hi guys just a quick one after buying my m reg disco 3 weeks ago alot of my mates are giving me a ripping about the reliability of them is this true or a bit of banter as i do alot of miles when i go fishing at weekends.if the reliability is susspect what can i do to help . cheers
300tdi reliability
- Thread starter keith81
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hughesy
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Your mates know nothing.
as he says as long as it has been looked after it will be a good car also they are good to work on and are cheap on parts just have a good look for heavy rusting as that is the down fall of a land rover also what are your mates driving. im sure we could pick a few holes in there cars
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The only reason Disco's have a reputation for being unreliable is because so many have been sold, hence more reports of things breaking!
Like any other car regular maintenance & tlc keeps them sweet. As slither22 said the biggest problem to worry about is rust.
I bought our 1st Disco with the "unreliable piece of junk" still ringing in my ears from know all people's ear bashing and guess what .... after the 1st got written off I went straight out & bought another! Your mates obviously know sod all about what is a very good car. Yes they develop a few niggly issue's but what 14 yr old car wouldn't?
Like any other car regular maintenance & tlc keeps them sweet. As slither22 said the biggest problem to worry about is rust.
I bought our 1st Disco with the "unreliable piece of junk" still ringing in my ears from know all people's ear bashing and guess what .... after the 1st got written off I went straight out & bought another! Your mates obviously know sod all about what is a very good car. Yes they develop a few niggly issue's but what 14 yr old car wouldn't?
Jonny Chop
New Member
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I've had my M plate Disco for about a year now, its got almost 170k on the clock, it's frequently serviced and i've not had a single problem since i bought it after being stood for almost 6 months! Unreliable Pah!!!!!!!
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Depends what you want to do with it ... If you're diving into mudholes every weekend then trundling up the motorway every weekday, and don't do general servicing and maintenance a lot of parts might fail. If you carry out regular cleaning, servicing and maintenance then a Disco will last as long as any other similarly maintained car.
Trouble is many people don't even have a dealer service done, or do any maintanance whatsoever, and their 'normal' cars carry on running ... badly, but they won't notice 'cos they live such dreary lives. They're driven in a controlled environment and don't put up with being made to drive through mud-wallows, or through streams, or carry heavy equipment through woods and up mountains, so don't ever get the stresses that Landrovers are routinely subjected to. You get a Landrover and you get an experience that's worth immersing yourself in to the point where the vehicle never sees a dealer 'cos you do all the work yourself .. not brought on by economics (though that helps!) but by the thought that you are contributing to the vehicles longevity and your own driving pleasure.
Any two tonne vehicle is going to be heavy on parts and need regular good maintenance if driven off-road .. even Toymotas need maintenance, whatever the Australians would like you to believe!
Trouble is many people don't even have a dealer service done, or do any maintanance whatsoever, and their 'normal' cars carry on running ... badly, but they won't notice 'cos they live such dreary lives. They're driven in a controlled environment and don't put up with being made to drive through mud-wallows, or through streams, or carry heavy equipment through woods and up mountains, so don't ever get the stresses that Landrovers are routinely subjected to. You get a Landrover and you get an experience that's worth immersing yourself in to the point where the vehicle never sees a dealer 'cos you do all the work yourself .. not brought on by economics (though that helps!) but by the thought that you are contributing to the vehicles longevity and your own driving pleasure.
Any two tonne vehicle is going to be heavy on parts and need regular good maintenance if driven off-road .. even Toymotas need maintenance, whatever the Australians would like you to believe!
There is always lots of banter between jap owners and landy owners - it is all done in good taste so take no notice!!
Yes, many japs are more reliable than a landrover BUT and it is a big BUT! You will pay 10-20 times LESS for your parts, than they will for theres! Granted, you may need them more often, but when something needs doing on a jap vehicle, it costs mega bucks! Take the drag link bar, new ends will set you back £20 odd the pair - a nissan patrol costs £278 plus vat. So you can laugh at them when that happens!
What you have to remember is (and i have had them all!) a landy 2.5 will never do the mileage that a patrol 4.2 will do - so although it is common, such as one of my old patrols, to do 600,000 miles and still be running sweet - it is unfair to expect a small engine to do the same. Many of the large japs use lorry engines, which is why they are more sluggish, but more reliable and do the mileage - because they never get worked!
With an M plate landy, you won't have much to worry about - they don't have the electronics to go wrong and are fairly easy to maintain and cheap on parts - you also have plenty of specialists about unlike the jap stuff. You also have plenty of used parts around should you need them, like wheels, snorkels etc. So relish in your brake discs/pads replacement costing about £60 and their costing around £570. Chuckle when you pick up a used axle in a couple of days for £50, and they have to pay £1500 for a recon.
So in reality, you have quite a sensible vehicle! Enjoy, and join in the banter! If you want some fun, just say 'What's that noise?' and see the panic set in! lol!
Yes, many japs are more reliable than a landrover BUT and it is a big BUT! You will pay 10-20 times LESS for your parts, than they will for theres! Granted, you may need them more often, but when something needs doing on a jap vehicle, it costs mega bucks! Take the drag link bar, new ends will set you back £20 odd the pair - a nissan patrol costs £278 plus vat. So you can laugh at them when that happens!
What you have to remember is (and i have had them all!) a landy 2.5 will never do the mileage that a patrol 4.2 will do - so although it is common, such as one of my old patrols, to do 600,000 miles and still be running sweet - it is unfair to expect a small engine to do the same. Many of the large japs use lorry engines, which is why they are more sluggish, but more reliable and do the mileage - because they never get worked!
With an M plate landy, you won't have much to worry about - they don't have the electronics to go wrong and are fairly easy to maintain and cheap on parts - you also have plenty of specialists about unlike the jap stuff. You also have plenty of used parts around should you need them, like wheels, snorkels etc. So relish in your brake discs/pads replacement costing about £60 and their costing around £570. Chuckle when you pick up a used axle in a couple of days for £50, and they have to pay £1500 for a recon.
So in reality, you have quite a sensible vehicle! Enjoy, and join in the banter! If you want some fun, just say 'What's that noise?' and see the panic set in! lol!
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thanks guys put me at ease the most off roading i had planned to do was some of the more remote fishing venues i go to but the more i come on here the more i fancy getting involved in one of those pay and play days . i used to go to them with my dad in his old v8 range rover when i was a kid and he keeps giving me the nudge to go get it dirty .might have to give my jap oowning mates a nudge to so we can sort out whos boss cheers guys
rollin danny
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Worst thing about 300 tdi is the water pump is high on the front of the engine.This means if you let your coolant get low the pump stops circulating the water and your engine overheats, usualy blowing the head gasket at the same time.This can happen after losing only a small amount of water.So always check your header tank and look underneath for any traces of leaks.Apart from that you should be fine 
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or fit a low water level sensor?
is this an easy job and where would i find the kit to do it?
eddyoz
Member
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Easy job to fit,you can use a LandRover coolant cap with float switch part no PRC7925,also requires an interface module[063311] from NanoControls
Alternatively a kit fromENGINE SAVER NEW LAND ROVER KITS - Australian Land Rover Owners
Alternatively a kit fromENGINE SAVER NEW LAND ROVER KITS - Australian Land Rover Owners
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Look in the Q's and A's bit - it is all written up in there.
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Harry121
Active Member
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Hi I’m looking at a 300tdi it’s very clean from what I can see. I’m only getting into it. People keep telling me don’t get one they always go wrong it’s a waste. I jjst want some help as I’m so torn between getting one and just not bothering. I know I will have a laugh with it. I know every car truck whatever they all go wrong at some point. Just wondering like how bad are they ? I probably will go off road but I’m not going to go silly. Just not sure like I’m worried it’s going to cost an absolute fortune. Hope you can give me a good in site to it all ?
Harry121
Active Member
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Hi I’m looking at a 300tdi it’s very clean from what I can see. I’m only getting into it. People keep telling me don’t get one they always go wrong it’s a waste. I jjst want some help as I’m so torn between getting one and just not bothering. I know I will have a laugh with it. I know every car truck whatever they all go wrong at some point. Just wondering like how bad are they ? I probably will go off road but I’m not going to go silly. Just not sure like I’m worried it’s going to cost an absolute fortune.Hope you can give me a good in site to it all ?
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Don't know where you heard this. They are pretty bullet proof, i love mine and it has not let me down at all, totally different from my D2 TD5, and if the posts on the discovery part of the forum are anything to go by the numbers about problems with TD5 disco 2s outnumber the ones about 300tdis by about 100 to one, at a guess. they are old skoll motors, reliable and easy to maintain.
The only problem with D1s is that they rust, sills, rear floors and inner wheel arches to the front. but it is all fixable.
If I had to choose between my 300tdi and my TD5 it would be the 300tdi by a mile.
The engines are so good, many peeps take them out of rusty Discos to put in their Defenders or earlier versions of tratters.
Welcome to the forum by the way.
PS
I lived in Harden's Close, back in 1963, for 6 months, when it was still a council place! Very friendly bunch of kids. Wonder what it's like now. I was 8 years old. first snog-up, first cigarette, first touch of law-breaking. Them's was the days!!!
Harry121
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Hi mate thanks for the reply. Yea I’m just worried as I don’t want to make the wrong choice I’m going for a 300tdi as I’ve been told there are less problems than the td5. I was just wondering what’s the parts like to replace if they go wrong are they expensive that’s another worry if things keep going wrong. Also I don’t know too much myself so would have to take it to the garage to get fixed which is a shame would be nice to have someone local to help me to save money. ( obviously pay them as well ) but not as much as a normal garage. I’ve been looking at one that’s had a lift kit and bigger tires and I’ve heard that if the tires are bigger than 29inch it can cause problems with the drive train ? Shall I go for smaller. Sorry about all these questions I’m just learning
ps I’m only 19 so not too sure on where abouts that is but I’m sure my parents do sounds like you had a great laugh. I’m hoping to have some fun in a landy
