Long term LR3/Discovery 3 build for everyday life

[MrWesson]

I bought this LR3 for a few good reasons.

1. I thought we were moving to Denver(we aren't )
2. We had 2 Luxury cars which was redundant.
3. I like to play off road.
4. I'd owned 2 jeep WJ's and wanted something different.
5. Because I could.
6. I got a killer deal.. 06' HSE, 120k miles in my favorite color green for $7,500.

Purpose.

Daily Driver.
Off road fun.
Occasional Camping.
Dog hauler.
Home depot runs.

My wants/plans.

Small lift to clear 32" tires.
18" wheels for tire choice(Check)
Roof rack.
Hidden Winch. (check)
Aggressive tires(cant decide between AT or MT due to north FL mud).
Tablet/mount. The truck has navigation but i'm using my phone for music. Kills 2 birds.. Other than being very out of date the Nav isn't that bad at all. I'm going to put a Galaxy tab in there(love android) and as a bonus the voice recognition is amazing even with screen off.


Things I need.

IIDtool Right now I'm using a delphi tool which gives me alot of capability(calibrate suspension, clear ABS, scan and clear all codes from climate to engine/not a standard obdII scanner). I've been getting by but I want a lift and the IIdtool covers that and gives me more scan capability and on the fly lift. Bad timing as I bought the truck cash and have a upcoming European vacation(and some other big ticket spending). Its next though.

Tires. Once again I cant decide.

Roof rack. Haven't done much research yet... Too much else to do.


Maintenance.

Flush/change all fluids(check)
Brake pads(front done/rears pending)
Spark plugs(check/runs better now)
Eas compressor dryer(kit here/being lazy)
New belts.
Chase down whirr/bearing sound and I really hope its not the rear axle. I changed the fluid and did it again to flush.. Didn't like what I saw(wasn't terrible but still)
Outside detail/wax.. I'm no snob but she cleans up very nice. This was mostly so I can get the mud off easier

Repairs pending/made

Passenger window regulator acting funny
Fixed driver window regulator(clips broke/JB weld BABY) They don't sell the clips alone BTW. I broke it when on 3 wheels and getting out to take a picture. HARD slam of the door. As a tip never slam the door hard with the window down.. The clips are well designed but IMO have to take too much side to side force(no upper support of window).
Rust everywhere(mostly surface) treated with Oshpo and painted(holding up very well).
Rear latch was a mess so I just removed the rubber/activator and have been pushing the tiny button for now(i'll snap a pic).
Worn out leather on drivers seat.(fixed/incredible results)
Cover/headliner falling only on the pillars above the dash.. This one was incredibly simple. Tear off liner, Remove glue, and reveal the same color underneath(and material). This was a headscratcher as to why they even bothered.



Gripes..

Range.. Its terrible and I want an long range tank but havent done research as to cost or even if its doable.
Aux input in the back? That's stupid but probably an easy fix. Doesn't help that it is touchy(sometimes only left speakers work).
Folding the seats down and back up is a pain in the ***. No easy fix there so I just leave them all down until friday night when we carpool with friends.

AC took a long time to get cold. I live in North FL which is the hottest place in FL during the summer(regular 99 degree days with high humidity). Turned out to be too much freon in the system so using my manifold gauges I removed some and recovered it. Works awesome now.

 

[MrWesson]

Pics incoming having trouble with host site.

 

[ColoDisco]

Sounds like a solid plan. Might check rear wheel bearings. It is rare to have a rear diff issue on these.

Aux input on these suck. Probably bad and needs replacement.

Frontrunner makes a extended range tank, Ray G on here is going to install his when he gets back to the states, I am awaiting his results to decide if I want one or not. I'd recommend a good MT for Florida. You want the mud to clear.

 

[Ray_G]

Aux input sucks, there are some solutions to either fix the existing absurdly placed aux port, or move it elsewhere. I got this: Aux adapter & have been very happy with the being able to listen to the aux without jiggling the wire all the time.

As noted I've got a Frontrunner aux tank sourced out here that I postponed install on till I get her back to CONUS for a variety of reasons; will be interesting to see how it works with NAS evap stuff but all of that is a few months away on my end.

Welcome to the insanity!
r-
Ray

 

[MrWesson]

First off the seats. I restored them using Furniture Clinic repair kit. $75 is everything you need to do the front 2 seats. I'll skip the long/short of it and say its world class stuff used on many forums on much more expensive cars than the LR3.

Before

After

 

[Victory_Overland]

Welcome

Welcome to the party.................Rover on my friend! :smiley_drive:

 

[KMET]

MrWesson, as you ingested the Kool-Aide, it burn?

Did you change transmission fluid as well? if so, thoughts?

I ask because I'll be changing mine next few days/weeks...

 

[MrWesson]

MrWesson, as you ingested the Kool-Aide, it burn?

Did you change transmission fluid as well? if so, thoughts?

I ask because I'll be changing mine next few days/weeks...

I ordered the pan/ drained what I could and used Ford Mercon SP(same as lifeguard 6 but much cheaper). Shifts great but I wasn't really having any issues prior.

My opinion in the do what I say not what I do sense is to order a pan for a BMW X5 4.4(metal) so you can buy a cheap filter and change more frequently(vs the filter/pan combo). If I had gone this route i'd do a flush with the Mercon fluid, drive 1,000 miles or so, then drain/refil(maybe even one more time) and still come out cheaper than stock pan/ZF lifeguard 6.

If I knew then what I know now.

 

[MrWesson]

Next decision I need to make is.

Tires..

Should I stick with stock size tire/stock height suspension only raising it when I need it with the IIDtool or 32" tires with enough lift to clear them.

The choice seems obvious as bigger = better in most off road situations but for a few reasons i'm hesitating.

1. The range is already terrible and larger tires/height will make it worse I haven't calculated my distance on a tank but @ 22 gallons @ 12/13mpg(mixed off road/road) doesn't go far.

2. Correct me if i'm wrong but with a solid axle vehicle(all i've owned) raising the suspension does nothing unless you can get the pumpkin higher in the air(axle) and the only way to do that is larger tires but with Independent suspension like on the LR3 the suspension actually raises everything together. I can get major clearance in super extended mode(all I'd ever need) and doubt i'd miss the 1" from tires.


Either way I will be getting as aggressive tread pattern as I can find for the size I need so I should be able to attain the "look" I want(separating me from soccer moms).

What do you guys think and what did going from stock size to 32" do for your MPG?

 

[MrWesson]

Figured i'd post up some pictures of my "repair".

Basically installed my hidden winch and cut a hole in the wrong spot int he bumper....

After doing some touch up paint on my other car with an aerosol kit I got some confidence and went out and bought a cheapo harbor freight paint gun, had carquest mix up some oem matching paint and got to work.

Typical me fashion I forgot to take a before picture so here's the earliest pic I have.

You can see the drill hole and hole I made with the hole saw.

Putty that came with the touch up kit(just light bondo I think).

Painted then sanding back down/reapplied more putty(not sure why/probably rushed)

This is after basecoat

I sprayed aerosol clear because its what I had due to poor planning. I love my truck, respect that its classy but it cost $7,500 and will be treated as such .

After 2000 grit sandpaper, 3M cutting compound and Nufinish.

You can still notice the hole under extreme angles and certain light but for $30 for paint and a $15 paint gun i'm happy.

 

[MrWesson]

Here's a video you guys might enjoy.

Showing off super extended mode, doing some sand/dirt crawling, absolutely burying it in the nastiest mud i've ever seen, losing a shoe, and recovery(of the shoe and the LR3).

 

[MrWesson]

Added 31.5" Cooper AT's and IIDTool lift.

Yesterday I was preparing a poser shot(not the one in the picture) on a rock(found the only one in FL) and damaged my front rocker/fender. Got the tire on the rock and felt the tip going the other way.. I was safe from a rollover but it sure felt like it was going.. Panicked and crunched it. I wonder if I can find the plastic piece somewhere.

Ouch.

Was worth it though.. Great time!

 

[zelatore]

Is it just the little plastic trim piece that appears to be missing behind the front passenger tire? If so it's nothing to worry about - an easy part to replace. Finding one may be a little harder but if you can find a truck in a pick-n-pull it just snaps off. Otherwise you might try British Recyclers here in California. I think he has a couple LR3s on hand currently. It's the wrong side of the country for you but the part is small and light so shipping shouldn't be bad.

http://britishrecyclers.com/ Ask for Justin; he's the owner and Rover guy.

 

[MrWesson]

Is it just the little plastic trim piece that appears to be missing behind the front passenger tire? If so it's nothing to worry about - an easy part to replace. Finding one may be a little harder but if you can find a truck in a pick-n-pull it just snaps off. Otherwise you might try British Recyclers here in California. I think he has a couple LR3s on hand currently. It's the wrong side of the country for you but the part is small and light so shipping shouldn't be bad.

http://britishrecyclers.com/ Ask for Justin; he's the owner and Rover guy.

Thanks!

Its the plastic part and also it wrinkled the plastic rocker under the door. I also crunched the aluminum under the door against the frame but no big deal.

I'll have a better idea later today when I can try to put it back on.

 

[zelatore]

If you know anybody installing/who has installed Tactical Rovers sliders they cover that area up and you remove most of the stock plastic to install them anyway so perhaps they might have the part you want laying around. The wouldn't have the external part that is missing in the pic as that gets cut down and re-used, but it's an idea. I think I tossed most of the stock plastic bits of 'rocker protection' when I installed my sliders and I suspect most others do as well.