question on reliability with high kms

[mw0880]

hi all


I am a newbie to the land rover, I m looking at purchasing a discovery for my next car, I m considering either a hse disco 3 diesel or a disco 4 2.7 or 3.0 diesel. As both cars within my budget will likely be high kms (sub200k km), I want to ask around and see how is the reliability with high mileage. Obviously I understand how its been driven and maintenance make a huge difference , but say a city car that's nice and straight with proper service history, should I be worried about its high mileage?


with high kms car, would the turbo, suspension, auto transmission or any other parts needs replacing?


thx in advance!

[Disco-tastic]

Timing belt on the 2.7L should be done at 168000. There is also a new oil pump housing for the D3 diesels, which you should make sure has been changed when the timing belt was done.

Front lower control arm ball joints often wear out anywhere from 120k km to 200k km. They may need to be replaced.

It is very desirable that the transmission has had a service prior to 100k km. Many haven't so look around until you find one that has. Mine was done at 116k km and was still driving well at 148k km so i thought it was still good. Budget $7k for a transmission rebuild if it hasnt been done.

There is a stator bush issue for early D4 models (and possibly late 09 D3's).

Unfortunately i dont have time ATM to lookup relevant threads but there are plenty on here. Use the google search at the bottom of the web page (the app search is a bit useless) and type in the keywords from what ive written above.

Hope that at least gets you started

Cheers

Dan

[mw0880]

thanks dan for your detailed reply!!


wat would be your opinion on the choice of engine for disco 3? diesel seems to be the most desirable hence the higher asking price, but many 4.0 or even 4.4 is asking a lot lower with much less kms, wat would be your opinion on these 3 engine choices? I only do city driving with maybe an occasional offroad trip . cheers.

[Ean Austral]

Gday & Welcome to the forum .


There are heaps of threads on here about the pro's & con's of both and some on peoples thoughts of the choices, scroll back thru some of the pages and you will have plenty of reading to find out exactly what you want to know.


Enjoy.


Cheers Ean

[Disco-tastic]

thanks dan for your detailed reply!!


wat would be your opinion on the choice of engine for disco 3? diesel seems to be the most desirable hence the higher asking price, but many 4.0 or even 4.4 is asking a lot lower with much less kms, wat would be your opinion on these 3 engine choices? I only do city driving with maybe an occasional offroad trip . cheers.

Mate i bought a 4.0 V6 petrol for that very reason!

I originally wanted a diesel for fuel economy but was swayed by some people here who have owned both. I started a thread which you can find here:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/showthread.php?p=2368211

Price vs Age - D3 or D4?

By the time I factored in the initial price difference, fuel costs and the maintenance costs of the diesels, i figured out that it would take about 200,000km for me to break even! Both petrols use a timing chain which you theoretically never need to service.

That said there are some diesels going at great prices.

If you're doing mainly shorter trips or stop start traffic, that isn't great for the diesel, though the petrols economy in city driving is woeful.

Finally, the V8 is the pick of the petrols. 40% more power from memory 27% more torque, same fuel economy, 100% better noise The V8 does have a plastic pipe near the thermostat housin which is probe to becoming brittle but AFAIK other than that they are both as reliable. No stories that i know of petrol motors blowing up, while theres a few stories of the diesels needing replacement - though still not that many.

Have fun looking and test driving

Cheers

Dan

[Russrobe]

Yep D3 HSE V8 is great value for money, I would have got one if I could find another. Be warned, 450km/$100 a tank around town and only 550km on long trips...

Mind you if you can find a D4 diesel that's recently had the timing belt changed and a major service like I just did you will be just as happy!

It's due at 168,000kms...

I found the dealer trade ins had been sold to wholesalers, great place to look as they have impeccable service history usually! I also just saved $1400 on lower control arms thanks to statutory warranty...

[mw0880]

thx everyone for your input ! u guys r certainly much more helpful and responsive than the other forums i been on ... have a nice day !

cheers

[Narangga]

hi all


I am a newbie to the land rover, I m looking at purchasing a discovery for my next car, I m considering either a hse disco 3 diesel or a disco 4 2.7 or 3.0 diesel. As both cars within my budget will likely be high kms (sub200k km), I want to ask around and see how is the reliability with high mileage. Obviously I understand how its been driven and maintenance make a huge difference , but say a city car that's nice and straight with proper service history, should I be worried about its high mileage?


with high kms car, would the turbo, suspension, auto transmission or any other parts needs replacing?


thx in advance!

As well as the things Dan has told you I would add:

Turbo - some have had issues on the 2.7 but my response is that they are not a 'known issue' but as with anything mechanical that ages it could cause problems (as it can on any make)

Suspension - The Hitachi compressor in the D3 was not a success. Some have reported in the last 6 months that 05 & 06 models have had LR replace them with the AMK (used on the D4). AMK compressor reliability is much better. Other suspension parts then become an age and use thing.

Auto Trans - Was claimed to be a 'sealed for life' only service at 240,000 kms. However the sooner the first service the better. The original plastic sump with a filter as part of the sump is best replaced with a steel sump including a drain plug. When looking at a vehicle, getting a transmission service history would be one thing at the top of the list. Otherwise, as Dan said, factor in up to $7K for a replacement transmission.

Other Parts - diffs have been an issue for a few & the coolant adapter (do a search on the forum) on a diesel needs replacing every couple of years. Some, like me, have had to replace the steering rack (not easy to find as an aftermarket part)

Choice of engine may be determined by your intended use. Dan went for the petrol 6 but I went diesel so that should I need to I don't have to think about the fuel should I ever be near petrol sniffers. Hence I was prepared to wear the extra purchase price and other running cost because of it.

Happy hunting and may the Permagrin be with you.

[Disco-tastic]

Heres a couple for you.

V8 HSE
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...891764&alt=web

Really cheap Diesel SE
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...088549&alt=web

Cheers

Dan

[mw0880]

thx again !! cant thank you guys enough!!