Thread: Once bitten...

There is Bruce Lytton down the coast and a dealer in Toowoomba. I have heard good things about BL. When the vehicle is out of warranty you may want to consider MR Automotive at Redcliffe but you will need to see if they have the software for the D3 (they have for the D2).

Cheers

Ozscott,

Apologies if my earlier rant came across as overly abrasive.

However, you are trying to advise someone on the relative merits of owning and paying for a D3 vs an older LR (a D2). You have never had a D3, so I'm unsure as to where you get your info. But you do seem to take any D3 horror story as literal truth and then imply denial when anyone tries to correct you ("I hope your right" or "If that's true" etc etc) - both here and earlier on the Discoweb site. If you were a 'Yota owner, I'd suspect you of trolling

Many D3 owners _have_ owned earlier LRs, and are hence in a better position to comment on the comparitive costs, benifits etc. I acknowledge that there is often a biased overtone from current owners - there always is and always has been. It's up to the reader to determine whether this is warranted or not. One needs to separate the facts (or facts from reported experiences) from the (often unintended) hype.

So to close, so as there is no confusion - per paragraph, facts first, hype next:

1. The D3 is mechanically extremely ruggedly built. From my experience in breaking down and rebuilding RR Classic's, County's, Defender's, D1's and yes, D3's, I would have no hesitation in claiming them to be one of the strongest drivetrains put into an LR.

2. There was a batch of D3 diffs that had a coating that contaminated the diff. LR's response was to replace the diffs under warranty for owners concerned about diff noise or leakage. A pretty decent action, I thought.

3. The diff seals are commonly available in the UK. As I've never had a diff problem, I cannot comment on their availability here, but if LRA or Dana can't supply, I'm sure Rovacraft can. Else buy online from UK. The procedure for changing the seals is delineated on the GTR web-site, as is all service and repair procedures.

4. The D3 is no more expensive to maintain than any other new 4WD. In my experience, in many areas it is cheaper (air springs, body trim, CV's). In a couple (eg EPB module) it is up in 'Yota territory!

5. The D3 is (in general) no more expensive to maintain than an older LR, if you only did it through a dealer. But as there are more independents doing the older LR's (and providing aftermarket parts), it can be cheaper to run and maintain an older LR than a second-hand D3 out of warranty. This would apply to any brand of car.

6. One real advantage of a second-hand D3 though, is that due to the ability to electronically configure the vehicle, many upgrades that were applied to newer builds can be (and usually are, free of charge) applied to the earlier builds. I know of no other 4WD where this is possible.

Hope this is clearer.

Cheers,

Gordon

Originally Posted by gghaggis

.... The D3 is no more expensive to maintain than any other new 4WD......

It's interesting that you should point this out to Forum readers Gordon.
After reading recent posts here about D3 service charges , I made a few
phone calls around Cairns to check other marques. I had a LC100 V8
Sahara for 2 years before the D3 , and had kept records of service costs.
It was most revealing to discover that 4X4 charges had skyrocketed ,
whilst car sevice costs for our other vehicles had stayed the same for
2 years. Now , here's the kicker ; A LR "source" informed me that it's all
to do with who's good for being screwed and who's not. You've got
a vehicle in the high 5 figures and you can pay. Go figure ..........

Makes good business sense to me.

Thanks Gordon. I guess I am somewhat jaded about the direction that ALL new vehicles are heading in terms of complexity...and often for only very modest gains or in an attempt to cover all bases. The D3 is undoubtably an amazing vehicle. When I say things like "I hope your right" im not being disengenous because I actually do hope that the D3s have less problems than what is sometimes reported and are easier to fix than the complexity first presents (and for that matter easier to source discreet parts for than is sometimes presented)...because one day I might even get one. One thing that is clear is that having blokes that are passionate (as you are) about the D3 is good for everyone because you get to the bottom of what can be done and done cheaper in terms of maintenance...and for that matter what can be done to ensure better longevity.

Cheers

Neil - I think there is no doubt that some dodgy places do add a shiny pants or shiny expensive 4wd charge...

Cheers

I am new to the Land Rover brand and have owned my 2009 D3 for about 2 weeks. I was concerned about quality because of what I read on the internet and a friends experience with a Freelander. So far i can say my D3 is performing very well, nothing has fallen off and everything is working as expected. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Cheers,
Ash

ash
Most of the problems would have been sorted in your
model.......just enjoy it.