Guilefox
Member Since: 10 Jul 2017
Location: Buckinghamshire
Posts: 37
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Turbo gone - garage quoting £4k |
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My Question/Advice is - what to do next. Should I get a 2nd opinion. Are these figures about right?
Short Version
LR Disco 3 - 09 plate - owned for 1 year (136k on clock - but 20k on new LR fitted engine)
Major service 5 weeks ago (halfords autocentre - I know - long story)
Engine died last week on bypass.
Smoking exhaust (blue/white smoke) on start up for 2-3 weeks prior (long story).
Oil (low) added - now black smoke and engine sounds rough - but drives and pulls ok.
LR Specialist in my area said:
- Intercooler not fitted to engine properly oil everywhere. (perhaps Halfords?)
- Turbo gone (he thinks)
- Advised not driving it anymore or it will cause complete engine failure.
- Said he'd get a refurbed turbo, and lift body (24 man hours) and he'd also do cambelt.
- Advised similar job was about £4k so expect around this figure (inc parts, labour and VAT)
- I've asked him to pressure test the engine as I am worried what damage was caused to it if oil was so low.
- I did some research online (before going there) and asked him if he could replace turbo without body lift and he did not look impressed and started talking technical about how it was a "bodge job" or to difficult.
Long version:
I bought our first ever LR about a year ago.
Had done 120k with a new engine at 116k.
Check with the LR garage in the log book but they could not tell me why it had had a new engine (just that they had fitted it!) - strange.
So a year later last May - I put it in for a major service (upgraded oil) and MOT (Halford Autocentre) - Probably asking for trouble but was desperately in a hurry (realised MOT had run out 3 weeks previously!) my local trusted mechanic had retired and we were in middle of a complete house renovation with me doing most the work (whilst working full time and with young kids) - ok I'll put the voilins away now.
They advised me about worn but legal tyres and break pads (few things I can actually do myself). I stupidly did not check the fourth page with the actual MOT advisories, which showed an oil leak! Might have been worth mentioning to me! I handed car back to the missus.
5 weeks later and I took car for a drive and it conked out on bypass EMS light, oil light. Opened bonnet, checked oil (seemed empty!) - opened oil cap and smoke coming out. Not good. Fortunately I had coasted to a pub car park, so could sit in sun and have a beer.
Rang missus and she said - "oh been meaning to tell you its been smoke out the exhaust for a while now".
Got a friend to come with some appropriate oil, let it settle and fired it up. Started ok - engine didnt sound great - and exhaust smoking, drove the 1 mile home - was cautious driving it but seemed to pull ok.
Next day took it to a local indie Land Rover (in West Wycombe).
Took one look (said he did not need diagnostics) at engine said:
Intercooler not fitted to engine properly. (perhaps Halfords?)
Turbo gone (he thinks)
Advised not driving it anymore or it will cause complete engine failure.
Said he would replace turbo most likely (and best to do cambelt at same time)
Said he'd get a refurbished turbo, and lift body (24 man hours).
Looking at about £4 including parts/labour and VAT
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10th Jul 2017 10:21 am |
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Guilefox
Member Since: 10 Jul 2017
Location: Buckinghamshire
Posts: 37
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Been reading quite a few posts on here, even recent ones, it seems this is a common issue with these cars. So my post is probably dull as dishwater!
Kind of hoping someone called "Geoff" reads my post and can do the work, and hopefully is not too far away, as I cannot PM him!
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10th Jul 2017 10:53 am |
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Bodsy
Site Sponsor
Member Since: 06 Nov 2006
Location: In the Clubhouse
Posts: 21361
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You should be able to PM him now. It's Geoff. With the full stop.
My two penneth is £4K is taking the ....
Doesn't need body off for turbo change. Bodsys Brake Bible
D4/D3 Remote FBH heat kits
BAS Remaps/ EGR Blank
Transmission Flush
Software updates/enabling
Clock/ SNOTM /3Flash / 4x4Info /BT Update /Service Reset/Error Codes / Gearbox Reset
See It Here
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10th Jul 2017 11:42 am |
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Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10336
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I wouldn't be spending £4K on that car. or bothering to change the belts until it sounds better.
Getting a indy involved.
I worry what state the engine is in.
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10th Jul 2017 11:50 am |
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Guilefox
Member Since: 10 Jul 2017
Location: Buckinghamshire
Posts: 37
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Sorry perhaps I was not clear - the advice I'm getting is from independent Land Rover specialist/garage in West Wycombe (Actually based on a farm - and who also do agricultural vehicles)
I get the impression/feel - for what it's worth - they are pretty honest, methodical, used to dealing with rich farmers in more of a commercial fashion and thus perhaps can charge what they feel like (i.e. they do not "need" the work).
Could easily be wrong.
I have no info on them at all, apart from one post once saying they were good at welding.
Not sure if I am allowed to post their name on here.
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10th Jul 2017 12:08 pm |
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Guilefox
Member Since: 10 Jul 2017
Location: Buckinghamshire
Posts: 37
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I rang them to discuss the issue:
Well they seem pretty relaxed. (Haven't got a price yet had it since Friday morning!) but guess they might be busy - told me to expect it to be about £3-4k.
- Still convinced it's the turbo seals - needs a new or recon turbo (advised to go recon).
- Said its not the actuator or EGR valves etc.. because the amount of oil around the engine.
- The fact the InterCooler hose was not fitted on properly would not cause this alone.
- Put their Land Rover sensor on the engine, said they could not find any faults on the engine ("other than what you would expect of a car that old") but did not go into detail. Should have asked if they pressure tested it.
- I asked if it's worth doing any other work if I do proceed and take body up, while the body is up. They said no not really. (including blanking EGR valves as they're working fine and that would only take an extra hour if the body was not up). Did say they'd have to check my chassis number anyway as not all engines can have this done.
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10th Jul 2017 3:19 pm |
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jollybodger
Member Since: 11 Jul 2005
Location: Marlow, Bucks
Posts: 313
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Sorry to hear about your woes. We have used Hughenden Auto's down in Hughenden Valley who are good and know their Disco's and there is also Risborough 4x4 in Bledsoe.
Hope that it's sorted at a fair price and that you get back that magic carpet ride 👍
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10th Jul 2017 4:36 pm |
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Guilefox
Member Since: 10 Jul 2017
Location: Buckinghamshire
Posts: 37
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Thanks for the recommendations!
Garage just came back at £3730 for new turbo, cambelt, oil and filter
Perhaps like everything I should get 3-4 quotes before I decide!
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10th Jul 2017 4:42 pm |
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lynalldiscovery
Member Since: 22 Dec 2009
Location: Maidstone
Posts: 7274
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Just how much oil did you have to add to bring it back up to the correct level?
I ask as you may find the damage is more serious than just the turbo and there may be no point spending any money on it and once they have fitted a turbo it may not actually need and you are 4k into it then what do you do?
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10th Jul 2017 5:36 pm |
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Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10336
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Yes which is why you need a different garage to remove the turbo (body on)
confirm it's faulty or not before going further.
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10th Jul 2017 5:53 pm |
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TinTapper
Member Since: 16 Aug 2016
Location: South Northants/Oxfordshire
Posts: 202
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Think your right in thinking of getting more quotes, reckon you could shave a substantial amount off that first one!
Hope you find one
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10th Jul 2017 7:29 pm |
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RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13030
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£4k seems excessive. My RRS had both turbos replaced (and that is a body off job on the TDV8 (although some say otherwise)) for £5k at a main dealer. Warranty took some of the sting out of that, luckily.
Whilst having a bimble on't web, I found this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Landrover-Discov...SwZQRYc2Vz
No idea if they are good guys or cowboys but it shows how expensive your quote is. Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
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10th Jul 2017 7:36 pm |
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Guilefox
Member Since: 10 Jul 2017
Location: Buckinghamshire
Posts: 37
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Thanks for all the replies.
Advice is great, but erm feel I a bit more screwed now!
I put in just under 1 gallon/4.5 litres into the engine - then checked and there was too much oil so had to vacuum pump it from the dipstick hole. Hard to tell how much came out maybe 1-2 litres. So it had about 2 litres of oil.
Those ebay quotes are cheap - although from the seller history of 35 feedback, only 4 are sales, and none of those are the actual Turbo job. Still it'd be cheaper for me to get it towed up to Derby at that price!
Have found out a friend of a friend who had this done (far cheaper) at a Polish garage in Reading. So could definitely try there, and a couple of other local garages recommended.
I wonder what I can ask the garage to do, to check the engine is sound. They put all their sensors on the car and said "nothing showed up that you would not expect on a car that age" but engines only done 20k. Should I ask them to "pressure test" it? Or as the eBay listing states things like diesel pump belt, brake pipes, 2.7 exhaust cross over pipe and head work (assuming the pressure test is not great)?
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11th Jul 2017 6:21 am |
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Guilefox
Member Since: 10 Jul 2017
Location: Buckinghamshire
Posts: 37
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Also before I took it to the garage (after I put oil in) I ran engine for a couple of minutes with another retired old school mechanic friend and we both could hear a tapping sound from top end.
It didn't sound healthy.
At garage I mentioned this, although it was barely audible from the big loud diesel engine. It makes all kinds of noises!
The garage said he thinks there might be some oil in the engine, from turbo issue causing the sound. So I wonder how this would be fixed if turbo is replaced.
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11th Jul 2017 6:25 am |
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