SLROC Forum

i am in the market for a disco 3  whats the bad points to look out for?

I too am contemplating a change to a more comfortable vehicle so will be watching this thread with interest.

Reputable service history for one, they are not repairable by just anyone and fitting cheapo parts is a no no.

Suspension gets periodic replacments of various links and bushes - check this is not imminent and/or price accordingly. Parts are nigh on a grand alone. The air bags also will need replacement after so many mile/years, need to research what this is and what the costs are.

Brakes the same as above, not a cheap replacement job.

Other than that the usual electrical checks of everything 3 times and cross your fingers!

i have been looking at some prices compared to running my td5 most are comparable some are way cheaper and some are waaaaay dearer.
suspension arms are around £70 plus vat
discs £68 pads £35
handbrake actuator £400   apparently common failure.
suspension compressor £250 , thought that was cheap?
wheel bearing £90 compared to td5 at £150
filter kit £45 or less for sh1tpart

handbrake actuator £400   apparently common failure.

find out how to change that, not easy

some things on them are very hard to get to, which leads to big money

Great car, had one for nearly 5 years now.

I'd recommend finding one with a FSH that way you can at least track what's been done. I'd also recommend  buying one from a fellow enthusiast, if you haven't done already keep an eye on Disco3.co.uk they do come up depending on budget.

Keeping it serviced and looking after it will keep the big bills away. Anything at 7 years or 105k will require the big service, belts etc. just had mine done - £630 which you'll find difficult to beat. it's just your luck, I've never had anything major.

Also, to keep costs down there are loads of how to's on the Disco3 forum which if you are half confident you could save yourself £££££££'s.

Mines is 7 years old now, still looks the part and wouldn't even consider getting rid!

If you need anymore info give me a shout. DaveT, BrianT and a few others on here have D3's and they feel the same about them!

Hope this helps

Stephen

dont get one of the the original ones    unless it has had mega money spent on it     tyres only last 20000 or even less    tracking costs a fortune

....and if you get a black one you'll forever have folk shouting " Taxi"

 

Fab mulit purpose vehicle like already said make sure it has full service
check it out, for lights on dash, lower arms and anti roll bar bushes.
As Stephen O said join disco 3 forum they have all the answers and fixes that you may ever need.

All the information you could possibly ever need is on the [url]http://disco3.co.uk/forum/ [url/] forum.

thanks for the tips guys have been reading the disco 3 forum as well.

we i have bit the bullet and bought a 55 plate disco 3 with 50k on the clock, it has full service history half from landrover and half from a local garage in aucterarder  knocked £800 off the price when i pointed out the belts were due, we had a bit of an argument over it as his  book says 105k miles, but i pointed out the 84 months/age change.
had a good play with all the suspension up and down and all the electricary, handbrake on and off many times too so all seems well . collect on saturday hopefully.

Piper, welcome to the D3 world, you'll love it! Look forward to you sharing some photos?

Graeme

dont get one of the the original ones    unless it has had mega money spent on it     tyres only last 20000 or even less    tracking costs a fortune

Surely, the tyres life is dependant on type and usage ie high motorway miles? Most D3's were supplied with Pirelli Scorpion Zeros as standard which will give you anywhere between 20-30k, I currently run the new Grabber AT's and some have reported 35k on these. Also, Cooper ST or STT's are reported to be returning anywhere between 40-50k.

As for tracking or alignment, costs vary and are of course negotiable. Strathearn are now doing it at a very reasonable price and are able to put the car into "tight tolerance mode" as well, which is advised. A local dealer charged me £135 last year which you'll find is very competitive.

You mention the early models which I would advise to go for as these had the original wiring looms etc and you are able to spec up quite considerably with extras if your budget doesnt stretch to an HSE model. Most of the newer models, post MY07 ( I think) you only got what you paid for so being able to add extras is just a no no.

You will always spend money on whatever car you buy in order to maintain it hence why I mentioned FSH etc to look out for. For me, if you want to own and enjoy a high calibre car such as a D3 then you need to expect to shell out a few quid now and again but these costs don't outweigh the enjoyment of the ownership vs any other car!

Stephen

with the age of them now you will not be going to the main dealers      but when you buy new  you are kind of restricted to use them to keep the warranty up   20000 miles was the max from two sets of tyres on the disco    knocking suppension feathering of the inside of the tyres and bmw has the same problem    all the dealer did was fob you off till the waranty expired    then hope you will get it fixed at there prices   at least the old discos and rangies you could track with a measuring tape and not scrub the tyres off       went down to rugby once and by the time i came back the outer edge of the rear tyre was down to the cords

Agree with your comments on dealers, varying levels of service and competance in mechanics, sorry technicians! . I think there may be an element of "fobbing off" but having read a lot of misdiagnosis on some forums it's scary. These forums are great for information and it will supply you with ammunition when visiting your local dealer. I'd love to see what training they receive as I firmly believe it must be weighted on the electrical/engine management side of things and not the pure mechanics. I mentioned Strathearns earlier, they are very competitive in price and have an able mechanic there when it comes to D3's.

Not good to restrict the use of a D3, great for driving days & GRR's, you need to remember they are built for off road use and have all the kit to cope with it. Mud plugging is a different story and that's why some of us have Defenders.

It's not just bad tracking that will wear your tyres of course, the complicated air suspension system will always play a part which is why if you keep on top of it and have it checked on a regular basis you shouldn't need to keep forking out for tyres.

Stephen

so now i have purchased the motor , what is available for them as regards manuals, diagnostics , accessories.
with my td5 i upgraded a few bits like adding cruise control. i see haynes have a manual in the offing for september