Disco 2 New toy - so the problems begin...

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beanwood

Active Member
Posts
109
Location
North of Bristol
Well, it finally happened - I bit the bullet and purchased a TD5 Discovery today. Manual, 2004, in dark blue with (Filthy) cream leather inside. I looked it over, drove it - saw a few little niggles...

Short MOT ....
Chassis has been welded in the past with a few heavy plates around the rear suspension - good.
Drives nicely - good.
Sunroofs sealed - err - OK.
Air suspension replaced with springs - err - OK.
SRS light on - well they bags and SRS are 15 years old now... ok(ish)
Central locking not unlocking on two doors (Including drivers) - bugger- but ok(ish)
Not unlocking on the key, only on the fob - probably the same issue as the drivers door not unlocking...?
Needs tyres all round really...(It's a car after all..)

So - ok - a few jobs to get me started - but I got it for what I think is a good price.

Hooray!

Drive it home. (Feeling fairly smug at this point)

Showed my wife around this BARGAIN I'd bought, and how it even has a heated windscreen for those frosty mornings....

Then I noticed the windscreen crack.

A CRACK !! HOW THE **** DID I MISS THAT!! :oops:

About 15 inches long, just behind the mirror to the passenger side, so completely invisible from the drivers seat. I am a complete muppet!!!!

I presume it's an MOT fail - so does anyone know of a reasonably priced windscreen replacement service near Bristol? Pleeeeaaaasssssee?:)
 
beanwood said:
Well, it finally happened - I bit the bullet and purchased a TD5 Discovery today. Manual, 2004, in dark blue with (Filthy) cream leather inside. I looked it over, drove it - saw a few little niggles...

Short MOT ....
Chassis has been welded in the past with a few heavy plates around the rear suspension - good.
Drives nicely - good.
Sunroofs sealed - err - OK.
Air suspension replaced with springs - err - OK.
SRS light on - well they bags and SRS are 15 years old now... ok(ish)
Central locking not unlocking on two doors (Including drivers) - bugger- but ok(ish)
Not unlocking on the key, only on the fob - probably the same issue as the drivers door not unlocking...?
Needs tyres all round really...(It's a car after all..)

So - ok - a few jobs to get me started - but I got it for what I think is a good price.

Hooray!

Drive it home. (Feeling fairly smug at this point)

Showed my wife around this BARGAIN I'd bought, and how it even has a heated windscreen for those frosty mornings....

Then I noticed the windscreen crack.

A CRACK !! HOW THE **** DID I MISS THAT!! :oops:

About 15 inches long, just behind the mirror to the passenger side, so completely invisible from the drivers seat. I am a complete muppet!!!!

I presume it's an MOT fail - so does anyone know of a reasonably priced windscreen replacement service near Bristol? Pleeeeaaaasssssee?:)
Click to expand...

You might be lucky if it's not within the sweep of the wiper blades ... but if it fills with water which then freezes, it'll only grow ...

Take it into one of the Auto windscreen places they'll give you a price, tell if they can stick it to stop it growing and get it on the insurance, some insurances will cover glass without no-claim loss ...
 
Feathers McGraw said:
Wonder if anyone's tried a spring conversion for them. :oops:
Click to expand...

duck-tape-meme.png
 
I know I could try and claim on insurance, but that seems dishonest - I just need to suck it up really. (No point in putting up ALL of our premiums just because I was wearing rose tinted spectacle during my inspection.).

Thanks @matt101, I'll give Bristol Bodyglass a call.
 
beanwood said:
I know I could try and claim on insurance, but that seems dishonest - I just need to suck it up really. (No point in putting up ALL of our premiums just because I was wearing rose tinted spectacle during my inspection.).

Thanks @matt101, I'll give Bristol Bodyglass a call.
Click to expand...
When I bought mine I collected a large stone chip after 10 miles on the way home. Are you sure you missed it?
 
Don't beat yourself up. There will always be things you miss when buying an old car and any old LR will come with baggage no matter how much you pay. You will need to get yourself a diagnostic tool asap for this and anything else that crops up. I bought mine before I bought the car and used it on each one I looked at. Very helpful at sifting wheat from chaff and for negotiating a price. I went with the Hawkeye Total as I wanted to be able to switch between LRs without paying extra, but the Nanocom is better at some aspects and if you are only using it on the D2 then it is not massively more expensive.
There are a number of possible causes for the SRS light and the diagnostic is needed narrow it down. The good news is that they are DIY fixable at modest cost if you are careful. Disconnect the battery some time before you start fiddling with the system to ensure there is no stored charge that could set something off.
If the rear chassis has had some welding already then rot has clearly set in at some stage and may well still be there inside the chassis rails. You have no way of knowing how well the chassis was prepared before welding no matter how good the welding itself seems. Now you have more time check it all very thoroughly including the tops of the rails where it is impossible to see and difficult to feel. When the weather warms a bit I would get a decent anti-corrosion product onto and into the chassis asap.
Unless it is actually damaged the filthy cream (Bahama beige) leather will clean up surprisingly well. I have used Mcguiars leather cleaner followed by Renapur on two dirty beige leather interiors (the one in my D2 and the one I bought from a breakers in order to replace the drivers seat cushion) and both came up really well. A professional can remove normal patination if you want, but will have difficulty matching the colour with new leather. If you need a panel replacing you would have to go with a close match followed by colour staining - both highly skilled and expensive operations. While they are still available it is cheaper to replace with complete original units.
 
Last edited:
Feathers McGraw said:
When I bought mine I collected a large stone chip after 10 miles on the way home. Are you sure you missed it?
Click to expand...

Lol - yes I'm afraid I really did miss it. I had to check with the seller just to confirm...

neilly said:
Is that not an MOT failure point as well?

You got diagnostics for it?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Don't know if it's an MOT fail or not. I read on here that it isn't, (Pull fuse 7?) but rules change.
No - no diagnostics yet. On my list of things to acquire, but I've just booked a nice new windscreen at £288 - so that may have to wait a week or two..
I'm thinking Nanocom, if anybody wants to be shot of one :D


Si Click said:
Don't beat yourself up. There will always be things you miss when buying an old car and any old LR will come with baggage no matter how much you pay. You will need to get yourself a diagnostic tool asap for this and anything else that crops up. I bought mine before I bought the car and used it on each one I looked at. Very helpful at sifting wheat from chaff and for negotiating a price. I went with the Hawkeye Total as I wanted to be able to switch between LRs without paying extra, but the Nanocom is better at some aspects and if you are only using it on the D2 then it is not massively more expensive.
There are a number of possible causes for the SRS light and the diagnostic is needed narrow it down. The good news is that they are DIY fixable at modest cost if you are careful. Disconnect the battery some time before you start fiddling with the system to ensure there is no stored charge that could set something off.
If the rear chassis has had some welding already then rot has clearly set in at some stage and may well still be there inside the chassis rails. You have no way of knowing how well the chassis was prepared before welding no matter how good the welding itself seems. Now you have more time check it all very thoroughly including the tops of the rails where it is impossible to see and difficult to feel. When the weather warms a bit I would get a decent anti-corrosion product onto and into the chassis asap.
Unless it is actually damaged the filthy cream (Bahama beige) leather will clean up surprisingly well. I have used Mcguiars leather cleaner followed by Renapur on two dirty beige leather interiors (the one in my D2 and the one I bought from a breakers in order to replace the drivers seat cushion) and both came up really well. A professional can remove normal patination if you want, but will have difficulty matching the colour with new leather. If you need a panel replacing you would have to go with a close match followed by colour staining - both highly skilled and expensive operations. While they are still available it is cheaper to replace with complete original units.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll take a closer look at all of it over the next week or so. The seats are generally good - one or two tiny tears on the drivers, so it will never be perfect.
I'd really like to get the SRS sorted.
Luckily, there's plenty of oil spraying around under the front (Yes - another job) to keep at least that half of the chassis sorted.

And so it begins...
 
The drivers seat cushion is usually the most worn item and any you find at a breakers will probably be equally battered. The good news is that the passenger cushion is identical and makes an excellent replacement as they are rarely so badly worn. In my case it also fixed the broken heated seat at the same time. Once you have replaced it, keep it supple with a suitable leather food and you should delay the onset of tears and cracks. Leather seats do not have to become badly worn, the ones in my Triumph TR2 are original, 64 years old and still in very good shape. I find Renapur works very well, though it can feel a bit greasy for a day or two. For what it is worth it also works really well on motorcycle leathers and walking boots
The SRS system uses yellow connectors and there are some under the front seats controlling the seat belt pre-tensioners. You will need a diagnostic tool to narrow it down properly, but as the seats move sometimes just a dodgy connection under the seat can cause the warning. You can check these easily enough without a diagnostic, but disconnect the battery first and bear in mind that the fault is probably elsewhere. A common cause is the relatively delicate rotary connector in the steering column. Not too difficult to change and guaranteed ones are available secondhand at fraction of the new cost.
 
Si Click said:
The good news is that the passenger cushion is identical and makes an excellent replacement as they are rarely so badly worn.,,,,,,,,
For what it is worth it also works really well on motorcycle leathers and walking boots...…..

The SRS system uses yellow connectors ……. You can check these easily enough without a diagnostic, but disconnect the battery first...….
Click to expand...

Wow - passenger squab is the same as the drivers - how incredibly obvious is that, yet I hadn't considered it! Thank you!!
I also ride a motorcycle, and go walking, so looks like I'll be investing in some Renapur soon.

My only trepidation comes with the last part - disconnecting the battery. Everything appears to be working now. Is there anything that doesn't like having the battery removed? Or will any of it need to be reset with a Hawkeye/Nanocom/Testbook or whatever?
 
Replaced my battery last week, just have the radio code to hand and bob's ya uncle.

Worth you reading some of my recent previous threads as I am a new owner and new to the brand and have had a lot to learn although my D2 was sound and all functioning, no faults etc but I spent many hours improving, servicing and underbelly preservation as you'll see if you take a look. Good luck.
20180812_162711-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
beanwood said:
A CRACK !! HOW THE **** DID I MISS THAT!! :oops:
About 15 inches long, just behind the mirror to the passenger side, so completely invisible from the drivers seat. I am a complete muppet!!!!
I presume it's an MOT fail - so does anyone know of a reasonably priced windscreen replacement service near Bristol? Pleeeeaaaasssssee?:)
Click to expand...
A crack can occur 'out of the blue'! I drove my totally crackless windscreen car to my local dog walking place. Parked it and then took the dogs out for half an hour or so. Returned and could not believe the state of the windscreen! A crack would not really describe it! Had to take it to be replaced immediately before whole lot fell out!!!!! 'They' said that there must have just been a tiny stone mark there and that any change of temperature would be enough to cause the sudden crack.:(
 
Big-Larry said:
Replaced my battery last week, just have the radio code to hand and bob's ya uncle.

Worth you reading some of my recent previous threads as I am a new owner and new to the brand and have had a lot to learn although my D2 was sound and all functioning, no faults etc but I spent many hours improving, servicing and underbelly preservation as you'll see if you take a look. Good luck.View attachment 168066
Click to expand...
Thanks Big L. That is one lovely looking example. I am more than confident mine will never look that good!
 
I disconnect my battery quite frequently and the radio code should be all you need. Just make sure you disconnect the negative terminal first. That way if you drop a tool between the positive terminal and any part of the body it won't cause a short.

Renapur is good stuff, but use it sparingly; a little goes a long way. It will leave a waxy feel for a day or so, but too much will transfer a mark to your clothing. I have had the same pot for the last 8 years.
 
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