Free repair guides for Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles - written by a professional UK mechanic. Land Rover's premium SUVs are complex and main dealer servicing is expensive, so identifying the jobs you can safely tackle yourself is valuable. The pollen filter on the Range Rover Velar is one of the more accessible DIY tasks on the car, and is worth replacing every twelve months if the climate system is used regularly.
The current guide covers pollen and cabin filter replacement on the Range Rover Velar, including the correct access route and how to avoid breaking the housing clips. Land Rover and Range Rover models share a great deal of engineering across the Defender, Discovery Sport, Velar and Evoque ranges, which means experience on one model transfers well to the others. More guides covering common Land Rover service items are in development, including air suspension checks and transfer box fluid changes.
Modern Land Rovers reward disciplined maintenance more than almost any other make. The air suspension fitted to the Discovery, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport wears progressively - compressors work harder as the air springs develop tiny leaks, so a car that sinks overnight or takes longer to rise needs attention before the compressor burns out. On Ingenium diesel engines, short urban journeys cause incomplete DPF regenerations and fuel dilution of the engine oil, so check the dipstick regularly and treat a rising oil level as a warning sign rather than a bonus. A weekly motorway run does these engines a great deal of good.
Electrical health starts with the battery on any recent Land Rover: dozens of control modules stay awake after the car is locked, and a tired battery causes seemingly random faults across the dashboard. Always fit a quality battery of the correct specification and have it registered to the car where required. Underneath, check for corrosion on subframes and suspension arms on older cars, especially those used for towing or off-road work. A good independent Land Rover specialist can service these vehicles to full schedule at a fraction of main dealer rates without affecting any remaining warranty, provided genuine or equivalent-quality parts are used.
Tyres and brakes deserve their own line on these vehicles. Land Rovers are heavy, and their permanent four-wheel-drive systems need all four tyres matched - same size, same make ideally, and within a few millimetres of tread across the axles - or the driveline takes up the difference as wear. Rotate tyres at service time and replace in pairs at minimum. The brakes are correspondingly large and dear at a dealer, but OE-quality discs and pads from the established suppliers cost a fraction of the franchise price and perform identically. If the vehicle ever wades or works off-road, rinse the underside afterwards and check the axle and gearbox breathers - water drawn into a hot diff through a blocked breather turns a £20 oil change into a four-figure rebuild.