Thread: Things you don't want to hear from a Landrover 'mechanic'

Originally Posted by footprint

.......
Also, if anyone knows how to post a word doc on here so everyone can look at it, then that would be most beneficial. Have some Disco info to share.

Big Cheers

If you reply by using the "Quote" on the bottom of a post, the page that comes up has, below the compose window, an "Additional options" section. One of the buttons there is "Manage Attachments" - click on that and an additional window or tab will open, and you can attach a file. .doc files are allowed, with a size limit of 195kb, not that I am in favour of using Word documents - just helps Microsoft, so I've never tried it, but it works with pictures.

John

Originally Posted by footprint

G'day BarryJ,

I think i found what it is you have described. If you check the 'Soup Mix' post and see if the word attachment worked.

I'd be keen to see if it actually makes it through to cyperspace AND also your thoughts on the list and how far on or off the mark i am.

footprint,

The attached file can be easily accessed by myself. I guess if others don't have word on their PC they would have trouble reading it. Hence someone's previous comment on converting it to PDF. I use PDFCreator which is a free program and it seems to do all I need it to do.

As far as the comments on your file, I'm no expert at most of the issues but it helps reading your data in case I have similar problems.

Admin might not be too pleased with reference to repairers and suppliers but I would leave it to them to decide.

After all is said and done, thanks for your information as we benefit from others experience. I believe that we all can help each other when able.

Barry

Thanks Barry.

Big WOOPS on the mentioning of names....the issue didn't even cross my mind.

I'm happy to stand corrected should admin feel the need to address the issue. Perhaps a mod of the doc would suffice.

FWIW...never met any of these people....fair chance some of these services/prices/products don't even exist anymore.

Hopefully people can read it and just continue to add to it, or add to the copy they have saved for themselves. Who knows really...

being a '98 it won't need an update kit, but if you were to buy it budget for a new belt, tensioner, idler, crank seals and at that mileage I'd replace the bearing in the front of the timing case too. Land Rover claim you need a complete new timing case (which is what I did) but the bearing is now available seperately aftermarket.

No biggy that the belt hasn't been changed yet, just do it now. The Landy service schedule still calls out 110,000km belt change interval in temperate climates.

Originally Posted by footprint

Thanks Ben.

Sounds like i should probably steer clear from this one then. Very good price but if the bloke who is in charge of the servicing doesn't know what he is on about, then it would be risky. I was pretty sure i knew the major risks with these Disco's but his comment knocked me for six.

This particular beast has also been used as a tow vehicle for a horse float...

Another question, if a head gasket has been blown on a tdi, is the only way to be minimise future risks is to get the whole head done i.e new head as the alloy one cannot be shaved back into line??

Both cars i am looking at have apparently done head gaskets in the past....both apparently have had their heads done.

If the job is fixed properly, should it be a big concern going forward??

Thanks in advance.

PS I'll try and attach a list i compiled a while ago about all the things i found out about series one disco's

EDIT - see Rick's post above.

Footprint - if it is cheap enough and the motor runs fine - then it may still be worth it. But it would be a good idea to take it to a mechanic who actually knows what he is talking about and get it checked over.

Last time I checked, it cost about $800 for a standard belt change, but the timing case/pulley "fix" kit will also need fitting if it hasn't been done - which adds a bit of money. If you take the VIN into a LR parts dealer they can tell you which bits of the (3-stage) kit you will need.

As for the head - it was common for 300tdis around that vintage to have problems with soft metal in the heads. Dave Ashcroft claims this only happens if the engine was overheated (aluminium goes soft if heated then cooled down quickly) - but I am not so sure - I have known some well cared for examples need new heads.

As long as the hardness of the head was checked when the head was done it should be fine.

Originally Posted by footprint

Thanks Barry.

Big WOOPS on the mentioning of names....the issue didn't even cross my mind.

I'm happy to stand corrected should admin feel the need to address the issue. Perhaps a mod of the doc would suffice.

FWIW...never met any of these people....fair chance some of these services/prices/products don't even exist anymore.

Hopefully people can read it and just continue to add to it, or add to the copy they have saved for themselves. Who knows really...

I don't have a problem with it as I believe it's good to know where to go for repairs\parts. It seems to me from what I have read on this site that some people have used to forum to drum up business for themselves.

I guess the PDF version of your list would not alow others to add to it.

Originally Posted by footprint

Long time since i've posted.....

Just spoke to a mechanic in NSW who has been in charge of servicing a 98 Disco Tdi i am possibly looking to buy. When asked about whether it has had the timing belt done recently, he said "it doesn't have a timing belt"....

The current (second) owner who i had spoken to just prior said this place has been servicing it since they took ownership with 58k on the clock. It now has 149k.

Am i way off my info here or does this mechanic know something i don't.

Also, if anyone knows how to post a word doc on here so everyone can look at it, then that would be most beneficial. Have some Disco info to share.

Big Cheers

Originally Posted by footprint

Thanks Ben.

Sounds like i should probably steer clear from this one then. Very good price but if the bloke who is in charge of the servicing doesn't know what he is on about, then it would be risky. I was pretty sure i knew the major risks with these Disco's but his comment knocked me for six.

This particular beast has also been used as a tow vehicle for a horse float...

Another question, if a head gasket has been blown on a tdi, is the only way to be minimise future risks is to get the whole head done i.e new head as the alloy one cannot be shaved back into line??

Both cars i am looking at have apparently done head gaskets in the past....both apparently have had their heads done.

If the job is fixed properly, should it be a big concern going forward??

Thanks in advance.

PS I'll try and attach a list i compiled a while ago about all the things i found out about series one disco's

I would have thought that when doing head gasket mechanic would check timing belt along the way, but who knows.

I don't think there is any problem buying a vehicle that hasn't had the timing belt changed, you just have to factor in the cost of changing it real soon now. I think, but am not sure, that a '98 will be past the timing belt mod kit - which was expensive - and probably only need the cheaper kit. Still expensive, but not impossible.

My 300tdi had head crack and needed new head. Mechanic reckoned it had been shaved twice already. So, if already done, plan on the next one being a new head, think mine was $1200-1500 for head alone.

under 150,000km sounds like good numbers for a '98, just depends on how well kept up the rest of it is. If it has had one mechanic regularly on it, then I reckon it might be a goer.

Cheers
Simon

Cheers
Simon