Hi all,

I have noticed a burning oil smell coming into the cab after i've driven about for a bit. I put it into a garage to diagnose the issue and they said it was coming from the "rear top of the engine". They refused to dig any deeper suggesting it would need a full tear down.
Since then the coolant warning light came on, after letting it cool the reservoir was empty and I could see a small amount of dark sludge at the bottom.
Has anyone had an experience of this before, or have an idea what the issue could be? The guy from the garage said I should get rid of it as it's likely to cost more to repair than its worth. Given it was only bought in March this year that's not really an option.

Any help, or advice would be welcome.

Oil cooler. Very common for leaking oil and coolant externally, as well as allowing oil into the cooling system

Thanks, if it is this, I would assume its not a full strip down job to fix? I've got it booked into a Landrover specialist next week and my over thinking had this fix set around 4k lol.

Did you buy it from a garage? I would look at your rights, i was amazed at how long after you can demand a repair, don’t know if it’s just in Scotland, but up to 6 months you may be able to demand a repair dependent upon age and mileage even without a warranty! You also have rights in a private sale, although may be more difficult.

https://www.themotorombudsman.org/knowledg...ar-problem

Your consumer rights

You can exercise your legal rights, but you will need to contact the seller (a franchise dealer or independent retailer) who sold you the used car. If you discover your vehicle is of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose, or not as described, within the first 30 days, you can raise this with the seller and ask for your money back. You will be entitled to a full refund.

It is worth noting that satisfactory quality regarding a used vehicle may be subject to what can be expected on a vehicle of that age, mileage, or price. For example, something that is unsatisfactory on a new car, such as the failure of a turbo within a short period after purchase, may not be considered unsatisfactory on a used vehicle if this component had reached the end of its serviceable life at the time the car was bought.

If an issue occurs with a used vehicle after the first 30 days of ownership, the seller has one opportunity to repair or replace your vehicle. Similarly, if a fault occurs within six months from the point of sale, it is presumed that it was there when the car was sold. In this scenario, the burden is on the seller to prove that the issue was not there at the time of sale, but if a fault is discovered outside of this six month period, you will need to demonstrate the issue was there at point of sale, and is therefore of unsatisfactory quality.

If the issue re-occurs following the repair with your existing car, or a fault is discovered with the replacement vehicle, you can ask for a price reduction, which means a partial refund, but you keep your vehicle. Alternatively, you can ask for rejection, which is to return the vehicle and get your money back. Remember, the seller is entitled to deduct a sum for usage, which is usually the miles you have added to the vehicle during ownership. Joined the X5 45e club
1994 Defender 90 300 tdi

I looked through all the paperwork and although I did buy from a dealer, I'm out with their warranty period. There is a little of this on me not checking properly. It had an engine and coolant leak mentioned on a previous MOT advisory. When the garage I got it from MOT'd it they said no advisories were listed, so I should have pressed more and checked if they had actually fixed it

Honestly, read the text above, REGARDLESS OF WARRANTY, my step daughter just took her car back to Arnold Clark, without a warranty, and they fixed it, I forget what it was, but I was amazed. Worst they can do is say no Joined the X5 45e club
1994 Defender 90 300 tdi

If an issue occurs with a used vehicle after the first 30 days of ownership, the seller has one opportunity to repair or replace your vehicle. Similarly, if a fault occurs within six months from the point of sale, it is presumed that it was there when the car was sold. In this scenario, the burden is on the seller to prove that the issue was not there at the time of sale, but if a fault is discovered outside of this six month period, you will need to demonstrate the issue was there at point of sale, and is therefore of unsatisfactory quality.

If it’s on the previous MOT history that it had a coolant leak and you’re still in your 6 month period, I’d be speaking to where you bought it from.

LuckyAOS wrote:

I looked through all the paperwork and although I did buy from a dealer, I'm out with their warranty period. There is a little of this on me not checking properly. It had an engine and coolant leak mentioned on a previous MOT advisory. When the garage I got it from MOT'd it they said no advisories were listed, so I should have pressed more and checked if they had actually fixed it

The warranty is a lie - it's an attempt to deflect you from your statutory rights.  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Thanks for all the advice, I'll get on the phone to the dealer I bought it from later today and see what they say!

Cheers everyone

So after a proper diagnosis by a RR specialist it is indeed the oil cooler seals and the coolant housing. Bit of relief from thinking it needed an engine

Spoke to the dealer I got the car from and they instantly got their knickers in a twist and went full on aggressive and said it was perfect when it left them. I know this to be a lie as there were other small things picked up during the diagnosis that should have been highlighted on the MOT that was done before it was sold.

I'm just gonna cut my losses and get it repaired properly by the specialist, the time and effort it'll take for the dealer to do anything will almost equal the repair itself and then there's no guarantee their workmanship will be up to par.

The silver lining is the specialist can do a stage 1 remap that will eliminate the throttle response lag, so when I get it back it should feel and drive like new

Who was the suppling garage? Be useful for others to know they're a useless bunch... 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

The offending garage was Formula 1 car centre in Falkirk. 0/10 would never recommend! Definitely safer to stay clear.