Newbie purchasing his 3rd Disco

[discotwinturbo]

G'day Everyone,
I am new to the forum as I am about to place an oder for an LR4 2.7.
My first Disco was a 93 V8 which while thirsty was a great car. In 2000 I purchased a new TD5, but it only made it home before the motor went bang (this scarred me off in 2004 when we needed a larger 4WD)...boy was I unlucky. New motor within the week saw 120,000 k's of trouble free motoring after that before the Patrol took over.
I now have a 2004 GU Patrol 3l TDI (going to sell as I need a new tourer and something a little nicer and more modern) and a Touareg 2 V6TDI.
The 2.7 is slow next to the VW, but much better than the Patrol. 3L is not an option for me due to 18 inch being the smallest rim package....i spend a lot of time off the black top in remote areas.
I did consider a 200 series V8 TDi, but the new ones are still using far too much oil, which I have never experienced with any diesel in the past (plus my neice and a friend that work as toyota mechanics have talked me out of it)
A couple of things for my order:
1. are members going for the factory snorkel or an ARB ? I often use a sock over my ARB snorkel in dusty convoys....keeps the filter so much cleaner.
2. leather or cloth trim ? both my Patrol and VW are leather, but i have always had them covered up.
3. Steinbauer, DP CHIP or other to boost the performance to a more respectable output. Steinbauer is twice the price as I need two for the Disco. Steinbauer was a neccessity on the Patrol. VW simply does not need it.
4. Last time Land Rover would not fit non genuine accessories ready for delivery....does anyone have any success with Land Rover these days ?
Any advice would be appreciated before I place the order.
Cheers,
Brett.....

[CaverD3]

Hi Brett and welcome. :D

I tested the Toerag and was surprised how noisey the V6 was. :o but it did go better.

1.OEM is a raised air intake not a snorkel. It is not sealed but looks better and will be good if it is only dust you are looking to deal with.

2.Leather, it is easier to clean. You shouldn't need a cover but if not in black then be careful with covers as they can bleed into the leather.

3.Get a re-map not a chip better result overall and better for modern diesels. Should bring it upto the Toerag performance.

4.I got an ARB put on mine when bought. YOU can do it but I would do it afterwards as you won't be paying 25% LCT on the bits.

[Dorko]

Welcome mate,

The LR snorkel is not water tight, but its very easy to do so. Just a few air holes near the elbow.

Theres a thread going on about performance chips vs re maps. I had a steinbaurer on my disco and upgrade to ChipIt which was custom tune. Worth a look at the thread though as people have mix views.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/125666-performance-chips-they-worth-money.html

In regards to after market gear on delivery, my dealership did offer it. However i didnt want to pay my luxury tax. So buy it after would be the way to go.

[bbyer]

I did consider a 200 series V8 TDi, but the new ones are still using far too much oil, which I have never experienced with any diesel in the past (plus my niece and a friend that work as Toyota mechanics have talked me out of it) Cheers, Brett.....
Your post is quite ironic. You have been thru the alternatives and are back so to speak.

There is another thread going right now where a long time LR driver is trying to talk himself out of buying a D4. It seems that his five year old D3 is the worst vehicle ever, except that whatever new non Land Rover vehicle he looks at seems to have more problems than the old D3, let alone a new D4.

To make the decision even tougher, it would seem Land Rover did learn something in five years of real world testing of the D3, some of which they actually applied to the D4. In fact, if there are any real problems with the D4, it is that it is too civilized and has even more Race Truck bred into it.

This forum is full of tips and mods as to how to de-civilize the D4 and in part, turn it back into a Defender, including maybe 17" wheels. It is not that easy, but the guys here, (not the dealers), are having some success.

One has almost to feel sorry for Toyota - when you are down, you are down; same with Mitsubishi, Mazda, and Ford - nothing is quite working as it should - well there is Jeep and Holden but...

[jonesfam]

As far as after market goes I just had the dealer drop the D3 to ARB etc to get the bits & bobs fitted before I picked the car up & paid each separately.
The dealer did have the car for 10 days before I got there to pick it up though, both the car arrived early & I arrived late.:p
Jonesfam

[Wilbur]

G'day Everyone,

2. leather or cloth trim ? both my Patrol and VW are leather, but i have always had them covered up.


Hi Brett and congratulations on your return to real motoring!

For many, the real benfit of leather is that the option means seven seats which also means that the middle row seats lay flat, resulting in a bigger load space when seats are down. It seems odd that seven seats take up less space than five seats, but there it is!

If you don't need the 3rd row, the seats can be removed to give a useful amount of extra load space.

Cheers,

Paul

[Graeme]

3L is not an option for me due to 18 inch being the smallest rim package....i spend a lot of time off the black top in remote areas...

3. Steinbauer, DP CHIP or other to boost the performance to a more respectable output.
Whilst I've not yet had them certified due to my work constraints, I fitted new 2.7 brakes to my 3.0 to allow the combination of a more powerful motor and 17" rims. Unfortunately at a list price of nearly $2K for the brakes after having paid for the now unused bigger brakes and 19" rims as part of the 3.0 SE package, the 3.0 engine has been a significant additional cost to a 2.7 optioned-up to SE specs. But it is very nice.

[Dorko]

Wow the first person i have heard that got the 2.7L brakes. Great to see that as a option even if it cost you $2k. You will make that money back just on 19' Muddies!

Good to know its a option!

[Graeme]

Not technically an option registration-wise until the engineering signatory's inspection and paperwork have been done and then approved by the NSW RTA, ie the engineering certificate has been issued.

[Dorko]

Oh, seems strange because its the standard genuine part for the discovery.

So are you insured?

Dorko

[Graeme]

Certification is req'd because LR didn't specify the smaller brakes as an option with the 3.0 engine on their ADR approval application. The fact that LR listed the 2.7 engine as the standard engine for the SE for ADR approval and that the handbook states that the kerb weight for the SE wont include possible options such as factory-fitted heavy duty brakes doesn't make it legal. My insurer only requires that the vehicle be roadworthy.