Discovery - things to look for / avoid

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Earl

Earl

Active Member
Posts
172
Location
Kent
Hi all,

I have now accepted that i just can't afford to replace the defender after it was stolen, and having looked at some lovey toyotas i think i am ready to make the terrible and costly decision to stick with land rover - despite having had the 'experience' of D3 and a defender.

I have looked a few buying guides etc online, but wanted some first had advice on a couple of points that were not really mentioned.

I also thought i would clarify that this wont be a 'daily driver' but rather an adventure car, so some green laning, leading to longer expeditions, camping and the such. Budget no more than £3000. Max! Also I am not looking for a mud plugger or anything like that.

It seems to be the consensus that the TD5 is more refined - so i was looking for one of those - unless someone is doing to sing the praises of the 300TDi. My defender was a 300TDi, so i am familiar with it....

Secondly, are there mileage points to avoid, when things start to go wrong. For example i know that on a particular type of car, you dont want it much before 80K because the clutch and gearbox start to go, but after 100K you are grand as it would have been replaced. Are there any points like that i should be aware of?

Also interested in Auto/manual. When i was looking before I was only looking at manual due to fuel economy and reliability. Am i right in that?

Any other general observations & advice would be greatfully recieved.
 
Hi Earl,

I wrote this for the D2 TD5 as a aide memoir for someone to use when looking at a D2 once. It may be useful to you.

It certainly does not cover everything, but it may be of use.

Cheers
 

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  • Discovery 2 vehicle purchase check points.pdf
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When you say "It seems to be the consensus that the TD5 is more refined" I presume you're actually talking about the Disco 2. As you're probably aware, both Td5 and 300Tdi are engine types, not vehicle types. As a Disco 2 owner,that's the only type I can talk about.

So, if you're looking for a D2, then the first thing to check is all of the chassis, especially the back end of the chassis where the crap and salt can acumilate, particularly the rear cross member for not so much rust but rot, bear in mind that it rots from the inside out usually. The Td5 is a pretty sound lump provided it has been looked after, regular servicing, oil and filter changes etc. but it does have some little foibles all of its own like any other older engine, and don't forget there's more electronics in the D2 than earlier vehicles.
The Disco 2 did come as both auto and manual boxes, but from anecdotal evidence, it would appear that there were more manual boxes on the Td5 and auto boxes on the V8s, at least they appear to be easier to find.
Fuel economy for the diesel is what you can expect from a 2.5 litre engine in a 2 1/4 ton vehicle with all the aerodynamics of a housebrick. It should be somewhere around 30 to a gallon on a run.
Some owners think that the only way to go on a Disco 2 is coiled springs, so they sling out the airbags. They also rip out the "work of the devil", the ACE as well. True ACE can be problematic as it ages, largely due to the pipes rusting and failing, but if you have a good system, then it is worth hanging on to, even for green-laning.
The windy springs or air suspension is also a useful system for off-roading, it not only actively corrects the suspension as you drive, but you also have the ability to raise the rear end of the body by another inch or so. It's a pretty easy system to uderstand and maintain.
Compared with the D3, the Disco 2 is very much more owner maintainable. There are some things which really need to be checked first, rot on the chassis, leaking sunroofs which can upset some of the electrickery.
 
Last edited:
Look for
Rover-EFI-A.jpg

:D
 
IMHO, the choice of D1 300 Tdi versus D2 TD5 is down to whether you can tolerate electronics or not, as the D2 is essentially all electronic.... and I strongly advise that you will NEED diagnostics of your own, and that this must be factored in to your budget....

Where we live, high in the Pennines, electronics don't like it, so we run 300 Tdi's - they are tunable, reliable, and practical. Nothing wrong with the D2 - it is also tunable and practical, but reliable is not a word I would associate with one in our climate - if we lived somewhere else, I am sure this would be different, but we don't, so it isn't :D

As to the auto/manual debate - auto every time for me. bear in mind that the D2 auto has an expensive switch on the gearbox - the "XYZ" switch - and they are £250-£300 a pop..

V8/TD5 depends on your mileage - low mileage use means the fuel savings for the diesels are not much, and the V8 is a much better drive, especially with the auto.....

If you go D2, then, IMHO, get someone with diagnostics to go with you and check it all out before you part with any money :)
 
You see this is my major concern - Having had a D3 - i know that electronics are not REMOTELY a strong point. And the defender was pretty simple in this regard. Having spent a fortune keeping a D3 on the road im not keen to do the same.

In regard to the V8 - As it is not a daily driver i am considering it - they are cheaper and often higher spec - but i just dont know if i could justify that kind of fuel economy. I mean 15mpg?! Not really ideal if i do longer trips!
 
Horses for courses realy,I have a d2 td5 and wouldn't part with it dor anything, my mate has 2 d1 s and swears by them,td5 is quicker and refined on road and tows 3 tons brilliantly, even over tilled fields,d1 s are just as good off road and tow well just a little slower and with more noise.
 
Having owned both, I'd always go for a D2 now. But then, to me, its also my daily vehicle and I do around 100 miles a week on the M4 in it, and another 100-200 on fast A roads and country lanes. By comparison it goes off road maybe a few times a month doing work at the campsite, and then a proper greenlaning session every couple of months.

The greenlaning is a bonus - I bought it because I needed a strong tow vehicle that could shift trailers easily, including around a muddy field. And it doesnt disappoint. Part of the reason for chosing the D2 is the proper rear seats (rather than folding jump seats) which make it a decent 7 seater and also the slightly longer boot... but the main reason was the relative comfort for motorway cruising.

The air suspension, whilst a bit of a pig at times when it goes wrong, is a real bonus and I intend to keep mine going rather than replace with coils. Its all very DIY friendly. In fairness, most things are fairly DIY friendly but access to diagnostics is useful to find out whats actually wrong and reset error codes.

Comfort wise... they're pretty similar. I think the D2 seats are more supportive but maybe thats just because they're newer! I did Bristol to Essex and back in a day shortly after buying the car this summer and didnt feel uncomfortable at any point, nor did my passenger, and we only had one quick toilet stop in each direction so we were sat in the car for at least 2 hours at a time each time.

If you're interested in modifying it, the D1 is probably easier than the D2... with less trim and plastic to get in the way.

As others have said, as with any landrover, the things to watch out for are rust and rot, and water leaks. A good service history on the engine is helpful.
 
A friend with a D1 based kit car is a bit jealous of my D2s performance and handling

I do about 10 times the mileage of him and we have both had a few issues, but then both vehicles faults have been due to wear and tear and age.

The TD5 is a pretty reliable lump, no cam belt, but does need regular servicing
 
I dont know why there is so much "fear" of the electronics!
In my experience, most issues that come up are more "mechanical" related, yes the injector loom will need replacing every year or so but most electronic issues are actually caused by trapped wires, damaged connectors, dirt/lack of maintenance etc.

If things like the ECU pack up, which is very rare, they can be sourced for under £100.
The only thing that will kill the engine dead is the crank sensor and thats easy to replace, so just keep a spare.

If any other sensors fail the ECU will work around the problem.
Injectors can fail, eventually! But again they are not difficult to swap.

Agree that air suspension is great!
Mark
 
markomate2 said:
I dont know why there is so much "fear" of the electronics!
In my experience, most issues that come up are more "mechanical" related, yes the injector loom will need replacing every year or so but most electronic issues are actually caused by trapped wires, damaged connectors, dirt/lack of maintenance etc.

If things like the ECU pack up, which is very rare, they can be sourced for under £100.
The only thing that will kill the engine dead is the crank sensor and thats easy to replace, so just keep a spare.

If any other sensors fail the ECU will work around the problem.
Injectors can fail, eventually! But again they are not difficult to swap.

Agree that air suspension is great!
Mark
Click to expand...

I'm with you on these points. I owned my TD5 Discovery for 11 years and during that ownership, didn't have any electrical problems.
I only replaced the injector loom once, fuel pump once, two wheel hubs and various other little bits and bobs but no electrical gremlins.
Never needed the EKA code.
Still had the original exhaust on it from new when I sold it and the motor was 15 years old, so all in all I found the TD5 a brilliant motor.
 
brian47 said:
You obviously liked the first Td5 Disco enough to buy a second one. :D
Click to expand...
actually me old fruit I bought the second one to strip the chassis of it. Because the first was rotten. The second one was a nicer car but just to many probs. Had a total of 5 maths still running my 300
 
I've owned a Discovery 2 TD5 for a while now and its a great and capable vehicle, it has its weaknesses that are well understood and discussed on the net....the killer can be chassis rot and sadly many owners simply hide this under layers of wax products until its too late and your looking at big bill for welding. Also note that internal chassis corrosion is also eating away from the inside at the same rate if not neutralised. My Discovery 2 chassis is literally as new and all I use is Duck Oil (marketed by Swarfega), regular six monthly sprays over the entire chassis and under side keeps things constantly oil wetted and water resistant. The Duck Oil will actively penetrate behind all painted finishes and ineffective wax coverings to neutralise corrosion and passivate the steel surfaces and keep working for up to twelve months. Internally you will need to reach deep inside the chassis rails with Duck Oil (Chassis Wand on eBay) will guarantee total coverage. Keep the underside of a Landy oil wetted and it'll last for ever...well nearly..
 
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