LandRover Discovery Advice

[TheZHLANE]

Hey guys,

Just looking into a landRover Discovery with the rover v8. the 89 to 98 models, Is there any common problems and what should i stay away from?

Cheers Rob

[GTP owner]

Common problems???? Anything and everything will go wrong. You will go broke fixing the thing! We are flogging ours off after 2 years and $20,000 spent fixing leaks, breakages, faults, etc etc . You can buy ours if you want! And the thing still leaks arghhhh

[cheap]

Originally Posted by GTP owner

Common problems???? Anything and everything will go wrong. You will go broke fixing the thing! We are flogging ours off after 2 years and $20,000 spent fixing leaks, breakages, faults, etc etc . You can buy ours if you want! And the thing still leaks arghhhh

What GTP Owner said !

They're great off road when they're actually working but for most of the time, something will be broken and you'll be in the workshop getting repairs.

The old Disco's are the penultimate money pit, heartache awaits every owner, best of British engineering , Land Rover significantly contributed to Ford nearly going broke.

"this item will frequently without warning break and cost you significant coin" should be engraved on every single part

[Peuty]

Oil pump losing bolts into the sump, ball joints, control arm bushes, head gaskets in the TD5 engines, corroded heads also.

Good ones are good, bad ones are very bad.

edit - whoops, you meant the v8, the above still applies pretty much.

[TheZHLANE]

houston we have a problem

[GTP owner]

Originally Posted by STANI

houston we have a problem

I could provide you with a list, but i want to go to bed by midnight.
If it moves, it will break, if it doesn't it will fall off, if it carries current it will short out, if it carries fluid it will leak, and they cost a fair whack to buy spare parts for as they are british

[Peuty]

Self leveling suspension components like to be problematic as well

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Originally Posted by Peuty

Self leveling suspension components like to be problematic as well

Easy solution to that.

1. Rip out stupid suspension
2. Bolt 2 x Boat Winches to chassis
3. Be awesome because you have 2 boat winches on your car and can winch yourself level

[TheZHLANE]

Im keen to buy one but with them having a "bad" review i guess ill have to have another think.

What are they like 4wding

[GTP owner]

Originally Posted by STANI

Im keen to buy one but with them having a "bad" review i guess ill have to have another think.

What are they like 4wding

When they are going they are fanstastic. The long-travel suspension really works well. I like the driving position, and it handles well on road. The seats are comfy, the stereo good, and they are easy to drive. I had mine up to the mid-door in water and mud this weekend. Bent a few bits of steel, but it was good at doing it

[Peuty]

Offroad, they are seriously second to none - superb off roading ability, I can guarantee that.

[TheZHLANE]

Well i guess ill have to weigh up the cons and pros, cheers

[Peuty]

What series do you have GTP Owner?

[TheZHLANE]

Also how many kms before they turn to **** (v8)

[GTP owner]

I have the series 2, but they were supposed to have fixed a lot of the problems. Mine has 203,000km on the clock.
I think at this stage it is the years that are the problem, not necessarily the kms. eg. radiators leaking, mirrors falling off, breather pipes on fuel tank cracking etc. These things occur due to age

[OLDFORDNUT]

shocking fuel economy is the norm yet the td5 diesel is an awsome car with fantastic towing ability and great fuel economy,but they are always worth an extra 5 grand over the V8 for this reason.

[banarcus]

I've got a disco 2 V8 after coming from a ED Fairmont V8 wagon. First thing I had to get used to was that they are not a car and don't accelerate like a car. It is thirsty but I've since fitted extractors and a full exhaust and now gets okay economy. Got more power and torque doing the exhaust too. I also have the ACE or hydraulic sway bars that make the disco handle much better in corners than my old V8 station wagon. It is a very good thing to have but this is only on series 2s. Comfy, great off road and with the exhaust sounds better than any jap 4x4.

Problems since I've bought it:
1) Leaking airspring - fixed it for $240
2) Dodgy BMW door lock - fixed for $30(ripped it apart and replaced small motor)
3) Leaking inlet manifold gasket, leaking oil and coolant - fixed with internal sealant for the time being for $15 until my new gasket set arrives. Valley gasket and other bits and pieces, $80 delivered.
4)3 amigos every now and then. Google it for an explanation. This problem wont keep you off the road though. Only applies to series 2s. My wife's father has a TD5 and the amigos don't stop him.

If you are not a spanner man and prefer others do the dirty work for you, these are not the vehicles to buy. You must maintain them well otherwise things break more often. Fixing them are expensive if relying on others for repairs otherwise parts are plentiful and cheaper by the day from ebay.com and british atlantic etc. I bought a water pump off ebay for less than $100 delivered. My replacement airspring was bought from the states for $240 delivered.

On the topic of the SLS airprings, some people replace the SLS suspension with coils but I figured that these rubber airsprings are good for 10 years in most applications and are just like coils anyway, people don't cry when they replace their coils and shocks in their Falcons.

Find one with a good service history otherwise buyer be very aware! If you're looking for a V8, there are bargains everywhere.

There are a few good online forums for Land Rover owners and all problems are documented very well. The key is preventative maintenance, get under the truck and have a good look at everything. http://www.discovery2.co.uk/ is a good site for maintenance.

Good luck and I hope this shines a bit more light for you.

[2002xr6]

just sold a disco 2 full of problems i would definently stay away from the v8. at 200k did head gasket, cam, fuel system shat its self. also had electrical problems.

theres a review of them on carsales or drive (if only i read it befor i bought it)

[Ben73]

Electrics

[TheZHLANE]

think ill stick to a patrol or cruiser

[20focus05]

oh look out for the Patrol with the 3Ltr turbo diesel they call these engines the grenade!!!
on one Aussie 4WD forum they listed 30 members/friends that had them blow up!!!

Oh got to love the oil filters on the td5 Disco, Bl..dy had to remove exhaust manifold to change it.

[Aulpgute]

The great towing capacity comes in handy so you can tow a car trailer with a back up vehicle manufactured in Germany, Australia or Japan so you can complete the trip! Great design, poor execution.

[Ben73]

Get a post 2000 Discovery,they are apparently a lot more reliable.
The V8 still drink like any V8 would

[fords35to75]

The reason they are known as "off road vehicles" is because they spend most of their time in the repair shop. A guy I work with used to sell them and says that as people drove away in their new Landrovers the sales staff would start taking bets on how long it would be before they were back for warranty. About 12 months ago I drove a two or three year old one from Kew or thereabouts back to Ballarat and the thing was bloody scary - all over the road at around 90k an hour. Stay away !!!!!

[FPV GTHO]

Surprisingly nobodies mentioned it yet, but if you do get a V8 one perhaps the one thing you'll regret the least is every time you hear the exhaust. Those Rover V8's are sex on wheels.

[OLDFORDNUT]

mates dad has been around Australia 3 times in his TD5 wagon (not a disco)and even though the 3 amigo's (one is the turbo light) are on all the time his car has never missed a beat and is driven hard towing very regulary and heavy off road use,he loves it and says it never lets him down,says it has awsome economy and can overtake cars with the tandem trailer on back going up long hills with ease. he has only one complaint,its nowhere near as comfortable as his sons disco

[Burnout]

I've warmed meself beside a couple of Discos/Range Rovers as they burned merrily due to electrical faults.