Member Since: 04 Apr 2006
Location: York
Posts: 212
New Owner questions...
Took delivery last w/end of my brand spanking TDV6 HSE Auto. VERY pleased. Lovely to drive, perfect for all the kids; getting about 24mpg which doesn't seem too bad. But... hoping to find answers for 1 or 2 issues i've come across whilst enjoying my "New Owner" status... apologies for them being a bit varied in theme:
1. Throttle response when accelerating from standstill -
In "normal" driving mode, the auto box sets off in 2nd gear, not first. Whilst this, in itself, is not unusual in my experience of automatic cars, I was not prepared for the outrageous delay between depressing my right foot / the engine revs climbing / the car actually moving! There have been a couple of scary roundabout/traffic light moments so far...
Can this be fixed with a software patch?
2. Software patches -
There are so many mentions of software stuff on this site, it's easy to forget we are all car owners, not computer technicians. My car is a 2006 model year, bought new from a dealer in Oxford.
Is it likely to have the latest software already installed?
If not, can any dealer upload it?
Do they charge for this?
Please be gentle on the techno-language - I am NO Bill Gates!
3. Access suspension height -
How do you programme the key fob to lower the car having got out & are about to lock her up?
4. I-pod installation -
how/where do i plug in my I-Pod? Any "installation for dummies" thoughts would be great. Bearing in mind, I am not too keen on pulling apart interior trim/ICE on a 7-day-old £40k car!
If anytone can help with any of these, I would be very grateful!
How come you car came from Hartwells Oxford, yet you live in York? I too got mine from Hartwells, six weeks ago.
1+2. Throttle response - This is normal. The latest software upgrade does improve this. Even though your car is new, it may not have the latest software. Best bet is to wait until the car next goes in to a dealer and ask for a software upgrade when they are doing a service or when you have warranty work.
When I had my Sport, I booked the car in at six months old and had a list of minor niggles looked at under warranty and they did a software upgrade then. I'm sure I'll be doing the same with my D3, unless (touch wood) something breaks in the meantime.
The throttle response does also improve slightly as the engine beds in. The engine in my Sport improved after 5,000 miles and I continued to see slight improvements to about 10,000 miles.
It is unlikely a dealer will upload new software, unless there is a more pressing problem with the car. From what I hear it is a time consuming job and dealers don't like doing it unless forced.
3. The owners guide shows you how to program the 3rd button on the key. However, if you want it to change the suspension height, it will only work if all the doors are closed and the hazard lights are on. Therefore, it isn't much use. You wouldn't want to go and open the car to put on the hazards, so then step back and lower the car with the key.
4. Search on this forum for Ipod posts. There are loads of them. You plug the Ipod into the Aux socket in the rear, next to the cigarette lighter in the centre console. Then use the Aux button on the stereo to select this input. I've not used this myself, as I just put MP3 files onto CD. With six CDs, you can have about 36 albums on MP3 anyway. Do you need more?Matt
13th Jun 2006 4:26 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72788
Re: New Owner questions...
dgrr wrote:
getting about 24mpg which doesn't seem too bad.
That's about what I was getting, 23.4 at beginning, now up to 26.3 (actual fuel vs distance from trip, computer bit optimistic by about 8%). Improvement prob due to me no longer trying to drive it like my old Smart Roadster, poss engine loosening off. Now have target of keeping Trip + Range > 600 miles, see if I can do that for this tank of DERV.
13th Jun 2006 5:12 pm
dgrr
Member Since: 04 Apr 2006
Location: York
Posts: 212
Thanks Guys - very helpful. I would never have found that Aux socket otherwise. Why it's positioned in such a daft place is beyond me - unless you've got rear seat entertainment/screens etc (which i haven't), it makes little sense. Never mind.
14th Jun 2006 10:24 am
dgrr
Member Since: 04 Apr 2006
Location: York
Posts: 212
d3matt wrote:
How come you car came from Hartwells Oxford, yet you live in York? I too got mine from Hartwells, six weeks ago.
Matt,
very simple: the 3 or 4 dealers nearest me couldn't even spell the word "discount", let alone apply it. A couple of hours on the phone to half a dozen others revealed Hartwells as offering the best deal - and having a car with the exact spec I wanted (HSE Bonatti grey, black lthr) in stock too.
regards,
dgrr
14th Jun 2006 10:30 am
dgrr
Member Since: 04 Apr 2006
Location: York
Posts: 212
d3matt wrote:
...ask for a software upgrade when they are doing a service or when you have warranty work.
When I had my Sport, I booked the car in at six months old and had a list of minor niggles looked at under warranty and they did a software upgrade then. I'm sure I'll be doing the same with my D3, unless (touch wood) something breaks in the meantime.
Matt,
I just re-read this bit of your posting & am filled with terror. Having had the experience of running an RRSport & now a D3, you imply that warranty work on these cars is a question of "when", not "if"! Is it acceptable that L-R new-car owners should EXPECT to have a series of problems that need fixing??? On a car with a list price some way north of £40k, I really should hope not... I am fresh from 5 yrs & 85,000 miles of M-B ownership, during which time it went back to the dealer 4 or 5 times - for a service only!
Oh no... what have i done?!
dgrr
A couple of hours on the phone to half a dozen others revealed Hartwells as offering the best deal - and having a car with the exact spec I wanted (HSE Bonatti grey, black lthr) in stock too.
Very interesting. This was almost my car!!! Hartwells is out local dealer and we got our RRS from there. They nearly matched the best price I could find for a new D3 HSE and I didn't want to wait for a new build. My first choice of colour was Bonatti grey, second was silver. I was offered your Bonatti grey which was due in a few weeks, or a few silver cars that were available from other dealers. I went for a silver one, as this could be sourced much faster and it only took a few days. They told me that they would probably have to offer the Bonatti they had scheduled in the factory as a swap for the more common silver.Matt
I just re-read this bit of your posting & am filled with terror. Having had the experience of running an RRSport & now a D3, you imply that warranty work on these cars is a question of "when", not "if"! Is it acceptable that L-R new-car owners should EXPECT to have a series of problems that need fixing??? On a car with a list price some way north of £40k, I really should hope not... I am fresh from 5 yrs & 85,000 miles of M-B ownership, during which time it went back to the dealer 4 or 5 times - for a service only!
Oh no... what have i done?!
I've always owned German or Swedish cars and would never consider a British car. Now I have two - a D3 and a Mini!! I've always liked the look of LR cars, but would never consider buying one due to their unreliability. This changed for me when they brought out the D3 and then RRS. Under Ford ownership, they seem to have made great progress in vehicle design and quality.
I was extremely happy (i.e. very impressed) with the reliability of the RRS over my 10 months and 20,000 miles of ownership. It never failed us and nothing went wrong really. The only 'real' issue is that the rear brakes squealed and this was due to a common problem of a rear brake clip breaking, yet we still drove the vehicle for two weeks before it was finally fixed. After about five months of ownership, I did book it in for one day to have some small niggles fixed under warranty, but none of these individually justified the day off the road, so I waited until there were enough issued to get fixed at once. These were issues like the squealing brakes, heater not hot enough, slight rattle in door, weak tailgate struts etc. All were fixed and a software upgrade improved the performance too.
With new design vehicles as complex as these, I would not really expect them to be 100% reliable and the occasionally trip to the dealer to have a software upgrade is acceptable. I was very impress with the RRS and probably even more impressed with my D3. I too feel that with a £45K car you should not be expecting a problem, but then maybe after a year of LR ownership I'm mellowing a little Matt
14th Jun 2006 12:01 pm
DG Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50934
dgrr wrote:
I just re-read this bit of your posting & am filled with terror. Having had the experience of running an RRSport & now a D3, you imply that warranty work on these cars is a question of "when", not "if"! Is it acceptable that L-R new-car owners should EXPECT to have a series of problems that need fixing??? !
Yes it is - this is a new model and therefore the first couple of years is a 'work in progress' scenario.....we are all guinea pigs for LR like beagles were to Benson & Hedges.
But don't fret, they are almost on top of it now....you are still driving the best off-roader on the market and there are many, many people on this site who will tell you that they still can't wipe the smile off their face....and I'm one of them.
You could always go back to M-B of course but that would be SOOO boring.....wouldn't it ?
Improvement prob due to me no longer trying to drive it like my old Smart Roadster, poss engine loosening off.
What sort of mpg did you get on the Roadster? I'm thinking of getting one as a commute car next month, and one of the major advantages seems to be the great fuel economy and supermini price. It seems a much more 'fun' option than a basic Fiesta or some such, at lower overall running costDiscovery 3 tdv6 7 seat Buckingham Blue
Had it since new - sold Jun 17 after 12 years and 214,000 miles
14th Jun 2006 12:40 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72788
Was getting steady 45mpg (generally driven "sportily", does need superunleaded, did not feel right on 95 unleaded (Sainsburys & tesco now sell it near me so was OK). Make sure U get the paddle shift (sports pack) as often needs to be driven manually to make the best of small hp, great fun nonetheless. Make sure U can get in & out easily, I'm 6ft & "heavy framed" so had to develop knack of squeezing myself in. Once in no problems. Kind of miss the Smart but needed to get rid of it to get the D3.
Depreciation was eyewatering, bought for 13k, sold for 6.7K 20months on Ouch!
14th Jun 2006 12:58 pm
dgrr
Member Since: 04 Apr 2006
Location: York
Posts: 212
I suppose horror stories and problems always get posted/read more frequently than those along the lines of "A, it's brilliant, and B, it's faultless"... A we all agree with, & B makes rather dull reading.
A B&H beagle for the automotive masses? What a thought!
Just out of interest, do we know why L-R fitted the D3 (and RRS, I believe) with an electronic handbrake? Given the squealing problems that many seem to have encountered, what was wrong with a good 'ol mechanical one? As you need to be on the brake pedal before it will disengage, hill-starts in a manual (with other cars behind) must be fun.
14th Jun 2006 1:06 pm
10forcash
Member Since: 09 Jun 2005
Location: Ubique
Posts: 16534
It will release with either brake or clutch pedal (where fitted ) depressed
14th Jun 2006 1:08 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26702
Space saving feature apparently. Also allow the auto to have the drive away release feature.
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