Thread: Long term running costs of used Disco 3/4

I agree a diesel D3 would go far further per tank when travelling long distances outback but if, as mentioned previously, you had a Long Ranger tank fitted to your V8 D3 then even if you were doing 20 litres per hundred kilometres you will still get just over 900 kilometres between refuels.

That will take you to plenty of the out of the way places. That is providing you know there is decent petrol at the other end to get back. ...;-)

And you have to try hard to get economy as bad as 20L/100km ! Long distance touring sees mine get 12-14 depending on speed/road/load/foot. I run mine on 95 most of the time and have, on a couple of occasions I've had to resort to 91 (runs acceptably).

IMO, worrying about the fuel economy of a vehicle like a Disco is like worrying about putting sugar in your coffee after you've had a slice of cheescake.

The D3 V8 is a derivative of the AJ-V8 with ~5 years of bugs sorted out. AFAIK the major things to watch for, engine wise, relate to the plastic parts in the cooling system (& resultant consequences). At any rate, I think the gearbox is far more of a cost/reliability concern than the engine.

My 2 cents on the Diesel's reliability.

Diesel was my final choice after looking at many V8's

Considering the local knowledge with the motor and gearbox, parts are surely to be cheaper these days, or just source them from ford..

Anyway, I landed a MY07 HSE with the black interior and a few special perks for under 30k. Has 178 on the clock with a full history.
Advantages for me is of course getting it at the V8 price, and everything that needs to be replaced has been to date. Shocks/Fuel/Compressor/Belts etc

I was concerned about the motor packing it in, however if I go the long motor replacement brand new for 10-12 grand, I am still better off financially than buying a 07 HSE Diesel with less than 100ks on the clock. And really what is 70ks on a highway driven only D3 that is well maintained.

Diesel Pop?: As far as the knowledge I have been given it has to be a certain issue to make a Diesel go pop, something that if well maintained can be easily avoided. The actual running of the motor is not the cause. Not replacing the right pulley when the belts were done or water in the diesel or lack of maintenance etc. Anyway time will tell - touch wood.

As much as I love the V8's, id also have to get a rear bar to hold the spare and a long range tank to do the normal day trips.

Diesel consumption - First tank around the CBD and some short off road stuff I got just over 800kms.

And the resale price of a diesel v's a V8?

I also am more concerned about the gearbox. Although there are a couple of FG falcons parked in my brothers driveway with the same box....

Anyway, excuse me if I am rambling just hoping to shed some light on the decision I ended up making. And I am seriously OCD when it comes to buying cars. Have owned over 50 cars and half as many motorbikes and I am 30.

Most if not all of the TDV6 engine failures have been bearing related.

When my engine was finally taken out of the vehicle because of repeated mehanic caused top end issues they found when they checked the engine over that it that it had loose main bearing caps. So I was lucky that I was getting a new engine under warranty because chances are it would have failed in a very big way sooner than later.

To date I can't remember hearing any other reason for a TDV6 to fail other than bearings. So keep changing the oil on a very regular basis and use good oil.

The bizarre thing is, providing I'm remembering rightly, most of the engines that have been reported on here for failing have had less than 100k on them. It would seem as if as long as you get past 100k you should be good. One must put in context though. A small number have actually failed compared to how many are out there, still it doesn't make you feel to good if your one of the few.

Originally Posted by TerryO

Most if not all of the TDV6 engine failures have been bearing related.

When my engine was finally taken out of the vehicle because of repeated mehanic caused top end issues they found when they checked the engine over that it that it had loose main bearing caps. So I was lucky that I was getting a new engine under warranty because chances are it would have failed in a very big way sooner than later.

To date I can't remember hearing any other reason for a TDV6 to fail other than bearings. So keep changing the oil on a very regular basis and use good oil.

The bizarre thing is, providing I'm remembering rightly, most of the engines that have been reported on here for failing have had less than 100k on them. It would seem as if as long as you get past 100k you should be good. One must put in context though. A small number have actually failed compared to how many are out there, still it doesn't make you feel to good if your one of the few.

Some very comforting info there! Any history of this happening to the Territory yet?

What are your recommendations for Oil/Filter change intervals and what oil?

Cheers,
Ben

LR changed the bearing material after 2009 from memory after they introduced the 3.0l. I believe that has made a big difference. Again as I said this has happened to a very small number of engines compared to how many are out there.

I get my oil and filter changed at least every 10k at the very most, usually around 7 to 8 k is the norm, also use the oil recommended by LR.

As for the diesel Territory, the very first one Ford gave out to a Caravan mag to do a comparo on against other tugs, got 1,700 k's up the highway with a van on the back and blew up. Diagnosis, bearing failure. Obviously it needed to be better run in before flogging it with a heavy van on the back.

There's a few more failures than just that:
-according to an Aussie mechanic on here, rocker arm failure seems to occur (specifically failure of the bearing in the roller rockers, which sends the needle bearings through the whole engine - sounds messy!) He never mentioned the failure rate but pointed out that they'd tracked it down to low output from the oil pump on startup. It is worth noting that I haven't been able to find a similar failure on google with the exception of possibly character's (disco3.co.uk) very high mileage TDV6 (over 500K MILES - I know something failed in his top end, may have dropped a valve).
-Second most common failure to bearing failure would have to be the timing belt tensioner mounting. There is not enough metal holding it in place, and it shears off. Seems to happen more to 07/08MY, but it happens to other year models as well.
-Heard of a few with melted pistons due to overfuelling. Injector or sensor or computer problem.
Other than that they seem to be a pretty stout motor and the general consensus is that they're a reliable unit. The failures to total built ratio would have to be pretty low.

You guys aren't making me feel any better about the TDV6 haha.
Does the SDV6 in the 4 have similar issues?
I do like the long range ability of diesel engines, especially as I'd probably get a long range tank regardless, but I'd prefer to not have the possibility of needing $15k on a new motor in the back of my mind.
Fuel costs are somewhat important, but our other car is likely to be the day to day kid carrier, so they will be minimised somewhat, and I live in the country at the moment so a lot of the km's would be highway cruising. Depreciation isn't too much of a concern either; with the length of time I'm expecting to keep these vehicles either isn't going to be worth a whole lot.