Thread: Not 'loving' the car

Originally Posted by Blackout.j

G'day,
Bit of a mildly inebriated discussion / seeking opinions here.

I recently bought a disco 3, and while I like the features it has, I'm having a tough time 'loving' the vehicle. I've only bought 3 or so used cars in the past 20 years (similar price and mileage) and although I'm mechanically minded, there's always risk of overlooking things. I'm just as likely to get screwed as the next person. I don't doubt FOMO and lack of a 4wd for the last 4 yrs or so has factored into my purchase. I guess the lunacy of it is that I didn't even 'need' the vehicle. I don't need it to get to and from work. It was destined to be a comfortable, safer, play thing for me and the family.

It just feels like every time I look at the vehicle I'm reminded of all the potential things that can go wrong causing unnecessary anguish. Air suspension, electronic park brake, even something as common as an automatic transmission! The other cars I've bought (one of which I've owned for 17yrs) I've never been too concerned with busting out the spanners to tackle a problem. I don't even think that's an option with this car. It so much as hiccups and off to a workshop it goes.

I have this feeling of dread I can't seem to shake.

As I said earlier.. Welcome aboard!

I've had my D3 for 4-5 years now and still feel the same, Blackout.j. Always, waiting, waiting, waiting for something.

This was my "Upgrading", from what was an ultra-reliable D1, though.

So far, so good, touch wood.

Welcome aboard, a piece of advice - the world has moved on from fixing things with spanners and trying to understand a vehicle such as a D3 without an effective diagnostic tool is like trying to tune a Holley carburettor without access to jets or a screwdriver to remove those bloody bowl screws.
Invest in a suitable device ( I have an IID Gap tool) and suddenly the fear of not knowing which airbag is deflating and why becomes a much simpler process of elimination using the diagnostic results from the codes that you can now access instead of just seeing a seemingly unrelated series of errors and flashing lights.
The diagnostic tools for Land Rovers aren't cheap unfortunately (I have a license for Jscan for my daughters jeep which cost $40 and a cheap dongle to match it) but the reality is that without one it is very difficult to understand how the vehicle works and easy to develop a (sometimes irrational) fear of it breaking.

Regards,
Tote

That bloody stupid EPB is the only thing major I've had go wrong since buying our D4 new in 2016. But the horror stories get to me as well. 128K and regularly serviced at 10K intervals (and sometimes less than 10K) and up for sale as soon as I get notification our replacement is on the way.
Private sale if I can stand the trauma of loonies wanting to just go for a drive in a Landie, or wanting a day out in the rough stuff with the kids and dog, or wanting to smoke in it, or don't want a pic of their license take and emailed for security and some with no idea how to drive in the first place. :O
Pity as it's a great drive but sometimes hard decisions have to be made.
AlanH.

PS. Or maybe I shouldn't bother reading forums....

Meh

I just recently flew to Brisbane, handed over the cheque and jumped in our newly acquired RRS and drove 2400km home in 24 hours.

We have now got a RRS and a D4, both well over 12 years old.

I dont give any more thought to them other than servicing and upgrades

Have had plenty of other vehicles over the years that had ongoing issues to be resolved, rebuilt countless engines and gearboxes on other brands.

Get the right tools - so a diagnostic device (for any modern vehicle) is not a nice to have, its a necessity just like spanners and screwdrivers.


Dont ignore problems - they dont go away - thats when it starts to cost a lot more.

Consumables are just that, fancy tech does require more servicing (after all they do more checks and mantenance on an aeroplane than a car for obvious resaons - the complexity demands it)

Originally Posted by Tombie

(after all they do more checks and mantenance on an aeroplane than a car for obvious resaons - the complexity demands it)

To be fair, aviation has a certain regulatory environment missing from day to day car ownership, and a D3 is far more complex than a PA-28.

Points well made though, Mike.

Originally Posted by Tombie

Meh

I just recently flew to Brisbane, handed over the cheque and jumped in our newly acquired RRS and drove 2400km home in 24 hours.

We have now got a RRS and a D4, both well over 12 years old.

I dont give any more thought to them other than servicing and upgrades

Have had plenty of other vehicles over the years that had ongoing issues to be resolved, rebuilt countless engines and gearboxes on other brands.

Get the right tools - so a diagnostic device (for any modern vehicle) is not a nice to have, its a necessity just like spanners and screwdrivers.


Dont ignore problems - they dont go away - thats when it starts to cost a lot more.

Consumables are just that, fancy tech does require more servicing (after all they do more checks and mantenance on an aeroplane than a car for obvious resaons - the complexity demands it)

You gotta just drive them and dont get hung up on the potential issues, **** happens and you cant always avoid them. Maintain them the best you can and get on with it.
On the very odd occasion i think that i should have kept my D1 but as soon as i sit in that seat and go for a drive its all forgotten.

I think just about all modern vehicles have gone in that way, so many things, not possible to fix on the side of the road/at home sort of thing. But life is too short enjoy the car, maintain it well with regular servicing and should a major breakdown happen, cross that bridge then. They are amazing cars (I have a D2 and love the D3,4 and new defender) I'm sure it will serve you well and reliably with lots of wonderful adventures