Hello All,

I'm new to this forum and am about to collect a 2003 TD5 Auto tomorrow which will be our first Land Rover; the car is from a reputable dealer and has 77k miles and main dealer history.

I have spent the last few days reading up on them ref the common faults etc but one question is still unanswered; this is how long can I expect to get from the car before major problems, as it will be a daily driver.

Are there any common problems that occur at certain mileages or are the engines usually reliable if looked after properly and do they go on for big mileages? Also are there any big items that are due to wear out at this kind of mileage?

Cheers.

how long is the warranty?

3 months ?

about 100 days then.

Land Rovers go wrong - lots! They are (relatively) cheap to fix and parts are cheap, but they need to be - you will need lots of parts.

Don't forget any written warranty is additional to your statutory rights under the sale of goods act, which covers second hand cars, meaning the vehicle must be fit for the purpose and last a reasonable amount of time. so even if it did break down after 6 months potentially you could still claim against the dealer.

Most Landy dealers normally give you a choice of free gifts, i.e. a set of jumper leads or a tow rope. Go with the tow rope. No......I am only joking. Welcome to Discovery ownership which I find is completely different to car ownership. The moment you get behind the wheel you feel 'exillerated' and the driving is more involved. They do get a few niggles which can quickly **** you off, but when they are running OK, they are great. By the sound of it, the one you are buying should be fine especially if it is from a LandRover dealer, they know what to checkout when servicing. As stated above, parts are cheap, what aint cheap is when you have to take it to the 'Main Stealer' (Main Dealer), they will definitely pull your pants down when it comes to even the simplest of jobs, obviously to be avoided unless stumped. I love 'em and my current TD5 auto is a joy to drive, that said I have had some annoyances, the XYZ switch (gear selector switch) failed due to water ingress, £100 and easy to fit yourself, the climate control fan switch stopped working, £50 and easy to fit, and now the suspension compressor does not seem to be working. Due to the weather I have not looked at this but a new compressor is only £300 and is easy to fit yourself. Yes I know it don't sound great do it, spending your weekends wearing rubber gloves and playing with spanners, but once your back behind the wheel, you just seem to forget it. I must warn you though, you may end up swearing more frequently, and possibly louder, if that does happen and it's front of the kids, tell them it's a 'technical term'. Enjoy.:welcome2:

personally i dont think discos are any more trouble than any other offering, there is just more of them around and there owners tend to get more involved with them so forums such as this are busy places because lets face it all motors go wrong you just get to hear about it more, with the landies i have had two a 300 and now a td5 the earlier 300 i had for 6 years put about 200,000 on the clock no real issues the td5 has done 75,000 so far so good so my advise would be buy the best you can look after it and it will repay you with years of good service.


john

I have owned my Disco from brand new, and now over 160,000 miles.

My long term report is here http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f8/long-term-td5-report-150000-miles-74635.html

As mentioned by Oldzed and Engineer, they can be as reliable as most other vehicles, and the ownership (should you immerse yourself and get involved) is VERY rewarding. Welcome to the anorack club!

My last car was a 1997 Rover 600 which is basically a Honda. It cost me £650 and I drove it for 2.5 years and all it needed was a new battery. I replaced it with a TD5 just coming up on 2 years ago as I needed something to tow a heavyish boat.
I have since bought numerous tools and parts to do about 10 or so repairs along with normal servicing. All standard TD5 stuff and no big deal really, except my latest one. Intermittent engine check light/driver demand fault.
Have swapped throttle a couple of weeks ago and all was well until tonight. Bastard!

The TD5 is a cracking car but needs alot of work to keep her sweet!

Forever! LR's are like Trigger's broom in Only Fools, it's lasted him 20 years, and has only had 17 new heads and 14 new handles.

:hysterically_laughi

kernowdragon said:

Forever! LR's are like Trigger's broom in Only Fools, it's lasted him 20 years, and has only had 17 new heads and 14 new handles.

Click to expand...

I've had my 2002 TD5 from new. It had a new injector loom and a window regulator in it's second year, but other than service items it hasn't needed anything else yet.

It's just been for this years MOT and passed without any advisories.

From the horses mouth.

I own a 2003 TD5ES auto from new.

I have had it religously serviced by the book and have had the following issues.

Sunroof electrics....mind of its own and needed a new motor (62K).

Diff seals, expensive if you use a LR main dealer. Find a good diesel mechanic..cost about £80 per diff seal.

Parking assist. 2 new sensors plus an ECU. Cost £25 on EBay.

Various bulbs at 60K while touring in France.

I have the service carried out at my local farm garage where the owner is a top rate diesel mech.

Servicing costs me about £120 each year and I also have an oil change each 6 months (hang over from my Amrican days).

That's it. Treat it well and it will look after you.

I regularly tow a 2 ton trailer and it doesn't even know it is there.

I go on long trips to Spain each year with full confidence.

I also get about 30 MPG.

This Disco should be good for 250K miles if looked after.

You will get odd oil seal leaks and bulbs etc, but which car is perfect?

Good choice no matter what the other Moaning Minnies say.

My 300 had 204K on clock when I sold it and had only 16 new heads and 12 new handles so I bought a TD5 with 130K on clock. I expect bits to wear out or fall of but most parts are readily available and comparative in cost provided you shop around and avoid Dealerships.