Thread: TD5 troubles - when is it time to call it quits????

It is easy enough to amount significant dollars when things go wrong and take out other things as well.

You don't say how many kms your car has done, you can't expect things to last for ever, even other manufacturers alternators require refurbishment or replacement at some stage. A TD5 is now going to be 9 years or older maybe as much as fourteen if you have one of the early ones.

That oil in the coolant sounds like what you get after an overheating event so you may have cooked your second motor! Did you get a new radiator with the new motor?

I think that if you have doubts about spending more money and no confidence in the vehicle repairs that need to be done then you best start looking for another ride.

I get my TD5 serviced every 10kkm, if the mechanic says the front prop shaft needs to be changed, the front prop shaft gets changed. I don't know who services your car or how often, from my perspective it is the mechanics job to point out to you what preventative maintenance needs to be undertaken to avoid consequential problems. I hope your mechanic has been doing the right thing by you.

There is no doubt that the maintenance costs on a 4WD with mainly older technology are going to be on average much greater than they will be on a conventional 2WD car.

Knowing that, some of us are prepared to pay the extra to have this type of vehicle for many different reasons.

It is sure disappointing that your Td5 has had so many problems but the question arises whether some of them are related to the way in which you (or its prior owners') undertake/undertook ongoing maintenance. And have you ever carried out preventative maintenance ? - it used to be called " A stitch in time saves nine ".

The older type LR 90 & 110 is one of the few remaining vehicles that can in general be owner maintained and is one of the reasons that some of us learn to live with them. They are also one of the remaining older design vehicles for which both expendable and replacement parts are readily available.

As for when is the time you say "I've had enough with this car " depends on what you want from it. What would you buy that would cost you less ? I know a guy who paid $700 to have a blinker replaced on a Peugeot 2WD.

To get a reasonable sale price for it you will have to repair it anyway, so why not think about keeping it with a different attitude towards preventative maintenance when you have done that?

On the other hand, if you just want something you can hop into and drive get a 10yo Camry or Mitsu 380 - they'll cost less and likely go 95% of the time.

see also About Car Operating Costs | NRMA Motoring & Services
and EU slams excessive car repair costs

Oil in the radiator sounds like a oil cooler on a TD5.

Thank you for your feedback - Disco is a 2002 model with 210 k on the clock. Very true, owning a vehicle like a Land Rover is to make sure that the 'preventative' treatment is carried out by someone that works with Land Rovers, unfortunately they are far and wide over here - we have just moved to Streaky Bay. So I am guessing that I would need a fuel regulator for the diesel leak - ebay price $355.00 a new oil cooler repair kit - ebay price $ 500.00, new hoses $260.00, a new alternator - $600.00 and to be on the safe side a new radiator - $400.00. Then the labour costs on top - doesn't look too good considering that labour costs are $90 - $120 and hour
Food for thought

I have done all the work on my TD5 myself. I had a bit of experience with a 300 TDI, but now I just read lots on AULRO and discovery2.co.uk most of the time. Coupled with reading the RAVE manuals I have saved myself an absolute tonne of money.

I've had to buy tools along the way, but there are many things that you can fix at home (just need time). There are lots of guides online about how to fix things, you'll just need to google them. Of course if you are not comfortable getting into the engine bay I understand, but it is an option.

I am suffering with my TD5 Defender at the moment, lots of parts having to be replaced but I figure it has done 310,000 km so they are due to be done. If you use quality parts (avoiding Britpart it seems) then you shouldn't have to replace them for a while. The RAVE manual also contains info on when you should inspect certain parts for wear, and this can assist in preventing replacement of other items or getting to the issues in time before they cause major dramas.