If they were vents then there would be ducting to them from inside the engine bay, there isn't. Land Rover Addict
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Previous
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2009 5.0V8SC Autobiography
2006 4.2V8SC Autobiography
2004 4.4V8 Vogue

Agreed that there is no ducting, but hot air most certainly comes out of them - again, why go to all the effort of making actual vents when you can just stick a bit of plastic on?

'Design' - there's no appreciable heat from them - I've owned a 4.4, 4.2, 5.0 and now a 3.6 ... none have 'pumped out heat' from those plastic decorations. I'd say they are as warm as the wings..... Land Rover Addict
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Previous
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2009 5.0V8SC Autobiography
2006 4.2V8SC Autobiography
2004 4.4V8 Vogue

Heat most certainly does come out of them - how could it not, given that they are where they are? You don't need a direct line of sight for heat to find a way out.

At even 5mph they would cease to function as vents *if* they were vents, which they are not. Take off the 'vent' and see what's behind it - it's not a gaping hole into the engine bay! Just remember the wings are double skinned. Land Rover Addict
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Previous
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2009 5.0V8SC Autobiography
2006 4.2V8SC Autobiography
2004 4.4V8 Vogue

How on earth could they not function as vents with air moving across them when the car is moving? It's a low pressure area, a vent there will extract air (and heat) from wherever is behind it. Open your windows on a cold day and let me know if it gets cold inside ...

(I have removed the vents and looked by the way).

I shouldn't worry, the panel gaps between the bonnet & front wings on the L322 always ensures perfect cooling

So...let me get this straight, you think they vent the engine bay - I can't find the astounded emoticon

Er unless you hadn't noticed the engine sits in a BAY which is funnily enough not enclosed ..... so your 'windows down' analogy does not and cannot be compared - unless you've removed your floor. Land Rover Addict
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Previous
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2009 5.0V8SC Autobiography
2006 4.2V8SC Autobiography
2004 4.4V8 Vogue

Last edited by DMRR on 29th Jan 2013 11:46pm. Edited 1 time in total

DMRR wrote:

So...let me get this straight, you think they vent the engine bay - I can't find the astounded emoticon

Er unless you hadn't noticed the engine sits in a BAY which is funnily enough not enclosed ..... so your 'windows down' analogy does not and cannot be compared - unless you've removed your floor.

So your 'vents' are hotter than your wing panels after a run? Mine aren't ... the double skinned wings stop anything getting out through the 'holes' in the outer skin. Land Rover Addict
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Previous
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2009 5.0V8SC Autobiography
2006 4.2V8SC Autobiography
2004 4.4V8 Vogue

Read the Clarkson column - the targets of his criticisms are the interior disco lights, the projected "Range Rover" from the puddle lamps and the silly door vents (and Gerry McGovern). The theme of it is nothing that hasn't been discussed at great length on various internet forums - the new car is too glitzy to be true to its roots and, by changing to suit the desires of tasteless people, it stops being what they wanted to buy into in the first place.

As for the vents - they're plastic so they don't get appreciably hot. You can feel heat coming out of them though.

Next time I'm working a weekend I'll get the works thermal imaging camera out and take a look at the vents, will try and take a pic with it and post my findings here.

On my TD6 the air inlet tract sucks from the inner wing to the void between it and the outer wing and draws air from this area and can be felt when the pipe work is all attached properly. on the drivers side even though the vent is right behind the drivers side headlight. its not a massive amount but enough to feel.

heat rising is just physics law 101, BUT in motion other factors are taken into account and a lot of the engine bay heat gets pushed UNDER the car as its designed to. Ever wondered why the back of the cars seem drier than the sides and so forth? The exhaust and cats add to this admittedly but the heat goes thru the ac rad/intercooler, the normal rad, then over the engine, hits the firewall and flows down the slanted firewall out the bottom of the rear engine bay  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

kingpleb wrote:

heat rising is just physics law 101