the vehicle. This is including:
- Front lower suspension arms and rear suspension arms (fixed the squeaking and bumping issue)
- Air Compressor replaced with vent pipping replaced (fixed the air suspension issue) - together, these came to £2,000 to fix and was done by a specialist
- Diagnostics of Restricted Performance amber error which resulted in a faulty fuel filter water sensor being replaced
- Full service done at 111,000 miles - together these two cost almost £1000 - this was done by a local mechanic that has experience with working on range rovers - but not exactly a specialist.

Other issues that I have that are to be fixed in the future:
- Engine oil level monitoring fault - this is intermittent and I have been advised that unless it permanently appears on the dashboard - to ignore it, as it's a labour intensive job to replace the sensor (we're going into the £2000 territory again)
- Gearbox flush (or service) - I will be getting this done after xmas (coming in between £300-£500)
- My front anti-roll bar bushes need replaced. The specialist couldn't do this, as the bolts holding the roll bar bracket in place has seized into the nut inside the chasis and the mechanics didn't want to risk shearing them (this is something I'm going to have to ask my other mechanic to look at)

When we start to look at costs like insurance (£1,000 for me), tax (£600) and fuel (I'm spending around £150-£200 a month on fuel - and that's with just topping it up so it's kept full - not fully filling it) you can start to see how expensive these cars are to run. But, to me all of this is worth it, because it's the car I've wanted for a long time and they are amazing to drive.

When it comes to mechanics - I don't live near any specialists - my closest is about 50 miles away. Therefore, i'd make sure you know of a mechanic that you're able to trust when dealing with a machine like this - or take it to a specialist. The way I have it - if I need to do something really big on it or need expert advice about something specific - I'll take it to the specialist. If I need something small done like diagnostics or a service or something like that - I'll then take it to the local mechanic that I trust.

Hopefully this was insightful if you're planning on getting a range sometime soon! Out of everything I've said - make sure you have the funds aside to do maintenance/repair work to these vehicles. It's not a case of 'if' something goes wrong - it's a case of 'when' something goes wrong - there are so many electrical systems in these machines - along with them being heavy vehicles, which means a lot of work is needed to keep them in good working order - but they are worth it!


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A good pragmatic write up there Josh. Fundamentally maintenance is king and goes across all the models. You’ve hit the nail on the head about buyers not prepared for funding the maintenance and I think this is why in some circles the brand gets a bashing. Those short term owners who want the experience or driveway kudos then use that very reason to move to something else. 2006 2.7 TDV6 HSE in Cairns Blue.

I remain of the opinion that much of the bad reputation these vehicles have for reliability / issues is down to the main dealers. They are, on the whole, rubbish and fail to fix things first time so repeated visits are often required - result is the reputation that "it's always in the bloody garage!".

Find a decent LR specialist and you'll likely find that the reliability goes up because things are done correctly first time. My first RRS, a TDV8, was like a different machine altogether when I started using a specialist rather than a main dealer. Suffice to say that I've been using that same specialist for my SDV6 with similar results. Sure, things need doing - the latest service / MOT cost me nearly £2k but it was for stuff one might expect on a 136k mile vehicle. My TDV8 was sold with 175k miles on it and going strong. I think it's probably fallen in to the clutches of a "cor, it's cheap to buy but expensive to fix" type and now been scrapped , sadly, as it doesn't come up as MOT'd or taxed but had 198k on it last time it was visible. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Sorry to hear about your V8! Personally I plan to keep my V6 for a loooooooong time, because with the amount of money I’m putting into it, I’d be pretty upset if I sold it to someone and they scrapped it!

I knew before getting the car that the main dealership is a no go when it comes to getting stuff fixed on them (unless you have endless pockets). I think I was told that the main dealership near myself was charging in something around £100 an hour for labour.

I think the other issue that gives these cars a bad name is people come from a car that they literally drove into the ground with minimal maintenance, see a RRS for what looks like a low price and buy it without any research on the needs of such a vehicle. Then they think it’s a problem car since it needs upkeep they never did on their previous car.

Your 2012 seems like it’s going through similar strokes to my 2011. I still have a few things to work through, but driving it is an absolute pleasure. Fortunately I do my own work so I’m not paying labor, just investing lots of quality time and whatever parts cost. Mine also has the lowering issue, front drops, but rear seems to get stuck, then goes to obstacle height. Another press after shut off or cycling the ignition and it usually drops no problem. Not sure if it’s a sensor issue or compressor/exhaust issue.

I don’t necessarily agree with your timing belt thoughts. The front timing belt in mine had been changed, but I didn’t care since the oil pump hadn’t been changed and that’s just as critical on the V6 diesels. I got mine changed out and it’s been a big difference. Before there was a rattle that could last three or four seconds on almost every startup. Now it lasts about one second and only on a cold start. Engine also seems smoother and quieter after the change, I replaced the front timing belt with a Dayco kit as well. Changing just the front timing belt isn’t that huge of a job to do. I think it’s a bigger pain to change the secondary turbo oil return pipe and definitely a bigger pain to change an intake manifold. Changing the oil pump definitely adds a lot of extra time, but if the oil pump fails I think you’re pretty much guaranteed a snapped crank. 2011 RRS HSE Luxury 3.0 TDV6 Fuji White on Ebony/Ivory
Born and raised in So Cal. Moved to the UK in 2018 for a few years. Now in Poland and looking at moving back to the UK.

Josh95 wrote:

Sorry to hear about your V8! Personally I plan to keep my V6 for a loooooooong time, because with the amount of money I’m putting into it, I’d be pretty upset if I sold it to someone and they scrapped it!

I knew before getting the car that the main dealership is a no go when it comes to getting stuff fixed on them (unless you have endless pockets). I think I was told that the main dealership near myself was charging in something around £100 an hour for labour.

NoExpert wrote:

I think the other issue that gives these cars a bad name is people come from a car that they literally drove into the ground with minimal maintenance, see a RRS for what looks like a low price and buy it without any research on the needs of such a vehicle. Then they think it’s a problem car since it needs upkeep they never did on their previous car.

Your 2012 seems like it’s going through similar strokes to my 2011. I still have a few things to work through, but driving it is an absolute pleasure. Fortunately I do my own work so I’m not paying labor, just investing lots of quality time and whatever parts cost. Mine also has the lowering issue, front drops, but rear seems to get stuck, then goes to obstacle height. Another press after shut off or cycling the ignition and it usually drops no problem. Not sure if it’s a sensor issue or compressor/exhaust issue.

I don’t necessarily agree with your timing belt thoughts. The front timing belt in mine had been changed, but I didn’t care since the oil pump hadn’t been changed and that’s just as critical on the V6 diesels. I got mine changed out and it’s been a big difference. Before there was a rattle that could last three or four seconds on almost every startup. Now it lasts about one second and only on a cold start. Engine also seems smoother and quieter after the change, I replaced the front timing belt with a Dayco kit as well. Changing just the front timing belt isn’t that huge of a job to do. I think it’s a bigger pain to change the secondary turbo oil return pipe and definitely a bigger pain to change an intake manifold. Changing the oil pump definitely adds a lot of extra time, but if the oil pump fails I think you’re pretty much guaranteed a snapped crank.

RRSTDV8 wrote:

£100/hour for a main dealer is cheap, at least in southern England.

From personal experience the oil pump by itself can take 15-20 hours. The part itself is cheap if you shop around, but it’s a labor intensive job. I paid about £85 for my genuine oil pump, the killer is all the parts that have to come off to access the oil pump. Start with the front timing belt, then move to the accessory bracket, then get the crank timing pulley off and then you can start to go after the oil pump. We always recommend changing the oil pump with the timing belt(s) on the 2.7 and 3.0 L320’s since about 5-6 of the hours are getting the front timing belt off and on. Yes there’s still a chunk of hours with the addition of the oil pump, but you don’t pay that labor twice at least.

Have you had or has the secondary oil drain pipe been changed to the revised version? I did this not too long ago chasing an issue (it was on my to do list anyway). It’s not too bad of a job and the car seems to appreciate it. 2011 RRS HSE Luxury 3.0 TDV6 Fuji White on Ebony/Ivory
Born and raised in So Cal. Moved to the UK in 2018 for a few years. Now in Poland and looking at moving back to the UK.

That's a really good insight into the purchase of one of these vehicles, I know when I bought my TDV8 3 years ago that maintenance was top of the list so I gave it to a recommended independent & told him to do any work that was required, his reply was once it gets to £2,000 I'll give you a call thankfully that call never came & I received a bill for £1,400 along with his comment that I'd purchased a really good one. Just budget for repairs and regular maintenance & these are terrific vehicles.