Land Rover Repair: 1998 Land Rover Discovery LE, land rover discovery, fan clutch

Question
Hello. I purchased a 1998 Land Rover Disco approximately 3 weeks ago. Before I purchased it I had taken it out for a test drive 4 times and it ran beautifully...I was impressed. The condition of the interior and body were amazing. It looked almost brand new. All electronics/interior lights ran without any problems. The only thing that didn't work was the cruise control. I took it to a local and well respected Land Rover mechanic in Santa Cruz, Ca, prior to purchasing the vehicle for a look over. He was impressed as well. I had planned on having them run a complete diagnostic on the vehicle but they were backed up a week and the dealer had others looking at the vehicle so I went ahead and bought the vehicle. I took the vehicle up to Yosemite through plenty of steep mountain roads and back to Santa Cruz, Ca. During the trip it ran great...flawlessly! It was about 4 days later that I heard a rattling sound and noticed a fluid leak which appeared to be coolant. It turned out that the fan clutch and water pump needed to be replaced. The previous owner rarely if ever drove through steep mountainous roads. Is it possible that since it hadn't been driven in that manner for probably years that it took a toll on the engine, water pump, and fan clutch? I'm paying $1350 for parts and labor. Does that sound reasonable? My LR mechanic is well known on the central coast and has a great reputation. I trust him. He even said he was saving me a couple hundred dollars since I couldn't afford the $1500-1600 it should have cost to repair. He is also throwing in a free "complete diagnostic" which runs $145. I've tried researching factory LR parts for a fan clutch and water pump but it seems difficult to find the true cost. What is the factory cost for these parts? Does it vary? How much would labor for this job cost? Does it vary? Is it expensive to fix the cruise control? I apologize for the long inquiry. I do have more questions that I hope to answer another time. Thanks for your time and expertise.

Answer
You can price parts online with Atlantic British or Rovers North.  As you will find, the pump, coolant, and clutch are about $5-600 in all.  It's about three hours work to change them.

I have no idea if there is more to your particular job than that.  You should take that question up with the mechanic.  Car repairs can be costly.

The failure of the fan clutch probably precipitated the pump failure.

Good luck

John Elder Robison

Check out my car blog at http://robisonservice.com and find me on Facebook, too.  I'm @johnrobison on Twitter