Mark Nixon Automotive

10/09/2026

See everyone next week on Monday.
Have the best weekend!

07/09/2026

A model we always get excited about when it's in the shop.

The L322, considered by many to be the best Range Rover ever built, was the bridge between classic British luxury design and modern BMW engineering.

Handling was amazing for a big vehicle of the time, moving from a traditional ladder frame to monocoque unibody construction. This paired beautifully with its interconnected cross-linked air suspension.

The electronic air suspension system was engineered to pneumatically transfer air between left and right air springs, mimicking the axle articulation of a live axle off-road while maintaining a smooth on-road ride.

The popular choice was the BMW inline-six over the V8, considered one of the most reliable diesel engines ever built. It features an iron block, a single turbo, and simple mechanicals compared to the hyper-complex twin-turbo V8 diesels (TDV8) that followed.

As great as the M57 is, it's still BMW engineering sitting inside a Range Rover, so not everything is as simple as it seems...

One example: bleeding the coolant system.

The M57 is notoriously stubborn to bleed. Turn the ignition on with the climate control set to maximum heat and minimum fan speed to activate the auxiliary electric water pump, then open the bleed screws on both the expansion tank and the EGR thermostat housing while filling slowly.

Understanding procedures like these saves us and the owners a lot of time and money that can be used elsewhere.

TRUSTED MECHANICS IN TOWNSVILLE YOUR INDEPENDENT LAND ROVER SPECIALISTS CALL US ON (07) 4775 2155 OUR SERVICES ALL MECHANICAL REPAIRS Here at Mark Nixon Automotive, we provide services to keep your car in top condition so that you can drive it in its best condition. We deliver each of our services i...

01/09/2026

It has been bought to our attention that if you search our business on Apple Maps it comes up stating we are permanently closed.

This couldn’t be further from the truth!!!

We are definitely open and aren’t going anywhere. We have too many amazing customer to close permanently!

Bare with us while we get this sorted. I have checked all other platforms and they seem to be ok.
Remember there are multiple ways to contact us if you’re not sure.

- Facebook
- Instagram
- Email
- Phone

Please let us know if you do see an anomaly so we can get it sorted.
Have the best day!

-Matt
Mark Nixon Automotive

31/08/2026

We’re excited to announce that we are trialing a 9 Day Fortnight, which means we will now be closed every second Friday.

We’re making this change to support our team and provide an even better work-life balance, while continuing to deliver the high level of service you’ve come to expect from us.

We’d like to thank you for your continued support and understand. We are looking forward to a busy & exciting end to the year as we head into the Christmas season.

Matt & Kim.

27/08/2026

Whether it’s the older Defender or the New Generation Defender we have you covered for all your servicing, diagnostic and repair work.

We are equipped with the latest electronic diagnostic tooling to be able to fault find and read live data on the new Defenders.
You don’t need any of that fancy stuff on the older Defenders. However, what you do need is some mechanical knowledge and some basic tools and you can fix anything on the old girls.
They did make them to be giant meccano sets.

26/08/2026

Ever had a “Park Brake Fault” in your Land Rover with an electronic park brake?

It could have been due to a faulty switch among other things.
9/10 times when the switch fails it’s due to the fact it’s had years of food,coffee and other things spilt all over it.

We have just replaced this switch in a Discovery 4 and you can see the years of debris built up around the lever of the switch.

25/08/2026

We've had this a fair bit lately, and it almost seems like these parts have an exact use-by date.

Jag and Land Rover are almost identical in this regard, too.

After six years, all flexi-hoses within the vehicle should be thoroughly inspected, with the logbook even mandating replacement of the brake hoses.

They are a necessary component as they stay flexible in minimal spaces and are very hard to kink, but by nature, they are prone to wear and splitting over time.

Sticking to your manufacturer logbook schedule (at a minimum!) ensures these critical flexi hoses are inspected and replaced before they leave you stranded.

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19/08/2026

Over time, keeping your vehicle mechanically "perfect" can get harder, with some services being more costly than others.

One thing we take pride in is truly knowing our clients' vehicles. While we can't remember every bolt on every car from memory, we take photos and keep clear records of areas worth monitoring.

We photograph and document all findings on your vehicle, even minor ones, so we have a visual database to refer back to at your next service.

This lets us see whether a specific concern is progressing in severity or staying stable.

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12/08/2026

"Clunk over speed humps" is one of the most common complaints we hear on a Discovery 4 past 120,000 km.

Unlike a ute or a live-axle 4WD, the D4 runs a double wishbone front end carrying close to 2.6 tonnes, and the upper arm is what sets camber and caster. Every corrugation, every load, every hot day works the rubber bushes and the ball joint boot.

Once that boot splits, the joint is finished.

Water and grit get in, the grease washes out, and the taper begins wearing into the knuckle, which turns a straightforward arm replacement into a much bigger job.

Worn upper arms don't just clunk. They let the geometry move under load, so the vehicle wanders in ruts, feels vague on the highway, and feathers the inner edge of the front tyres.

The bush bolts must get torqued with the suspension at ride height, not hanging on the hoist.

Tighten them with the arm drooped and the rubber sits pre-loaded for the life of the part, you'll be doing the job twice.

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04/08/2026

Cost of ownership" is not a term that should be used by salespeople.

Regardless of the make, it's a common term used, and if true, every car could run for 10 years perfectly with nothing but an oil change...

The truth is, even in an age of "lifetime fluids", opening up a rear diff after 10 years or 260,000 km could reveal a whole heap of issues that could have been avoided 5 years ago and caught early as a partial failure, rather than something catastrophic requiring full replacement.

True "cost of ownership" comes down to attention to detail, like checking grease levels where regular techs would overlook them.

Our standard services ALL come with a comprehensive mechanical inspection, not just a visual inspection. Over a vehicle's lifetime, this will save an owner thousands..

TRUSTED MECHANICS IN TOWNSVILLE YOUR INDEPENDENT LAND ROVER SPECIALISTS CALL US ON (07) 4775 2155 OUR SERVICES ALL MECHANICAL REPAIRS Here at Mark Nixon Automotive, we provide services to keep your car in top condition so that you can drive it in its best condition. We deliver each of our services i...