Need an Honest review of an Disco 3

[nwoods]

To the OP, you've gotten good advice in response to your query. I would only add one thing for your consideration: Try to determine if any of the naysayers you've read have actually owned an LR3. I have found that there is a lot of false information out there, voiced by LR fans who lament the loss of solid axels and advancement of technology the LR3 represents. Their viewpoint is valid, but their opinions of the LR3 can charatibly be defined as uninformed.

 

[medicfernando]

To the OP, you've gotten good advice in response to your query. I would only add one thing for your consideration: Try to determine if any of the naysayers you've read have actually owned an LR3. I have found that there is a lot of false information out there, voiced by LR fans who lament the loss of solid axels and advancement of technology the LR3 represents. Their viewpoint is valid, but their opinions of the LR3 can charatibly be defined as uninformed.

Excellent point to consider!

 

[A.J.M]

To echo other points.

They are great cars to own, but can be hard work at times with wanting some love and attention.

For that, there are really 2 ways.
1. Pick at it, as each issue comes up.
2. Gut all known weak points in one kit and start afresh.

I did point 2, on mine at 117k and 9 years old. Totally transformed the ride and handling, everyone who has been in it since have spoke of how well it rides now.
I missed out a couple of parts which now want changed but its on 132k now so will get them done.

They like a wheel alignment and good tyre pressures for best handling and tyre wear.

As has been pointed out, the electrical side needs to be kept good. Bank on a fresh battery in it ever 3-5 years. A failing battery or alternator can throw up loads of warnings on the dash on start up as it runs a check list of the systems and low power sees it turn off the secondary systems. Also replace bulbs with good ones.

You will find a lot of info from people who hate them for being too different from older Landy's, or people who owned one but never looked after it and took it to a rubbish garage that made things worse.

Mine in 2 1/2 years of use and abuse has only left me getting a recovery once, purely down to water in the diesel throwing the engine system and it shutting down to protect the engine. Car was taken to local fuel station, water drained from fuel filter, filled with fresh diesel and system bled. Fired up with no issues and has run 2k of miles with no further issues.

Drive one and see how you like it. There is plenty of info out now, some really good owner clubs full of checks, things to upgrade and also DIY guides for brakes, suspension arms and even how to lift the body off the chassis if you want to..

Mine has been expensive to keep in top condition, i am pretty fussy with my cars and what i fit, so i buy all my parts from a local main dealers, it however has paid off with a car that runs sweet and gives me no real issues. I use mine for work and i need a reliable car and so far the D3 despite turning 10 years old in December is as reliable as ever.

I hope to turn it into an overland capable car and tour Africa and across Asia in it in 2016/17.

 

[ExploringNH]

I am daily driving a 2005 Saab 9-3 right now. I would gladly trade my Saab for an LR3 and I would expect it to be much more reliable. If you can handle owning a Saab, the LR3 will be a breeze. They have far less "quirks" and common failure points than a Saab of similar vintage.

 

[srschick]

another note to add:
If you're at all decent with a wrench, read up on what you can do yourself. invest in a good floor jack and stands.
So far on my 08 HSE I've replaced the lower control arms, brakes/rotors, and replaced the diff/transfer case oils. I've done modifications to allow larger tires.
it's gotten to be "second nature" to replace the engine oil as well.

Learn the truck, open the hood or get underneath it and inspect parts every now and again. Also, stock up on spares such as lights and filters.
check out some of the "other" LR sites.
There's a wealth of knowledge on the interwebs...

 

[johnsoax]

I've had my LR3 since Sept of 2012. When I bought it, the Land Rover dealer was sending it to auction as it had a bunch of things wrong that they didn't want to fix to sell to their "normal" customers. (they had taken it in on a trade from a new LR4).

Anyways, I found the parts to fix the nonworking transfer case switch (someone spilled a drink on the control center), I had the control arms replaced at the dealer, and I fixed/replaced/worked through all the other issues over 6 months or so... It has been my daily driver since that time.

This spring I will be changing tires. Besides a wire between the suspension computer and the front valve block breaking, the air suspension has been fantastic. I've changed the spark plugs, transfer case and differential oils, and even did a transmission pan drain and refill. I bought it with 86k miles and I am up to 108k now with no major issues.

Light years ahead of my DI which seemed to have a major issue every Christmas (Split transmission cooler hose, burst coolant overflow bottle, animal chewed wires to the fuel pump (only thing that actually stranded me), broken radiator cap, ect).

 

[zelatore]

I am daily driving a 2005 Saab 9-3 right now. I would gladly trade my Saab for an LR3 and I would expect it to be much more reliable. If you can handle owning a Saab, the LR3 will be a breeze. They have far less "quirks" and common failure points than a Saab of similar vintage.

Wait, I used to have a 9-3. Didn't think anything about it reliability-wise.
Of course, I also dd and raced Alfa Romeos for many years, so my perspective may be suspect.

 

[roverandom]

I replaced the EAS with coil springs on my LR3 and it works well for me. So if you are concerned about the air suspension there are options out there.

However, reading the OP, the main reason for abandoning your first Land Rover was poor gas mileage. I'm afraid you will find not much progress has been made in that area. The newer V6/V8 powered Disco3/LR3's are still heavy drinkers. Expect around 16-19 mpg.

Oh, and the factory 19" wheel and tire combo is just horrible.

My 2c

 

[Some Dude]

The computer was a bit optimistic, but this tank still hand-calculated out to 22mpg. The truck is stock on ATs and I had nothing on the roof.

Compare to my D2 which typically gets 14-15 on the highway under the absolute best conditions, and the fuel savings in the LR3 over a lengthy road trip are substantial.

 

[Derel1cte]

I thought I'd throw my comments in since my 2005 LR3 just hit 150,000 Miles. I've owned it since 2007 when it had only 23K on it.

Yes, the front bushings wear out between 80-100K miles due to the weight of the LR3. The cost of pushing out the bushings and replacing the ball joints is about the same as new control arms, so people usually just opt for new control arms. Also, every car >100K needs new bushings, it's just that the LR3 is especially obnoxious when it needs them because the A-arms bang against the frame when you brake and it is crazy loud. That loudness also makes it pretty easy to diagnose on a test drive.

Yes, the air compressor will need replacing. Especially if it is the original Hitachi brand before they switched to AMK. It is a <$600 do-it yourself repair if you are the least bit handy. 3 bolts and a couple air fittings. This is also pretty easy to diagnose on a test drive. Start the car up and stand outside of it on the drivers side and listen to the hummm of the compressor. It should only stay on for ~30sec. Anything more than a minute and you are probably going to need a replacement. Also, I don't know where these people are getting the info that the car drops to the bump stops on failure. It will drop in to 'Access mode', you still have enough air in the bags in access mode to get yourself to a shop, even if you are running 32's.

Here is a list of other problems/repairs/issues I've had in my truck:
- Left the sunroof open and it rained. I had to replace the transmission selector electronics because i couldn't get into sport mode. $400 with labor from the dealer
- Seat heater burned a hole in my jeans (not kidding). The dealer took that one pretty seriously and replaced my whole driver seat free of charge despite it being long out of warranty.
- Sunroof drain. The rubber fitting in the fender crumbled apart, causing my sunroof to drain into the floorboards instead of the wheel well. I replaced the land rover rubber bit with a simple L-shape fitting for a home air-conditioner condenser drain and everything was back to normal
- Car Alarm. The alarm kept going off with the message "Bonnet Open" on the dash. I just removed the hood sensor and jumpered the wires together. No more unwanted car alarm.

Other comments. Learn to do your own brakes. This applies to all cars but it is especially important if you want to save your emergency fund for if something really goes wrong with the LR3. Its <$100 for nice ceramic pads all around and if you stay on top of it you can avoid having to replace sensors and rotors. Bodsy's brake bible spells it all out and any idiot with a c-clamp, 13mm, and 15mm wrench can get this done.

 

[jrose609]

The computer was a bit optimistic, but this tank still hand-calculated out to 22mpg. The truck is stock on ATs and I had nothing on the roof.

Compare to my D2 which typically gets 14-15 on the highway under the absolute best conditions, and the fuel savings in the LR3 over a lengthy road trip are substantial.

holy crap! The best I ever got in our LR3 was just over 20mpg. That's great

 

[medicfernando]

Wait, I used to have a 9-3. Didn't think anything about it reliability-wise.
Of course, I also dd and raced Alfa Romeos for many years, so my perspective may be suspect.

I have had and loved several SAABs and although they are quirky, i found all mine to be very reliable. None ever left me stranded.

 

[zelatore]

holy crap! The best I ever got in our LR3 was just over 20mpg. That's great

I didn't drive mine stock for long before the mods started, but I never got that sort of average over a full tank. And I live at sea-level and droveit mostly on flat terrain. My average over a full tank was generally more like 16 as I recall. Of course if I were to drive slower and all highway, say at 65 mph instead of 80 on the interstate and stop/go city who's to say I couldn't have gotten 24 over a full tank. I just never had the chance to try it.

RE dropping to bump stops - if you have the right failure it will most certainly do this. And even with some clearance mods when it happens my 32s would rub slightly. It was still drivable, but not something you would want to do. And you'll KNOW it when it's on the bumps - not only will it look goofy sitting that low, but it will ride astronomically bad! You'll be able to feel it if you run over a dime!

On the other hand, I have a friend with an LR4 who had a leaking air line that put him on the stops and he drove out of a back country camp that way with 265-65-18 BFGs with no real rubbing to speak of.

RE Saabs - I think the 9-3 I had was the single most functional car I've ever owned. You could put a stupid amount of stuff in that thing. I carried home a full size washing machine, several bags of mulch, plus a 5' piece of shelving from home depot and still closed the hatch!

 

[srschick]

I've found that the sweet spot for highway driving is ~65mph. On one trip, according to the dash, I got 22 mpg through a full tank on the stock 19" with Michelin Latitude Tour HPs that were infalted at 36f/44r