I own a 2001 Discovery. This web site has got me scared to death. I have 72k miles on my truck. I have already experienced coolant leaks from several different places and my service engine light is on. First of all - I LOVE this vehicle. It is classy and built like a tank. What scares me is the engine. I have been on several different web sites and I am seeing stuff like valve jobs at 60k miles, head gasket leaks,etc - a lot of MAJOR engine work. I have had people tell me that they are the worst built vehicles on the planet - well next to Hyundai. I didnt expect to buy a cheap vehicle, but these days I expect to be able to put 100k miles on ANY vehicle without major problems. Any car should be relatively reliable for 100k miles i mean. Im so scared im thinking about either taking a huge hit and trading it in on something I can count on, or putting a small block chevy in it.

1 - Are valve jobs at 60k miles and blown head gaskets - the norm for these vehicles or am I just seeing a few lemons that visit these web sites?

 

I think the main reason these forums scared you is because people come to talk about problems they have and what not. It's very unlikely that you will find people posting positive things in the tech sections, obviously. People give all expansive cars a bad rap. Think about it, how often do you hear about a person with a Chevy or Ford complain about anything? Parts and repairs are cheap compared to high-end vehicles. To be honest, I almost purchased a Nissan X-terra instead of my Discovery. I had joined Nissan forums and web sites, all to find these vehicles have just as many bad points with repairs and costs, as Land Rovers seem to have. I thought going Japanese would be more reliable, but I was wrong. The aluminum v8's in the LR's are great engines when maintained properly. Obviously a world renown company like Land Rover wants the best for their trucks. Our trucks have many little features and comforts, the odds are something will malfunction with them compared to a car/truck with basic features that don't have anything like this to go wrong with them.

Needing a valve job after 60k usually pertains to 1998 and earlier model discoveries. I wouldn't call these trucks lemons, but more of an engineering flawed design. Head gaskets can only seal for so long until one little spot starts to give and leak. These gaskets hold back tremendous pressures all their lives. Metal fatigues after so many hot/cool cycles. Valves get carbon buildup, corrosion. This could be cause by a list of things like poor combustion because of cheap grades of fuel (fouled injectors) or improper timing, inferior coatings/machining/finishing, the list goes on.

The bottom line is, if you maintain your vehicle properly (more like religiously), then it will last you many years of trouble free service. If you beat on any vehicle and hope to get by without proper maintenance, expect it's life to end much sooner.

Don't be scared. Like you said, it's built like a tank. Yes, yes it is... [sm=youreright.gif]

 

Thanks for the insight. That puts my mind at ease. I will just make sure I am a fanatic about keeping up on maintenance.

 

Hey Todd; it's all relative, man. You're worried because you've gotten 72 thousand miles out of your Disco without major problems? I'll trade you. I bought a 1990 RR last month, and I got a whopping 75 MILES out of it on the way home before it burst into flames and went up in smoke, leaving 725 miles from home in Washington, DC. But the fact is, even though that was so far past mere suck that it will take the light from suck 10,000 years to reach it, it was one bad experience with one particular truck (that I was lied to about its condition by the seller in the first place). And you know what? I'm STILL looking at replacing it with another Range Rover (this time a 1988 from a private individual, not a stealership!) next month. Why? Because the fact remians that they are still, overall, a solid truck with a lot of features and, like anything else British, the need for a serious attitude about keeping up the maintainence. But if I wanted something that its best feature would be that you could beat on it and not take care of it, I'd go buy an old 1972 Ford F-100 with a 6-cylinder and manual everything. Or better yet, a skateboard. But if you want amenities, you have to allow for more stuff to fix, and more stuff to keep up. That's my 2 cents worth, at least. Your mileage may vary.

 

Hello Todd I just want to assure you that the land Rover is one of the best bulit 4x4's in the world way way over hynduai. Some have just had a bad experience with their rovers or possible didn't do the right things to maintain the vehicle properly. These are great vehicles with the proven capability to match Like Nux said you are right they are bulit like tanks. The thing That I've learned on joining this forum is that land rover just needs the proper keep up and fluids with that you can't go wrong. Just like with many cars if one just uses the vehicle and not take care of it than yes it will be a absolute dog. Import vehicles tend to require more pampering from their owners because parts may not be easy to find so it pays to care for your vehicle. With that said The land Rover is proven champ of 4x4's with ruggedness ,strength ,capability,and years to support it. The Rover in my opinion is the Best 4x4 money can buy it just requires more of your attention than average vehicles. Remember The same people who make rover also make the Roll Royce and Bentley with prices of those cars it just shows that england knows how to make fine vehicles that are way more than averages cars and trucks just remember to take care of your discovery and she will be your best friend to the end.

 

People post here to ask questions or complain when somrthing breaks. Thats why dont see anything but problems here. I think im the only one that really brags about these cars as reliable and cheap to own on these forums. I got right under 3000k on my car and all said and done i have spent less than 1000 dollars on ALL repairs in the 12 years i have ownd this 1995 disco. Look up some of my post if you dont believe me.

 

what happened with the coolant leaks? I feel the pain cuz I just received a faxed estimate from my mechanic for $3500.!!! I only have 1 not so major coolant leak!