Maddmatt
Explorer
6 month update - radiator replaced
8 month update - new tires
Running Total: $$6,518 (includes consumables: Tires, Oil Changes, etc...)
Thought I'd take a minute to post my experiences with the new-to-me Discovery 2 (2000) that I picked up in July - just trying to share some of things that I had questions about before I jumped into the green oval.
Background - average to fair shade tree mechanic, but coming from the "drive it and forget" world of long term Toyota and Nissan ownership.
Vehicle - 2000 Discovery 2, 130k, purchased from original owner with solid maintenance history (Carfax verified) - original owner had switched from dealer maintenance to "I know this great Audi mechanic" maintenance over the last 3-4 years of ownership......
Nearly perfect interior, some bubbles in the headliner but no rips, sunroofs don't leak, all switchgear works, fair tires, very clean seats and carpet, original window sticker (5 seat, upgraded audio, air-suspension delete)
Paid $3800 - which was on the mid to high side for the years and miles in this area (Colorado) at the time, was willing to pay for the zero rust, zero rips, zero wet dog smell car.
Known issues when I bought it:
SES Light on
3 Amigos on
Poor install job on aftermarket stereo
Broken headlight squirter, driver's side
Mistakes made:
Not yet sure if this was a mistake, but I bought it without a pre-purchase inspection. This wasn't the first Rover I looked at, and it was definitely the cleanest - 2 other guys showed up while I was test driving it, so I threw the dice.
Best discovery: Atlantic British - I honestly don't know if their pricing is good, bad or otherwise - light research I've done says it's fair to good, but I'm willing to pay a bit more for the resource - these guys have a short, simple video for just about everything - has been a huge money saver. Not being compensated, I've never even spoken to those guys, but very happy with every order I've made.
So, on to the repair process:.
First step, after getting plates and insurance, was to the local Land Rover dealer for a "post" purchase inspection and oil change - decided I needed to know what I did. Results were basically positive, in addition to the known issues we uncovered some new issues:
New Issues:
Onboard computer won't communicate with the code reader
Worn Steering Linkage
Leaky radiator
Small transfer case drip
First step was to have the dealer replace the worn steering linkage and then do an alignment.
Cost: Inspection, Oil Change, Steering Linkage, Alignment: $560
Hopefully that's the worst of it......
Next: Woke up 2 days in a row to a dead battery - funny that wasn't noticed during inspection.... $114 at Wallyworld (only place open at 7:00 on a Sunday morning - wife was out of town with the Xterra, so I took the Ninja, dead battery strapped on the back)
Now, how to figure out that SES light.... On to JC British in Denver - really nice guys, spend several hours on the truck, and while they couldn't figure out why the computer won't communicate, they were able to jump some connections and figure out that the code was for the upstream O2 sensors... Cost $150 and service was great, will keep them in mind when it needs something bigger than I can handle...
Now to get my hands dirty - first up, O2 sensors. Easy to do, hard to reach - couple hours in the driveway, most of that time spent trying to unplug the wire harness clips - very hard for me to reach, but instant fix (SES went out and stayed out). While I was at it, replaced the driver's side headlight squirter. Cost $180 for both sensors, O2 Sensor socket, headlight squirter and shipping - Atlantic British
Now the big one - Three Amigos. I did a lot of reading on this issue prior to, during and after my purchase - Both the dealer and JC British wanted in the neighborhood of $2k to fix - but I knew this was one of the big gambles with this truck - the Shuttle Valve is only about $80, which is less then the cost of having the codes pulled at the dealer. If they can even pull the codes, because we still don't know what's going on with that computer interface. So, once again, I watched the video a couple times and ordered the part. Was actually an easy repair (without removing the ABS block) - took about an hour and instant fix - 3 Amigos are gone!! Cost: $80 - Atlantic British
Here's a weird one - I didn't notice during my test drive, (although it became obvious once I saw it) and the dealer didn't point out during their inspection, but JC British noticed right away - the "great Audi mechanic" the original owner had been using, had replaced a very custom to Rover Radiator vent hose with a length of stock 1/4"ID fuel line. No big deal, there's very little pressure in this line, it just connects the coolant reservoir with the radiator, but he did it in such a sloppy way that it was literally laying between the top of the engine and the hood - once it was pointed out to me, wear marks were clearly visible.... Weird thing is - this is a $34 part. While I was ordering it, I also got a new light bulb for the clock, and a new boot for the parking brake. Total Cost: $51, again, Atlantic British, 2 hours total for all three parts - hardest part was getting the clock out - of course there are plenty of videos on line - it really does take 2 credit cards and a lot of luck. Right before you are ready to accept that it's impossible, and that you just don't get to see the time at night, the clock pops right out in your hand.
Back to the "great Audi mechanic" - a couple other sloppy things have come up - when he did the head gaskets, apparently he never put the mounting bolt back in the dipstick holder, so it was just swaying around in there - new bolt, cost = free. He also didn't replace the coils or plug wires - easy and relatively cheap when you already have the heads off, turns out it's about 5 hours of labor when you don't - so we'll hope those hold up for awhile. Can't wait to see what other shortcuts he took.
On to the radio - if I had a Civic with a Coffee Can exhaust and blue lights on the windshield washer squirters, I would love this red and blue lighted Alpine unit the original owner put in - but I wouldn't love the half way install job (it falls out at railroad tracks) or the fact that he just plugged the high out-put leads right into the factory Harmon Kardon system - and it gets horrible radio reception. So it's staticky, over-boosted, doesn't look right and it falls out. Sweet. Wonder if his same Audi buddy did that install. Anyway, found an original headunit on Craigslist for $45 - plugged right in, didn't even need codes, sound is fantastic, steering wheel controls work again, etc... Cost $45 and shout out to Matt at Roadside Werx in Denver, seems like a standup guy. Alpine is in a shoebox in the garage, will be the perfect headunit for a different project. Some day.
But why is it so dusty? Took it on a dirt road, cabin instantly filled with dust. A little research and I discovered that the cabin pollen filter is probably original - most of it is missing and what is there falls apart when I touch it. $37 from, you guessed it, Atlantic British - part is in the mail.
Next up: Radiator. The leak is very slow, and comes from a uniquely poor design - the screws at the top of the radiator are poorly spec'd by Landrover - they look like something you might find in your yard after a hail storm comes through and the neighbors use one of those storm chaser crews to do a shoddy job of replacing their gutters. I've tried a few different types of RTV - but it's all one piece, the radiator has to go.
Then - Transfer case - will only engage low after the battery has been disconnected, which tells me the electronic lock-out has failed (known issue) - when I get around to fixing the leak, I'll also remove the lockout and swap the shift knob and linkage with one from an '04, which will activate the hidden locking transfer case.
Tires - Tires are fine, but I like great. This can wait a bit though, trying to keep the money burn at a low roar.
Eventually - front sunroof. Opens great and doesn't leak, but gets hung up in the closing process -
Plans: Currently my daily driver (my beloved Xterra is in the hands of my wife), going to continue playing with it over the winter, make sure it's safe and sound, and then hand it over to my oldest daughter when she turns 16 next summer.
So far, after 4 months and about 4k miles, I'm into it for about $5k including purchase, and daily drive it - to be honest, as a daily driver it's not as comfortable, or as fast, as my Xterra, and gets even worse gas mileage - but I love it. Everybody has their own opinions, but for me, other than the Defender, which is not in the realm of reality for me, this is the best Landrover body style - it has soul and potential and, even though it's had issues, has not let us down. I know the engine is a wild card, but as I get the maintenance back under control, it looks, sounds, drives and smells like an engine that has a lot of life left in it.
I don't know if this will be helpful to anybody, but it's the kind of thing I was looking for when I was searching....
6 month update -
Replaced Radiator, Thermostat and lower radiator hose, $385 from Atlantic British, plus consumables (coolant, shoprags, etc...)
That's a job - LandRover quoted me 3-3.5 hours, and halfway through I almost took them up on it. Took me about 6, beginning to end. Followed the service manual step by step - broke a couple scrivets (I hate those things, kind of little plastic breakable things, Rover loves them). Only change I made was that I elected to not remove the fan, and not unhook the oil cooler, kind of a strange "snap together" fitting, which seems a weird choice for something under pressure.... It is definitely possible to replace the radiator this way - it might have taken me some extra time, but was negligible in the long run. I made that oil-cooler fitting mad anyway jostling it around, so had a definite oil leak when I was done. Turn out that it's not leaking but oil is coming from somewhere. At this point I'm just going to drive around with a couple bottles of 5/30 and check it every week.
So that's it, truck runs great, still happy I bought it - and very happy to save yet another $1k vs the dealer quote.
8 month update:
New Tires: BFG ATs in stock size 255/55/18: $968. I know I said the tires were fine, but we had an ice storm, and the rover had to fully engage traction control to get up my 20 foot long, barely sloping driveway into the garage. The same driveway that the Xterra walked up in 2-wheel drive. So the tires had to go. With my wife and one daughter, soon to be two daughters, driving this vehicle, in a place that can go from 70 degrees to 12" of snow on the ground in 24 hours - I don't mess around with tires. The BFGs have been great to me on many trucks - although I do find the Goodyear Duratracs to be amazing in the snow. Unfortunately they don't make them in this size - my local Discount has been really good to me over the years (and me to them) and they brought in the Duratracs in the next size up and test fit - but they rubbed considerably. So I went with the BFGs - looks pretty good...
Then - I almost thought I had a major issue yesterday - stopped to get a coffee, and when I came out there was obvious coolant dripping from the engine - scary moment but it turns out that the lower radiator hose had come loose. Totally my fault, must have forgotten to check when I put the new radiator, and this hose, in a couple months ago. 10 minutes, $12 worth of coolant and feeling pretty lucky. Since I put that radiator in, I've driven through deep snow, up to ski areas, through city traffic..... basically 1,000+ miles of driving, that hose could have popped off anywhere. Very lucky it happened at the coffee shop 1 mile from my house.
Next issue: Very slow brake fluid leak. I'm feeling like its coming from the junction between the master cylinder and the brake fluid reservoir. Probably take it to a shop for this one, after doing some on-line investigation I'm thinking I'll never get the brakes bled properly when I'm done. Will update after that is complete.
8 month update - new tires
Running Total: $$6,518 (includes consumables: Tires, Oil Changes, etc...)
Thought I'd take a minute to post my experiences with the new-to-me Discovery 2 (2000) that I picked up in July - just trying to share some of things that I had questions about before I jumped into the green oval.
Background - average to fair shade tree mechanic, but coming from the "drive it and forget" world of long term Toyota and Nissan ownership.
Vehicle - 2000 Discovery 2, 130k, purchased from original owner with solid maintenance history (Carfax verified) - original owner had switched from dealer maintenance to "I know this great Audi mechanic" maintenance over the last 3-4 years of ownership......
Nearly perfect interior, some bubbles in the headliner but no rips, sunroofs don't leak, all switchgear works, fair tires, very clean seats and carpet, original window sticker (5 seat, upgraded audio, air-suspension delete)
Paid $3800 - which was on the mid to high side for the years and miles in this area (Colorado) at the time, was willing to pay for the zero rust, zero rips, zero wet dog smell car.
Known issues when I bought it:
SES Light on
3 Amigos on
Poor install job on aftermarket stereo
Broken headlight squirter, driver's side
Mistakes made:
Not yet sure if this was a mistake, but I bought it without a pre-purchase inspection. This wasn't the first Rover I looked at, and it was definitely the cleanest - 2 other guys showed up while I was test driving it, so I threw the dice.
Best discovery: Atlantic British - I honestly don't know if their pricing is good, bad or otherwise - light research I've done says it's fair to good, but I'm willing to pay a bit more for the resource - these guys have a short, simple video for just about everything - has been a huge money saver. Not being compensated, I've never even spoken to those guys, but very happy with every order I've made.
So, on to the repair process:.
First step, after getting plates and insurance, was to the local Land Rover dealer for a "post" purchase inspection and oil change - decided I needed to know what I did. Results were basically positive, in addition to the known issues we uncovered some new issues:
New Issues:
Onboard computer won't communicate with the code reader
Worn Steering Linkage
Leaky radiator
Small transfer case drip
First step was to have the dealer replace the worn steering linkage and then do an alignment.
Cost: Inspection, Oil Change, Steering Linkage, Alignment: $560
Hopefully that's the worst of it......
Next: Woke up 2 days in a row to a dead battery - funny that wasn't noticed during inspection.... $114 at Wallyworld (only place open at 7:00 on a Sunday morning - wife was out of town with the Xterra, so I took the Ninja, dead battery strapped on the back)
Now, how to figure out that SES light.... On to JC British in Denver - really nice guys, spend several hours on the truck, and while they couldn't figure out why the computer won't communicate, they were able to jump some connections and figure out that the code was for the upstream O2 sensors... Cost $150 and service was great, will keep them in mind when it needs something bigger than I can handle...
Now to get my hands dirty - first up, O2 sensors. Easy to do, hard to reach - couple hours in the driveway, most of that time spent trying to unplug the wire harness clips - very hard for me to reach, but instant fix (SES went out and stayed out). While I was at it, replaced the driver's side headlight squirter. Cost $180 for both sensors, O2 Sensor socket, headlight squirter and shipping - Atlantic British
Now the big one - Three Amigos. I did a lot of reading on this issue prior to, during and after my purchase - Both the dealer and JC British wanted in the neighborhood of $2k to fix - but I knew this was one of the big gambles with this truck - the Shuttle Valve is only about $80, which is less then the cost of having the codes pulled at the dealer. If they can even pull the codes, because we still don't know what's going on with that computer interface. So, once again, I watched the video a couple times and ordered the part. Was actually an easy repair (without removing the ABS block) - took about an hour and instant fix - 3 Amigos are gone!! Cost: $80 - Atlantic British
Here's a weird one - I didn't notice during my test drive, (although it became obvious once I saw it) and the dealer didn't point out during their inspection, but JC British noticed right away - the "great Audi mechanic" the original owner had been using, had replaced a very custom to Rover Radiator vent hose with a length of stock 1/4"ID fuel line. No big deal, there's very little pressure in this line, it just connects the coolant reservoir with the radiator, but he did it in such a sloppy way that it was literally laying between the top of the engine and the hood - once it was pointed out to me, wear marks were clearly visible.... Weird thing is - this is a $34 part. While I was ordering it, I also got a new light bulb for the clock, and a new boot for the parking brake. Total Cost: $51, again, Atlantic British, 2 hours total for all three parts - hardest part was getting the clock out - of course there are plenty of videos on line - it really does take 2 credit cards and a lot of luck. Right before you are ready to accept that it's impossible, and that you just don't get to see the time at night, the clock pops right out in your hand.
Back to the "great Audi mechanic" - a couple other sloppy things have come up - when he did the head gaskets, apparently he never put the mounting bolt back in the dipstick holder, so it was just swaying around in there - new bolt, cost = free. He also didn't replace the coils or plug wires - easy and relatively cheap when you already have the heads off, turns out it's about 5 hours of labor when you don't - so we'll hope those hold up for awhile. Can't wait to see what other shortcuts he took.
On to the radio - if I had a Civic with a Coffee Can exhaust and blue lights on the windshield washer squirters, I would love this red and blue lighted Alpine unit the original owner put in - but I wouldn't love the half way install job (it falls out at railroad tracks) or the fact that he just plugged the high out-put leads right into the factory Harmon Kardon system - and it gets horrible radio reception. So it's staticky, over-boosted, doesn't look right and it falls out. Sweet. Wonder if his same Audi buddy did that install. Anyway, found an original headunit on Craigslist for $45 - plugged right in, didn't even need codes, sound is fantastic, steering wheel controls work again, etc... Cost $45 and shout out to Matt at Roadside Werx in Denver, seems like a standup guy. Alpine is in a shoebox in the garage, will be the perfect headunit for a different project. Some day.
But why is it so dusty? Took it on a dirt road, cabin instantly filled with dust. A little research and I discovered that the cabin pollen filter is probably original - most of it is missing and what is there falls apart when I touch it. $37 from, you guessed it, Atlantic British - part is in the mail.
Next up: Radiator. The leak is very slow, and comes from a uniquely poor design - the screws at the top of the radiator are poorly spec'd by Landrover - they look like something you might find in your yard after a hail storm comes through and the neighbors use one of those storm chaser crews to do a shoddy job of replacing their gutters. I've tried a few different types of RTV - but it's all one piece, the radiator has to go.
Then - Transfer case - will only engage low after the battery has been disconnected, which tells me the electronic lock-out has failed (known issue) - when I get around to fixing the leak, I'll also remove the lockout and swap the shift knob and linkage with one from an '04, which will activate the hidden locking transfer case.
Tires - Tires are fine, but I like great. This can wait a bit though, trying to keep the money burn at a low roar.
Eventually - front sunroof. Opens great and doesn't leak, but gets hung up in the closing process -
Plans: Currently my daily driver (my beloved Xterra is in the hands of my wife), going to continue playing with it over the winter, make sure it's safe and sound, and then hand it over to my oldest daughter when she turns 16 next summer.
So far, after 4 months and about 4k miles, I'm into it for about $5k including purchase, and daily drive it - to be honest, as a daily driver it's not as comfortable, or as fast, as my Xterra, and gets even worse gas mileage - but I love it. Everybody has their own opinions, but for me, other than the Defender, which is not in the realm of reality for me, this is the best Landrover body style - it has soul and potential and, even though it's had issues, has not let us down. I know the engine is a wild card, but as I get the maintenance back under control, it looks, sounds, drives and smells like an engine that has a lot of life left in it.
I don't know if this will be helpful to anybody, but it's the kind of thing I was looking for when I was searching....
6 month update -
Replaced Radiator, Thermostat and lower radiator hose, $385 from Atlantic British, plus consumables (coolant, shoprags, etc...)
That's a job - LandRover quoted me 3-3.5 hours, and halfway through I almost took them up on it. Took me about 6, beginning to end. Followed the service manual step by step - broke a couple scrivets (I hate those things, kind of little plastic breakable things, Rover loves them). Only change I made was that I elected to not remove the fan, and not unhook the oil cooler, kind of a strange "snap together" fitting, which seems a weird choice for something under pressure.... It is definitely possible to replace the radiator this way - it might have taken me some extra time, but was negligible in the long run. I made that oil-cooler fitting mad anyway jostling it around, so had a definite oil leak when I was done. Turn out that it's not leaking but oil is coming from somewhere. At this point I'm just going to drive around with a couple bottles of 5/30 and check it every week.
So that's it, truck runs great, still happy I bought it - and very happy to save yet another $1k vs the dealer quote.
8 month update:
New Tires: BFG ATs in stock size 255/55/18: $968. I know I said the tires were fine, but we had an ice storm, and the rover had to fully engage traction control to get up my 20 foot long, barely sloping driveway into the garage. The same driveway that the Xterra walked up in 2-wheel drive. So the tires had to go. With my wife and one daughter, soon to be two daughters, driving this vehicle, in a place that can go from 70 degrees to 12" of snow on the ground in 24 hours - I don't mess around with tires. The BFGs have been great to me on many trucks - although I do find the Goodyear Duratracs to be amazing in the snow. Unfortunately they don't make them in this size - my local Discount has been really good to me over the years (and me to them) and they brought in the Duratracs in the next size up and test fit - but they rubbed considerably. So I went with the BFGs - looks pretty good...
Then - I almost thought I had a major issue yesterday - stopped to get a coffee, and when I came out there was obvious coolant dripping from the engine - scary moment but it turns out that the lower radiator hose had come loose. Totally my fault, must have forgotten to check when I put the new radiator, and this hose, in a couple months ago. 10 minutes, $12 worth of coolant and feeling pretty lucky. Since I put that radiator in, I've driven through deep snow, up to ski areas, through city traffic..... basically 1,000+ miles of driving, that hose could have popped off anywhere. Very lucky it happened at the coffee shop 1 mile from my house.
Next issue: Very slow brake fluid leak. I'm feeling like its coming from the junction between the master cylinder and the brake fluid reservoir. Probably take it to a shop for this one, after doing some on-line investigation I'm thinking I'll never get the brakes bled properly when I'm done. Will update after that is complete.
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