Discovery 2 newbie

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spam242

spam242

Member
Posts
23
Location
West Sussex
Hi i'm looking at buying my first discovery 2 (preferably facelift) but i know nothing about them. Can someone point me to buyers guide or let me know what to look out for? for example i've seen ones with the DSC removed, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Another common thing is the air bags removed, personally i'd prefer that but is there a reason why i shouldn't? It will be mainly used on road as a daily but come the weekends it will be my off road camper.

Thanks in advance
 
spam242 said:
Hi i'm looking at buying my first discovery 2 (preferably facelift) but i know nothing about them. Can someone point me to buyers guide or let me know what to look out for? for example i've seen ones with the DSC removed, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Another common thing is the air bags removed, personally i'd prefer that but is there a reason why i shouldn't? It will be mainly used on road as a daily but come the weekends it will be my off road camper.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
There are plenty of threads on this topic on this forum, just have fun looking at them. Just remember a D2 has loads more complex electronics on it than a D1.
 
spam242 said:
Hi i'm looking at buying my first discovery 2 (preferably facelift) but i know nothing about them. Can someone point me to buyers guide or let me know what to look out for? for example i've seen ones with the DSC removed, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Another common thing is the air bags removed, personally i'd prefer that but is there a reason why i shouldn't? It will be mainly used on road as a daily but come the weekends it will be my off road camper.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/handy-buying-alarm-info.311291/
Blimey as if someone had written one..LOL.

Cheers
 
Budget for a nanocom or Hawkeye and id say if you arent prepared to DIY most things you will run the risk of big bills.
Rusty rear chassis an issue.
ACE leaks expensive in most cases
TD5 great but leaks oil often
They leak water in and if you cant handle this, buy something else
Air suspension good and not hard to fix
To be honest the water leaking in is what almost spoils ownership for me. For some reason i just hate water ingress!
Great fun to drive
 
Chassis, chassis, chassis. All other considerations are secondary........
Well, you know what I mean.

Start by finding out what good looks like. If you know someone who has a minter ask them if you can give it a good look over. Start with a sound mental baseline against which to judge those you see.

Look at lots, and start underneath. Don't just glance under there, wear old, grimy clothes or better still overalls and actually lie underneath and probe the chassis properly, looking for flaking and laminating rust, soft spots and holes. Surface rust is OK, but if you can see a hole on the surface of the chassis, the inside of the chassis rail will be rotten. Start with the chassis and you will rule out 75% of the ones you look at before you even open the drivers door.
Look for oil leaks, shot UJs and other obvious faults while you are under there.
If you are serious about D2 ownership then buy a diagnostic tool now and use it on the other 25%. That will reduce their numbers by half.
After that use the guide.
 
ronsealdeath said:
Budget for a nanocom or Hawkeye and id say if you arent prepared to DIY most things you will run the risk of big bills.
Rusty rear chassis an issue.
ACE leaks expensive in most cases
TD5 great but leaks oil often
They leak water in and if you cant handle this, buy something else
Air suspension good and not hard to fix
To be honest the water leaking in is what almost spoils ownership for me. For some reason i just hate water ingress!
Great fun to drive
Click to expand...
Happy with doing bits myself, in fact ever since selling my classic mini i've missed the diy aspect of car ownership. I presume, nanocom and hawkeye are the best of the diagnostics, the others not worth looking at? Thanks for those points, i'll keep a eye out for them.
 
Si Click said:
Chassis, chassis, chassis. All other considerations are secondary........
Well, you know what I mean.

Start by finding out what good looks like. If you know someone who has a minter ask them if you can give it a good look over. Start with a sound mental baseline against which to judge those you see.

Look at lots, and start underneath. Don't just glance under there, wear old, grimy clothes or better still overalls and actually lie underneath and probe the chassis properly, looking for flaking and laminating rust, soft spots and holes. Surface rust is OK, but if you can see a hole on the surface of the chassis, the inside of the chassis rail will be rotten. Start with the chassis and you will rule out 75% of the ones you look at before you even open the drivers door.
Look for oil leaks, shot UJs and other obvious faults while you are under there.
If you are serious about D2 ownership then buy a diagnostic tool now and use it on the other 25%. That will reduce their numbers by half.
After that use the guide.
Click to expand...
Thats a great idea, funnily enough theres a mint d2 for sale not far from me, way out of my price range but i'll check it out to know whats good. Same as defenders then, chassis rust is a big big issue. I'lI presume just because it leaks oil its not a no no, but it all depends on how much and from where? Yeah i think i will, so nanocom and hawkeye then. Do not go for any other brand?
 
No worries. The issue with a TD5 and diagnostics is that the engine module is not OBDII compliant, so none of the 1000s of cheap OBDII scan tools will work. Nanocom is the gold standard as it will record live data and has some minor functions that the Hawkeye does not. The downside is that it is very expensive and unless you buy additional (expensive) modules, will only work on one type of Land Rover. The Hawkeye Total is a fair bit cheaper and will deal with anything from a TD5 Defender to an L322 Range Rover (although you may need a different cable/dongle), it reads live data, but does not record it. I think there is a Britpart Lynx which should work, though I have no experience of it, and Sierrafery (who is the forum guru on electrics and ECUs) also believes that the Foxwell NT510 (now 530?) will work as well - and that it a relative bargain in comparison.

Beware "mint" D2s for sale by dealers. I looked at 3 which were all over £6500, all were described a "showroom" and all of which were rusty underneath. One had even had black paint sprayed over the rust. Expensive does not equal good when buying a D2. Buy from an enthusiast as they love their cars and are as interested in it going to a good home as in the money. If there are members on here local to you, ask if you can meet and look at their cars. At least they will be honest about the flaws and show you what you should be looking for.
 
Si Click said:
No worries. The issue with a TD5 and diagnostics is that the engine module is not OBDII compliant, so none of the 1000s of cheap OBDII scan tools will work. Nanocom is the gold standard as it will record live data and has some minor functions that the Hawkeye does not. The downside is that it is very expensive and unless you buy additional (expensive) modules, will only work on one type of Land Rover. The Hawkeye Total is a fair bit cheaper and will deal with anything from a TD5 Defender to an L322 Range Rover (although you may need a different cable/dongle), it reads live data, but does not record it. I think there is a Britpart Lynx which should work, though I have no experience of it, and Sierrafery (who is the forum guru on electrics and ECUs) also believes that the Foxwell NT510 (now 530?) will work as well - and that it a relative bargain in comparison.

Beware "mint" D2s for sale by dealers. I looked at 3 which were all over £6500, all were described a "showroom" and all of which were rusty underneath. One had even had black paint sprayed over the rust. Expensive does not equal good when buying a D2. Buy from an enthusiast as they love their cars and are as interested in it going to a good home as in the money. If there are members on here local to you, ask if you can meet and look at their cars. At least they will be honest about the flaws and show you what you should be looking for.
Click to expand...
I'll do my research on the ones you have mentioned. You've been a great help. Thank you so so much. Once i get my Discovery and if i'm ever down your way i'll be sure to get you a drink!!
 
Still on the hunt for discovery's. I've seen a nice looking D2 but its an auto, i was told to avoid them as they are constantly needing new gear boxes. Should i listen to this advice or are they okay if looked after?
 
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