Another disgruntled customer writes in:

This is such a well written email articulating just how Ford and Land Rover have destroyed a brand with their marketing smoke and mirrors:

Hi,  I have just purchased a new Discovery 3 five door 06 model and after only twelve days of ownership I am experiencing problems.

The vehicle replaces my previous Discovery 2 which suffered no end of problems, but that is history.

I chose the Disco 3 five door, because, being a Helicopter operator, I needed a reliable 4 x 4 that I could carry fire fighting kit in and tow a 2.5 tonne fuel bowser. All of which I have done in a variety of 4 x 4's over many years. The third row of seats were never used in my   Disco 2 over the two and a half years that I owned it from new and after discussion with the dealer, decided that the five seat version would suit me fine.

What I didn't realise was that the five seat Disco 3 has less equipment in than most vans on the market today. It doesn't have an outside temperature display, the clock, set in the centre of the instrument panel is unreadable whilst driving and there is not even a loadspace cover in the rear, leaving tools, luggage etc, totally on view. The handbook supplied, shows every conceivable extra fitted to all models of Disco 3 and it is impossible when reading it to work out exactly what is supplied with the five door version, until of course you realise that in fact virtually no equipment is fitted!

The dealer, Hillendale of Nelson Lanc's knew about my operation of my vehicles, yet I was amazed to find that it is impossible to fit    x-country tyres to the five door! Apparently none of the tyre manufacturers supply cross country or even dual purpose tyres for the seventeen inch wheels fitted. This is supposed to be the best 4 x 4 x far!! My partner's Skoda Vrs car has chunkier tyres than my discovery.

The towing electrics are hidden behind a panel in the bumper. Fine for picking up the kids at school, but no use whatsoever when towing frequently. Connecting the electrics requires the operator to kneel behind the vehicle with a two pence piece and remove a very flimsy panel from the bumper, this is invariably coated with grit or mud and looks as though it will not last very long, the tiny plastic lugs that secure it would be better on an Airfix kit. Replacing said panel is even more fiddly and requires overalls to be worn. Cruise control cannot be retro fitted, which was not pointed out until after I took delivery. This was a godsend whilst trailer towing on the motorway with previous vehicles. Loading the vehicle is a problem via the rear tailgate and window because of the ridiculous shape of the assembly. The tailgate with its flimsy wires would not support much weight even temporarily, but it cannot be easily removed for loading. How many Disco 3 drivers know for example that if you run out of fuel in a Discovery 3 it is impossible to start without special tooling and has to be trailered to a dealership to be started!!! .....please be serious Land Rover!!! This is ludicrous.

It is apparent that the Disco 3 was only designed for light leisure purposes or the school run, but unfortunately it is not marketed as such. The problems only become apparent after the first couple of weeks or at least a thousand miles of ownership. Which poses a problem when trying to return the vehicle as unfit for purpose.

It is a great pity that Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and the Range Rover are now aimed at this same market, leaving only the hopelessly outdated Defender for use by operators such as myself. This is a massive gap in the market which should have been addressed by Land Rover or their masters, Ford.

I persevered with the beloved Defender for many years but gave up when faced with a drive from Lancashire to Kings Lynn and return, followed the next day by Lancashire to Holyhead in N Wales and return, followed by a three day enforced rest period suffering from many Defender induced ailments.

I am a great fan of the Land Rover marque and have owned many vehicles including two Range Rovers three Discoveries one Defender 90 TD5 and a double cab Defender 110. over the past few years.

I seriously think that Land Rover have been taken over by their Marketing Department and are producing only vehicles for the top end of the leisure market, with the exception of Defender which is now only for Farm use or the like. This scenario would be fine were it not for the fact that their marketing literature proclaims all of their models to be "The best 4 x 4 by far" when in fact they are hoping that no one actually uses them seriously for this purpose unless supported by Land - Rover corporately on televised trips across Africa or through the Amazon, no doubt at collossal cost and with attendant mechanics and lots of spares.

My problems so far ( In twelve days ) are, 1. Drivers seat slowly drops whilst driving, to its lowest position after being initially raised.

2. Door open warning permanently on and vehicle beeps horn whilst locking even though all doors and tailgates etc., are tightly shut.

3. Wipers have a very annoying rubbery squeak at the vertical position on every sweep. These are actual problems with the vehicle rather than a design fault.

My dealer Hillendale states, correctly that they will attempt to rectify the faults, hopefully they can! However, they were still rectifying faults on my Discovery 2 after the two and a half years of ownership from new. At no point was it ever fault free.

I have a horrible feeling of "Deja vu" in the pit of my stomach. It's all happening again! 

Fool me for believing that Land Rover under their new masters could produce a vehicle that will do "What it states on the Box"

Still a staunch Anglophile,

RG

Comments

[Bryn Whyte]

Never buy a Land Rover. I spent in excess of £100,000.00p pounds on a Top of the Range: Range Rover Vogue and Discovery 111 Tdv6 HSE. Endlessly breaks down with Air suspension faults, electrical touch screen problems etc etc.. Land Rover parts distribution is worse than incompetant and the service at Rossleigh Durham and Newcastle an outright farce. Once the vehicle is sold and it breaks down no one wants to know. I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER LAND ROVER PRODUCT IN MY TIME ON THIS PLANET!! BE WARNED ALL YOU POTENTIAL LAND ROVER OWNERS.

[JH]

Sorry to hear about all this. I had so many problems with my D2 I went retro and got a D1. I've put 63,000 miles on it with nary a problem. This is why I didn't buy a LR3/Disco3. I figured the D2 was crap and with all the extra electonic stuff on the D3 it would be even more crap. I'm getting the feeling I was right.

[max perry]

I am writing from Australia with my complaint.
We have a discovery tdi
We have a complant about over heating they can not stand up to the australian climate.
we have three in our family and have all had the same problem one resulting in having to have a new motor after only 110,000 kilometers.Now we are talking to dealers in Perth western australia
they are telling us the header tanks are splitting surely that has to be a faulty part and should be repaired by landrover.
Next year we are heading to the north west on our anual holidays and dont feel confident after our last experience Toyota is starting to look realy good to us.

[Johnny]

Hi, I am from Czech Republic, we have a new Disco and it has everything you said it do not have. And be sure that it is reliable so much... We have TDV6 HSE, five seater, price about 2 000 000 CZK, about 40 000 pounds.

[mobile notary]

Land Rovers are nothing but trouble. I had a discovery II and took it off-roading on a number of occasions. it got the job done but I was looking for so much more. I bought an old 87 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it puts all land rovers to shame. Sorry Johnny.

[Craig Seifert]

I have a discovery 3 and use it as a family vehicle and trips off road with my local club. i have 7 seat SE model and have specified no options. My discovery runs well and has had no problems in the 14 months i have had it. Sure they have some drawbacks but this is perfect off road and very refined. I know many others without troubles with their disco 3's - is this just a slag forum? shouldn't it be constructive.

In fact getting to the point. If you dont like land rovers- FINE but why moan? the british car industry is already dead and its not going to turn ouy japanese quality cars with the personality of fridges. Land rover have an image that guaratees heitage not reliability. Lets not play the 1 up game please people!

[Dave]

Own a LR3 in Abu Dhabi. Summer was really hot. Had no problems with the heat and Ican assure you it is hot. It is coming to winter. Will take it out to the desert.

[Gordon]

Sounds like a customer problem to me. You should have ensured that the car you bought has all the 'extras' you needed. It's not LR's fault if you 'think' you should have had cruise control,temp sensors etc. You're buying the car - you should check. And I don't understand what you mean by 'flimsy' tailgate wires? I've consistently had 100kg plus on my tailgate whilst loading. Not a problem. I personally _don't_ think the rear tailgate assembly is ridiculous. If you thought it was a stupid design and wouldn't suit your purpose, you shouldn't have bought it. For my useage, it seems perfect.

There are plenty of off-road tyres available for the 17" wheels. See Coopers or Mickey Thompsons. Do some research before you complain.

[dan davies]

i own a lro disco 3, i live in england, i use it for daily use, off road and on road io travel motorways, i also travel steep muddy hills and have to travel to the remotest parts of scotland, i have no problem with any thi9ng on my land rover it is as clearly stated THE BEST 4X4XF**kin FAR i would not trust toyota 'the reliable' manufactorer, my wife owns a 06 toyota yaris, within the first week it had been back in to pinkstones toyota trentham 3 times (who b the way where disgracefull) there was problems with the car leaking water from the window wiper wash, the car is a pile of ****, i told her she should of had a freelander!!! if you don't like land rover why buy them stick to your jap imports!!! but don't slag of the true 4x4!! i also own a 1971 land rover s111 id rather drive that than a land crusier. LAND ROVER!!! COME ON LAND ROVER!!!! ITS A LAND ROVER THING YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!!!

[ben van den heuvel]

I am from Holland. I bought a Discovery 2 in 2000, so i have it now nearly 7 years. I am very surprised by hearing about problems with Landrover disco, i did not have even one problem in 7 years and it still drives as good as on the day it was delivered.And i am not a employer of landrover!!

[Niels]

"However, they were still rectifying faults on my Discovery 2 after the two and a half years of ownership from new. At no point was it ever fault free."

If you have such a bad experience with your Disco 2, why do you buy again...

[mark1x]

mobile notary..heritage and reliability are not mutually exclusive, having heritage does not mean there is some law preventing LR from building a reliable car. people moan because they have been promised something they have never taken delivery of. all LR brochures talk of "comfort", tell me whats comfortable about the rain pouring down onto your clothes while driving? be it from the notorious poor sunroof's or the notoriously poor windscreen fit/seals and wow do they leak..you can have the heritage for free, simply get a brochure or a book or a photo but when you buy the vehicle you kind of want it to be reliable...where is the crime in wanting it to be reliable? its amazing you are reduced to saying "heritage" in order to defend or disregard lousy build.

[David Bennett]

I purchased my Discovery II new from the dealer and this is the worst piece of junk I have ever owned. I like the looks and feel of the Discovery but the engineering, quality and construction is horrible. I've taken this truck to the dealer countless times for repairs. Once the warranty ran out I made a critical error...I kept the thing. I've taken this truck to a Land Rover repair place and they have been great but once I save enough money for another vehicle this Land Rover Discovery II is going to be torched. I had repair the Engine, Transmission, electrical systems, sunroofs, gas filler door and I have not been able to open the rear door for months. The rear passenger doors work sometimes. If you pull the handle before they are unlocked, the door lock and handle fail to work. I can keep going down the list of things that have broken and fail to work on this so called 4x4. Oh yeah as of this morning the rear of the Discovery is dragging the ground because the air lift system has failed. I tell everyone who asks that this is a piece of junk. Especially anyone interested in buying a new or used one.

[Richard]

The D3 is nothing but trouble. I know of 5 people who have had them, and none of them are satisfied. So many electrical problems that they spend more time at the dealers than on the road. They are all betting eachother as to who will dare to own one of them when the 3 year warranty ends. No-one has yet said they will do it.
Can I suggest that you buy a Toyota Landcruiser. I have now owned one for 4 months and have not had any trouble at all with it. Not one thing. It is superb and tows fantastically.
Give it a try - you might be surprised.

[Land Rover]

The real problem with all the new land rovers that they are not reliable cars. From the day that they add complicated electronics into the cars- landrover stopped being a good car. Unlike the old landrovers, that were built to survive massive off road usage, the new SUVs are good off roaders (except the freelander) but things gets wrong.

[DrLex]

The original poster's complaints appear to divide into two types - complaints about spec. (retro-fit cruise) or design (tow electric cover) and minor build niggles for which technical service bulletins are available for the LR dealer to follow.

As Dave above, notes, the rear tailgate is designed to support 150kg, so unless Adrian's points of attachment are faulty, the load rating should be sufficient for 99% of usage.

Certain members at disco3.co.uk have no trouble off-roading their vehicles in both standard or off-road tyres in 17,18 or 19" variants, so I'm confused as to the complaint about tyre choice. Indeed, 3 standard D3s went to Morocco to compete with rallye-prepped 4x4s and acquited themselves well (see www.desertstormchallenge.co.uk)

Of course, all cars can suffer problems, big or small. You may get lucky and have none, or you may get a lemon and have to reject it. I'm in the former camp, and use my D3 to haul a twin horse box with ease, comfort and reliability. disco3.co.uk is a great resource for people who wish to discover more about their vehicle; share experiences of the good times and seek assistance in the bad times.

I am curious though, as to why the owner of this website has not been prolific in his reporting on his ownership of an Audi Q7, which he had planned on acquiring to replace his D3.

Happy motoring!

[MF73]

I've had my Discovery 3 TDV6 HSE for a month now and I thought it to be one of the best cars I have driven. That was until it didn't want to start. It now only starts 50% of the time. The dealer says something to do with the high speed CAM bus. Not my problem, theirs. Still they are unable to sort the problem out and calim they have nerver seen anything like this before.

[Julia Trowell]

I am on my second Landrover Freelander, it is a living nightmare, as soon as they reach the first service the same faults begin at great expense to me,leaking seals, faulty brakes, and the clutch/gears are the worst, my 4x4 have broken down so many times I know the breakdown guys!
The garages are no support, I have tried changing, I have written latters of complaint, even gone to Trading Standards,I was so distressed.
I bought my 4x4 for reliability and it is never been that, indeed the opposite, the service costs are high, and the repeated faults even higher.
You are made to feel a fool as a woman driver,and that the faults are due to your bad driving, it is shocking.
To go into detail would take too long but I would be very interested in other 2.0 Litre Diesel TD4 FREELANDER experiences.

[Paul]

It is strange that this guy is making a lot of publicity for audi and crapping all over land rover. These are totally different cars, and audi is made for on road purposes only, thus, it has less technological problems than a land rover. most LR3 owners are really happy with the vehicle, despite failures that have been mentioned. I recommend 07 models, which have been improved and modified to not present problems 05 models presented. if you compare the performance of Q7 an LR3 you will find key differences between both cars that will let you decide which one is more suitable for your needs. Q7 is a good car, but is not superior than LR3 in an overall performance.

[Paul]

To Julia Trowell: I've experienced the same problems, it is not your driving, the freelander Td4 is a vehicle that has not only the problems you describe, but many others such as cold start and auto gearbox problems. My advice, try to sell it to someone you don't know. Good Luck!

[Tudeski]

Some of the "design flaws" in the LRD-II & III are mere preferences obviously.

I purchased a new '02 Disco II, purposely without sunroofs, or the enhanced suspension, because I am fully aware of the European weatherseals.. and I am fully aware of the practicality of electronic devices when offroad- NEVER a great idea...Anyway, it's proved to be roadworthy, and offroad worthy in SO many situations. I've owned several Jeep Wranglers that couldn't produce the abilities that my LRDII has shown. In any event, since NEW.. with regular maintenence, I've had ZERO problems with it. No electrical mishaps, no difficulty going anywhere, no mileage fatigue, no mechanical failures WHATSOEVER. It still rides smoothe as new, it still looks like new,everything still works as new.. and it even still smells new.The only problems that I've ever seemed to have with it.. is I am a long legged person, and the seat doesn't go back far enough... and it wears OUT A/T tyres swiftly. Other than that.. I have no complaints.

This LR has seen some of the toughest terrains, and well as some of the most intense city driving that I have ever put a vehicle through, and it comes through like a champ.
In fact.. I loved it so much that I bought the LR3 for my wife this year, and it's a much classier version.. but I am confident that it will treat our family just as well as the DiscoII has.
If not- I'll gladly go back to Chrysler/Jeep products.

[Nigel Wallace-Iles]

Hi, I've stumbled across this site, as one normally does on the internet, and find most of the comments above very interesting. I too have recently bought a LR3 HSE with all the trimmings and have put around 3000 miles on it in the last six weeks. I have owned Landys for years, from a 77 series 3 to a 96 90 300tdi to an 04 90 TD5 XS, and I love em! I've driven several hundren thousand miles in them, so I know the discomfort, but that was part of the fun!. I always felt kind of special in my Landys. (No, NOT special needs before you say!) I loved the way the defender leaked, the way the windscreen wipers squeeked in their feeble attempt to create some form of visibilty, the way it misted up and you had to use your arm as a squeegy to wipe your drivers window to the appalling turning circle, but I'll tell you something, I wouldn't have swopped it for anything when on expedition in some far flung corner of the world, or even driving around London, and that's not to say that I never had a problem with it! I agree, to a point, that Land Rover seem to be losing their 'Britishness' and it's a shame really as they have been part of the furniture for the last half century. That's possibly why i feel such an affinity to them, and I'm only 35! It's also a shame that some dealers have lost that 'Pride' in being a Land Rover firm. The sales staff having not much passion for such a marque, at least in my experience.
The LR3 has proved to be an absolutely fantastic vehicle, I love it and the family love it too. It is comfortable, powerful, capable, safe, solid and a pleasure to drive or be in. I am most happy to have stayed with Land Rover. It's a pity about Ford sticking their nose in, but hey, that's business and eventually they'll own all car brands. Well, them and some obscure Japanese bank!
Anyway, If you've had a bad experience with your LR3, that's a shame but there will probably be 1% of LR3's that were built on a Friday afternoon preceeding a bank holiday, but then it goes back to losing the 'pride' in a Great British iconic marque.
You have my sincere sympathies if you have had a bad egg with your LR3 but I am extremely happy with mine. I made sure I did my research first, and ensured it had everthing I wanted. It really is the most versatile and capable vehicle on the road, and for those of us who are fortunate enough to afford one we should feel some pride and gratitude.
Kind Regards

[J.Gio Murillo]

I just bought a 1995 Land Rover Discovery two weeks ago (Dec, 12/06). I'm not an expert in Land Rovers. I'm just living a Dream, Seems Like the Previous owner did a very good job taking care of it. My Disco has only 97K. in and out is mint runs great and I feel Great. prices of gas is high but so am I with my new car.
We all got Choices,and when I read all this comments my choices are: to get scare, panic cry and regret to what I bought or Enjoy it with my Family, Travel, Smile and thanks to god for having a Healthy Life...I choose Enjoy it! no matter what nothing is forever.

[BS]

How about this for an idea:

Don't by a 4x4 because they're **** and save the environment at the same time.

It's simple. You folks should've been able to work that out really.

[James Hunter]

Its not just the discovery. My wifes 2004 Freelander has had the same issue occur 5 times now. During highway driving (speeds in excess of 60mph) the car downshifts into 1st gear, hill descent and traction control faults light, transmission returns error code F4, the wheels lock up and skid and the car slides almost causing us to crash with our 11 month old daughter in the car. Customer service has been an absolute joke and don't understand why I am not happy. Car is still under warranty with only 26K miles on it. LandRover's regional Rep is supposed to call me back this week but I am not expecting much. It took me several attempts to get a supervisor to even return my call.

[AM510657]

I think you are too nice fellow. This is a serious security issue. You should write a registered official letter to give them an ultimate delay to respond and fix the problem and at the same time you should lay a charge against the garage.

[Disco II]

Guys,

need some advise here. Just bought a disco II 03 model. Have put alittle over 8,000 miles on it. Seems to be ok, cept for the breaks. the pedals seem to TRAVEL forever!! Toook it for comprehensive servicing and they assured me that the breaks were ok. I tested the breaks and still came up with the same problem. I had another dealer look at it and they assured me that my breaks were in excellent shape and that the discovery II just happened to be designed that way. Is this normal and how may I go about fixing this break problem or do I just have to sell this thing? Every thing else is ok.

[Darren]

I have a Discovery TDV6 2006 model. Absolutely no reliability issues. I have just built a horse float (trailer) and used LED lights. The Discovery, trying to be too clever, puts out a sensing pulse to the indicators (I assume to make sure they are there) which makes the LED indicators flash like warning lights, even when the key is out of the ignition. The dealer offered a fix for $500 (Australian dollars) but i resented this. Has anyone else encountered this problem and is there a simple electronic fix. I have tried a zenner diode in line with little success.

[fakawi]

I'm from Malaysia.
I own a 2003 LRII TD5. I know Christmas is over but my Landie is still in the festive mood. All the warning lights are blinking on the dashboard.
The problems:

1) the TC, HDC and ABS amber lights are on most of the time. They pop on when I start the engine or they'll come on whenever I'm driving.

2) The SRS red light comes on whenever it feels like it.

3) the M and S gear (green) lights come on and blinks like mad. When they do, the "D" on the LCD screen starts to flash too. The red "D"indicator next to the gear shifter also flashes. The gearbox then gets stuck on 3rd gear, resulting in total loss of accelleration, no matter what gear you shift to. The scariest thing is when the lights go on the "D"on the odometer LCD screen sometimes disappers and changes to "P" when the car is moving!

4) the gearbox overheating light (red) comes on when the S and M lights come on and whenever I go uphill...

the car is now at the landie service center... will hear from them today.

[Chris]

I have to say Adrian, your an idiot, your just bitter because you couldn't aford a decent Disco
craig seifert i couldn't agree more, i have a TDv6 HSE and in the 6 months of ownership have had no problems whatsoever, if you don't like it, sell it and buy a bloody q7!

[john wright]

My tdv6 has been virtualy fault free for 13 months, has only required normal 12 months service. Family use + towing + some off road. It has only needed cleaning! Despite 23mpg in the pennine hills I manage 30mpg caravan towing on motorways!

[James Venning]

What a load of rubish! It tells you the temperature oustide within the dials dick head! And if you bothered to even ask for a loadspace cover, you would of got one - its just you being cheap and not buying one. By the way, the clock is situated where the radio display is! TOSSER

[tamara]

Here's a strange question for this site, but it seems to be peopled by many who have differing opinions...so here goes...

What about older model landrovers ie. 1990-1995 models? Are they more hardy? Do they hold up?

We crashed our little german-made jetta last week and it's totalled. Now, we're looking for a new vehicle. We need to take supplies back and forth quite a bit and we have an English Mastiff and three kids.

We are wondering if this landrover would be a good move for us (as vehicle safety and space has become very important for us) or whether it would be a bad move ...environmentally, gas mileage wise, and repair cost wise...

most of your concerns have to do with dealers and warranty repairs. What about the intrinsic qualities of the vehicle itself?

Some of you are complaining bitterly about your vehicle...but it is the second one that you have owned...that seems contradictory...

I'd really love your comments...

Thanks

Tamarak

[Chris]

John wright you rule!

[Chris]

John wright you rule!

[Steve]

I have owned Landrovers since 1995 and I have enjoyed totally reliable motoring! My old Series 11a never failed in over 10years of hard work it is now 40years old and still going strong! My current Landrover is a 1996 Discovery which I have owned for 4 years and put 60K on the clock. the milage is now 112K and it still drives really well and apart from servicing I havnt had to spend a penny on it! Perhaps Landrovers have got too complicated for their own good? This does concern me as I feel the true essance of a Landrover is to be a hard working dependable vehicle for the working man.

[Kim K]

I do regret all the trouble you have gone through. However, I own a Land Rover Disc 1, Land Rover Disc 2 and a Range Rover. Never once have I experienced bad service from my dealership - Dimmitt Land Rover, Clearwater. I have owned my Rover's for over 7 years now and yes, a Land Rover is built for off roding so I expect something to go wrong every now and again. However, I have only dealt with extremely well educated technicians and that is a true plus when you're a woman and trying to explain the "thunk" noise you hear. If I were you I would sincerely try another dealership. As I said, I haven't had your bad experiences and I truly love my LR's.

[ronnie macdonald]

I changed my disco 2 for a 3 two years ago and I can't say I regret it. After owning three discos my last 2 was a nightmare. Trouble with a capital T so after 2 years I thought I would give landrover one last chance so bought the new 3. Apart from one snag with the suspension it has performed well (fingers crossed) pulling a heavy trailer and also fully loaded stock trailer from muddy fields with ease. It is great on and off the road and I am very pleased with it to date. It is obvious that the great variation in faults between the same model is quality control issue that Landrover must face up to.

[Corrie]

Darren,

What was the problem with you M and S gear lights coming on?

The same exact thing happened to me this weekend but the overheat light didn't come on with them.

[Terry]

I have owned Rangie's for over 20 years and currently own a 1995+ Disco 1, my experiences have been all good, mostly towing trailers larger sedans and race cars, unfortunately I have never owned a New Land Rover but many of my friends have and do, I know of none of the problems I read about,however I service and repair my own vehicles, I have stuck with the current Disco because the later models to me are too Aunty Rover,maybe the later electronics are better suited to those who need them, personally I would rather wind a window then push a button,for those that can afford the later models and their service costs well and good, for those that can not, maybe should have a more basic vehicle, overall to me this forum could be sponsored by Toyota, mostly I read about probelms that all marques suffer from,imagine how some of the Toyota Land Cruiser owners must feel about the cracking cylinder heads and more...

[Dan]

Just what type of forum is this supposed to be? Certainly of no use to anyone trying to assist owners or potential buyers, that's for sure! I can't believe some of the whinging coming from Moron's that frankly probably don't have the IQ to get behind the wheel, let alone purchase a vehicle. Can I ask whom wrote that Adrian's diatribe against the LR3 was 'such a well written email'?? Is this site sponsored by an Audi dealership??
I question if Adrian has actually owned as many LR's as he states (and if so, why the hell would you buy another one after the catalogue of disasters he reckons he has had?), and frankly if he is so dumb as to buy an expensive new vehicle without checking the spec, we should all be worried about him being smart enough to use a PC - his Mum must have written the email for him. By the way, which van do you drive with a better specification than a base model LR3? We have a fleet of Vito's (Merc's) and Transit's at work mate - clearly you haven't driven a van recently, as none of these can match the specification!!
I have driven Landies for the last 17 years and yep - I have had good and bad days with 'em - the same as I have with other makes of car I have driven. The difference is that my other makes of car where not capable of performing off road the way my Disco's and Defender's have been. I have a series 2 Disco TD5 which has been used as my work/reps vehicle for country sales trips and in 6 years has covered over 415,000klms. In that time it has been all over outback QLD, NSW, Vic and South Australia into some of the most inhospitable and desolate terrain on the planet, and believe me I wouldn't even think of it if the vehicle was not up to it. Our work has also used Hilux's (sub-frame cracks), 80 and 100 series Landcruisers (IFS front assembly failures on 100 series - not nice to have your front left wheel fall off on a dirt road 80klms from the nearest town!) and GU and GQ Patrols (generally pretty reliable, but you need to tow your own fuel station with you!), but I keep using the TD5 and it has never let me down. I have replaced the transfer case as the only expense (after 340,000klms) and simply kept up the service schedule and loved every day of use!
We have had 2 LR3 TDV6's in the fleet for the last year and they have also proven reliable. Both have MTR off-road tyres (have some of these whingers actually asked what is available for their vehicles?) on their 17" rims and are more than capable of hitting the rough stuff.
Basically, the LR3 was a brand new, innovative and class leading vehicle when released that was capable of taking the owner to the shops or on an expedition. Yes it has had some initial issues, but these are being rectified by Land Rover...should we start to mention the recalls that other manufacturers have initiated in recent years?? I have no idea why people like the idea of hammering Land-Rover, but I can only put it down to jealousy. It's easy folks, if you don't like your vehicle then don't buy one, or sell it!!! Stop using these pages to prattle on, and get a life.

[Gabriel]

I'm going to buy a Land Rover Discovery model 1996.
I have not ideea about this car ! Please advice me what is wrong with this car or some tricks. Thanks

[liz]

look landrovers aret the best cars going. they may not be the most reliable or practical but every one knows that. if you want some crap buy a japanese pile of shit!!! fucking wise up!! if you cant read the clock in the middle of the car wear some glasses !!!

[Mitch Solano]

Hi fellow roverheads. I own four rovers and one ford that no one drives. An 82 stage-1 v8, 90 RRC, 97 disco-1 and a 2000 disco-2. I am not rich as my five children and wife generally keep me broke. But one thing I have learned over the years is rovers of any year inveriably have things that can be improved on. Engineers never build things with ease of maint, quality, reliability, and consistance in mind. Its all about the dollar. I have never taken any of my rovers to the shop, rover or other. I do not like the way mechs do work and have been burned once. They are mostly ill equiped to do anything more than parts change, not diagnose the problem and make modifications to put them to bed forever. I have been so succesful that owners will drive from out of state to bring me theirs because they heard about the inexpensive and reliable modifications made. I am not a mech by trade but I expect perfection out of my landies. I have read all these postings and others like them and have literally corrected most if not all of the problems before they were. It took a lot of trial and error, and learning. Land rover will never be perfect especially under ford domination. You must finish it yourselves or find someone that can. My time on them is now minimal maint. They can all make a cross counry trip at a moments notice. They are a diamond in the rough but will shine like no other vehicle on earth. But a warning to the newer buyers. The tech age has come to rover with all the bells and whistles which will not hold up, be very inconv and expensive, and most mechs including land rover mechs will misdiagnose problems resulting in your aggrivation.Highly packed electronics are my specialty and this kind of bell and whistle technology does not belong in these vehicles, sacrificing simple reliability. So if you want the so called status, then by all means go for it. If you want your rovers to be what they were supposed to be, do your homework and be patient.

[David]

Terry (April 18 2007) sums it up pretty well. Being an automotive technician in a Ford dealership for many years, working on all vehicle types, my choice of vehicle after plenty of research and experience was a Series 2 TD5. I took out an extended warranty due to the costs of repairs to most modern vehicles and I had trouble trying to find problems with the vehicle. Like most reliability issues, the problem generally stems from poor/lack of maintenance in most cases.The feel and comfort are second to NO Jap vehicle. Toyota are like their counterpart Daihatsu -cheap and simple, lacking any character except for chasing the "ugly duckling" award (Prado etc). I challenge anyone to compare an Explorer with LR and then see how many complaints they can come up with. I have dealt with many customers over the years and have found that there are some you will NEVER please -born whingers (The original poster falls into this category, as all of his complaints lack substance and basically he bought on impulse and now its LR's fault because he wasn't happy before that (X) number of times). Anyone who tries to compare a Toyota with its cheap,plain and nasty interior; tinny feel and host of problems Toyota owners are too embarrassd to mention such as broken crankshafts, transfer case failures, cracked chassis, tyre wear etc. should please advise on their experience in the industry, not just because their mates said so. At the end of the day, if you only want a plain boring car because you are not fussy or concerned about the finer details -go and buy a Jap vehicle. Land Rover are not perfect, but then again who is? Cars are like people, some have character, some are just plain boring.

[Matt]

Well, I should have thought you'd have been better off having bought a vehicle designed for the purpose you have in mind. Discovery was clearly never intended to be a workhorse and the only reason that it's so good off-road is because Land Rover's continued sales depend on it. A Defender would have been far more appropriate so basically you've brought it on your own head! Land Rovers are awesome for their purpose. Proper 4x4s - none of this Porsche Cayenne, BMW X3 X5 twat stuff.

[Rachel]

I have bought a Landrover Discovery 3 54 palte 6 months ago and it is terrible. I have written letters, refused to pick up car but to no avail.
Does anyone know what you have to do to get any sense out of anyone at Landrover or even better get your money back?

[Tony]

I have a 1995 Discovery 1 My problem with it is that the car would suddenly idle rough then stall when I'm stopped. The car would start up and go, but idles rough and no power then would stall again. This would go on for a few hours then it would be Ok again and not stall for weeks. The dealership check everything and could not find or re-produce the rough idle and stalling. Has anybody had this problem and finally resolved it. Please Help!

[GB of SA]

First off:
Range Rovers & Disco's are Land Rover's passenger cars. Real Land Rovers are defined as Defender or Series.
I would not buy a Disco 3 but I know many owners and can truthfully say the Disco 3 is very capable, very reliable and well appointed.
I think this disgruntled chappie is one of those people who should buy a Toyota Prado.
You see, they never break down because no self respecting Toyota owner will ever admit to having any problems ever. But a LR! Well, youre just not in if your LR is reliable...

[aacreditlkh]

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[bacreditqci]

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accounts that build your credit

[bacreditahm]

Hello guys! Please, somebody, give me wise advice. My credit is really bad. I have one bad credit card and need one more to solve some money problems. How to know whether my application will be denied or not. And is this a reliable website to apply online? I am waiting for your answer. Thanks
applying for credit card with bad cedit with a 7 500 limt

[Richard Neva]

I am in sympathy with all of your problems with these cars and honestly I will never buy a new car again in the few years I have left. Fortunately I bought a 2001 Toyota 4Runner and all I do it put gas in it. Sure, it uses more gas than I like but what the hell, it's better than paying service wages for some guy. My second car was a classic and I am even more happy with that. A 57 year old Lincoln that you can actually see all the engine parts in! The flathead was a hard engine to follow. They go and go and never stop. Like a rock and made out of heavy metal. Not all this aluminum shit you see today. Well, I am done. Good luck to all of you and buy a Toyota next time.

[paris]

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WOW! Reading some of your complaints makes me laugh! "No outside temp sensor"; LMFAO! "There's a rubbery squeak with the wipers"; LMFAO! "The dash clock doesn't work right"; LMFAO again! I'll bet most of you don't even know how to change a tire! I've never owned a car without squeaky wipers, or a car that NEVER broke down. God! Get a clue, learn some basic mechanical skills and fix some of your own little panzy ass problems!

Here's some advice; be cautious when buy the first year of a new model. There are ALWAYS growing pains.

[fred]

i have a discovery 1 and have had to replace the engine at 125000 miles due to head going but i too wudnt have a jap car its a love hate thing. how many old landys are still on the road they are built for the job and find they do it well but thats my opinion ive put a lot off off road gear on mine n ile pit it against any jap 4 by

[Laurie]

I have a 2002 Land Rover Freelander SE. It is the biggest piece of crap I have every owned. It makes a weird clunking sound when taking off from a complete stop.(mechanic can't figure it out) Everytime it rains or gets too cold outside the alarm sets it self automatically and locks me out. Then my remote to disarm it never works properly. The driver side door can only be unolcked manually. Also it has the yellow HDC light on with the flashing F 4 on the odometer. I have already had to fix the water pump which come to find out you also need to replace the timing belts with this as they do not come seperate. $1,200 USD to fix. It was hard to find anyone who was even willing to touch the thing. And to top it all off the harmon Kardon stero system is holding one of my CD's hostage. Comes back CD ERROR. I am just going to cut my losses and trade it in. Never again will I buy a Land Rover.

[mike sadler]

What a stupid blog this is,set up by one angry man whose had a bad expierience! I have just read the article:- Another disgruntled customer writes in: Is this man stupid or did he not look around the car in the showroom and read the spec' of the car he was buying. It appears to me he has more money than sense! His faults are minor (wiper squeak) and will be quickly delt with by his garage. Instead of slagging a great car, why not support one of the last british car manufacturers and even save a few jobs in this country, the people at Land Rover have done a fine job over recent years to turn this company round and start producing good reliable vehicles. I'm sure the JD Powers survey will back this up, and the next survey will show even greater inprovements

Land Rovers are fucking terrible. I've owned one for 2 years now and nothing but problems. I've done all the service, as directed by Land Rover and it's still a piece of shit. You want a Land Rover, punch yourself in the nuts. That what owning a Land Rover feels like. Enjoy.

Ive owned a 1999 D2 for a little over a year now. I drive it to and from school and take it off road regularly. The only problem i have ever had is that i replaced the corrective balancing air suspension in the back with a regular spring kit because the air suspension system froze up over the winter.

here's a video of me in action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7AgoKmIyzI&NR=1

[Brian]

I would have to agree with the assessment of overall Land Rover performance. I purchased a brand new 2003 SE Disco II in June 2003. Within the first 6 months, I had visited the dealership approximately 12 times for problems ranging from exhaust manifolds, blown window regualtors, faulty headlights, broken power locks, and a few other minor nuisances. After the car hit 30K, the engine began to overheat and fail regularly. I promptly notified Land Rover USA and their response was "we can't locate any issue - let's try replacing the timing belt" (this whole experience prompted me to become an avid repairman of my own vehicles). Subsequently, the engine continued to have poor performance and required regular maintenance to the cooling system and engine itself. Finally, in 2006, at 51K (1K out of warranty), the engine died. Finally, Land Rover was able to determine the problem - the car slipped a sleeve (this was after I had brought it into repair here in Austin, TX - for overheating (btw, they charged me nearly $1000 to "fix" the truck). Before I left the parking lot at the dealership - you know, after they wash it and pull it around - the check engine light came on - I notified them that proper service was not done. Even though I did not move the vehicle in any way, they asserted that this was a new code and hence the "discovery" of the slipped sleeve. I asserted that this was because the real issue was never fixed leading up to this incident (after Land Rover replaced parts that had no bearing on the matter and charged me for them no less). I brought this to the attention of the corporate office and they gave me no remedy. In fact, they offered to sell me a new engine for $10000. After the engine finally stopped altogether and I learned a few things on my own, I figured my 10K was better spent on a used and running 2003 HSE Disco II. At least now I have a parts car. I wouldn't purchased a new Land Rover with any confidence, especially now that Ford is in the mix. What ever happened to the level of distinction, service, and quality synonymous with Land Rover?

[Brian]

Oh yeah, by the way, the car was maintained from start to finish in accordance with Land Rover's service program. No missed oil changes, no missed lubes, no missed brake jobs, no missed tires....no missed anything. Proof that this is definitely a quality issue.

[J.Rueb]

I have a 2 weeks old D3 diesel and after 50 km on the way home from the dealer my engine slowed down,3 gear, no power ,display said, ENGINE SYSTEM FAULT, restarted and drove, after 800km now the problem came back, display said ENGINE SYSTEM FAULT, restarted it and every worked , can anyone tell my what's wrong with the car,the dealer has no idear.

[G.C.]

thats why you dont buy a brand new landrover they experience alot of bugs the first couple of years they come out with a new model like lr3, landrover is just trying to create a new modern stile to go along with their rugged offroad heritage to set them even farther from the other competitors. wich WILL happen just wait and see and stop hatin on em for right now just let them work all the bugs out

[Dave 2000]

I have a 93 200 tdi Discovery LHD spanish spec and what a fantastic car!!
It has the twin sunroofs, air con, electric windows,power locks, power steering, and anything else that was on offer in 1993. The car is now 15 years old with the all original drive mechanicals except I have changed halfshafts, this is to allow me to push the car further than the LR original design spec however the originals were still perfect. I have replaced the radiator and head gasket. I do all my own servicing/repairs however the La Hoya Land Rover dealership staff and in particular the parts department guy are brilliant. Apart from the occassional oil leak from the transfer box or axle the car has never ever let me down and is regularly driven to the UK (2000 + km) without problems. The car is off road EVERY week whether it be the beaches or mountains. If I ever decide to change the vehicle I will go for the latest Disco 2 I can find without too many bells and whistles that appear to cause problems with the later vehicles. IMHO it seems the marriage of electronics and off road vehicles is not a happy one......yet. ALL makes and models of vehicles have problems, if you recognise you have a lemon then get rid of it and buy another car.

Just my tuppence worth

regards

Dave

[I would rather not say!]

I had an utter nightmare with my 2006 model Range Rover vogue - you name it - it broke - then put on top lashings of dealer incompetence and Land Rover indifference - my joy was complete!

One visit to the factory where i literally knocked on the door, and within two weeks a deal was arranged where they took this embarrassement away and ordered me a 2008 Discovery 3. Seven months later it arrived - and three months after with 26 000km on the clock I can say it is totally perfect - no moans, no quibbles, no problems.

No doubt it will break, at some point, but compare this car to any other new 4x4 on the road today and, well, you just can't.

Superb, thank you Land Rover for restoring my faith in the brand, you got this one 100% right.

[Ray]

Hi
I am a Landy owner and yes there have been a few problems with them but all in all the the vehicle does what it was designed for to get me to places (and Back)and put a smile on my face. I love landys.
Why has the originator of this blog not spoken about his Q7???

Landys keep me happy in South Africa where we can go places.

[Ray]

Hey You guys have some fun get on to landyzone.co.uk and bitch about Land Rovers.!!! 10,000 Landy owners???

[Doug Allchin]

Bought a 2007 LR3 SE (specced up to rival the HSE) from Farmington Hills Land Rover Michigan in May 2007. They are a FINE dealer, and the fairly minor problems we had were dealt with in a professional and speedy fashion. I then moved (with the LR3 towing a trailer) to Oregon... The vehicle soon developed a noisy engine, and a habit of pulling to the left if the steering wheel was straight, and lurching to the right if the brakes were applied. This seemed to be an obvious case of suspension woes? The vehicle went into the local dealer (Portland Land Rover - avoid!) well before Xmas 2007 - who said it was a minor matter and would be fixed that day - some days later I got the vehicle back, they said the engine noise was a perished hose (at 9,000 miles!) and could find no fault with the suspension / steering etc. It continued to irk, so back it went. this time they balanced the wheels, found them way out of balance, and corrected this, pronouncing the fault cured. It was not... to cut a long tale of woe short, it went back a number of times, every time it was quoted a day, every time they discovered / broke more parts that needed replacing so the average stay was a week or more! By now, they have replaced the steering rack, the suspension, the track control arms, the rear radius arms, the transfer box... the list just goes on. They did eventually try my suggestion of 'fixing' it then taking it for a ride then rechecking on their alignment jig - which, no surprise, showed that even after 'repair' a short drive brought the problem back! Seems they believe the customer should be the test driver? Anyway a couple of weeks ago (in late April 2008), they finally pronounced it cured. I took delivery, traveled a short way to target for some groceries, and when I opened the rear hatch, gashed my arm on the inner side trip panel which was hanging loose in the vehicle! This remember is a vehicle 'they have checked with a fine tooth comb'... They could not provide any explanation as to why the panel should be dismounted (it was a radius arm they repaired) so once again I contacted Land Rover Customer Relations (oxymoron!) who said that I should give the dealer another chance.. how many do they get? It's been in dealers' shops for a total of nearly 70 days, and all Land Rover can offer is two months lease payments back - if I agree to shut up and not say anything! I said that as the next nearest dealer is the only one for 150+ miles, it's not sensible to tell me to travel to Seattle once a month - especially as my lease is for 10,500 miles a year and I do NOT want to spend more than a third of that on trips to a dealer! They then withdrew their offer of 2 payments saying I was a trouble maker and implying I (!!!) had dismounted the trim panel,and I (!!) was not giving the dealer a fair chance. More threats of action led them to promise to consider how to properly compensate me and repair the car. Their suggestion? I pay them (!!!) six thousand dollars, and they will replace the car - of course I have the same dealer to use who cannot fix the car and I am giving them money to get what I have been paying for for a year? The Hell to that! I have instituted Lemon Law action against LR in Michigan, and we shall see. Meanwhile I went and bought a Montero as I am unwilling to risk my life in the still unrepaired LR3 - LR seemed to think that my complaint was because I could not afford their tatty lease - well I'm still paying it while my case goes through, and I shelled out many thousands for a reliable Japanese 4x4 - so it's not the money is it? It's an unreliable product, a dealer who can't and a company which seems to be there to protect its dealers not service its customers? They even had the cheek to patronize me by telling me that perhaps the vehicle was not faulty - it was just that I had not got it into my head that it was not driving like a sedan! I told the idiot that I have had many many Land Rovers, and driven the first in the 1960's - so he is obviously a man who yaps first and thinks later - if at all?

[adrian azu]

I have had a land rover se disco 3 i have been to poland from london in it 3 times put snow tyres on and it was fantastic, i use it every day driving all day in london and it has never brocken down (un like my p38)what i say to the chap at the top look at what you purchase and dont rush in i took 3 months looking before i chose the model i needed, all cars will have there off days and need attention its a machine stop winging all of you or go get a larda.

[adrian azu]

one more thing in poland the snow was up to your knees in places with all other cars trucks etc doing 30mph no problem for me i was in the far lane doing 60 to 75 mph i am shure i could have gone faster it made no differance to the landy, the eskimo add is no messing what a buzz. but make shure you have the snow and ice tyres.

[R Best]

After wearing out 3 sets of tyres on my disco 3 HSE in 45k miles and being pulled out of the mud twice on the farm, can I be recomended a decent A/T tyre that will stay on the road in the wet and get me out of the shit on the farm.by the way great vericle. past vehicles 3 RR clasic disco 1&2 defender 110 and 90 shogan (crap)

[canrover]

History of Land Rovers I have owned:

1. Series III Military Style (109"). I beat the crap out of this vehicle and it just kept going. The carburator was horrible and the heating system barely worked until I rebuilt it with vacuum parts, but that truck never left me stranded. Yes, the gearbox leaked even after a rebuild and the Lucas wiring was an absolute nightmare, but on a serious offroad adventure, I'd take this vehicle over a brand new Toyota any day.

2. Discovery, Series II. Drove it for ten years on road and off, without a single problem. The front bumper is a bad design and I cracked it within two weeks of owning the vehicle (why make the fog lamps integral to the bumper??) but it held together okay with wire for the next ten years. And it was quite comfortable after my Series III. And no leaks!

3. Defender 90. I'm not sure why Land Rover fitted this trucks with a V8, but it still has lots of power after 90,000 miles.