QuestionHi John, please can you help me: Driving an 1988 Range Rover Vogue. Workshop replaced starter 23rd April. Got the car back, drove it into my garage, and drove out of it Sunday, 26th April. Driveway down to road. Wanted to kick-start, it did not work. Standing now in the road, I turned the ignition key and a screaming horrible noise was the result. Nothing could stop it. Opened the bonnet, could not losen the battery connections with bare hand. So the noise finally got softer and died down and battery was finished (later we discovered the battery getting hotter and hotter, total writeoff, but before that:) Two men tried their jumper leads, to jump start the car. The leads melted. We put in another battery, my own set of jumper leads got hot and smoked as well. Reached the workshop guy, who was on long holiday at the coast. He says “no I did not work on your car, I gave it to subcontractor, since the starter is an auto-electric thing” - but I was invoiced from the usual workshop guy for the new starter. Since the car had to be tow-trucked and the windows were all open, the workshop guy gave me the advice to disconnect red battery cable from the solenoid. When leaning over into the motor, to reach the solenoid, we discovered a 15/6 allankey resting on the solenoid and contacting the chassis. Took out allankey, but never touched any cables.
The towtruck came. I have never seen somebody handling a car so carefully, smoothly, pulling it up onto the lading plateau. When the truck drove to auto-electric workshop, we followed directly behind it. Nowhere was any pothole or humbs in the road, and the offloading went exactly in the same manner as the loading.
The electric guy said immediately the allankey is his, he forgot it in the motor.
Now, despite the short which was created by the allankey, they try to tell me, that solenoids sometimes do “this” without any reason, the allankey had nothing to do with it.
And on top of it, the electrician tells me after repairing the damage, that the inertia switch has switched off the pump in the fuel tank and the car cannot start. This would only happen when the car is in a crash, overturning, or if it has been towtrucked. It would seal off the tank in order to prevent fire. But he cannot find the outside switch, which would be somewhere mounted to the chassis or under the seat. The manual of the car does not mention such a switch.
One week later, when I am enquiring, 4th May, about the car, the original workshop guy tells me the car has no inertia switch, and that the petrol pump of the car has gone faulty and the electrician would have to take out the petrol tank in order to get to this pump, which would be IN the petrol tank. Then they only would be able to see what is wrong. He also tells me this would have happened because of the towtrucking....
Am I in the twilight zone? I do not understand it anymore. I have never come across so many strange explanations. (Perhaps it is me, who cannot grasp situations anymore...)
Am I told the truth?
Dear John, many thanks in advance for your kind help explaining to me what really should be done, or at least for your moral support : )) Geralde.
AnswerHi Geralde,
Sad. I really feel bad for you and your Rangie. I hope you can get them to repair the damages without taking legal steps.
No. The solenoid does not do what you described and this is NOT a common problem. The subcontractor was the on who neglected to to remove the allen key from an area that has high voltage main lead from the battery.
Yes. There is an inertia switch on the '88 Rangie. Square box with a small red stem protuding and round black cap on top. Not absolutely sure of its location BUT it should be on the engine firewall and usually on the passenger side.
Go to Land Rover parts online and do a search for your 1988 Range Rover. A list of available parts can be displayed or you can enter a part search. Enter Inertia and you'll find the photo.
http://www.landautoparts.com/search
RUN. Run away from these guys. Get them to replace the starter and pay for battery and towing but don't settle on them repairing anything else. Get what you can from them and then never go back.
I had a similar nighmare from a dealer in Montreal. They tried to jerk me for well over $5000 and a huge list of repairs they said were needed. Turned out to be a $585 part.
If you cannot get them to take responsibility and repair the problem, I would advise you to seek legal counsel, contact the BBB or equivalent and any consumer advocate to intervene.
You are not alone and I want to give you all the moral support you need. You are a victim of unfortunate events and neglect.
Best of luck,
JohnMc
