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100wheeler
Member Since: 26 Feb 2013
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 67
  
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| Servicing Dilemma - Advice Wanted! |
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Hi All,
Recently joined the forum and am now the proud owner of a 2010 D4 GS, 20,000 miles, Galway green and beige leather. Had it for just over a week now and aside from the slightly alarming fuel consumption  (Others car is a v.efficient Passat TDI), it is fantastic!! By now I have looked and listened pretty hard but cannot find anything untoward when static or driving. So here are my dilemmas.....
Car is 3 years old in May and hence manuf warranty ends then.
1st Dilemma: Do I extend the Warranty? If I do, do I go with LR or another eg WD? I phoned my main dealer (Hunters Southampton) yesterday and they do a 'pre end of warranty check' for £35. This seems good value to me so have booked in for this with a view that anything they find will be covered under the manuf warranty. However I have never taken extended warranties for any other car I own (never take them for white good etc either) but somehow the piece of mind that this could bring seems to have some value.....
I have read plenty of the good advice (and horror stories ) on the forum re reliability and bits going wrong. Of course, due to age, most of these were for D3 models and I am working on the basis that whilst the D4 should be 'better', ultimately the same type of things will eventually go wrong with the same repair bills. So mine has only got 20,000 miles on the clock and I will probably only put 5k-10k on it per year (but will be towing horses most weekends) as I will use my other car for long travels. For this type of age/mileage profile what's the feeling re a warranty? Good investment or am I better of 'saving' the premium in a rainy day pot?
Would have loved an XS or even HSE but could only stretch to the GS. One advantage though is the lack of 'toys' might mean less (electronics) to go wrong - twisted logic or sensible?
2nd Dilemma: I like to think I am fairly practical and have always carried out basic servicing (oil, filters, brakes etc) myself on the driveway for my previous cars. When I spoke to the main dealer yesterday I enquired about cost of my next service (A Type), they wanted about £420! To me this is a fortune for basically changing oil and filter (+ pollen filter). I would guess the bits would cost me no more than £100 even from LR. I know they have to cover their overheads but I don't really want to assist with this  . Should I even be thinking of doing these type of things myself? Cam belts etc - definitely back to a dealer/specialist but oil/brakes etc?? Am even thinking I could invest in an MSV2 or lesser model and the cost would be covered in a v. short time if I did things myself. Other option is to go to an Indy - have already had some good recommendations for these but will still be paying a fair bit of labour.
Of course if I do 'go it alone', this rules out the Warranty option - hence the 2 dilemmas!
Sorry for the long posting but I hope the answers may help others. I figure there will be an increasing number of D4's hitting their 3rd birthday over the coming months.......
Hoping to hear your wise words.
Cheers,
Paul
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 6th Apr 2013 9:13 am |
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THUB
Member Since: 10 Dec 2005
Location: West Berkshire.
Posts: 717
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I think it depends on th cost of the warranty versus the cost of the dealer/indie servicing/repairs. My wife's MG TF 2006 MY had a head gasket go. Not an unknown problem on the "K" series engine. The warranty Co (AA) picked up the tab roughly equal to the four years' premiums that I had paid. Whilst the car was in a semi stripped down stage I had other items replaced as a matter of "Good Practice". Not sure this help with your dilema. There is an argument for putting your warranty premiums into a savings acccount and to some degree keeping your fingers crossed
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| 6th Apr 2013 9:26 am |
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Padraig
Member Since: 31 Mar 2013
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 12
  
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Hi Wheeler,
Im in a similar situation myself but for a much older D3. However, i think your wise in getting LR to check it over. To the best of my knowledge LR is quite limited in the repair bill. I looked into warrentywise. It looked the more comprehensive with particular attention to electrics. You can tailor your policy with excess payments and if you go to martin lewis web page there are vouchers for a discount in the policy. Good luck.
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| 6th Apr 2013 9:30 am |
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Farmer Chalk
Member Since: 07 Mar 2013
Location: Independent Republic of Kentishshire.
Posts: 4156
 
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Welcome to the forum and prepare for a wide variety of opinions.. Like you I'm not normally a great lover of warranty companies but feel I need to let you know of my circumstances which may change your opinion of them . I bought an 08 HSE G 4 last year. The previous owner had taken out the warranty and was committed to continuing the year long contract after he sold it. It was a fortune and he was paying something like £8-900 per year which I would consider exorbitant and would never have entertained it ordinarily. Because he was committed to it for another nine months I did a deal with him and split the cost.The car went for a pre purchase inspection with a main dealer and without any complications or moaning immediately replaced all of the suspension bushes FOC. I then took delivery of it and after a couple of months took it to my local dealer for a service. There they diagnosed a rumbling rear differential which being a G4 one was fitted with the very expensive locking diff. I collected the car and a complete brand new diff was sitting shiny and new underneath. All at nil cost and no grief whatsoever. So I for one would consider renewing the expensive warranty just as piece of mind! Very impressed and no grief. In my case it was worth every penny. I'm sure others will contradict this! 
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| 6th Apr 2013 9:31 am |
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Steve D
Member Since: 04 Nov 2012
Location: Essexshire
Posts: 377
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Warranty is insurance. The above post regarding a 5 year old specialist model is a perfect example of an insured 'winner'. However, for the warranty company to stay in business there must, by definition, be many more losers than winners - those that pay for insurance but never make a claim. Most warranties demand that the vehicle is serviced by a vat registered garage and that's not cheap either, especially if the garage finds extra work that could be done by a competent DIYer. Add to that the annual cost of the warranty and you are looking at a not inconsiderable sum. With only 20K on the clock and a predicted low annual mileage plus the ability to carry out basic maintenance yourself, I'd plump for self servicing and no warranty but that's just me. It's not gone majorly wrong so far, has it?
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| 6th Apr 2013 9:50 am |
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NJSS
Member Since: 06 May 2009
Location: Catherington, Hampshire.
Posts: 10502
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100wheeler
I'm a Disco3 owner - but have had Discos, FFLRs etc for decades.
I would definitely take a warranty - if going for LR I think you will find that the price is negotiable. After all the dealer selling it to you is likely to retain your business, so negotiate hard.
I opted for a WD "fullest possible" warranty - I'm 15 months in & have not had to claim yet.
Whatever you do I would suggest a six monthly oil change, add SO2 to the fuel, and consider a BAS remap.
If you need a good Indy - Mark West @ West 4x4 is your man:-
http://www.west4x4.co.uk/
Good luck.
NJSS Am I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
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| 6th Apr 2013 10:49 am |
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100wheeler
Member Since: 26 Feb 2013
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 67
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Thanks to all so far for the replies 
Steve D, you make a good point about the Warranty just being an insurance policy which must mean more 'losers' than 'winners' (from the Warranty Company's perspective). On the other hand, it still needs to be competitive and I assume it is so (even LR own) since people are buying it. If it costs say £900 per year that means (to me at least) that guys are thinking that they could experience these type of bills (or more) every year on top of the already high servicing costs. That's what scares the hell out of me! I too go with your logic of taking a punt based on the vehicle mileage etc and yes, it seems to be in good condition at the moment....
NJSS, Thanks for the recommendation of WEST 4X4. Steve in Chandlers Ford has also recommended them to me so will definitely be looking into using them.
Thanks to all again,
Paul
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| 7th Apr 2013 9:06 am |
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dangerdave
Member Since: 23 Nov 2010
Location: <>
Posts: 4495
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Admin note: post content removed at user request
Last edited by dangerdave on 7th Apr 2013 9:47 am. Edited 1 time in total
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| 7th Apr 2013 9:32 am |
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maddogsetc
Member Since: 27 Nov 2007
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 537
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Just to throw another thought into the mix - how long are you planning on keeping it?
Self servicing is all very well but the lack of dealer stamps in the service book will undoubtedly affect the resale value, however competent you may be, especially on a low mileage vehicle like yours. Probably not an issue if you don't intend selling it in the forseeable but if you're only keeping it a couple of years you might want to consider that angle.
I have a 7 year old, 100k D3, owned from new, on which WD have just grudgingly agreed to cover part of the cost of a few items. Also have a 6 year old RRS which we bought a year and a half ago from Stratstones and took the opportunity of extending the LR approved cover, thereby getting 24 months warranty. In contrast we have had a couple of items dealt with at Guava (highly recommended) with absolutely no quibble, loan car provided, a nice valet and not a penny to pay.
Bear in mind that WD will treat every item as a separate claim ie. in my case 2 wishbones, a set of anti-roll bar bushes and a leaking oil seal = 4 claims, therefore 4 excesses, so that's £200 knocked off my claim immediately. Then the betterment clause knocks another 50% off the cost of parts. Now you won't have the latter issue yet but you will have the former.
I would take the LR approved cover over WD every time.
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| 7th Apr 2013 9:35 am |
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maddogsetc
Member Since: 27 Nov 2007
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 537
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Quote:a lot cheaper than keeping Quentin in the style to which he has become accustomed
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| 7th Apr 2013 9:39 am |
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100wheeler
Member Since: 26 Feb 2013
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 67
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dangerdave, Thanks for the advice on the AA breakdown policy - I like the sound of that and will look into further. Does sound sensible to me.
maddogsetc, Yes you make a very good point about dealer stamps in the service book. The last two cars I have owned I have always serviced myself, but these were not so new (took on from about 5 years old) and when I came to sell I could still cite FSH and the buyer was happy that I could demonstrate receipts etc for my handy work  . But I think you are right, on a relatively new D4, DIY book stamps might not cut it. I think I will go the Indy route for annual servicing but still change brakes etc myself.
Thanks again,
Paul
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| 8th Apr 2013 10:42 am |
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Farmer Chalk
Member Since: 07 Mar 2013
Location: Independent Republic of Kentishshire.
Posts: 4156
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The point you make is a very valid one but you could always do what I do which is the best of both worlds! For any scheduled servicing I get the main dealer to do it but at an pre agreed price. I haggle and say I only want the bare basic service and don't want any extras ie wipers and screen wash added to the bill! That way I know what I'm going to spend, have my service book stamped with main dealer history and get any warranty items done FOC . More importantly it gets the JLR software updates and safety recalls done. For any additional stuff I either do it myself or if its involved then I get my local indie to do it!
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| 8th Apr 2013 7:34 pm |
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100wheeler
Member Since: 26 Feb 2013
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 67
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Farmer Chalk I like your style Sounds like an ideal solution for me although I'm not sure that my local LR dealers would play ball on this one...
If you don't mind, could you give me a ball park indication of what you are paying for a 'no frills' service at a main dealer? (I presume basically oil and filter(s). I am phoning around Indy's at the moment so would be useful to compare.
Cheers,
Paul
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| 9th Apr 2013 8:58 am |
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Farmer Chalk
Member Since: 07 Mar 2013
Location: Independent Republic of Kentishshire.
Posts: 4156
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Just looked at reciept and i had the main service 60,000 mile 48 month service and they knocked off 20% and they charged me £280 inclusive of Castrol oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter, oil drain plug. They completed service and fitted a new diff under warranty only of a result of me complaining of a slight rumble from somewhere on the car...Well impressed. Car was a 2008 D3 with 48,000 miles on it.
Car came back fully valeted and it was filthy when it went in.. From my experience the dealers would much prefer to get some sort of trade and are therefore willing to haggle... that way you keep using them... You have to state that you don't want any extras added just the basic service... that way you're not paying for screenwash, washers, grease and 'sundries'!!
It worked in my case as they were also the best dealer for price when it came to ordering my new D4 from them. Customer loyalty obviously works both ways.. i went to four different Land Rover dealers and no one would match their offer!
Overall well pleased....
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| 9th Apr 2013 8:34 pm |
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100wheeler
Member Since: 26 Feb 2013
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 67
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Farmer Chalk, you did well
Thanks for providing the detailed info.
I am going to ring around this week and see what sort of 'offers' I can get. Somehow I don't think my LR dealer will be so hungry but we'll see.....
Thanks again,
Paul
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| 9th Apr 2013 11:20 pm |
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