Thread: D3 Facelift changes?

Welcome braith7 - you have come to the right place for your answers. If you do search using Google add AULRO in the search field and you will find past topics and posts on your questions. Just have to think how people may write about the question you have.

As a D2 owner I too have been researching the differences between the D3 model years. Comparing a 07 to 09 and you could in fact be comparing not one but two model year upgrades as the early 07's are an 06MY, the late 07's are an 08MY, and then by 09 you are looking at the 09MY which includes a more D4 looking styling and other improvements before the D4 was released.

With any model run the general belief is the last of the MY upgrades will always be the best as all the fixes from earlier MY recalls have mostly been sorted. The last refresh is also when they do the facelift to encourage people not to wait for the upcoming new Disco. By the 08MY (released mid 2007), most of the earlier D3 issues are meant to have been sorted and by the 09MY you get that fresher look with colour coordinated wheel arches, etc.

But like yourself I have yet to work out what all the improvements are either - still researching this same question.

And yes, petrol owners will confirm that the V8 can get better fuel economy probably because the motor is not working as hard and is meant to be a more efficient Jaguar power plant Of course you can throw that out the window if you make use of extra power all the time.

Google "TDV6 versus Petrol" and "AULRO" and you should find plenty of topics on his subject as well.

Happy research and hunting.

I have an 07 D3 and there are no key differences to an 09 as far transmission and suspension goes. It was a cosmetic upgrade in 09 as you mentioned. In fact the transmission and suspension is essentially the same in the early D4's too.

Some prefer the colour coded look but I actually prefer the black arches and bumpers, particularly if you are fitting any aftermarket accessories (roof rack etc). They are also less likely to show up scratches.

As for petrol engines there are many more v6's available than v8's. People always think that a v6 must be more efficient than a v8 - not the case with D3's they are about the same which is why many in the know think the v8 is the best. The petrols will cost you more each year in fuel but it seems they may actually have lower maintenance costs than the diesel. They also don't have any turbo lag! The main downside is range when touring or off-roading as they all only have an 80 odd litre tank. No disco 3 is 'cheap' to maintain though so bear that in mind. Good luck.

Thanks guys, food for thought.

I was ready Cliffy's thread and it seams like MY06 are concidered a no-no? I'll have to check on the 07 model, the dealer hasnt listed which MY it is.

Originally Posted by DiscoDB

Welcome braith7 - you have come to the right place for your answers. If you do search using Google add AULRO in the search field and you will find past topics and posts on your questions.

Just a tip ...................... you don't need to go to Google and type "AULRO" in the search field.

Go to the bottom of any page in this forum. There are two search boxes - both use Google. The one on the right searches the entire internet same as any conventional Google search.

The one on the left uses Google to search this forum only. Works very well.

Ok thanks for the info and search tips guys.

So I've been doing a fair bit of reading and found that im not the first to ask... but i have found that there isnt a real consensus on the answer -

Originally Posted by TerryO

It has been reported in here previously by those who should know that the 2009 D3 had many of the upgrades that came with the D4. Plus as a bonus most 2009 models had lots of extra's factory fitted to make them more attractive to buyers because everyone knew back then that they were a run out model, so they are easilly the pick of the bunch if you want a D3.

Originally Posted by Graeme

About the only upgrade done to the 2009 D3 was to fit colour-coded wheel-arch flares and later to reduce the available paint colour options due to paint bays being used for new D4 colours months before they were released. MY07 was an upgrade model with quite a few changes.

This leaves me wondering in regards to the sales guy telling me that the 09 had major mechanical differences over the 07, but i accept that generally speaking the later the year, the more bugs have been worked out, making the MY09 the most desirable year (?)

Any more info or knowledge on the subject would be greatly appreciated Id be interested in hearing more about the upgrades to the MY07 over the MY06

Thanks.

Hi Braith7 - welcome.

The MY07 model started in about August 2006 - a month after I ordered a D3, and the dealer held off my order until the new model was released. The key "updates" for this model (from memory) were:

1. Euro IV compliant diesel - higher pressure to fuel injectors.
2. Clock display on instrument cluster as well as stereo.
3. One-touch indicators - blinks 3 times when touched, but not locked into position.
4. One-touch front windows - open or closes windows without having to hold the button.

IIRC, for the MY09 - painted wheel arches and a different colour for the stereo was about all. Regarding the upgrade to the gearbox - think that was related to software, improving shift quality. That can also be loaded to earlier gearboxes.

Cheers,
Rob

A few electrical design changes were made with MY07, eg the e-diff comms changed from using a private canbus to the transfer case to connecting directly to the main high-speed canbus for more obvious e-diff fault identification and changes occurred to the suspension ecu/height sensor working relationship. The effect is that the VIN is required when ordering replacement parts.

Somewhere later in the D3 life (MY08 or MY09) larger front ball joints were introduced but replacement LCAs are fitted with the larger joints anyway.

Improvements to front suspension operation were introduced with D4 using a LCA with revised ball joint mount angle along with stiffer anti-roll bars and shocks but softer ARB bushes to lessen the harshness of the stiffer ARBs over bumps. A new canbus protocol was also introduced with the D4 which prevents D4 ecus from being fitted to D3s.

Originally Posted by Graeme

A few electrical design changes were made with MY07, eg the e-diff comms changed from using a private canbus to the transfer case to connecting directly to the main high-speed canbus for more obvious e-diff fault identification and changes occurred to the suspension ecu/height sensor working relationship. The effect is that the VIN is required when ordering replacement parts.

Somewhere later in the D3 life (MY08 or MY09) larger front ball joints were introduced but replacement LCAs are fitted with the larger joints anyway.

Improvements to front suspension operation were introduced with D4 using a LCA with revised ball joint mount angle along with stiffer anti-roll bars and shocks but softer ARB bushes to lessen the harshness of the stiffer ARBs over bumps. A new canbus protocol was also introduced with the D4 which prevents D4 ecus from being fitted to D3s.

Thanks Graeme, but i was hopeing for some specifics...JK

Thanks very much for the details