Thread: Nervous First Timer Amid a Lemon Mine field...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>That's what I need .... a dummy to spit![/b][/quote]

a long looong time ago, back when tdi-rick was a touch more, er, volatile than now and still living with Mum and Dad, he was sitting having lunch with them and the then girlfriend and one of his best mates, Chris. After a minor spray over something, Chris quietly and calmly pushed his chair back and started to comb the floor as if looking for something. Everyone went dead quiet, and Karen, the gf asked what he was doing...."I'm looking for the dummy Rick just spat...." ops: farn mates.....

Originally posted by one_iota

You should go for a drive.... surely someone here can take you for a ride

G'day Footprint,
I'm just over at Glen Waverley.
Can offer you a drive of a 2000 Td5 auto and a 1997 v8 on gas, to help with your pending addiction.
PM me if you're interested and we'll set something up.

Ian

You really started something there footprint!
I'll add my little bit for what it's worth.

1st LR 1996 300Tdi Auto Disco. - Good reliable vehicle and the biggest pain in the butt was the heater matrix leaking and getting it fixed was expensive.
The job was also stuffed up by so called expert mechanics who'd rather bolt on new accessories to Telstra Tojos and who hate LRs.
On reflection I'd already bypassed it until it was fixed and I should have just left it like that as we don't really need heaters in Perth.

Economical and comfortable vehicle with plenty of pulling power to tow our van which weighed around 1.5t.
Changed front timing belt and had mods. done so it wouldn't wear so much in the future. Also changed water pump and tensioner for accessory belt.
Had a couple of oil leaks the worst of which was the rocker cover.
I did all servicing myself and even replaced the front axle oil seals ..... they looked as if some turkey had put them in the wrong way round when it was built.
The transmission has 1 sump bolt which is a pig to remove but unless the filter needs changing it doesn't matter. Should change it about every 80000k I believe.

We now have a Defender 110 Td5 and it has a stronger engine which tows even better. It also feels more comfortable in the rough stuff probably because of it's longer wheel base.
No real problems with this vehicle except for the clutch master cylinder being changed under warranty by the main stealer whose mechanics couldn't be bothered to adjust the clutch properly afterwards!
I'm now going to do all servicing myself as then I'll know the oils have been changed and I won't have to take out a mortgage to pay the bills.

In conclusion, there must be a lot of LR owners out there who are either self employed or dole bludgers or like me are not doing what they're paid for!
Good luck with the hunt for a good well serviced Disco.
Alan.

I never thought when i first signed up for this forum experience that i would learn so much and be offered so much helpful insight into LR ownership.

I certainly have had a lot of myths de-bugged and had the chance to contructively evaluate both my existing opinions and those of others. Even the simple thought of AWD versus part-time 4WD had never been an issue until i needed to think about a preference. Thanks Rick130 and One_iota. As for being offered test drives, the generous I_gould certainly took me by surprise.

Alan, my mechanical background only stretches as far as cleaning the floor at a workshop for 3 1/2 years when i was in high school. However, i learnt to tinker and i know i'd rather do the basics myself and save my cash to spend on the harder stuff. The 300tdi seems like an easily servicible engine and i think i'll try and resist the td5 for now- if i can.

To date, i now have a 9 page Word document table that lists all the things to listen and look out for in a 300tdi vehicle, where the problem is, how to fix it and where to get the parts cheaply. This forum is a gold mine of info and when i make the document more respectable, i'll have to let a few wise ol' owls cast an eye over it to see if i'm on the right track and to see if it might help other people.

Addiction...........i know more about them than my first car (1975 Audi Fox) and i haven't even got one yet!!!

I've got a copy of "Used Disco Buyer's Guide" and "Inside the Tdi" articles from one of the Pommy LR magazines.
I'll try to dig it up & email it to you if you give me your email address.
Both articles tell you what to look for, and a guide to how much to knock off the price for any serious problems you may detect. Prices are in £, so you need to do the conversion.

Ian

Originally posted by igould
I've got a copy of "Used Disco Buyer's Guide" and "Inside the Tdi" articles from one of the Pommy LR magazines.
I'll try to dig it up & email it to you if you give me your email address.
Both articles tell you what to look for, and a guide to how much to knock off the price for any serious problems you may detect. Prices are in £, so you need to do the conversion.

Ian

Ian,

Any chance of emailing that to me as well and I'll see if we can't have it posted somewhere here for others to reference.(copyright permitting that is)

Originally posted by footprint


To date, i now have a 9 page Word document table that lists all the things to listen and look out for in a 300tdi vehicle, where the problem is, how to fix it and where to get the parts cheaply. This forum is a gold mine of info and when i make the document more respectable, i'll have to let a few wise ol' owls cast an eye over it to see if i'm on the right track and to see if it might help other people.

And good sir we would be happy to find a place here for that document should you wish.

Footprint

You mentioned that on forums people only tell you the bad things and not the good things. Let me help out there.

290,000 kms, daily driver and reliable as the day it was born. Never uses oil, coolant level never drops. Goes like the clappers (using BP Diesel) and returns 25-35 MPG. Not a single complaint. But then I have only done 15,000 kms in it