QuestionI have a 2003 Land Rover Discovery SE with 89000 miles and we took it in to the Omaha,NE Land Rover dealership to have a coolant leak fixed at the throttle body. To our surprise, we were welcomed with additional information that we have 3 significant oil leaks. 1st was a transfer case leak estimated at $1325, 2nd was a pinion seal leak at $378 and 3rd was various engine leaks totaling $4800 and all of this taking a total of 37 labor hours. So for a grand total of $7000, is this worth it? Are we going to see this to be a pretty common event? Does this sound like it is a fair assumption on the labor hours?
AnswerDoes the truck leave spots on the ground? Do the leaks bother you? If the answers are no, you can leave most leaks alone.
When evaluating leaks you must decide if the leak is something that could blow out and blow up the vehicle, or if it's just a drippy minor annoyance. Pinion leaks are usually minor. Transfer case leaks are usually minor. For example, if the transfer case needs to be topped with oil annually at a cost of $40, that stacks up pretty favorably against a $1,300 repair.
There is of course no way for me to evaluate the severity of the leaks from here. I'd suggest you find a qualified second opinion as to what the leaks really mean, and look yourself to see how bad they are. You can find a list like that on 90% of the 2003 Rovers on the road, and 90% of those drivers motor along happily, doing nothing.
That said, if your leaks (any of them) are life threatening, those must be dealt with. In this economy we see quite a few situations where the service sales people at dealers are starving on commission, so every problem becomes a "must fix or else." Be careful; know the whole story before spending big money. Maybe you need to; maybe not
My instinct is to agree with the dealer on this. I have seen many problems like yours caused by sub-par aftermarket parts. If you truck was in our shop that's where I would start. However, there may be something more going on and I'd caution that it may end up costly to fix. But that's a reality we face every day at Robison Service and people for the most part fix the vehicles and end up happy with the result. For satisfied motorists, there's more to ownership than a trade of cash value versus repair cost. If that's all there is for you and this particular truck, then maybe it's time to trade.
Good luck with it
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John Elder Robison
