Buying a 1998 Discovery 1 Tomorrow!!!!!!!

[jwlester]

If you can work on bikes, and can follow the instructions in the RAVE, you can fix anything that ever needs fixed on a Rover...time, money, and tools allowing. You've stumbled onto the very reason rovers depreciate so quickly and why many of us love the brand so much. Not everyone understands them and most don't have a clue. There are roughly two types of people in this world (i'm generalizing here I know, so forgive me). Those that buy an appliance and getting something at a great deal or something interesting doesn't come into the equation. Then those of us that like the obscure, misunderstood, cult following that we can work on ourselves and get a screaming deal on top notch machinery.

Again, not trying to tell you that this is the rover for you, but wanted to confirm what I think you are starting to see about this obsession. No different than certain other autos or motorcycles. People always ask me how I can afford my "fleet" and I'm very proud to point out that I don't pay the dealer to work on them and I paid less (cash always) for the "fleet" than they paid for their one car, which they will trade in at a huge loss at end of 3 years or so. I like the things that others are scared of or overlooked simply because they don't understand.

 

[jpc1818]

Once you get it all fixed up, you will not regret it.
Its a love-hate relationship...., mostly love though.

 

[JeremyT101]

Update: Have all the papers ready for the focus, have two interested buyers, it may be gone by tomorrow. (yay) I just called a guy who owns a shop specializing in Rover's here in Ontario. About 60km north of where I live. He seemed like an awesome guy and explained to me almost all of the issues over the phone. He even knows of my Disco and has seen it before I think. He knew about the washer issue even, and how it was done. There could be some hope guys! I'm going to get it towed his shop and he said he would get me under it and we would figure it all out.

 

[JeremyT101]

Next update: The focus is SOLD. I'm thinking I'm going to take the LR to that guys shop this week to get the ball rolling on getting this thing on the road. I took down all the ads for it when I took down the ads for the Focus. I didn't think after everything that happened it was worth it to trade one devil i know at least something about for another devil I know nothing about. Will keep you guys informed on the issues with the LR as they happen.

 

[JeremyT101]

Decisions Decisions. Just got back from the LR shop today. This guy was probably the best person I could have taken it to though. The whole inside of his shop was filled with rovers, jags, lambos, in every imaginable state of restoration and work. He gave my car a Very thorough look through. While the body is solid, and the engine is alright save for needing a good tune up, he enlightened me to an entire host of new issues that no mechanic except for one that works on Rovers could have. It needs: new rotors/pads on every corner, calipers rebuilt, rad rebuilt, new hoses, plugs, wires, new rear struts, a couple new engine sensors, and a new ignition cylinder. And then he has to dig into the electronics to fix the wiper bodge job (he even knew the guy that did it) and all the other light issues around the truck. This could then be complemented by a whole other list of 'small' fixes around the truck. Roughly speaking we are looking at 2500$CAD in parts alone, and so at least 5k all told. FML. He said that if I decided to sell the truck then I should give him a call first, I'm assuming he would just fix it and sell it again for probably 3x what I paid for it. You just don't see rovers rust free like mine apparently.

The end result is that if I fix the rover, all my trip funds are depleted so it seems to be a moot point anyways. Though, if I did sell it, no idea what else I would buy. The guy was pretty awesome though, real oldschool guy. he offered to have me come in on the weekends and work on the truck while it was in the shop and stuff, which was sweet, and said all i owe him for two hours of his time and talk was a good bottle of scotch, so i will have to get that to him. Five grand kind of changes the game though. My dad was there for the whole talk and I think they are still pushing to fix it, but I really don't know. The GF was pretty pissed off at me even though I feel I could have never known these issues even with taking it to another mechanic so i guess I dunno how to feel. Anyways, the saga continues I guess.

 

[LtFuzz]

Decisions Decisions. Just got back from the LR shop today. This guy was probably the best person I could have taken it to though. The whole inside of his shop was filled with rovers, jags, lambos, in every imaginable state of restoration and work. He gave my car a Very thorough look through. While the body is solid, and the engine is alright save for needing a good tune up, he enlightened me to an entire host of new issues that no mechanic except for one that works on Rovers could have. It needs: new rotors/pads on every corner, calipers rebuilt, rad rebuilt, new hoses, plugs, wires, new rear struts, a couple new engine sensors, and a new ignition cylinder. And then he has to dig into the electronics to fix the wiper bodge job (he even knew the guy that did it) and all the other light issues around the truck. This could then be complemented by a whole other list of 'small' fixes around the truck. Roughly speaking we are looking at 2500$CAD in parts alone, and so at least 5k all told. FML. He said that if I decided to sell the truck then I should give him a call first, I'm assuming he would just fix it and sell it again for probably 3x what I paid for it. You just don't see rovers rust free like mine apparently.

The end result is that if I fix the rover, all my trip funds are depleted so it seems to be a moot point anyways. Though, if I did sell it, no idea what else I would buy. The guy was pretty awesome though, real oldschool guy. he offered to have me come in on the weekends and work on the truck while it was in the shop and stuff, which was sweet, and said all i owe him for two hours of his time and talk was a good bottle of scotch, so i will have to get that to him. Five grand kind of changes the game though. My dad was there for the whole talk and I think they are still pushing to fix it, but I really don't know. The GF was pretty pissed off at me even though I feel I could have never known these issues even with taking it to another mechanic so i guess I dunno how to feel. Anyways, the saga continues I guess.

Rotors and pads you can do yourself easily.

What does he mean when he says "radiator rebuilt"? Do you need a new radiator? Why? If you actually need a new radiator, they are relatively cheap to replace and definitely easy to install.

New hoses, plugs, and wires are very easy to replace, even for a novice mechanic.

A "couple" engine sensors? Which "engine sensors"?

A "new" ignition cylinder?

$5k for the work/diagnosis you're describing seems a little excessive.

"Old school Rover guy" or not -- do your homework. $5,000 (USD and CAN dollar are on par now) worth of parts + labor is SERIOUS work, even on a Land Rover. The issues you're describing shouldn't come anywhere near the $5k mark. Contrary to popular belief, LR parts are not particularly expensive. He might be quoting you LR Genuine parts from the local dealership for everything he means to replace. These will be -- literally -- hundreds of dollars more than the same part you can get from a 3rd party. Perfect example was a tie rod I needed to replace recently -- $400 or so from the dealership; $150 from a 3rd party supplier.

DO. YOUR. HOMEWORK.

I'm not saying your mechanic is shady, but don't you dare buy parts directly (+ his markup) from Land Rover unless you absolutely have to. Discoverys are VERY basic trucks and easy to work on and there is a huge aftermarket for parts. They're a perfect platform to learn wrenching on -- don't be intimidated! Go on YouTube and type in your problem-set; i.e. "land rover brake pad removal". You'll get a dozen videos that show you how to service your Defender, Rangie, or Disco -- they're all the same.

These are not the rare, expensive, fragile trucks a lot of mechanics make them out to be, Jeremy. Do your research, get a decent set of tools, watch the myriad YouTube how-to videos, and hit up the forums for guidance when you lose your way and I guarantee you'll have that truck on the road for thousands less.

Good luck!

 

[JeremyT101]

I wanted to deal with all of your questions so my answers are in Bold
Rotors and pads you can do yourself easily.
Perhaps I could yes, but I have never taken a wheel off a car more then once to put on a spare on the highway when it popped. I don't have any jackstands/jacks/automotive tools, hell I don't even have the lug wrench for these wheels right now.
What does he mean when he says "radiator rebuilt"? Do you need a new radiator? Why? If you actually need a new radiator, they are relatively cheap to replace and definitely easy to install.
The whole bottom of the radiator has rusted away, and the mechanic said when you see all the pink dust on the engine block as was on mine thats when you know the radiator has to be done. He said since its a copper rad you can pull it and rebuild it for around 500$, if it was a D2 it would be garbage and be 1000$ I looked up the parts at atlantic british and this does seem to make sense
New hoses, plugs, and wires are very easy to replace, even for a novice mechanic.
Perhaps, but have never done that before, don't know the gapping, don't know how to drain the coolant yet even.
A "couple" engine sensors? Which "engine sensors"?
He went through this pretty quick so I can't remember all of them, the CPS, and perhaps the TPS were either the wrong ones or someone had bodged the job trying to fix it before
A "new" ignition cylinder?
Basically the issue with my ignition cylinder is that no one seems to be able to start it but me. There is a sort of trick, you gotta put your foot on the brake hard, push the key all the way in, pull it out a click and it starts. Apparently this is REALLY bad and there should not need to be any of this shinanagins done to it. They believed it could fail at almost any moment and I would be stuck with a dead truck
$5k for the work/diagnosis you're describing seems a little excessive.

"Old school Rover guy" or not -- do your homework. $5,000 (USD and CAN dollar are on par now) worth of parts + labor is SERIOUS work, even on a Land Rover. The issues you're describing shouldn't come anywhere near the $5k mark. Contrary to popular belief, LR parts are not particularly expensive. He might be quoting you LR Genuine parts from the local dealership for everything he means to replace. These will be -- literally -- hundreds of dollars more than the same part you can get from a 3rd party. Perfect example was a tie rod I needed to replace recently -- $400 or so from the dealership; $150 from a 3rd party supplier.

Yeah, five grand is alot of money, and I wish it wern't so believe me, but this truck has been dodged by some bad mechanics in the past and now I'm left trying to fix all of their ****ty mistakes, although selling it is of course still on the table. It just seems there are problems with almost every system and thats why the quote is so high, I mean hell 2500 in parts ALONE is expenisve, and i looked up the part costs on Atlantic british, Rovers North..ect

DO. YOUR. HOMEWORK.

I'm not saying your mechanic is shady, but don't you dare buy parts directly (+ his markup) from Land Rover unless you absolutely have to. Discoverys are VERY basic trucks and easy to work on and there is a huge aftermarket for parts. They're a perfect platform to learn wrenching on -- don't be intimidated! Go on YouTube and type in your problem-set; i.e. "land rover brake pad removal". You'll get a dozen videos that show you how to service your Defender, Rangie, or Disco -- they're all the same.

These are not the rare, expensive, fragile trucks a lot of mechanics make them out to be, Jeremy. Do your research, get a decent set of tools, watch the myriad YouTube how-to videos, and hit up the forums for guidance when you lose your way and I guarantee you'll have that truck on the road for thousands less.

Good luck!

I have been trying to do my homework well. This is the third tech I have taken it to, and the only proper rover guy in my area. He didn't even charge me for 2 hours of his time, just asked when/if i come back to him for a nice bottle of scotch. He gave me the number of his long time part supplier at Atlantic british/Budd's imported cars in my area told me to get on the phone call the guy find out all the prices for the parts and then i could make the best decision. He didn't quote me anything at the time really, I just found that all those parts put together with the rear struts and electrical work it and made the quote up myself. Generally with the other cars I have had it has been the labour is just about as expensive as the parts. There are lots of little things wrong with this car. My goal right now is just to get it to safety, but the engine does need a tune up, its got misfires...ect I felt the quote was quite high as well, and it hurts me more then i can put into words as I am a University student in fourth year so you can imagine the number in my bank account right now. It has been suggesting the whole, do it yourself mantra and while that is helpful and I would want to do Some of the work I simply don't know enough to dig into this car like people have been suggesting. I wouldn't have the foggiest idea even how to replace the rotors. The only cool thing he did suggest a number of times was for me to come down on the weekends and I could work on the truck at the shop and he would teach me how to do it so I could fix it off in the middle of no where. So the truck still sits in the driveway, I'm still takin the bus, and I'm continuing to be 21 and just stalling on making a choice.

Hope that helps a bit to enlighten you.

 

[Howski]

If you can't do pads and rotors yourself Rover ownership probably isn't for you... Without being able to work on it yourself, you will find Rover ownership very expensive. If you can do it yourself they're relatively inexpensive to own

 

[JeremyT101]

If you can't do pads and rotors yourself Rover ownership probably isn't for you... Without being able to work on it yourself, you will find Rover ownership very expensive. If you can do it yourself they're relatively inexpensive to own

Thanks mate so everyone has told me. Its probably the same with almost any SUV like this whether it be a Rover, Jeep, Ford, Chevy..whatever. Simply becuase you can't do it by yourself doesn't mean one cannot own a specific brand, they all cost money to fix. Eventually I will be able to do them by myself, I have no quams with that. But that will be when I graduate, its not the dead of winter, and I have more time/money to spend on parts. This is just kind of to get it to be drive-able. Plus its not just the rotors/pads that need to be replaced, the calipers need to be rebuilt, rear struts changed. It's a bit more involved then parts on and off.

 

[dcwhybrew]

Seems to me that you need to go to the local auto parts store, get a mechanic's tool set, 2 or 3 ton hydraulic jack, two jack stands, and a breaker bar. The learn how to jack the car up, then learn how to take the wheels off. I'd take him up on his offer to use his garage on the weekends. There's only one way to learn, that is to do it. It's even better to do it under the eye of a knowledgeable mechanic. Quit waffling, and either start fixing things one step at a time, or sell it to the mechanic. Note, there's probably a reason why he wants it (hint, hint).

Also, I didnt have any mechanical knowledge either when I bought my 96 Discovery. Then I started reading the Discoweb.org bulletin boards, then started rotating my own tires, changing my own oil, then doing my own tune ups. You can twist a bottle cap off a coke bottle, you can change your own oil and diff fluids. Plug wires just pull off the plugs and the coil. Do that one step at a time, pull one wire off and match it up to the replacement wire and replace. Do that 7 more times and you have new wires. Same thing with the spark plugs. Learning the basics helps you gain confidence to learn more. Discoweb.org is a great place to start reading.

Buy a RAVE CD, get your tools and get after it. Just take your time and be patient, dont break anything while you disassemble incase you need to back up. I hope you made a list from your conversation with the mechanic.

You'll get to know your vehicle a lot better if you jump in and start doing the basics yourself, that includes fluids, plugs, wires, and brakes!

 

[LtFuzz]

dcwhybrew nailed it -- you just gotta do it,man!

If you have literally no money to buy some basic tools etc., then you need to ditch the truck. End of story. You can't pick up Land Rovers as a hobby without any kind of cash.

Here's how to change your brake pads:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTsg2ukmLeI

It's the same on a Disco as a Defender. Just have that video running on your laptop beside you and do everything he does. There's nothing to it. You'll find that's the case with all of your issues.

 

[mtnbike28]

I will add one more thing already mentioned. If you can work on bikes and do it well, you can fix this truck. Buy the Haynes manual $20, Canadian Tire cheap jack stands and tool set $100 and start reading. I do a lot of my maintenance despite having no mechanical experience and have broken more parts than I like to remember working on my bike. I know you can replace the pads, radiator, hoses. The spark plugs should come gaped, just check them and install. I agree with the others, either start or sell it now and chalk it up to a lesson learned. (I did that with a 1962 Series II that I bought in college)

 

[jeffzx9]

Jeremy, a '98 D-1 is not a great truck for a college kid, unless you have a part-time or full time job, or your parents are willing to spend a modest sum of money to help you. Rovers can burn up both time and money, and are (IMHO) probably not the best vehicles to DEVELOP your chops (even though they are mechanically simple) if you must also use as your daily driver. At your age, (I've been there,) you need something a bit more reliable...and/or perhaps "less frustrating." I LOVE my D-1, but I'm over 50 and have the time, money, tools, and chops, to keep her on the road.

 

[JeremyT101]

Jeremy, a '98 D-1 is not a great truck for a college kid, unless you have a part-time or full time job, or your parents are willing to spend a modest sum of money to help you. Rovers can burn up both time and money, and are (IMHO) probably not the best vehicles to DEVELOP your chops (even though they are mechanically simple) if you must also use as your daily driver. At your age, (I've been there,) you need something a bit more reliable...and/or perhaps "less frustrating." I LOVE my D-1, but I'm over 50 and have the time, money, tools, and chops, to keep her on the road.

Everything you just said is very true! That is why for the past two years of university I have owned a small, relatively economical Ford Focus. It was a great little car, and in the 50,000km that I owned it, it needed Nothing. Perhaps thats where my aversion to mechanics and parts spending comes from. All that focus needed was fluid changes and new rear drum, and a tie end rod. I have been waiting until I graduated to buy a truck like this, and well, I only have 2 more months left of school and then I'm into my full-time job, at least for the summer/fall. I also have a very understanding set of parents who are willing to LOAN me the money that I will need to get it running now and I can pay them back in the next couple months.

I took the past two weeks to seriously think about, if this was the right truck for me, and if I should just dump it and get something else. I only had about 5k to spend. The conclusion that I came to after considering the Xterra (same MPG, close in functionality, 3.3L dog of a v6), 4Runner(great, but either SUPER high km and expensive, or low and astronomical), Ford Explorer(ugly, didn't like the way it drove, heard bad things), Jeep Cherokee (had the 4.0L V6, but really cheaply made, would have to modify to make it as capable as a stock disco), and even for trucks I looked at the Ranger, Mazda B-series, all the nice trucks that guys on here (Taco, LC..ect) had were out of the price range. My goal was to find the most capable stock SUV, raise it 2", put some tires on it, and then drive it on expeditions all over Canada/the US. Maybe my choice was a bit impractical as a DD due to pretty bad milage, frustrating..ect but I still think it fits the bill, and right now with where I live the bus, my bike and the like can handle the small trips I would have driven with the focus.

 

[AndrewClarke]

Hey. I came to this thread after seeing your posts on my thread about off-roading near Waterloo. Let me give you a bit of encouragement (or not) as a previous Discovery owner and as a local Land Rover owner. I agree with almost everything that's been said in this thread, and will try not to rehash that.

1. I'd be very interested in hearing the name of the mechanic you took your truck to, as I know of no "Land Rover experts" within 60km of Guelph. If one exists, I want to know about him! Would you mind PMing that to me?

2. I know of another guy farther away who I think is honest, but it would be a trek as he's north of Peterborough. He's the guy who parted out my old '96 Discovery and I know he has a lot of used parts in stock.

3. Owning a Land Rover is either an expensive experience, or a hands-on experience. Sometimes both. As others have said, just dive in and you can do almost all of it yourself. Don't be overwhelmed by what seems like a big task. With your studies you may not have time, but it's really not hard and you can learn as you go. Even brakes. I'm NOT telling you not to listen to your father, but (you can put this to music) believe in yourself because You Can Do It. I've learned as I have gone along, and have generally not made any catastrophic mistakes. Mostly just a lot of little ones that left the vehicle still better off than it was before. Probably the worst was thinking that my pneumatic wrench was sufficient to tighten my lug nuts. No, it's not...

4. You need to do triage on what's crucial to do on your Land Rover, and what you can put off until later. Just do what you need to do now, and for the rest, balance off the cost/safety of doing it now, vs. waiting until later. If $500 now saves $2000 later, then do it now.

5. People in the general public will always tell you to run away from a Land Rover. In a sense, they're right. But that's because they only see the downside, and not the upside. As a daily driver for someone who is just going to use it as a car and have a mechanic fix it, they're not good. There is probably always something that will need fixing on it, they drink gas, and they are expensive to take to a mechanic. Or, they can be. Plus, mechanics think they are "exotic" and are scared of them. The reality is that they are very basic vehicles and are easy to fix. Especially by someone who knows their quirks. The problem around here is that it's not like in southern California where there are shops like that all over the place. Take what you hear on the boards here from enthusiasts (like me) with a grain of salt, and do the same when you hear from the general public. They are never going to use a Land Rover for its intended purpose, and they've probably never met anyone who has done that either. Therefore, in that sense, they are clueless about the upsides of owning a Discovery.

6. Buy used parts. The guy I mentioned has plenty, and you can source them from car-part.com as well. If you can't afford new, buy used when it makes sense.

7. You're probably on March Break this week. It's supposed to be beautiful weather, so there's no excuse from that point of view to not spend part of the week fixing your truck yourself! You don't need jack stands to fix hoses, and that's dead simple to do. You need an exacto knife (however that's spelt) and a screwdriver. Start where you can and work your way into the rest. If you're going to keep the truck, you'll need the tools eventually, and buying tools is a lot cheaper than paying someone else to fix your vehicle. Yes, it sucks in the dead of winter, but 10-20 degrees this week is hardly the "dead of winter". Take advantage of global warming

8. PM me if you have any questions. I'm not a mechanical expert, but I have tools and heck you can even use my driveway. I unfortunately can't offer you hours of my time right now as I'm really committed with work, but if something I have can save you a bit of money I'll do what I can. That being said, if that guy is willing to help you, as long as he's honest it's worth taking advantage of. You can learn a lot from someone like that.

- Andrew.