New member, Discovery 3 HSE 06 buying advice?

[paddy119]

Hi all,
i have been lurking around this forum for a week or 2 now trying to digest all the useful info in here. Currently looking at a 06 HSE
But now i have some questions?

1.) Should i be concerned that the Automatic transmission was replaced at the 100K service.Apparantly mechanics thought it sounded funny and oil analysis was done and land rover replaced under warranty?

2.)110,000 klms have been done, will these engines still be good into 200-300 thousand klms?

3.)Is there any particular defects or things that i should pay special attention too.

4.)How would i do a complete driver inspection to ensure that all the electronics are still operational,ie all terrain response modes etc, air suspension operational?

5.) Is there any great difference's between 05,06 models, if so what are the differences?

i just want to be sure about purchase, alot of money to forgo
Thanks in advance.

[Ashes]

Paddy,
not sure I can answer all your questions but some more general advice. I went through the buying process 6 months ago on a 06 petrol SE that had 35k on the clock. It was through a dealer so I had 3 months to make sure waranty items were sorted. If you are buying privately, I'd be getting a professional assessment done up front and definately as it's done more than 100k as items are starting to wear at that age and maintenance increases.

If it has a new transmission, that is probably a good thing. Was it replaced with a new or reco transmission?

The engine is a standard 4l ford engine and there are many yelllow falcons out there with 1mil + on these engines. They are a robust engine and major problems with it should be cheaper to fix than the diesel. A mechanic check can check oil leaks, compression etc. and give you an indication of overall condition.

Not sure on the HSE version of the 05 or 06 but the SE had some big differences (coil vs air suspension), leather and a few bugs fixed.

You will certainly get a lot of car for a reasonable price in a 06 HSE. Maintenance costs on Landrovers are high but not unreasonably so when comparing to other prestige cars in similar price ranges.

[Scouse]

The engine is a standard 4l ford engine and there are many yelllow falcons out there with 1mil + on these engines. The Land Rover 4.0 & the Falcon 4.0 are not quite the same engine.

For starters, one is quite a bit shorter as it's in a V configuration.

There's not too many 4.0 HSE's around so I would assume it's a TDV6 or petrol V8. Time will only tell how good the engines are when they reach very high Km but the signs are very good IMO.

The transmission is supposed to be filled for life. Ignore this & have it serviced every 40000km & she'll be fine (unless you're towing 4T all the time).

[Ashes]

oops....I guess you are probably looking at a v8 4.4l petrol:confused:

in which case...dunno:D

[big guy]

It sounds like a good eal.
The V8 is actually more economical than the V6 and I would go Diesel before the V8 due to fuel and resale etc and for touring range comes into the equation.

The V8 is the BMW motor I believe and they are bullet proove.

Look around on car sales and if its the V6, I would pay pittens, my mate gets 25L/100 in town and 16 on highway.

My 2c worth

[Scouse]

The V8 is the BMW motor I believe and they are bullet proove.

The BMW V8 was used in the LM Range Rover. The D3 has the same engine that's used in the Jaguar.

[sniegy]

Hi all,
i have been lurking around this forum for a week or 2 now trying to digest all the useful info in here. Currently looking at a 06 HSE
But now i have some questions?

1.) Should i be concerned that the Automatic transmission was replaced at the 100K service.Apparantly mechanics thought it sounded funny and oil analysis was done and land rover replaced under warranty?
No, As Scouse has said, service the Trans, its all they need. They will then last a lot longer.

2.)110,000 klms have been done, will these engines still be good into 200-300 thousand klms?
We have 3 or 4 original owners with early build 05MY vehicles that have travelled in excess of 200K km's & to date no "Major" faults.
We have seen a gearbox or 2 fail due to towing & NO fluid change-but see previous answer.


3.)Is there any particular defects or things that i should pay special attention too.
Make sure the vehicle has a full service history & all outstanding campaigns have been attended to. If the vehicle is out & i assume it is out of warranty then the campaign is still free of charge regardless. Get these things attended too.

4.)How would i do a complete driver inspection to ensure that all the electronics are still operational,ie all terrain response modes etc, air suspension operational?
Get in & drive the vehicle. Set the vehicle into low range, turn the dial on the terrain response, when selecting mud/ruts in L range the vehicle will lift automatically & turn on HDC. Then drive the vehicle a short distance prefferably in a car park & lift the foot off the accell pedal & the vehicle will make some weird noises...this IS normal as it is the ABS system operating the HDC..it works! The air suspension will 2-3 times up & down & then may need time to cool off, a message will be displayed "Air suspension raising slowly".
The only other way is to plug in & see if any faults are logged & then rectify them. Maybe get someone to inspect the vehicle for you!?


5.) Is there any great difference's between 05,06 models, if so what are the differences?
Not a lot, mainly software updates as the early vehicles were the test dummy's so to speak & in 06 they rectified these slight issues with software being done at the factory & the early ones had 2 campaigns to fix, D034 & D036 from memory. Again check to see if all campaigns are done. Either PM scouse or myself & we can check for you.

i just want to be sure about purchase, alot of money to forgo
Thanks in advanceI understand:D.


Also Big Guy, its a Jaguar V8 4.4Ltr in the D3 not the BMW V8.
The BMW V8 was only used in the LM Range Rover.


Paddy, being a HSE it will only be the TDV6 or V8 variant.

Good luck

Cheers.

[paddy119]

Thanks again for all the advice, much appreciated, sorry i should have mentioned it is the TDV6 model HSE

We have 3 or 4 original owners with early build 05MY vehicles that have travelled in excess of 200K km's & to date no "Major" faultsWere these examples diesels or petrol? i have grown up having diesels and have always believed that oil and filter change every 7500 klms and it will always outlive a petrol motor, but these new direct injection ones i don't know? Am i being sceptical?

Get in & drive the vehicle. Set the vehicle into low range, turn the dial on the terrain response, when selecting mud/ruts in L range the vehicle will lift automatically & turn on HDC. Then drive the vehicle a short distance prefferably in a car park & lift the foot off the accell pedal & the vehicle will make some weird noises...this IS normal as it is the ABS system operating the HDC..it works! The air suspension will 2-3 times up & down & then may need time to cool off, a message will be displayed "Air suspension raising slowly".I will definately try this thanks

What is a campaign? Is it a firmware upgrade to the computer or is it a re-call on a defective part? How would i check that all campaigns have been completed?

Cheers Paddy

[sniegy]

Hi Paddy,
3 TDV6 diesel owners & 1 being a V8HSE, Oil changes on thses vehicles are every 12,000Km's or 6Mnths. There is nothing wrong with replacing oil early especially if you are towing. Diesels like fresh oil so it wont harm it.;)

Campaigns are just something that LR lets dealers know that there is an upgrade to a possible annoyance(Whether it be software or componentry). Therefore next service apply the campaign to the vehicle so it does not become a problem if it arises.
This also includes recalls which letters are sent to owners.
If you are a new owner Advise LR by filling in the paperwork in the service book & sending it in to them. That way if there is a future recall or LR need to advise you of something then they can contact you.

To find out if your vehicle has not had all the campaigns attended to ring your local LR dealer & advise the last 6 digits of the VIN(Bottom of passneger side W/screen) & they will be able to check on LR's computer..or PM me & i can find out at work.

Cheers:p

[jonesy63]

5.) Is there any great difference's between 05,06 models, if so what are the differences?

Paddy - you might want to check the month of manufacture - they changed from MY06 to MY07 in September. Mine was manufactured in Oct 2006 - and is a MY07. This came with one-touch blinkers, and Euro4 compliant TDV6 motor. This was also the start of the models with an active recall at the moment: one for brakes and one for high pressure fuel pump. The brakes leak engine oil into the brake booster. The HPFP front bearing was of dubious quality/design - and fails, leaking diesel straight onto the turbo. Don't ask me how I know about this latter problem - had it 3 times.:mad:

Where are you located? If you are in Sydney, I'd be happy to show you how they are supposed to work or visit the car with you.

Cheers,
Rob

[paddy119]

Thanks Jonesy for the advice mate, i live in Sunny Cessnock in the hunter valley, i am still looking at the moment i think i might give the one a miss with the large k's, it might be a wait till Xmas is over and everything settle down again, no harm in looking and researching though!
Thanks for the offer mate i might hold you to that, if i ever see one in the Sydney area and go for a look.
Cheers Paddy

[djhampson]

Paddy theres this one for sale in Brisse.

http://sell.carsales.com.au/pls/csauth/!cs_content.member_private_vehicle'vehicle_id=7973 674&current_rec=2&total_rec=4&sort_type=&alert_id=234792&hash_id=561663104&make_id=18&model_id=4968&price_max=70000&year_max=2007&state_id=4&cylinder_num=6&engine_low=2000&engine_high=3000

Iv'e tried contacting the guy but he hasn't replied. I'm not really after an HSE so I'm going to give it a miss.

[DiscoSaffa]

The Land Rover 4.0 & the Falcon 4.0 are not quite the same engine.

As I understand it the Land Rover V6 is based on the old Ford Essex V6, originally used in 2.5 and 3.0 litre configuration in the old cortinas and later in the Sierra's and Sapphires in the UK and South Africa, more recently used in the Ford Ranger Utes in South Africa in 4.0 litre config........ not sure if that is correct

[Tote]

You learn something every day, I thought it was a North American engine.....
Regards,
Tote

[CaverD3]

I thought it was the one used in the Ford Explorer?

[ozscott]

Mate - just a thought and you might hate it...but for my money I would rather a new TDV6 D4 in the lower spec trim (but with a magic looking dash compared to the D3) than a 3 year old D3 in the HSE trim (and with the larger mags the HSE is not as good off road...but that may not bother you) for around the same dosh (at a guess - I stand to be corrected)..

Cheers

[Tote]

I thought it was the one used in the Ford Explorer?

it is.....

[DiscoSaffa]

According to wikipedia it is the Ford Cologne engine

Land Rover Discovery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and here is it's history

Ford Cologne V6 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Cologne_V6_engine#SOHC)

these web pages make interesting reading if you have the time........

[paddy119]

thanks oz scott, i have been thinking exactly the same thing, that centre dash is really dated, new D4 is alot more modern, i went and took the HSE for a test drive but i was'nt impressed by the overall condition, alot of k's 112k's, cream leather showing signs of wear, it just did'nt scream to me "spend $54000 on me!".
However It drove very well and handled around town very well.
I agree the 18 inch wheels would not be as good for off roading which is important to me. But from what i've read the new D4 S with 2.7TD comes with 18 inch wheels?

[powella]

thanks oz scott, i have been thinking exactly the same thing, that centre dash is really dated, new D4 is alot more modern, i went and took the HSE for a test drive but i was'nt impressed by the overall condition, alot of k's 112k's, cream leather showing signs of wear, it just did'nt scream to me "spend $54000 on me!".
However It drove very well and handled around town very well.
I agree the 18 inch wheels would not be as good for off roading which is important to me. But from what i've read the new D4 S with 2.7TD comes with 18 inch wheels?
With the D3:

The 18"s can be replaced with 17"s on the D3, but I think the D4 has bigger brakes, hence that is not an option for the D4.

BTW I haven't had a problem with the 18's... yet. If I do, a set of 17"s from the wrecker, or tyre store....

After the last weekend, with two Pajero's, I think that unless you are after the last 10% of 4wd capability there will be more difference in drivers capability than in the cars...

Cheers,
AP

[CaverD3]

D4 2.7 has the smaller brakes of the D3 I think. So 17 inch wheels will fit?

[ozscott]

I do mostly deep sand these days and the bigger rubber and smaller the rim the better period. I also see from Overlander that they noted that the 17s rode much better than the 18's - which is typical of all cars these days. They go to bigger rims for bigger brakes (because they are getting heavier vehicles all the time!) and then ride must suffer.

Cheers