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Comments
The best part of the 03' Disco is that you get the same engine as the 2002 Range Rover 4.6 HSE. The 03-04 Disco is also the best two years for that model ever.
My fiance just purchased a 2002 RR HSE last week with 25K miles and it's too early to really compare b/c right now I'm obsessed with driving hers.
There's no doubt that the RR is more luxury and the Disco "S" is more sport (even though the RR is more than capable of sport).
If I were you, I'd take the 03' Disco with less miles and two more years of engineering evolution to benefit from over the 01' RR
Good luck! You'll be happy with either one I'm sure!
A bad radiator would come from not changing the fluid, with a resulting bad head gasket from overheating.
My gut feeling is, this truck was seriously neglected. The work you've done should keep it on the road for as long as you care to own it. Mine is at 98k miles now, uses NO oil, and drives like new. That's what you can expect.
Change all fluids religiously! "Oil is cheaper than metal."
I use synthetic motor oil in winter only, because it comes in 0-50w and I need it that thin for starting on campouts at -30F. Otherwise I use Castrol GTX 10-40w and it's never let me down. I use Purolator Premium, Napa Gold or WIX filters... there are a few filters I avoid like the plague. Do some research on that. I use synth lubes for the diffs and swivels and xfer box, and dino-lube ATF for the transmission.
You might solve the problem by just letting up on the gas a little........
Mileage while trailing was from 10.5 to 11.5 mpg, depending on wind, and whether or not we were going over mountain passes. Under favorable conditions (no strong headwind and no significant upward grade), we could reach 70 mph. We traveled mostly at 55-60, however.
When climbing grades, or going into headwinds, the Disco usually wanted to be in 3rd gear. At about 55 mph I think the engine was running at about 3,000 rpm. When climbing the big "hill" coming into Yellowstone from the north entrance, the Disco had to go down to 2nd gear, at about 35 mph, and that was around 3,500 to 4,000 rpm. I think that "hill" is something over 10,000 feet high.
Same thing coming through the pass on Route 14 going into the Poudre River valley from Walden down to Fort Collins. The Continental Divide is well over 10,000 feet here, and we made it with no problems, albeit having to downshift to 2nd gear near the top of the hill.
Some time back I asked the forum if anyone had experience pulling trailers with the Disco. I can now answer that question by saying, "Keep your load under the limit for the Disco (5,500 lbs. in high gear), and it should be able to do it. Because we live and drive at higher altitudes, trailer dealers recommend that we reduce stated towing capacity by 20%. This reduces the Disco tow capacity in high gear to a nominal 4,400 lbs. We were about 400 lbs. under that. I also had no problems with sway from the trailer, a concern for such a short wheelbase tow vehicle, even in the very strong winds that are a constant in Wyoming.
If worse had come to worse, I could have shifted into low, and then I think there would be no question that I could have gone over Berthoud Pass or Independence Pass, should I have been crazy enough to want to do so. They are up around 12,000 feet. Did I mention that I am afraid of heights?
We also had our first glitch with the Disco. A week or so before our trip the Service Engine Soon light came on. Land Rover Denver East quickly diagnosed the problem as having to do with a vacuum hose, which they replaced in about 15 minutes. No problems since. You just can't do better than Land Rover Denver East. Super sales people and super service people.
While we were puffing up some of the steep grades, we would watch the F250's and Silverado 2500's pass us with ease, towing 5th wheel trailers easily two to three times the size and weight of ours. Were we envious? I guess so, but we have a Disco, and they don't!
Additionally, we took both back seats out before the trip. Easy to do with a #55 torx. Gave us much more room back there, and lightened the load. Those high quality back seats are heavy. These are the second row seats, not the third row jump seats, which we do not have.
Anyone looking for a used Land Rover Disco would be hard pressed to find a better truck than the '03 or '04, with the bigger engine. They are one tough truck.
Pete.
I replaced the brake light switch about 1.5 years back, but I don't think this is a brake light problem this time just 'cause i don't remember the shifting difficulty last time.
thanks for any advice, help or details
sara
Do you have any further news.
Gordon
ggushee@earthlink.net
Thanks,
Sounds like you need a new fan switch. To get the radio out you need to get the tool from your Dealer that fits in the two holes on the left/right side of the radio. Then they unscrew and the radio will come right out. Make sure you have the radio code, because you will need it if you unplug the radio to get at the switch.
I think you have given me peace of mind. I just purchased a 2001 Discovery SE and it whines constantly, except for when I go down hill. And yes, it seems to make the whining noise whenever the accelerator is pushed either starting up in the garage or up a hill or even from a starting position. I have taken the vehicle back to the dealer twice and instead of them telling me that it is the transfer case, they tell me the noise I hear is the ACE Pump??? Why not just tell me THE TRUTH. Otherwise, I wouldn't have spent the last three weeks learning info from you on this forum and other Land Rover Forums. I am taking the vehicle back again on the 2nd of August because I thought there was a larger problem - but you are saying "get use to it"......its just the transfer noise for reasons you mentioned.
Thanks,
Gordon Gushee
Los Angeles, CA
ggushee@earthlink.net
The fix??
My mechanic removed the pads, and using a wire feed welder, welded a bead onto the pads of the metal backing of the pads. He then ground them down until they fit properly. No more noise!!!
I hope yours is as simple as this was.
Oh, by the way, my mechanic performed the fix in about 15 minutes at NO CHARGE!! He said that he should have noticed it while doing the job. treated him and the rest of the crew to lunch the next day.
Good luck!!
Ben
Thanks for the insight into the noise, I am going to ask my mechanic who did the original job if he can fix it using your example.
Thanks again, Andrea
I will keep all advised.
Gordon
On another note-
I too have recently experienced the same thing with my back door. I have to climb in and unlock it from the inside. I have a service scheduled with my dealer next week to reslove the problem - I will post if I find out why this happens??
Odiopus
I think I have electrical problems. I get the clicking sound and all the lights around the speedometer light up (check engine, SRS, tow hitch) all of them. It just clicks on and off but you can still drive. Anyone experience this?
flex71
Please Help.
Have you ever heard of this one? Yesterday the tachometer just decided it wasn't going to stay put. I mean if you are going 70 the tach will fluctuate wildly between about 1000-3000 RPM. The engine runs as smooth as ever, and there are no other problems except for the needle jumping all over the place. I crawled undrneath and looked to see if there was a loose wire, but couldn't find anything wrong. Not sure if I have the right wires though. Where is the RPM sender unit?
Charlie
Not sure about ACE package but changing the brake pads on a Discovery is easy. Buy soft pads; much less expensive than rotors. See the link below.
http://www.expeditionexchange.com/disco2brakes/
Never changed my Disco's serpentine belt but have changed the belt on other vehicles and most are fairly easy to do.
Good luck!
tidester, host
I have a 2002 Disco, and though the performance package has 18" wheels not all of them come with it. The spare should match all other tires though. I had to recently change my breaks and rotars. Though I bought my rotars from Land Rover, I got the break pads from Napa. They were still pricy, around $100 for all 4 but that is still about half the cost of LandRover. I have seen rotars online which are cheaper, but only by like $10 and that would probably even out with shipping costs. I did them myself, took me an afternoon but that is better than a few thousand in labor costs that Landrover would charge. Now you could if you have all the parts take it to a brake place, since you have the parts you would only pay labor and it would be cheaper than a Landrover place. You can always go to Landrover.com, they have a customer service line where you can authenticate your Landrover, its original parts, etc. I think you just need the VIN.
I have a wonderful 2001 Disco II (ace) with about 46k miles. So far it has been relatively trouble free except for a leaky gasket that was fixed last month under warranty. Overall the truck has been great and has been trouble free with some minor problems but nothing major. It drives like new.
I have driven the new LR3 and was quite impressed but it did not have the same character as my truck. The dealer was quoting around $52000.00 for an HSE the way i want it and giving me $16000.00 on trade. Although it is nicer i am not sure it is $35000.00 nicer.
That being said i am thinking of keeping this thing for the long haul. I have an opportunity to purchase a land rover extended warranty from my dealer for about $2700.00 for an additional 3 years and 50,000 miles. It will cover the original terms but will not include routine maintence and wear and tear. There is a $100.00 deductible on each occurance. I have a month or 1,000 miles to make up my mind. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
tidester, host