My first Land Rover - tow car!

So, some updates over the past few days. I decided to do an interior light update all round, going from the dated orange dim glow to the bright white illumination with thanks to some festoon SMD LED panel units.

Before



And after



Really happy with that. Looks a lot more up to date and fresh.

I also bought a genuine roller boot cover from eBay for a few quid, wasn't 100% sure if it would fit, but luckily it slotted right in. And also upgraded the boot light to an LED one too.



On top of doing the interior lights, I also did the front 501 sidelight bulbs.



After


As well as the 2 numberplate festoon bulbs too (but didn't take a before photo)



Then today, I took the car to my buddy to give the car a good once over and to also perform a service on it. We both went over the whole car making sure it was all up together, mostly for my piece of mind. With just a few niggles to sort, I was happy.



New tyres all round are a priority though, as you can see from that photo, the nearside front is not far off of the wear markers.

Then off come the wheels to inspect the discs, pads, calipers & lines. Rear discs & pads are on the list as well, as I suspected, but other than that, everything seemed pretty in order!



And on with the service. We changed both diff oils, transfer box oil & engine oil, along with oil filter, fuel filter & a new paper air filter



Car now drives a lot better, smoother & loads quieter. With a few items on my list to buy & fix, its defiantly put my mind at ease. I find it always nerve-racking buying a new car not knowing what issue it has & doesn't have!

EGR valve delete & decat are also in my eBay shopping basket, as I've read countless threads on various forums telling me what a difference those 2 mods make on these!

Really enjoying driving it now though, defiantly got the Landy bug already!

Might be a good idea to do the gearbox oil and filter too.

Datatek said:

Might be a good idea to do the gearbox oil and filter too.

Click to expand...

Yep, on the list to do. Was planning on doing it yesterday, but its a slightly larger job that we originally thought? Removal of sump to get to filter etc?

I'll be looking into doing that in the coming weeks.

Bought some maintenance bits as per what we found the other day when going over it with a fine tooth comb.



Rear discs & pads kit, rear propshaft to diff rubber doughnut (mine is a little worn), pair of standard rear shocks (slight leak from mine & top bushes are knackered on mine too), and front pads as mine are almost dead. Fitting that little lot in the next few weeks hopefully.

Also what turned up today was the EGR valve delete kit. Read a bunch of how-go guides and it seemed real easy, so I popped outside on my lunchbreak to attempt it. Exactly 57 minutes later I was done, relatively simple

Moved MAF & pipework out the way, removed top intercooler pipe and attempted removing the 2 allen head bolts.



As I expected, super tight. Lots of WD40 later, and a few sharp hits with a hammer once I had enough space, got them free and I removed the lot.



I then cleaned up the face of the manifold, then installed the new gasket which come with the EGR valve delete kit, along with the blanking plate & new allen head key bolts.



Lastly installed the new intercooler top hose, re-connected all other pipework & blocked off the EGR valve vac line with a bolt & cable tie. Easy!

Went for a small drive and defiantly does pick up faster! The real test will be a blast down the motorway though.

Along with this, I've also ordered a decat pipe as my exhaust just in front of the cat is blowing pretty badly. That is yet to arrive yet, but hopefully the decat, along with the EGR valve delete, will defiantly see a spike in performance & MPG

Well, after driving the car over the bank holiday weekend with the EGR valve removed, I can defiantly tell a difference with performance. Its very quick to get to 30-40mph now, and easily sits at 70mph with minimal throttle on the motorway. Huge improvement!

In other news, I struck a deal with a local window tinting company to get both the Land Rover & my Nissan tinted. I wanted the Discovery window tints done purely for a security perspective, but now they're done, it actually does add a touch of class as well.



The man himself working



Really happy with the outcome. I told him that I wanted it to look "factory" (ie, what some modern cars have) and its come out exactly like I hoped for.







Shout out to Tintinit.com for the service - superb price, very fast & great quality. Highly recommended

Great job, ..... see missing:
Chrome Land Rover Discovery Defender 3 4 LR3 LR4 Lettering Bonnet Boot Tail
http://www.lrparts.net/matte-black-lettering-land-rover.html

PETER PETRAKIEV said:

Great job, ..... see missing:
Chrome Land Rover Discovery Defender 3 4 LR3 LR4 Lettering Bonnet Boot Tail
LR3L558MAT - Matte Black Lettering - LAND ROVER | LR Parts

Click to expand...

Yeah, funny you should mention that. I didn't spot that until the other day that a friend said "shouldn't it say Land Rover on the bonnet"

Looking closer, I think a previous owner must have removed it. Looks quite clean without though, so may keep it as it is

Few more bits & bobs done to the Discovery over the past few days, but most importantly - I've passed my trailer test! It was really nerve racking and very difficult to get out of bad driving habits, but thankfully I passed. Really happy & glad about that!

On with the car, and the other main performance modification I wanted to make apart from EGR valve delete was a decat pipe. I knew mine was blowing as well anyway, so killing 2 birds with 1 stone with a decat pipe. Fitted this on Tuesday with the help of a mate. After a lot of fluffing around we managed to get it done, not a terrible job at all.



But what a difference!! I cannot believe how much faster & more lively the car is to drive! Its completely transformed it. Amazed about that. Doesn't sound any louder (actually probably quieter as its not blowing now!), best mod to date!

Then, on with the recovery work light that I wanted to fit. Relay in position under the steering column, tons of room here (temporarily mounted hence electrical tape - will use nut & bolt)



ON/OFF rocker switch with LED light fitted & mounted on centre console, drivers side.



And it illuminated to let me know the rear work lights are on



I did a lot of searching around to find the best way of routing the wires from the front to the back of the Discovery. Initially I thought about chasing it under the carpet, but on second thoughts between the door rubbers & roof lining was a better & easier option.



I removed the driver's side speaker and found a good earth behind that panel, ready for the light



The light itself hasn't arrived yet, but I've tested the whole thing with a 501 bulb and it all works as expected. Looking forward to mounting the rear light & testing it out at night.

Another thing to add- I've wired the work light to have the option of being permanently on (without keys or ignition) as I could see it being perhaps annoying always needing the car either running or with ignition on to run the work lights. Just hope I don't forget to turn the work lights off!

And lastly, finally decided enough is enough with the standard Land Rover speakers! They are terrible. Bought 2 Pioneer 4-inch units for the front doors so far to see how good they are. If its a good enough improvement then I'll go with another pair of 4-inch Pioneer's in the rear.



I don't fancy cutting away bits of the car to fit larger speakers, so may have to make do with four 4-inch speakers all round. Haven't yet fitted drivers side, so will do that & find out what a difference they make.

Does removal of the 'CAT' not now put you in breach of the MOT regulations? I thought they'd recently been changed so that if the car was fitted with one when built (and they can tell from reg / VIN ) that the 'CAT' had to be present for all subsequent MOTs?

(Otherwise I would also have removed mine - they are the Devil's own work.)

Good thread. I look forward to seeing your work lights. I've had the wiring in my head-lining for the last year ready but not found a light I liked the look of that wouldn't look daft on the back of the Disco.

McBad said:

Does removal of the 'CAT' not now put you in breach of the MOT regulations? I thought they'd recently been changed so that if the car was fitted with one when built (and they can tell from reg / VIN ) that the 'CAT' had to be present for all subsequent MOTs?

(Otherwise I would also have removed mine - they are the Devil's own work.)

Good thread. I look forward to seeing your work lights. I've had the wiring in my head-lining for the last year ready but not found a light I liked the look of that wouldn't look daft on the back of the Disco.

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Lots of opinions on the CAT/MOT subject at the moment. I fitted a de-cat pipe last year and passed my MOT this week. I'm back at the MOT station on Saturday for some parts so I'll try to ask the tester. At least my MOT cert is safe at home if he changes his mind

Daze said:

Well, after driving the car over the bank holiday weekend with the EGR valve removed, I can defiantly tell a difference with performance. Its very quick to get to 30-40mph now, and easily sits at 70mph with minimal throttle on the motorway. Huge improvement!

In other news, I struck a deal with a local window tinting company to get both the Land Rover & my Nissan tinted. I wanted the Discovery window tints done purely for a security perspective, but now they're done, it actually does add a touch of class as well.

The man himself working

Really happy with the outcome. I told him that I wanted it to look "factory" (ie, what some modern cars have) and its come out exactly like I hoped for.

Click to expand...

Nice thread here mate.
Just a query, did they fit the tint to the outside of the glass or inside?

McBad said:

Does removal of the 'CAT' not now put you in breach of the MOT regulations? I thought they'd recently been changed so that if the car was fitted with one when built (and they can tell from reg / VIN ) that the 'CAT' had to be present for all subsequent MOTs?

(Otherwise I would also have removed mine - they are the Devil's own work.)

Good thread. I look forward to seeing your work lights. I've had the wiring in my head-lining for the last year ready but not found a light I liked the look of that wouldn't look daft on the back of the Disco.

Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure about MOT. I've read a lot about this and some folk say its fine, others not so. Either way, I have 12 months until my MOT is due, plenty of time to enjoy the decat performance gains! In 12 months time I'll let you know!

RichardH said:

Lots of opinions on the CAT/MOT subject at the moment. I fitted a de-cat pipe last year and passed my MOT this week. I'm back at the MOT station on Saturday for some parts so I'll try to ask the tester. At least my MOT cert is safe at home if he changes his mind

Click to expand...

Ah, fair enough! Good to hear

rathomas said:

Nice thread here mate.
Just a query, did they fit the tint to the outside of the glass or inside?

Click to expand...

Thanks!

I was intrigued by this as well. He basically cleans the outside of the glass and applies the tint to the outside first. He then cuts the tint very neatly on the outside of the glass, then cleans the inside of the glass, removes the tint from the outside, sprays LOADS of water/soap mix to the tint's other side, then applies it on the inside.

So in short - inside

Well, the work light I ordered arrived, along with the CB radio gutter mount, and it worked just as I hoped, really happy. After some messing around I got the lamp mounted as I wanted it, along with the wires routed to it as neatly as I could



Quite subtle and looks just right. Any larger and it would look out of place I think



Then the real test, once it turned dark I popped out to test and snapped this with my camera & tripod.



I was contemplating 2 work lamps either side, but I don't think its needed! Very bright indeed, really happy with that. Hopefully this will aid in loading or unloading a car trailer at night if I ever need to

More progress and photo whoring!

Great work up at my buddy Stu's workshop today, had a small list of jobs to do and most got done in the time we had. Got her up on the ramp to start work



Rear discs & pads were 100% first priority. Yep, discs defiantly needed replacing!



Annnnd the pads! Got my monies worth!?



All done, new hardware throughout on both sides



Also replaced both slightly leaking shocks with new items with new bushes too. The old bushes were starting to go, so may as well replace the whole lot



Then under the car, we replaced the rubber doughnut between rear prop & rear diff, as the old one was pretty worn too



New tyres all round were fitted. I've opted for Nankang FT-4 235/70/16 all round. At last I have matching tyres all round which puts my mind at ease



Finally we did front pads. Didn't bother replacing discs as they appeared fine, but pads were a good shout. Didn't take long & didn't cost much at all



Now she's driving a LOT better! The brakes are a ton more responsive which is great, and the ride quality has massively improved - I guess from a combination of rear shocks & all matching tyres.

I had a couple of other things that I wanted done, but we ran out of time. Next on the list is
- Gearbox oil change & filter (at last)
- Adjust "play" in steering box. Identified the play I could feel in the steering is 100% steering box
- I'm going to replace the steering damper whilst I'm there. They're quite cheap & easy to replace, may as well.
- Replace "questionable" engine sump plug. Found the thread is a little iffy on my current one, so we'll swap that out!

But all in all, pretty pleased with how its coming along. Less than a month until I'm towing my Nissan up to Scotland in this for the 1100 mile round-trip long weekend.

I think I'm more nervous about the trip up & back than I am for the drifting I'll be doing in Scotland!

That work light is fooking bright!

So, last items on the list to sort was to finally do the gearbox oil & filter change. I had no idea what was involved with this, sump off job! Didn't know that lol



While my buddy was sorting that for me, I took the opportunity to swap out the steering damper. My old one looked like it was leaking a little, and the bushes were knackered.



I've searched & read that a few people have had problems with Britpart dampers, but it was so cheap its worth trying it out? Been on the car for 4-5 days now, seems perfect so far.

I also double checked the adjustment I did on the steering box, and its absolutely spot on. Steering improvement is night & day, next to zero play in steering now, feels a LOT more confident to drive with, especially on the motorway. Real happy, result!

Finally we took our time filling the gearbox back up with oil. Overfilling these auto gearboxes I've read is fatal, so I made sure to do it carefully as to not overfill!



She runs very sweet now! Just a couple short weeks to go until my long weekend of towing begins. 1100 mile round trip awaits me!

Hope you followed the correct fill proceedure for the box; box cold, engine idling, move lever slowly though all gear positions and back to park and check level.

Datatek said:

Hope you followed the correct fill proceedure for the box; box cold, engine idling, move lever slowly though all gear positions and back to park and check level.

Click to expand...

Yes, of course. This is one of the reasons it took a while to make sure it was at the correct level

Luckily, the guy who lets me use the workshop & ramps has worked on Land Rover's for near 20 years when he was in the MOD

Daze said:

Yes, of course. This is one of the reasons it took a while to make sure it was at the correct level

Luckily, the guy who lets me use the workshop & ramps has worked on Land Rover's for near 20 years when he was in the MOD

Click to expand...

Hi Daze and congrats on purchasing a very nice clean TDi 300.

I can see you are going to be a real asset to this forum - great renovation/re-commissioning thread with truly excellent pictures.

You've done most of the mods I would recommend De-cat/de-EGR etc but have you considered the drivetrain friction? As you know these vehicles are permanent 4 wheel drive so the power goes from the engine through the main gearbox, through the transfer box then through both diffs. This is a lot of drag. As an experiment on one of mine I changed the quality of oil in the drivetrain to see what difference it would make; I used EVO1 for the autobox and EVO2 for the transfer box and both diffs. These oils are available from Difflock.com.

So was it worth it? At the time I did mine it cost about £70 total, but the difference was as big as when I fitted my de-cat downpipe - REALLY noticeably less drag, better fuel consumption by perhaps 15% maybe even more. This was on our TDi 200 and the fuel figures averages out at: 36 mpg daily; 40 mpg on a run at 60mph; with a best ever of 46 mpg on a gentle cross country cruise to pick up a 9 mtr caravan.

Will I do it again on my TD5? Well the jury is out on whether I keep this one or not (due to a poor rusty chassis) but if I decide to keep her she WILL get the EVO treatment.

And finally, what tyre pressures are you running? The LR std pressures of 27psi front and 36psi are, imo, a little low particularly the front. I suspect these are for LR's idea of comfort but I reckon they don't support the 2150kgs of the vehicle very well. Might I suggest you try 33psi in the front and 38psi in the rear and when towing your drift car (very nice btw!) go up to 42psi in the rear.

Keep it coming matey,

Dave

thebiglad said:

Hi Daze and congrats on purchasing a very nice clean TDi 300.

I can see you are going to be a real asset to this forum - great renovation/re-commissioning thread with truly excellent pictures.

You've done most of the mods I would recommend De-cat/de-EGR etc but have you considered the drivetrain friction? As you know these vehicles are permanent 4 wheel drive so the power goes from the engine through the main gearbox, through the transfer box then through both diffs. This is a lot of drag. As an experiment on one of mine I changed the quality of oil in the drivetrain to see what difference it would make; I used EVO1 for the autobox and EVO2 for the transfer box and both diffs. These oils are available from Difflock.com.

So was it worth it? At the time I did mine it cost about £70 total, but the difference was as big as when I fitted my de-cat downpipe - REALLY noticeably less drag, better fuel consumption by perhaps 15% maybe even more. This was on our TDi 200 and the fuel figures averages out at: 36 mpg daily; 40 mpg on a run at 60mph; with a best ever of 46 mpg on a gentle cross country cruise to pick up a 9 mtr caravan.

Will I do it again on my TD5? Well the jury is out on whether I keep this one or not (due to a poor rusty chassis) but if I decide to keep her she WILL get the EVO treatment.

And finally, what tyre pressures are you running? The LR std pressures of 27psi front and 36psi are, imo, a little low particularly the front. I suspect these are for LR's idea of comfort but I reckon they don't support the 2150kgs of the vehicle very well. Might I suggest you try 33psi in the front and 38psi in the rear and when towing your drift car (very nice btw!) go up to 42psi in the rear.

Keep it coming matey,

Dave

Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you for the kind words. I always aim to take as many decent photos as possible and keep the thread as updated as I can - perhaps it will help people in the future when doing Google searching!

That's some amazing info right there, unbelievable! 46mpg!!

There's no point in me swapping out all the oil again since I've only done the complete fluid change in the last couple weeks, but perhaps 6-8 months time I will look into this! For the cost in oil, if I can get near 40mpg, that would be worth it! Plus, the idea to put the drivetrain through less drag constantly sounds good.

My tyre pressures are at 30psi/38si at the moment, I think. I will have to double check this. I've also read that I should perhaps increase rear tyre pressures once I'm towing, so perhaps 33/40 would be a good choice?

Bear in mind I will also have 600kg+ of spares/tools in the back of the Discovery as well, along with the 1900kg which is trailer + load approx.

It will certainly be a slow crawl on my trip up to Scotland, but I'll be more than happy if I can haul away at 50mph