Thread: Needing some suggestions

Yeah I do. Plenty now getting into high 400s+
Comparing a D1 to a 3/4 is a challenge.

A tdi D1 couldn’t pull a skin off a custard,and if you go too fast on rough terrain your backside spins suggests you slow down. Ride wise - Same for D2 or older Defenders.


Then you get into a D3/4: glide over the harshest correlations at speeds well above what you would otherwise do in the earlier units because it feels so composed. All the while underneath it’s working hard to keep that ride!

Example: I went to Maralinga, along the rail corridor. Then out at Emu and back to the ‘Pede.

12 vehicles in group. I stop for 15 min to take some photos etc and group keep moving. Jump back in D4 and notify leader I’m mobile. Call comes back “take it easy, it’s terrible, we’re down to 60km/h it’s that rough up ahead”.

In the meantime, I’m on a hand free call to another Aulro member, having a chat, doing 120km/h and he couldn’t hear it, and I couldn’t feel it!


Now that sort of stuff works a vehicle hard. And The 3/4 will soak up a lot of that, until one day you need new bushes/shocks because they have worked harder than the earlier models ever would - if I’d tried that in my D1/D2/110 I’d have ploughed into a tree off the side of the track!

At the end of several thousand kilometres on that trip, the only vehicle to not suffer a single issue was the D4. The Toyotas, Nissans, Hyundai! a Holden and the Ford all had failures requiring track side repairs.

I’ve since done 225,000km and not once has it let me down. You just have to understand that everything is working harder if you use it to its capability and that requires maintenance.

I replaced all suspension at 160,000km. It was all ok - shocks were tired though.
I changed hoses and plastics last year - again good practice.
And I fully service the cooling system every year - it’s cheaper than a water pump or other failures.

Towing anything over a ton don't expect a TDI D1 to get anywhere in a hurry, loved my old D1 TDI auto but the D3 does double the speed with double the weight and you wont even know its there. At this age a good D2 would be the oldest Disco i would buy, good D1's are getting very hard to find.

Originally Posted by Tombie

Never doubted my 2.7 D4...

Always serviced properly (by me), always maintained - not repaired....

I'll take it anywhere, anytime, with utmost confidence.

But can you guarantee that it won't randomly break a crank?
Granted, any motor can break a crank, but some D3/4s seem to do it too often at relatively low kilometres, regardless of maintenance.
regime.
As if that were not bad enough, JLR refuse to acknowledge any issues.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

But can you guarantee that it won't randomly break a crank?
Granted, any motor can break a crank, but some D3/4s seem to do it too often at relatively low kilometres, regardless of maintenance.
regime.
As if that were not bad enough, JLR refuse to acknowledge any issues.

Within reason, yes. The D4 2.7 is a very reliable engine.

The 3.0 failures are not as prolific as envisioned. It’s saturation in forums that makes it seem worse than it is.

LRs recorded failure rate (in warranty is the measure car makers use) is a fraction of a percent. Globally the engines failure rate is still below that.

Plenty of TD5s did heads (from memory so did V8s and tdi’s)


There’s stacks of 3.0 going well over 300k.

What becomes an unknown is when you aren’t the first owner (or you serviced to standard schedule and not the arduous one). And don’t get me started on tight arse owners putting pattern parts and using the cheapest spares out there!

Originally Posted by Tombie

I replaced all suspension at 160,000km. It was all ok - shocks were tired though.
I changed hoses and plastics last year - again good practice.
And I fully service the cooling system every year - it’s cheaper than a water pump or other failures.

Tombie,

What mileage did you do the hoses and plastics? And what state were they in?

When say you fully service the cooling system yearly, what do you do/replace?

Still getting my head around what I might do as a service schedule from mine.

Thanks

Tony

Not just Discos, it seems.

Ok, so i am thinking of a D3 or D4.
I know there are more electrics, but i'm going to have the same issues with any "new" car anyway.
I like the idea of a bit more grunt if i'm going to be towing, and it at least appears the D3/D4 has a bit more space in the back than my old D1. Although the things I could fit in there vertically was amazing.
I was concerened about the crank issue with the D3/D4. I suppose less with the fact it could happen, but more the cost of a replacement engine. Although I have heard Nissan are now at $40k for replacement diesel engine for their earlier Patrols... so LR doesn't seem quite as bad.
The other thing I had, was wheel size, I never wanted to go out there and run 35s etc like others do on their biggers wagons, i did like the idea of a bit more tyre wall, and presumably the ability to run lower pressures in the tyres.
I made the assumption that the D3/4 didn't need to run pressures quite as low?

I suppose, if i'm getting one, it's going through the log book of the previous owner/s, seeing what has been done, and make sure i stay on a strict 5-10k service interval.
I know a 2 guys at work have them, and one in particular loves his. He's onto his 2nd, gave the first to the inlaws after he put petrol in the diesel. that was a few years ago, got it going and it still hasn't missed a beat.
While i'm concerned, i'm also thinking that maybe these are a little bit precious, and regular TLC rather than neglect and they will run a treat.

Originally Posted by d1disco

Ok, so i am thinking of a D3 or D4.
.....
I was concerened about the crank issue with the D3/D4. I suppose less with the fact it could happen, but more the cost of a replacement engine. Although I have heard Nissan are now at $40k for replacement diesel engine for their earlier Patrols... so LR doesn't seem quite as bad.
The other thing I had, was wheel size, I never wanted to go out there and run 35s etc like others do on their biggers wagons, i did like the idea of a bit more tyre wall, and presumably the ability to run lower pressures in the tyres.
I made the assumption that the D3/4 didn't need to run pressures quite as low?

.....

Don't worry about the electronics, I was same until the D2. Just keep in mind that as part of the cost of the vehicle you should get yourself a good diagnostics tool for it. They sound expensive, but diagnosing yourself is where you save $s!!
And almost everyone says that the GAP tool is the one for D3/4 model era.

Part of the problem(for me) with new cars is the tendency for car makers to require the use of a diagnostic tool to replace parts in the car.
As an example, some cars need a diagnostic tool just to change the battery! It's just stupid(IMO).

I had this issue with my little Peugeot. I have a diagnostic tool(Autel) works well for my needs, but I think I'll get something a bit more pro in the future. Anyhow, turns out the fuel pressure sensor was kaput. The Autel diagnosed this no worries. sensor only cost about $40. Fitted sensor .. still same problem. Car would die when accelerated. Took me a while to work it out, then found the parts replacement menu in the Autel and found the sensor listed and etc...
The problem is when you don't know this stuff is the painful part.

Also, if you are keen on a D3 diesel, search for LR Time on youtube and watch their vids. Tons of info and not just typed words! They put out vids every Sunday and the last one, 28/9, will address any concerns you have on a D3.

Oh! and on the topic of service histories and receipts ... for me they are better hung of the dunny wall in some instances.
Nephew got himself a nice TD5 D2. Had lots of receipts with it. One of them was for a AMC head replacement by a well known mechanic mob.
Turns out it needed a head due to cooling issues. He replace head with a good second hand one. Car goes no problem now. He was going to dump the old head, but I kept it. Turns out this so called AMC head is the original head that came on the car! has the original LR stamping on it from 2003. (ie. there's no way it's an AMC that was supposed to have been replace in 2018!!)