Doom and Gloom for Disco owners

[WildOne]

I can't help but comment on the fact that it is too easy to get caught up in all the problems/issues on the forum relating particularly to Disco Td5's and to a lesser degree Defender Td5's.
Do other vehile specific enthusiast sites have heaps of similar issues with their veicles? Sites for Pootrols and Toymota's for example?
Perhaps too much time spent reading the posts and not enough time enjoying my Disco:D
Nothing can break on the Disco while i'm on the computer though;)

[Disco Steve]

I think that we just hear the bad side of all the storys. or atleast I hope:D

[dobbo]

Even the unbreakable pootrol and the king of reliability toymota breakdown.

I am very shocked and suprised this question has been asked. If you don't get it now, you wont get it.

[spudboy]

People tend to post problems to get help from others, so a lot of posts are "negative" by default.

People don't post "I went exploring today and nothing out of the ordinary happend".

Also, LRs get abused more than the normal suburban runabout, so you get disproportionately higher failure rates when people cane them off road. Harder life = more problems.

[Redback]

Well here's my view on the differences

I go out on a regular basis with a mate who has a 100 series Cruiser.

Score so far

100 series;

2) transfer case rebuilds
1) rear diff
1 bent front diff housing

My Disco

1) CV
1) front axle
1) rear diff
1) tail shaft

If you go off road you break stuff.

Baz.

[mcrover]

The list of possible problems for a TD5 is pretty small in comparison to a GQ patrol or even a 100 series cruiser.

TD5 wiring loom has been an issue but there are mods around it and if you do them you shouldnt have any problems and then there is the CDL locking lever theat LR forgot to install or the fact that they werent thinking when they put a Jeep part in their transfer case in the later ones (Viscous coupling) but these can also be worked around.

Everything else is either caused by lack of maintenance at some stage in the cars life or accidental damage off road which any vehical from a motor bike to a truck can suffer from.

If it puts your mind at ease, 3.0 poo's, early ones pop 5th gear all the time (probably not any more as they all would have been replaced by now and the later ones did engines, some early ones too.

100 series love to wear the needle bearings in the gear bos so they constantly jump out of 4th gear and are noisey in 5th and they blow transfer cases a fair bit.

These problems rarely occur while picking the kids up from school so that is why they have such a good reputation for being reliable as only a small percentage actually go off road unlike landies.

Dont stress mate, it's only money anyway lol

[Rayngie]

go onto www.patrol4x4.com (http://www.patrol4x4.com), have a look at the problems they have, no different to any other vehicles, i'm looking at buying a new Subaru Outback, so found a forum on them, it's all the same, all sorts of problems etc, it's in no way Landrover specific,pick any model car, you are bound to find a forum with a load of issues about them...

[Cap]

Problems aside, theres something about the LR's and RR's which have got me wanting them over any other make. My mates who no nothing about LR's and RR's are constantly impressed by the vehicles 'feel' on road and off... these intangible qualities are what is important. As it has been stated above, any machinery will break over time, but how you feel driving them is what matters ;)

[Red Baron]

Yeah Stooge, I agree. Theres something about the "feel of" a Land Rover that is like nothing else. I've had cruisers and a pootrol, which, while good cars in their own right just aren't the same. I think about getting something bigger or more powerful, but every time I hop into my Disco, I get a smile on my face....It must be a Land Rover thing! (now where have I heard that before?)LOL.
Chris.

[cookiesa]

We have gone to sell the Disco a few times and get something with more space for the family but couldn't do it

[jrh1946]

Some months ago we started looking for a Pajero as a tow car to replace our aging Fairlane. My partner happened across a private ad for a well-priced low km Disco 1 with a good history. With some reluctance I had a look at it. Sat in it - wife absolutely taken by the heated seats - ah well!. We drove it and I was taken by the ride comfort, visibility, 'feel' of the interior and the look of the car - and I have to admit - the sound of the V8.
So we bought it.
Next few weeks were spent thinking what have we done???? Visions of great thirst, endless problems and other "negatives" commonly associated with LR.
It's not difficult to get a distorted view of reality when researching buying a new 2nd hand car - the key word being 'distorted'.
Now - wouldn't part with it.

It's a car (alright it's a truck) that grows on you.
Like the design, the looks, feel, solid engineering, sound etc of the vehicle. Fuel consumption slightly less than Ford 5L V8. It's also not difficult to maintain, parts aren't hard to get and are mostly no more expensive than other 'similar' vehicles. (OK - electrics can be a pain).
User Forums like AULRO are a plus - no lack of support.
I agree with what Red Baron and spudboy have said above.

And all makes have their problems.

Like I said, these things grow on you. :)

[PAT303]

I bought a 96 Disco 14months ago to replace our VW Polo( the most solid well built car we have ever owned) and read all the doom and gloom and put up with my brother-in-law who works as a car wholesailer,anyway I got one,sent it to Triggs at toronto and told them to go to town on it.$1500 dollars later not a leak bump or knock,everything works and it drives and looks spot on.My better half would not part with it.It has been mentioned before that most knockers have never driven,yet owned one. Pat

[grumpybastard]

go onto www.patrol4x4.com (http://www.patrol4x4.com), have a look at the problems they have, no different to any other vehicles, i'm looking at buying a new Subaru Outback, so found a forum on them, it's all the same, all sorts of problems etc, it's in no way Landrover specific,pick any model car, you are bound to find a forum with a load of issues about them...

I went and had a look at patrol4x4.com out of curiosity ...

Interestingly i noticed that there is no "Technical Subject Thread" which every car forum ive ever been a member of always has... anyway a quick look and i noticed "4.2ltr overheating issues" (http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/showthread.php't=6070)

It appears that the 4.2ltr TD overheats ...

Some interesting quotes-


I have a 2005 Patrol 4.2ltr which now has 48k on the clock. The reason i purchased the larger engine capacity was to two our full size 22ft caravan. Our first big trip with the new rig was a trip from Pth to Townsville return over last xmas. Whilst crossing the Nullabour on a rather warm day around 38, driving into a strong wind the temperature climbed to nearly the end of the "normal" range. The aircon then shut down which i have been informed is supposed to happen.


could it be that expecting the Patrol to pull around 5 tonnes at highway speed on a 38 degree day with the A/C on is beyond the design parameters of the vehicle?


I tried heaps of things to try and get my previous Patrol (a 2000 GU 4.2TD) to run "cool".

It all turned out to be a waste of time and money.

The big thing that makes the 4.2 run very warm is the small size of the water galleries. The water galleries are tiny (apparently) compared to the relative mass of the block....once the block gets hot, the water galleries are incapable of carrying the heat away. The motor was never designed to be run under the kinds of stress we tend to expect. They were not designed for a turbo either.

Now to me not being able to tow on days of 38deg seems a fairly serious design flaw!

[ak]

When I was without my Disco for 2 weeks ( at the smash repairs ) another story thread on it last week. I missed not being able to drive it so much. My TD5 has had the usual TD5 problems oil in harness, fuel regulator and fuel pump other than that it's a great car and I would not drive anything else.

[ak]

I should add it's a daily drive as well as a few trips, a 6 year old car with 140K plus going strong. I think good mantience is a help.

[Redback]

I went and had a look at patrol4x4.com out of curiosity ...

Interestingly i noticed that there is no "Technical Subject Thread" which every car forum ive ever been a member of always has... anyway a quick look and i noticed "4.2ltr overheating issues" (http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/showthread.php't=6070)

It appears that the 4.2ltr TD overheats ...

Some interesting quotes-







Now to me not being able to tow on days of 38deg seems a fairly serious design flaw!

The non turbo 100s Cruiser with aftermarket turbo has this overheating problem too, i suppose the Patrol and cruiser 4.2ltr engine maybe of similar design.

The thing is when you see these problems on other forums the normal comments are, "yeah that's normal" and "they all do it"

Have a look at the patrol forum and things to look for when buying a used GQ Patrol:eek:

Shagged body mount rubbers, cracks in the inner guards and firewall, rust in the rear sliding windows, and so on and so on it's a huge list.

Baz.

[Quiggers]

I think the question here is,
if you rid yourself of your Land Rover,
what would be the (non Land Rover) replacement?

Thats a scary thought....:twisted:


(Might have to go back to my old 85 Bronco, wonder what ever happened to it? If you see it let me know, its obvious as it's probably towing a large fuel tanker:D:D:D)

GQ

[Frenchie]

could it be that expecting the Patrol to pull around 5 tonnes at highway speed on a 38 degree day with the A/C on is beyond the design parameters of the vehicle?


I would have thought the answer would be yes. Didn't know the Patrol could tow 5 tonnes! :eek:

There was a trhead in another forum, can't remember which, about a Ford Ranger chucking a bolt in the timing case after 75km which half destroyed the timing belt, made it slip, which put out the timing and resuted in four broken rockers. Sounds like it was from a Ford dealer because they said they checked some of the others and the same bolt was finger tight. Another case of someone forgetting the loctite! Can happen with any vehicle.

[WildOne]

I have to add that when i started this thread last night i had just come off being on call for a rather busy week, so most things were a bit "doom and gloom".:o
I was looking for a 4wd for quite awhile after going on a trip into the high country with a group of mates all driving Pootrols and Cruisers, all modded and very capable, so understandably thats what i started looking for. When i found my Disco sitting in a Toyota Lot i approached it thinking, interesting but not what i'm looking for. After going for a test drive however i was sold:D:D and it's been smiles ever since.
I've endured many wise cracks from the same group of mates that i origionally went away with along the lines of "hope you enjoy working on your 4bee, you'll be fixing it alot", well i do work on it alot, but because i enjoy it. :D:D

[DiscoTDI]

Not a brand on the planet that can boast no problems whatsoever, it just depends what day your car was built on and just think with the pootrols and toyomotors they can pump out a hell of a lot more cars on a friday than land rover can:D

[Ace]

I would have thought the answer would be yes. Didn't know the Patrol could tow 5 tonnes! :eek:

There was a trhead in another forum, can't remember which, about a Ford Ranger chucking a bolt in the timing case after 75km which half destroyed the timing belt, made it slip, which put out the timing and resuted in four broken rockers. Sounds like it was from a Ford dealer because they said they checked some of the others and the same bolt was finger tight. Another case of someone forgetting the loctite! Can happen with any vehicle.

I saw that on 4wd monthly a while ago aswell, very worrying, makes the TD5 oil pump bolt with no loktite look small in comparison doesnt it.

All the brands have issues, its just that land rover owners actively seek answers to the problems on public forums instead of pretending their car is bullit proof and never has a problem like the toyo drivers do.

As Reback said, you go off road, you break stuff, plain and simple, wouldnt be any different with another brand, you just brake different things. matt

[DougLD]

Hi all
At least with the forum we are aware of any problems that might come up and what fixes that are available. The Disco was our first LR and we both love it then theres the rangie and I would not swap it for quids love it.
Regards
Doug

[Disco Steve]

As said above every car has it probs. i had a LPG triton which in the end was dumping straight LPG out the tail pipe:o nice flame though:p

[DiscoTDI]

As said above every car has it probs. i had a LPG triton which in the end was dumping straight LPG out the tail pipe:o nice flame though:p


:eek: Your game:eek:

[Disco Steve]

didn't realise it till till guy behind me at the lights flashed me down and showed me:o i even started to melt his indicator:eek:

[WildOne]

didn't realise it till till guy behind me at the lights flashed me down and showed me:o i even started to melt his indicator:eek:

:D:):D:):D

[mcrover]

As said above every car has it probs. i had a LPG triton which in the end was dumping straight LPG out the tail pipe:o nice flame though:p

I also had a 92 triton 2.6 on LPG and it was great for me, but no flames though.

That was 1 4wd that never actually broke anything, just everything was just about worn out when I left it with my Ex wife.

My Sister and bro in law had it until recently when they sold it recently to one of his mates and it's still going and they bought a Hilux.

[Disco Steve]

I also had a 92 triton 2.6 on LPG and it was great for me, but no flames though.

That was 1 4wd that never actually broke anything, just everything was just about worn out when I left it with my Ex wife.

My Sister and bro in law had it until recently when they sold it recently to one of his mates and it's still going and they bought a Hilux.

mine was a 02 model 2WD triton with only 92,000KM's, serviced evey 5000KM when I took it back to mitsubishi they said " it's a common problem" but wouldn't touch it cause it was on LPG.:mad: you would hope flames were not a common problem:o

[Discopug]

Hello all
This is my first post to aulro
I bought a D2 td5 manual in october last year. My first four be, but I did learn to drive in a landrover.
Any way, I agree they grow on you, I have done nearly 35,000kms since I have bought it and every time I drive it I get a smile on my face because it does so much as a standard vehicle. My friends drive tojos' and tell me I ' m mad but they are the ones spending serious money on after market mods to make their trucks as nearly as good as the LR .
So whos mad ?
The best way to get them wound up is to tell them how little fuel you use.
That hurts a tojo owner running a vehicle with an antique engine.

[DiscoTDI]

Dont worry, I just had one of my drivers start telling me how **** disco's are because his mate just went on a big tour with him and his high milage series 1 disco (and we are talking about the early shape) kept breaking down. He was comparing it to his 2 year old Patrol:(

[WildOne]

Well we all know Discos are decades ahead of their time:D:D

[George130]

Had an interesting one Saturday night. My brother in Law who drives an 80 series as his play thing always gives me heaps about the Land Rover. Saturday night he turned around and said he wanted a Landy but can't afford it:eek::eek::eek:. He updates the 2 family cars every couple of years and has a weekend 4wd! His tax bil is my salary and he can't afford a Landy:angel:.

At least I know why he gives me so much crap.