I pulled this off a Facebook discovery 3 & 4 owners group. This group is mostly international so it is geared toward the diesel turbo lr3 motor. You can ignore anything to do with the turbo, FBH, MOT, intercooler, map sensor, etc etc
What to look for when buying a D3, and what are the common faults / things to consider. Here are the most common:
1) HSE is the 'top' model with most options fitted as standard.
2) Buy on condition rather than age or mileage.
3) Evidence of service history / money being spent is vital - these vehicles require preventative maintenance. A good 'tell tale' for a vehicle run on a shoestring budget is to look at the tyres. Are they a reputable make and good tread left? Good sign. Big stack of invoices? Good sign.
4) These are heavy vehicles - suspension components, bushes, and wheel bearings wear out, as do differentials and prop-shaft centre bearings.
5) Brakes take a hammering too. Check the disks and pads for excessive wear.
6) The EGR valves generally fail in time. They can be replaced, and there are other cheaper solutions available that cannot be officially sanctioned.
7) The suspension compressor is a weak point. Make sure the suspension raises and lowers efficiently, with no noises, and no error messages on the dashboard. Ideally, it will have been replaced by the uprated AMK version.
8) Battery and alternator usually need replacing at about 8 years old. A common sign that the battery is getting weak is the message "special programs not available" appearing temporarily after starting up.
9) Cambelt and fuel pump belt need changing at 7 years / 105K miles. The body does *not* need to come off to replace the belts.
10) Changing the oil pump at the same time as the belts is advisable. There have been instances of the lug that holds the tensioner snapping off and wrecking engines, and the redesigned pump appears to be much strengthened.
11) Getting the gearbox oil changed / flushed is advisable at around 80K miles.
12) Check the MOT history (online) on any vehicle you are thinking of buying - it will tell you a lot.
13) The electronic parking brake can fail, and it's expensive when it does. There is an emergency release accessible from inside the cabin.
14) A warranty is a good idea if you can stretch to it. Lots are available, and it's worth asking for experiences of members of this group.
15) an IID Tool is worth buying to do your own diagnostic work. Other tools can do similar jobs, including iCarsoft i930, but doesn't offer as many features.
16) A remote FBH controller is worth its weight in gold to those that have them. The FBH is a 'fuel burning heater' and kicks in below 5 Celsius to warm the engine faster on cold days. It is the thing that smells and smokes from the front left of the D3 and always worries people in the winter. A remote control turns it into a useful parking heater.
17) There was a recall on the detachable tow bar. Take it to Land Rover to get it checked out. There was also a recall regarding a vacuum pipe (top left of the engine standing at the front looking to the rear of the D3) - if you don't have a strange looking 'loop' arrangement, get it checked out by Land Rover.
18) The locking wheel bolts sometimes sheer off - replace them with standard ones. The supplied wheel brace is considered inadequate for removing the bolts if they have ever been tightened with an air wrench. Get a proper one prior to actually needing it!
19) Sometimes the central locking plays up, due to a crummy connection on the passenger side under the plastic sill. It can be soldered up for a permanent fix.
20) The cable that releases the rear tailgate sometimes breaks, as does the microswitch in the handle - awkward to repair when it goes. Symptoms are the tailgate not opening and / or a clicking noise but not opening.
21) Shudder or surging in the acceleration at about 2,000 rpm usually means the torque converter is failing - an oil flush or Dr Tranny can give it a bit more life.
22) There were some instances of crank bearings spinning and wrecking engines. If that happens to you, go talk to Land Rover, as they had a programme to deal with this, depending on conditions being met. As far as it known, there is no way to repair engines with spun crank bearings.
23) The turbo actuator can stick causing very poor acceleration at slow speeds. Easy enough to free up, if fiddly.
24) The MAP sensor has a tendency to clog up. Easy to remove and clean, and there is a modified part with a larger port available that is less prone to clogging.
25) The long intercooler pipe has a tendency to split near the top of the engine compartment on the left as you stand in front of the engine, causing almost total loss of performance, and loads of smoke. Easy DIY to replace, and should possibly be considered preventative maintenance once over about 7 or 8 years of age.
26) There are usually one or two D3's for sale by members of this group. They won't be the cheapest available, but they are likely to be amonst the most 'honest' with declared issues.
27) Road tax is cheaper on older D3's - that said, don't let this put you off newer models - the difference isn't large enough to use it as a buying decision.
28) Fuel economy is between 22 and 32 MPG depending on usage. These are not 'green' vehicles - and that's not why you're buying it!
29) Don't let just any old mechanic work on your D3. These are specialised machines and you need to know what you're doing if you want to minimise the costs - rather than just throwing parts at it. Take it to a recognised specialist and save yourself a lot of grief.
30) The centre console Fridge was thought to be standard on HSE's in 2007 but not necessarily present in 2008 onwards. They can be retrofitted
31) The crossover pipe that links one bank of cylinders to the turbo on the other side of the engine can fail - most usually due to the centre bracket not being refitted after work on the gearbox causing vibration and cracking. It can be replaced without taking the body off, but it is very awkward, and the pipe itself is expensive.
32) The fuel injectors can't be serviced, and they're roughly £200 each just for the part - keep in mind you have 6 of them! It's worth using good fuel and / or using injector cleaner every now and then to keep them in good shape.
33) The glow plugs can fail - symptom being difficult starting, smoke on starting, or rough running for a while after starting. You might not notice until 3 of the 6 have failed. They have a tendency to snap on removal, needing the heads to be taken off. A workaround is to fit a remote FBH controller and pre-heat the engine prior to starting.
34) The black plastic trim does fade. Several people swear by using smooth peanut butter to restore the colour.
35) The elements in the heated windscreen are fragile and can be broken by stone chips. There is no way to repair them once broken, other than a windscreen replacement.
36) The winch mechanism to lower the spare wheel sometimes jams up. Make it part of your routine to test it / loosen it from time to time. Don't wait until you need it before discovering that it is seized up.
37) Some people who have needed replacement engines have successfully fitted the 2.7 diesel engine out of a Jaguar. This is obviously a risky proposition as it is unclear just how much of the internals are different / similar or modified for Land Rover versus Jaguar.
Despite all of the above, almost all of us love our D3's and wouldn't want anything else. Don't have nightmares, do sleep well
