Member Since: 06 Feb 2020
Location: Horningsham Warminster
Posts: 22
Looking after a D3. Long, sorry.
Only my second post, so sorry for coming for advice so soon.
I've owned Discoverys for twenty years and currently have a D2 ES V8. I'm lucky in that even though pushing 70 and with bad arthritis I can still look after it, brake, hubs, CV joints. Not worried about doing much on it.
My sister has given me her 2005 D3 SE, it's done approx 13000 miles. Looking at the service book it has all stamps up till 2015, she bought it in 2016 and took it back to France. Shortly after she got it the crankshaft snapped, it was brought back to England, cheaper here, and had a unit from a RR fitted that had done 23K. No reason not to believe this because of the person/garage that did the work. New belts were fitted then, oil pump no idea. No idea about the age of the engine though.
I understand that the brakes were done as well but she did have EPB issues last year. Which were sorted. It passed its 2 year CT , French MOT just before Christmas.
I brought it back from France three weeks ago and did two hundred miles the first day and five hundred the second with no problems at all.
No whilst it seems darker and heavier from inside its more comfortable and feels safer than the D2 and to be honest I'd like to keep it. Drives well on the motorway and through the turns. But head says get rid and keep the D2.
So whilst there's no definitive answers is a D3 a car that can be looked after away from dealers and indy's ? I was trained as mechanic but a long time ago. As I wrote I can still look after the D2 without too many problems.
The D3 seems okay, been sat for three weeks now, weather and not registered it in England yet so not much chance to look it over. It needs a door lock ASAP before it super locks itself and the headlights switching to RHD before an MOT. I had to move it the other day and it started first time but was a little rough for 30 seconds or so, glow plugs possibly and the suspension lifted a couple of inches, but nothing else jumped out to say problems.
I've read loads and seen lots of worrying posts about thousand pound repair bills. Average milage will be similar the the D2, a couple of thousand miles between MOT's so not used much, but I need a Land Rover.
Any advice anyone can offer will be gratefully received.
Thank you.....Graham
20th Feb 2020 2:10 pm
artiom
Member Since: 14 Jul 2019
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 26
Try to decompose the question "Should I get the D3?" in a list of smaller questions - this may help you to take an informed decision.
For example:
1. Would you be able to maintain it? Alternatively, is there around a good garage/mechanic that can help?
2. Do you have the budget to repair it?
3. Would you be ok with the expense to replace the engine in the worst case?
etc.
The previous owner of my Disco told me "It will put a smile on your face every time you drive it." and it does indeed - despite it is fairly expensive in maintenance.
20th Feb 2020 4:43 pm
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 4651
Hi Graham and welcome to the forum.
As a mechanic you should be able to do most or all maintenance yourself especially if you have access to a lift.
That said, how are you with modern diagnostics? If you are familiar with same this will help a lot too as these are complex machines due to the necessary comms of its electronic systems. If you are going to keep it you WILL need your own dedicated LR diagnostic tool, (GAP IID BT) or similar. This will keep you out of the Indy's / dealership workshop, and you don't need to be an expert in diagnostics either,(though it definitely helps)
This forum hosts plenty of good people who will help you to interpret / diagnose issues, and I have no doubt many would have given up ownership had it not been for those contributors herein.
They are not cheap to run either, so expect maintenance to be in the region of around £1k per year. Sometimes less, sometimes more, but as time passes this can reduce, as each year you are progressively improving / replacing old worn components.
So your first step? Well if you're going to keep it my advice is to get yourself a GAP IID Bluetooth tool! It will pay for itself after the first couple of uses, and if you decide to sell up you will get 75% of that back in reselling it.
And as for your question as to whether you should keep it I would say yes. Especially as you say you need a LR, and whilst there are many pretenders out there, nothing comes close to the capabilities of a D3/4.
Best of luck with it, and enjoy yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
20th Feb 2020 5:59 pm
WS7
Member Since: 06 May 2019
Location: Nuneaton
Posts: 56
Try to use it more than 2-3k a year, they don’t like standing still
NJSSAm I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.
2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
20th Feb 2020 10:15 pm
Maurand
Member Since: 06 Feb 2020
Location: Horningsham Warminster
Posts: 22
PROFSR G wrote:
Hi Graham and welcome to the forum.
As a mechanic you should be able to do most or all maintenance yourself especially if you have access to a lift.
That said, how are you with modern diagnostics? If you are familiar with same this will help a lot too as these are complex machines due to the necessary comms of its electronic systems. If you are going to keep it you WILL need your own dedicated LR diagnostic tool, (GAP IID BT) or similar. This will keep you out of the Indy's / dealership workshop, and you don't need to be an expert in diagnostics either,(though it definitely helps)
This forum hosts plenty of good people who will help you to interpret / diagnose issues, and I have no doubt many would have given up ownership had it not been for those contributors herein.
They are not cheap to run either, so expect maintenance to be in the region of around £1k per year. Sometimes less, sometimes more, but as time passes this can reduce, as each year you are progressively improving / replacing old worn components.
So your first step? Well if you're going to keep it my advice is to get yourself a GAP IID Bluetooth tool! It will pay for itself after the first couple of uses, and if you decide to sell up you will get 75% of that back in reselling it.
And as for your question as to whether you should keep it I would say yes. Especially as you say you need a LR, and whilst there are many pretenders out there, nothing comes close to the capabilities of a D3/4.
Best of luck with it, and enjoy
Thank you all for your welcome and for the advice.
I did say the engine was repaced and yes from a Range Rover Sport. As I wrote no idea of its age, the car is 2005 so does the replacement engine need to be of similar age ? It had done 23K mikes and since it was fitted it's done possibly five thousand more. My sister wouldn't drive it, hated it after the engine died.
So should I expect to replace it again soon ?
Yes I was trained by Mercededs and also worked on PSV vehicles and also a stint on grass cutting machinery inc tractors, all a long time ago. Now audio amplifiers so a little electronic knowledge. I hope I'm still able to keep on top of it. There are two independents near us but all I've ever used a garage for in the past is for exhausts, tyres and welding. Lucky !
At the moment I've got a Foxwell which is fine for the Discovery 2, may work on the D3 but not tried to look for faults yet....
But I need a Land Rover, have arthritis and a few miles in my wife's Citroen and I'm in pain, but I did five hundred in one day in this Discovery without a worry.
So still trying to work out in my head....stay with the Discovery 2 or keep the new one. Getting s*** off my wife because I said I'd never have a car that the body needed to come off to do work, and thought I'd never use a diesel car again for some reason. But she doesn't like this or the D2 but loved our 200TDI, buzz are.
Thank you all again. Graham
21st Feb 2020 5:40 pm
garfield2
Member Since: 24 Jul 2008
Location: morley, leeds
Posts: 311
Graham,
Hi,
I see your dilemma, I had my D2 G4 for 13 years and loved every minute in it, circumstances changed and I found I was looking at a D3 which had been brilliant for the past 3 years, yes it’s needed money spending on it but so does any other car,
If your still capable of doing your own work go for it, there are numerous suppliers of parts and some fantastic indies, which are well worth the travelling time and expense to go to. You also have the collective forum too.
Invest in the IID BT tool
Regards
MartinDiscovery 4.5 HSE 2015 MY
Discovery 3 SE 2007 MY gone with spinning journals
21st Feb 2020 7:30 pm
darrind
Member Since: 04 Jul 2008
Location: In A World of My Own!
Posts: 2863
Certainly agree with the comment about the D3 needing to be driven Ive had a few niggling issues crop up on my D3 that are only issues as the car has been stood since before Christmas and not driven on the roadMust stop buying shiny toys....
21st Feb 2020 7:49 pm
GlennPeacock
Member Since: 13 Jul 2020
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 6
This forum can help you solving lots of problems, diagnose and sometimes repair sort of issues.
Surely, depends on you and your budget, but if the experience is better, why not? Give it a try.
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