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Flint
Member Since: 03 Oct 2007
Location: Co. Wicklow
Posts: 22
  
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Hi, the mechanics got the disco fixed on thursday and I collected her to day. They said they drove it around till the fault appeared which turned out to be a faulty height sensor at the front and so far all is good (touch wood). The compresser is working good and sounds a lot lower since they upgraded it and the hand brake is again very quiet, so quiet in fact I had to open the door to check that I could hear it working!. Happy Days and best of luck 
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 19th Jan 2008 11:56 pm |
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unclebob
Member Since: 06 Oct 2007
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 28
 
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Hi Flint
Thanks for posting your story. I'm pleased it was so resolved so quickly and wish I could say the same for mine.
Mine has suffered the NINTH FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM (on thursday 17th JAN
As with so many earlier failures the vehicle had been perfect the day before. On starting, the system check showed that the HDC was inop. The brief message showed just once. The ATR and HDC systems functioned correctly and no warning lights relating to these faults were displayed. The main differnece this time was that the front suspension was on the bump stops and the rear was raised to maximum. On driving it was obvious the suspension had failed and handling was poor.
I drove straight to the local dealer, Lancaster’s Reading who read and cleared the fault codes. As with all the earlier failures there was no clear meaning to the codes displayed and hence no obvious cause of the problem.
The dealer has recorded the codes found and says they will be sending them to LR Technical for analysis. They then cleared the codes and I have since driven to Wales and back without incident.
The vehicle will be collected by the local dealer on Wed 23 January. My wife and I are supposed to be starting our 12 month tour of europe on the 6th feb and I am at my wits end with this. Why oh why cant they just fix this.
Does anybody have a contact in Landrover technical or service at HQ that I could speak to??????
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| 21st Jan 2008 5:48 pm |
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sjellis01
Member Since: 13 Jan 2008
Location: northampton
Posts: 14
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I experienced very similar problems with my 56 plate HSE. I took it to two LR garages only to be told that it was low charge on my battery and possible faulty brake lights. Final straw today so called LR assist. Very knowlegeable and helpful technician told me that the brake light can cause this fault but only if the brake lights have blown. He also said that it is absolute rubbish about the low battery unless the battery is completely knackered. You shouldn;t have to drive vast mileage to charge the battery to make the sophisticated car work. He upgraded all soft ware and calibrated the clutch and so far there are no problems, even with the same battery. It annoys me that he took 45 minutes to rectify the problem and two LR garages have supposedly looked into the fault for 3 hour each.
May I suggest that you return the car to the garage you bought it from and ask for them to upgrade the software and recalibrate to see whether this sorts out the problem. It seems that it is more widespread than LR give it credit and if this simple but effective fix can keep us owners happy at little or no cost to the dealers then I am sure your dealer will accomodate you despite being out of warranty.
Please let me know if this resolves the problem.
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| 24th Jan 2008 10:36 pm |
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mick
Member Since: 21 Jan 2007
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 2049
 
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Looks like I am having the same trouble
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| 24th Jan 2008 11:00 pm |
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mick
Member Since: 21 Jan 2007
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 2049
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hopefully sorted today new compressor was faulty Guy Salmon been very good 
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| 25th Jan 2008 9:40 pm |
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Flint
Member Since: 03 Oct 2007
Location: Co. Wicklow
Posts: 22
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Well, back again had landy for 3-4 weeks now and all was going good untill yesterday when I was on my weeky trip to tescos. It started to beep and an amber icon came up saying suspension fault. then the fault disappeared as before. On the way home and on the way to work, it frequently pops ups and goes from amber to red down to the bumpstops again and then disappears,and the suspension goes up and repeats itself again. Strange this time as I put it up to offroad height then down to access mode then go to put it up again and it says vehicle rising slowly, then vehicle will rise when system has cooled. This is unusual as I previously have done this, changing the height to go up, down and up again and no problem. Does this fault sound familiar to anyone? 
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| 6th Feb 2008 12:08 pm |
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caverD3
Member Since: 03 Jul 2006
Location: Oberon, NSW
Posts: 6922
 
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New compressor? Should have been replaced with the enhancement program? “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely gamesâ€
Ernest Hemmingway
D4 3.0 Active Diff, Adaptive Lights, High Beam Assist, Surround Cameras, Privacy Glass.
D3 2.7:Adaptive Headlights,Electronic Rear Diff,ARB Bar,Blaupunkt Speakers,JVC Powered Subwoofer,Removable Snorkel,Mitch Hitch,Pioneer After Market Head Unit,Steering Wheel Control Adaptor,Remote Adjustable Supension Rod System, Taxside Dual Battery System.
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| 6th Feb 2008 12:21 pm |
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Flint
Member Since: 03 Oct 2007
Location: Co. Wicklow
Posts: 22
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Hi
Just talked to the mechanics and the fault they discovered with the suspension was a wiring problem that was touching the chasis. But now they have found that there is a problem with the erg valve and it needs a new one and some brushes in the rear hubs have gone. There was some play in them (I had an awful squeek when I would release the EPB and drive off) Hopefully now thats it, they said it would take a few weeks for the parts to come in though But I have their 07 auto to drive around yipee! 
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| 13th Feb 2008 4:58 pm |
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unclebob
Member Since: 06 Oct 2007
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 28
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| EAS, HDC & ATR SYSTEM FAILURES - PROBLEM SOLVED |
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Hi all
Well at last the problems I first reported on in Oct 2007 have been fixed. Its a long story but it may hold the answers for some of you so for clarity I have posted the whloe sorry story here (but with a summarry if you cant be bothered to check it all out). It has been an expensive remedy for LR and I am pleased to say that my LR dealer has been fantastic throughout. I have only one nagging doubt remaining and would appreciate your views if you think I am being fobbed off at that concerns the "new" ride charachteristics which are bumpier and with more role than previously. Is this the new norm for D3's????
Well here's the whole sorry story. Sorry its such an epic.
INTRODUCTION
I purchased this car in the summer of 2007 for the very specific purpose of taking a gap year and undertaking a 12 month tour of Europe. It was my intention to start the tour on the 8 January 2008. Due to the recurring faults with the car my revised start date was delayed to the 6th FEB 08. Further postponement was only avoided after reaching an agreement with Lancaster Land Rover that I could take the car to Holland and have any additional warranty worked required attended to by a Dutch dealership. The nominated dealership is CITO Land Rover Eindhoven bv
THE PROBLEM IN SUMMARY
THE VEHICLE SUFFERS HILL DECENT CONTROL (HDC) ALL TERRAIN RESPONSE (ATR) & ELECTRONIC AIR SUSPENSION (EAS) SYSTEM FAILURES AT INTERVALLS.
These failures occur simultaneously. The message system always displays an error warning for the HDC system and occasionally for the ATR system but the error message only ever displays once per failure. These system failures are always accompanied by a major failure of the EAS which (may or may not drop to the bump stops) always results in a deterioration in the driving characteristics i.e. a very unstable ride with every minor road defects being felt and heard through the car and resulting in a very bumpy ride with excessive pitch/roll on cornering and braking.
Occasionally the HDC/ATR systems continue to function even though the warning system says they are inop.
Multi BCM faults have been recorded but these have not been properly understood or interpreted. Only in the later stages of investigations was it realised that the BCM faults could not be cleared from the BCM and may hold the key to the problem.
Up until the 14th February 2008 the deterioration in the driving characteristics could always be remedied by clearing the stored faults codes (even if no other remedial work was done). This has not been the case since the 14th Feb since when the poor driving quality has been permanent. I have been assured by my main dealer that these “new†ride characteristics are due to the changes bought about by the latest software upgrades installed.
Apparently LR has revised the ride settings and I’m stuck with the new bumpier ride and the pitching and rolling on cornering and braking. I find this the most upsetting outcome because it was the original fantastic smooth ride of the original car that seduced me into making the purchase in the first place.
You may be surprised to know that the system failures only stopped after the following parts were replaced :-.
brake light switch
failed brake light bulb
blue plug connector located beneath the nearside front wheel arch
Electronic Air Suspension (EAS) wiring harness
The automatic gear box Gear Selector Switch
Uploading the complete set of new software programmes for the whole car
Body Contol Module (main ECU)
Power Control Module
Right hand (off side) EGR valve
All of this work was carried out under extended warranty by the dealer in Holland and recharged to UK.
The first failure was in Oct 2007 and the latest on July 2008. The same fault had occurred no less than 11 times. The vehicle was attended to by LRA on first 3 occasion .
Each LRA attendance was followed by a visit to a main dealer for further checks or remedial works to be carried out.
ACTIONS REQUIRED TO BE TAKEN BY LANDROVER
I requested and was granted a meeting with the service manager and Operations directro of Jardin Group Reading. This was very worthwhile because it resulted in a commitment from them to me to see this through even though I planned tpo take the car to the continent .
I also had the chance to explain my sense of incredulity that the assertions made by LRA and dealers regarding voltage changes arising from blown bulbs can be the true cause of these failures. Surely Land Rover could not have developed one of the best All Terrain Response control units available only for it to shut down together with the HDC and suspension systems simply because a “bulb has blownâ€. If it is true of my vehicle then clearly it is not fit for purpose and should be replaced.
I am particularly aggrieved by the situation I find myself in given that the principle reason for purchasing this car was its extreme off road and weather safety capabilities. I have recently retired and intend to use the vehicle for skiing and long distance touring trips across Europe. The next long distance trip is planned for 6 Feb 2008 and it is imperative that the suspension and related systems are working and reliable as I shall be away for at least 11 months.
I requested a thorough and joint review and investigation (involving L R Technical and the dealer) to identify the cause of this recurring fault so that a permanent remedy can be applied.
Key questions that needed to be been addressed include:
1 has the car software been upgraded across all CAN’s - YES
2 was the first failure, attributed to a faulty brake light switch correctly diagnosed?
3 All subsequent failures have resulted numerous comms error codes - what do they mean and what causes them ?
4 internet research shows most of this type of fault being attributed to brake related or height sensor faults. have these components been properly tested/eliminated/ replaced ?
5why does the system check show the HDC system inop when it is in fact working ?
6 has the tow bar lighting circuit/fuses been tested/checked
7 what is the significance of the 7 permanent fault codes shown on the Body Control Module and which cannot be cancelled?
THE STORY IN FULL AND SORRY DETAIL
FIRST FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
10 OCT 2007 BRISTOL
During a short drive around the Bristol area the suspension suddenly failed, the HDC system failure warning displayed and the ATR control unit shut down, these fault warnings were accompanied by a number of brake warning and other dash warning lights displayed. An LRA technician attended 11 Oct. The technician started by checking the brake lights were working correctly which they were. He then fiddled with the brake light switch at the brake pedal and the dash warning lights cleared, the ATR system lights came back on and the suspension system began to function correctly. The technician cleared the fault codes and advised that I attend a local dealer and have a replacement brake light switch fitted. This was carried out by Hunters of Bristol the next morning.
The vehicle was then fine until
SECOND FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
6 NOV 2007 FINCHAMPSTEAD WOKINGHAM
The vehicle had been perfect the day before. On starting the system check very briefly displayed the error warning - HDC system inop - no other warning lights displayed, the ATR system lights stayed on but the system did not function.. The suspension system had also failed. LRA technician attended 6th Nov. The technician used the diagnostics device to interrogate the vehicle computer and found a number of fault codes which he recorded and then cleared. Unable to identify a specific reason for the suspension failure the technician applied a system software upgrade.
THIRD FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
7 NOV 2007 FINCHAMPSTEAD WOKINGHAM
The vehicle had been perfect the day before. On starting the system check GAVE NO WARNING OF ANY FAULTS but on driving it was obvious the suspension had failed. I drove the vehicle to the local dealer that day and they carried further diagnostics. They cleared the fault codes and recalibrated a level sensor. The vehicle was returned to me with the suspension working correctly.
FOURTH FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
25th NOV 2007 DEANSFORD GRANGE, HARVINGTON
The vehicle had been perfect the day before. On starting, the system check very briefly displayed the error warning - HDC system inop - no other warning lights displayed, the ATR system lights stayed on but the system did not function and the suspension had failed.. LRA technician attended 25th Nov. The technician used the diagnostics device to interrogate the vehicle computer and found a number of fault codes which he recorded and then cleared. A failed brake light bulb had to be replaced and the technician said that this could cause the HDC/ATR and Suspension System to fail. I was incredulous at this but unable to identify a specific reason for the failures via the diagnostics tools the technician cleared all the faults and road tested the vehicle. Satisfied that all was ok he left.
FIFTH FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
26th NOV 2007 DEANS FORD GRANGE HARVINGTON
The vehicle had not been driven after the LRA tech had tested it the previous afternoon.
On starting, the system check very briefly displayed the error warning - HDC system inop - no other warning lights displayed and the ATR system lights stayed on but the system did not function and the suspension had failed. LRA technician attended 25th Nov. The technician used the diagnostics device to interrogate the vehicle computer and found a significant number of fault codes including BCM codes which he recorded and then cleared. None of the fault codes gave a clear cause or source for the fault. The Technician then decided that a possible cause might be the blue plug connector located beneath the nearside front wheel arch and proceeded to strip this out . He commented that these have been known to leak moisture into the electrics and hence could be why the systems kept failing. He cleaned it and the sprayed it with WD40. This may have been inspired guess work but it cannot have made much difference because he then repeated the process with a different connector located under the nearside rear wheel arch.
I was once again surprised and also dismayed to think that such a simple thing could cause most of the major safety functions of the vehicle to shut down . Unable to be certain that the work he had done had made any difference the technician cleared all the faults (accept those relating to the BCM) and road tested the vehicle. The technician also re-configured the ATR, Ride Level and Instrument Module as a belt and braces approach. Satisfied that all was ok he left. The technician advised that the vehicle go in to a dealer asap for further tests to the BCM
The vehicle was seen by the main dealer Lancaster’s Reading on 4th DEC 2007 They replaced the faulty blue connector as advised by the LRA technician and carried out further diagnostics to the BCM. Unable to find conclusive faults the vehicle was returned to me on 7th Dec 2007
SIXTH FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
25th DEC 2007 LES GETS FRANCE
The vehicle had been perfect the day before. On starting, the system check very briefly displayed the error warning - HDC system inop - no other warning lights displayed, the ATR system lights stayed on but the system did not function and the suspension had failed. The vehicle was at this time at an altitude of approx 2000m with temperatures of -7C and more snow and ice than could be safely tackled on such mountain roads without the full benefit of the HDC and ATR systems . I returned to the vehicle the next day only to find that the ATR/HDC and suspension faults had cleared and all was well. I drove the vehicle that day and whilst a number of other warning lights displayed including an airbag warning (which has come on and off variously since and is now on all the time) the suspension and ATR/HDC continued to work correctly.
SEVENTH FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
28th DEC 2007 LES GETS FRANCE
The problems of the 25th returned but then cleared again and the vehicle was fine until the 7th January
EIGHTH FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
7th JAN 2008 FINCHAMPSTEAD WOKINGHAM
The vehicle had been perfect the day before having been driven some 700 miles back from France to the UK on the 5th Jan. On starting the system check GAVE NO WARNING OF ANY FAULTS but on driving it was obvious the suspension had failed. The HDC and ATR systems function correctly and no warning lights relating to these were displayed.
The vehicle will be collected by the local dealer Lancaster’s Reading on Thursday 10th Jan
I await their findings with interest.
The dealer (Lancaster Reading) delivered the car back on Friday afternoon. The result of 2 days of investigation was that they believed the Suspension/HDC/ATR faults were down to a fault in the Electronic Air Suspension (EAS) wiring harness which they replaced. Only time will tell if that is the end of the problem or not.
The air bag light fault was said to be down to a faulty offside/front crash sensor which they replaced under warranty.
NINTH FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
17th JAN 2008 FINCHAMPSTEAD WOKINGHAM
As with so many earlier failures the vehicle had been perfect the day before. On starting, the system check showed that the HDC was inop. The brief message showed just once.
The ATR and HDC systems were functioning correctly and no other warning lights relating to these faults were displayed. The main difference this time was that the front suspension was on the bump stops and the rear was raised to maximum. On driving it was obvious the suspension had failed giving a very bumpy ride. Handling was poor with pitch and rolling uncharacteristic of the car when working correctly.
I drove straight to my local dealer (Lancaster’s Reading) who read and cleared the fault codes. As with all the earlier failures there was no clear meaning to the codes displayed and hence no obvious cause of the problem.
The dealer recorded the codes found on a memory stick and emailed them to LR Technical for analysis. They then cleared the codes and the suspension worked properly.
The vehicle was booked in to the local dealer (Lancaster Reading) for Wed/Thursday 23/24 January 2008 pending the results of LRT analysis of the recorded codes.
TENTH FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
21th JAN 2008 FINCHAMPSTEAD WOKINGHAM
On Friday the 18th January I drove the vehicle to Wales without incident. It was also fine for the three days we were touring around Wales. The morning of our planned return from Wales the HDC system inop error came on once again even though the HDC and ATR systems were working. The main problem was that the suspension had dropped to the bump stops and the ride was awful. Desperate, I tried the 5 key turns technique and was delighted to find that I was able to clear the suspension fault, restoring the suspension system to normal working. I drove home from Wales (220 miles) without further trouble.
WEDNESDAY 23 JANUARY 2008
The vehicle was collected by the local dealer (Lancaster Reading) on Wed 23 January 2008
The dealer had started by reading every single recorded fault code on each of the control modules before clearing them. However, and for the first time, it was realised that a number of fault codes on the Body Control Model (BCM) would not clear ( It is very likely they have not been clearing right from the start of this problem back in Oct but it wasn’t noticed until this visit). The dealer tried everything they could think of to clear the codes from the BCM but without success.
LR Technical was consulted about it and their suggestions were also unsuccessful. The dealer/LR Technical made three proposals which included disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, replacing the automatic gear box Gear Selector Switch and uploading the complete set of new software programmes for the whole car. All of these potential remedies were applied.
The vehicle was returned to me at about 5pm on Thursday 24 Jan in the late afternoon (with no mention of any ongoing problem or concern).
I didn’t discover that the Electronic Air Suspension system WASN’T WORKING CORRECTLY until the next day (24 JAN) when I went to drive it. I rang the dealer who apologised and said to bring it in on Saturday morning.
SATURDAY 26 JANUARY 2008
It was whilst waiting at the dealers that I was told that they were still unable to cancel the BCM faults. This would suggest that the faults are either permanent and/or the BCM is faulty. The faults were all said to be comms related and non specific to any meaningful component.
The dealer also advised me that they therefore suspected the BCM may be at fault but they would need to consult again with LR Technical for a decision before it could be replaced.
This would take a few days and they would be in touch asap.
After a couples of hours of additional testing re the poor ride characteristics the dealer told me they had run out of time (sat morning) and could they have the car back on the following Thursday. I drove the car home with the EAS seemingly correctly elevated and calibrated but with the faulty driving characteristics (bumpy ride with pitching and rolling) still very evident.
I had no choice but to use the car as the dealer had no spare courtesy vehicle available at such short notice. The ride was awful and out of desperation I tried the 5 key turn technique but to my dismay found that this no longer worked as a means of clearing the suspension failure fault.
THURSDAY 31 JANUARY
I dropped the car into the dealer who advised that they had not been able to get authorisation from LRT to replace the BCM but instead wanted to recalibrate the suspension system. Given the ride height seemed correct and new software had been installed I agreed believing that it was matter of selecting the correct settings to restore it to a comfortable ride condition and all would be well. I was still concerned that the BCM may be the real cause but without authorisation from LRT the dealer could do no more at the time.
The vehicle was returned to me that afternoon and following a call from the service manager it was agreed that I should check the car and call to let them know if I was happy with the results.
I drove the vehicle that weekend. The ride was awful with the faulty driving characteristics (bumpy ride with pitching and rolling) still very evident.
TENTH FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
MONDAY 4 FEBRUARY JAN 2008 FINCHAMPSTEAD WOKINGHAM
Unlike so many of the earlier occurrences the vehicle was already suffering the poor suspension problem when, on starting the vehicle, the system check showed that the HDC system was inop. The brief message showed just once.
The ATR and HDC systems were in fact functioning correctly and no other warning lights relating to these faults were displayed. The main difference this time was that the front and the rear suspension levels appeared to be about right ie the vehicle had not dropped to the bump stops. On driving it was still obvious the ride was bad and the handling was poor with pitch and rolling uncharacteristic of the car when working correctly.
I drove straight to my local dealer (Lancaster’s Reading) who read and cleared the fault codes. As with all the earlier failures there was no clear meaning to the codes displayed and hence no obvious cause of the problem. In addition to other codes on other control modules the SEVEN BCM FAULT CODES SEEN BEFORE WERE STILL SHOWING ON THE BCM AND COULD NOT BE CLEARED. The other very significant difference this time was that the EAS could not be restored by clearing the fault codes and hence the VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO ME WITH THE EAS NOT WORKING.
The dealer told me that a new technical bulletin re HDC faults had been issued by LRT which implicated the Exhaust Gas Recirculating (EGR) valve as a cause of HDC/suspension faults.
The main dealer advised that he would seek authorisation from LRT to replace both the BCM and EGR valve asap. I am currently awaiting a reply and date for the repair.
MONDAY 4 FEBRUARY JAN 2008
Our main dealer advises that the EGR valve is “on back order†and may not be available before 13th March 2008. Rather than delay the start any further it is agreed that we should commence our European Tour as planned for the WEDNESDAY6 February even though the EAS is not working. It was further agreed that we should locate a main dealer in Holland that we could go to for the further repairs required to resolve the faults. The UK dealer offered to source the parts, ship them to us in Holland to take to a local dealer there for fitment. The dutch repairers labour costs would then be met by the UK dealer who would then claim the cost back under warranty from LR UK.
Not relishing the prospect of setting off to Holland with the EAS not working I tried the “five Keys†reset trick (on the evening of 5th Feb) and to my astonishment found at 6 am as we set of for the Eurotunnel that the suspension was working correctly. To my further delight the EAS stayed working right through to the first time of starting on the morning of the 14th Feb when, as has happened on many previous occasions, having been fine the day before, up came the dreaded HDC system inop warning and off went the EAS. Now the error message pops up about every two our three days and the EAS hasn’t worked correctly since the 14th Feb 2008.
ELEVENTH FAILURE OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
FRIDAY 22 FEBRUARY OIRLO HOLLAND
My UK dealer sent a email to confirm that he was in possession of the EGR valve and BCM and that we should locate a local LR dealer in Holland asap. The nearest LR dealer is CITO bv Land Rover of Eindhoven. I called them and explained the proposition. They agreed to do the work and the car is booked in for Tuesday 18 March 2008. The parts are currently on the way to us from England.
WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH 2008 OIRLO HOLLAND
The EAS hasn’t been working since the 14th Feb and the HDC system inop warning has displayed on first start up once every couple of days.
I delivered the car to CITO Eindhoven on the 18th March. They started off by checking all the faults codes and confirmed the diagnosis as follows:
1 the EAS was inop but with no specific identifiable cause(s) showing
2 the right hand (off side) EGR valve was inop (this device supplies data to the PCM and hence could have a bearing on the HDC?EAS system failures, see below)
3 as before, the BCM held a number of fault codes that could not be cleared.
4 the PCM (Powertrain Control Module) held three faults
P0404-00 EGR recirculation control failure
P1934-00 Vehicle speed signal failure but no faults could be found with any of the wheel speed sensors.
P0087-00 fuel rail pressure too low
CITO replaced the BCM as supplied by Lancasters. The installation was fine but they were unable to restart the engine. LR Technical NL were consulted and they advised that BCM comms with the PCM was closed and the PCM would also have to be replaced in order to be able to restart the engine. CITO ordered the PCM overnight from France and fitted it on Thurs 19th. It was expected that the replacement of these two modules would solve the HDC/EAS problem although, there is still a possibility that the faulty EGR valve, which communicates with the PCM could also be a cause.
Unfortunately CITO ran out of time on Wednesday 19th and so asked to defer the fitting of the replacement EGR valve until the 10th April. I reluctantly agreed having been assured that all other systems including the EAS were working.
I collected the car on the 19th march. On driving away it was obvious that the EAS was still not right. The ride was very hard and bumpy and the cornering roll was very noticeable. Also to my great dismay I began to notice the average mpg dropping from the normal 29/31/mpg I usually achieve down to just 21mpg. I also had a scare on the Sat 21st when, after a short drive to the shops I stopped and saw very briefly a small cloud of white smoke appear from the nearside (left) front of the bonnet and could smell hot unburnt diesel. I checked for signs of leakage and fire but could not find any problems. After letting the car cool down I was able to drive the 4klm back home without incident.
I am hoping these symptoms are due to the faulty EGR valve and hence these worrying new developments will be rectified by its replacement but must contact CITO to check if it is safe to use the car between now and the 10th April.
The good news is that at the time of writing (sat 22nd March) the dreaded HDC System inop warning has not reappeared.
I will call CITO on Tuesday to discuss why the EAS is not working and the fuel consumption average is 21mpg and will update again after that.
EASTER MONDAY 24 MARCH 2008 OIRLO HOLLAND
Clearly I spoke to soon. This morning, on first start up the dreaded HDC System Inop warning flashed up. It had no bearing on the vehicle handling characteristics because the EAS has been inop since 14 February but clearly replacing the BCM and PCM has not cured the problem.
TEUSDAY 25th MARCH 2008 OIRLO HOLLAND
I called CITO to update on events since my last visit (18th March). They agreed I should drive over the same day so that they could check out the safety aspects re the white smoke discharge and also to read the current fault codes. They read and printed the faults which were found in the:
Vehicle Dynamics Control module (U0403-68)
two FURTHER faults in the BCM (B1B69-16 and B1B70-81)
And a couple of faults in the PCM (P0404-00 AND P140E-00 which related to the EGR valve fault.
Once again, even after clearing all the fault codes the EAS has failed to work. CITO advised that the EGR valve fault was the cause of the poor fuel consumption figures and the white smoke and that it was safe to use the car until the EGR valve could be replaced which is scheduled for April 10th.
WEDNESDAY 9th APRIL 2008 OIRLO HOLLAND
The car is due to go into CITO tomorrow 10th April and this note is just to confirm that as at this date the HDC System Inop warning has not appeared since the BCM and PCM were replaced on the 25 March. Also to confirm that he EAS has still not worked since the 14th February 2008 and all hopes are pinned on this being the result of the faulty EGR valve. On occasions the suspension rises to the off road level without request and lowers by itself when the ignition is turned off. On other occasions the suspension will not respond to the off road level request or the access level request. I have also noticed that on occasions the front suspension is down and the rear is up. Through out this period the ride is always hard the car wollows on cornering and braking and you feel even the most minor bumps through the seat and body.
THURSDAY 10TH APRIL 2008 OIRLO HOLLAND
CITO replaced the EGR valve today and whilst this sorted the fuel consumption problems it did not resolved the EAS fault. They spent 5 hours that day trying to find out what might be wrong including extensive diagnostics and physical checks which included the removal of the compressor and fitting of a new one to eliminate it as a cause. In discussion with LR Netherlands Technical and after other tests they concluded that the balancing cross-over valve at the front was faulty and should be replaced. The part was ordered and the work scheduled for the 18th April 2008
THURSDAY 17TH APRIL 2008 OIRLO HOLLAND
Phoned CITO today to check all was ok for planned visit tomorrow only to be told the cross-over valve was on back order and wouldn’t be in before may 5th 2008
Monday 5th May 2008 OIRLO HOLLAND
Car went into CITO today for crossover valve to be fitted. This went according to plan and they assured me the suspension and vehicle was showing no fault codes. I test drove the car and it didn’t feel any better than it had since 14 February (which was when the correct “original†driving characteristics last stopped working). They assured me the suspension was working and reluctantly I agreed to take it and try it out. It has been 2 weeks now and I am certain the driving characteristics are still not right and am at a loss as to what to do next.
I have believed, at least until now, that the poor driving characteristics were as a direct result of the EAS shutting down at each HDC fault arising. Hence whenever the fault codes were cleared from the system the driving characteristics were restored to normal. Prior to 14th Feb 2008 the systems usually worked correctly for about a couple of weeks before the HDC warning would come on again and the excellent ride characteristics would be lost. However since the 14th Feb the ride characteristics have been rubbish and this in spite of all the parts that have been replaced between then and now. I have spoken to Lancasters and CITO about this and they assure me the current ride conditions are as a result of the revised suspension software that is installed. I complained that the original ride characteristics were a key reason for buying the car and that it is now so significantly different to drive that had it been so at the time I would not have purchased it. I was told that the latest ride software settings are as a result of solving problems experienced by the earlier versions and that I would have to get used to it.
I believe the key to this is what ever component(s) controls the driving characteristics eg the hardness of the ride, pitching and rolling, To my mind the only logical cause left is the Vehicle Dynamics Control module (U0403-68) but because the car is “not faulty†I can get that replaced under warranty.
17 July 2008 OIRLO HOLLAND
Well up until today the hdc/suspension had not faltered. The ride/driving characteristics are as described in the 5th May bulletin so not the best but apparently no different from all new discos. There have been no recurrences of the HDC/ATR or EAS failures.
The twist cam today when I fitted a light board to the factory fitted socket (tow bar setup). I loaded up the bike rack, checked the brake lights and indicator functions on the board and with all being well set off for a day out. When it started to rain I turned on the vehicle lights and that’s when it happened. Up came the dreaded error message HDC system failure, ATR special programmes system switched OFF. Down went the suspension to the bump stops and we were back to square one. I pulled over, turned off the lights and then the engine.
When I had finally recomposed myself I restarted the car and tried the raise and lower functions with no success. I also tried the ATR system with out success. I tried the 5 key turn reset trick and that cleared all the faults and both the suspension raise/lower and ATR systems worked correctly.
Knowing I was on to something and reassured by the reset capability I decided to disconnected the light board and turn on the lights. All systems remained working correctly. I then reconnected the light board and turned on the lights and the system failure warnings all came back on and the suspension dropped to the bump stops. I turned off the lights, repeated the 5 key turn reset and all was restored to normal.
So here we have it. The fault lies within the lighting circuit and/or its interface with the factory fitted towing circuit.
This is perhaps the worst possible source of a fault given the reason we bought the car in the first place i.e. to tour Europe with a caravan. It seems we can tow a caravan and use the bike only providing we don’t need to turn on the lights. The brake and indicator functions are fine, it is just driving lights that cause everything to shut down.
I called Lancasters to ask for advice. They told me to start by checking the rear lights for correct operation and to repeat the exercise on the tail board. All the lights on the car were working correctly but when I checked the light board I found the drivers rear side light to be inop. I checked the bulb it was fine. I checked fuse No. 6 in the tow hitch cluster and found it was blown. On checking the tail board plug connector I found one broken wire and one disconnected hence the blown fuse. I fixed the wires and rechecked. All now ok. What a relief
Its hard to believe that our grand touring adventure which was due to start Oct 2007 and has been repeatedly postponed because of the problems with the car looks like it can finally get underway. Were it not for the fantastic support given to us by our main dealer Lanacasters Reading we would still be stuck in UK. At least we made it as far as Holland. We are still at a rented house there and contenting ourselves with day trips out but confidence in the car is growing and I think we will begin to venture further and further from now on.
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| 18th Jul 2008 6:19 pm |
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