Land Rover Repair: 2004 Land Rover Engine Failure, land rover discovery, 2004 land rover discovery

Question
Hi John,

I have a 2004 Land Rover Discovery and the engine failed on it Thurs. of last week.  The oil light came on and shortly after the engine seized.

I purchased this vehicle 6 months ago off of the Mitsubishi lot locally; the LR was under warranty until Sept. 2008 (it's expired).  I only put 4K miles on it.  From what I have been told at this point (still waiting for additional information); there was oil in the engine, but it appears that the oil pump failed.

Is there any recourse I can take with Land Rover directly or the Mitsubishi lot I purchased it from?  If so, you know how I would go about doing this?

Obviously, I can't sell it - it doesn't run, I can't trade it in once it is fixed as I owe too much on it...

Any thoughts or ideas?

Thank you for your time, any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Shannon Nalazek  

Answer
I'm sorry to hear of your troubles.  You ask if you have any recourse to Land Rover or the dealer who sold you the car.  In terms of LR, if it's out of warranty, that's pretty much it.  With respect to the dealer . . . that depends on the law in your state.  In Massachusetts, they would not be responsible.

We see failures like this several times each year.  People actually ship cars to Robison Service from all over for engine overhaul, but it's an expensive job, probably close to $10,000 in your case.  Used engines are a bit less money but then you have no idea what you're getting.