Discovery 2 (2002-2004). Are they as unreliable as claimed?
Discussion
I'm thinking of getting a Discovery 2 (2002-2004). I'm going for the later ones in a hope most of the bugs will have been fixed.
Are they as bad as everyone makes out reliability wise? I'm fairly competent mechanically, built a Westfield and rebuilt 2 Classic Minis amongst other things, so don't mind doing unbolting or tin bashing. Are the standard repairs home doable ? Software stuff isn't my thing though.
I have considered Japanese offerings but they tend to be more expensive to buy and also have some horror stories.
Are they as bad as everyone makes out reliability wise? I'm fairly competent mechanically, built a Westfield and rebuilt 2 Classic Minis amongst other things, so don't mind doing unbolting or tin bashing. Are the standard repairs home doable ? Software stuff isn't my thing though.
I have considered Japanese offerings but they tend to be more expensive to buy and also have some horror stories.
Someone more knowledgeable than me will be along in a mo, but one irritant is the ACE (active cornering enhancement). When it fails you need to work out if it's worth fixing, or bite the bullet and rip it all out, replacing the pump with an idler pulley.
If it's a Td5 (not a V8) then Google 'oil in injector loom'. It may have been remedied by now, but...
Other problems include simple ones like de-laminated air intake hoses, and annoying ones like EGR valve failure, which are pretty common on older diesels in my experience.
Then there's the terminal rot these things suffer from. Check the chassis carefully, as they often rot from the inside out where mud has blocked drainage holes.
You probably knew most of that, but after 15 years' ownership including a classic V8 Range Rover, Td5 & V8 Defenders and TDV6 and V8 Disco 3s, I've been bitten by most problems. When it's not my cars, it's my Dad's classic Range Rovers or Td5 Discovery 2. I've had all the above and more. I'm not sure if the Disco 2 (late model) has air suspension but if it does, beware that too. My V8 Disco 3 is currently in the garage with a bust compressor, which burst suddenly while we were off-road inspecting the sheep. Coming back off the hill on the bump stops was quite interesting.
Having said all of that, my Td5 Defender had a stage 2 JE Engineering re-map and intercooler combined with a Disco 2 transfer box final ratio. They can really move when chipped!
If it's a Td5 (not a V8) then Google 'oil in injector loom'. It may have been remedied by now, but...
Other problems include simple ones like de-laminated air intake hoses, and annoying ones like EGR valve failure, which are pretty common on older diesels in my experience.
Then there's the terminal rot these things suffer from. Check the chassis carefully, as they often rot from the inside out where mud has blocked drainage holes.
You probably knew most of that, but after 15 years' ownership including a classic V8 Range Rover, Td5 & V8 Defenders and TDV6 and V8 Disco 3s, I've been bitten by most problems. When it's not my cars, it's my Dad's classic Range Rovers or Td5 Discovery 2. I've had all the above and more. I'm not sure if the Disco 2 (late model) has air suspension but if it does, beware that too. My V8 Disco 3 is currently in the garage with a bust compressor, which burst suddenly while we were off-road inspecting the sheep. Coming back off the hill on the bump stops was quite interesting.
Having said all of that, my Td5 Defender had a stage 2 JE Engineering re-map and intercooler combined with a Disco 2 transfer box final ratio. They can really move when chipped!
g7jtk said:
No. You can rely on them to break down from time to time.
But it's worth it.
This pretty much, I'm not very mechanically minded but I love my D2 (3rd land rover, had a series III and a D1)But it's worth it.
Mines with Cambrian 4x4 atm having a new fuel pressure regulator put on, last year I had the head gasket replaced.
The top hose went last year also and when replacing it my dad and I broke off a small piece of the Rad that you can't really repair so we put in a new Rad.
She has about 190,000 miles on her though so in the grand scheme of things these were expected but the best thing is there is absolutely loads of information online regarding repairs and issues so you can pretty much identify something quickly.
This site has been pretty useful for me:
http://www.discovery2.co.uk/
From my experience if you keep an eye on things, leaks, funny noises etc and deal with them rather than ignore then you won't have major issues.
She's served me well, been used to transport family members in comfort to events, long drives through the Welsh valleys and a big trip up to Aberfeldy Scotland.
If I ever replace her it will be with another D2.
I sold my 52 plate D2 with 130,000 and whilst it had the odd moment, overall it was a fantastic bit of kit.
I had the TD5 Auto in ES trim with all the toys. Usual oil contamination in the loom, got rid of the EGR valve, replaced some ACE pipes and the ABC switch on the gearbox. All of those totally predictable issues and a wealth of information out there on the web.
If you find one still going strong and not completely rotten, chances are all those things will be sorted by now.
I had the TD5 Auto in ES trim with all the toys. Usual oil contamination in the loom, got rid of the EGR valve, replaced some ACE pipes and the ABC switch on the gearbox. All of those totally predictable issues and a wealth of information out there on the web.
If you find one still going strong and not completely rotten, chances are all those things will be sorted by now.
Thanks Hashtag. Part of my reasoning for an older Discovery is that I had a Renault Espace Mk3, an 02 plate, several years ago. It was a nightmare. The mechanics were fine but it had software niggles. It would suddenly decide that it did not want to go. Next day it would be as if nothing happened. I can handle most mechanical mayhem but this was beyond the experts let alone me. Since then I've had a policy of go for older simpler cars. Hence my sensitivity to reliability & maintainability. I don't mind a moderate amount of unreliability if I can fix it. The Land Rover buffs at work seem to regard the Discovery 3 & 4s as more troublesome, not that I can afford one.
I currently have a late MK3 Mondeo Estate with 162000 miles. It has been superb, all I have replaced other than consumables in 75,000 miles is the thermostat housing & refitted the exhaust heat shield. Unfortunately my three children are getting to the teenage stage and it's a squeeze on the back seat.
The only major problem with getting a Discovery is that I have access to a car trailer and there is the danger that I might buy all manner of cheap cr@p projects on ebay if I have the bigger towing capacity.
I currently have a late MK3 Mondeo Estate with 162000 miles. It has been superb, all I have replaced other than consumables in 75,000 miles is the thermostat housing & refitted the exhaust heat shield. Unfortunately my three children are getting to the teenage stage and it's a squeeze on the back seat.
The only major problem with getting a Discovery is that I have access to a car trailer and there is the danger that I might buy all manner of cheap cr@p projects on ebay if I have the bigger towing capacity.
Tempest_5 said:
Unfortunately my three children are getting to the teenage stage and it's a squeeze on the back seat.
I wouldn't assume that a D2 would have loads of room on the 2nd row, I'd definitely check before you buy. I've been brought up with D2s and spent many hours as a teenager travelling in the middle and the 3rd row seats, and the 3rd row seats are alright for trips up to about 1hr but because the seat bases are so low, it can get uncomfortable for much longer than that.I'm on my 2nd D2 now, and the biggest leason I've learned is that you'll save a fortune if you can do a lot of the work yourself. It's also worth investing in a Hawkeye or Nanocom OBD reader for diagnostics. They're as cheap new as they are second hand, so might as well buy new especially if you can join in on a group buy.
I've not had a facelift one, but my 1st one was one of the last pre-facelifts (Sept 01), and my current one is one of the very first made (built Nov 98). They seem to be a real mixed bag, my later one was a massive pile of s
t which caused nothing but agro, it would be easier to list the things that were ok with it than to list all the faults. If the forums are anything to go by, then you'd believe that you shouldn't touch the very earlist D2s, but mine has been absolutely fine in the 4 months I've had it and hasn't cost me a dime in replacement parts, yet with everything you read you'd guess that my later one would be the more reliable one, go figure! So my experience is one of hit and miss, I've had loads of friends that have had them (including when they were new), and most have been pretty good, a few have been crap but it really is luck of the draw I'm afraid...
3 things to check for - Rust, gearbox issues, head gasket. The rest of the faults are relatively easy and cheap to fix, these three are usually not. Land Rover say you can't resurface Td5 heads, there are some out there that do but it's not cheap! Chassis rust can affect low mileage cars that have never seen dirt, later ones seem more prone to rot in my experience.
Edited by 0llie on Friday 1st July 08:24
Most chassis on them will have a plate or 50 on them by now. So theres always that issue and its truly the biggest issue. It's what I fail most of them on mots for.
Airbags are generally better but not if they have been leaking forever and killed the compressor (under the passenger seat under the car). Theres sometimes insurance issues if its a 7 seater as they are not certified for springs.
The ACE is usually killed by rotten pipes tbh.
The v8 is an old boat anchor designed when engines were lucky to last 50k. So any v8 you look at will need a cam and followers minimum. LPG certainly helps but depending on what setup you have you can loose a lot of petrol fuel range as some like mine have a smaller petrol tank fitted to accomodate the larger lpg tank. I have a 2004 v8 btw.
The diesels are slow and they are pretty terrible with the elastic band speedboat totally mismatched torque converter stall speed. The loom issue will most likely have been sorted by now. The injector O rings are a service item really. The lift pump on the diesels is always clogged with crap, so an annual pull out and clean of that will often help. If the injectors or pumps die then any and all savings you made by going diesel are wiped out in an instant.
The other massive issue is the stupid keys. The valeo key. Unlike the older one you do the key left and right routine these lose their coding and theres no bypass for it.
Also as for interior space the only thing worse than a disco is a defender. I assume you have never sat in one, if your anything like normal sized then its a hellish place to be for any distance. Your current mondeo is indeed far more spacious inside than a disco is, especially for the driver.
Airbags are generally better but not if they have been leaking forever and killed the compressor (under the passenger seat under the car). Theres sometimes insurance issues if its a 7 seater as they are not certified for springs.
The ACE is usually killed by rotten pipes tbh.
The v8 is an old boat anchor designed when engines were lucky to last 50k. So any v8 you look at will need a cam and followers minimum. LPG certainly helps but depending on what setup you have you can loose a lot of petrol fuel range as some like mine have a smaller petrol tank fitted to accomodate the larger lpg tank. I have a 2004 v8 btw.
The diesels are slow and they are pretty terrible with the elastic band speedboat totally mismatched torque converter stall speed. The loom issue will most likely have been sorted by now. The injector O rings are a service item really. The lift pump on the diesels is always clogged with crap, so an annual pull out and clean of that will often help. If the injectors or pumps die then any and all savings you made by going diesel are wiped out in an instant.
The other massive issue is the stupid keys. The valeo key. Unlike the older one you do the key left and right routine these lose their coding and theres no bypass for it.
Also as for interior space the only thing worse than a disco is a defender. I assume you have never sat in one, if your anything like normal sized then its a hellish place to be for any distance. Your current mondeo is indeed far more spacious inside than a disco is, especially for the driver.
chammyman said:
Also as for interior space the only thing worse than a disco is a defender. I assume you have never sat in one, if your anything like normal sized then its a hellish place to be for any distance. Your current mondeo is indeed far more spacious inside than a disco is, especially for the driver.
I'm 6'2 and sturdy and find it fine. We regularly do 5hrs down France and get out fresh. No1 Son hates the middle seat of swmbo's Mazda 6 estate (similar size to a Mondeo) but loves the Disco. It isn't as big as a D3 though.Bill said:
chammyman said:
Also as for interior space the only thing worse than a disco is a defender. I assume you have never sat in one, if your anything like normal sized then its a hellish place to be for any distance. Your current mondeo is indeed far more spacious inside than a disco is, especially for the driver.
I'm 6'2 and sturdy and find it fine. We regularly do 5hrs down France and get out fresh. No1 Son hates the middle seat of swmbo's Mazda 6 estate (similar size to a Mondeo) but loves the Disco. It isn't as big as a D3 though.Never felt uncomfortable and I'm 6'.
Crikey, thanks for all the advice. We will be trying at least one over the weekend for size.
Having rebuilt Minis and spend several years in the 90's maintaining a friends MK1 Celica ST, I'm not overly worried about tackling the rust.
A work friend has a TD5 Defender so I've lived through his traumas with that, cracked cylinder head, failed pump in tank, doors falling off, ECU going etc. I don't intend ditching the Mondeo I should add.
Size wise I'm only 5'4" so that's not an issue for me. SWMBO is the same height so I don't think the youngsters are going to be basketball players. What does it for the children in the Mondeo is the cuddy box between the seats combined with the exhaust (transmission) tunnel. The middle seat occupant complains about this. Even though we have the front seats forward it doesn't help. They reckon it takes half an hour for their legs to recover after a long trip.
I should add that's not the only reason for getting one. Other reasons include, more towing capacity than Mondeo, I fancy a go at off roading and I first wanted a Land Rover over 20 years ago - we've buried three of our colleagues from work over the last year, 2 from accidents, which has put life in perspective.
I could get a people carrier but that's not why I'm on Pistonheads. Anyway I'm 48 and I'm due a mid life crisis.
Having rebuilt Minis and spend several years in the 90's maintaining a friends MK1 Celica ST, I'm not overly worried about tackling the rust.
A work friend has a TD5 Defender so I've lived through his traumas with that, cracked cylinder head, failed pump in tank, doors falling off, ECU going etc. I don't intend ditching the Mondeo I should add.
Size wise I'm only 5'4" so that's not an issue for me. SWMBO is the same height so I don't think the youngsters are going to be basketball players. What does it for the children in the Mondeo is the cuddy box between the seats combined with the exhaust (transmission) tunnel. The middle seat occupant complains about this. Even though we have the front seats forward it doesn't help. They reckon it takes half an hour for their legs to recover after a long trip.
I should add that's not the only reason for getting one. Other reasons include, more towing capacity than Mondeo, I fancy a go at off roading and I first wanted a Land Rover over 20 years ago - we've buried three of our colleagues from work over the last year, 2 from accidents, which has put life in perspective.
I could get a people carrier but that's not why I'm on Pistonheads. Anyway I'm 48 and I'm due a mid life crisis.
Well to be fair I'm 6 foot 7 (I can't reach the interior door handle I put the window down and use the outer generally)and my business partner is 6 foot 5. The mrs is 5 6 and she finds the disco overcramped. But again it depends on what your used to.
My business partner has a P38 which is more spacious.
You won't get 3 kids seats in the middle row of either one so thats shows you the width and the rear seat depending on the size of the teenagers won't be the most comfy place to be but at least the seats face forwards.
If you want to go off roading the disco is the better machine as its a lot sturdier built. The range for example has proper shafts half the thickness etc. The disco is a proper agricultural solid off road machine. The Range is good but not the same as the disco.
My business partner has a P38 which is more spacious.
You won't get 3 kids seats in the middle row of either one so thats shows you the width and the rear seat depending on the size of the teenagers won't be the most comfy place to be but at least the seats face forwards.
If you want to go off roading the disco is the better machine as its a lot sturdier built. The range for example has proper shafts half the thickness etc. The disco is a proper agricultural solid off road machine. The Range is good but not the same as the disco.
I've been looking at buying D2s and D3s for a while.
Google 'Discovery 2 three amigos'. That should keep you reading for a while.
Common faults include:
oil in injector loom (Modified LR loom solves this)
Gearboxes failing
Airbags and compressors failing (Converting to springs offer a more reliable system, but ride isn't as nice)
ACE pipes (Not personally read much into this, but I know some of the keen off roaders remove the systems completely)
Good old chassis rot. Several companies offer a a complete galvanised chassis fitting service. However at least the body resists corrosion better than the old D1.
They leak!
Now is a good time to buy a 4x4 because prices are at their lowest. You could probabaly buy one now and sell it for 10% more in the depths of winter. The market really is that simple.
Prices will be on the up for good ones, as people who are priced out of Defenders will go for a D2 instead.
Boot is tall, but not as wide or as deep as you'd expect for a vehcile of its size. This is due to clunky design of the the second row seats.
Google 'Discovery 2 three amigos'. That should keep you reading for a while.
Common faults include:
oil in injector loom (Modified LR loom solves this)
Gearboxes failing
Airbags and compressors failing (Converting to springs offer a more reliable system, but ride isn't as nice)
ACE pipes (Not personally read much into this, but I know some of the keen off roaders remove the systems completely)
Good old chassis rot. Several companies offer a a complete galvanised chassis fitting service. However at least the body resists corrosion better than the old D1.
They leak!
Now is a good time to buy a 4x4 because prices are at their lowest. You could probabaly buy one now and sell it for 10% more in the depths of winter. The market really is that simple.
Prices will be on the up for good ones, as people who are priced out of Defenders will go for a D2 instead.
Boot is tall, but not as wide or as deep as you'd expect for a vehcile of its size. This is due to clunky design of the the second row seats.
Well, we've now tried a few of varying quality. The children like the extra space. I'm currently researching the various issues and have got myself a copy of the workshop manual. Interestingly all the ones we have looked at have had the air suspension replaced with springs. I'm not sure how this would affect the insurance though.
We did find a nice one but it had a different, cheap tyre on each wheel, no visible liquid in the expansion tank for the rad and the fuel pump whined so we walked away as the signs of neglect were there. This was a shame as it had the best body, interior and engine bay of the lot.
We did find a nice one but it had a different, cheap tyre on each wheel, no visible liquid in the expansion tank for the rad and the fuel pump whined so we walked away as the signs of neglect were there. This was a shame as it had the best body, interior and engine bay of the lot.
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