[Samster]

Hi everyone. I have a 2005 LR3 that I bought new that has about 90k miles on it. I moved to a rural area and the dealer I bought it from is now a 3 1/2 hour drive away. Their shop has done all the work on this car.
During the last service they said that I will likely need new brake pads the next time I come in. I have a general question and then a more specific question please --

- There's a very good full service independent shop about 40 minutes away. Its a Mom & Pop operation with the wife doing all the paper work and the husband working in the shop. He is a ASE Certified Master Mechanic with an outstanding reputation in the local area. We will be bringing him our older used Dodge pick-up to fix an electronic fuel system problem that no one else has been able to correct.
Do you think it would be o.k. to have a fellow like this work on my LR3 brakes ? That is, replacing the pads ? Do you think I might save money over what the Land Rover dealership would charge me ? (Seems that their parts and labor prices are very high.) Do independents have any problem getting the proper factory parts ? (Years ago I went into a national brake shop chain store and they put in pads on my Jeep. They squeaked from day one.)

I'm not a mechanic - or even close to one. And, I don't have the proper tools anyway. But I would like to do whatever I'm able to do on my own. And, I'd also like to find cheaper alternatives than going into the dealer to have work done. Such as a good independent shop.

What work on your LR3 would you trust to a very good independent shop, and what work needs to be done at the dealer ? Thanks in advance for your input on this.

 

[lilredpo]

We use an indy in MA, but all the do are Rovers.

I may get flamed, but brakes are fairly common as long as quality parts are used. Only tricky part may be the thin wires on the sensors that tend to break. But they arwe readily available.

Good luck with your ride!

 

[tlt]

I understand your concerns. The local independent shop I use hadn't done any LR3's however, I came armed with documentation, parts in hand, and had done my research so I know what I want done on each visit.

They've done excellent work, at reasonable prices and have treated me right.

The "gotchas" you can run into is that if they don't have a computer to reset faults, or reset your service indicator, stuff like that. In your case, I would certainly consider investing in your own if they do not have it.

There are two places I recommend ordering your parts from, Lucky8llc.com and landrovermerriamparts.com. Justin @ lucky8 and his crew are great, and he's relatively close to you.

I am sorry it took me so long to wake up.

Items I do go to the dealer for; anything really specialized, such as 4 wheel alignment, height calibration, coolant bleeding, etc.

I also have my own spares on hand, of items I think I'll need.

you'll be due for belts soon, tensioners and a bunch of other stuff. PM me if you'd like a list, and approximate costs of stuff you may need, or may want to stock. I posted an article on the disco3 web site with pictures if your interested.

Page 1 - Cowl write up
DISCO3.CO.UK - View topic - Upcoming project
Page 2 - Spares Kit
DISCO3.CO.UK - View topic - Upcoming project

I may get flamed, on the subject of brakes, I love EBC slotted sport rotors and green stuff pads. I got 80k out of my last set of rotors, and they might have gone 20k + longer. You need to replace your pads before you get to 4mm left, of you'll trip sensors and have to replace them. A light turn / crosshatch at each pad fitting will ensure smooth operation.

On the disco site, search for Bodys Brake Bible Check for the latest version in PDF

I'm at 120k

Feel free to PM me and I can e-mail you if you need more help.

 

[Samster]

Thanks guys for your comments.

tlt - I really appreciate your suggestions and help. I'll put together an email in the next few days after I figure out all my questions.

This independent master mechanic is very good from what others tell me. If I put together the parts and any specialized mechanical instructions needed for the LR3 he should be able to do the work. I also need to get a price quote from the LR dealer shop to see if/and how much I might save by using the independent shop, to see if its worth it.

All the best guys ! Thank you

P.S. - - - tlt I took a quick look at your spares kit link. Very Impressive ! A few years ago we took a long trip to Yellowstone and I was getting some error codes. At that point the nearest competent LR dealer shop was about 800 miles away. Everything turned out fine and the error codes cleared up - but it would have been nice to have some spares other than just a few LR rear bulbs.