Disco 3 Front Diff Issues

Hello all,

I am new to these forums so hello first of all. Second of all I am not very mechanically minded hence my coming here for help. Finally I have a problem with my Disco 3 and need some help and advice so I hope I find some friendly people here.

I have a 2 1/2 year old Disco 3 TDV6 that developed a whining noise at about 40-60mph from the front offside. I turned it into Hartwell Land Rover who diagnosed a dodgy wheel bearing and replaced it. However 2 miles up the road from the dealers it became apparent the noise was still there and apparently louder, but this may have been my imagination. It also felt like there was a slight vibration from the steering wheel, like the wheels are unbalanced very slightly. Needless to say I wasn't impressed and it went back in.

They have now diagnosed a faulty front diff but were unspecific about what the problem is. They ordered a new unit nearly two weeks ago and said in the meantime the car is fine to drive. Everyone I have relayed this story to is amazed that they said I could carry on driving this as normal as the diff is a high stress part. I am worried that the faulty/vibrating diff could start to affect other parts of the engine/drivetrain but don't know what to say to the dealers as I am not mechanically confident enough. I don't want to be shafted however only to have more issues once the warranty expires related to this problem. This is the third issue I have had with this dealer (other two being faulty park brake, EGR valves) and they have never managed to fix the problem on the first attempt which is annoying to say the least.

Can anyone offer any help and advice on how to tackle the dealers? Has anyone had the same issues with the bearings/diff?

Help please!

Cheers,

John

We've replaced a few Disco wheel bearings but the customer complaint was not noise and vibration. Just handling problems on uneven road surfaces. The usual method in the dealership workshops is to change the most obvious part first and then move to the next most likely part and so on.

Is there and play in the steering? Any other signs such as metal in the diff oil etc? Unbalanced wheels/rims (balance weights missing from taking them off the first time).

Without wishing to make problems with your dealer, it may be worth finding an independent who is geared up to Discovery 3. They may have IDS to tackle the EPB and could fit EGR blanking kits (such as the Alive Tuning units) on your pre MY07 Discovery so you never have to worry about EGR issues again.

Thanks for the reply. There were some handling issues now you mention it, but I just guessed it was dodgy road surfaces after the snow. According to the dealer a new front axle has arrived to be fitted next week, is the diff and axle all one unit? As for metal in the diff oil - no idea I'm afraid. The only people to have a spanner anywhere near the car is Hartwell.