Just got my 2011 SD4 auto back from its 1st service, while in they had another go at curing the creaks and noise from the dash. They had to admit there is nothing more they can do, it's the design, when you build something out of Lego bricks and move it, it creaks.

While it was in I had a 10plate Disco HSE, very nice but the amount of trim noise made mine seem silent, no wonder they fit so many speakers for the Hi-Fi. At least it has me feel better about mine

I must say it makes my daughters Mini and my wife's Fiesta seem like they have dashboards made out of granite.One thing that did strike me was the disco only seemed about 5 mpg worse (admittedly only over a short time) and how much smoother the ZF auto box is.

My dash board doesn't make any noise or creaks , in fact the only noise is from the n/s seat belt. Mine has also had 4 new instrument packs fitted over the last year or two but still no squeaks or rattles.

My auto box is super smooth but mines pre SD4 & when I had a loan SD4 I was surprised at how harsh the gear change was.

My previous TD4 auto was much smoother, I thought newer models got better!

well i have lost count of how many FR2 loan vehicles I have had and some for extended periods and the newer they are i feel the build quality has deteriorated.

As for the auto-box, every loan SD4 I have had even after 100's of miles of driving have never smoothed out . My GS auto, after 3 years of grief & hassle is super smooth. Best auto I have ever had, its just a shame that it took the dealer 3 years to discover the lack of power wasn't the Turbo but an electrical fault causing my auto to always pull away in 2nd gear. God it was slow !

If you want a rattly interior, try a Mini Cooper S JCW on 18" runflats. Absolutely everything in that car rattles when its going at full chat. I've had my FL2 SD4 for a year and the only plastic rattle or creak comes from tha plastic finisher on the sill between the drivers door and the wheel arch, which the skilled technicians at the dealers warped when they fitted the mudguards. Interior is a creak free zone, but the quality for a £30K+ car is woeful.

Compared to my previous cars, both 2.7 RRS's the auto gearbox is a quick changer, but can be jerky; what I find infuriating still is the way it changes up so quickly and holds high gears. All done for economy and so on, but its a pain as you go into a corner where it holds a high gear and then bogs down as you put your foot down to accelerate out. Even worse at Roundabouts. I tend to use the sport mode to compensate, but it will do it in that setting too.

My SD4 is also comming up to 1 year old and no rattles. Autos adapt to your driving stlye and if you tend to have a heavy right foot and jab the throttle they can get rough when changing gear. I've driven lots of autos and find this one as good as any 2 litre auto I've driven. I struggle with the thought that the build quality is "woefull" - Why did you buy it? I looked very closely before I wrote a very big cheque and, on balance, I'm very happy.

Woeful for a car which had an ex dealer price of £34,000. The quality of the trim plastic in the centre console is very poor for a car in this price bracket. I'd accept it on a poverty spec trim, but my car has the 'premium' interior, so had higher expectations. Why did I buy it? Well its a Land Rover innit; I'm a boy from the West Midlands and hell will freeze over before I buy a 4x4 from Germany or Japan.

Don't get me wrong, its a good car and way better than the FL1 (which I had two of), just not as good as it could be. I only notice these things because I've been lucky enough to have had Range Rover Sports, which are much better finished on the inside and aren't that much more expensive.

Andy S wrote:

I'd accept it on a poverty spec trim, but my car has the 'premium' interior, so had higher expectations

I considered going for an older XS or HSE but didn't need all those extra gimmicks. GS is the best all rounder so I just added the option of heated windscreen and washer jets. Of more relevance though, no such cabin trim issues on my GS, perhaps LR cheapened things for MY11 onwards.

As for the gearbox issues you mentioned, LR should have made a manual SD4 like they have done for the Evoque. No such issues with the manual  LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

I've always been impressed with the lack of creaks and squeaks from my FL2 and also my wife's Toyota IQ2.

worst car I've ever had for dashboard noises was an 07 Mini Cooper.

Iain

My 2011 FL2 has a buzz from the interior mirror which drives me mad. If you press hard it stops for a while. ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...

iain cooper wrote:

I've always been impressed with the lack of creaks and squeaks from my FL2 and also my wife's Toyota IQ2.

worst car I've ever had for dashboard noises was an 07 Mini Cooper.

Iain

[quote="Andy S"]

iain cooper wrote:

I've always been impressed with the lack of creaks and squeaks from my FL2 and also my wife's Toyota IQ2.

worst car I've ever had for dashboard noises was an 07 Mini Cooper.

My FL2 sounds just like its got a box of marbles in the back, probably because it has.

we had the first new mini, very first one in York I think? anyway it rattled like a bad-un from new. sold it for very very good money after a year and 13,000 miles however .

total running costs ins,fuel, tax, depreciation came to 22p per mile If I recall, would have done better but the dealer knocked £150 off for a kerbed alloy and a couple of parking dings.

Mrs G loved it , I thought it was nice but way way over-rated At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Perhaps it's all down to who fitted the dash, as some seem much better that others, it is a shame that when buying a car it's all down to luck whether you get a good one or not. Personally I like things built by machines as you get far better, consistent, quality. I think the basic problem with the FL2 dash is that it's built from far too many bits. The FL2 is a great car but this sort of thing destroys any illusion that it is a quality product.

Just got 2011 HSE. Seems very good barring intermittent creaks from dashboard/windscreen area. is it worth asking dealer to investigate or just live with it? Disappointing but bearable