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Got all done watching the races (and Air Force One taking off) and got back to the Disco, started her up, handed my boy the coffee "here hold this for a minute" and just blasted my way up and out of that hole, over the berm, and out onto the road again.
The guys in the 4Runner and probably going to have a long look at the hole I left when they get back.
Cheers!
My wife has a BMW X5 which is truly a joy to drive. The germans do a great job with engineering and this is also evident in the DIIs where you can see/feel BMW's influence.
Anyways, back to the story. My wife recently purchased a large salt water aquarium and was at the fish store getting pre-mixed water. It comes in a 5 gallon pail. The guy from the store put it in the back of her X5 and she started home. Somehow, the top dislodged and she ended up with 5 gallons of saltwater in her rear cargo area.
Her speakers stopped working and there are all sorts of little 'electric wonders' going on in the car right now. We popped the spare tire cargo top and lo and behold - there are BMW electronics packed everywhere underneath there! A day and a half later and her speakers still don't work. She is taking it to the dealership this week.
Its just interesting how a vehicle, that tries to be an SUV (or SAV), just isn't when you look at something as simple as where the electronics are placed. I know the ECU for the Rover is high up in the engine compartment area and I'd guess that most electronics are well out of harm's way in the Rovers. I've also heard from the dealer that they use harmon kardon speakers because they're waterproof (true or just a LR saleman's legend?).
At any rate, keep enjoying the rigs and happy rovering!
Wasko
I have a 2000 Disco II, all is going really well.. When you push the rear wiper button once, it swipes the window 3 times. I notice on a new loaner, it only swipes the window once, which I think is more than enough. Is this something the dealer can reprogram to make mine just swipe the window once ?
Thanks and come on Spring !!!
Stop by LR Farmington Hills and see if David Nastwold is still there. He had some contact information about a LR group in Saline, MI. When I was still a Michigander, I was going to join, but never got around to it and moved to Washington about 9 months later. I think the group was mostly Series owners, but could be good to see if you can breathe some life into the group.
Congrats and welcome to the LR fold! There are some great trails and seasonal roads up north near Traverse City area - you can have a ton of fun up there.
Thanks - wasko
Here's the question(s)- manufacturers warranty expires soon, and based on my experience I feel pressured to sell, or to mortgage my house to pay for repairs!
1. Any suggestions for extended warranty that is honored by Land Rover dealers?
2. Has anyone had a problem with interior lights going out, then back on- dealer cannot find the problem.
3. Brakes squeak all the time, dealer says they're fine- any thoughts?
A year ago or so, I was on an e-groups discussion list for Defenders and another for Discos. A lot of the folks there were having success with various aftermarket warranties, but I can't remember specifically which ones people liked. There are a lot of options and you may search the egroups archives to see what they thought.
As for the brakes, they develop a glaze quite easily. This is due to a lot of brake dust (softer pads because you can't use asbestos in pads anymore). Had a 96 Disco that did the same thing. My 2001, with 10k miles, also does this. Fixing it quite simple. Just find a dry stretch of pavement (may be a challenge in Feb in MN!), make sure nobody is behind you, then lock them up at 20mph. I would also do the same thing (although slower) in reverse when pulling out of my long driveway. Would cure the squeaking problem for a month or so. Sounds crazy but it truly works! Plus it makes your friends and neighbors wonder what the hell you're up to
Not sure about the lights - sounds like you need to blame that one on Lord Lucas!
Thanks - wasko
I've replaced my pads many times, with Lockheed, Warner or stock. The stockers come with a coating on back of the pads that prevents squealing. The others use different methods... and they all seem to work. But if you're running your pads with nothing between them and the caliper pistons, they'll squeal.
I'll sometimes get a small stone up in there after offroading and it will grind/squeal lightly. Then I just take Wasko's advice: back up and gently hit the brakes a couple times, it will clear the crud and I'm fine again.
Hope this helps. -Bob
My question is - does anyone know if locking the diff is in some way incompatible with ETC, and if not are there any after market kits to make a tidy job of reinstalling the in cab mechanism. My old Range Rover had a really neat air activated switching mecanism which simply routed some suction in from the servo. That would be one possible way I guess ?
Whilst on - has anyone found a decent off road tyre that fits the 18" alloys ? Whilst I think the 18" alloys do look smart they make the tyre itself so low profile as to give a far harder ride which really jars on hitting a lump, or hard ice at anything over snails pace. I suspect the answer is to get an offroad set of rims but Land Rover in their wisdom has made the wheel centres different on the DII from every previous Land Rover so all the spare sets of rims and tyres in my shed dont fit !
I tried Bilstein before but found it to be too stiff for my wife's taste. I am now using Monroe which is OK on mild surface but ride quickly deteriorates on the rough stuff.
hope this helps.
1. How well does the AC work in hot climates?
2. How well do 2 child seats fit (e.g. 1 forward and 1 rear facing). We need room for 2 (in fact that is why we are looking). The rear seat room seems adequate, but not huge. We really do not want to buy an Expedition...
Any thoughts appreciated. Posts to this board have been very useful as we evaluate the vehicle.
Thanks in advance.
Car seats can be a pain though. There is a trade off in size. The small rear doors make manuvering car seats and babies a little difficult, but this is what we found with almost all the mid-sized SUVs. Luckily we also have a mini-van so the Rover is not the car of choice if shopping with small kids is on tap. As soon as they are self-sufficient it is the car of choice.
My wife this winter drove the kids to the mall in hurricane-like winds and rain (why, I couldn't figure out) and commented about how safe she and the kids felt. This car is a "hoss." Flat cornering, no sway even under 40+ winds, visibility plus and able to ford flooded mall parking lots where other vans and small SUVs dare not venture. Plus the power!!! and 16+ mpg. We have even been running regular unleaded and have not noticed any power, mileage drops, or pinging under load. She can't be more pleased. Hope this helps in your decision. Read the other boards about Fords, Chevys, Jeeps and Dodges and I am sure that LR will be your choice.
I'll trade it for the "trick" to getting the clock out in 15 seconds w/o disassembling the lower dash...
Well, after 7 months, we are still LOVING our 2000 DII- a great vehicle, after 15,000 miles and a few minor adjustments. Land Rover Eden Prairie, MN is the best! And wouldn't you know, we are moving north of the Twin Cities 50 miles where the snow blows even harder and the township roads are treacherous. We will be happy and warm in our weinermobile while traversing the road home! Wouldn't want to be in a mini-suv on those roads! And did I mention the versatility? This thing is as at home at the opera than it is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area up north. LOVE IT! Best wishes to all present and future Disco drivers!
Reporting just over 7K on my 2001 SE with only a minor hydraulic leak in the ACE system. Overall impression so far: Damn TANK it is. Gotta love these things. Really looking forward to summer trip for some real offroading.
How's the truck(s)?
On a previous message, you mentioned a guy at LR Farm Hills by the name of David Nostwald. Is he in service, sales, a tech? I'm asking because I too am looking to be more involved with a LR club here in MI, but that name isn't ringing a bell. The dealership has had a lot of trouble with management of staff with the BMW side of the business and have pulled LR people to help out. Most of the techs have remained true to Rover, but the service dept has been a different story which has made it difficult to establish a raport with anyone. Was there a specific tech you dealt with and trusted? Do you recall the name of the club in Saline?
I just had the 75k maintenance done on my truck and she's doing great. I had some extra things replaced and checked because we're planning a trip west this summer and I want her good to go. I'll be pulling a 4800 lb travel trailer and have been concerned about burning up the trans once I get into the rockies going up and down those hills. The tongue weight is only 495 lbs. and the LR tech assured me that Lizzie could pull her 5500 pound weight limit and then some, but I'm still not sure. The installation of an additional trans cooler has even been suggested and is fairly common to people pulling RV's, but I wanted to see if you or anyone else had any recommendations.
I am familiar with the stories of offroading in Ouray CO, but was wondering if there were any other hotspots people could suggest or stories that you Wasko, or others could share. We'll be in Montana and Wyoming as well as Colorado. Am I going to be in trouble if I don't have a winch?
To the person inquiring about LR clubs in Michigan on one of the previous pages, I was curious to see if you've had any dealings with LR dealers in MI for service. I can give you my own history and that is that Wasko is right on by suggesting the Farmington Hills dealer. They are supportive, friendly and knowledgeable. A gentleman by the name of Mike Hood in service is great and the team of techs that work with him are helpful, full of suggestions, and have always steered me right. My favorite tech is named Matt. He's been there longer than a lot of the others. He's saved me LOTS of money.
Glad to see everyone's doing great.
Indeed, happy rovering!!!!
Kim
I've been told to expect the next version of the Disco to be a lot like the new Range Rover in looks and design with similar features. My source also said to expect the price tag to reflect these changes.
If you're that far from home, I wouldn't recommend getting into wheeling where you'd need a winch. That's a big investment you've got under your feet, and pulling along behind. Take nice easy trails that you *could* do in a 2WD given enough time, and you won't break parts. Your trip will be a lot nicer in the end.
Have a great drive! -Bob
David Nastwold was my salesperson and he was always a pretty straight guy. He was the one that had the information on the club in Saline. You know, just a couple of months ago I was cleaning out my file cabinet and I threw away the Saline guy's card. DOH!
David Ritchie was also the service manager and was a pretty good person to deal with as well.
Best of luck on your trip - you should be in good shape pulling 4900 lbs! Look forward to a detailed recap once you're back
Cheers, wasko
Here's some info on LR club in MI. Rover Owners Association of Michigan
5260 Textile Rd.
Saline, Mi. U.S.A. 48176
(734) 429-3485
russell@aaps.k12.mi.us
His name is John Russell. He's a great guy. Also a man by the name of Al Cooper at LR farmington hills is awesome. He'll help you with anything. He's a tech and knowlegable beyond belief.
hope this helps
matt fera
Nanuq--Good to hear from you too. What kind of mischief have you been up to? You're more than a "smidgen" further than Wyoming if I remember correctly. We would love to make it to Alaska eventually. What a road trip. If we ever get that way we'll look you up. Any new Rover purchases?
Matt Fera--Do you live in Livonia? How do you like your 98 so far?
Denver8--Thanks for the tips on the trail books. Appreciate it.
I've been told the Defender might be in production in the US after the new Disco model in 04. Does anyone know more about this? If we were to purchase a used 94 Defender what kinds of 'quirks' could we expect? Probably a pipe dream right now, but if we are going to buy one, we figure we better start educating ourselves now.
Thanks again to all.
Kim
Been busy as usual. I tore the roof racks clear off the top of my Disco... it was ugly. Don't ask how! argghhh. Got them fixed just now. I also changed the oil/filter today, the diffs and transfer case, broke my antenna off (argh) and just been having the BEST time romping! Oh and I replaced the fuel pump last week... now she's running like a scalded cat again... which may explain all the busted stuff! *wink*
Having way too much fun here in Alaska! Take care, let us know how the prep for the trip goes! What are you bringing along the lines of emergency/first aid gear for the Rover? Never hurts to be overprepared...
Una inuq aaniqtuq! From that big Nuulaqmi of the North.
We have started making a list of items that might compile a 'kit' if you will. Any suggestions?
What did you do to the roof that you had to take the racks off? Sounds like you have been busy.
Kim
Too bad on David Ritchie at LRFH. I figured he was short though because when the dealership started doing joint LR and BMW stuff, he was noticeably discouraged by the direction of management there. Good to hear that his shoes were filled properly though - a good service manager at your LR shop is essential!
As far as Defenders, I have a 97 and the VIN sheet on it was shorter than any rover I've ever seen or owned. I've had it a year now and it has been absolutely flawless except for a small oil leak (they replaced the seal) and a leaky sunroof (I haven't fixed this yet). The only thing I dislike about it is the payment b/c of that, I have it for sale on www.lrx.com but know I'll regret it the moment it sells. If it does sell, I'll replace it with a totally restored SIIA 109 or SIII 109 (and no pmt!). Even thinking about a LR Dormobile - would be a lot of fun to have one of those...
I've also heard the 2004 rumor on Defenders. I've got friends at Ford that keep an eye out for me Supposedly, because of the great revenue LR received from the Freelander, they're moving toward a trend of shipping to all continents simultaneously. Talk was that they could have captured a huge portion of the US market with the Freelander if they'd 'sim-shipped.' We're also seeing closer WW availability from the DII, and the new Range Rover. So moving forward, I think we'll see the newly designed Defenders much sooner than in the past.
Speaking of Freelanders, my wife and I went to the LR dealership in January to look at one. We were checking it out and I asked her, "what do you think?". She lowered her head, shook it, and cursed! She KNEW that if she had waited for the Freelander that she would have loved it AND it would have been $15K less than the BMW X5 she bought in the fall. I had to chuckle
Thanks, wasko
Just bought 2001 Disco II. Must say I really like the vehicle so far. Had Pathfinder, and Jeep before that. Has anyone ever done the Land Rover schools? In Vermont? Thanks.
In my DI, I just get rolling 2 or 3mph forward or reverse, put the transmission in neutral, then gently but firmly slide the transfer case selector from HI to LO range. It will klunk going thru transfer case neutral, then klunk again going into LO range. Then select DRIVE or REVERSE in the transmission (gently, you're still rolling, right?) and you're off.
Expert's right... it's also a good way to get down long hills. You can select LO range and then use D or 3 to let yourself down long slow descents and save your brakes. Watch the tach so you don't overrev.
Note, when switching the transfer case make sure you're fully in gear before you gas it. If you select DRIVE and nothing happens then you're in transfer case neutral. Let the revs come back down to idle, select transmission neutral, and then try to nudge it back into LO or HI range. It will be tricky since you're not rolling. You may need some pushing from a friend to get her rocking so she'll drop into gear.
Enjoy your truck! Let us know how she treats you!
-Bob