Disco 4 (LR4) What suspension parts would you replace?

freelance said:

If it bounces after speed bump then dampers at fault surely

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agree , it does sound like that , doesn’t look to bad of a job , well if the bolts on top come undone that is, noticed the other week how much bigger they are to the fronts and look bloody heavy , lol

just looked , ref the rear struts,more expensive than i thought , but know shopping around helps

think genuine ones are around £400 each

bearmach £312 each
https://www.advancedfactors.co.uk/lr038096x-shock-absober-rear-assy-937810-p.asp

Morning,

Firstly many thanks for all your help and support so far, it's been hugely beneficial to me.

I've now had the vehicle inspected by http://www.millenniumcroydon.co.uk/ and they have advised the following regarding the suspension:-

Front lower arms very worn (I saw that the bushes were almost none existent) causing knocking under braking and on uneven surfaces - Supply and fit = £690 + VAT
Front and Rear shock absorbers efficiency very low causing instability of uneven surfaces - Supply and fit = £1230 plus VAT

Verbally they suggested that at 70k miles they presumed the vehicle had been used as a tow vehicle throughout it's life.

Separately from the suspension, the rear nearside caliper is somewhat seized and the wheel will not turn freely whilst up on the ramp - They quoted to supply and fit (pair) £617 + VAT.

I don't know how those prices compare to what you guys would expect?

Next step is to contact the car dealer I bought it from a few weeks ago and see how I get on. Frustrating times.

DC7 said:

Morning,

Firstly many thanks for all your help and support so far, it's been hugely beneficial to me.

I've now had the vehicle inspected by http://www.millenniumcroydon.co.uk/ and they have advised the following regarding the suspension:-

Front lower arms very worn (I saw that the bushes were almost none existent) causing knocking under braking and on uneven surfaces - Supply and fit = £690 + VAT
Front and Rear shock absorbers efficiency very low causing instability of uneven surfaces - Supply and fit = £1230 plus VAT

Verbally they suggested that at 70k miles they presumed the vehicle had been used as a tow vehicle throughout it's life.

Separately from the suspension, the rear nearside caliper is somewhat seized and the wheel will not turn freely whilst up on the ramp - They quoted to supply and fit (pair) £617 + VAT.

I don't know how those prices compare to what you guys would expect?

Next step is to contact the car dealer I bought it from a few weeks ago and see how I get on. Frustrating times.

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good to hear u got it inspected , must admit not surprised ref the bushes

did they specify what make of struts there going to fit , in fairness looking at work u need doing i can easily see a £3k plus invoice

may i ask, does it include

4 x wheel hunter alignment
front and rear drop links
front and rear ARB bushes

rear brake pipes and hoses

personally i would reject the D4 , as it certainally wouldn’t pass a MOT in its current condition, inc putting u and ur family at risk with faulty brakes

also adding in the factor of worn tyres , so there goes another £5-600 for a set of new tyres

assume it came with a warranty, who sold u the disco plse

Horrfying prices but then Im tight!
Callipers are pretty damned cheap (some D4 do have alloy ones which are meant to be problematic) so where they got 600 quid from plus the vat I dont know? its literally wheels off, one pipe, two bolts and a wear sensor one side only., I would say an hours work at the most with the correct tools.

I would suggest finding another indy for a price comparison.

If you do a quick bit of research on ebay for genuine land rover parts you will have a good idea whats the prices should be.
The pattern callipers are more than good enough

lynall said:

Horrfying prices but then Im tight!
Callipers are pretty damned cheap (some D4 do have alloy ones which are meant to be problematic) so where they got 600 quid from plus the vat I dont know? its literally wheels off, one pipe, two bolts and a wear sensor one side only., I would say an hours work at the most with the correct tools.

I would suggest finding another indy for a price comparison.

If you do a quick bit of research on ebay for genuine land rover parts you will have a good idea whats the prices should be.
The pattern callipers are more than good enough

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even some rebuild kits and worst part of it all is the OP just bought the D4 , would throw it back at them as it sounds like it’s had a very hard life and not been maintained very well

we all know how these can run into serious money pits , indeed don’t know where there getting the prices from regarding brakes, hope that includes the 6 x rear pipes/ hoses

worked it out roughly for parts alone £1600k

4 x struts £1200
pair of front lower wishbones £200
pair of rear calipers , inc hoses £150

wheel alignment £50

excluding ARB and drop links , wonder what the compressors condition is like , also discs and pads if it’s always towed ??

know when i done all my suspension etc in how it adds up and other associated worn out parts

wonder if the seller will put it right , or if a warranty can cover all this work, that’s if there is one

Hi guys,

Right the dealer I purchased the car from - https://www.le-autos.co.uk/ - is going to put everything right he says, but at a garage of his choice.

The indie was quoting for both rear calipers as they said you shouldn't replace one without the other. I'll get a breakdown on the pricing and post back.

The car does have a full LR service history (just crossed 70,000 miles) and it looks like the previous owner didn't skimp on maintenance. I've no real proof that the car was use to tow but given the worn suspension it's a logical conclusion. It did have front and rear disks/pads at LR 5,000 miles ago.

Fair enough for them to get their pet garage to do the work as long as it's done properly - bit unfair on the indy who's spent the time quoting for it. Dealer looks like the sort of outfit where they might take a lot of inventory on consignment ie someone brings the car they want to sell in one morning and they photograph it and put it on their website and see if they get any bites. Otherwise it's hard to see how they could have missed those defects if they'd driven it a bit.

Have a look around the cabin/dash/console cubby area for signs of a tachograph head unit being removed as if there would strongly imply use as a tow vehicle although provided the vehicle was up together no real obligation for the dealer to disclose it.

Hi, the independent inspection from Millennium was free of charge. I have also used them in the past, put work their way through friends and will use them again for this vehicle so no real loss for them.

The dealer I bought it from is, unfortunately, a typical used car dealer. I'm pretty confident no inspection was undertaken on the vehicle even though he and his wife had been using it as their personal transport. It only took a couple of hundred miles for me to realise all was not as it should be. The irony is I have significant experience in legal action against car dealers, something we joked about when test driving the car and probably the reason he has agreed to put it right so quickly.

Hopefully, the job will be undertaken properly but if not I may reject the vehicle. I hope that is not the case though as other than the worn suspension it seems a really nice car.

For info on an earlier question the pricing for each part by the indie is:

Front Shocks are £161.86 each + vat
Rear Shocks are £157.13 each + vat
O/S Front Lower Arm is £192.68 + vat
N/S Front Lower Arm is £200.35 + vat
Rear Brake Calipers are £145.57 each + Vat

Not sure how those prices stack up with peoples expectations....

DC7 said:

For info on an earlier question the pricing for each part by the indie is:

Front Shocks are £161.86 each + vat
Rear Shocks are £157.13 each + vat
O/S Front Lower Arm is £192.68 + vat
N/S Front Lower Arm is £200.35 + vat
Rear Brake Calipers are £145.57 each + Vat

Not sure how those prices stack up with peoples expectations....

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Well them rear callipers are 300 quid the pair so where did he get the other 300 quid from? as thats bloody expensive for an hours work, even being generous and including new pads thats still dear.

In your case my biggest concern with the car dealer dong the repairs is them using cheap pattern parts like Bripart lower arms which simple wont last, they are literally under half your quoted prices which would suggest to me your quote is for genuine parts and car dealer will use pattern.

Tbf to britpart their callipers are actually quite good and a rear pair can be had for under 100 quid, plus pads (20to50 quid) plus labour and thats quite some price saving.


I know its not always about price and paying a fair price for a fair job is fair dos, but he does seem a tad dear.

Thanks Lynell, I fear you're right on the pattern parts. When you say they won't last what sort of mileage would you expect from new pattern lower arms from someone like Britpart?

Its going to depend on vehicle useage, but I would say a fair bet is 20k on the cheapies and 40 on the good ones, so if you are a low mileage user its not really going to be a worry, I myself only do about 7k per year and stuff, even worn stuff seems to last forever.
My front lower arms are worn and one day i will do them! (tyres still wearing evenly so no great panic) I think I would go with the cheap ones (mainly due to my low mileage as 20k would still give me 3 years) but use the range rover sport variety as they are meant to last longer as bushes more manly.

Dealer I bought my D3 from fitted britpart front wheel bearing for its mot, 15k later it failed, it was half the price of the Timken one I fitted, but even they have been known to fail early, not 15k early though!

Disco3.co.uk actually caters for all disco models and is full of really good info, search can be a but hit and miss, but theres lots to learn.

Morning Guys,

So back from holiday and the dealer I bought the car from has now used his garage to diagnose that there is nothing wrong with the shocks themselves. He also balked at the cost of the air struts even though the diagnosis only required the changing of the shock absorbers. The car does rise and drop evenly so I was happy to retain the existing air struts etc.

I have sent him links to shock absorbers only (Rimmer Bros OEM) and he is now looking into it. To be fair to him he has replaced the lower arms (bushes were destroyed) and the sticking rear brake cylinders.

My question is, is it easy to change just the shocks and use the existing air struts?

Thanks in advance again. All this help is very much appreciated.

DC7 said:

Morning Guys,

So back from holiday and the dealer I bought the car from has now used his garage to diagnose that there is nothing wrong with the shocks themselves. He also balked at the cost of the air struts even though the diagnosis only required the changing of the shock absorbers. The car does rise and drop evenly so I was happy to retain the existing air struts etc.

I have sent him links to shock absorbers only (Rimmer Bros OEM) and he is now looking into it. To be fair to him he has replaced the lower arms (bushes were destroyed) and the sticking rear brake cylinders.

My question is, is it easy to change just the shocks and use the existing air struts?

Thanks in advance again. All this help is very much appreciated.

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Message Gary aka Gstuart as Im sure he has the air strutt makers instruction on how to change just the shocks on their own.

hi

is this what u mean , ref the struts

http://findershop.koni.com/files/pdf/2100-4069-manual.pdf

personally i think it’s a false economy and can be a right sod to get apart

know it’s not an ideal solution , would it be easier in paying the difference to get complete struts , so that at the end of the day there done and dusted

my concern would be if there taken apart and down the road ur air bag fails and ending up starting all again , have to come off the vehicle anyway

also i’m pretty sure the later D4 struts are different from D3 ones

also here’s a video of a guy taking one apart

also some parts number for u , so u can make sure D3 parts haven’t been ordered and for ref



D4





D3

Once again, many thanks for the info. I think you're right on the potential issues of only doing the shock and not the airbag. I'll see if I can negotiate with the dealer to get the lot done.