How reliable is your Disco

Hi Guys,

Following on from the Anglo-Bulgarian thread, I thought I'd take the hint and start this one.
Anglo was a tad worried about the brilliant problem solving abilities of the bearded one on this forum as it only highlighted problems.

So as one post already stated, he does 350 miles a week and has no issues in a 200tdi. With that sort of thing in mind here goes.

Mine does about 280-320 miles a week with the occasional big slap of several hundred miles. Previous to that I would sit for weeks at a time neglected but never unloved. Every time it would start first time, and has not missed a beat. I'm currently on 150,000 miles in a 1998 300 TDi

There I've started it, outside of the rattles, and leaks, tell us all how reliable your Disco 1 really is.

Cheers

C

The reliability of the vehicle depends hugely on how you look after it. For example if you ignore a problem until it fails, it generally breaks multiple things. however i tend to fix a problem before it start to get bad. and that way my disco is always good to me. and again it depends on what parts you put on it. I get really annoyed when someone says their landy is unreliable when all they ever fit is britpart to be cheap. spend the extra money and it will be much more reliable.

but to answer your question, I happily drove mine to scotland and back twice in two weeks ( i live near gloucester) and didnt even think that it would let me down. and regularly do about 1000 miles a month. (disco at 208000) its a 300tdi

Yeah its been reliable *touches wood*

It always wants something doing, theres always a new noise/creak/bang.

But this aside, it always starts come rain, shine, snow etc it always gets driven hard, up to its ears in mud and dunked in water, never gets washed, its a daily driver so does eveything from trips to the shops, school runs, sunday drives, greenlaning, general offroading, etc etc

Would I be without it? Not a hope in hell.

Reliable? Considering the circumstances, yes.

Totally agree with you, all of the issues I've had have been as a result of poor/lack of care by the previous owner, make sure you keep it maintained and it will run and run.
Thanks for the reply!

Keep it coming peeps!

I have a 98, 3.9ltr V8i Automatic with 181.650 miles on the clock, we do around 270 miles per week most weeks and it has never missed a beat.

I have had morning's where it would not turn over without a spray of wd40 but that was due to neglect on the HT Leads and Dizzy cap.

I have also had very minor issue with the Radiator and Imobillizer, I find an oil patch now and again and there is always a drop of antifreeze on the driveway but it has always got me to my destination and has always got me home again.

It didnt take long to decide that when the engine blows, a replacement 3.9ltr V8i will be found and put in.

Serviced twice a year and regularly tinkered with it just keeps on going

John

Thanks guys - I appreciate people post here WHEN they have a problem not when they are happy but it was looking a little like people had nothing but ongoing problems!!!

We live in Bulgaria and bought the Disco 1 so we could keep our business running in the harsh winters and all it did the first winter was brake down!

HOWEVER - ive since found out it had been maintained b y the previous owner who didnt even know how to put a windscreen wiper on correctly! And that you have to actually TIGHTEN up track-rod end castellated nuts NOT just put a split pin through - so is it any wonder it was unreliable??????

Anyhow Ive started a program of repairs both necessary and preventative - next on the list is change all 4 shocks and put in polly bushes as our roads are more like your "off road" days than an actual road!

After that it is buy a grease gun and grease every nipple on the thing!!

Iv got the 300tdi. I havnt had it long, maybe 3 month or so but it hasnt let me down yet,

I bought it thinking the head was fecked on it, took the chance and put some ceramic sealer in it and it worked a treat,

Disco dosnt do a lot of miles, probarly only about 130 miles per week, even at that its not every week,

Use it for going to work and some offroading and thats about it,

Young brother bought an old fourtrak about a month ago and we went down to Carlisle to trailer it up, standard 750 kg trailer empty on the way down and fourtrak on it on the way back home, probarly a round trip of 200 miles, old Diso didnt miss a beat.

Downside with mine when I got it was the rot, young brother spent a lot of time welding it,

But I honestly cant complain with the reliability of it,

Going to give it a service soon and if it needs anything then it will get it.

got our 200tdi in 2005....its had some welding, a cv joint, a propshaft uj, one brake caliper, a few brake pipes, an alternator, a track rod end and the heater fan has now stopped working... its got about 170k on the clock, did over 300 miles last weekend .... will do best part of 400 next saturday. all in all its no better or worse than any other thousand pound car or van....
havnt mentioned oils ,belts and tyres cos theyre consumables that will need replacing on anything.

mines costing a lot to run at the moment due to me replacing items that look worn/service items regularly due to previous owners neglect... its all fun and games though and part of the ownership, i knew it had been neglected when I brought it so no biggy for me... Its only really left me stuffed once but I have the compulsory break down cover to rescue me

Guess mine's got more problems than I thought, yes it starts no problem but I wouldn't even think about doing a 300 mile trip! After 30 miles the noise, vibration, rattles etc do my head in...not to mention the fact of not being able to overtake anything and a top speed of 60mph!!

Like already said , i fix stuff before it breaks really , just keep an eye on things and use common sence i check engine oil every week , fluids etc , have a quick look under it weekly , and thats it. just put two new track rod ends on £3.50 each last year it sailed through mot , and fingers crossed it will again this year

disco147 said:

mines costing a lot to run at the moment due to me replacing items that look worn/service items regularly due to previous owners neglect... its all fun and games though and part of the ownership, i knew it had been neglected when I brought it so no biggy for me... Its only really left me stuffed once but I have the compulsory break down cover to rescue me

Click to expand...

Not an option for me in Bulgaria - and the temp can be down to -30 degC and even close to home you can be on roads you wont see anything but Bears and Wolves for days on end - no kidding!! Hence (partly) my paranoia about it being reliable.

However in winter we do carry proper survival kits including 9mm pistol and flairs, the pistol also has adapter to fire flash bangs and Bear mace. We also have GPS, fire wood, fire lighters, hammocks, machete, Axe, ski goggles, para cord, good compressor, "gumma" tyre repair kit, food, water - you name it! 30kg worth! But a breakdown in -20 or -30 with windchill to -50 and 2m of snow is no joke. You can die waling back from the local garage 5km away!!!!!

I wouldnt think twice about just jumping in and going to the other side of the country.The only problem i have had was a duff battery but now its been replaced i have no issues.On a weekly basis the disco does about 200 miles and has been running on bio-diesel for the last 3-4 years and when its MOT time she has never failed but this year was advised on track rod ends so £22 later happy days!

by the way it is a 94 300tdi manual

Today? not very! Went home on a big yellow flatbed. Normally, up until today, very

Well im just watching a discovery program (ironic) where some guy is going up a mountain (hill) in Africa. Allegedly his BRAND NEW LAND ROVER has sheered a rear drive shaft so he is in 2WD mode and having to reverse up it - IN ALL HONESTY I COULD DRIVE A VW BEETLE UP THIS HILL!!!! Jeopardy - Wa***r. Im sorry im worried about the overall reliability of my Disco 1 but this guy must work for Toyota as allegedly his prop has now snapped on what id call a "rough road"!!! He is now on his iridium phone - ******

Anglo Bulgarian said:

Well im just watching a discovery program where some guy is going up a mountain (hill) in Africa. Allegedly his BRAND NEW LAND ROVER has sheered a rear drive shaft so he is in 2WD mode and having to reverse up it - IN ALL HONESTY I COULD DRIVE A VW BEETLE UP THIS HILL!!!! Jeopardy - Wa***r. Im sorry im worried about the overall reliability of my Disco 1 but this guy must work for Toyota as allegedly his prop has now snapped on what id call a "rough road"!!! He is now on his iridium phone - ******

Click to expand...

Amazingly he is towed by a - "rescue" TOYOTA and a mechanic arrives in a TOYOTA. They can not repair the front prop but they can "repair" the rear half shaft - which is shown to the camera in a condition that can only describes as "absolutely totally f8***g new" - Im NOT as Landi fan (mine is ££££ and missed deadlines) but this is taking the pis*!!!

I have had my 300tdi since feb and it has missed a beat not even on the pay and play days
but i have just spent over 2k getting it up to scratch

well in over 4 years ownership she has only left me stranded once and that was because the tensioner pully bearing went and my belt got chewed up and a new one couldnt be obtained until the following day, (had I investigated the small noise i probably could have prevented it, within a month of ownership the water pump bearing started leaking about 2 miles from home but I limped home ok, and once the imobiliser came on for about 3 hours then decided to fix itself. To be fair its carted my family all over the country without fail but I do try to look after her more now as Ive learned preventative maintenance is definately the key.

I keep a record of what Ive done and what needs doing, here is my list to give you an idea of the work done:

1996 300 SERIES LANDROVER DISCOVERY XS 3.9 V8 EFI

TO DO:

REAR ARCH DRAIN HOLES/A+B PILLAR HOLES
SUMP GASKET?
REAR TRAILING ARM
ACCELERATOR CABLE
SUNROOF LEAK
IMMOBILISER
STICKY STARTER
ABS 4-14 LEFT FRONT SENSOR
GEAR BOX OIL
ENGINE OIL CHANGE + FILTER
FUEL FILTER
TRANSFER BOX AND BOTH DIFFS
COOLANT CHANGE MAX STRENGTH 60%
RENEW BRAKE /CLUTCH FLUID
POWER STEERING FLUID/LEAKS
GREASE PROP SHAFTS
WAXOYL INSIDE CHASSIS
FERTAN AND RED OXIDE INSIDE FLOOR BOOT FOOTWELLS ETC.
SPARK PLUGS NGK R BPR6E
FRONT SHOCKS
STEERING DAMPER
NEW SPRINGS
REAR SUNROOF
WHEEL CHOCK
DRIVERS WINDOW
REAR WINDOW OVERIDE SWITCH
LPG SERVICE/INSPECTED/BOOT BOTTLE ADAPTER/RELIEF VALVE TESTED/NEW EMPTY GAUGE
REAR WINDOW WASHER
HEADLINING SAGGING
CUBBY BOX SWITCHES
COMPLETE POLYBUSH KIT
FOG LIGHTS
CRUISE CONTROL
DRIVERS SEAT STITCHING
FRONT UNDERLAY
SPACERS
SPARE ALLOY
DASH CURL KIT
FRONT SHOCKS
UPGRADE AUDIO
LEISURE BATTERY
JANSPEED MANIFOLD
HD REAR BUMPER
REMOVE TOW BAR/RELOCATE LPG FILLER/ELECTRICS
UNDER BODY PROTECTION
REAR SUB WOOFER
REAR BRAKE DISK SHIELDS
DISCREET WINCH
HIGH VIZ REAR LIGHT BOARD

DONE:

CHANGED ENGINE OIL 15W 40 AND GENUINE LR FILTER (£40 16/05/12)
WINDOWS PROFESSIONALLY TINTED (02/05/12)
EXTENSIVE UNDERBODY REPAIR SPANNING OVER 8 MONTHS INCLUDING REPAIR TO O/S HEADLAMP BOX BAT TRAY BOTH INNER WINGS INNER REAR ARCHES SILLS A+B PILLARS ETC NEW REAR OUTER ARCHES COMPLETE UNDERSIDE OF VEHICLE AND CHASSIS UNDERSEALED BRAKE PIPES PAINTED WITH RED OXIDE, CALIPERS PAINTED(£???! 2/3/12)
SWAPPED FRONT AND REAR TYRES AROUND ADJUSTED TYRE PRESSURES AND FIXED REAR WASHER (03/06/11)
DOORS BONNET, ENGINE BAY, INNER WINGS, HEADLAMP BOXES, SILL BOX SECTIONS CHASSIS TREATED INSIDE AND OUT WITH FERTAN RUST TREATMENT (500ML)AND COMMA WAX SEAL ML(1L) (£50 02/06/11)
REPLACED COOLANT EXPANSION TANK WITH RR TANK(£25 15/4/11)
REPLACED RETRACTABLE REAR STEP DAMPER (£15 22/1/11)
FRONT N/S + BOTH REAR DOOR LOCK SPRINGS (£15 14/01/11)
REPLACED REAR MUD FLAPS (£20 14/01/11 )
NEW REAR DISKS AND MINTEX PADS(£33 21/11/10)
CHANGED TRANSFER BOX OIL EP80W/90 (2.8L £10 9/8/10)
GREASED PROP SHAFT UJs & SLIDING JOINTS(3/8/10)
CLEANED CRANK CASE BREATHER FILTER (3/8/10)
SERVICED DIFFLOCK TO AVOID SEIZING, WORKS FINE (3/8/10)
UNDERSEAL WITH ADDED WAXOYL APPLIED 3L(£32 1/08/10)
CHANGED OIL IN BOTH DIFFS EP80W/90 (1.7L EACH £15 22/7/10)
NEW COMPLETE REAR BRAKE PIPES INC FLEXI (£189 16/7/10)
MAGNACORE BLUE ELECTROSPORT HT LEADS(£80 15/3/10)
NGK SPARK PLUGS X8 (£27 15/3/10)
DISTRIBUTER CAP(£5 15/3/10)
ADDED 350ML EXTRALUBE ZX1 TO ENGINE (£27 2/1/10)
NEW SERPENTINE BELT AND TENSIONER BEARING(£21 6/10/09)
GREASED BOTH FRONT SWIVELS ONE SHOT GREASE (£10 4/10/09)
FITTED NEW GENUINE LANDROVER POD FOG LIGHTS(£80 2/10/09)
DOG GUARD PURCHASED FROM EBAY (£20 12/9/08)
REPLACED COOLANT MAX STRENGTH 60%(£20 22/8/09)
DRAINED LPG VAPOURISER(22/08/09)
MINTEX BRAKE PADS AND NEW DISKS ALL ROUND(£140 14/8/09)
JANSPEED CATBACK EXHAUST SYSTEM(£260 16/6/09)
NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTERS Y PIPE (£200 16/6/09)
K&N AIR FILTER(£60 7/3/09)
CHANGED ENGINE OIL 10W 40 AND GENUINE LR FILTER (£40 7/3/09)
BFGOODRICH A/T TIRES ALL ROUND INC SPARE(£550 5/2/09)
BILSTIEN SHOCK ABSORBERS ALL ROUND (£130 28/8/08)
REPLACED COOLANT MAX STRENGTH 60%(£20 19/5/08)
WATER PUMP AND SERPENTINE BELT(£63 19/5/09)
K&N AIR FILTER(£57 7/3/09)
CHANGED ENGINE OIL 10W 40 AND GENUINE LR FILTER(£40 05/03/08)
BALL JOINT ONTO STEERING BOX (£3 18/3/08)
NEW BATTERY (£75 12/3/08)
RED LED REAR BUMPER LIGHTS,(£7 9/3/08)
XENON H4 55W HEADLIGHT BULBS (£8 9/3/08)
300 SERIES REAR LIGHT CLUSTERS (£15 9/3/08)
CHROME EFFECT INDICATOR BULBS(£12 9/3/08)
CUSTOM SMOKED CLEAR BUMPER LIGHTS(£20 1/3/08)
CLEAR INDICATORS FRONT AND SIDE (£45 27/2/08)

Note most of the to do's are minor issues but if I spot anything at all I put it on the list. Some of the above had to be done but some of it was done purely for fun. I reckon she was used and abused and generally not looked after very well/maintained by the last owner.

twice_nightly said:

Guess mine's got more problems than I thought, yes it starts no problem but I wouldn't even think about doing a 300 mile trip! After 30 miles the noise, vibration, rattles etc do my head in...not to mention the fact of not being able to overtake anything and a top speed of 60mph!!

Click to expand...

Something is well wrong there mate,just come back from family camping trip in Dorset ~300 mile round trip .Sits on the dual carridgeway at 70 mph easily and pulling trailer ,can push it to 85-90mph if you have a long run up and this is running bio home brew.
It does have its troubles now and then,but never had to be towed home except when clutch fork went-oh its a 97 300 tdi.
Look after it ,and it will look after you.

biolandy said:

Something is well wrong there mate,just come back from family camping trip in Dorset ~300 mile round trip .Sits on the dual carridgeway at 70 mph easily and pulling trailer ,can push it to 85-90mph if you have a long run up and this is running bio home brew.
It does have its troubles now and then,but never had to be towed home except when clutch fork went-oh its a 97 300 tdi.
Look after it ,and it will look after you.

Click to expand...

I run mine on the bio as well.

When I was towing the fourtrak on the back of the trailer as I mentioned earlier on the post the Disco cruised up the motorway at 60 and 70mph no problem.

But I do find it slow and a bit noisy getting there,

But thats probarly just down to my every day car being a quick car and Im compairing the 2.

I just think no matter what you drive, if you dont look after it then it probarly will break down at some point