DISCO4.COM - View topic - My First Disco (I Hope)

Bane11

Member Since: 04 Mar 2020
Location: Belgrade
Posts: 11

My First Disco (I Hope) - Need Some Help

Hi everyone,

I'm Bane and I am looking to buy another car within the next few months. One of my desires is the Discovery 4 facelift, but that one is way out of budget, so the Disco 3 is a more realistic option.

I have a question for you guys that has been well discussed on this forum and I have read pretty much everything and spoken to pretty much anyone that could know the answer, but I got a lot of conflicting info. So, I hope that you will be able to give me some info.

Before this, I should give you some background that could help you understand my situation and also that may give you an idea if I can help you with something car-related.

Officially, I am a copywriter for online content, but almost all my work has been within the car industry and often well beyond writing content. I have plenty of book and practical knowledge about the industry and several different markets, I have access to several service reports and loads of information that people find valuable when buying cars, especially used ones. I also have a lot of experience with tuning (NOT selling anything here and never will)...
You get it, I love cars, work in the industry, have loads of info and I enjoy every minute of it. If anyone needs any information about other cars, feel free to let me know and I'll respond asap.

However, whenever I bought a car, despite all my resources, knowledge, experience and research, I always took a specialist in that brand with me. Despite all the things I wrote, I believe a mechanic that has worked on that specific model and tore it apart and put it back together hundreds of times will certainly do a better job inspecting the vehicle than I ever could.

Anyway, the wife and I recently added another human being to this planet and we try and spend what little free time we have travelling around the region (we live in Serbia), most often in nature. We need more space and some off-road ability, though nothing special. My faithful classic W124 (honestly, an amazing vehicle in its own right) is not cutting it anymore for this kind of a task and I really don't want some run-of-the-mill FWD estate.

One of the options is the Disco 3 2.7 TDV6.

Being the way I am, I have already read all about the Disco 3 I could find and I spoke to two major independent Land Rover servicing businesses here and I am confident I am well informed (and often scared s***less) about the potential issues, their prices, model year changes and similar.

I should point out that Serbia is a vastly different market when it comes to LR than the UK. While newer models are relatively common here among the better off, older ones are rare, so the parts and servicing prices are higher. Simply put, we don't get to choose from as many options as you do in the UK. We are stuck with the few specialized LR services we have and they, of course, abuse the situation.

This being said, I REALLY WANT A DAMN DISCOVERY

So, I am not asking about the faults or which one to take.

I have two questions:

1-Ford and Citroen/Peugeot relationship

I know the sump is different and there are some other changes, but the basic engine is HDI. When I ask a Peugeot/Citroen or a Ford servicer if they can service the Disco with the 2.7. they have no idea what I am talking about. As I said, older Land Rovers are not very common here and they have no idea abou the connection.
I have a very trustworthy and reliable Citroen expert and I would love it if he could service my car for most things, save for the body removal tasks, AWD system and similar. Also, the gearbox is ZF 6HP, so that shouldn't really be a problem, having in mind how common it is, right?

Basically, the question is if a good Citroen specialist will have the right tools to work on the 2.7 in the Land Rover.

2-Fuel consumption (I know, bear with me please)

I really, really have read all, have seen spritmonitor, have browsed forums, memorized this one by heart and spoken to the two specialists here, but I got very conflicting info about the specific questions I have regarding fuel consumption.

I understand that I can expect an average of about 12 L per 100 km (23.5 mpg UK), but most of my driving will be in somewhat specific conditions. So, I am interested in actual consumption in those conditions. As we will cover great distances, but at steady speeds, those are the ones I am interested in. I have another vehicle for city runs and similar, so the Disco will not be used much for those. However, a few MPG can make a big difference for very long trips that we take and plan to take more of as the weather gets better.

It will be used for that kind of travel and mild off-roading (really nothing special, we have the baby with us most of the time) and driving on snow a few months a year.

I would like to know your actual MPG for these steady speeds (I know some of these seem close, but I also know the colossal weight and wind resistance start making a bigger difference somewhere around these speeds):

-50-55 mph on a road with two lanes in total in both directions between two towns (B roads in the UK I guess?)
-65 mph on the motorway
-70 mph on the motorway
-75 mph on the motorway
-80 mph on the motorway

I don't tow, plan to use cruise control when possible and overtake occasionally when someone is really slowing me down. No plans to race in this one

I got very conflicting info on these, especially the ranges for motorway speeds, so I hoped some real-world input from you guys could help.

Sorry for the long post and I hope you guys can help.

Thanks in advance...

4th Mar 2020 8:45 pm

Pete K

Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10363

2005 Discovery 3 TDV6 HSE Auto Rimini Red

Yeah french garage should be able to service them.

No point asking a ford garage unless in Australia

They are most economical at 50 mph

4th Mar 2020 8:56 pm

Dazz360

Member Since: 03 Sep 2016
Location: West Mids Walsall
Posts: 871

2005 Discovery 3 TDV6 HSE Auto Bonatti Grey

Hi and welcome, for your mpg it depend on if it’s an auto or a manual as I’ve had both and found the manual gearbox to give better mpg Metal auto sump & fluid change (3 hrs)
LR door puddle projectors (10 mins)
Tinted Bonnet wind deflector (10 mins)
All Intercooler pipes and Tbolts (2hrs)
3 injectors replaced so far (30mins)
Sunroof drain pipes both sides 2.5 hrs)
Rear discs, shoes,pads,callipers,flexi hoses, rigid brake line, n/s upper hub carrier bush and rear n/s upper arm (13hrs over 2 days)

4th Mar 2020 9:04 pm

Bane11

Member Since: 04 Mar 2020
Location: Belgrade
Posts: 11

Thanks for the responses.

@Pete K
Thanks mate, then I'll push my Citroen guy

That means a lot. He is really reliable. Regarding fuel, any idea how economical at 50? I mean, I get it that this would be the sweet spot, but what is the actual number?

@Dazz360
Sorry mate, you're right. I forgot to add that. It would be an automatic. THey are more common here, higher trim levels are usually equipped with it and it is the 6HP, which is a fairly good gearbox (albeit with some issues).

5th Mar 2020 7:15 am

aja4x4

Member Since: 14 Apr 2019
Location: Westbury
Posts: 2459

2005 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE Auto Zambezi Silver

Mpg really depends on the length of your journeys, they are not very good on short runs but i can get 30mpg out of my auto on a long run but only 23mpg around town

5th Mar 2020 7:32 am

Bane11

Member Since: 04 Mar 2020
Location: Belgrade
Posts: 11

@aja4x4
Thanks for the info. Long runs, at least 100 miles and most often well over that.
At what speed do you get 30mpg?

5th Mar 2020 9:51 am

Pete K

Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10363

I tend to see 23 MPG at ~70 mph

I'm sure you have read on here you need to be careful buying 2007 model year (and either side) as the cambelt tensioner mount has a habbit of breaking

5th Mar 2020 1:10 pm

vanpeebles

Member Since: 20 Mar 2018
Location: North East
Posts: 150

2005 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE Manual Cairns Blue

If mpg is an issue, it might not be the best machine to get. They are thirsty!

5th Mar 2020 1:34 pm

Bane11

Member Since: 04 Mar 2020
Location: Belgrade
Posts: 11

@Pete K
Yeah, I'm aware of that, but thanks for pointing out, there's always a possibility something new will pop up. As for your consumption, that is among the worst I've seen for steady 70. Damn.

@vanpeebles
Well, it is an issue up to a point, but there is a scale. I am willing to pay more for fuel, but 'more' is a veeery wide expression

So, trying to see what I could expect at those speeds to help me decide how comfortable I am with that. It'll be more than a 'regular' car for sure

5th Mar 2020 1:40 pm

Gareth
Site Moderator

Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26701

My D4 is 2013 EU5 8 speed. At a steady 70 it will return 30 mpg. Checked with fill to fill not on board computer.

I ran 2 x D3 previously, and they were a bit thirstier. Same situation would be about 25 mpg.

5th Mar 2020 1:45 pm

Hardware

Member Since: 28 Jun 2016
Location: Hiding under the M60
Posts: 12708

2011 Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 XS Auto Sumatra Black

my 2011 D4 did 30mpg on the dashboard (so probably 28 in real life) on a trip from Manchester to Southern Italy and back, fully laden (uncomfortably so on way back) and driving as fast as I thought I'd get away with

let's face it ... it has the aerodynamics of a house brick and weighs 3 tonnes. So I was very pleased with the above figures. .

Dean
====================================

2011 D4 XS - OBD port protection, RLD spare wheel protector, All LED interiors lights, Timed Climate enabled, iiD tool paired.
2011 D4 Landmark - Stolen from same dealer before I paid for it
2011 D4 GS - Stolen whilst at dealer

... All LED interiors lights, DRLs, Spare Wheel protector.
1996 300Tdi - Eaten by tin worms

5th Mar 2020 1:51 pm

aja4x4

Member Since: 14 Apr 2019
Location: Westbury
Posts: 2459

[quote="Bane11"]@aja4x4
Thanks for the info. Long runs, at least 100 miles and most often well over that.
At what speed do you get 30mpg?[/quote

I tend to put the cruise control on when on motorways and dual carriage ways and try to stick to around 70mph but do go a bit faster when overtaking and a lot slower when stuck in road works.

I also work out my mpg the old fasioned way full tank to full tank, the dash is often way out even when i reset it before a long journey, i did get 37mpg on a 150 mile run and was very happy until i filled up and was getting just over 30 mpg.

Going back and forth to work 4.5 miles each way i average 23-24mpg actual and the dash shows 22-23 mpg
My speedo was also calibrated as i originally had a tacho fitted and was reading 1mph higher than my actual speed with new tyres fitted.

5th Mar 2020 7:06 pm

Bane11

Member Since: 04 Mar 2020
Location: Belgrade
Posts: 11

Thanks a bunch guys, really good feedback here

6th Mar 2020 6:50 am

Bulatovic

Member Since: 19 May 2020
Location: Belgrade
Posts: 38

2009 Discovery 3 TDV6 HSE Auto Buckingham Blue

Pozdrav Bane!

I bit the bullet it seems long before you - didn't manage to get scared off as i didn't let enough time to read through all the possible perils before cashing out

Epilogue - 100 minutes into ownership the air suspension compressor packed and gearbox decided it didn't like me driving it mildly and started fluttering worse and worse at light throttle and 60-80-90 km/h. Draining and replacing 5 litre of ATF oil did sort of cure it for 3 days, but now it's back again and strong.
Putting all my hopes into a full machine flush and 2 tubes of dr tranny shudder fix that will hopefully last 20-30k km before the inevitable rebuild.
And that's a car with full service history and 207,000km on the clock.
Oh, yeah and i went and sold my 2016 Octavia VRS that i've spec'ed and bought from new - and still haven't looked back. Simply love the brute.

Consumption - well i am trying not to compare it with the TDI Octavia as it did 130kmh on motorway at between 4.7-5.0l/100km (57-60mpg). This is more like 9l/100km at 120kmh. Quite a hit on the wallet to compare the two... Very gentle driving you can get 8ish per 100km on average, but give it a rush hour Belgrade run and it is 11-12 easy.

I wouldn't stress too much about the engine itself - it works if well maintained - and can be problematic if not - remember, these cars were 70,000+ eur when new, so the lucky ones to get them new were trashing them on the motorways full throttle and discarding them after a few years. See that the one you want has service history - it won't mean much, possibly won't run longer than the one without the history, but at least you have some idea if the owner took care of it before selling it on.
I have super experience with Likos 4x4 bunch in Belgrade, and it's pretty much everything else apart from the engine that can be problematic.
I was told - suspension (compressor 500-600 eur, air bags 250 eur per corner), handbrake if completely gone a thousand, everything else is sort of regular car money for maintenance.
And check for gearbox flutter. super annoying.

Best of luck, and let's keep the beasts on the road

Srećno i piši ako treba neki savet!
pozz
L

1st Jun 2020 9:33 pm

Bane11

Member Since: 04 Mar 2020
Location: Belgrade
Posts: 11

Wow, well this is awesome. Thanks a bunch i pozdrav i tebi

That doesn't sound too bad. I mean, as you said, it's not to be compared to a 2 L TDI neither in terms of consumption nor maintenance and servicing, but it is definitely not as bad as I was led to believe. Even that consumption range from 9 to 12 is not that big. I thought rush hour Belgrade would be worse than 11-12.

When you mention Likos, you mean for buying parts, not maintenance? I mean, I didn't hear they also do maintenance. If they don't, where do you have it serviced? Is there someone aside from Nine and Bugi? If not, which one would you recommend?

Where did you get that 250 per corner offer? That is a very nice price. I know there are aftermarket parts and even Chinese ones.

That 100-minute thing must have been terrible. Exactly the thing I'm scared of. And I don't mean just because of the costs, but also reliability. You know, I'll put the baby in the car and drive 1000 km, so developing a shudder in the gearbox 1000 km away from home... I know it can happen in any car (especially as this ZF 6HP was used in sooo many cars), but some are more likely to have such an issue.

Also looking into better specced Touaregs MK1 now, but still tilting towards the Disco. That box just grows on you, doesn't it

Unfortunately, there is also the possibility of getting something 'regular' that can be exchanged easily after a while for something like these two, but I'm very reluctant to do something like that.

Thanks a bunch again and great to find a neighbour here

2nd Jun 2020 4:55 am