Thirsty Discovery and Z4 thread
Discussion
bolidemichael said:
I'm pretty sure that's Wandsworth, which would put you a stone's throw from my office. Come on down to Garratt Lane for a coffee and a natter!
A keen eye indeed.I don't live terribly close (Tooting/Balham), so visits to the tip are a rare pleasure.
We should compare notes on the Discovery and your Range at some point.
C70R said:
bolidemichael said:
I'm pretty sure that's Wandsworth, which would put you a stone's throw from my office. Come on down to Garratt Lane for a coffee and a natter!
A keen eye indeed.I don't live terribly close (Tooting/Balham), so visits to the tip are a rare pleasure.
We should compare notes on the Discovery and your Range at some point.
As we start to gradually move a few bits into the house we've bought in North Norfolk, the Discovery is proving an excellent workhorse.
The clever 'double fold' mechanism for the second row leaves a completely flat floor, and a cavernous space for loading hefty objects.
It will have done around 600 miles in 5 days when we eventually head back to London this evening, and it's been pretty effortless stuff (if not a tad painful at the pumps). That being said, I did manage to squeeze 420 miles out of a tank on mainly motorways and A-roads, which equates to about 23mpg according to my fag packet maths. Not the end of the world.
I also feel like it looks much more at home in the countryside than pottering around the mean streets of SW London.
The clever 'double fold' mechanism for the second row leaves a completely flat floor, and a cavernous space for loading hefty objects.
It will have done around 600 miles in 5 days when we eventually head back to London this evening, and it's been pretty effortless stuff (if not a tad painful at the pumps). That being said, I did manage to squeeze 420 miles out of a tank on mainly motorways and A-roads, which equates to about 23mpg according to my fag packet maths. Not the end of the world.
I also feel like it looks much more at home in the countryside than pottering around the mean streets of SW London.
C70R said:
The clever 'double fold' mechanism for the second row leaves a completely flat floor, and a cavernous space for loading hefty objects.
IIRC - 1.98m from tailgate to cubby box. 
I'm assuming you found that when you fold the seats flat, there are a couple of toggles to hold the load-space cover??
M
camel_landy said:
C70R said:
The clever 'double fold' mechanism for the second row leaves a completely flat floor, and a cavernous space for loading hefty objects.
IIRC - 1.98m from tailgate to cubby box. I'm assuming you found that when you fold the seats flat, there are a couple of toggles to hold the load-space cover??
M
I also found that the fridge works really well by accidentally turning it on while storing my sunglasses. I couldn't figure out the source of the whirring noise until I took my sunglasses out again.
The Discovery has been providing exceptional service shuttling kit between London and Norfolk for the past few weeks, and economy on a 70mph run seems tolerable (400 miles on a tank is realistic). It's also proven an excellent tool for hacking around country lanes - the suspension absorbs the rough bits, the driving position helps me plan ahead, and the directional lights are great at spotting suicidal pheasants.
True to form it's back at the garage, again. Even though the massive suspension overhaul improved the issues, I'm still seeing some sinking on the front-right when left for longer periods. Luckily the garage have agreed to rectify without charging me, as this is their third go at it (having already replaced the expensive bits).
I've also asked them to address a couple of little niggly bits while they have it. The driver's sunroof drain is full of cr*p, and I had a slightly soggy carpet after a recent monsoon. I tried clearing myself, but the shape of the tubes made it quite annoying. One of the bonnet catches isn't latching properly, which results in a little bit of movement in the bonnet at motorway speeds. I've also asked them to check the gearbox oil level, as some of the shifts (particularly when cold) aren't as smooth as I'd like.
After a saga with registration plates (the previous owner's widow decided she wanted to keep his private plate at the last minute, but had lost the v5), it's finally registered in my name and wearing my private plate.
Here's to continued good service. Photo was taken during some extreme off-roading (the car park at my local was full, so I had to park on the verge opposite).
True to form it's back at the garage, again. Even though the massive suspension overhaul improved the issues, I'm still seeing some sinking on the front-right when left for longer periods. Luckily the garage have agreed to rectify without charging me, as this is their third go at it (having already replaced the expensive bits).
I've also asked them to address a couple of little niggly bits while they have it. The driver's sunroof drain is full of cr*p, and I had a slightly soggy carpet after a recent monsoon. I tried clearing myself, but the shape of the tubes made it quite annoying. One of the bonnet catches isn't latching properly, which results in a little bit of movement in the bonnet at motorway speeds. I've also asked them to check the gearbox oil level, as some of the shifts (particularly when cold) aren't as smooth as I'd like.
After a saga with registration plates (the previous owner's widow decided she wanted to keep his private plate at the last minute, but had lost the v5), it's finally registered in my name and wearing my private plate.
Here's to continued good service. Photo was taken during some extreme off-roading (the car park at my local was full, so I had to park on the verge opposite).
The drains are a known and common issue.
They changed the design of the exit nozzle as the old one would get clogged with dirt and wouldn’t drain.
The exit for the drivers drain is behind the grill in the drivers wing.
The passenger one is behind the wheel arch.
I changed both drains to the newer ones, they weren’t expensive brand new.
The passenger one is a baw ache, it’s awful as you need to remove a fuse board behind the glove box, you’ll get plenty of cuts and scratches getting it fitted. I know I did.
Air leak, soapy bubbles and spray all of the air bag and lines. You’ll find the leak from that and save the parts cannon.
400 is a good range from a v8. I would be happy with that.
They changed the design of the exit nozzle as the old one would get clogged with dirt and wouldn’t drain.
The exit for the drivers drain is behind the grill in the drivers wing.
The passenger one is behind the wheel arch.
I changed both drains to the newer ones, they weren’t expensive brand new.
The passenger one is a baw ache, it’s awful as you need to remove a fuse board behind the glove box, you’ll get plenty of cuts and scratches getting it fitted. I know I did.
Air leak, soapy bubbles and spray all of the air bag and lines. You’ll find the leak from that and save the parts cannon.
400 is a good range from a v8. I would be happy with that.
A.J.M said:
The drains are a known and common issue.
They changed the design of the exit nozzle as the old one would get clogged with dirt and wouldn’t drain.
The exit for the drivers drain is behind the grill in the drivers wing.
The passenger one is behind the wheel arch.
I changed both drains to the newer ones, they weren’t expensive brand new.
The passenger one is a baw ache, it’s awful as you need to remove a fuse board behind the glove box, you’ll get plenty of cuts and scratches getting it fitted. I know I did.
Air leak, soapy bubbles and spray all of the air bag and lines. You’ll find the leak from that and save the parts cannon.
400 is a good range from a v8. I would be happy with that.
I managed to clear the exit drain, but poking a strimmer wire up revealed it was full of silt. They changed the design of the exit nozzle as the old one would get clogged with dirt and wouldn’t drain.
The exit for the drivers drain is behind the grill in the drivers wing.
The passenger one is behind the wheel arch.
I changed both drains to the newer ones, they weren’t expensive brand new.
The passenger one is a baw ache, it’s awful as you need to remove a fuse board behind the glove box, you’ll get plenty of cuts and scratches getting it fitted. I know I did.
Air leak, soapy bubbles and spray all of the air bag and lines. You’ll find the leak from that and save the parts cannon.
400 is a good range from a v8. I would be happy with that.
I'm deliberately giving the car back to the specialist to do the suspension, because I don't expect to pay for additional work to fix something they've tried twice to rectify already. They (RR London) are a good bunch, and they get a kick out of working on a relatively rare variant, but they are also body expensive and I expect expertise to come with that expense.
The economy is pretty much in line with what is prepared myself for. Pottering around London results in 8-10mpg, but 23mpg on a run is entirely bearable.
Well, as it continued to sag a tiny amount on the front-right when left for longer periods, back to the garage it went. The ride height sensor was replaced, and it was left overnight with the battery disconnected for some sort of recalibration, which appears to have done the trick.
While they had it I asked them to clear the driver's side sunroof drain, adjust the right hand bonnet catch (disconcerting to see it moving on the motorway) and check the gearbox oil level. I also asked them to look at a little rattle from the compressor area, which turned out to be a heatshield.
They ended up squeezing a dribble more fluid in and clearing the adaptations on the gearbox, which was against the advice of the previous specialist who did the fluid and filter change. It's absolutely transformed the way the car drives. Gone is the slight rev fluctuation when cold, gone is the jerky shift from 1>2, gone is the irritating jerky kickdown from 6>5 when encountering a motorway incline on cruise.
That little lot was done free of charge, as a goodwill gesture for not having resolved the suspension issue previously. Fair play to RR London, they aren't the cheapest but their customer service ethic is absolutely on the money.
As if to repay me for my efforts, the upper windscreen trim/seal decided to part company with its groove and flap around like a dying fish on the motorway. Thankfully that fix is probably within the scope of my limited talents.
While they had it I asked them to clear the driver's side sunroof drain, adjust the right hand bonnet catch (disconcerting to see it moving on the motorway) and check the gearbox oil level. I also asked them to look at a little rattle from the compressor area, which turned out to be a heatshield.
They ended up squeezing a dribble more fluid in and clearing the adaptations on the gearbox, which was against the advice of the previous specialist who did the fluid and filter change. It's absolutely transformed the way the car drives. Gone is the slight rev fluctuation when cold, gone is the jerky shift from 1>2, gone is the irritating jerky kickdown from 6>5 when encountering a motorway incline on cruise.
That little lot was done free of charge, as a goodwill gesture for not having resolved the suspension issue previously. Fair play to RR London, they aren't the cheapest but their customer service ethic is absolutely on the money.
As if to repay me for my efforts, the upper windscreen trim/seal decided to part company with its groove and flap around like a dying fish on the motorway. Thankfully that fix is probably within the scope of my limited talents.
C70R said:
They ended up squeezing a dribble more fluid in and clearing the adaptations on the gearbox, which was against the advice of the previous specialist who did the fluid and filter change. It's absolutely transformed the way the car drives. Gone is the slight rev fluctuation when cold, gone is the jerky shift from 1>2, gone is the irritating jerky kickdown from 6>5 when encountering a motorway incline on cruise
To me the fluctuation on the rev counter is your torque converter on its way out and no amount of resetting the box or even changing the oil will fix that. However they can actually go on for quite a while like that. Next step is juddering under load. Mine did a little bit of that sometimes
Common trend is to chuck some anti judder in there. I've never been a fan of that. TC replacement is around £1200 drive in drive out and you aren't far from Planet Gears and they have a solid reputation in LR circles. Some people have seen 20k extra life out of the box with anti judder.
If the TC has goosed the box, that is around £2500-3000 depending whats wrong with it.
bakerstreet said:
C70R said:
They ended up squeezing a dribble more fluid in and clearing the adaptations on the gearbox, which was against the advice of the previous specialist who did the fluid and filter change. It's absolutely transformed the way the car drives. Gone is the slight rev fluctuation when cold, gone is the jerky shift from 1>2, gone is the irritating jerky kickdown from 6>5 when encountering a motorway incline on cruise
To me the fluctuation on the rev counter is your torque converter on its way out and no amount of resetting the box or even changing the oil will fix that. However they can actually go on for quite a while like that. Next step is juddering under load. Mine did a little bit of that sometimes
Common trend is to chuck some anti judder in there. I've never been a fan of that. TC replacement is around £1200 drive in drive out and you aren't far from Planet Gears and they have a solid reputation in LR circles. Some people have seen 20k extra life out of the box with anti judder.
If the TC has goosed the box, that is around £2500-3000 depending whats wrong with it.
Thankfully nothing to report in the past month or so. I've covered around 4,000 miles in the 3.5mths since collecting, most of which has been trucking up and down the motorway between London and Norfolk. I must get a more economical car to do that trip! (current favourite is another 3L Z4)
I had a brief moment heading back to London a couple of weeks ago when, late at night and just after brimming the tank, I found myself on a very empty A11. A quick call down to the engine room and we were cruising effortlessly at 90-something mph. The car easily pulled up to and sat very happily around this figure for a good few miles, which was a real pleasure; until I looked at the expected range.
220 miles on a full tank at 90-something mph equates to 11-12mpg.
I think I'll be sticking to my usual 70mph cruise in future.
I had a brief moment heading back to London a couple of weeks ago when, late at night and just after brimming the tank, I found myself on a very empty A11. A quick call down to the engine room and we were cruising effortlessly at 90-something mph. The car easily pulled up to and sat very happily around this figure for a good few miles, which was a real pleasure; until I looked at the expected range.
220 miles on a full tank at 90-something mph equates to 11-12mpg.
I think I'll be sticking to my usual 70mph cruise in future.
The Discovery continues to provide dutiful service, and has been a bit of a godsend during the recent cold snap. Living in an area where the council probably salt the roads once a year, it's been invaluable in getting in and out of the village.
While 2.5T on massive AT tyres isn't great at stopping on icy roads (what you can't see in the photo below is an inch of sheet ice, thanks to the banks and low winter sun), it feels like it's going to take something very serious to halt its progress.
It even permitted me to get out and do a bit of (very gentle) snowy Greenlaning on one of the many local byways.
As we're furnishing a house, we're generating absolutely loads of cardboard waste from online deliveries. Luckily, having a longer load space than most pickups made short work of our cardboard mountain.
I have resisted the urge to pack a hi-vis and flashing orange beacon so far. But for how long?
While 2.5T on massive AT tyres isn't great at stopping on icy roads (what you can't see in the photo below is an inch of sheet ice, thanks to the banks and low winter sun), it feels like it's going to take something very serious to halt its progress.
It even permitted me to get out and do a bit of (very gentle) snowy Greenlaning on one of the many local byways.
As we're furnishing a house, we're generating absolutely loads of cardboard waste from online deliveries. Luckily, having a longer load space than most pickups made short work of our cardboard mountain.
I have resisted the urge to pack a hi-vis and flashing orange beacon so far. But for how long?
One small bit of titivation planned (if I don't swap the stereo out for something with Bluetooth and DAB), and that's to reinstate the model badging on the opposite side of the boot. I'm hunting around for the correct set of "V8 HSE" badging in Brunel grey, but it looks like the only way to do it is to buy two lots ("HSE" and "V8 SE") and chop them about.
Other than that, it's hopefully going to be a case of 'use thoroughly and put away wet' until I can be bothered to give it a good clean. There's a very slight wobble under hard braking at higher speeds, but it's currently not bothering me enough to get it resolved.
Hoping to add a fun/sometime-track car early in the New Year on a fairly meagre budget (thanks, home renovations!).
ETA - looks like I can no longer reply to this topic. How odd.
Other than that, it's hopefully going to be a case of 'use thoroughly and put away wet' until I can be bothered to give it a good clean. There's a very slight wobble under hard braking at higher speeds, but it's currently not bothering me enough to get it resolved.
Hoping to add a fun/sometime-track car early in the New Year on a fairly meagre budget (thanks, home renovations!).
ETA - looks like I can no longer reply to this topic. How odd.
Edited by C70R on Thursday 16th February 17:40
So, big progress on the car.
It denotes that (according to howmanyleft.com), this is one of only ~200 of these left on the road. I'm secretly quite pleased with it, even if it's not quite the sort of thing that generates knowing nods at the petrol station.
Think I'm going to put it in for a service with the local specialist in a few weeks, as we're taking it up to Islay to a whisky festival in May. Have a quiet but distinct knock from the rear end over bigger ruts, and the brake wobble hasn't self-healed as I hoped it might. I suspect it's probably due an oil change too, so will get that one added to the list. The heater is a little bit indifferent in really cold weather, although not so much as to annoy me when the heated seats are so good.
Other than that, it soldiers on dutifully, dispelling the myth that these things like to spend their lives on the hard shoulder.
The fun news is that it's about to be joined by another Z4. I've found a lovely example of an M54-engined manual locally, and will be picking it up tomorrow evening all being well.
It denotes that (according to howmanyleft.com), this is one of only ~200 of these left on the road. I'm secretly quite pleased with it, even if it's not quite the sort of thing that generates knowing nods at the petrol station.
Think I'm going to put it in for a service with the local specialist in a few weeks, as we're taking it up to Islay to a whisky festival in May. Have a quiet but distinct knock from the rear end over bigger ruts, and the brake wobble hasn't self-healed as I hoped it might. I suspect it's probably due an oil change too, so will get that one added to the list. The heater is a little bit indifferent in really cold weather, although not so much as to annoy me when the heated seats are so good.
Other than that, it soldiers on dutifully, dispelling the myth that these things like to spend their lives on the hard shoulder.
The fun news is that it's about to be joined by another Z4. I've found a lovely example of an M54-engined manual locally, and will be picking it up tomorrow evening all being well.
Meant to add to that last post that there's something a bit mad going on with Discovery 3 V8 prices. I kept my Autotrader saved search alerts on, and like-for-like cars seem to have increased by 20-30% in the past 6mths or so. I can't see any logical reason why, particularly at a time when cost of living is so acute.
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