New '04 Discovery Owner - a few questions
#1
08-30-2007, 10:30 PM
New '04 Discovery Owner - a few questions
Hi All,
Just picked up a new-to-me 2004 Discovery Sa couple of weeks ago at the local Land Rover dealer here on the north end of Denver. So far, so good. Dealer experience was good for the purchase and it came with the balance of the factory warranty plus a certified pre-owned warranty.
I'm grateful that a terrific resource like these forums exists and I've spent the last several evenings reading and searching for answers to questions. From all of my reading, I have a few more questions, and wouldtruly appreciate all advice and guidance.
While the Rover is under warranty, I'm interested in not having any surprises for the next several years that leave me on the side of the road
. I've always done all of my own work on my cars and have had long life from all of them with lots of preventative care and maintenance. I'd like to to the same for this Discovery.
That said, it seems that there are some potentially expensivetrouble spots. One of them is the front driveshaft and another is the possibility of cylinder head warpage and commensurate loss of coolant and overheating (and possibly dropping a cylinder sleeve). OK, now for the questions:
[ol][*]Would you folks recommend that even though the truck is under warranty that I replace the front driveshaft with the greasable variety sooner?[*]What precipitates the warping of the cylinder heads? Is there anything I can do to forestall the warpage, like change out the thermostat every 40K to prevent it from sticking, change the cooling system hoses every 60K to prevent failure, etc., or will the headseventually just warp on their own from normal thermal cycling?[*]Some have said that having a place like Grease Monkey do the transmission flush and fill is a bad idea. Do others agree and should I just take it to the dealer for this service?[*]What else besides the manufacturer's recommended services can I be doing that will help prevent problems and lead to longer life?[/ol]
Your time and thoughts are very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Dave
Just picked up a new-to-me 2004 Discovery Sa couple of weeks ago at the local Land Rover dealer here on the north end of Denver. So far, so good. Dealer experience was good for the purchase and it came with the balance of the factory warranty plus a certified pre-owned warranty.
I'm grateful that a terrific resource like these forums exists and I've spent the last several evenings reading and searching for answers to questions. From all of my reading, I have a few more questions, and wouldtruly appreciate all advice and guidance.
While the Rover is under warranty, I'm interested in not having any surprises for the next several years that leave me on the side of the road
. I've always done all of my own work on my cars and have had long life from all of them with lots of preventative care and maintenance. I'd like to to the same for this Discovery.That said, it seems that there are some potentially expensivetrouble spots. One of them is the front driveshaft and another is the possibility of cylinder head warpage and commensurate loss of coolant and overheating (and possibly dropping a cylinder sleeve). OK, now for the questions:
[ol][*]Would you folks recommend that even though the truck is under warranty that I replace the front driveshaft with the greasable variety sooner?[*]What precipitates the warping of the cylinder heads? Is there anything I can do to forestall the warpage, like change out the thermostat every 40K to prevent it from sticking, change the cooling system hoses every 60K to prevent failure, etc., or will the headseventually just warp on their own from normal thermal cycling?[*]Some have said that having a place like Grease Monkey do the transmission flush and fill is a bad idea. Do others agree and should I just take it to the dealer for this service?[*]What else besides the manufacturer's recommended services can I be doing that will help prevent problems and lead to longer life?[/ol]
Your time and thoughts are very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Dave
#3
09-04-2008, 07:38 AM
Mudding
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RE: New '04 Discovery Owner - a few questions
hi,
I would like to discuss my recent purchase with you as well, as I have a 2004 and am not sure about the front drive shaft if its been adapted yet or not. Is it wise to take my truck to the LR dealer to have it checked out? And there is no warranty on the truck right now, with 79,000. Should i spend the money for a good component coverage warranty?
I would like to discuss my recent purchase with you as well, as I have a 2004 and am not sure about the front drive shaft if its been adapted yet or not. Is it wise to take my truck to the LR dealer to have it checked out? And there is no warranty on the truck right now, with 79,000. Should i spend the money for a good component coverage warranty?
#4
09-04-2008, 08:53 AM
Recovery Vehicle
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RE: New '04 Discovery Owner - a few questions
From what I've heard you're going to want to rebuild the drive shaft asap. I'm not sure about the cylinder heads or the transmission fill and flush, but as far as just prolonging the healthy life of your rover, always (ALWAYS) use the highest octane gas available, and make sure to get your scheduled maintenances regularly and this truck will easily drive into the 300,000+ range
#6
09-04-2008, 10:37 AM
#8
09-04-2008, 12:51 PM
RE: New '04 Discovery Owner - a few questions
The head gaskets go bad because they are eaten away by bad worn out coolant.
LR recommends doing a cooling system flush every 45,000 miles or 3 years, whichever is sooner. Why do this with a 150,000 mile coolant?
Because it is corrosive. DexCool has a high acid content, it is a OAT (organic acid technology)coolant. What does that mean? It is "safe" for the enviroment. You get in a accident where does the coolant go? Into the ground. Then animals die and if it gets into drinking water...it kills fish, frogs, etc.
The problem with OAT coolants is the acid, it eats gaskets.
I used to sell coolant and every mechanicI talked towill tell you NOT to use DexCool.
If you notice that this happensonly to DII's (which came with DexCool) and around 80,000-90,000 miles and the coolant was never changed before this point.
Yes get the front driveshaft rebuilt even though it is under warrenty. You do not want it to break on your wife while she is crossing a railroad crossing.
LR recommends doing a cooling system flush every 45,000 miles or 3 years, whichever is sooner. Why do this with a 150,000 mile coolant?
Because it is corrosive. DexCool has a high acid content, it is a OAT (organic acid technology)coolant. What does that mean? It is "safe" for the enviroment. You get in a accident where does the coolant go? Into the ground. Then animals die and if it gets into drinking water...it kills fish, frogs, etc.
The problem with OAT coolants is the acid, it eats gaskets.
I used to sell coolant and every mechanicI talked towill tell you NOT to use DexCool.
If you notice that this happensonly to DII's (which came with DexCool) and around 80,000-90,000 miles and the coolant was never changed before this point.
Yes get the front driveshaft rebuilt even though it is under warrenty. You do not want it to break on your wife while she is crossing a railroad crossing.
#9
09-04-2008, 04:03 PM
Mudding
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RE: New '04 Discovery Owner - a few questions
ORIGINAL: Spike555
The head gaskets go bad because they are eaten away by bad worn out coolant.
LR recommends doing a cooling system flush every 45,000 miles or 3 years, whichever is sooner. Why do this with a 150,000 mile coolant?
Because it is corrosive. DexCool has a high acid content, it is a OAT (organic acid technology)coolant. What does that mean? It is "safe" for the enviroment. You get in a accident where does the coolant go? Into the ground. Then animals die and if it gets into drinking water...it kills fish, frogs, etc.
The problem with OAT coolants is the acid, it eats gaskets.
I used to sell coolant and every mechanicI talked towill tell you NOT to use DexCool.
If you notice that this happensonly to DII's (which came with DexCool) and around 80,000-90,000 miles and the coolant was never changed before this point.
Yes get the front driveshaft rebuilt even though it is under warrenty. You do not want it to break on your wife while she is crossing a railroad crossing.
The head gaskets go bad because they are eaten away by bad worn out coolant.
LR recommends doing a cooling system flush every 45,000 miles or 3 years, whichever is sooner. Why do this with a 150,000 mile coolant?
Because it is corrosive. DexCool has a high acid content, it is a OAT (organic acid technology)coolant. What does that mean? It is "safe" for the enviroment. You get in a accident where does the coolant go? Into the ground. Then animals die and if it gets into drinking water...it kills fish, frogs, etc.
The problem with OAT coolants is the acid, it eats gaskets.
I used to sell coolant and every mechanicI talked towill tell you NOT to use DexCool.
If you notice that this happensonly to DII's (which came with DexCool) and around 80,000-90,000 miles and the coolant was never changed before this point.
Yes get the front driveshaft rebuilt even though it is under warrenty. You do not want it to break on your wife while she is crossing a railroad crossing.