I had a Disco II which dropped a sleeve a few years back and had to 'sell it' (2nd engine in so many years...)

I am looking at LR3's now as I will be 'driving the heck out of it', and wouldn't want to put those kind of miles on a LR4.

Question: I read somewhere the 2008-2010 LR3 models came with the wheel moldings the same color as the body, but I have only seen this on the LR4's and have yet to see one pic of a LR3 with the body colored wheel moldings.

Am I crazy or just misinformed??

How is the reliability on these? I know they are built better than the D2 - but by much?

Thanks and it is great to be back!
Ed

 

Guy in our club has an he with bumpers and flares painted to match, maybe just the later hse?

Engine/ trans work great

Common is suspension bushings go bad,

water leak from sunroof drains clogged causing electric issues

Diffs go bad mainly back one at low miles

Wheel bearings

Suspension pumps go can rebuild self

Water gets in connectors and causes 10 amigos lol

Can be issues with electric park brake

It is a heavy rolling computer

Rides great handles nice plenty of power IMO

Wife loves ours so far( when its not broke down)

 

It's a kit you can buy from land rover for the older LR3, if you're lucky enough to have the correct color, and most (maybe all?) of the 2009 LR3 have body colored trim. 2010 is an LR4.






I personally like the black trim on light colored cars.

 

All 2009's have the body colored trim and different wheels too. It was a short production year before the 2010 LR4 came out. If I recall correctly, there were a few other minor changes as well as part of the migration to the LR4. The 2007/2008's were the most comprehensively complete LR3's (i.e trouble-free), although I am not certain what issues there were with the 2009's. I imagine they have all been addressed by now anyway.

The 2009's are still a bit overpriced IMO compared to an equal mileage 2008. I think the 07's and 08's are currently the best value out there for your dollar.

I paid $15.5k for a well-kept 08 with 90k. A 2009 would run @$25k at that mileage and a 2010 LR4 @$30k at that mileage, at least in the Northeast anyway.

As for reliability, I spent $7k in 3.5 years on an 04 Disco just maintaining the thing. One little thing after another - some of that was preventative, such as a Tom Woods prop shaft, but you could just feel that it was always a matter of time before the next repair. I loved the thing, but I finally grew tired of the nagging issues since it was my daily driver. As an occassional driver it would be great to still have!

The LR3 has been flawless for the year I have had it. I did put preventative maintenance into it, but not a thing has broken or gone wrong yet and it does not feel like it will each time I drive it either. The LR3 feels a bit more top heavy than the Disco did, especially around corners, but over bumps in the city my kidneys thank me everytime I pass through with the LR3 these days!

 

According to this the 2005 LR3 has the least repair frequency among 2005-2008 models:

https://landroverforums.com/forum/lr...3-17567/page4/

Of all the issues that TOM R mentioned, I don't think anything changed from 2005 to 2008. Same suspension bushings, compressor, brake switch, sunroof drains, diffs, etc. Maybe updated software, but that doesn't necessarily prevent mechanical and physical failures.

 

Yes, well I certainly did not mean to exclude the 05 or 06 from consideration. The 07 and 08's just had some minor updates and tweaks from the factory, but any year LR3 is a good one to consider. Most of the 05 and 06 LR3's eventually had the updates via service anyway. They all are good choices!

 

I recently got a 2006 LR3 after driving a Disco for 10 years. The LR3 is a very different truck with far more technology. Tom R covered the common issues (as least what I found in my research). They do drive nicely. Haven't taken mine off road yet.

Tom R, for suspension bushings are you talking about control arm bushings or something else?

My rear diff is making noise and likely needs to be replaced/rebuilt. People here recommend changing oil every 15K miles as preventative.

Is there a reliable way to keep connectors dry?

 

sorry yes control arm bushings

i have been smearing dielectric grease in my connectors same as my d1, my rover dealer tech buddie said thats about all i can do to ward off corrosion since my connectors thus far are clean new looking inside

 

For some insight, I actually just bought an 06. Forums can hook you up in terms of all the service manuals and you can youtube almost all the big stuff.

TOM R definitely covered most of what my pre-purchase research had said.

DEFINITELY pay attention to leaks if you live in a rainy area. It's an important fix and will save you a headache if you catch it early.

One of the things I have noticed and appreciated is that despite the complexity going from a disco I to a disco 3, they are actually straightforward to work on, at least for me and I have little to no technical background. Of course I am worried about the T-case and diffs going bad over time but a tech at the dealership who is a friend told me they are fine for now, little/no noise.

Off-road it has been a dream, extremely quiet and comfortable. Having only owned mine for two months I am focusing on servicing the vehicle for the next several thousand miles. This has been:

filters (cabin and engine)
oil change
belts
coolant bleeder valve (the t-junction that may explode and shoot coolant)
brake sensors and pads (front)
windshield cowl
diff + t-case fluid change

big thing I found absolutely useful was finding several posts telling you which fuses to pull for the suspension so you can jack it up or prevent it lowering in general. This has been of great use.