Thread: Inspection Advice D2A TD5 Auto

Hi guys,

I'm going out to look at an 03 TD5 S Auto, 144k, with ARB bar, spotties, engel plug & roof cage - clearly kitted for touring.
It's got full service history, and from what I can tell over the phone it seems looked after by its 'grey nomad' owner (poor bloke's wife has just died, so he's selling the disco & the camper trailer).
It's just had the starter motor replaced, and it's got a really nice custom dash mat (I don't know why, but little things like that always give me the impression of a car that's been cared for)

Now when I go to see it, I know i should be looking for oil leaks, oil in the manifold (how do I check that exactly?) any signs of the three amigos, panel gap differences etc.
I'd like to think I know what I'm doing when I look at a car, but I've still never bought a car without getting a "professional" inspection first.

I'm just wondering if, with a little help from you fine men and women, I can do enough things on my own so as to negate the need for the pro.

Any specific advice would be very much appreciated!
-Alex

With a Discovery the questions you ask (well actually, the answers you get) are just as important as the inspection. That is why I highly recommend buying privately rather than from a dealer. This way you get more information and a more comprehensive idea about the cars history.

There are several common issues with D2's which you should check. With most of them it is not a matter of "if" but "when" it goes wrong. Therefore, if there are no signs of any problems you need to ask if the problem has already been fixed, or if the problem hasn't occured yet. If it hasn't occured yet, then it WILL be something that you will need to deal with sometime down the track.

The problems I'm refering to are:

1. Oil penetrating the injector harness
2. Self Leveling Suspension air leaks
3. Warning lights staying on (3 amigo's or M&S lights)
4. Wet carpets (passenger side from windscreen, both sides from blocked aircon drain) Due to poor design water can be directed off the windscreen into the passenger side air vent under the bonnet. This may not occur until you get the windscreen replaced.
5. Worn or leaking shocks
6. Condition of radiator (check coolant and look for leaks). This is one area that may never give trouble if it has been looked after.
7. Oil pump bolt. If not already done you should check it urgently as failure will result in a new motor. The sump needs to be removed to do this.
8. Fuel regulator (leaks)
9. Fuel line leaks around fuel tank

Most of these items are not hard to fix and parts tend to be available online and are not expensive but if you can't do the repairs yourself you could be up for big dollars. The parts alone for all of the above would probably be between 3 and 4 grand but if you couldn't do the work yourself you'd be up for close to 10 grand.

Don't worry too much about minor engine oil leaks. You will have trouble finding a D2 that doesn't leak some oil. If it does have an oil leak, try to trace it and determine how severe it is.

Good luck
Martin