I have lately been in a constant battle in my mind with my land rover.

Its a love hate thing.

Things I LOVE
-Sexy
-European
-Amazing offroad
-Unique

Things I HATE..
-Gas mileage [unfortunately I improved this]
-Headlights [EW]
-Sagging blinkers
-Mechanical Issues
-Electrical Issues
-I dont trust it!

Im tired of fixing things, It seems like everyweek its something. My friends refuse to go on any road/camping trips with me. And the the one person who trusts me [girlfriend] is the one person I wouldn't want to put in a breakdown situation.

I know, spike yours never gives you trouble and it has 180-200k.

In my 15K of owning it this is what I had to fix.

1.Alternator [20$ lucky junkyard]
2. Ecu and alarm ecu total cost [150$]
3. Head gasket [220$]
4. Transmission hose [6$ lucky junkyard] LEFT ME STRANDED 200m AWAY
5. Power Steering Hose [40$] Would have left me stranded but I was only 1m from home]
6. TPS 90$
7.IACV 45$
8.

I still NEED to fix..
Water pump
Power Steering leak [never gonna happen]
Exhaust leak [this weekend HOPEFULLY]
Drivers seat heat [not gonna happen]
Hub seal [I think/hope]
Radius Arm Bushings
Replace Bulb in clock
Figure out whats up with the cruise control
Figure out where the heck my coolant is going.
Figure out how my passenger carpet MAGICALLY stopped getting wet from heater core.
Figure out how to keep rain from coming in the rear sunroof [I have tried] and front windsheild [I have tried]
Whenever I clean under my hood I can count on the truck shutting its self off a few miles down the road [as hard as I try water gets around the main relay on the ecu]
Fix body oxidation on aluminum door WTF?

I feel like im constantly fixing stuff.. well I am..

Its like I just want a new and improved discovery. Like an 04 but I highly doubt It would be much different if not worse.

I have been looking at other vehicles, but they dont compare, 4RUNNER FJ TACOMA, XTERRA SOMETHING RELIABLE. But they just dont compare..

I took my truck offroading today to try to forget all its flaws. I loved it, and was amazed at how MUCH it flexed offroad. I mean the tire was STUFFed into the wheel well. I never saw anything like it. There was no more room for anything. I love pulling out brand new chevys with big rims and mud tires and my little LR has no problems putting past them. I love having a capable offroad vehicle thats not a jeep [honestly only thing that comes close] I love how I feel like I can drive striaght up walls.

I just want something RELIABLE and "newer" Considering 04 but.. One parts missing.. Reliable.

 

Are the cons more important than the pros?

Alway bear in mind; is the money paid for the truck and the repairs are worth keeping the truck? In other words, do you plan to keep the truck for a long time, until it's so worn out you have to flintstone it to get it going?

Your truck is incredibly clean. On my truck, the aluminium skin is coming off from the tailgate. To stop oxidation use a wirebrush remove a much as possiple, prime with anti-rust primer and the paint with the color of you truck.

You have to take little bites at the time. One little thing every week. I have very few time to work on my truck and there are issues that I need to take care of. But I can't make a list of them I will want to sell the truck.

I you want to save trips to the junkyard, stop going and save that 200$ and after a month you can buy a parts truck.
I have to admit that fuel economy is not great, but my friends don't mind driving around in my truck.

But you mentioned the most important point in your post; NOTHING COMPARES. I love pulling Jeeps and their owners out of a mud puddle (Jeep owners proved themselves to be real douches sometimes)

 

Buy a car for your daily driver like A subaru, Toyota something like that. Subaru's are good on gas, run forever and the parts are cheap. Also a lot easier to work on than the Disco's. I put 285K on an 87 wagon before it died. The only major work I did on it was the heads.

 

yeah wasnt there some missile developer on here that gave a 20,000 word explanation to how to make your truck more reliable. basically buy a second vehicle and you lessen the chance your truck will break down because you drive it less... i have a ford escort i drive to work every day. fantastic gas mileage. cheap as hell to fix and that leaves my truck all pretty and sweet for the weekends. i have done everything you have done to your truck and more in the 24k i owned it. most of it was because of past neglect or destruction done on purpose such as the idiot breaking the LED's off the console so the 3 amigo lights wouldnt light up.... just keep your head up don't get rid of the D1 you invested a good amount on it. tackle some small things to bring your attitude back. such as the clock light. thats a 5 minute fix.

 

Look what this guy did and on the end he is selling it.

http://forum.ih8mud.com/vehicles-tra...low-miles.html




Engine:
· 2004 General Motors 4.3L Vortec V6
· 2004 GM engine management system custom programmed for this application
· Cast iron block and head
· 200hp / 260 ftlb torque (way more then the 300tdi)
· Gets about 12mpg city and 18mpg highway
· Runs smooth and starts every time just like the factory engine
· Engine bell housing adapter kit sourced from Marks Adapter in Australia
· Custom made engine mounts
· Centerforce clutch pressure plate with Land Rover clutch disk to easily mate to factory Land Rover 5sp manual
· Centerforce flywheel
· Sanderson block hugger exhaust headers with ceramic coating
· Custom made exhaust Y-Pipe with catalytic converters
· New exhaust system from Y-pipe back all painted with high temp black
· Flex-A-Lite dual electric fans thermostatically controlled
· S&B open air intake system with custom bracket
· Perma-Cool power steering cooler
· Custom made AC and power steering lines
· Davis Unified ignition wires
· Scan Gauge II mounted in gauge cluster used for engine diagnostic and tachometer

Suspension and Tires:
· Nearly new 235/85R16 BFG AT tires
· OME Heavy Duty Shocks (N73HD Front and N25HD Rear)
· OME Heavy Duty Springs (751 Front and 762 Rear, ~2” lift)
· Rover Tracks heavy duty steering damper relocation kit with OME steering damper
· Rover Tracks heavy duty rear trailing arms
· Rover Tracks front heavy duty tie rod
· Expedition Exchange spring retainers
· Staun tire deflators
· Longer stainless steel brake lines for greater flex

Protection:
· ARB front bumper coated with urethane bed-liner
· Rovers North heavy duty steel rear bumper coated with urethane bed-liner
· Frame mounted rock sliders made by BlackFoot coated with urethane bed-liner
· Front and rear Safari Guard differential protectors
· Rubber floor mats

Recovery:
· Warn M8000 winch with WinchLine synthetic line, safety thimble and aluminum fairlead
· Rear receiver shackle bracket for rear recovery
· Two weld on shackle brackets on ARB front bumper
· Recovery kit included with Pelican 1600 case
· Hi-Lift jack mounted on front bumper

Camping and Storage:
· Eezi Awn 1200 Roof top tent with LED reading lights
· Hannibal aluminum roof rack
· Dual battery system with battery isolation when ignition is off
· Stainless steel rear cargo door panel with flip down aluminum table
· Custom built carpeted shelving to hold

· Rear ladder to access roof rack
· Fire extinguisher mounted with Quick Fist
· Spare Tire mounted bike rack
· Axe and Shovel mounted with Quick Fists to roof rack

Electronics and Interior:
· All interior removed and Elemental Designs E-Dead v3 sound deadening applied
· Alpine CD player with iPod controls (old iPod included)
· Four Eclipse 4” coaxial speakers
· Replaced headliner
· Code Guard security system

Rust Prevention:
· Chassis and frame from firewall forward have been coated with urethane bed-liner
· Bottom of chassis is treated by Zeibart
· Inside of interior doors have been treated by Zeibart
· Common rust found in C-Pillar has been patched and treated with rust preventatives
· No other rust!

Known Problems (I don’t want a detail missed):
· When the brakes are hot they squeal even though they have been recently replaced and have plenty of life left. They just need to be removed and cleaned. I have lived with the noise thinking, if I clean them they will just get muddy again.
· Hole in rear trim where a small fire started when patching the body at the rear door C-Pillars. Easy fix if you can find the part at a junk yard. Also hard to see with shelf system and Pelican case in place.
· Power side view mirrors do not work so mirror has been rigidly mounted
· The person who replaced the headliner drilled a screw through the roof, right under the roof top tent. I didn’t even notice this for months and thought it was just a bug when I first saw it while washing.
· Rear door power locks were slow and sometimes did not automatically lock with alarm. I have disconnected the locks and manual operate the two rear door locks when needed. Very easy to reconnect.
· Not really a problem but due to the ARB front bumper airbags are disconnected

 

Owning a Rover is like joining a really crazy religious cult where your every thought is consumed by the Church of the Holy Rover. My other vehicle is a Honda Civic which feels like a low rider Corvette after tooling around in my Disco. Having 2 vehicles is imperative. My Disco has gotten more and more reliable over the years as I fixed the quirks and learned to live with others. I think you will gain confidence too in the reliability as you fix things BUT I don't think many Rover owners ever get that bullet proof feeling. There is always a little voice in the back of your head chuckling at you. That being said my 97 Disco has been the best, most reliable USED vehicle I have ever bought out of a number of different kinds over the years. Good luck.

 

Yea.

And I didn't mean I spent 200$ a week going to a junkyard lol. Truck would have been long gone.

Nomattet what I do short of engine swap and electronic gut. I cannontrust it.

But then if I bought something new I'd be paying the note higher insurance AND. If something breaks no cheap junkyard parts.

 

Please don't get mad at me, but I feel like expressing a few things you should maybe take into consideration.

Keep a few other things in mind as well. It is over 12 years old. Didn't you do a buy and fly and drove it several hundred miles upon picking it up? Wasn't that you? So I assume you bought it sight unseen and without a test drive or evaluation, correct? A pig in a poke as they say down south.

If that is the case, you were lucky to make it home with it still in one piece.

Also those junkyard parts may be cheap initially, but are they cheap in the long run? Aren't they as old and came off a wrecked or otherwise junked vehicle. That won't improve reliability whatsoever. They may get you a little further down the road, but what is their longevity? As you say you already experienced with one of the hoses.

You put lots of miles on it commuting to work weekly, right? Also not good for a vehcile that old that saw less than 10k a year on average.

If you want to really enjoy it off-road, buy another vehicle for that weekly work commute. There are so many that get excellent milage these days, I really do not understand your insistence on racking up all those miles on your Disco. Save the Disco, it does not have an unlimited life span you know.

Yes it is an incredible vehicle in SOME ways, not so great in other ways also.

If it were a diesel Mercedes Benz, you might expect to put 500,000 miles on it. A regular Benz may get you 300,000. A Subaru like someone else spoke about. I had a Datsun 280ZX that got almost 300,00 with no major maintenace performed, it finally rusted away.

They had a Toyota pickup on Top Gear that they put on top of a building that was later imploded. After the dust settled, they were able to crank it up and drive it away. They put it on display in their TV studio. They said they had always seen the Toyota pickups full of rebel soldiers all over Africa runnung forever, so they did the above demonstration.

A Honda like the S2000 or DelSol would be a fun commuter. Or a BMW Z5. Or a Toyota Supra or Mitsubishi 3000.

And don't worry about the little light bulb for the clock.

You got somebody else's problem vehicle that you got to deal with it.

If you got mad, I don't know what to tell you.

Have fun with it. And Good Luck, you are not alone in your diliema.

 

I'll go $500.

 

1. It wasn't and isn't a Problem vehicle. It's a land rover.
2. My commute is about to be cut to 20m a day.
3. If I can't drive my vehicle especially this one I can't rely on it.
4. If I only used it for fun i couldn't take it on any offloading trips. I probably wouldn't make it to the destination.
5. I want to have one 1 car.
6. I refuse to drive a car.

Today was a good day. I realized I wouldn't be happy with a newer vehicle because it wouldn't be as capable as a disco. Period. Nothing out there short of a jeep could compare. And jeeps aren't known to be reliable. And can't hold a damn thing. I also realized a Dii is not for me. I prefer the looks of the d1 (minus the headlights) and do not like the extra rear overhang.

I have to say my truck HAS been reliable as I am driving it about 800 miles a week. It's just more of a mental thing, friends don't trust it. I don't trust it. And it needs a few fixes. I don't think it'll ever stop leaking ps fluid so I'll just have to get used to the stains.