Let start off by saying some of you may burn me for this post but, I feel it's important to tell this story, so that people that have a Rover or are in the market for their first don't get screwed the way I did.


Earlier this year I began searching for my first Rover. My main quest was to find a Discovery 2. I had done all of the research and had looked at probably 5 or more. I couldn't find one I could settle on and ended up finding a nice looking Discovery 1 at Platinum Motorsports in Lagrange, KY.



When I test drove the vehicle the ABS light would not go off. Daryl, the guy showing the vehicle to me really seemed like a true enthusiast, which gave me a good vibe about the place. I decided to pull the trigger on the Disco and was told that the ABS would be fixed before I picked it up. He was sure it was just a "gap" issue. Which after a little research I found that it's possible for that to happen. I picked the car up the next day and the light was still on, I was told that since it was so cold maybe it would take a couple of days to go off and if it didn't I could bring it back and he'd replace the sensor. Just like he said the light started to go off and I was under the impression that everything was good.

A couple of weeks later the light came on and stayed on. The ABS system also started engaging under light braking as well. I called Platinum Motorsports and Daryl told me to bring it back and they'd fix it. So, later that week I dropped it off to be fixed. A week went by and I gave them a buzz, they told me the sensor was on it's way and it'd be a few days more. A few days went by and no Disco, I called back again and there "had been a delay" with the shipping and it would take another day, I expressed my gratitude for them keeping their word and the next week I finally got my Disco back. Let me be clear that I'm not the type to nag and complain about that taking longer than usual. I merely called a couple of times just for updates. I had another car at the time, although it was a pain to cram 3 kinds into (S197 Mustang), it got me through.

Now, here is where my inexperience with the Discovery 1 and Land Rovers as a whole came into play. With the majority of my research being geared towards a D2, and being a domestic gearhead, a light illuminated on the dash to me was a bad thing. When I picked up my Disco the ABS light was off, from the moment of starting, driving, and stopping. I incorrectly assumed that the problem was resolved. Go ahead and take your shots, I deserve it on that one.

Well, last week I took a different freeway home, one that can get crowded at rush hour. As you have seen many times people tend to drive like idiots in rush hour traffic and I found myself in an emergency braking situation when someone pulled into my free flowing lane without looking. The brakes locked up and I went into a skid. Luckily I didn't panic and let out and went back into the brake pedal and stopped with no accident.

Fortunately, I hadn't found myself in an emergency braking situation until then. I was even more lucky to NOT have my kids in the car.

Over the weekend I took to the task of figuring out what was going on. After looking into ABS problems with the D1, I seen that the light should be on at every start. This threw the red flag immediately. I checked the fuses first and all were good. Then I had a gut feeling to check and see if the bulb was even in the cluster anymore. Here is was I found......



The empty hole you see circled is where the ABS light bulb should be. They didn't fix anything, just pulled the bulb and gave it back to me.

Now, let me be clear in saying that I fully understand that my Discovery was sold to me AS IS. The agreement we had to fix the ABS was merely verbal. I put trust in the fact that Daryl and Nathan at Platinum were enthusiasts and wouldn't try and screw me over. I was wrong.

What has been the most frustrating thing about this is, when I bought the Discovery, they knew I had kids. One of those kids being a 2 month old baby. I made it very clear I was buying the Disco to have a unique car to haul them around in. Why the hell would you put children in danger??!! They knew the ABS was nonfunctional and still gave it back to me knowing that I would be driving with young children in the car. What kind of sorry excuses for humans do that??

Moral of the story here is, bring an enthusiast with you when looking at Rovers. If you have an agreement to get something fixed, get it in writing, no matter how good of a vibe you're getting. Oh and stay away from Platinum Motorsports, apparently a few bucks saved on an ABS sensor is way more important than the lives of an 8-year-old, 4-year-old, and 2 month old baby.

 

Wow!!!! That's bad! Amazingly bad!

 

Indeed it is. I really do like my Rover but, it feels tainted now.

 

That is totally inexcusable. I don't know how mechanically inclined you are, but with the help of this forum's dedicated members, you will be able to solve darn near any problem that arises. Find a decent code reader that reads ABS codes as well as engine codes, and post the codes you are getting. You will get scolded if you don't. LOL, it is so much easier for members to give you an educated solution, if they know the codes you are throwing.
Welcome to the Forum

 

Thanks alot. I can turn a wrench, I just got caught sleeping on this one.
I'll get a code reader.

 

I'd say your better off to bypass the ABS system and leave the bulb out. Even at its best it was a marginally good system. I've disabled it on two trucks and I've found the braking to be much better with out the system. With it simply disabled you still may get the occasional funny pedal. With it eliminated you have a reliable simple system. The catch is you've now gone old school and you'll have to have "manual anti lock brakes". Meaning your foot.

 

Quote: "...apparently a few bucks saved on an ABS sensor is way more important than the lives of an 8-year-old, 4-year-old, and 2 month old baby."


And what about your life, too?


Surely, there are consumer agencies that could be contacted with a report on this.... some sort of ombudsman? I wouldn't let it go if it were me, I would pursue it with them.

 

I learned to drive in a vehicle with no ABS plus, I'm an aircooled VW fanatic so, I've lived without it. That first time not knowing was just a scary experience but, without the experience in a no-ABS I could've been in bad shape. Not all people have that experience and they didn't know if I did either.
I get what your saying though.

 

This is the just the beginning. I'll keep spreading the word further as the week goes on.

 

They probly pulled the pump fuse in the under hood fuse box to stop abs from working

I did all the adjustments and mine was crap I completely removed the abs system, even working it didn't "work" IMO , it may stop brakes from locking but also stops them from slowing the vehicle unlike a GM of same year

And yes that's a scumbag move pulling the bulb ESP with a brake issue

Btw get everything in writing when buying from any dealer