Hello friend's, I am new to this forum. I just got a new 2018 Discovery HSE Lux a week ago and wanted to reach out to the experts/Guru's in this forum for an advice with regards to vehicle vibration at high speeds >60 mph. I took the vehicle to the dealer and they just did a wheel balancing (added beads) and said it is fixed. However, I still see/feel the vehicle vibrations including on the steering. Can anyone please shed some light as to what could be the problem? I am in the process of scheduling another maintenance appointment with the dealer soon. I live in VA. It's pretty disappointing to see that the dealer returns the vehicle with out any testing post maintenance. Wouldn't a new vehicle be thoroughly checked for any faults before releasing it to the customer?

Thanking you all in advance,
Rsquare

 

I've not had an issue with vibration over 60 and have even towed a trailer at 70 without issue, I don't think it's something inherent to all Discoveries. I'd leave the diagnosis up to the service techs, but it might be helpful to add some details for those on here who might better be able to help. Type of engine, size of wheels, suspension type, and details on the vibration (is it constant or does it change with speed or RPM) might help.

 

In the never-ending quest for larger and larger (and more expensive) wheels that manufacturer's are bent on these days, precise balance is exponentially important. The further away from the center that you move the outer ring of the wheel the bigger the consequences of a small imbalance. If the dealer in fact balanced the wheels precisely (despite the apparent lack of a road test) then there may be a problem with a tire. It may have balanced in the shop but once out on the road the imbalance returned. A shifted belt comes to mind. Can you pass through the vibration to a smooth ride again or does it get worse the faster you go and never go away? I would go back and ask the service writer to go on a ride with you to demonstrate what you mean, then tell him you don't want the vehicle back until the two of you can repeat the ride without feeling any vibration.

 

Ahab/Wiley, many thanks for the quick responses and the inputs. Below are the details.

- 2018 Land Rover Discover HSE Luxury
- 21 inch wheels
- 3.0 Liter LR-TD6 Diesel V6
- Height adjustable air suspension

The vibration is felt significantly at higher speeds >60 mph and very low (insignificant) vibration at lower speeds but at lower speeds it's on and off and not continuous like at higher speeds. I have scheduled an appt with the dealer next Monday for a test ride and probable will have to drop off the car for additional diagnosis. When I spoke with the service technician, he briefly mentioned that there could be various factors that can contribute to the vibration and he is going to perform road force balance test first and go for a test ride. If that doesn't solve, then he will look into other things(not specified). Hope this info helps.

Thanks,
Rsquare

 

I have bought over 12 new cars in the past. Every single vehicle has needed rebalance after I bought it. Some tires are just bad and "out of round" which balancing will not cure. The other culprit are the larger tires. My current trade in has 22" tires and rides horrible. They are Goodyear tires and I had all 4 replaced under warranty for being out of round...The bigger the tire the more sensitive they will be. I have also had a bent rim right out of the factory too.

 

OP: you didn't mention which tires were on your vehicle specifically, but, one problem that is surfacing in some new Volvos is a vibration caused by noise cancelling foam that's shaken loose in the tire. Granted, these are mostly run-flats sit turns out, but, this foam - glued to the inside of the tread - is placed there for noise cancelling purposes but can shake loose and then rattle around, causing a vibration at speed.

 

Hi Groucho123, thanks for the valuable input and indeed it turned to be exactly the same issue.

- The dealer kept the car for 1, 1/2 weeks and did road force balance test on all the tires and the initial analysis turned out to be 2 faulty tires (good year/continental make) and they replaced the tires with new ones.
- They did a 2nd Road force balance test with 2 new tires only and the test failed again. This made the dealer to change the remaining tires. So, now with 4 new tires they did a 3rd Road force balance test and the results were with in specs. I will upload the documents/test results in a day or two.

Currently, I am driving a gasoline Discovery(loaner) same specs for the past 1 week and I did notice that there is a slight vibration with the new loaner too. As you mentioned, I guess its the size of the tires. Can't imagine that Jaguar/LR, such a reputed company could miss out on these basic engineering design aspects. And the infotainment is such a pain as it is non-responsive and most of the times there is a lag for any selection or it just blanks out with a LR disco image. LR missed out big time on the infotainment in-spite of repeated complaints from the customers. What I liked is, diesel Disco pickup is extremely good when compared to the gasoline one's.

Thanks,
Rsquare

 

18k miles on my 22" and no vibration.

 

Glad to hear they are addressing your problem. When I bought the Denali..($72,500) in 2015 I thought it would ride like it's cousin..the Cadilac Escalade. Well turns out it does...They both ride hard. After many trips back to the dealer they finally admitted the 22" tires and heavy rims are the culprit. Unsprung weight as in tires and rims create havoc on the suspension.