Soon to be D4 owner, seeking reassurance.

[CNSPERIO]

Hello all,

My family and I are receiving delivery of a 2.7l diesel D4 at the beginning of SEP. I have owned a V8 series one and a TD5 series II in the past, and I am returning to LR after around 6 years away from them. I have been a little rattled about reliability talk on several other blogs, and was directed to this site for some more detailed unbiased feedback. We are taking the new truck to Lawn Hill at teh end of September, and I was considering heading up the cape mid next year. Has anyone ventured that far north in a D4 and how did they find it handled the trip? I would appreciate any comments. Cheers Brian;)

[sniegy]

Hi Brian,
I have had mine since March (that long already.:o.) & have done a trip to Sydney, first week of ownership to iron out any glitches if at all & then did a trip to Robe S.Aust. & various trips around Melb.
To date i have had no problems at all. The vehicle is solid & reliable & i see these things every day;).
The later vehicles have had no problems at all, A few with the 3.0Ltr early diesel when first released, but LR have had a re-assurance program released for all vehicles within specific VIN range, yours being a later build date will be fine & wont be affected at all.

Dont worry, you have chosen wisely:p

Pic's & spec's when available:rulez:;)

[mowog]

Oh no.... You have made a terrible mistake....!!!!

You didn't buy a 3.0L TD V6....:wasntme: :p ;)

[DiscoWeb]

CNSPERIO (Brian),

You have chosen wisely, but not sure you will get an unbiased opinion in this forum most love their LR and Discoveys here.

The D4 and D3 are, like most modern 4wd's very complex machines and it would appear that most problems experienced relate to computer and electrical issues that are resolved like every good "IT" issue, by turning off and re-starting.

You should enjoy the D4 and check out the trip reports section for a recent trip (with photos) by one forum member in a reasonably stock D3 to the cape, they are very capable.

Welcome and rest easy.

Regards,

George

[101RRS]

I have been a little rattled about reliability talk on several other blogs, and was directed to this site for some more detailed unbiased feedback.

I know at least one of the forums you were looking at. On that particular site there was one particular toyota driver who has never owned a Land Rover was there to stir up as much as possible. The relevant post was in the Land Rover section but attracted a few toyota drivers.

There were a number of Land Rover owners who did post and were generally favourable - most raved about the D4 and highlighted some of the facts and myths concerning the vehicle.

One thing is for sure that on our own forum we will come to the marques defence when there is a red neck toyota driver about, but we are generally more critical and forthcoming on the strengths and weaknesses than you would expect.

Garry

[Hittheroad]

Hi,

I took delivery of a D4 2.7 about two weeks ago. On the return leg of its first long highway run the front panel display (Nav display) failed (turned itself off). I checked the CB the following day but it was OK. Later that day I discovered the battery had just died (flat as a tack!). To cut a long story short the failing battery load shed the display on its way done. The dealer has replaced the battery with a new one but it is still in the workshop as I elected to have some accessories fitted while it was in there. Despite the electrical setback, it is still a great car and I hope to get many enjoyable years use out of it. I was delightfully surprised with the 2.7 - enough power for me and very economical.

[jonesfam]

CNSPERIO
I have a 12 month old D3, same engine, same running gear. The D4 has just had a few tweaks & has a nicer interior (INMHO).
Bit more girly I guess.:p Joke?

We live in Doomadgee, about 120k from Lawn Hill, & we have had no problems worth even mentioning. The D3 is a dream, comfortable, reliable & nice to drive.
2 things I would recommend:
Change the tyres. We have 19" & have had 3 rock fractures.
Be conscious of your speed. The thing rides so well & so quietly you tend to go faster than you should for the conditions.

Also our roads are much improved over the last few years. Concrete in a lot of the dips, bits of bitumen all over the place (Doomadgee to Tirrana turn off is all sealed now) & graders out on a regular basis.

I will be surprised if you have a problem & even more surprised if you don't love it.
Jonesfam
BTW Lawn Hill is really nice.

[discomaniac]

As far as I have seen from others, the later D3s and D4s are much more reliable these days. My early 2005 D3 had all (and I mean ALL) of the D3 introductory problems, but nothing stopped me. They were nuisance problems more than anything. Have taken it from QLD to the Kimberley and back and everywhere in between, lots of serious off roading locally and never NOT got home, not even a flat on these so called road tyres. (and the early D3's were considered the most unreliable)

My recommendation, just go for it, life is too short to worry about what might or might not happen. And if you're going in a D4, it'll be more comfortable than anything else.

Just my 3 cents worth. (my D3 experiences are worth a little more than 2 cents)

discomaniac

[ADMIRAL]

I went for the 2.7 and haven't regretted it. The vehicle is not perfect,( I doubt any are ) but it does most things so much better than anything else on the market. There are always compromises. However you will receive plenty of assistance on this forum, and advice if you are open to it.

Read back and use search. Most issues have been struck already by an owner at some time or the other, and a solution found. This could be technical or it could be which are the best seat covers ?

Enjoy.

[Fish78]

Hi, i don't know much about the D4, i am familiar with the Lawn Hill area though.

I did a work trip to Century Zinc mine when they were first opening, i was working for a trucking company UTO, Century needed radio parts urgently as they're only outside contact was via Sat phone (which weren't so reliable back then, late 90s)

From the roadhouse (turnoff to Gregory/Lawn Hill) it took 8 hrs to get to Century mine lol, the area was flooded, 50-60 road trains bogged on side of road.

That trip was probably the most extreme 4x4 adventure ive had so far.
They sent me in a worn out Hi-Lux, retro fitted with mega rear suspension as they had loaded it with 2.1 TONS!!!:o of stuff, could only do 70km/h on the hi-way lol, every creek crossing on the dirt was over bonnet depth and fast running, got hit by a few medium sized logs, and a large 'Fluro green' python, probably other things as well too, most of the 4x4 stuff was in the dark pouring rain. (told i had to get there ASAP and was heaps of fun)

Made it through ok, the 2.1 T load i had been cursing all the way from Mt Isa probably saved me from being washed away. (the Lux was scrapped afetr that trip!)

Somthing that could be helpful, my bro in law got stuck up there on a fishing trip, brand new Disco 1, smashed 2 alloy wheels on dirt road then was flodded in, stuck for 2 weeks.

Steel wheels would be an idea and check the weather, when it rains up there it floods in hours, did a trip with my 4x4 club from Mt Isa - Kurumba via Gunpowder/Kajabbi, clear sky at sunset, by midnight river was 2m deep.

[Disco4SE]

Hi Brian, I have had my 3.0Lt D4SE 8 months and travelled 25,000Klm's. After a decade of new Landcruisers, I am more than happy with my decision. Had a couple of minor glitches at the start, but the Q093 patch fixed them.
My mate that decided to go with the Landcruiser 200 at the same time I bought my D4, has already had a tailshaft replaced amongst other bits & pieces.
If you can, go for the 3.0Lt. I had the D3 with the 2.7Lt for 6 months, prior to purchasing my D4. Although the 2.7Lt is a great motor, the 3.0Lt has so much more torque.....and power.
BTW: There were around 1100 changes made from the D3 to the D4.
Hope this helps.
Cheers, Craig

[CNSPERIO]

Thank you all for informative and helpful comments. My decision to go with the 2.7 was purely due to the wheel rim diameter issue. I have read that the 3.0 motor is much improved, but the low profile tyres scared me. I wanted to upgrade the tyres before delivery, not not possible. I am considering getting a set of steel rims and Cooper tyres and putting them on the vehicle when going away, but it is a bit of an expense, and realistically I am not sure how often this will be. I will probably wait until the stock tyres fail, and upgrade then. An additional genuine rim was quoted to me at nearly $900, wihtout the tyre: bit of a sting to have two spares!

I have heard it is bitumen all the way to gregory downs, but we will be heading up to Kingfisher Camp, and coming back through burketown, which is a bit more dirt to negotiate.

Brian

[DiscoWeb]

Regarding new tyres for 18 inch rims there are a number of posts on the forum.

I just replaced mine with Continental Cross Contact AT's, check out "New Boots for the D3" thread.

Regards,

[Watpub]

Hi CNSPERIO (Brian),

I picked up my first ever LR (D4) in June this year. I must admit I was apprehensive because LRs just tend to have a bad (and underserved) reputation for some reason or other.

I haven't done any of the big trips yet, but I've done a bit of towing, and a fair bit of highway work. Previously I'd been a Toyota man through-and-through.

Come near me and my D4 now and I'm like a rabid dog with a bone - try and take it away from me and you'll get your arm bitten off! I love it! I reckon you'll love yours too.

Regards, Ron

[MartyJB]

Thanks Watpub,
I'm a little stressed about my purchase too - D4 SE, being built next month and delivered in Dec. I've been a Toyota man too, but the LC200 just didn't stack up. The D3/D4 is just a much better design and drives on the road so much better, considereing 98+% of our use would be on road. My wife and I set the bar low so our expectations will hopefully be exceeded and joke about how good it'll be when it's actually working! We are just joking - everyone on this forum has been very reassuring that we're making a good decision.

[GeorgeK]

Hi CNSPERIO (Brian) and Marty JB,

Like Ron I collected up my D4 3.0 HSE in June. I haven't yet been on a big trip just using it as a daily drive to and from work in Sydney. It is a fantastic car to drive. Importantly for me my wife loves driving it too. My fuel economy is a bit higher than I expected but I'm told it will settle down in time.

Sadly my NP Pajero sold last Saturday. I am sad in that it gave me great service for 6 years and has never missed a beat on or off road. The chap from Kempsey who bought it got a really good deal, especially as it is already set up as a long distance tourer. No more to spend. Oh well out with the old and in with the new.

I go on a LR 'Experience' Day on Saturday where the Disco will get some highway miles and hopefully get dirty too. Lots of expected fun.

Enjoy your cars as I am sure I will enjoy mine. I think you have made the right decision.

Cheers

George

[jonesfam]

It is sealed from Mt Isa or Cloncurry all the way to Gregory. Sealed the first 20-40k towards Lawn Hill. The rest of that road is gravel but kept in good nick for the mine trucks, very dusty though. We went over to Adel's Grove a while back & sat on 100kph for most of the trip, stopped when trucks came the other way due to the dust.
The road from Gregory to Tirrana turn off is both sealed & gravel, about 50% of each. Tirrana to Doomadgee is all seal. Doomadgee to Kingfisher turn off is gravel & dirt recently graded & OK with caution for bull dust & a couple of wash out areas. Turn off to Kingfisher is kept reasonable during tourist season but about 80kph most of the way.
There is an interesting drive from Lawn Hill to Doomadgee through Lawn Hill & Bowthorn Stations. All dirt, rough in places but a very nice drive, shorter & more fun than going back to Gregory. The creeks are all, now, passable without a snorkel.
The road into Burketown has about 10k of stony gravel, the rest is seal & all of it in good nick.
If you get a chance call in at the Doomadgee Store (in town on the road along the river) & ask for Paul. Be happy to say gooday & look at your D4.
I may be going on leave around then but no dates decided yet.
Jonesfam
PS In '94 I drove a Hi-Lux dual cab from Mt Isa in the wet, 2nd gear, lo range from 40k out of Burke & Wills to Doomadgee (the good ol' days of no seal), 2 full tanks of diesel, out of washer water after 50k so drove with my head out the window. Stopped at Gregory for fuel, climb out, car covered in mud, me covered in mud, drunk truckie on the fence asked how the road was!.
Can't remember what i said but it probably wasn't nice. About 450k only took 10 hours.
Jonesfam

[PaulGOz]

I have a D4 TDV6 and it is a great car I got this model for the samller wheels as i intend to get out and about in it. The power is adequate although the 3.0L is nicer. It is a great all rounder plenty of space for touring excellent seating flexibility and comfortable for 7. Easily the most comfortable and relaxed upon road cruiser you will find and it is able to mix it with all the popular 4WD brands in Oz off road. I have been on an off road driver training day and it did it all with ease me on the other hand is for another post.

I have also been up the beach in some soft sand and with the extra height at the touch of a button it was not bottoming out on the soft stuff, the electrics also did their thing very nicely in the sand and if i kept my foot on the gas it would allow all 4 wheels to spin and never overrode my instructions as soon as you let go of the gas the electrics jump in and stop spinning wheels as quickly as possible for you. Then there is the little picture of the front wheels telling you where they are pointing. Oh and being able to gran, all the camping gear, or getting into the local carpark by going into access mode. Brilliant just Brilliant. It has excellent recovery points to and is a capable snatcher.

If you want an uncomporomisng, comfortable, capable 4WD which can get out and about without any mods then this is the one for you. Enjoy.

[Celtoid]

My 3.0L SE D4 has just hit one year old (Aug 2009) build. It's been in Oz since October last year and I've owned it since January.

I had a couple of issues at the start, only one of those was an actual failure which was in the suspension. 90% of the time it was fine but occasionally was slow to rise. LR replaced the compressor and it's been great since.

I've done about 16,000ks....have been off road (not crazy stuff) quite a few times. Rough torn up trails and tracks...generally gravel and rock. I also had the car on Fraser Island for a week. The car handled all of those conditions without any issue at all....in fact it was brilliant.

It is a fantastic car to drive and just draws admiring looks and comments all the time.

Unfortunately I broke it on Fraser Island but that was just an accident and had absolutely nothing to do with the car. In fact, I was impressed that the D4 sustained so little damage considering what happened to it (story in D4 Beach Work :().

My only complaint.......it takes forever to get parts....just about everything I needed to fix the Fraser Island damage was Ex UK....

Other than that.....it's fabulous. You'll love it!!!

[Celtoid]

[QUOTE=sniegy;1309054]Hi Brian,

The later vehicles have had no problems at all, A few with the 3.0Ltr early diesel when first released, but LR have had a re-assurance program released for all vehicles within specific VIN range, yours being a later build date will be fine & wont be affected at all.

I have an Aug 2009 build with the 3.0L TD....what were the issues?

Cheers,

Kev.

[sniegy]

Kev,
A lot of it was solved during the Q093 program, It was mostly programming issued & then reconfiguring components to new specs fixed this.

If you havent had the program done, then get it done, It is free.;)

Early vehicles had issues with picking up remotes "Key not found" on display.
3.0Ltr diesels Turbo solenoid issues on some vehicles.
Window bounce on a lot of vehicles.

These were the main issues, again didnt happen on all vehicles but given credit to LR to create a program to repair niggling issues & obvioulsy resolve issues with customer satisfaction.;)

Cheers

[Celtoid]

Kev,
A lot of it was solved during the Q093 program, It was mostly programming issued & then reconfiguring components to new specs fixed this.

If you havent had the program done, then get it done, It is free.;)

Early vehicles had issues with picking up remotes "Key not found" on display.
3.0Ltr diesels Turbo solenoid issues on some vehicles.
Window bounce on a lot of vehicles.

These were the main issues, again didnt happen on all vehicles but given credit to LR to create a program to repair niggling issues & obvioulsy resolve issues with customer satisfaction.;)

Cheers

Thanks Pete.....and phew.

I've had the Q093 program carried out and all seems to be well. For a minute I thought you were going to tell me about serious mechanical/design issues.

Regards,

Kev.

[Watpub]

Thanks Watpub,
I'm a little stressed about my purchase too - D4 SE, being built next month and delivered in Dec. I've been a Toyota man too, but the LC200 just didn't stack up. The D3/D4 is just a much better design and drives on the road so much better, considereing 98+% of our use would be on road. My wife and I set the bar low so our expectations will hopefully be exceeded and joke about how good it'll be when it's actually working! We are just joking - everyone on this forum has been very reassuring that we're making a good decision.

I know how you feel MartyJB. I automatically went to buy the LC200 as a "natural" upgrade from my 100 series. But when I jumped in I just didn't see/feel/hear the value. So I looked around for alternatives and settled on the D4 - I haven't been disappointed. In fact the reason I'm responding 3 days after your post is because I've just got back from a 3 day trip away to the Murray River in it - and I still love it!

I must admit there are a few niggling things. For example, mud flaps are an add-on as are side steps. But then there are so many other features and technical advances that you just don't get in a Cruiser.

Regards,

Ron

[JohnLR]

Hi D4 owners. I am in the same boat as a few of you. I have been a Landcruiser owner for 25 year and the 200 was a no brainer when my 100 needed changing. That is until I got in one, and the ongoing oil consumption issue persuaded me to consider other options. I am now leaning towards keeping the 100 for a while and at the same time researching the D4 some more.

My question I have for those that tow (I have a CV with a ball wt of 230kg and generally stay on the tarmac) is how the ride is without levelling bars. My understanding of the air bag system is that the D4 will 'pump up' the rear bags to compensate and produce a level ride. Does this give a hard ride at the back?

Any way any experience owners have in this area would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Disco4SE]

Hi D4 owners. I am in the same boat as a few of you. I have been a Landcruiser owner for 25 year and the 200 was a no brainer when my 100 needed changing. That is until I got in one, and the ongoing oil consumption issue persuaded me to consider other options. I am now leaning towards keeping the 100 for a while and at the same time researching the D4 some more.

My question I have for those that tow (I have a CV with a ball wt of 230kg and generally stay on the tarmac) is how the ride is without levelling bars. My understanding of the air bag system is that the D4 will 'pump up' the rear bags to compensate and produce a level ride. Does this give a hard ride at the back?

Any way any experience owners have in this area would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Hi JohnLR, I too was in the same situation as yourself (ex LC100 owner looking at LC200).
I must admit, the air bag system in the D4 is brilliant. Being a Builder and also having boats etc, the ride height remains the same no matter what I carry or tow.
The ride quality doesn't alter that much. If you put excess weight on the rear of any vehicle, you are going to notice some difference.
I had Poly air bags on the LC100 and used to pump them up quite a bit when I had a loaded boat or trailer on, and the ride was very harsh once the boat etc was unhooked.
You don't get the same experience with the D4.
Can't go wrong mate.
Cheers, Craig

[Duck's Guts]

Hi JohnLR, I too was in the same situation as yourself (ex LC100 owner looking at LC200).
I must admit, the air bag system in the D4 is brilliant. Being a Builder and also having boats etc, the ride height remains the same no matter what I carry or tow.
The ride quality doesn't alter that much. If you put excess weight on the rear of any vehicle, you are going to notice some difference.
I had Poly air bags on the LC100 and used to pump them up quite a bit when I had a loaded boat or trailer on, and the ride was very harsh once the boat etc was unhooked.
You don't get the same experience with the D4.
Can't go wrong mate.
Cheers, Craig

I'll second what Craig said.

I've towed my 1900kg (loaded) offroad c/van on tar & dirt using GU Patrol and Pathfinder, both with polyair bags in rear, both without load levelers. Prior to that it was towed with a 90 series Prado but with load levelers & no poly airs.
All towed well and safely, but the load levelers were a b!tch to couple & uncouple & significantly reduced flexibility when trying to find that perfect camp site just off the road.
And similarly the poly airbags needed adjustment when the van was unhooked.

The D4, hands down, is a far better tow vehicle with it's air suspension. From a safety point of view, the D4 also has in it's favour the trailer towing stability assist.

[camoo]

Can I second, third and forth what has already been said here. I have had 10 LCs over the last 25 years. I did not like a number of the features of the LC200s and made the move to a Disco 4 3.0 TDV6 SE. Picked it up three weeks ago. I use my 4be's for what they are meant for, driven the cape twice, driven around Oz a few times and in and out of the rock from Brissie, a year off in central WA, you get the picture.

First weekend I took my new baby down the beach... needed to prove to myself she had the power and guts to do the sand.

I sat there watching others dip down into the sand through the creek...eventually I told the kids it was time. She did it with ease. The low profiles sitting on 20psi had no problems. We drove up the beach to the quieter areas, dug a hole and tried to bog her, each time she started to get bogged she sat thought about it for a few seconds and kicked back into life pulling out of everything I gave her.

I AM VERY HAPPY TO NOW SAY I AM A DISCO OWNER...... (not sure if I could have said that 6 months ago.....)