Disco 2, can it be kept reliable off road?

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RustHater

RustHater

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Yeovil, Somerset
Am going round in circles deciding on a fairly comfortable Landy, cheapish, that will stay reliable when used off road. Defender is so expensive these days.
Don't want off road breakdowns in remote locations, so believe suspension woes can be eliminated by changing air bags to coils. But the 3 amigos? I don't care about having ABS or HDC but it must be illegal to remove the sensors. How can they be kept reliable once they have gone through endless mud and water?
 
Depends what kind of offroading you want to do, if you want to go bonnet deep in water/mud then any 4x4 wouldn't be reliable. If it's greenlaning then a D2 would be fine. You would be better off getting a Disco 1
 
Anything can be reliable in any environment, but you have to stay on top of it, and that is where most people go wrong.
People always assume wrongly that land rovers are indestructible, and do not check/adjust anything, then when it breaks down all you hear is they are shti!
 
steve24v said:
Depends what kind of offroading you want to do, if you want to go bonnet deep in water/mud then any 4x4 wouldn't be reliable. If it's greenlaning then a D2 would be fine. You would be better off getting a Disco 1
Click to expand...
steve24v said:
Depends what kind of offroading you want to do, if you want to go bonnet deep in water/mud then any 4x4 wouldn't be reliable. If it's greenlaning then a D2 would be fine. You would be better off getting a Disco 1
Click to expand...
Sometimes close to bonnet deep unavoidably. Steep rock steps at times too (wales). The 1959 200tdi Series 2 I use now is totally reliable, always, in these conditions... but noisy and uncomfortable especially on long drives. I would like more comforts going forward. Disco 2 body on a Disco 1 chassis, with electric key removed sounds ideal! But is there a way to make the sensors better protected against mud and water? Not owning one, I Don't know if they can be improved
 
I was going to suggest get a series but you wanted comfort, haha. The ecu would need relocating with an extended loom, they don't like getting wet. I'm not sure but I think all the sensors are fine with getting wet. The wheelhub sensors can pack up anytime, don't need to go off road for that to happen.
Like lynall says, they are reliable if you look after them like any vehicle, but disco 2s are more expensive to repair than the earlier models without all the electrical gubbins. Disco 1 or rr classic would be my choice (rust is the killer though)
 
steve24v said:
I was going to suggest get a series but you wanted comfort, haha. The ecu would need relocating with an extended loom, they don't like getting wet. I'm not sure but I think all the sensors are fine with getting wet. The wheelhub sensors can pack up anytime, don't need to go off road for that to happen.
Like lynall says, they are reliable if you look after them like any vehicle, but disco 2s are more expensive to repair than the earlier models without all the electrical gubbins. Disco 1 or rr classic would be my choice (rust is the killer though)
Click to expand...
I've had 4 RRCs over the years lovely but so rusty!
 
My mate had a D2 off roader loaded with leccy faults, he got sick of chasing faults & bought
a D1 v8. :cool:

Bob tailed D1 for me as they always get smacked in the ass & the towbar digs it or get the
removable one with the fuel tank guard.
 
RustHater said:
Sometimes close to bonnet deep unavoidably. Steep rock steps at times too (wales). The 1959 200tdi Series 2 I use now is totally reliable, always, in these conditions... but noisy and uncomfortable especially on long drives. I would like more comforts going forward. Disco 2 body on a Disco 1 chassis, with electric key removed sounds ideal! But is there a way to make the sensors better protected against mud and water? Not owning one, I Don't know if they can be improved
Click to expand...
Is this just laning?

Can’t see any reason why you couldn’t use a D2. Just try and buy one without a heap of faults. Obviously add extra water proofing if needed. And if you fit or get one with a centre diff lock, you aren’t reliant on the traction control system. A D2 is quite a bit bigger though. Some Welsh lanes might feel a bit tight. Plus it’s be more prone to getting scratched or damaged.

Jeep Cherokee (XJ) or Grand Cherokee (ZJ) might be worth a look too. Or even a TJ Wrangler, but they tend to be priced more akin to Defenders.
 
300bhp/ton said:
Is this just laning?

Can’t see any reason why you couldn’t use a D2. Just try and buy one without a heap of faults. Obviously add extra water proofing if needed. And if you fit or get one with a centre diff lock, you aren’t reliant on the traction control system. A D2 is quite a bit bigger though. Some Welsh lanes might feel a bit tight. Plus it’s be more prone to getting scratched or damaged.

Jeep Cherokee (XJ) or Grand Cherokee (ZJ) might be worth a look too. Or even a TJ Wrangler, but they tend to be priced more akin to Defenders.
Click to expand...
Daily driver, but I like laning a very few months, with an annual lo g drive to Wales for good laning. My Googling suggests D2 wider than Series2 but less wide than Defender...but who knows.
 
kevstar said:
My mate had a D2 off roader loaded with leccy faults, he got sick of chasing faults & bought
a D1 v8. :cool:

Bob tailed D1 for me as they always get smacked in the ass & the towbar digs it or get the
removable one with the fuel tank guard.
Click to expand...
Leccy faults would annoy me if too often, which is why I was thinking coil springs and delete the aids linked to 3 amigos. Illegal to do so, but perhaps legal if the D2 body was on a D1 chassis. I like the simplicity of the 200 and 300 tdi but not the noise. May fancy a TD5 if change the oily bit of the loom annually. Drove a 300 auto in a Defender 90, it felt very slow compared to my manual 109 200 tdi. Very revvy uphill, not much engine braking downhill. Am told td5 is better.
 
RustHater said:
Leccy faults would annoy me if too often, which is why I was thinking coil springs and delete the aids linked to 3 amigos. Illegal to do so, but perhaps legal if the D2 body was on a D1 chassis. I like the simplicity of the 200 and 300 tdi but not the noise. May fancy a TD5 if change the oily bit of the loom annually. Drove a 300 auto in a Defender 90, it felt very slow compared to my manual 109 200 tdi. Very revvy uphill, not much engine braking downhill. Am told td5 is better.
Click to expand...

I did try to buy a D1 with a D2 body last year its been for sale a couple of times over the last
couple of years & I keep missing it. Im re-building 200tdi atm..
20220503_194121.jpg
 
Air bags are ok, just carry a spare if you aee worried.

Also the emergency inflation mod.

3 amigos is fixed with a wiring mod
 
MJI said:
Air bags are ok, just carry a spare if you aee worried.

Also the emergency inflation mod.

3 amigos is fixed with a wiring mod
Click to expand...
Is this 3 amigo wiring mod to stop the warning lights even if there is say a faulty sensor? Is it likely to get picked up by an insurer trying to wriggle out of a settlement if, say, they felt the ABS was indeed faulty?
 
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