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I have a '96 Discovery and it gave me plenty of trouble at first but over the last nearly four years it has been absolutely problem-free (except for the time I nearly tore the ABS sensor out by the roots). It is stone reliable and nearly impossible to break.
My wife has a '96 Ford Windstar (now known as the Deathstar) and over the last 1.5 years it has been in the shop twice for major mechanical problems involving pulling the engine and transmission. I had to take it in again Monday, and it will be ANOTHER engine/trans removal. That's three times over a 1.5 year period, for a minivan that gets simple grocery-getter tasks around town. She is a *careful* driver, never EVER takes risks, never EVER drives it hard, and I keep it well maintained. On the other hand, I beat my poor Disco to death offroad and in heavy hauling and extrication... and it has never hiccuped.
I'm considering making a planter out of the !@#%#$^ Ford and giving her my beloved Disco. Then I'm thinking about a '68 Bronco with solid axles. Mmmmmm rubbing my hands together here...
Moral of the story: Don't listen too hard to anecdotal reliability issues with Rovers. Find someone who's been there, done that, and has the t-shirt. Mine is the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned.
I'd say "cheers" but I can't muster the enthusiasm, so it's just a smile and a wave this morning.
Man would I love to!
My personal opinion on this though is that if future Discoverys are unibody based like the new Range Rover then an ACE system would not be necessary.
I've had a pretty rough time with my Goodyears on the DII. I'm at 31k and the front internals are nearly bald. I know there have been complaints about these cupping on this forum and others. Not sure if its the tire or alignment/axle issues but the goodyears seem to wear pretty quickly.
The real problem seems to be lack of reliability. I have a non-ACE (16" wheels) Disco and have suffered five flats/slow leaks with this puppy in the last couple of years. Two sidewalls, the rest punctures. I spend a lot of time in the mountains driving on sharp rocks but so do a lot of my friends and they don't seem to be having the same problem. Also, the Goodyear sidewalls seem to be pretty easily damaged.
What good is all that off-road capability if you can't keep air in the tires?
My '96 DI had 2 pairs of tires on it - both Michelin LTX M/S tires. The first pair lasted until about 55k. The 2nd pair were looking great when I got rid of the vehicle at 80k.
So I'd like to go back to the Michelins on the DII. Anyone have any experience with these on the DIIs?
Thanks, wasko
If you're looking for a mud/snow tire, take a long look at Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10-LTs. It's a 10-ply tire that will take pressures up to 85psi, but I run mine at 55psi with no worries.
I have ZERO cupping at two years wear, and they have a ton o' life left. They work great in the snow and ice and work pretty well in deep snot. Also I got them taller than stock and slightly wider. They rub a little at extreme angulation but they also gave me even more ground clearance.
Best regards, -Bob who is dancing around flapping his arms after riding his bike to work at 37F this morning in shorts and t-shirt
Good to see you're still active up here and that your scalded cat is still performing flawlessly.
I took a look at the Hakkapeliittas at the store and they are a very nice tire. But they may be a bit too aggressive for me around Seattle. I'm in the passes every winter, but throw on chains if it gets too knarly. And for the rest of the year, the most slush I have to worry about is if someone spills their frozen coffee in front of the many coffee shops we have around town
That said, if I do decide to get a 2nd pair and rotate them during winters, etc., I think I'd definitely give the Hakks a shot.
Thx, wasko
Not too many HSE's around due to the higher anticipated demand for SE and subsequent over ordering by the dealers. If you get an SE with the Nav option, then you are only $500 below a full blown HSE so why not go for the gusto!!
Most importantly to most is the Bosch electronics and electrics in the DII (Disco Series II). The DIs have Lucas systems and many people remember British vehicles with their poor reputation for reliability largely due to Lucas. In fact a whole culture of jokes has grown up around this:
Q: Why do British drink their ale warm?
A: Lucas also makes refrigerators.
Q: What is the only electric product made by Lucas that doesn't suck?
A: Their vacuum cleaner.
Q: What is the name of the head of Lucas Research and Development?
A: Lord Lucas, the Prince of Darkness.
The list goes painfully on.
Anyway, they replaced many (all?) systems with Bosch, same as on BMWs et al. The electrical reliability really is not that bad on the DI. I have a '96 DI and I use it *HARD* and it never ever EVER fails me.
Mechanically, there are other differences: The DII went with the axles from the Range Rovers of the era. Note the differentials are on the "other" side. They also have many fewer moving parts, no swivel balls, etc. The earliest DIIs still had the same central diff lock as the DIs but they didn't put a lever on it, into the cabin. So you had to crawl beneath the truck to lock the CDL. Ahem. Not so popular. Now they use Active Traction Control to sense wheel spin and pulse the brakes on the spinning wheel, to send power across the (open) differential to the wheel with traction. It's a great system.
There are tons of other acronyms attached with the DII, many of which are actually useful and well thought out systems. The DII is also a bit longer for more interior room. But that also makes the hind end stick out there where us offroaders DON'T want it, which reduces our angle of departure... it drags sooner when you drop over a ledge or rotate to climb up something steep.
The DII is a wonderful truck and if you can find one for a good price, you'll love it. If you're into serious offroading you'll love the DI more.
I'm sure there are a TON more things I didn't mention between these two. The original design was (is) a fantastic vehicle, and the vast majority of the grousing about their quality and reliability is no more than anecdotal: a guy knows someone who knows someone who might not like his Rover. That sort of thing. If you read the rest of the topics in this forum you'll see the other brands have their share of problems ... and they're typically VERY EXPENSIVE problems like transmission failures. In the "hard parts" like drivetrain and chassis and suspension you'll find a Rover is nearly unbreakable. To me, that is what matters. I can live with the odd quirk, and actually come to appreciat them as part of the truck's "flavor".
If you get down to brass tacks and want to know the history of one of these beasties, Tincup will graciously accomodate you. Work done at Rover service centers is available by VIN.
Best luck, -Bob
I bought a new '03 with the GPS instead ;-) Just had to have that bigger engine.
any help would be great!
Thanks,
Alan
Hope this helps, -Bob
Tincup.....Thanks for checking the service records for me--I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed and be glad that I got a great Disco that seems to be in top shape. I really appreciate the help guys!
Alan
I know that tire rack sells the Michelin 4x4 XPC tires and they ain't cheap. I think the tire was designed for the Discovery and Tire Rack may be the only retailer who carries them (not sure?)
In the deep snow they are not the best, I'm an advocate of snow tires, and SUV snow tires may be needed in some locations. If you need the extra traction, I would give the BF Goodrich Long Trail T/A KO a look. Although I can't comment on performance, they are more of an offroad tire (agressive looking tread design) with lower rolling resistance (i.e. expect lower gas mileage).
Good luck and let us know what you choose.
Has any one ever serviced their sls filter(for 60k maintenance-I know I have self leveling suspension)-but where is that filter-how do you service it? should I leave it to the dealer?Anyone please advise.
thanks
guys like you and nanuq have saved me a fortune-So I'm on a mission to share all those tips whenever I can with fellow disco lovers-
thanks again.
Gern21
I would also like to chime in and thank "nanuq" and "tincup" for their valuable, and interesting postings..I've been here for 4 years now and this is the best forum on the 'net..Happy rovering to all!!
There are also occurences in the middle of the day when the truck is already well warmed up.
Any thoughts on this? The dealership has been unable to reproduce this and does not want to investigate until either they do, or it fails. My concern is that with 24k miles on her already my warranty will be up before I know it and it's likely not a cheap fix. I bring it up to get it on record at every service, actually every time I take it in for anything just so there is a constant and consistent history in their computer.
Thanks for the suggestions,
Dave
For all the great postings about service, maintenance, tires, quirks, et al, has anyone thought about pulling together all of this collected wisdom into a separate website? I know some of the aftermarket sites have FAQs and such, but the kind of info here is a step beyond, and of great value to owner-maintainers.
Mike
Your Disco should shift so smooth as to be nearly unnoticeable. Only the engine sound should change. If it's shuddering then you might have poor fluid delivery to the pickup tube/filter or it might just be old nasty fluid.
Can you change the fluid yourself? It is an eeeasssssy job. See if that helps. If it doesn't then I'd get it good and hot and take one of the mechanics out for a bite of lunch, and recreate the problem for him.
Don't take no for an answer, you have one of the finest transmissions on the planet there and it ought to work flawlessly. Mine does, at 83k miles it's smooth as buddah.
Good luck, -Bob
Cheers!
it did it 2 times in the last week. of course it hasn't done it during 2 pretty long test drives with the service manager, arrgh.
i'm sure it'll get straightened out one way or the other. i'll take a look under her and see what i can figure out in terms of whether i can manage a fluid change on the transmission.
thanks again, i'll let you know what ultimately happens with it.
Hmmmmmmm come to think of it... can the fluid be changed in your truck? Did I read about that somewhere?
Tincup???
Odiopus
Bill Gate's Porsche is now street legal. Only took him ten years to get it certified and out of the bonded customs warehouse :-)
Steve, Host
As for 2005, here is an update from the Aug. 25th edition of Automotive News:
"Purists, have no fear: The Discovery stays on a Land Rover platform and does not migrate to the Ford Explorer as some had theorized. The redesign comes in fall 2004.
The redesigned Discovery will have a longer wheelbase and overall length, but it will be narrower and lower in height. While the width will address the narrow streets and parking spaces in Europe and Japan, the added length accommodates a third row of seats.
The redesigned Discovery will be powered by a version of Jaguar's 4.2-liter V-8.
Although the vehicle's structure will be mounted on a ladder frame, its ride gets mellowed with independent front and rear suspension."
". . . it costs $15,000 and 2 months of paperwork to get one in and there is no way around it if you want to keep it legal. Also, it can NEVER be
registered in California. The compliance papers are issued after it has been to the EPA Testing labs and the Dot and Customs have all been paid. There is no guarantee of a pass at the EPA either."
He researched it quite a bit in advance, and the process is involved but doable. Patience and cash are required in large quantities. Presently, he's importing 2 more for specific customers which will sell for $62k and $64k.
Makes an "off-the-shelf" Disco look pretty attractive. Now if they would just offer the diesel . . .
Unless you use it like I use my Anuqa...
We were up on Byron glacier last week, here are some nice pictures:
http://www.nanuq.net/Troop215/byronglacier2003/byronglacier2003.h- tm
why is the driver's seat severely ripped?
why are there so many bumps and bruises in the cargo area?
why is there rust on three year old truck?
I could be wrong here but the previous drivers don't strike me as being overly protective of their disco----
Do you think they were changing their engine fluid every 3k?
what kind of care did the car get after warranty expired?
just be careful--Make sure to follow the veterans in this forum-I've found their tips to be very helpful.
good luck
The GJC feels very sporty compared to a Disco, and feels low and taught. But I do not have confidence in its drivetrain. It also has a less-useful cargo space (not as angular and tall). The seat leather is also nowhere near the grade of that used on DIs... not sure how it compares to the DII.
If you have children, bear in mind they will want to drive the GJC some day and it will attain speed much quicker than a DII. Not always a good thing. And should the worst happen, they are MUCH safer in the DII than in the GJC.
http://www.landroverclub.net//Club/HTML/Main_Wrecks.htm
I hope this helps, -Bob
Safety, safety, safety.
I've seen the pictures in the URL Nanuq posted. Those pictures says it all. If I remember correctly, there even was one person who dropped by this board who was in one of those wrecks. What a testimony!