Range Rover Diesel Stalling & Power Loss Nightmare

Hey there! I had very similar issues with my 2012 Range Rover Sport TDV8 last year. The symptoms you're describing are exactly what I experienced, cold start problems, power loss, jerky acceleration, and increased fuel consumption. Turned out my intake channels were heavily contaminated, causing air flow problems. When I took it to the garage, they found significant carbon buildup in the intake manifold and EGR system. It was actually quite serious as it was starting to affect multiple engine components. They had to do a complete intake cleaning service, which included removing and cleaning the intake manifold, EGR valve cleaning, and fuel injector service. The job took two days but solved all the issues. The car ran like new afterward, smooth starts, proper power delivery, and fuel consumption went back to normal. Based on your symptoms, I'd definitely get it checked soon before it potentially causes more damage to other components.

Thanks for sharing your experience! It sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with. My local mechanic initially suggested it could be the injectors, but hearing about your intake system issues makes so much sense given the symptoms. Quick question, do you remember roughly how much you ended up paying for the whole intake cleaning service? Also, has everything been running smoothly since the repair, or have you noticed any other issues pop up? Really appreciate your help!

Hey again! Happy to update you on this! Yep, everything's been running absolutely perfect since I had it fixed. The whole service cost me 425 € for the intake cleaning job, honestly, money well spent considering how much better the car runs now. The smooth running control malfunction that was causing all those headaches is completely gone. The best part? Haven't had a single issue since the repair, which was about 8 months ago now. Starting is crisp, power delivery is spot on, and fuel economy is back to what it should be. It's like driving a different car! The mechanics really knew what they were doing with the intake channel cleaning. Word of advice though, they told me to use premium fuel and maybe get the intake cleaned every 60k km or so to prevent it happening again. Makes sense given how these engines can get gunked up over time. Let me know how you get on with yours!

Thanks so much for the detailed follow-up! I actually just got back from the mechanic today after getting everything fixed. You were spot on, it was exactly the same issue with carbon buildup in the intake system. The funny thing is, I was really nervous about the cost after my previous bad experiences, but I ended up paying about the same as you did for the complete intake cleaning service. What a relief! The mechanic also showed me all the gunked-up parts they cleaned out, pretty shocking to see how bad it was. Took it for a test drive afterward and wow, what a difference! The engine starts right up now, no more jerking during acceleration, and it feels so much smoother overall. The check engine light is finally off too. Really grateful for your advice about using premium fuel and regular maintenance schedule. Going to stick to that religiously from now on. Thanks again for helping me avoid what could've been a much bigger headache!