Range Rover Software Update
This morning I left my car with Lookers Park Royal to investigate a vibration/ rattle in the overhead panel - it transpires that this is a known issue with some cars and there is a fix but it takes 3 days as the headliner has to be replaced! Anyway while I was there a check was run on the car and there is a software update to apply to it. I have no idea what it fixes or updates but will ask when I collect the car later. Excelkent service at LPR - go in on a social call to see about the rattle and ' can you leave the car with us for today as there is an outstanding software update to apply to it'!If anyone is looking for a Zanzibar Dynamic with Contrast Roof and Black Pack then Lookers Park Royal has one on the showroom floor - hurry hurry hurry before LR discontinues Zanzibar in January!Now driving a 2018MY Mini Countryman Cooper S E All4 PHEV, alongside my 1996 DefenderTDi300. I hope to be back in a new Land Rover in late 2019 or early 2020 but am having a short breakTo try something different.
Range Rover Evoque Software Update
Well I'm waiting for immenent failure of the gearbox now. The update is for the 9 speed gearbox ECU. Will I make it to Eastnor on Saturady without LRA's assistance?
The car was running perfectly apart from the odd spell of screaming up to skyhigh RPM's after the stop start cut back in.Now driving a 2018MY Mini Countryman Cooper S E All4 PHEV, alongside my 1996 DefenderTDi300. I hope to be back in a new Land Rover in late 2019 or early 2020 but am having a short breakTo try something different. Well I found out what the Gearbox software update does and it isn't nice. Before the update I had superbly slurred and almost imperceptable gearchanges and the car pulled away in 2nd gear.Now I have an awful clunky, jerky 1st to 2nd change as the car now pulls away in 1st and revs that go up to about 3500 RPM before it jolts with a thump into 2nd, after that it is silky smooth as before. It's not very impressive and I would imagine will put off a huge number of potential buyers who take a test drive. Definitely a backward step that upgrade. I wonder why LR/ ZF decided to reprogram the gearbox to pull away in 1st when it was fine doing it in 2nd?
I think when I get home I will be asking my local dealer to restore the old software as I cannot live in town driving with this awful pullaway, I dread to think what damage it might be doing to the gearbox with the sudden thump into 2nd.Now driving a 2018MY Mini Countryman Cooper S E All4 PHEV, alongside my 1996 DefenderTDi300. I hope to be back in a new Land Rover in late 2019 or early 2020 but am having a short breakTo try something different. I thought this morning I was going to be waiting for the LRA man. I drove about 10 miles from Ledbury when, stopped at traffic lights in Great Malvern, the dash board first showed that the offroad programs were unavailable and then that the Eco Stop Start was unavailable. I pulled into a pub carpark, switched off and let everything wind down/ go to sleep for 5 minutes and then tried to restart.
The engine restarted fine and on pull away the revs still rushed up to 4000 but less jarring change from 1st to 2nd so continued my journey north with the rest of the cogs swapping as smoothly as they always did BUT two things immediately apparrent going down the slip road onto the M5 - one kick down much more rapid and two, it seems that the gearing in 9th has changed. I'm sure that 70mph in 9th used to be around 1800-1850RPM but today I have cruised at 70 turning 1600 revs (Don't see how this can be possible as the metal bits in the gearbox haven't changed!) and 90mph sweeps passed very very easily and the engine is indicating 1850/1900 RPM! Kickdown is much quicker at those revs too, much to the surprise of a gentleman in an AMG S Class who sat way too close to my rear bumper for my liking at one stage doing 85. Close enough that I couldn't read his number plate until I hauled away until I could pull into the middle lane and let him pass.Interesting that the auto trip is showing the motorway section from Stafford services to Lancaster as average speed75mph and mpg at 44.8!
I cannot believe that the miles and miles of 50mph speed limited motorway on the M6 would have raised the MPG that much on it's own.Now driving a 2018MY Mini Countryman Cooper S E All4 PHEV, alongside my 1996 DefenderTDi300. I hope to be back in a new Land Rover in late 2019 or early 2020 but am having a short breakTo try something different.