Land Rover Reliability.

AZchris

Adventurer
I was looking at a 2003 Disco online. About 105,000. Seems well maintained.

My questions is are these reliable vehicles? I see mixed opinions online and just didn't know what to trust. Just wanting to know from the LR crowd. Thanks.
 

Paladin

Banned
Hmmmm.... I think my 2004 D2 has required more maintenance than my previous 10 vehicles COMBINED. I can't tell if it's a Land Rover thing, or if it's because of the way the vehicle is (ab)used. But keep in mind, that tally of 10 previous vehicles include some that were open tracked.

I thought I was getting ahead of things, but the latest inspection now reveals leaking rear pinion seal, rear transfercase output seal, and something else leaking oil at the top of the engine.:violent-smiley-031:
 

dcarr1971

Adventurer
Mixed reviews are probably the best that you can hope for. Rover's aren't as bad as people think, but they require a lot more maintenance than just about any of the Japanese trucks.

Something you need to consider as background info is that the Rover v8's in the D1 and D2's (and many of the RR's and other British cars of the '60's and 70's) were based on a design that LR bought from GM in the early 1960's...(try Googling 'Buick 215 v8'). GM scrapped the design after just a few years, but Rover stuck with it.

If you get a truck, make sure that it has complete maintenance records, and that it is up to date on all of it's service. If you've never owned a Rover before, then find a good independent Rover mechanic and make sure that you get a pre-purchase inspection of any truck you plan to buy.

You especially need to pay attention to the cooling system and the head gaskets. Find out when the HG's were last replaced and whether the heads were machined and a valve job was done.

With the 2003's there were oil pump failure issues, so make sure you ask about it, because if it fails, the only real fix is to replace the engine. That said, at 105k miles I'd guess that the engine has either already failed and been replaced or it's good to go and didn't have the oil pump problem. (For this reason, if I bought an '03, I'd just assume the engine is living on borrowed time and hope to be pleasantly surprised by being wrong...)

You'll also need to take a look at the front drive shaft and determine whether it has been rebuilt with u-joints that can be greased. If not, you'll have to rebuild or replace it. (<$300)

If you find a good D2 and keep on top of the maintenance, you can have a very good truck that will be a lot nicer than any of the Jeeps or Toyota's that will keep up with it off-road. If you let the maintenance slide, or don't do the work yourself, then owning a Rover can get very frustrating and very expensive, very fast...
 

walsnart

New member
Its all about service history if you are buying a used LR.

Ive had very good luck, I kept on top of regular maintenance and have had a very pleasant time with my D1.

Others I know have bought used LR's and the vehicle had been neglected (not always obvious, look carefully), and there experience has been much more "involved".

They do require more of your time and money than some of the other vehicles out there, however they are intoxicating to some people, I cant see myself driving any other four wheel drive vehicle (nor do I want to, lol).
 

Bullsnake

Adventurer
There's an old saying among long time Roveristi (yes, I made that up) that Land Rovers are "durable enough to unreliable for several decades". I have found this to be true with almost all of the Rovers I have owned over the last several years, and I keep coming back to them.

I currently am debating selling a super unreliable H1 Hummer for a somewhat unreliable LR3 in an attempt to downsize and have a little more travel money for the year ahead.

No one ever said I was smart...:sombrero:
 

Scott Brady

Founder
My 1995 DI has been good. My 2001 DII was not. The Td5 110 has been flawless.

It not only varies greatly by year and model, but also within the same year and model. Their newer stuff us better.

If you like the Rover than buy it. If you want something very reliable (i.e. that is your primary concern), then buy a Toyota.
 

Paladin

Banned
The service history is often brought up, but offers no guarantees. I had no service history, but haven't had any problems related to service history. My issues were all unservicable components.

MAF sensor
Oxygen Sensor
Rear Main Seal
Front Axle Seal
TC Output Seal
Pinion Seal
Front Wheel Bearing and ABS Sensor
Front Driveshaft
Sunroof Leak
Valve Cover Gasket?
Tensioner Pulley Bearing
Idler Pulley Bearing

I give a pass to the transmission failure because that was obviously abuse.

It should be noted that many of the parts failures are the same parts as a D1 so it can't be claimed they wouldn't fail on a D1 (seals). Most of the rest of the parts are widely used on many other European cars (ie: Bosch parts)

The only failures which are D2 specific are the sunroof and the wheel bearing.

I've never ever had a vehicle leak oil on my driveway before. And I've never had a vehicle rust from the inside before.

I still love the truck, and I don't regret buying it, and will probably never sell it. But if it was destroyed and had to be replaced, I'd probably get a used H3 I5/Manual or Alpha.
 

EricG

Explorer
I've got an 03 leaks oil bad gas milage replaced 2 power steering pumps and have had some abs issues and replaced a front hub and a few 02 sensors.

That being said the truck is great easy to work on iv done everything but the hub and that's because I couldn't break the nut loose. I never feel like I'm going to be stranded. It's got 94k on it and I'm planning about a 3k trip in may. Just doing some odds and ends and shell be all set.
 

Dave Legacy

Adventurer
Reliability and Rover do not belong in the same sentence unless speaking on lack of, but I think we all take the risk because we love them. I believe there is such a thing as "Reliability for a Rover" as some models are far more reliable than others. 2003 is usually a poor choice and I know because I used to have one. =)
 

vanroth

Observer
126k miles on my 2000 DII. I can't argue that Disco's are the most reliable, but mine has been a dependable daily driver and offroader for the past 11 years. Never once been stranded.

I drive it hard nearly every day, towed a 7500lb trailer across the country, and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it back across tomorrow. On the flipside my buddy bought his 2000 the same month and has had three motors.


Only things replaced:
Front driveshaft (a given at 45k miles)
Crankshaft position sensor
MAF (many years ago)
Water pump due to a front cover leak
Re-welded passenger downpipe that developed a flange crack

The real question is how will it do the next 126k miles? I dunno. I've escaped common problems such as the "three amigos" so I'm sure it will catch up to me. Still I love the truck. You cannot beat the driving position and feel -- and its a damn fine looking truck ;)

Personally, if looking I would focus on an '04. The '03's have the worst reputation of the lot. The '04 has the 4.6, center diff lock, and the newer lamps. '99's and '00's both had engine issues (liners), but is a moot point as those faulty engines were ALL replaced years ago.
 

Paladin

Banned
I bought the truck with 60,000km on it, and it's got 110,000km now. So all these issues have occured in just 50,000km.

I put 85,000km on a WRX and had 1 issue, a burnt tail light.

Currently have a GM minivan with 60,000km on it, it's never been in the shop other than oil changes.

Have a 80,000km on a Focus, 60,000 of which have been with a custom turbo system doubling the power output, and seen about 20 track days and as many autocrosses. Other than some obvious things like brakes, it's had few problems. Needs a thermostat now, but it is 10 years old...

None of the Discovery issues are really horrible. Haven't slipped a liner yet, or even head gaskets (knock on wood!). With the exception of the trans failure which again, was due to abuse. A lot of the problems seem to be from the "old Land Rover" days. Bad sealing. Something the British never seamed to have figured out.

That being said the truck is great easy to work on iv done everything but the hub and that's because I couldn't break the nut loose.

Oh God... If ever there was a "Jesus Nut"... that's it. I had to use a 4 foot pipe on a breaker bar. I thought the breaker bar was going to snap. Had to have somebody else standing on the brake pedal to prevent the axle from spinning. Tightening it back up... 300+ ft/lbs but my torque wrench only goes up to 200. So, I used the torque wrench to get it to 200, then the breaker bar with pipe to turn it "just a little more".

Crankshaft position sensor

How did that not leave you stranded? Must have caught some warning signs just in time.

The MAF sensor issues which seem to be common on D2's, it's something that aflicts all vehicles that use these Bosch sensors. VW's, BMW, even Mercedes and Porsche. It's just not a robust design.

And that's the case with many of the D2 systems.

The hubs are unit bearings. They have an inner bearing race, but there is no proper outer bearing race. The race is machined right into the hub bearing unit, which is a cast or probably forged component. I doubt is it manufactured from 52100 steel commonly used for outer races. That's probably why it doesn't seem to hold up as well long-term. Bearing failures are common amongst modern vehicles using this design. I know GM vehicles commonly suffer unit bearing failures in this timespan.

Leaking sunroofs and AC Condensate appear to be D2 specific design flaws.
 

johnsoax

Adventurer
I Oh God... If ever there was a "Jesus Nut"... that's it. I had to use a 4 foot pipe on a breaker bar. I thought the breaker bar was going to snap. Had to have somebody else standing on the brake pedal to prevent the axle from spinning. Tightening it back up... 300+ ft/lbs but my torque wrench only goes up to 200. So, I used the torque wrench to get it to 200, then the breaker bar with pipe to turn it "just a little more".

Funny, when I changed the front brake rotors on my 95, RAVE told me to turn it to 60N/M, then back off a quarter turn, then tighten to 3N/M (may have those off a little, from memory, but they are in the right order of magnitude). Then the nut that tightens on that one is also to 60n/m. Did the hubs change that much from a D1 to a D2?

My D1 has been a chore, but 95% of what I have had to replace has been due to previous owners negligence (front brake rotors/calipers, rusted wiring to fuel pump (someone crimped it :(), coolant freezing blowing the expansion tank (overheated, but didn't hurt the head gasket!!). The other 5% was rusted out brake line, leaking/broken sunroof.
 

Paladin

Banned
Yes, the hub changed that much. It's now a modern unit bearing hub. The bearings are arguably higher quality, and don't require service. But they can't be serviced. When they fail, they fail, and they are expensive. Also, the axle shaft holds the bearing together. You can't drive without a shaft. Some D1 people make a big deal out of that, but it's manageable. Hack-saw off what's left of the broken axle behind the bearing. The stub is all you need to hold the bearing together. Alternatively, you could carry a pre-cut stub in your spares kit. The only thing that really brings teh suck, is that 300 ft/lbs nut. But, a breaker bar and highlift jack handle should manage it.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
I bought my 2002 DII with 50,000 miles on it. Since then, I've replaced the head gaskets, water pump, ABS modulator, drive shafts, brakes, and various other odds and ends. The headliner is starting to sag, the sunroof leak nuked my stereo, so it usually works. Some days lights warning lights come on. Some days they go away. Yesterday my rear door lock pooped out.

I bought it with a lump of cash, but it has consumed a HUGE pile of cash since. Would I do it again? No way.

My wife and I lived in AK for a few years and drove back and forth to AZ a number of times. A couple times in a crappy 1992 Mazda B2000. A couple more times in a crappy 1994 Ford Explorer with a suspect transmition and a host of other woes. I wouldn't even consider driving my DII to Alaska. I get freaked sometimes driving it to Colorado!
 
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