papekani
Member Since: 21 Mar 2023
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 12
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| 2011 SDV6 - What to look out for? |
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Afternoon,
I’m off to look at a 2011 SDV6 tomorrow. High miles at 170k but seems to have been very well looked after by a reputable independent LR specialist with everything done when needed. Just been serviced and MOTd, with belts done at 107k, and looks very tidy from the photos.
Only significant advisories on the MOT were an oil leak “but not excessive” and slight play in front lower arm rear bushes,
It’s the first D4 I’ve looked at, so any tips on obvious things to check/test would be most useful.
Thanks in advance.
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 25th Mar 2023 3:57 pm |
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Pedros
Member Since: 25 Jun 2011
Location: Cumbria
Posts: 454
 
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I had the oil leak one MOT test, but after an oil change when the oil was emptied via the plug, it went, so maybe it's the sump plug gasket/washer leaking. Maybe. You can suck the oil out from the top anyway on these. If the front lower arms are on the way out, they'll last a bit, but will sooner or later need done. The same with the rear upper arms, which generally follow closely behind. So factor the price of those into your thinking.
Also check the fuel gauge is working. They have a propensity to go dodgy. It's only an electrical connection on the in-tank sender/pump. But it's a tank down job to put right. Make sure the car goes up and down without any warning messages too. Do it a few times on the trot. If you get a "normal ride height available only" message, it means the compressor is overheating and the compressor will need changed at some point. Initially the compressor on early models was not as good as on later D4s. So if it's had a problem, it'll probably have a later one fitted. My wheel nuts tend to swell too. It's apparently a thing! But a new set of nuts won't break the bank anyway.
Other than that, they're as reliable as a Boris Johnson statement in Parliament. I jest. They are, of course a complicated beast and the more there is, the more that can go wrong. But despite Land Rover's old hard won reputation for reliability (!) these really are no more unreliable than the competitors similarly complicated offerings.
Some vehicles have suffered from crankshaft failures, which is catastrophic and you can read some stories on here. But in reality, you only hear about the ones that break. Nobody posts to tell you their crankshaft hasn't broken today! I think in reality it's certainly proved a problem, but how widespread it has been is debateable. But I guess now with early D4s, the cure is likely to be getting towards the cost of the car these days.
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| 25th Mar 2023 10:15 pm |
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papekani
Member Since: 21 Mar 2023
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 12
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Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as we will never now know) the seller - after checking multiple times that I was still coming to view tomorrow because he had “3 people waiting to view after me” - told me this even that he had “unexpectedly” (yes, he used that word) received a deposit on it from someone else.
I wished him good luck and asked him to let me know the secret to getting people to “unexpectedly” give you money. No reply as yet 😉
So if anyone out there is planning to sell a 2011-on D4 with reasonable mileage and good history for under £10k, and is a bit more honourable that this individual, please PM me.
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| 25th Mar 2023 10:25 pm |
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