Thread: D3 Looking to buy, what to look for

Here's an 'opportunity' for anyone game .....................

Discovery 3 2008 | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Morphett Vale Area - The Range | 1212457698

Deano

Originally Posted by loanrangie

Future proofed, engine may go bang.

Ah ok. So the Ford Territory was 2011 to 2016 with the 2.7L TDV6 engine. That would mean that the D4 TDV6 model up to MY12 would also have the future proofed version of the engine - likely there was little to no further developments or changes to the motor after it was dropped from the D4 in MY13 onwards.

Originally Posted by DazzaTD5

Discovery 3 2.7 TDV6 is prone to engine failure round 200 - 250K.

Was this any better in later model D3's or the D4 TDV6 with the same 2.7L engine?

Originally Posted by DazzaTD5

*I only use 2014 engines on wards (which gives me a small window) but I'm working on there doesnt seem to be MANY failures of the 2014 model on wards Discovery 4.

Is your theory for the 3.0L SDV6/TDV6 motor or the 2.7L TDV6?
I suppose less engine failures for 2014 onwards D4's only indicates an improvement in the 3.0L SDV6/TDV6 as this is the only Diesel engine then used. It's not necessarily indicative of the 2.7L TDV6 as this engine was no longer used at this time.
Given that the 2.7L TDV6 was dropped from Land Rover use from 2013 onwards it's unlikely that they made any further refinements/improvements after this date as Ford Australia with their Territory offering were probably not purchasing enough quantity of them to justify any continued R&D. I'd therefore have thought that the last year or two of the D4 TDV6 with the 2.7L TDV6 engine (e.g. MY11 and MY12) and most, if not all, of the Ford Territory TDCi should have the last revisions.

Originally Posted by DazzaTD5

*Most Discovery engines dont snap the crank, for me its 2 out of 10 snaps the crank and the rest destroy the big ends. (which obviously can load up and snap the weak inherent design of the V6)

Yeah, I guess I tend to fixate on that as I know enough about the history of mine to know it snapped a crank back around 2011-2012. Engine was replaced with another ex disco unit but I can't get any details on its previous life.

Wow given the massive talk down on D3s I will look at a Pajero, old and ugly but super reliable with plenty of off-road ability. The old D1 I currently own has been a great vehicle never let me down but it also has had its faults. I really only need a car to take me up the beach fishing. Thanks again fellas all good info.

Originally Posted by sparky34

Wow given the massive talk down on D3s I will look at a Pajero

I also had a D1 and loved it. I only got rid of it because my wife wasn't a fan of the "boatlike" handling. So we "upgraded". Wish I hadn't. A lot more room to move and a lot less requirement to visit that engine bay.

Don't get me wrong, when the D3 is running it's the sweetest car I've driven short of an old Rolls (and I don't think I could tow the van with one of those), but if you want a cheap and reliable 4WD, look elsewhere.

Originally Posted by DazzaTD5

Discovery 3 2.7 TDV6 is prone to engine failure round 200 - 250K.

My reading was that if you get the TDV6 to this mileage without a failure it’s likely to not go on you.

Failures previously reported seemed to take no regular pattern of age or service history.

Many have done high kilometres on original engines of differing build year.

I don’t think the global failure number would be more than 5% but that’s an educated guess.

Originally Posted by DeanoH

Here's an 'opportunity' for anyone game .....................

Discovery 3 2008 | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Morphett Vale Area - The Range | 1212457698

Deano

its a grand too high, I generally offer customers that dont want to go down the path of engine replacement, $2K.

just a general reply to all and others...

*I'm not going to bull**** people and say "yeah get a D3 or D4 it will be faultless"
*Regardless of global failure percentage (is that a Land Rover marketing term??) being 5% or whatever, its not much comfort for someone forking out dollars and then having a engine failure.
*Supposedly the 2.7 had "upgraded" crankshafts the same as the mighty 3.0 in the D4, now the 3.0 in D4s are failing.
*IMHO its on the fly engineering, the D4 inlet manifold has had countless part number changes.
*Some failures have been caused by Dealer lack of knowledge, as in doing timing belt and not changing out the oil pump on early models, even though I had warned the customers to get it done.
*And while nobody has got all upity about my comments and say "oh mine has done xxx billion km's on the orig engine". Yes sure, if you built 100K of a model there has to be one thats not going to fail right?
*its why I say to owners, dont listen to Land Rover bull**** about 20K, 30K service intervals (because they have been so up front with owners so far right?) and go back to 10K service intervals.

*Some comfort...
*VW are worse with turbo diesel engine failures.
*Or Ford with transmission failures or fires.
*A friend of my parents was on his way to my workshop this morning to remove the winch on his new just out of warranty Holden Colorado so he can sell it. It has spent more time at the dealer with complete failures than he ever drove it. It broke down on the way to me. Its WAY up on my list of **** heaps never to buy.