Land Rover Defender's Transmission Nightmare, Help Needed

Hey there! I had almost identical issues with my 2019 Land Rover Discovery last year. The symptoms you're describing match what I experienced, rough shifts, grinding, and that annoying whining sound. After inspection, it turned out to be a faulty wiring harness that was causing communication problems between the transmission control module and the gear selector. In my case, they had to replace the entire wiring harness assembly and reprogram the transmission module. It was quite a serious repair that took about 3 days to complete. This isn't something you want to postpone as it can lead to more severe transmission damage if left unchecked. Make sure you find someone certified to work on Land Rovers, these transmissions are pretty complex and need specific diagnostic tools. When I took mine in, they first did a full diagnostic scan which confirmed the electrical issues before starting the repair work. Hope this helps give you an idea of what you might be dealing with.

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's super helpful as it sounds exactly like what I'm experiencing with my Defender. I definitely should get it checked out ASAP then. By the way, do you remember roughly how much you ended up paying for the repair? Also, curious if you've had any other transmission issues pop up since getting it fixed?

Hey again! Happy to give you an update on my situation. The repair job was spot on, I paid 180.00 € for fixing the wiring harness, which honestly wasn't as bad as I'd feared given it was a Land Rover repair. The best part? The gear selector display is now working perfectly fine after the mechanic sorted it out. Since getting it fixed, my Discovery's transmission has been running smooth as silk, no more grinding, whining, or any other weird noises. It's been about a year now, and I haven't had a single transmission-related issue pop up. Those rough shifts are completely gone too. It's like driving a different car! Just make sure you get it looked at soon, catching these things early really helps avoid bigger problems down the road. The peace of mind is totally worth it. Let me know how it goes with yours!

Just wanted to update everyone, I took my Defender to get checked out yesterday! What a relief, turns out it wasn't as scary as I thought. The mechanic I found was really knowledgeable about Land Rovers. He spotted the issue right away, also a faulty wiring harness, just like mentioned. The repair was actually a bit cheaper for me, around 150.00 €, and they got it done in just two days. My transmission is now shifting like butter, no more grinding or whining sounds! The gear display is working perfectly too. It's amazing what a difference a good mechanic makes. I was so worried about getting ripped off, but this guy really knew his stuff and didn't try to upsell me on anything unnecessary. Thanks again for the advice,. You really helped me avoid what could've been a much bigger headache if I'd waited longer. I'll definitely keep this mechanic's number handy for future repairs!