Missed oil changes and ham-fisted maintenance by non-experts lead to long line of catastrophic failures keeping 4x4 Engine Rebuilds busy THE TEAM AT 4X4 ENGINE REBUILDS has been kept busy during the last few months – not least by Land Rover owners neglecting to keep their vehicles’ oil services up to date. Looking through the Essex company’s job list shows that an extraordinary number of Discoverys and Range Rover Sports have been through its workshop for repairs to their 3.0 SDV6 engines. But its expert team of engine specialists also work on petrol units – including the 5.0 V8 from a Range Rover SVR which came in having suffered catastrophic damage as the result of a missed oil change. Also destroyed for the same reason was a 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel in a Discovery Sport, which arrived at 4x4 Engine Rebuilds not long before Christmas. This too suffered catastrophic failure – though whereas the SVR’s V8 had turned itself into a very expensive piece of scrap, the smaller unit was able to be fixed before going back to its owner in full working order. It’s not just owners being lax that have left Land Rovers’ engines in need of specialist attention, though. Earlier in the autumn, yet another 3.0 SDV6 came in – this one with its timing out of kilter after being incorrectly rebuilt by another garage. Messy. The company might get a lot of business out of people who neglect their vehicles, but it has a very simple reminder to every Land Rover owner: ‘Don’t leave engine servicing too late.’ The guys there can help you with that, too – they’re at 4x4EngineRebuilds.co.uk and always remember, a stitch in time…
Auctions’ forthcoming Race Retro sale I was in desperate need of attention prior to the restoration commencing. It went on to appear on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, as well as leading the parade of Land Rovers at last year’s Queen’s Jubilee Pageant – in front of a global TV audience measured in billions.
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The Jeep is more than a decade older than the Land Rover, as it’s a Ford GPW dating from 1942. On 14 November that year, it was used to transport King George VI and General Carl Spaatz, Commander of the Strategic Air Forces in Europe, on a visit to RAF Chelveston in
Northamptonshire. It too has been fully restored. Guide prices for the two vehicles reflect the extent of their provenance. The Jeep is expected to
fetch £35,000-£40,000 – while the Land Rover is estimated at £100,000-£150,000. In each case, more details can be found at www. silverstoneauctions.com.
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