I'd like to say that we bought a 1996 Discovery I used in 1997 and drove it until it was barely running anymore. We loved the car so we got a 2002 Discovery II which has been one nightmare after another.

I have a few questions and I was wondering if these problems are normal. 2002 Discovery 2 SE with about 76K miles on it.

1) I can't remember, are the buttons for the climate control supposed to light up at night? I don't seem to remember. The display lights up as soon as I turn it on, as do the temp. buttons but the rest of the buttons don't light up. It's a little hard to turn it on or set it to defroster when I can't see it at night.

2) Is it common to go through a transmission every 2 or so years? When the car was 2 years old the tranny was feeling funny. We had the check engine light on for a while and thought it was just that our local mechanic couldn't turn it off. Well the tranny eventually gave out totally and we were stuck. It wouldn't go in forwards or reverse. So we got the tranny redone. Last year (almost exactly 2 years after the it was redone) the tranny went again. We had the check engine light and bourght it to the dealer. They did a diagnostic and said nothing was wrong. Then the light went on again and sure enough it was the tranny again. So far our 3rd tranny is okay, but is it common for this to happen all the time?

3) More tranny stuff. I've noticed other people have the thud at high speeds when you take your foot off and put it back on. We've only had this issue after we got our 3rd tranny. Is there a definate cause for this or should we be really worried?

4) When I sit in the backseat I can feel something grinding under my feet, it feels like it's coming from the tranny. It usually happens when we're stopped at a stop sign or a traffic light. There's a light grinding noise with it too. Tranny problem? (our tranny was rebuilt the second time around, not totally replaced)

5) The trio just went off(ABS, TC, AHD)when we were on the highway the other day. For a while when we were driving there wouldbe an odd squaking noise coming form one of the wheels, but it's stopped recently, could this have caused it? Does having this diagnosed/fixed at the dealer cost a lot?

 

If you'll allow me to be honest, I'll tell you that first thing about a Disco, is that when you think you have a coming problem or a new noise, you DO NOT keep on driving it for weeks or months[&:][:'(]. If you do, it will definitely cause a nightmare.

You had your tranny rebuilt for a 3rd time. Right....GO BACK to however rebuilt it and get them to check it out. Same goes for those other noises. Could be as simple asthe Idler pulley making that grinding noise. If so, it'll be around $60.00 for the pulley and new belt. Could also be something major warning you of a soon breakdown.

Sorry to hear about your D1. But you have to realise that you were very very lucky. I know more people with D1s than D2s, and it's the D1 gang that recommended I get a D2 instead. Both model have their issues that can be somewhat controlled by preventative maintenance.

About the climate lights, Yes they are suppose to light up. Probably just bulbs or something. Try to find an independant garagist that knows Rovers, or at least electrics.

Good luck,

Darover

 

I am curious abou this. Did the thud start as soon as you got the new/rebuilt transmission installed, or at some time after it was done? Could be play between the trans output shaft splines and the input in the t-case.

Piotr

 

A quick suggestion about the noise under your feet in the back seat since it's happening when you're stopped.......check the heat shield that's up over the center muffler to see if it's loose. The nuts and washers that hold it in placecan rust out causing it to vibrate at the right RPM (typically, right around idle speed).

Chances are, this probably isn't what you're hearing/feeling but it's worth a check.