I'll start off by saying I've always a Land Rover Discovery II, it's just the stars have never lined up...until now.


With that said, I want to start a real conversation with real owners about the reliability issues. I've heard good but mostly bad stories on how unreliable Disco's are. What is the root cause? Is it just a perception versus reality issue?



Will this be a permanent "Project Car" for me?

Will a good Preventative Maintenance plan keep the "Gremlins" away?


I have a ton more questions, but we'll start with these and see where the conversation goes.


Thanks!

 

First of all, Welcome to the Forum and to LR ownership. You will find this forum will be worth its weight in gold, so to speak.
That being said, I was in your shoes this time last year, never had owned one and only heard mostly bad things. I have since found out that knowledge is power on these. A good preventative maintenance plan will definitely help.
There are some inherent issues that should be addressed immediately. Read up on, and do one of the two things, soon. Either replace your OEM 195 degree thermostat with an OEM 180 degree thermostat(do not use aftermarket), or read up on and do the inline thermostat modification. These all aluminum engines, along with the factory cooling system, have a tendency to blow head gaskets, liners loosening up and moving. Keeping the engine below 200 degrees will definitely help alleviate or delay these things happening.
Use Rosella T5 diesel oil and the largest high quality oil filter you can find.(there are scores of threads on the oil and filters).
Check to see if the stock (non-greaseable) front driveshaft is still in use, and if so, plan on removing it and replacing the 3 u-joints with good grease able ones. The factory one will self destruct at the most inopportune time and more than likely take out your transmission with it.(again, many threads on this).
Plan on replacing all the fluids, tranny, differentials, transfer case, brake fluid and power steering fluid. There are threads on all this.
Get a decent code reader that will read more than the standard engine codes, i.e. SRS, ABS
If you have codes, post these codes for help.
Put your vehicle in your signature, so people don't have to guess what year, model etc.
If you are good with a wrench, you will find, you can repair almost anything on the vehicle yourself and save loads of money.
Good luck and look forward to seeing you on here.

 

That is some great info! A buddy of mine knowledgeable with cars (not necessarily Land Rovers) said the same exact thing about replacing fluids after purchasing.


Where would you take your Land Rover to be inspected? I was thinking a dealer versus some mechanic.


I've read to try and get one from down south and west due to rust issues. Why are Land Rovers so prone to rust?


So I need to keep the engine below 200° or I'll blow a gasket? No I need to beef up the cooling system?

 

If you can find an independent shop, that works on LR's, that would be great. There is a listing of trustworthy guys on here somewhere(listed by city and state, if i recall) I do my own, so I never needed the list. Finding one that comes from a region where they do not salt the roads, is the thinking. I don't believe LR ever put any undercoating of any kind on the frame. The body is aluminum, so it is not problematic with rust, mainly the frame. If you find one that only has surface rust, I guess you could always clean it real well with pressure washer, and coat it with some rust preventative. My 03 has no rust except on the exhaust.
Another thing to remember, when replacing sensors, go with the OEM, the aftermarket sensors tend to either not work or do not last long.
Warning: the OEM temp gauge is worthless, by the time it gets to the red, the engine will more than likely be damaged. Many guys buy an ultra gauge so they can get accurate readings. Either that, or they will install an aftermarket temp gauge.