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Land Rover Discovery and Discovery II

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    vandy2004vandy2004 Member Posts: 8
    I filled up with Amoco Ultimate, 93 octane, on Friday morning and pulled a horse trailer to Columbia, TN on Saturday for Mule Day.

    The Disco ran great. I left the tranny in sport mode and it really romped. I was pulling an aluminum trailer with a 2-year-old mule on board, so the load wasn't too bad. The story might be different when the mule, Dan, fills out.

    About the pinging. I never noticed any knocking or pinging around town when I was burning 89 octane. The engine is very torquey and strong with either mid-grade or premium. But, I wouldn't try to tow a trailer with mid-grade.
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    matthewdmatthewd Member Posts: 2
    Hello all,

    Here's the quick question: Do any of you tow with your Discoveries, and if so, how well does it handle the towing?

    Here's the long version:

    I've been browsing these boards for some info on towing, but can't seem to find what I need. I currently own a 2003 Dodge Durango that I bought used to tow my 19' ski boat (MasterCraft X-7). The Durango is not exactly what I'd call "built well," and i'm looking to upgrade the truck. I live in downtown Chicago, so I need a vehicle that can play nicely downtown, as well as by the lake. I like the Land Rover a lot, and can find some decent 2003-2004 HSE's in the area.

    My concern is the towing. The Disco has a shorter wheel-base than my Durango. Can the V-8 handle the boat (boat + trailer = 3800lbs). Will it be able to haul that sucker out of the water, and up and down the rolling hills of Wisconsin? I know the Rover reputation for off-road prowess, but need to know if it will handle my hauling needs. I'd hate to buy a nice truck that will look and perform well in the city, only to find that my boat has to sit on dry land because the truck won't pull it correctly.

    Thanks a lot. I'm going to look seriously at Discos this week, so I'd like to know if I should even be wasting my time.

    -Matt

    p.s. We're not even going to discuss the lack of fuel efficiency with a boat and an all-time 4WD truck.
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    mnrovermnrover Member Posts: 52
    Anyone receive notice for a recall of the ECU?
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    mnrovermnrover Member Posts: 52
    According to the LR dealer that I have been with, there is a short in your steering column. LR changed mine out due to the "Elecritcal Gremlins" lurking around my Disco II. It is an expensive job to replace the column.. Good thing I was still under warranty. Good Luck! :)
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    jtad1991jtad1991 Member Posts: 6
    Thank you! I'll have the dealer check it out.
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    vdumasvdumas Member Posts: 14
    Greetings! I am looking at Disco's in the '99 - '00 range. Initially I was looking at Disco2's, but have seen some nice '99 disco1's at good prices, and that got me thinking that it may be a lot better to get the final production run of a series, as opposed to to the initial run. Also a slightly simpler vehicle might suit me more. Does anyone have any comments on this?
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    nanuqnanuq Member Posts: 765
    Good question!

    The SI is better IMHO offroad due to its better departure angle. But some parts of the SII drivetrain were simpler/stronger. The SI uses swivel balls that give you indefinite CV life, but the swivel seals are quirky and easy to bash on snow berms, plus the trunion bearings at the swivel must be adjusted *just* right. My SI has a locking center differential... does the '99?

    Look under the hood... do you see Bosch or Lucas electrics? Bosch is good stuff, and Lucas "can" be good. Mine have been just fine.

    The trailing arms that locate the rear axle on an SII are tough... on an SI they're easier to bend on rocks. Some SIs had a Rotoflex driveshaft coupler at the rear diff that was problematic at times.

    You're right, the '99 was the end of the run and it was arguably the best SI Disco. The early SIIs had some troubles. Do the SIIs you're looking at have ACE? That was often a problem till they got it sorted out later in the model run.

    Check the base of the rear door openings on the SIs... is there rust showing?

    Basically you're looking at the same truck, with some upgraded electrics and a few drivetrain components... and a longer tail end on the SII. But the biggest question will be teething pains on the SII.

    How much of a price difference is there? Will you offroad it? Do you need a locking center diff?

    If it was up to me and I could have a solid '99 SI vs. a solid '00 SII then I would pick the SI just for its offroadability. If you're running around town and they're comparably solid (check their history by VIN) then go for the SII and enjoy the bigger cargo hold.

    Enjoy, and good luck!
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    vdumasvdumas Member Posts: 14
    Thanks very much for that thorough response. I will check to see if it has Bosch or Lucas, though I don't think that will be a deal breaker. I am avoiding ACE and SLS on DII's as I am looking at keeping it simple. Price for a 99 DI is about a couple of grand less than the 99 DII, probably because the demand for the D1 would be less simply with the D2 out there..... I believe it does have the center locking diff. I will be offroading, but not the hardcore kind of offroading that one sees in the fanatics webpages. I will go out into the wilderness camping etc, but I don't expect to be doing the Roof of Africa anytime soon.

    One question about the VIN history - when I pull carfaxes for various Disco's, some have numerous services, oil changes, suspension services etc listed, some have absolutely none, just vehicle registration info. Would all dealer services be listed on a carfax? Oil changes and lubes are listed on some. My dilemma is deciding whether a truck that has no carfax service records ran so well that the owner never needed to take it in for repair, or was the owner totally negligent? On the flip side, the truck that was in the shop continually, was that an ultra caring owner, or a problem vehicle? I am looking at one 2000 DiscoII, one owner, 80,000 miles, and only one service record at 56,000 for a "Service Contract Claim". The owner says it was dealer serviced per Land Rover recommendations, and there is obviously no way it was only serviced once in 80,000 miles. He must have liked the truck to keep it for 5 years... Would Land Rover dealerships have the service information, and would they give it to me if I called and asked? I am finding myself gravitating more and more to buying a vehicle from a land rover dealer (more expensive) to get some sort of warranty to take some of the unknowns out of this process.
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    nanuqnanuq Member Posts: 765
    Excellent questions! The DII with 80k on the clock sounds like a keeper. It was reliable enough to be a daily driver, and the owner used it as such.

    I dunno about Carfax... no experience there I'm afraid! Sorry......

    For real answers go the the Rover dealer and ask him to pull up the history of the vehicle by VIN. If it was worked on at a Rover dealer, that work will be in there. You're right, an ultra-cautious owner could have pages of work done as opposed to a negligent owner with nothing showing. BUT... if the truck had chronic "issues" then even a negligent owner would take advantage of the warranty and have it in for repairs. Look at what was done when it was in the shop.

    One thing to look for: a negligent owner will tend to let oil changes slide by... and it will result in "tappety" lifters. Let it warm up and then listen to it idle at both sides. Noisy lifters mean it's been a long time between oil changes.

    By all means avoid ACE and SLS. If I could have manual windows, I'd have them!

    If you're going offroad I'd recommend the SI Disco. It simply rocks offroad. The SII is a great truck too and it has traction control so you can get further before you bury it by using its ABS and moving the torque around to the wheels with traction. That system works for mild offroading and getting mildly stuck. But when you're into some big-time burying of your truck, the ABS oriented traction control is just a nickle short and a moment too late... it won't respond fast enough to get you through. In those cases you'll need real lockers... which the SI doesn't come with in any case. Plan on about $800/axle to have lockers put in. THEN you'll be unstoppable. Detroit in the rear and Tru-Trac in the front.

    Cheers!
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    wornoutsdiiwornoutsdii Member Posts: 2
    The other day I was driving home and my battery light came on...kept going, gauges died, car died, had it checked out by a few "car guys" who said it was the alternator. Ran diagnostics on it with my battery charger and it said the alternator was bad. Ok, so I ordered a used alternator, charged up the car battery and was about to drive it in to get fixed and the M and S lights were flashing and the car was stuck in low. Is this a "side effect" of the bad alternator or is there another bigger issue at hand? It's a 2001 Disco with 109,000 miles, just had the ignition wires and spark plugs replaced, had all my maintanence done for it. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions before I take it in and get raped?
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    vdumasvdumas Member Posts: 14
    Thank you very much for the response. I am going to check out the '00 DII hopefully this weekend, as well as the '99 DI. And a few others. Thanks for the tip on the oil changes, from all my reading, it would seem that if oil changes were missed, problems result down the road and I want to keep this vehicle for a long time. Wish me luck ;-)
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    nanuqnanuq Member Posts: 765
    I have no experience with SII Discos and their electrical systems, but it sounds to me like you need the ECUs reset with the Testbook. Perhaps it's in "limp home" mode from the totally dead battery? I can't imagine why it would be stuck in low otherwise. It makes sense, if you're having issues like no charging then the engine could die and you'd lose your power brakes and steering..... so it would try to force you to drive slowly.

    You don't mean low RANGE, right? That takes a lever to select at the transfer case....

    I bet when you get to a dealer he can plug you in and reset the ECUs and all will be well.
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    charlie2k2charlie2k2 Member Posts: 15
    Hello.

    I think you should invest in a new battery. Reason being, I had a similar issue with all the lights you mentioned going on and immediately drove to the Service Center at Land Rover but couldn't get out of lower gears the whole way! Sound familiar? Well, it turned out to be a bad cell in the battery. The other cells were fine, so it would hold a charge for a little while (at the Service Center), then the charge would be gone and the problem returned (again at the Service Center). So they put in a new battery (my vehicle is still under warranty) and voila! --- problem solved! So, if you haven't already, try a fresh battery. That would be a reasonably inexpensive way to make sure you're vehicle is getting clean, strong power. I just thought of something --- before dropping 80-100 dollars/pounds/yen on a battery, make sure the cables to the existing battery are tight. THEN, if that doesn't change anything, maybe get the new battery.
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    joemammajoemamma Member Posts: 1
    2000 Discovery II

    Car went dead at the grocery store ....it was completely dead. I got a jump and it was all good. Drove it around for a bit....stopped and tried to start again but it was dead again (completely dead). Went to K-mart (only store open) and bought a new battery. Put in new battery and it was still dead. I got a jump with the new battery...started right up...drove around for 20 minutes...shut it off and tried to start but it was dead.

    Questions:

    Is the alternator the obvious guess?
    Is there a chance the cheap [non-permissible content removed] champion battery from Kmart is just too weak to turn the motor over?

    Thanks.
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    riroverrirover Member Posts: 5
    I have a Series 1 ('98) with 97k miles on it. At low speeds the transmission seems to whine - kind of sounds like a car with a power steering fluid leak. It isn't loud enough to bother me . . . just worried about the truck. Is this noise natural?
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    lrdealerlrdealer Member Posts: 8
    Hold down TP, 1 & 3 simultaneously on your Nav system. It functions as a CTRL+ALT+DEL That will 99.999% of the time fix it.
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    lrdealerlrdealer Member Posts: 8
    Open another door in the vehicle and then try opening and closing the driver's door. If all the windows/doors/sunroofs are closed, and you don't slam the door, it may bounce back a bit because the cabin is somewhat pressurized. Opening another door will alleviate the pressure issue. If you are STILL having problems with the door after testing that, then I would look into it more.
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    wornoutsdiiwornoutsdii Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the response, as for the battery, it's a fairly new battery, I have a battery charger here, used the diagnostics on it and the battery is good but there is a fault in the alternator. Being down in Florida I have had battery problems before with corrosion on the terminals, connections coming lose, etc... So now that's usually the first thing I check. I didn't know there was a "limp home" mode..... But I guess it will be safe to assume that once I get the new alternator in and the ECU's reset everything will be fine? And no, it's not actually stuck in Low I guess, i put it in drive and it just won't upshift, stays in first gear. The D light flashes at me and I can't manually shift into 2nd or 3rd on the shifter the D light just keeps flashing at me along with the Sport and Manual lights.
    Can any garage reset my ECU's? The dealer is pretty far from me...
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    nanuqnanuq Member Posts: 765
    JM: Search this thread for topics about cleaning the fuse block beneath your hood. Yours is a 2000 and you may have a late Series I Disco with the same fusible link problem I had. All the electrical circuits gather in one place at the block and corrosion there will cause a million problems.

    RJR: I think this is your transfer case. It's gear driven and has a nice whine to it. It's beneath the passenger seat. Totally normal... have you changed the fluid this year? It's a good idea about every 12 months.

    WOSDII: I'm not sure of the "limp" mode but it sure sounds like that's what it is. A dealer will have to reset the ECUs... it takes the "Testbook" computer to plug in to your truck and check its status then reset any/all parameters. You have "learning" ECUs and it can reset any of those parameters too. You might look at your fuse block too (as suggested above) to see if corrosion has your electrical connections weakened. I'm not sure a Bosch equipped Rover even HAS a fuse block as described tho......
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    lrdealerlrdealer Member Posts: 8
    "1. My most frustrating service/repair issue is that a low beam headlight bulb just burned out and NAPA is out of stock until tomorrow afternoon. Darn! By the way, that is the only thing that has ever gone wrong with our Disco."

    Lightbulbs are covered under factory warranty. Your dealership will replace it for you.
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    discomandiscoman Member Posts: 110
    Guess what? That old wierd problem came back with the new battery too. I caved and took it to LR. Turns out I have a bad Alternator and the Computer (Not ECU) are bad. That, plus the gas tank replacement. Did you ever call your dealer about yours. I know all 96's are included in the recall. Don't know if all 97-99 are too. I know some of them are. :sick:
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    2000rover2000rover Member Posts: 1
    Many have had problems finding wipers for the disco II. I was about to give in and by genuine Land Rover blades until I found these.

    TriCo 45-205 wiper blade replacements.

    These rubber inserts slide easily into the Land Rover wiper blade frame without tools or struggle, etc.... I got them at a local auto parts shop for about 4 dollars, but have since seen them on the web also.

    Hope this helps anyone having problems.
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    manufacturermanufacturer Member Posts: 2
    Not true! First of all I use K&N Air Filter and for over 30,000 Miles on my 2000 Discovery II. What the truck has is no brakes at slow speeds and unsafe brakes at highway speeds. check with your dealer, 99 to 2002 have this problem and are and have been recalled. But I never received any notice? But they will!
    I also build and set up production on Italian cars and also my Great Grand Father's factory builds the best! The real G Wagon, PUCH G500 also every other Mercedes Benz Engines are put in it so it would be a long list. This is not the same as The Mercedes Benz G500 or G55 sold in the states. Next I have tested the K&N Filter and run it on all my autos, which by the way looks like a used car lot. They all run K&N Filters but one and it’s a similar copy by Borla. They are great and even have it on my wife’s 2002 QX4 and have never have had any problems or questions of warranty by dealer servicing these autos and truck and or SUVs.

    Fibers would be so unlikely to be discharged from the filter due to the fact you have to keep them oiled to work properly. Plus the fiber in these types of filters are much better then fibers in paper filters used by most manufacturers. Next if a dealer ever fails to comply with your warranty due a K&N air filter used I would be happy to show you how to prove him or her to be one big fool!

    Now the question comes to you? Are you properly oiling it and servicing it as required by the manufacturer? That means cleaning them with right cleaning solution as well. :

    Steven the Manufacturer.
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    manufacturermanufacturer Member Posts: 2
    I use silicon wipers they my cost a little more but last 4 times longer and work better! When it comes to safety what’s a few more bucks.

    Steven The Manufacturer.
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    jennerjenner Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem but on a 2000 disco 2...what's up with that?! Is Ford ownership of Land Rover completely distroying the quality? Not only do I have those lights on, the red differential warning light comes on and the truck gets stuck in park and is totally immovable...can't even get it on a tow truck!! Dealer told me the ABS module was to blame as well, but after only 5 years and in your case, 4 years, how is that an issue with out it being a recall? We bought it used so I don't know if the recall you mentioned was performed , but the dealer didn't mention it as an option, just wanted my cash! What did you do?
    PS we were offered $7000 on trade by a Honda dealership when it was wroking right!!!
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    kkonekkone Member Posts: 61
    I have a Series II coming off of a lease in July and I am going to purchase the truck. It has 41K miles on it. I have the opportunity to buy an extended warranty from Land Rover that is a 6 year-100K warranty for $2,600. Any one have advice?
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    tuendetimtuendetim Member Posts: 1
    I have this exact problem with my 95 Discovery which I purchased just last summer. It only starts when cold (or when I'm very lucky) if it has been driven at least 15 minutes at highway speeds. (depending some on weather - it worked so well up in NY during the winter, I thought the problem had been fixed) I've checked:
    battery and connections
    coil connections cleaned
    located and cleaned 6 ground connections
    swapped around starter solenoids, even took one apart - was clean
    replaced the starter (didn't help, and I put the old one back in:)

    I'm quite confident it is heat-related and even can predict fairly reliably the reading of the temperature gauge at which it will start. My current thoughts are either the "amplifier module" - not sure what it does exactly, but it was blamed for engine cutoff when it was running hot, and there even exists an "amplifier module relocation kit" to place it in a cooler location, OR something thermostat/fuel line temperature related. (the fuel line seems doubtful, as it is quite clearly electrical-heat related - it doesn't crank AT ALL or it starts right up)
    Not sure if that helps, but an engineer somewhere needs to figure out how heat affects critical starting circuitry.
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    mnrovermnrover Member Posts: 52
    This happened to me 4 times and 4 alternators later before LR was able to find a fix.. Ultimately, they ended up putting some sort of "Electrical line supressor/resistor" used by Audi that came off the main lead from the alternator. They were finding electrical spikes. The problem I had was when I was at a stop light idling - then accelerated, the radio would turn on and off and the tranny would slip in to "safety Mode" because of the electrical spike. The flashing "S" and "M" modes is your tranny in "limp home" mode. Turning the truck off and letting it sit for a couple hours seems to reset the computer. I have more if you would like. Good Luck!
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    mnrovermnrover Member Posts: 52
    Steven-
    I 110% agree with you in regards to the brakes on the 99-02 DII's. I have mentioned that to LR many times. I called the LR dealer after seeing the post and they are clueless. Is the brake info posted somewhere? Thanks Steven!

    Josh
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    van1van1 Member Posts: 1
    MY 2001 DISCO 2 HAS A WHINE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN SPEED IS CONSTANT .AT 70-75 MPH WHEN IN CRUISE OR WITH STEADY PRESSURE ON GAS PEDAL.THIS ALSO GOES ON FROM 50 MPH UP. YOU CAN HEAR THE WHINE WITH THE RADIO ON ALSO. IS THIS NORMAL, I HAVE TALKED TO 4 DISCO OWNERS THEY SAY NO. THE DEALER SAYS THIS IS COMMON AND THAT LANDROVER DOES NOT REPAIR OR REPLACE TRANSFER CASES UNDER WARRANTY. A SECOND DEALER TOLD ME THE SAME. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS NOW THE REGIONAL REP HAS TO COME TEST DRIVE SINCE DEALER WON'T DO ANYTHING. DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE THIS NOISE. THANKS VAN1
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    tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Welcome aboard!

    You might want to turn off your CAPS LOCK because people tend to ignore postings that are written in ALL CAPS.

    tidester, host
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    lightcahilllightcahill Member Posts: 22
    Matt,
    Re towing. We just purchased a 19 foot Trail-Lite Cruiser (c19), which weighs about 3,900 lbs. empty. We pulled it home on Tuesday, a distance of about 40 miles. We have a 2003 Disco SE, 5 seater. The trailer installed a nice hitch and anti-sway bar setup.

    The Disco pulled the trailer about as you might expect. Not fast, but not straining. On Rt. 70 around Denver we got it up to 55-60, which is fast as I will tow. On the back roads closer to our house we could not go that fast, but there were more hills. Count on it shifting down to 3rd on any kind of a hill, at least with this trailer. Once in 3rd, though, it has the ability to maintain speed, and then even to pick up a bit.

    I was very worried about the short 100 inch wheelbase, so we kept the trailer short, at 19 feet. I noticed no undue swaying or tail wagging the disco effect, even when we got into moderate cross winds closer to home.

    The true test for us will come when we load the trailer up with 30 gallons of water, food, clothes, fishing gear, etc., and head up in the Rockies. We live at about 6,100 feet, and the reduced power of any car is noticable vs. running the same car down near sea level. Towing capacity is likewise reduced.

    I will post more about our towing experience when we have taken it on its shakedown voyage up in the mountains. You probably won't want to hold off your buying decision that long, though. We are itching to get going, but we have to wait until tonight's snow storm goes away. My experience so far says that the Disco can do it.

    Pete (Light Cahill).
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    gunnarpgunnarp Member Posts: 4
    I had the exact same problem 4 times. (M+S flashing, tranny won't shift up, etc.). Each and every time I had the vehicle towed to Land Rover Encino. Each and every time they put a new battery (mine LR was a 02 Disco with 22K miles, so it was under warranty). So, the "new battery" trick seems to work as a temporary solution... but it DOES NOT solve the problem. When the same thing happened the 5th time, I took the battery out, waited a couple of hours, put the same battery in (it was only 2 weeks old), and drove to an Infiniti dealer; I traded the unreliable Disco for a much more reliable vehicle (our second car is a 2000 QX4 with 102K miles and never had a problem; besides the service is EXCELLENT).
    Good luck with your Disco. Whatever you do, stay away from Land Rover dealers. They really don't know what the problem is so they can't fix it. They only solve it temporarily to get you out of their service floor after collecting some of your money. I even noticed that one of the replies to your message says that they had to put some Audi part to fix the problem!
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    peeetepeeete Member Posts: 136
    I had the opposite experience. I owned a 2003 G35 which was constantly in the shop for recalls and a major electrical failure, brake pad and rotor problems etc.

    The 2004 Disco, on the other hand, has had one minor radio problem in the six months Ive owned it. The dealer is ten times nicer than the Infiniti dealer, the waiting room is better, even the loaners are better.

    I have no illusions that in time the Disco will have its share of problems, and I will [non-permissible content removed] loudly! But at this point the Disco has been way more reliable than the Infiniti (knock on wood).

    At my first service this week they did do a recall on upgrading the computer software. I do not know what it was for, but I swear the damn things drives better.
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    gunnarpgunnarp Member Posts: 4
    Do yourself a favor and buy the warranty,... or don't buy the car. I spend over $4K in the first 2 years of ownership on parts and labor that, based on Land Rover Encino, where not covered under my bumper-to-bumper. These are very nice looking cars, but not the best quality and most reliable. You will be happy you had an extended warranty when electrical problems (like the many mentioned in this thread) leave you stranded and you have no option than to go to a dealer. That said, make sure your extended warranty covers: ALL electrical components (trust me on this one), engine, transmission, transfer case, and the mechanical portions of most body parts (for instance, door hinges and lock mechanisms)
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    gunnarpgunnarp Member Posts: 4
    Hey, that's great! I wish I had half the luck with my Land Rover as I have with our 00 QX4. We are also very happy with the 04 FX and my brother has an 03 G. None of the cars ever had any problems. None!
    The M+S flashing lights is just one of the many probelsm we had with the LR. So I guess that the dealers are the ones that really make a difference. If our LR dealer would have provided loaners like our Infiniti and your LR dealer do, solved each problem when first reported (or proactively), and did not charge us an arm and a leg for each oil change and "checkup", we probably would have kept the car. Before I got rid of the LR we had been on vacation for an extended period of time and the car was parked at the airport. Since then, and for the next 4 months, the vehicle would be at the dealer every Monday and I will get it back every Wed. or Thu.

    Maybe LRNA (which I have written numerous letters to and got no answer to this day) learned about some defects with the older models and finally paid attention to the reviews their were getting (the 03 Consumer Satisfaction Index for Land Rover was below Kia, Hyndai, and other very inexpensive vehicles), got their act together and made the 04 Disco a better vehicle... and the new owners happier owners. Whatever they did, it must be working because you sound very satisfied with the car. Actually, that would make sense; they have to take care of you if they want to stay in business and sell you a new LR3 a few years from now.

    Again, I really wish I had the experience you do, not only because I bought that car solely based on what I wanted at the time; it was also against my wife's advise... so I am still hearing about it (she calls is the "Junk Rover - The Vehicle Most Troubled")

    Good luck with your 04.
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    nanuqnanuq Member Posts: 765
    I just changed the oil in my '96 SI Disco today and took her offroad. She still has the most sensitive suspension and throttle/braking control of any 4WD I've driven. I buried her in snow this winter 100 times, froze her on innumerable camping trips at -20 to -30F and I finally turned over 95,000 miles. In the last year I have replaced a set of brake pads, oil changes, and the water pump. That's all. Over the last 5 years I have done the same... the only (ONLY) thing that's died has been the water pump. And I use her hard offroad ALL THE TIME.

    This has been by far the most reliable and strongest vehicle I've ever owned. That includes owning 13 Hondas.

    Maybe you should consider an older / simpler model? (psst: mine's not for sale)

    Cheers!
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    kscctsksccts Member Posts: 140
    Sorry you had such bad luck and service with your Disco. My 2000 DII has had zero problems. No eletrical problems. She has never failed to start. Very reliable. Only routine maintenance for 53,000 uneventful miles. Lucky? Maybe I just bought a good one. :)
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    nanuqnanuq Member Posts: 765
    :) You should look back a few years in this forum where we used to joke about "Monday cars". We had a good laugh over that, the idea that the boys hand-building our trucks were perhaps hungover on Monday after a big party weekend. We decided that a Wednesday truck was the best of all.

    Cheers!
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    climaticclimatic Member Posts: 4
    This 99 Disco has 98000 miles and runs like a champ. I picked it up from a used car lot about 3000 miles ago and have enjoyed the hell out of it. I figured out the clunk I was getting when shifting into reverse, problem solved by draining and filling the transfer case oil. Twice in the last three days it has turned over,hesitated,and stalled out. Then it will turn over but not start at all. Within fifteen or twenty minutes it turns over and starts normally and runs great. I'm looking at the fuses, fuel pump relay, fuel filter and fuel pump. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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    discomandiscoman Member Posts: 110
    Climatic
    I have a 96 Disco that recently went through the same problem, but a little more aggravated. The problem was in the Multi-Function Unit (MFU) that controls pretty much everything that is not controlled by the ECU. Not too expensive a part, but it was for me since I had to replace my Alternator at the same time. Yours being a 99 might be different if it's a Disco II. Mine is a Disco I with 108 K miles.
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    cptwranglercptwrangler Member Posts: 1
    My wife & I are looking at a 2001 LR Disc. II SE with the 3rd row of seats, silver with the light tan interior. Our van is getting old, paid for x 1.5 years but on borrowed time. Was pretty interested in this vehicle, but had NO IDEA there were so many problems. These postings have me concerned. I thought I went out on a limb with my Jeep Wrangler but it looks as reliable as as a Civic compared to this LR vehicle. I have always liked the look (alot) in and out of the LR Disc. II SE though. If it drives good, no flashing lights, carfax checks out OK, check out recall repairs, and a regular mechanic says it looks OK do you think it would still be a good idea to get a LR mechanic to check it out? Should I get a newer or just a different year? Thanks for the advice! :)
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    climaticclimatic Member Posts: 4
    :) Discoman,
    Thanks for the info. Mine is a Disco I also. From what I understand it is the last year of that models production. I am wary of letting anyone else work on her, especially the LR Dealer, so I plan to do the work myself. I know where the MFU is located, but are there any special steps I need to take when I replace it? It looks like I can just disconnect the old and reconnect the new one, according to the alldata DIY website. I found the part online for $87.95 I'm going to replace the MFU and the fuel filter and I'll let you know how it goes after the work is done.
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    vdumasvdumas Member Posts: 14
    I am looking at a 94, bought initially in early 95 and would appreciate any comments and feedback you folks could give me. 1 owner, 98,000 miles, $6500. Carfax reports a possible odometer rollback of about 60,000 miles; the owner has the service records, all done by the dealer, signed, dated and stamped; from that info it seems a rollback is not likely, but the issue is in the back of my mind. I just took it for a test drive, and I could not help thinking about nanuq and his "runs like a scalded cat" description - I can feel it is a heavy truck, but it seemed nice and peppy. But it looks like the diff lock may be seized, maybe I did not know what I was doing so I will look at it again - any tips on how to test or what to look for would be appreciated. Even if I get it into low, how do I know the diff lock etc is actually working? I really don't know too much about this aspect of a vehicle. It definately has some leaks, lots of gunk around the lower part of the engine, but looking in the oil filler, it looks decent, golden to dark brown, no obvious gunk build up as people have warned about on these boards. The dashboard is lifting pretty badly, be nice to replace it at some point. I did not see any rust around the back, but I didn't lift the carpet or anything. She looked good all round, but I am no mechanic. Anything else an amateur can check? Anything to be scared of? I am well aware that buying a vehicle of this age entails some risk, but I would like to avoid a major disaster so any pointers would be great. I'll do the maintenance work myself, but anything major will require that I take her in and I know I will need to save my money for gas....
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    nanuqnanuq Member Posts: 765
    You move the 4 hi/lo selector side to side to lock and unlock the central diff. Most of these trucks never use the lock so it gets seized up in the linkage. You can crawl under there and see where the linkage goes, and spray everything liberally with WD40 to knock it loose (hopefully).

    To see if the lock works, first a yellow light should illuminate on the dash, top right corner. Then try driving it unlocked to get a feel for it when turning corners on pavement. Then lock the diff (throw the lever to the left) and then gently try going around a corner. You should notice it really does not want to roll, almost like the brakes are on a little. Don't muscle it too hard, that's awful hard on the drive train. Then later unlock the central diff and go around a corner (like in a parking lot) and you'll feel it rolling much easier, like the brakes are off again.

    Or you can go find some muck and bury it, then lock the central diff and power your way out with (at least) opposite corner wheels spinning. That's how I prefer to check mine!

    People, if you have a central lock... use it! Lock it up and unlock it again at least once a month just to keep the linkage limber. You can never tell when you'll need it. Usually in the worst of conditions.....

    The '94 sounds like a keeper! You might have a compression check done on it to make sure the cylinders and head gasket are tight. Other than that, buy it and change all the lubes regularly, and enjoy her!
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    vdumasvdumas Member Posts: 14
    Thanks for the reply nanuq. I am going to check out the truck one more time tomorrow, and probably make an offer. I have looked at many, and when I saw this one, it was different. All the others I walked away within seconds because the neglect was obvious.
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    nanuqnanuq Member Posts: 765
    Yeah, the saved service records speak volumes about how the owner cared for the truck. You can also have more details retrieved by a Rover service center, using the VIN.

    Let us know how it pans out!
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    pabel86pabel86 Member Posts: 1
    DII, I’m in the process of buying a new SUV, I average about 40K of off-roading in my Jeep in very remote areas (WV), I love the looks of the DII, but I heard really horror stories about maintenance costs. My questions to current owners are:

    - Are maintenance costs as high a people say? – someone told me that ever time he goes to the dealership is about $600.00 and that does not include MAJOR repairs
    - Does anybody recommend a 2002 or 2004 (I know that 2003 had some issues)

    Thanks to everyone who reply.
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    ounzarounzar Member Posts: 1
    Hi just wondering what was the conclusion?

    Thanks
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    vdumasvdumas Member Posts: 14
    Well nanuq, I bought the 94 disco. I am pretty stoked as I have been looking for one forever and this seems like a good one. I have a couple of questions though. The owner could only find one key, and I would really like another, but the manual says it is identified by a number which I don't have. Same goes for the radio reset code. Would the VIN do to get these? Also, the check engine light came on on the way to work. I guess my relationship with my rover had to start on day 2....sad, but I had to laugh! Could it have been the gas I put in as I had just filled up? Being a computer geek type, I would like to get a device to read the codes (preferably software for my laptop), any ideas what would work on a 94 as I think OBDII was 96 and later, right?

    So, here we go. I realise I will be seeing a lot of you folks in the future :-)
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