So two weeks ago I bought a new to me 2001 Discovery II with 74000 miles on the clock. Good documentation, recent head gaskets and tune up. I had the usual buyer's remorse once I started adding up all of the items needed it to make it perfect, sorry I can't help myself. Replaced the upper radiator hoses after I overtightened the bleed valve on the old style. Did the fron pads and rotors last Saturday. New tires on the back. New remote, cup holders, etc. etc. I had a hard time getting the cooling system bled correctly so I ran it up to California Rover in Encinitas Cal. Great shop with friendly, knowledgeable staff. Did a great job and only charged me $50. Changed out the front O2 sensor and got a clean bill of health from the smog shop this morning. Drove it home 1 1/2 miles, parked it and ran back to work. An hour later one of my boys called and told me that something was running out of the truck and running down the driveway, ouch. Got home this afternoon and found that the spyder-like thermostat to water pump radiator hose had a pin hole in it just as it fitted around the water pump male end. What a pain in the tail. An hour later and the beast was out, I felt like a surgeon trying to remove a ganglion cyst! Dealer wants $90 for the main hose, $30 for the lower and $35 for the thermostat. That and a couple of gallons of dexcool at $16 a gallon....... I also noticed that the serpentine belt could probably use a replacement too. There goes a cool $200 that was supposed to go to the new front driveshaft, well I guess that the kids don't need new shoes for school anyway..........

Just when I think I have the thing dialed in I take another shot in the kidney. I gotta tell you that with the Service Engine Soon light off and a clear smog test that I did have an ear to ear smile, at least for the 3 minute drive home.....Oh well, another automotive teaching moment for my 17 year old boys, tomorrow I am taking the Porsche!

Phil in La Jolla, 2001 DII with 75k miles, 1999 DI with 98k miles

 

What your going through is typical of any new Disco owner. Don't let it drag you down. These are pretty small issues and a chance for you to get familiar with your new truck. Enjoy!

 

Listen get your hoses ($75 + $13), thermostat ($15) and Serpentine ($25) belt from Atlantic British and install them yourself. One Saturday morning and maybe $130 and you will be done and be better off for it. You will to come to the conclusion that these trucks will sink you if you have to depend on a mechanic for everything. DIY and you will be less stressed. Look on the bright side we can actually work on these trucks and there is the free Rave CD available that tells you how to fix everything.

 

I know about AB and British Pacific. I have a DI as well. Just got my brake parts and some other misc. parts. Problem is that with shipping the truck is down at least two days waiting for the delivery. Dealer is 10 miles away, I can get the parts and install them the same day. On this particular purchase, it will end up costing about $30 more by the time that I balance out the shipping costs. I concur, the Rave CD is very helpful. I am getting way to intimately acquainted with this Discovery..........All the best. Phil

 

I replaced my hoses, serpentine belt and thermostat all in one shot last weekend. Atlantic British has a nice bundle of "all the hoses you'll need to replace" that makes it easy -- I think there were 6-7 hoses in all. They're all easy except for two: there's one that snakes in-between the engine (intake manifold?) that's a tight fit, and there's a weird multi-hosed beast that sits pretty low in the engine bay. But, overall not too bad. Use vice grips and channel locks, a good work light or flashlight, and you'll have no problems. It's probably easier to change out all your hoses at once then to have them leak one-by-one.

Ed

P.S. Props to this website, DiscoMike and Spike (and others). I've been frustrated with the run-around/overcharging from dealers and indy shops. We were ready to buy something newer, but nothing drives like the Disco so I figured I needed to learn to wrench!

 

You should also check with your local CarQuest. I used them for my water pump, oil pan gasket, front cover gasket, and oil pressure sensor And came out way cheaper than the dealer and AB, and had most of my parts next day.