series 1 300tdi disco any good?

[sjd70]

Hi all,

I am looking at picking up an second car and like the mid 90's discovery in TD form.

I have been really scared by the frequent "bad press" on the discovery and I wonder if it is possible to buy a well maintained car that will still give a hundred thousand k's of relatively trouble free service.

I have found a 300tdi 95 model which has had overhauled injector pump, new injectors, various seals and belts replaced as well as a repainted roof and headlining (due to minor rust around the alpine windows) for around 12K

I understand I am in a LR forum but can a disco be reliable and trouble free?

PS It's an auto and I want to tow a 16' single axle caravan, is it powerful enough? Is the manual a better bet.

Any info appreciated, especially brutally honest ones, both good and bad stories!

Cheers

Sean

[Ace]

Yes the Series I TDi can be reliable. I own a 98 TDi Manual with 170000km on the clock and it runs like a dream. Ignore all the bad press. People mistake lower build quality with poor reliability. The only issue disco's have is that the interior build quality is said to be lower than its Jap counterparts. However i havent noticed anything with mine. I have only owned it for 4-5 months, but it has been brilliant, on the the usual wear and tear issues. The seals needed replacing in the power steering box and a new bearing in the Air con belt tensioner pulley. Hardly reliability woes. Mine came with documentation for all servicing and is well maintained. So to answer your question, yes there are plenty around. Ignore all the rubbish Toyo and Nissan drivers say about land rovers, they are just jealous that they have to spend thousands of dollars on mods to get where a standard disco will get. Buying a used disco is no different to buying any other vehicle. Find a well serviced example and continue to maintain it and you will have many miles of trouble free motoring.

The main thing to look out for, is, as said above a good service history, but the most important thing with the 300TDi is to make sure the Timing Belt has been replaced when specified. If they dont have receipts assume it hasnt been done and budget for it. Replacement of the TB will set you back between $800-$1000 depending on who does it.

As for towing, the auto is most definitely the go, towing heavy loads regularily with a manual pays it price on the clutch. I recently towed a series III wagon from Glenbrook to Rylstone, say around 200+km, with very steep hills. And taking off at lights on uphill starts was very difficult and riding th clutch was necessary to get the revs up to get the turbo wound up. The Auto is by far the best option for towing.

I would tell you the bad points of owning a Land Rover Discovery, but unlike what you have heard about them, i havent got anything to tell you. Just get the vehicle checked over, as you would any other, make sure any servicing and repairs are backed up by receipts and you will definitely have a reliable trouble free 100000km ahead of you. Matt

[Jojo]

I'll second that!

[Ace]

Originally posted by Jojo
I'll second that!

Was it you, Jojo, who was looking at buying the disco? How is yours travelling? As good as mine I hope.

The whole reliabilty thing is a load of crap, if you bought a poorly serviced cruiser you would have reliability problems aswell. Matt

[DEFENDERZOOK]

but then again you could get two identical vehicles come off the production line one after the other and one will go forever while the other breaks down once a week.

there are lemons out there.

[hiline]

Originally posted by DEFENDERZOOK
but then again you could get two identical vehicles come off the production line one after the other and one will go forever while the other breaks down once a week.

there are lemons out there.

yep im with you on this 1

i had a extreme td5 110 wagon , biggest pile of **** i've ever owned

[NOZ]

This is my second 300tdi and except for being a bit down on power I reckon they are fantastic.

Any car can be unreliable, it all depends how often the owner gets it serviced and how well it is treated.

300tdi gotta lovem style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

[Taz]

The poms are reporting getting 300,000 MILES or more from their 300tdi's with regular oil changes, filters and tappet adjustments. Now that they have been around for over 10years, they are developing a good reputation for longivity, after initial concerns re timing belt (which only cost <$400 to have replaced, or do it your self for <$100). Also, even thou it is an old design, it still produces competitive economy compared to todays common rail power plants. I get 8.2lt/100k's or 14lt/100 k's when towing our 8 foot wide full height 16ft van. They can also be cheaply modified for more power - 140kw can be achieved reliably whilst 200kw is possible. A slight mod is recommended even if just to improve the poor low rpm response.

cheers,taz

[NOZ]

Taz , Can you tell me how I could get 140kws ?

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Buy a V8 :wink:

[hiline]

TD5 with upgraded ECU chip style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

[Pedro_The_Swift]

a V8 running on 7--- style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[Ace]

Originally posted by NOZ
Taz , Can you tell me how I could get 140kws ?

I to would be interested, as i know what you mean about the poor low RPM responce. And what have you done to your engine to get sub 9Lt/100km fuel economy figures. The best i keep getting is between 10-12. Matt

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Originally posted by Ace+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ace)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-NOZ
Taz , Can you tell me how I could get 140kws ?

I to would be interested, as i know what you mean about the poor low RPM responce. And what have you done to your engine to get sub 9Lt/100km fuel economy figures. The best i keep getting is between 10-12. Matt[/b][/quote]

Take the right steel-cap off.

:wink:

[Ace]

Originally posted by Pedro_The_Swift+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pedro_The_Swift)</div><div class='quotemain'>
Originally posted by Ace@
<!--QuoteBegin-NOZ
Taz , Can you tell me how I could get 140kws ?

I to would be interested, as i know what you mean about the poor low RPM responce. And what have you done to your engine to get sub 9Lt/100km fuel economy figures. The best i keep getting is between 10-12. Matt

Take the right steel-cap off.

:wink:[/b][/quote]

I actually dont hoon in the Disco (hooning in a diesel Disco, not likely), however i could lighten up a bit more. Matt

[NOZ]

Got the injection pump tweaked today made the car much better to drive at low revs.

I would love a V8 dsco they sound great, but I couldnt afford to feed a member of my family they ate that much, they would have to earn there own keep.

So Ill stick to my beloved TDI thanks all the same

[Ace]

Originally posted by NOZ
Got the injection pump tweaked today made the car much better to drive at low revs.

I would love a V8 dsco they sound great, but I couldnt afford to feed a member of my family they ate that much, they would have to earn there own keep.

So Ill stick to my beloved TDI thanks all the same

How much did that cost? and what exactly did they do? Matt

[NOZ]

Got my injectors cleaned an the pump done $190 ,I would have to ask Harry at M.R Auto to be sure but think he only adjusted one scew for low end torque .

[DiscoTDI]

The TDI is a good motor, my last disco had 270000km on the clock when I traded it in, and the only reason I traded it in is because I was greedy and wanted a V8 style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[Ace]

Originally posted by NOZ
Got my injectors cleaned an the pump done $190 ,I would have to ask Harry at M.R Auto to be sure but think he only adjusted one scew for low end torque .

No worries, thats the only thing which i dont like about my disco. The power at low revs is pretty low, its awsome when the revs climb enogh to get the turbo spinning. Let me know. Is this something which i could trust a fuel specialist to do, or is it better done by a landy expert? Matt

[NOZ]

Ask TuffRR he has got a rundown on how you can do it yourself

[Ace]

Originally posted by NOZ
Ask TuffRR he has got a rundown on how you can do it yourself

Thanks, i might throw it in the tech forum. Matt

[NOZ]

Good one style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[Ace]

Originally posted by NOZ
Good one style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

I am a thinker. Matt :wink:

[NOZ]

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[Ace]

Originally posted by NOZ
style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

Why do people always laugh when i say that? Matt

[Taz]

re low rpm performance - I mean torque below 2000rpm. I've fitted an EGT, rotated boost diapham 25deg and max fuel screw 60deg. Now low end torque is noticeably better, so is towing performance.

re economy - sorry to say guys, but I'm heading into the seven&#96;s ! Thats 7 something lt/100kms. ie on my lastest tank of juice I've travelled 1200k's and I still have about 1/6 of a tank left !!! (it's a 110lt tank and the engine was reconditioned about 30,000k's ago). I often run with a gps so I know my speedo correct. My run to work is about 70% rural, %30 built up areas.

What I found surprising is that since the fuel pump tweaks my economy has improved ! A result I think of more low end torque (quicker acceleration to cruise speed) and the EGT guage (shows you the best gear to be in)

[Taz]

oh yeah - re 140kw,
There was an artical in LE a while back but basically it involves a full width intercooler (alard or similar), playing with the waste gate for more boost and adjustments to boost compensator spring, diaphram and max fuel delivery (some smoke) together with a free flowing exhaust.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

taz...where abouts are you?

what happens if you lean out your air/fuel mixture too much?

[NOZ]

excuse my ignorance but what is LE ?

[DEFENDERZOOK]

land rover enthusiast.....a uk magazine.

[NOZ]

Ah thanks for that, Would anyone have a copy of that article ? Or be able to tell which issue ?

[DEFENDERZOOK]

thats why i asked where hes from....if in the uk it will take two to three months before we get it in oz.
also if not in oz fuel quality should be a lot better.

[NOZ]

Never mind I will pickup a copy at the Range Rover club meeting in Bris

[sjd70]

Thanks for all those who responded. I am looking to buy a '95 Dico on the weekend. I just need to give it the once over and check documentation. Will post if successful.

Cheers

Sean

[NOZ]

Good luck style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[Ace]

Originally posted by sjd70
Thanks for all those who responded. I am looking to buy a '95 Dico on the weekend. I just need to give it the once over and check documentation. Will post if successful.

Cheers

Sean

Good luck with it. Remember if it looks suss or you are not sure, walk away, there are plenty more about. Matt

[Measurer]

Pedro, I'm with ya!

1999 P38a - Work primary (current with the Rover roar)
1995 Disco I - Work backup (current with the Rover roar)
1993 RR Classic Vogue Plus (sold albeit with Rover roar)

[29dinosaur]

Thanks for all those who responded. I am looking to buy a '95 Dico on the weekend. I just need to give it the once over and check documentation. Will post if successful.

Cheers

Sean

If you're talking about the car you originally wrote about I'd reckon you need to get the price down - it's a bit inflated. You could also get a V8 for half that price in auto and you'd really enjoy a great drive. If towing - definitely an auto 300tdi. (Just as an example for price - I purchased a300tdi man 1998 for 10K but it did need some $ spent on timing belt etc).

Make sure you have someone who knows about discos to come along with you.

[Chucaro]

The Discos I 1998/99 are the best. get the basic model with no useless extras.
My 1998 goes like a dream. Preventative maintenance is a must in any vehicle.
If the Landy that you are looking does nor leak, do no touch it :D Have to be something wrong with it or the owner :)

[waynep]

I think he would have decided by now, since he posted the thread in 2005 :D

[Chucaro]

I think he would have decided by now, since he posted the thread in 2005 :D

:D You never know mate. I know some people that keep the dream a live for long long time.
In any case the info is good for all the new comers.
To early in the morning and just answer the threads is auto mode :D
Cheers

[PAT303]

People who bag LR never own them.My defender has outlived every nissan and tojo that my friends owned and is still going strong.It has just clocked 381000k's and all I do is change oil at 10k's,grease it every third change and all other fluids once a year.I worked out that after that many k's the amount of money I saved in fuel and oil,filters etc compard to jap vehicles I saved enough for a good trip away.Buy the disco and don't look back. Pat