QuestionLast October I purchased an '04 Ranger Rover HSE from a CPO dealer in
Dallas. Due to my job I have had to live in upstate NY for the winter. I have a
feeling that the extreme cold has taken its toll on my vehicle but there are
some irregularities happening that seem to "normal". I recently had to make a
trip from Georgia back to NY with my rover and in Pennsylvania the front air
suspension locked and I was running on the bump stops. I had to be at work
the next day in NY so I dropped my vehicle off to get repaired at the closest
LR dealer I could find. The cost of the repairs (replacement of the front-right
air suspension, 60,000 mile service check up, oil change, replacement air fan
motor in the fuse box in the engine compartment) ran me about $2600. That
said prior to dropping off the vehicle I had been hearing some squeaking
noises coming from the back left wheel area. I suppose that was the air
suspension. I have just recently received my "repaired" rover and literally 20
miles from the dealership, the service engine light comes on. Being that it
was a Saturday and the service department was closed, I drove on back to Ft.
Drum to wait another day to get this diagnoses. The last few days I have
started to notice the same squeaking noise, this time from the rear right
wheel. One of the things that tipped me off, was the air suspension does not
reach its normal height on that side and is a bout a 1/2 in lower than the left.
The squeaking has picked up in frequency and is a lot louder than before.
What is the cause, and what is a potential fix other than getting a spring
suspension mod? Also, has there been a recall on the differential?
AnswerFirst of all, air suspension failures rarely make noise. The squeak you hear is almost certainly something else.
You should really avoid finding service at the "closest place" as things always seem to go wring, and now you're 1,000 miles away.
There is little you can do at this point beyond seeking to build a relationship with a dealer or qualified independent and seeingwhat else is wrong. If you look for an independent shop, make sure they have the proper t4 or autologic test system. Otherwise you're wasting your time - and there are really not very many truly qualified independents out there. Dealers have their problems too, though, as you saw.
You may want to go to www.rangerovers.net and look at their list of shops in your area.
And finally yes, there is a recall on the front differential. It does not have anything to do with the issues you mentioned, though.
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