RE: Shed Buying Guide: Land Rover Discovery 3
Discussion
We had a fleet of these, used in hard conditions towing 3.5t trailers from Wales to Scotland, then many miles over rough tracks to site.
When they worked, they were awesome. Effortless cruising, excelling towing and unbelievable ability in the rough (on Mud Terrains, sans-trailer!).
However, running costs and reliability were shocking. £3k to change a clutch (annually, due to the towing). Suspension components quarterly (or they "corkscrew" down the road). £10k for a new engine. And worst of all, refusal to start on site in the middle of Scotland for no apparent reason.
If someone else is paying the bills, and you can live with the downtime, they are worth a punt. But if it's your own money or livihood, go elsewhere.
When they worked, they were awesome. Effortless cruising, excelling towing and unbelievable ability in the rough (on Mud Terrains, sans-trailer!).
However, running costs and reliability were shocking. £3k to change a clutch (annually, due to the towing). Suspension components quarterly (or they "corkscrew" down the road). £10k for a new engine. And worst of all, refusal to start on site in the middle of Scotland for no apparent reason.
If someone else is paying the bills, and you can live with the downtime, they are worth a punt. But if it's your own money or livihood, go elsewhere.
leedsutd1 said:
The biggest fault with these and the RR sport are the crankshaft snapping and the oil pump splitting off the engine, you can use a uprated oil pump but you need to take off the timing belt so might as well put a new one one at a specialist this job is £650..
Nothing you can do about the crank snapping and its happening to every model from 2004 to 2015 could go on to 2015 to 2019 models.
The handbrake needs servicing or will stick if it does you will get a loud squeak noise..other things to watch compressor overheating ,,will probably need a new one the AMK is mostly used as its a bigger up rated compressor. £700 fitted.
gaearbox can be flushed out and new oil £250..
The fuel tank guard is big and heavy and can rust away, budget £200,,air tank rusts ,new one is £125,also the bottom steering rack UJ can seize over night one fitted around £300,,the fan belt tensipner gets noisy to replace allow £70 to £100...propshaft uj are going now so the uj can be replaced or new prop shaft ,plus lots of electrial niggles, dont expect more than 18 to 25mpg on a 2,7 diesel,,road tax on early 2005 is around £350 ,after 2005 road tax is £550..They are money pits you need £2k in a draw for the next problem,if the engine goes just scrap it ,land rover used to charge £12 to £16k for replacment engines when they were new.
Other problems ,,windscreen electric de frost not working , heated seats not working,,elec windows and locks failing,, key not charging up,, turbo needing replacing ,,egr valves ,, dpf on later models,, sunroof leaking ,,alternator setting on fire ,,i cant be bothered listing any more faults too many
How the fNothing you can do about the crank snapping and its happening to every model from 2004 to 2015 could go on to 2015 to 2019 models.
The handbrake needs servicing or will stick if it does you will get a loud squeak noise..other things to watch compressor overheating ,,will probably need a new one the AMK is mostly used as its a bigger up rated compressor. £700 fitted.
gaearbox can be flushed out and new oil £250..
The fuel tank guard is big and heavy and can rust away, budget £200,,air tank rusts ,new one is £125,also the bottom steering rack UJ can seize over night one fitted around £300,,the fan belt tensipner gets noisy to replace allow £70 to £100...propshaft uj are going now so the uj can be replaced or new prop shaft ,plus lots of electrial niggles, dont expect more than 18 to 25mpg on a 2,7 diesel,,road tax on early 2005 is around £350 ,after 2005 road tax is £550..They are money pits you need £2k in a draw for the next problem,if the engine goes just scrap it ,land rover used to charge £12 to £16k for replacment engines when they were new.
Other problems ,,windscreen electric de frost not working , heated seats not working,,elec windows and locks failing,, key not charging up,, turbo needing replacing ,,egr valves ,, dpf on later models,, sunroof leaking ,,alternator setting on fire ,,i cant be bothered listing any more faults too many
k are LR still operating?!Fastchas said:
leedsutd1 said:
The biggest fault with these and the RR sport are the crankshaft snapping and the oil pump splitting off the engine, you can use a uprated oil pump but you need to take off the timing belt so might as well put a new one one at a specialist this job is £650..
Nothing you can do about the crank snapping and its happening to every model from 2004 to 2015 could go on to 2015 to 2019 models.
The handbrake needs servicing or will stick if it does you will get a loud squeak noise..other things to watch compressor overheating ,,will probably need a new one the AMK is mostly used as its a bigger up rated compressor. £700 fitted.
gaearbox can be flushed out and new oil £250..
The fuel tank guard is big and heavy and can rust away, budget £200,,air tank rusts ,new one is £125,also the bottom steering rack UJ can seize over night one fitted around £300,,the fan belt tensipner gets noisy to replace allow £70 to £100...propshaft uj are going now so the uj can be replaced or new prop shaft ,plus lots of electrial niggles, dont expect more than 18 to 25mpg on a 2,7 diesel,,road tax on early 2005 is around £350 ,after 2005 road tax is £550..They are money pits you need £2k in a draw for the next problem,if the engine goes just scrap it ,land rover used to charge £12 to £16k for replacment engines when they were new.
Other problems ,,windscreen electric de frost not working , heated seats not working,,elec windows and locks failing,, key not charging up,, turbo needing replacing ,,egr valves ,, dpf on later models,, sunroof leaking ,,alternator setting on fire ,,i cant be bothered listing any more faults too many
How the fNothing you can do about the crank snapping and its happening to every model from 2004 to 2015 could go on to 2015 to 2019 models.
The handbrake needs servicing or will stick if it does you will get a loud squeak noise..other things to watch compressor overheating ,,will probably need a new one the AMK is mostly used as its a bigger up rated compressor. £700 fitted.
gaearbox can be flushed out and new oil £250..
The fuel tank guard is big and heavy and can rust away, budget £200,,air tank rusts ,new one is £125,also the bottom steering rack UJ can seize over night one fitted around £300,,the fan belt tensipner gets noisy to replace allow £70 to £100...propshaft uj are going now so the uj can be replaced or new prop shaft ,plus lots of electrial niggles, dont expect more than 18 to 25mpg on a 2,7 diesel,,road tax on early 2005 is around £350 ,after 2005 road tax is £550..They are money pits you need £2k in a draw for the next problem,if the engine goes just scrap it ,land rover used to charge £12 to £16k for replacment engines when they were new.
Other problems ,,windscreen electric de frost not working , heated seats not working,,elec windows and locks failing,, key not charging up,, turbo needing replacing ,,egr valves ,, dpf on later models,, sunroof leaking ,,alternator setting on fire ,,i cant be bothered listing any more faults too many
k are LR still operating?!I can’t explain it, Land Rovers from the outside look like a money pit but once you own one you no longer care.
They are always at the bottom of reliability but have some of the highest return rate of customers. I think there’s also some stupid stat about the highest % of cars still running, might be the defenders though.
BenNC2 said:
Other than fuel economy, I’m not sure why the 4.4 V8 was discounted so quickly in the article. The D3 is the only 4x4 in my price bracket that I had any amount of ‘love’ for but the general diesel issues with my driving pattern and the more specific TDV6 issues had put me off. The V8 engine doesn’t really suffer from reliability issues and my annual mileage means I that the mpg isn’t too much of a concern. I picked one up in January and so far I’m really pleased.
It does seem like a good choice instead of the diseisel if your mileage is low, quite a few about for similar money as the diesels as well.Slow said:
Fastchas said:
leedsutd1 said:
The biggest fault with these and the RR sport are the crankshaft snapping and the oil pump splitting off the engine, you can use a uprated oil pump but you need to take off the timing belt so might as well put a new one one at a specialist this job is £650..
Nothing you can do about the crank snapping and its happening to every model from 2004 to 2015 could go on to 2015 to 2019 models.
The handbrake needs servicing or will stick if it does you will get a loud squeak noise..other things to watch compressor overheating ,,will probably need a new one the AMK is mostly used as its a bigger up rated compressor. £700 fitted.
gaearbox can be flushed out and new oil £250..
The fuel tank guard is big and heavy and can rust away, budget £200,,air tank rusts ,new one is £125,also the bottom steering rack UJ can seize over night one fitted around £300,,the fan belt tensipner gets noisy to replace allow £70 to £100...propshaft uj are going now so the uj can be replaced or new prop shaft ,plus lots of electrial niggles, dont expect more than 18 to 25mpg on a 2,7 diesel,,road tax on early 2005 is around £350 ,after 2005 road tax is £550..They are money pits you need £2k in a draw for the next problem,if the engine goes just scrap it ,land rover used to charge £12 to £16k for replacment engines when they were new.
Other problems ,,windscreen electric de frost not working , heated seats not working,,elec windows and locks failing,, key not charging up,, turbo needing replacing ,,egr valves ,, dpf on later models,, sunroof leaking ,,alternator setting on fire ,,i cant be bothered listing any more faults too many
How the fNothing you can do about the crank snapping and its happening to every model from 2004 to 2015 could go on to 2015 to 2019 models.
The handbrake needs servicing or will stick if it does you will get a loud squeak noise..other things to watch compressor overheating ,,will probably need a new one the AMK is mostly used as its a bigger up rated compressor. £700 fitted.
gaearbox can be flushed out and new oil £250..
The fuel tank guard is big and heavy and can rust away, budget £200,,air tank rusts ,new one is £125,also the bottom steering rack UJ can seize over night one fitted around £300,,the fan belt tensipner gets noisy to replace allow £70 to £100...propshaft uj are going now so the uj can be replaced or new prop shaft ,plus lots of electrial niggles, dont expect more than 18 to 25mpg on a 2,7 diesel,,road tax on early 2005 is around £350 ,after 2005 road tax is £550..They are money pits you need £2k in a draw for the next problem,if the engine goes just scrap it ,land rover used to charge £12 to £16k for replacment engines when they were new.
Other problems ,,windscreen electric de frost not working , heated seats not working,,elec windows and locks failing,, key not charging up,, turbo needing replacing ,,egr valves ,, dpf on later models,, sunroof leaking ,,alternator setting on fire ,,i cant be bothered listing any more faults too many
k are LR still operating?!I can’t explain it, Land Rovers from the outside look like a money pit but once you own one you no longer care.
They are always at the bottom of reliability but have some of the highest return rate of customers. I think there’s also some stupid stat about the highest % of cars still running, might be the defenders though.
Funny how these threads go and it's always the same about ANY Land Rover product. The Discovery now appears to be the model of choice for internet bashing. I guess everyone has moved on from the P38. The truth is that if they were really as bad as made out by some on here there would be none on the road and all would be scrapped. Out in the real world it's the opposite as seeing a Discovery 3 is pretty much a daily occurrence, they are quite common.
deadline21 said:
I love the way journalists make a joke out of 'best to make friends with a local mechanic' or 'get used to warning light failures' - no where does anyone ever tell the truth about these.
Shed said:
Shed remembers the first time he drove a Disco 3. It was What Car?'s long-term test vehicle, run by the editor of the moment. Shed is fairly sure it was a £41,995 top-spec HSE.
DaveEvs said:
If someone else is paying the bills, and you can live with the downtime, they are worth a punt.
Journos love Land Rovers, because they get a brand new top spec car that they can give back after 6-9 months, with JLR swiftly taking care of any issues that arise. A brand new Disco or Range Rover with everything working is a lovely thing, and it's no surprise that journos fall for their charms.Great article, BTW. Love the looks of the Disco 3 but don't have the lifestyle needs to justify the cost of running one.
We've had ours for about 7 years now - it is a 2006 HSE. I originally did about 25k a year, but it has been the wife's car for the last 3 or 4 years and does far fewer miles.
It looks like it has averaged £2000 a year in maintenance regardless of mileage. I paid £16k, and it's probably worth £6k now so depreciation has been pretty good for 100,000 miles of hard use.
Ours has done everything - driven through floods, towed everything from Caterhams to diggers and shredders to caravans, and has pulled trees out of the ground. It's had kids throw up in it and had sheep in the back.
It's been expensive to run, but I don't think it is too bad - overall it has cost about 50p a mile to run, which is absolutely fine when diesel makes up half of that.
Every time I think of selling it something goes wrong, so I may as well fix it and keep it - last year it was a noisy a/c compressor and failed doors locks, this year the gearbox and various suspension joints will need doing, so it will probably be a £3k to £4k year. However, it is now on 170k and drives as well as ever, so I may as well keep it. The cost to change to a D4 or D5 isn't worth it as it still drives really well in all conditions.
Just don't buy one if you expect it to cost the same as a Fiesta to run!!
It looks like it has averaged £2000 a year in maintenance regardless of mileage. I paid £16k, and it's probably worth £6k now so depreciation has been pretty good for 100,000 miles of hard use.
Ours has done everything - driven through floods, towed everything from Caterhams to diggers and shredders to caravans, and has pulled trees out of the ground. It's had kids throw up in it and had sheep in the back.
It's been expensive to run, but I don't think it is too bad - overall it has cost about 50p a mile to run, which is absolutely fine when diesel makes up half of that.
Every time I think of selling it something goes wrong, so I may as well fix it and keep it - last year it was a noisy a/c compressor and failed doors locks, this year the gearbox and various suspension joints will need doing, so it will probably be a £3k to £4k year. However, it is now on 170k and drives as well as ever, so I may as well keep it. The cost to change to a D4 or D5 isn't worth it as it still drives really well in all conditions.
Just don't buy one if you expect it to cost the same as a Fiesta to run!!
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Went from a Disco 2 TD5 to the Cayenne due to all the horror stories about the 3 .... made sure the coolant pipes had been upgraded to metal ( plastic ones split and huge bill follows ) Time will tell ..... put 15k on so far without issues... have towed caravan as well
Interesting times ( with fingers crossed )
My wife has a 4.2 SC RRS (which is basically the same car in a party dress) which has a very common fault for these - ruddy HVAC blend motors.
Had a problem under warranty which was fixed about 3 years, now its back again.
Simple(ish) job to do if you have a couple of days & lots & lots of space - other wise like for us its going to be an almost £1000 job.
We both love driving the thing - but it is getting to the point of the better half saying enough is enough & we end up with something less 'characterful' - which will be a shame...
Had a problem under warranty which was fixed about 3 years, now its back again.
Simple(ish) job to do if you have a couple of days & lots & lots of space - other wise like for us its going to be an almost £1000 job.
We both love driving the thing - but it is getting to the point of the better half saying enough is enough & we end up with something less 'characterful' - which will be a shame...
quavey said:
I was fairly sure the worst problem with these is crankshaft failure on the V6 diesel? But no mention in the buying guide.
Yep. Mine went at 55,000 miles and 5 years.
I am told the shells had a habit of slipping and cutting off the oil feed. Not sure if this is correct, but apparently later engines had the shells keyed so they wouldn't go a wandering. it was covered under the extended warranty but the local LR dealer was a weapons grade arse so it had to go to an indy.
It was an imperious beat to drive, but the running costs and as others have said, propensity to bathe you in the soft orange and red glow of warning lights was all to common.
I've owned a few Disco 2's (and Land Rovers generally) and they were all very reliable. The last one I sold (which I regret) was an 04 plate ES premium with 45,000 miles that I bought as a part-exchange. Full Land Rover History and a lovely truck. One of the few cars I've made money on when I sold it in 2017 - the phone rang off the hook.
I've toyed with a Disco 3 so many times. The LR techs I worked with said that the one to go for was a late model 3 as they were well sorted by the time they evolved into the 4. Each time I've backed away due to the terrible reliability and big bills potential.
Having owned one previously I decided to opt for another A6 Allroad, which I've always thought does 98% of what a Discovery can do. Price point for a lower mileage car in good nick was well below the Disco as well.
That still doesn't stop me looking though when a sub £10k Disco 3 comes up with HSE trim in Green and low miles.
Enjoyed the article as well..... if only to confirm that I should continue to let my head rule my heart.
I've toyed with a Disco 3 so many times. The LR techs I worked with said that the one to go for was a late model 3 as they were well sorted by the time they evolved into the 4. Each time I've backed away due to the terrible reliability and big bills potential.
Having owned one previously I decided to opt for another A6 Allroad, which I've always thought does 98% of what a Discovery can do. Price point for a lower mileage car in good nick was well below the Disco as well.
That still doesn't stop me looking though when a sub £10k Disco 3 comes up with HSE trim in Green and low miles.
Enjoyed the article as well..... if only to confirm that I should continue to let my head rule my heart.
br1anuk said:
300bhp/ton said:
EazyDuz said:
Get a Landrcruiser
LC's are cool, but look rather fugly. They also don't have the same breadth of abilities.The ability to break down every month?
Ive read the newest ones arent as strong as the old stuff was/still is though.
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