Quality RUST

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H

Hansoff

New Member
Posts
6
My 04 TD5 is now spares or repair after finding chassis eaten away by rust. Uneconomic to repair (half chassis realistically required). This was my 5th Discovery (200 tdis were the best) in 20 years. In early ones the rotten chassis could have been forgiven but how come, 30 years on, they are still rusting to bits? Build quality 15 years ago (at least) should have been improved in the light of experience unless the manufacturers rely on continuous scrapping of vehicles to keep new sales going - do they?
I suspect that those who buy new do not keep them for many years. It is a pity to see quality vehicles turn into piles of brown dust - along with sizeable sums of money.
This (my last Discovery, I have finally learned my lesson) vehicle had had mechanical problems over the years but was a superb ride. It still drives and performs well - a waste.
I have acquired 10 year old Passat - with a 12 year perforation warranty! Very comfortable. If VW can do it with an average vehicle why can't LandRover? I might write to the CEO...
 
I won't get another but thanks to all contributors who have helped me get to the bottom of some issues over the years simply by posting on here.
 
Hansoff said:
My 04 TD5 is now spares or repair after finding chassis eaten away by rust. Uneconomic to repair (half chassis realistically required). This was my 5th Discovery (200 tdis were the best) in 20 years. In early ones the rotten chassis could have been forgiven but how come, 30 years on, they are still rusting to bits? Build quality 15 years ago (at least) should have been improved in the light of experience unless the manufacturers rely on continuous scrapping of vehicles to keep new sales going - do they?
I suspect that those who buy new do not keep them for many years. It is a pity to see quality vehicles turn into piles of brown dust - along with sizeable sums of money.
This (my last Discovery, I have finally learned my lesson) vehicle had had mechanical problems over the years but was a superb ride. It still drives and performs well - a waste.
I have acquired 10 year old Passat - with a 12 year perforation warranty! Very comfortable. If VW can do it with an average vehicle why can't LandRover? I might write to the CEO...
Click to expand...
I think they do design them to be uneconomical to repair after 15 years. Even fastidious chassis and underbody treatment is no garentee. The underneath of my 40 odd year old series 3 is more solid than my 16 year old freelander and freelanders are the best of the modern bunch in terms of corrosion.

Col
 
As I've often said it's disgusting that a purveyor of such expensive vehicles can't be bothered to protect their products from corrosion.
I've just sold a 13 year old Ford that's always been parked on the drive for the last 9 years (& maybe before my ownership) with nil corrosion ;)
 
Colthebrummie said:
I think they do design them to be uneconomical to repair after 15 years. Even fastidious chassis and underbody treatment is no garentee. The underneath of my 40 odd year old series 3 is more solid than my 16 year old freelander and freelanders are the best of the modern bunch in terms of corrosion.

Col
Click to expand...
The chassis on my series has had less welding done than my vw polo...
 
Hansoff said:
My 04 TD5 is now spares or repair after finding chassis eaten away by rust. Uneconomic to repair (half chassis realistically required). This was my 5th Discovery (200 tdis were the best) in 20 years. In early ones the rotten chassis could have been forgiven but how come, 30 years on, they are still rusting to bits? Build quality 15 years ago (at least) should have been improved in the light of experience unless the manufacturers rely on continuous scrapping of vehicles to keep new sales going - do they?
I suspect that those who buy new do not keep them for many years. It is a pity to see quality vehicles turn into piles of brown dust - along with sizeable sums of money.
This (my last Discovery, I have finally learned my lesson) vehicle had had mechanical problems over the years but was a superb ride. It still drives and performs well - a waste.
I have acquired 10 year old Passat - with a 12 year perforation warranty! Very comfortable. If VW can do it with an average vehicle why can't LandRover? I might write to the CEO...
Click to expand...

LR was still run by old men and ruled by unions long into the 1990s, when BMW bought it there was a long established way of doing it and there was no real way of changing that. Later models got better under BMW but the Ford manufactured models like the D3 were skimped on and paint is something they don't like spending money on things you can't see, such as underbody anti corrosion protection.

As for car makers who can offer such warranties, well, it comes down to them needing to please consumers and attract buyers with long warranties and whether or not there will actually be honoured claims as and when they came to light. Big markets and competitive too and yes they really had to get a handle on the rusting into oblivion before they were 5yrs old. But the thing is that they are mostly obsolete by the time they are 10yrs old, genuine parts seldom available any longer.
 
We live in a throw away society. Parts like engines are so engineered and full of electronics and other fancy bits and pieces, there gets a point when big items get to end of life. There's no point in making a chassis that will last, when everything around it is worn out and parts are too expensive to replace.
So they make crap to keep the purchase price down
 
They are a brilliant design that far exceeds the design life expectancy of the vehicle. If enthusiasts decide to keep them going after this then it is down to them to do the proper maintenance and rust prevention not Land Rover. Good luck writing to the CEO to complain your 20 year old Discovery has rust, he's bound to be devastated that you won't be buying another 15 year old LR to replace it!

Back to reality

BTW your VW 12 year corrosion warranty is only valid if it went back to VW for regular inspection and corrective maintenance.
 
How much were you quoted for a half chassis? For me owning one isn’t about the money as they make no financial sense at all, more that for what I paid for it I’m happy to accept high running costs in exchange for what it can do for me. Ideal bus when required, can carry all kinds of stuff if I need to and I just generally like having it about. Mine is an 02 and pretty decent, sure it’ll need some chassis attention at some point but I’m going to try and save up for that. She’s 17 years old this year and has done 160k, hoping there’s plenty of life left in it yet!
 
Discodevon said:
Look
How many 04 reg hilux’s are still driving about compard to 04 discos
Not knocking your tread but LR build quality is pretty damn good realistically
Click to expand...
There are ten times more disco than hilux's and also, Hilux's are very much sought after for the African market. All the old ones end up there and are still going after many years.

Col
 
kermit_rr said:
We live in a throw away society. Parts like engines are so engineered and full of electronics and other fancy bits and pieces, there gets a point when big items get to end of life. There's no point in making a chassis that will last, when everything around it is worn out and parts are too expensive to replace.
Click to expand...

Hence my reasoning for buying older motors, mechanicals don't fail as often as electronics.
A guy I worked with 15 years ago bought a Ford Orion brand new & always serviced it himself inc. oil changes every 3k. When I retired the car had covered 270k & was still his 'daily' I was browsing a car mag. the other day & there was an article on price comparisons for replacing headlights on the latest models, the cheapest was £18 & the dearest £841 as you had to renew the whole assembly! WTF:confused:
 
Motors ain't designed to be more than 10 years old. And land rover ain't gonna be interested cos you ain't the original buyer. Buy a new motor.
 
Hansoff said:
Build quality 15 years ago (at least) should have been improved in the light of experience unless the manufacturers rely on continuous scrapping of vehicles to keep new sales going - do they?
Click to expand...

I think you’ve answered your own question. Built-in obsolescence allows for continued sales. It applies to virtually all products. Land Rover should have used galvanised chassis on Land Rovers from the start but didn’t.

You can write to the CEO but I think it would be futile. Buyers of new vehicles will not be concerned whether they are still going in 15 years and the company will know this.
 
goonarmy said:
Motors ain't designed to be more than 10 years old. And land rover ain't gonna be interested cos you ain't the original buyer. Buy a new motor.
Click to expand...

And 'they' bitch about saving the planet. I fail to see how churning out endless new motors will help achieve that goal, but I guess it's all the fault of buyers who want auto this & programmed that. Many of these devices serve no useful purpose, other than to aid inept drivers who have lost (or never had) the ability to think for themselves :mad:
 
The anti corrosion warranty only covers rust through from the inside out. Rust from stone chips etc won't be covered.

Cars have a design life. Yours has had its life.

They did solve the problem if rust. The Freelander 1 and 2 proved that. Also doing away with the chassis helped. Part of the condition is affected by how the vehicle was used. If it was scratched ont mud and rocks etc.

Strip it for parts or sell as it is and someone will restore it. Loads of peeps do it. Beyond economical repair changes when yer do the work yerself un dun't charge yerself.
 
Great posts - thanks to all. Car didn't spend anytime on a beach, let alone launching....just the salt covered roads of NW England. Superb concept (I didn 't use it off-road) but put in cruise control (excellent for long distances) and parking sensors as I live on a street designed for mill workers and the rag-and-bone man pony and trap. ACE failed due rusty pipes and that should have been a wake up call. Too many electrics for the quality of wiring/soldering, also, I think. Had HDC and T/C illuminated for a while but using the aircon controlled that after fitting a new battery! Finally got the '3 amigos' a couple of weeks ago....but they went out. It had had a new diff at some stage and I replaced some door locks. I won't buy a new anything - costs far too much long term. Car I have now cost £15K 10 yrs ago - I haven't spent that on 2 x Discoverys in that time, even with other welding and fuel bills - this one has done 175K miles. The last one (300tdi) did 150K and is now off road somewhere. I do wish I had learned welding and had the facilities to use it - the only way to viably own a Discovery for years.
I agree the CEO won't be interested as enough people buy his cars new.... and the bodywork stays looking good for a long time. Probably done my bit for recycling and conservation of resources after running 5 Discoverys to rusty ends over the years...keep the forum going as there is lots of fantastic stuff here to help amateur owners like me and maybe the next (proud?) owner of my Td5, if it isn't broken up.
 
Your complaining about a 15yr old vehicle that's probably had a lot of use over its life, (including on salted roads maybe ?) being rusty !!! Have you done any prevention work on the chassis at all ? By your own account, everything else is good, except the chassis. Your VW only has 2yr left on its "anti perforation" warranty. I wonder what it will be like in another 3 or 4 years after it runs out ? Good luck making any claims on it though.
 
You should’ve spent more time underneath the thing, ideally spraying oil inside and out every year or two... perhaps you wouldn’t be in this situation if that was the protocol
 
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