Opening page

Welcome to the first page of my first blog. I've been a Land Rover technician since 1997 and owned my own shop since 2005. I've never believed I've seen it all so if you've got a question about yours, feel free to ask it here.

First, some rules:

• I'll give you my best but if I don't know, I won't GUESS.
• No talking bad about Land Rover retailer experiences. If it was a great place to work, I'd still be there.
• No flippin' out if my advice doesn't work. It's worth exactly what you're paying for it.

Today's pre-owned Land Rover experience can be a tough one. Maybe you thought you were getting a deal when you found a $45,000 truck on the lot for $8500 only to find it needs $8500 in repairs. Or maybe you've got one that didn't come with an owner's manual. (What happens to owner's manuals between the original owner and the first trade is God's own mystery.) Maybe your wondering whether to trade it or fix it and keep it. Maybe you're looking to buy a pre-owned Land Rover. Maybe this blog can help you and others, we'll see.

Here's some questions I get pretty frequently:

Why doesn't my cruise control work? Most all Land Rovers and Range Rovers use a vacuum system to control the throttle plate. Often, these vacuum lines deteriorate and keep the system from working. Carefully inspect these black rubber lines for cracks or breakage. On the Classic Range Rovers and Discoverys these lines are located under the hood and along the driver's side fender. These lines can be replaced with rubber or 1/4" clear PVC from a hardware store. Your looking for a hose that's pretty long (3' or so).
The Discovery II (1999-2004) cruise control hose is located under the hood on the passenger side behind the battery. The hose is short (1' or so) and can usually be repaired by clipping the hose end.
The Range Rover (1995-2002) cruise unit is located under the hood on the driver's side. These hoses are very short and pre-formed into 90 degree bends. When replacing these, let them loop over to prevent kinking.
If still inoperable, check the lines VERY closely. You may have an electrical problem needing more attention but most of the time its in the vacuum lines.

How do I reset my Discovery AC/Heater control from Celsius to Fahrenheit? This is a common question following a dead or replaced battery. Three simple steps:
1. Turn ignition key to position 2 (the instrument cluster lights come on).
2. Press and hold the defrost button (far right, bottom row).
3. Press and hold the on/off button (far left, bottom row).

Why does my radio say "CODE" or "CODE IN"? On the Range Rover Classics an early Discoverys (94-99) the five-digit code is entered by the number buttons on the radio face plate. If it doesn't take right away, don't panic. It can take as much as 45 minutes for the code to be accepted by the radio.
On the Range Rover (1995-2002), the code is entered the same way but is only4 digits. If the wrong code is entered, press and hold BND until it resets.
Discovery Series II (1999-2004) radios were owner programmable and most owners never fooled with the useless code feature.

How do I get my radio's code? This can be tricky. You may be able to get the code by calling the retailer with the VIN. If this code doesn't work the radio may have been replaced. If so, the radio will need to be removed and the serial number given to the retailer. Often, you may have more luck dealing with someone in the parts department rather than service. One hand washing another can go a long way, maybe buy an ugly hat or spend too much for an oil filter.