Time to Reappraise the Discovery 3 in 2023, 17 years later
Discussion
Its all Christian and Veras fault on the LR Time Youtube Channel.
In my mind, I had written off the Discovery 3 as being unreliable Chelsea tractors that had now sunk to the automotive depths of the old banger used car market.
How wrong I was
Needing a tow car for my old car fleet, so I started to think about another old Land Rover that would spend much of its life living in the car port waiting for weekend fun. I didn't really want to spend £70,000 on another brand new depreciating toy.
Than I remembered a long motorway drive I had in a manual gearbox LR3 in 2009. The thing had just gobbled up the miles in silence at 80 mph and 2,000rpm in 6th achieving 30 mpg. A 3.5 tonne towing limit, air suspension. A Land Rover that could go serious distance.
But they are horrifically unreliable? yes? So I forgot about it for now.
Then I stumbled across LR Time.
Christian is a proper automotive engineer who works for the main German brands. I think he makes the machines that make cars like Mercedes,
He loves the LR3, so I was curious to know why? I watched the channel and found out why the LR3 has a reputation in the trade for problems and more importantly how the problems be avoided.
I found out about infant mortality of crank shafts at 60,000 miles, the difference between the reliability of the LR3 and the LR4, oil pumps, air suspension, 5W dumbass 30 and 5W 40, and a whole host of issues that convinced me I could get myself a reliable rig for under £5k with the help of my local specialist.
I also found an interesting film about an Australian who had bolted on new Defender Steel wheels to an LR3 from a 2023 model, giving the LR3 a wider stance and a bit of lift. Road Latitude tyres are fine for me for now. A trip on Ebay found whole new take off sets of steel wheels and tyres for under £500.
So I started to look for a candidate. The idea was to have all the jobs Christian recommended done at once so the car would be reliable, drive like new and last forever.
To that end I wanted the following spec
Non HSE (who do you think I am, Hyacinth Bouquet?)
Reg date Pre March 23rd 2006- Cheap road tax and a situation that I think will get even worse.
No rust- Check the MOT history. These things rust in the floors and sills.
Mileage- not too bothered. If the lkast 60,000 miles they seem to last forever. The Highways agency ran these up to 400,000 miles before they were sold off. Christian says they can take it
Cloth Seats- because the LR3 is actually the new Defender
Manual Gearbox- because it is actually the new Defender and I dont like automatics.
7 Seats- because that is fun for the kids and airport runs for the grown ups.
Avoid Trucks- I dont want a truck that has been worked to death. I wanted a reasonable body and interior.
So I looked at a silver one advertised for £2,750. It looked presentable until I looked underneath. Rust everywhere. I walked away. I checked the MOT history afterwards and that quite clearly pointed out rust advisories in the sills and floors for years of MOTs. Should have avoided it.
I would say about 60% of the vehicles advertised had the same problem. Rust on the MOT check underneath, shiny on top.
Then I remembered I an a BCA account holder. They had 10 part exchanges in, most with 6 owners.
One however was cheap because it was pov spec. Cloth, manual, grey, March 2006, A clutch problem and one owner form new. Who keeps a car these days from 2006 to 2023??
The MOT check was clear but 173,000 miles on the clock with 11 stamps in the book.
£1,400 and 3 days later and it was sitting on my driveway having been delivered on a car transporter from Farnham.
Visually it was smart with original paint and a long crease down the side of one door. Underneath it was exceptional with no underseal and original factory finishes. The interior can only be described as mint with some dog hairs.
It drove terribly with a slipping clutch and a nasty vibration from the engine. So I Booked it in to Pete the Land Rover man.
I left it with the instructions to do everything including hot wax injecting the chassis ,sills and wheel arches.
They did everything. EGR delete, belts fuel pump belt, oil pumps, clutch and flywheel, suspension bushes, brakes and discs, fluids, filters, injector clean, tensioners, ac condenser and recharge, new gear lever rubber. About £3,000 worth. The vibration was a disintegrating flywheel.
I purchased a set of new Defender wheels and an android head unit and fitted it for sat nav and music streaming.
The local body shop took out the crease and made the body almost like new.
In the meantime I spoke to the original owner. It was a family who lived on Guildford and of all places Gibralter!, So it had literally spent its life on the motorway which is why it was good underneath. It had never even had tow bar fitted.
So what is my £5k D3 like?
[url]
Well 2,000 miles later the verdict is unanimous. Everyone loves it.
It is a superb vehicle. They are very practical and capacious.
The engine is creamy smooth, whilst not a quick car it gets up to beyond motorway speeds and is very relaxed. MPG is around the 30 mark
No squeaks, rattles groans. No bearing noises. No whistles.
Everything works, the air suspension is very comfortable.
The gear change is fantastic.
I love the chunky styling in the interior and grill on the early models too.
The rear seats give passengers and excellent view.
In all I cannot believe I have such a nice thing for such a relatively small amount of money.
So my advice is-
Yes do it, if you are careful.
Do it now before the D3 becomes the new "Defender"
Oh, and they are fairly flipping enormous too.
|https://thumbsnap.com/FvREcrVG[/url]
In my mind, I had written off the Discovery 3 as being unreliable Chelsea tractors that had now sunk to the automotive depths of the old banger used car market.
How wrong I was
Needing a tow car for my old car fleet, so I started to think about another old Land Rover that would spend much of its life living in the car port waiting for weekend fun. I didn't really want to spend £70,000 on another brand new depreciating toy.
Than I remembered a long motorway drive I had in a manual gearbox LR3 in 2009. The thing had just gobbled up the miles in silence at 80 mph and 2,000rpm in 6th achieving 30 mpg. A 3.5 tonne towing limit, air suspension. A Land Rover that could go serious distance.
But they are horrifically unreliable? yes? So I forgot about it for now.
Then I stumbled across LR Time.
Christian is a proper automotive engineer who works for the main German brands. I think he makes the machines that make cars like Mercedes,
He loves the LR3, so I was curious to know why? I watched the channel and found out why the LR3 has a reputation in the trade for problems and more importantly how the problems be avoided.
I found out about infant mortality of crank shafts at 60,000 miles, the difference between the reliability of the LR3 and the LR4, oil pumps, air suspension, 5W dumbass 30 and 5W 40, and a whole host of issues that convinced me I could get myself a reliable rig for under £5k with the help of my local specialist.
I also found an interesting film about an Australian who had bolted on new Defender Steel wheels to an LR3 from a 2023 model, giving the LR3 a wider stance and a bit of lift. Road Latitude tyres are fine for me for now. A trip on Ebay found whole new take off sets of steel wheels and tyres for under £500.
So I started to look for a candidate. The idea was to have all the jobs Christian recommended done at once so the car would be reliable, drive like new and last forever.
To that end I wanted the following spec
Non HSE (who do you think I am, Hyacinth Bouquet?)
Reg date Pre March 23rd 2006- Cheap road tax and a situation that I think will get even worse.
No rust- Check the MOT history. These things rust in the floors and sills.
Mileage- not too bothered. If the lkast 60,000 miles they seem to last forever. The Highways agency ran these up to 400,000 miles before they were sold off. Christian says they can take it
Cloth Seats- because the LR3 is actually the new Defender
Manual Gearbox- because it is actually the new Defender and I dont like automatics.
7 Seats- because that is fun for the kids and airport runs for the grown ups.
Avoid Trucks- I dont want a truck that has been worked to death. I wanted a reasonable body and interior.
So I looked at a silver one advertised for £2,750. It looked presentable until I looked underneath. Rust everywhere. I walked away. I checked the MOT history afterwards and that quite clearly pointed out rust advisories in the sills and floors for years of MOTs. Should have avoided it.
I would say about 60% of the vehicles advertised had the same problem. Rust on the MOT check underneath, shiny on top.
Then I remembered I an a BCA account holder. They had 10 part exchanges in, most with 6 owners.
One however was cheap because it was pov spec. Cloth, manual, grey, March 2006, A clutch problem and one owner form new. Who keeps a car these days from 2006 to 2023??
The MOT check was clear but 173,000 miles on the clock with 11 stamps in the book.
£1,400 and 3 days later and it was sitting on my driveway having been delivered on a car transporter from Farnham.
Visually it was smart with original paint and a long crease down the side of one door. Underneath it was exceptional with no underseal and original factory finishes. The interior can only be described as mint with some dog hairs.
It drove terribly with a slipping clutch and a nasty vibration from the engine. So I Booked it in to Pete the Land Rover man.
I left it with the instructions to do everything including hot wax injecting the chassis ,sills and wheel arches.
They did everything. EGR delete, belts fuel pump belt, oil pumps, clutch and flywheel, suspension bushes, brakes and discs, fluids, filters, injector clean, tensioners, ac condenser and recharge, new gear lever rubber. About £3,000 worth. The vibration was a disintegrating flywheel.
I purchased a set of new Defender wheels and an android head unit and fitted it for sat nav and music streaming.
The local body shop took out the crease and made the body almost like new.
In the meantime I spoke to the original owner. It was a family who lived on Guildford and of all places Gibralter!, So it had literally spent its life on the motorway which is why it was good underneath. It had never even had tow bar fitted.
So what is my £5k D3 like?
[url]Well 2,000 miles later the verdict is unanimous. Everyone loves it.
It is a superb vehicle. They are very practical and capacious.
The engine is creamy smooth, whilst not a quick car it gets up to beyond motorway speeds and is very relaxed. MPG is around the 30 mark
No squeaks, rattles groans. No bearing noises. No whistles.
Everything works, the air suspension is very comfortable.
The gear change is fantastic.
I love the chunky styling in the interior and grill on the early models too.
The rear seats give passengers and excellent view.
In all I cannot believe I have such a nice thing for such a relatively small amount of money.
So my advice is-
Yes do it, if you are careful.
Do it now before the D3 becomes the new "Defender"
Oh, and they are fairly flipping enormous too.
|https://thumbsnap.com/FvREcrVG[/url]Edited by politeperson on Tuesday 4th July 19:21
The start of my love affair with Discos! I had a manual ‘GS’ to start with but really hated it off road due to a complete lack of ability on my part. Auto box on the Disco 4 made it so easy!
I do keep looking at base spec 2.7 litre D4s from 2009 with a view to taking it to Seat Surgeons in York and getting some nice tan leather upholstery. I think that would be a great combo; less risk of crank snappage with the older engine but with the improvements of the D4.
I do keep looking at base spec 2.7 litre D4s from 2009 with a view to taking it to Seat Surgeons in York and getting some nice tan leather upholstery. I think that would be a great combo; less risk of crank snappage with the older engine but with the improvements of the D4.
The LR3 is still performing perfectly I am pleased to say.
If you are thinking of buying one, this excellent video explains the main thing to look for, Rust in the sills, not no much the frame.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-1aIQM0f8U
If you are thinking of buying one, this excellent video explains the main thing to look for, Rust in the sills, not no much the frame.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-1aIQM0f8U
A good D3 is a brilliant car to have.
It’s why I’ve kept mine for 11 years now and truthfully, I’ll be doing everything I can to keep it for as long as I can.
It’s away getting similar treatment to what LR time are doing to theirs, with the added bonus of new outer sills and back arches due to the Scottish climate attacking them. But it is currently body off frame and it’s all getting rubbed down and treated to protect it long term with Dinitrol.
Mines a 2004 registered HSE auto in silver with black interior.
Drove my bosses 05 S manual back in 2011 before I got mine and loved the car, the size and the air suspension.
Hated the seats, gearbox and the lack of sunroofs.
A good remap really brings out the best of the engine.
I’ve got a BAS map on mine and it’s extra 30bhp and increase in torque in low and mid range makes it a much better car.
A friend got an Alive map for his, which gave 240bhp but all the gains were at the top end which didn’t suit his driving style so he hated it.
Next year mine will get a full respray to sort the paintwork out and then an autobox rebuild and it will be back to how I want it.
It’s why I’ve kept mine for 11 years now and truthfully, I’ll be doing everything I can to keep it for as long as I can.
It’s away getting similar treatment to what LR time are doing to theirs, with the added bonus of new outer sills and back arches due to the Scottish climate attacking them. But it is currently body off frame and it’s all getting rubbed down and treated to protect it long term with Dinitrol.
Mines a 2004 registered HSE auto in silver with black interior.
Drove my bosses 05 S manual back in 2011 before I got mine and loved the car, the size and the air suspension.
Hated the seats, gearbox and the lack of sunroofs.
A good remap really brings out the best of the engine.
I’ve got a BAS map on mine and it’s extra 30bhp and increase in torque in low and mid range makes it a much better car.
A friend got an Alive map for his, which gave 240bhp but all the gains were at the top end which didn’t suit his driving style so he hated it.
Next year mine will get a full respray to sort the paintwork out and then an autobox rebuild and it will be back to how I want it.
The D3 is a great car. A late model with the colour coded arches and early D4 wheels are very desirable on the used market and the 2.7 engine is considerably better than 3.0 in the D4 in terms of reliability. Even with another 40bhp extra, they are still pretty damn slow and the glow plugs issue can be a real PITA in the cold weather.
The OP has certainly done the right thing and bought really cheap as they cost a lot to maintain. Gearbox and cross over pipe are some of the frightening ones along with suspension and the god awful handbrake.
The D3 is a great bit of design though. Very spacious, comfortable and superb family transport.
I'm not surprised the family love either. I have owned about 20 cars and the D3 was Mrs BakerStreet's favourite up till when I bought a Range Rover, but that has been quite headache and I could well be selling that as S&R fairly soon if the Airbag ECU can't be fixed. Don't even want to think how much that has cost me over the 15 months I've had it.
The OP has certainly done the right thing and bought really cheap as they cost a lot to maintain. Gearbox and cross over pipe are some of the frightening ones along with suspension and the god awful handbrake.
The D3 is a great bit of design though. Very spacious, comfortable and superb family transport.
I'm not surprised the family love either. I have owned about 20 cars and the D3 was Mrs BakerStreet's favourite up till when I bought a Range Rover, but that has been quite headache and I could well be selling that as S&R fairly soon if the Airbag ECU can't be fixed. Don't even want to think how much that has cost me over the 15 months I've had it.
I've had a 2005 4.4 V8 HSE in black with the almond interior for the last 2 and a bit years. One owner from new with 3 inches of receipts, including the original order form! Non silver and HSE and relatively local meant sourcing it took a while as most seem to be silver SE spec.
Tinted glass, adaptive headlamps, roof mounted DVD (!), rear air con and side steps / lamp guards were the options. I've added an Alexa auto to keep things original and somewhat useable in the modern world
I've replaced the air suspension pump / tank and if's had a thorough service / checkover with a little list of non-important stuff to do.
Closing fast on 170k miles
Tinted glass, adaptive headlamps, roof mounted DVD (!), rear air con and side steps / lamp guards were the options. I've added an Alexa auto to keep things original and somewhat useable in the modern world
I've replaced the air suspension pump / tank and if's had a thorough service / checkover with a little list of non-important stuff to do.
Closing fast on 170k miles
Sorry Miniman,
Missed your post.
Not me I am afraid wasnt me.
Quick update. Defenderising the Disco 3 continues.
The car has been great, loads of use. Everyone who uses it loves it no matter what they are coming from.
It has been used for towing, all 7 seats have been used and it has been all over on local roads and motorways.
How it defrosts so quickly is brilliant and you could roast a chicken on the heated seats. Definitely built with hard use in difficult places in mind.
MPGs are 30-32.
I changed the rubber to 275/65 18 Grabbers, which definitely help off road and are not noisy, even at 80mph + on the motorway.
I also made a decision which my German friends would not approve of.
The 18 year old air suspension kept producing dash lights. I did persevere, including diagnostics, wiring and ride height sensors but in the end I decided to change it completely, with lots of well priced options available for me to chose from.
I ordered a Terrafirma strut kit for £800 with the electronic box to keep the car happy and fitted it all one Saturday morning.
All 4 airbags came out easily - no seized bolts with the Gibraltar life this car has lead. There is very little corrosion all round if any I can see.
The new struts bolted straight in, I made a crowfoot spanner/socket for the difficult top nuts at the front. The defeat box lives under the dash near the headlight switch and was 10 minutes work to add. All simple stuff.
The result is no dash bongs, a slightly raised ride height as I have the 2 inch lift.
I cannot really notice much/any difference from being air sprung. I still have my off road drive modes but the ability to go up and down has gone.
Had a couple of services, keeping the 5W40 oil. I decided to change all the brake discs. A complete set with and sensors was £150. We did the hand brake pads as well. Yes £150 to change the discs pads and sensors on a "luxury" SUV! Brilliant.
I had a problem with the car going into limp over 2,500 revs. This was fixed at the last service and turned out the be a sticky turbo actuator. All good now.
I notice the new Land Cruiser is out. Its about the same weight, size and dare I say it style, with similar engine output and 7 seat option. Not sure I want all those electronics. No manual option though. Much nicer maybe but £80k.
For anyone thinking of buying an early Disco 3, there are 2 things to remember, as everything else can be fixed if you know how..
1) Date of registration. Look for the 23rd of March 2006 or before. Newer than that and you run the risk of being taxed off the road, as before this date the the exemption for VED Band K . That little nugget doesn't even appear on the RAC page on tax rates!
2) Rust. Look closely at the floors, outer sills and frame before you commit as these poor old things can suffer.
I think that this is the car we all take for granted as there are so many on the roads that we have become snow blind to them.
Missed your post.
Not me I am afraid wasnt me.
Quick update. Defenderising the Disco 3 continues.
The car has been great, loads of use. Everyone who uses it loves it no matter what they are coming from.
It has been used for towing, all 7 seats have been used and it has been all over on local roads and motorways.
How it defrosts so quickly is brilliant and you could roast a chicken on the heated seats. Definitely built with hard use in difficult places in mind.
MPGs are 30-32.
I changed the rubber to 275/65 18 Grabbers, which definitely help off road and are not noisy, even at 80mph + on the motorway.
I also made a decision which my German friends would not approve of.
The 18 year old air suspension kept producing dash lights. I did persevere, including diagnostics, wiring and ride height sensors but in the end I decided to change it completely, with lots of well priced options available for me to chose from.
I ordered a Terrafirma strut kit for £800 with the electronic box to keep the car happy and fitted it all one Saturday morning.
All 4 airbags came out easily - no seized bolts with the Gibraltar life this car has lead. There is very little corrosion all round if any I can see.
The new struts bolted straight in, I made a crowfoot spanner/socket for the difficult top nuts at the front. The defeat box lives under the dash near the headlight switch and was 10 minutes work to add. All simple stuff.
The result is no dash bongs, a slightly raised ride height as I have the 2 inch lift.
I cannot really notice much/any difference from being air sprung. I still have my off road drive modes but the ability to go up and down has gone.
Had a couple of services, keeping the 5W40 oil. I decided to change all the brake discs. A complete set with and sensors was £150. We did the hand brake pads as well. Yes £150 to change the discs pads and sensors on a "luxury" SUV! Brilliant.
I had a problem with the car going into limp over 2,500 revs. This was fixed at the last service and turned out the be a sticky turbo actuator. All good now.
I notice the new Land Cruiser is out. Its about the same weight, size and dare I say it style, with similar engine output and 7 seat option. Not sure I want all those electronics. No manual option though. Much nicer maybe but £80k.
For anyone thinking of buying an early Disco 3, there are 2 things to remember, as everything else can be fixed if you know how..
1) Date of registration. Look for the 23rd of March 2006 or before. Newer than that and you run the risk of being taxed off the road, as before this date the the exemption for VED Band K . That little nugget doesn't even appear on the RAC page on tax rates!
2) Rust. Look closely at the floors, outer sills and frame before you commit as these poor old things can suffer.
I think that this is the car we all take for granted as there are so many on the roads that we have become snow blind to them.
Edited by politeperson on Friday 6th December 15:46
Edited by politeperson on Friday 6th December 15:46
Edited by politeperson on Friday 6th December 15:47
politeperson said:
. The Highways agency ran these up to 400,000 miles before they were sold off. Christian says they can take it
This might be true but don't be mistaken, I know from first hand experience the highways agency cars were like Triggers broom by the time they were defleeted! 
I did also come across a customer who unwittingly purchased an ex-highways D3 after it had been given a "haircut" post auction, unfortunately the instrument cluster failed and the new unit reverted to the true mileage. Despite this, fortune favours the brave! I'm glad you are still getting on well with the rig, they're great cars but they will always require some attention to keep upto scratch, I'm sure i'll take the plunge someday and your economy figures are encouraging
Petes business is
TT Motorsport, on the A52 East of Boston at a small village called Benington, PE22 0BT, 01205 761276.
I have spent much more on it than the purchase price, but that was the plan as per the LR TIme recommendations.
I suppose all in it owes me £5k, however it will need nothing apart from annual oil change for years and years and it costs me zero per month in depreciation and car finance!
I am loving the lifted coil springs. This morning in Leicestershire it was all snow and floods, it was just the thing with the lifted suspension and All Terrains.
LR Live on YouTube did a coil swap with the cheap springs recently on an LR3. His looked a bit feeble in comparison with complaints about the rear end sagging and the car wobbling on the corners. I felt sorry for him as he didn't have a lift poor man! I have no problems of that nature.
I think the red HD 2 inch lift ones are the ones to go for. Makes it as fit as a butchers dog!
TT Motorsport, on the A52 East of Boston at a small village called Benington, PE22 0BT, 01205 761276.
I have spent much more on it than the purchase price, but that was the plan as per the LR TIme recommendations.
I suppose all in it owes me £5k, however it will need nothing apart from annual oil change for years and years and it costs me zero per month in depreciation and car finance!
I am loving the lifted coil springs. This morning in Leicestershire it was all snow and floods, it was just the thing with the lifted suspension and All Terrains.
LR Live on YouTube did a coil swap with the cheap springs recently on an LR3. His looked a bit feeble in comparison with complaints about the rear end sagging and the car wobbling on the corners. I felt sorry for him as he didn't have a lift poor man! I have no problems of that nature.
I think the red HD 2 inch lift ones are the ones to go for. Makes it as fit as a butchers dog!
Edited by politeperson on Monday 6th January 14:04
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