Considering Discovery 3 2.7 diesel what are known problems

Hi I am considering Discovery 3 2.7 diesel .... possibly auto
what are the known issues with this truck.....
I did google it appears vibration is an issue on some (torque converter?)
Delicate belts??? (do they have a history of snapping early? ulp)
Electrical???
Your advice would be well appreciated .... or a helpful pointer to a thread....

D3savage said:

Hi I am considering Discovery 3 2.7 diesel .... possibly auto
what are the known issues with this truck.....
I did google it appears vibration is an issue on some (torque converter?)
Delicate belts??? (do they have a history of snapping early? ulp)
Electrical???
Your advice would be well appreciated .... or a helpful pointer to a thread....

Click to expand...

I have several mates who have DIII TDv6's and all like them very much. The faults which they encountered were repeated front suspension bushes, electronic handbrake problems and clutches imploding very quickly.

However overall, light years ahead of previous Disco's.

the 1st thing it isnt is a fecking "truck" its a landrover

turbo problems the part that fails is cheap but about a grand labour to replace.

wiltshire landyman said:

the 1st thing it isnt is a fecking "truck" its a landrover

Click to expand...

I was gonna say that but hey
I considered buying a d3 then i thought **** im poor and bought a d1

dyte said:

I was gonna say that but hey
I considered buying a d3 then i thought **** im poor and but a d1

Click to expand...

wise choice

Ok posh trattor ...

I think the D3 and D4 are amazing pieces of kit but the thought of scratching or denting a £50k vehicle offroad worries me. Part of the appeal of my rustbucket is that it isn't the end of the world if it gets scratched or dented or if someone uses it to open gates when they don't have a key

Where to start...... Engines gulping oil,clutches failing,transfer box "issues",EPB winches,EPB discs/brake shoes,wiring loom water ingress,EAS compressors,rusty brake pipes,EGR valves,turbos,coolant tank sensors,suspension bushes and tailgate cables snapping.
In short,just about anything.Nice to drive,crap to own out of warranty.Plus they are SO heavy on ice you lose control as gravity takes over,last winter I had the nasty situation of two of them being unable to stop safely on my yard when it was snowing,nearly smashing into the workshop door.In the same conditions my D1,IIA and my wife in her FL1 had no problems.
In short,I just wouldnt bother unless its in warranty and you just want to park on the grass outside the pub.

Gordon Bennet ......... I thought things had improved since the days of my X reg MK1 Freelander TD4 .......... does the engine having timing belts or chains??? Reliability wise looks like nothing has changed ........... on Disco 3 how does 4wd work is there some sort of slipping clutch/diff to in lue of the crude but effective vcu.

All cars have failures. Bang em all together in one post and even a w124 merc would seem unreliable. Even a D1 is reliable compared with cars of 40 years ago.

The 2.7 lump is a joint venture engine made by Ford in Dagenham but designed with Peugeot/Citroen so parts are readily available, same lump went in Jags, Citroen C5 & C6 Peugeot 407 & 607.

I used to haul them to the PSA plant in Rennes.

Hi I have seen this posted elsewhere ..... is this forum arawe of these points....

EGR valves fail on a lot, most people blank them off. Note the Euro-4 version cannot be blanked. Seem to eat turbochargers if they aren't kept up to date with software. Land Rover specifically added some bits to exercise the variable vanes in the turbo to help alleviate seizures.

eightinavee said:

Where to start...... Engines gulping oil,clutches failing,transfer box "issues",EPB winches,EPB discs/brake shoes,wiring loom water ingress,EAS compressors,rusty brake pipes,EGR valves,turbos,coolant tank sensors,suspension bushes and tailgate cables snapping.

Click to expand...

:5biagree: - And don't forget early diff failure, Jon. And the fact you have to remove the body to renew the fuel pump belt at 105k miles.

Pretty naff really except when you've got the money to fix it.

I've owned my D3 2008 Reg for just 3 months. Already had my first problem - a broken tailgate latch - cost £185 to replace.

I'm sure I used to read similar stories of woe about the disco 1 then the 2 now the 3 and no doubt the 4 as they pass down the line. my car constantly needs things and is a disco 1. currently the door springs have went again and has spider issues and a weird dim left headlight , sticking boot release etc,etc,etc........... Point is, All land rovers and all cars have issues. Forums compound the issues, in the same way if you look on a health advice forum you would be convinced your dying. No one is denying that as cars get more sensor and computer controlled that most seem alienated to fix them. but as time goes on parts become cheaper, fixes and upgrades become available and I for one am going to go for the change. I think the majority of folk on here like to tinker with their cars and 'fix' things that a lot of 'normal' car owners wouldn't investigate or even notice. so perhaps look like they need more work.

I know tyres and things look and are expensive, being 17"+, however it wasn't long ago that I remember the same being levied at 15 and 16" wheels.

My highly respected LR mechanic warned me off upgrading to one and said they're an unreliable money pit which I thought was very honest of him as he would be doing himself out of work so sadly when the time comes I will probably have to move away from LR ownership!

It's pretty simple if you want cheap to run and reliable buy a diesel golf or similar.

If you want a 4x4 of any sort it's not going to be cheap.

I would say stay CLEAR trying to off load mine and it only has 45k miles. Going to go back to a trusty disco 1. My 19 year old disco p*ss**s all over it. Great if it all worked - way too many sensors for something to go off road I live on a farm and just light off road (on the access track) kills the bushes and sensors. Apparently the disco 4 has sorted out all the problems but alot of money to fork out if its not.

I just sold my 5 year old disco 3 with only 45k miles bought it 2 years ago as a family reliable car and been in to landrover for all above faults it wa under warranty but still a pain and waste of time going back and forward. I also have a 20 year old disco 1 that over the period never missed a heart beat we are now looking for a good disco 1 or maybe a 2 as we want reliability. agree if you get one get warranty warranty warranty. They are great cars when they work but unless you don't mind going to the dealers a lot or don't mind spending large sums on garage costs.