Gallardo Repairs Index page

This page contains a list of simple repairs users have made to their Gallardo cars.

Please note, if you carry out any of the "repairs" described here, your car you are doing so at your own risk. I take no responsibility what so ever for the information and suggestions supplied. In particular if you do not understand or have experience working on expensive cars like these, save yourself time and money by bringing it to a dealer or garage that has.

Repair Topic (Click on Item)	Picture	Description
Changing the Collant In a Gallardo		"Carbuff" sent me the following great write-up describing how to do a complete collant change in a Gallardo
Changing The Transmission Oil in a Gallardo		This article sent in by Rick Schue describes how to change the transmission oil in a Gallardo
How to Remove the Tail Light Covers of A Gallardo		This article sent in by Rick Schue describes how to remove the tail light covers of a Gallardo.
Adjust a Gallardo Handbrake Cable		A short article submitted by Dwayne Denny describing how to adjust a Gallardo hand brake cable.
Changing the Brake Pads of a Gallardo		The brakes on the Gallardo are not that different from Brembo brakes on other performance cars and swapping the brake pads is a relatively easy task. How to do this is described in this article.
Installing an Ultrasound Backup Sensor System in a Gallardo		The rear view from inside a Gallardo when parking or reversing can sometimes be a little challenging - particularly at night. While far better than a Diablo or Murciélago there are times when I have had some close shaves when backing up against walls or sidewalk curbs. Many modern cars have integrated into their rear bumper (some the front also) an ultrasonic device that detects something close by and emits an (annoying) beep sound depending on how far away it is. I describe here how to install one in a Gallardo
Installing a 2006 Lamborghini OEM muffler in a 2005 lamborghini		This detailed article describes how to install a better sounding 2006 Lamborghini Gallardo muffler in an older 2003 - 2005 Gallardo.
Checking & Adjusting The Tire Alignment Of A Gallardo		After some 15,000 miles I was surprised to see that the rear tires of my Gallardo were in bad need of replacement. Unlike most cars the rear tires of a Gallardo carry a disproportionally large fraction of the weight of the car. This article describes how the tires are aligned.
Checking The Wheel Drive Shaft Bolts In A Gallardo		Apparently some owners have found that these bolts in their cars can shake loose and fly out ripping oil hoses and the likes near the engine. While Lamborghini has not put out an official alert on this yet, it would make good sense if you have a '05 or '06 Gallardo to check the bolts yourself of have somebody do it for you.
Checking Head Gasket For Water Leaks In A Gallardo.		This short article describes how to check for coolant leaks in a Gallardo using a pressure pump.
Repairing The Engine Hood Latch In A Gallardo		Recently I could not open the engine hood. When I pulled on the lever behind the passenger seat it was stuck. This latch is controlled by a cable that runs along the left hand side of the car and comes in behind the drivers seat. After much poking around under the car with a mirror and screwdriver I managed to release the lever that holds the hood closed and was able to discover the cause of the problem.
Oil & Filter Change For A Gallardo		Unlike the Diablo getting to the Gallardo oil filter is a bit more difficult. The problem is the oil filter is buried in the top center of the engine. This write-up explains how to do this. It's not difficult to do it just takes more time than you would expect.
Installing a Quicksilver Muffler in a Gallardo		One area where the Gallardo is sadly lacking is the sound of the muffler. The '06 model is better, but nevertheless I really miss the deep solid sound of the Diablo. The Gallardo is essentially silent at low RPM's and above 3000 RPM opens up to a lame Ferrari like sound. This article describes how to install a Quicksilver exhaust in a Gallardo that yields a better sound.
Replacing an Audio RNS-E Navigation System Face Plate to Fit a '06 Gallardo		Audi RNS-E radio/NAV unit retrofit kits are available from several sources for prices in the $1600 range. A typical kit will include an Audi RNS-E radio, a DVD NAV disk, a GPS antenna, radio removal tools, and some adapter cables (which won't be needed). What we need to do is remove the Lambo radio from the car, swap the face plate and LCD bezel with the Audi unit, and reinstall the Audi radio (with the Lambo face plate) back into the car.
Lamborghini Engines Two Engines In One		One of the often overlooked features when it comes to detecting engine faults with later Lamborghini engines is the fact that they are really two engines in one. The front "Check Engine Lights" have a (L) Left and (R) Right lamp. This not only means that if there is a localized fault with the engine you can determine on which bank of cylinders it resides on, but you can further localize the fault by switching components from one side to the next.
Removing Rattle Noises in the Front of a Gallardo		In my Gallardo when I drive slowly over rough ground I hear sounds from under the hood at the front of the car. While not a "show stopper", it would be nice to eliminate them. They sound is like something is rattling against the frame of the car. At first I thought it was something in the trunk itself, but even when I removed everything there the sounds stilled remained. After a lot of trial and error I found the problem was due to a few cables and hoses hitting against the frame of the car. The solution was simple and is described here.
Removing Footrest in a Gallardo		Lamborghini has a nice footrest in the Gallardo. Unlike the Diablo the foot-well has more space and the foot pedals are spaced sufficiently apart that there is no danger of pressing the wrong pedal. Your foot along the side of the car. Fortunately this rest can be easily removed allowing you room to straighten out your left foot (I assume right, in UK & Ireland) yet at the same time providing a rest smaller rest area on the frame of the car.
Filling a Gallardo with gas		There is a problem with filling the Gallardo with gas at some gas pumps. The pump will not start or shuts off early. The problem is that the pump nozzle does not sink far enough down into the gas tank to push back the anti-vapor sheath that many pumps have. If this sheath is not pushed up the pump will cut off. In California Chevron pumps in particular seem to be the most sensitive to this requirement. A solution here is provided.
Gallardo oil leak		As I was about to go for a drive I did a quick "systems check". I saw a small amount of oil in front of the right hand side rear wheel as shown in figure 1. This turned out to be due to a leak in the engine oil cooling radiator. The repair is described here.
Replacing a transparent glass engine cover with a polycarbonate cover.		A most unusual thing happened my 05 Gallardo last week. After driving the car and letting the engine cool down for about 2-3 hours I proceeded to wash the car. Nothing special, just simple water and car soap. I dried the car and while I was winding up the garden hose I heard a cracking sound. To my amazement the whole of the engine cover glass cracked. It continued to crack into smaller and smaller pieces for about one minute. This article describes how I replaced the glass with a polycarbonate transparent engine cover.
Fixing a broken Gallardo side mirror		The side mirrors are one of the most eye catching aspects of the Gallardo. The fact that they come off the door slanting forward and then slope backwards gives a real impression of speed. However the mirror support to the door is fragile and can be easily broken. Click here to see your options
Installing a Navigation system in a Gallardo		This article describes how to install a Eclipse AVN5435 Navigation system in a Gallardo.
Installing a Radar Detecting system in a Gallardo		This article will describe how I installed two Bel 980 radar detector units in a Gallardo. The reader should first look at the write-up on this site about installing a radar detector in a Diablo. In this case we will take advantage of the excellent available location in the front radiator grill area for the front detector and the rear area in the back of the car over the muffler. In both cases these areas are covered by a plastic (non-metallic) grill that will not absorb signal strength. In fact the detectors are very sensitive in these locations. Particularly the front one where the radiator duct seems to act as a "wave guide" to focus the signal on the detector.
Installing a battery disconnect switch in a Gallardo.		The 500+ HP engine of a Gallardo is requires a good battery to crank the car. If one is working on the car with the doors open etc. running the battery down can happen easily. All older Lamborghinis had a convenient battery disconnect switch that was either in the engine area or inside the car. In later models it was a little more sophisticated in that when the battery was disconnected the radio loose its prefix settings. Unfortunately in the Gallardo there is no such switch. You have to disconnect the negative battery terminal every time. A real pain and not good for the battery itself as flexing the terminal post can weaken the battery internal structure. Fortunately there are many after-market battery "kill switches" at most auto stores. I describe here how to install one.
Gallardo OBDII Scan Codes		Just like any other North American car made after 1996 the Diablo has an "OBDII socket" for a OBDII scan tool. Government mandated rules specify that after the check engine warning light comes on due to a fault, the engine control unit must record a specific error code. The purpose of this code is to give precise information to the service technician concerning the fault to allow its repair. This section now has a special section for the Gallardo.