Land Rover Discovery 4

Rexxar

Rexxar

Rexxar

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13 May 2010
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Anyone got one?

Interested to hear of any common faults or problems

Looking at buying one, used, 13 plate with 60k on the clock, but really want to know if the reliability is still as bad as the disco 3
 
Anything land rover is either going to need a great warranty, excellent mechanical skills and tools or pure luck to not cost you a fortune.
 
So I've had a 61 plate SDV6 with 8 speed auto since 2014. In that time it's covered 38k to 75k without a single failure of any description and bar tyres, brakes, fuel and servicing has practically cost me nothing in the way of unforeseen bills.

However, it's a lease and it's due back in October, I know it needs front lower bushes replacing as they knock on slow bumps and slow speed sharp braking. From a dealer? £1k a pop, so I'm holding out to giving it back before they need doing...

The satnav / touchscreen / infotainment is woeful, but the audio is very good indeed.

Engine and gearbox are a match made in heaven and I've had mine mapped to 305bhp. It certainly helps and can really shift when it needs to.
Some engine work (turbos, belt changes, etc) are a body off job, but a good local indy will sort that for you without drastic expense.

Take OBC mpg with a massive handful of salt. They aren't calibrated for each given Disco (ie, 18" wheels to 20" wheels are calibrated the same). You can set them up in Mongoose but that's a hassle, best just to ignore it. Don't expect anything above 25mpg, ever. In fact, it's less economical than my M5, to give you some indication.

Versatility is 2nd to none. It's an amazingly capable car, so much so that in a years time I'm contemplating changing the M5 for a year old Disco 5 as that is what my current situation requires and nothing else comes close to the Disco 5.
 
Django x2 said:
So I've had a 61 plate SDV6 with 8 speed auto since 2014. In that time it's covered 38k to 75k without a single failure of any description and bar tyres, brakes, fuel and servicing has practically cost me nothing in the way of unforeseen bills.

However, it's a lease and it's due back in October, I know it needs front lower bushes replacing as they knock on slow bumps and slow speed sharp braking. From a dealer? £1k a pop, so I'm holding out to giving it back before they need doing...

The satnav / touchscreen / infotainment is woeful, but the audio is very good indeed.

Engine and gearbox are a match made in heaven and I've had mine mapped to 305bhp. It certainly helps and can really shift when it needs to.
Some engine work (turbos, belt changes, etc) are a body off job, but a good local indy will sort that for you without drastic expense.

Take OBC mpg with a massive handful of salt. They aren't calibrated for each given Disco (ie, 18" wheels to 20" wheels are calibrated the same). You can set them up in Mongoose but that's a hassle, best just to ignore it. Don't expect anything above 25mpg, ever. In fact, it's less economical than my M5, to give you some indication.

Versatility is 2nd to none. It's an amazingly capable car, so much so that in a years time I'm contemplating changing the M5 for a year old Disco 5 as that is what my current situation requires and nothing else comes close to the Disco 5.
Click to expand...

Thanks, this is exactly what i was looking for.

I know the MPG is going to be dreadful but good to hear that it's more reliable than they used to be, even if theres knocking from bushes.

What are the issues with infotainment? I more often than not will use my phone with google maps for satnav if i really need it , purely because car navigation doesn't seem to keep up with the changes to london roads now
 
It's just cumbersome and showing its age. It's not haptic and every press of the screen instigates a delay which is frustrating when entering address details. The Voice system is good, better than BMW of the same era.
 
My neighbour's one ate its engine several months ago. Just come back from the dealer with a five-figure invoice. Erk. Still, nice bits of kit – will always be the odd nasty failure out there!
 
@[TW]Fox think he means pcp / leased against his business p&l.

Having been in it enough times and driven it, I can attest to the mpg and even at 25mpg that's being optimistic.

Nice place to be though and does do off-road like a mofo.
 
My dad owns a 15 plate having from from an 56 plate Disco 3. The Disco 3 had a couple of problems but nothing seismic, the worst/most expensive being the pump for the hydraulic suspension which was a fairly common fault with the Disco 3.

He's had only one real problem over ~35k miles in the new one, which is that the drain channels/tubes from the sunroof blocked causing water to back-up and get into the cabin. It too is apparently a known fault but there is no magic cure. Check for dampness in the front footwells close to the A pillar (both sides). If there's any dampness there then chances are this is the cause. I think there are also some similar drain channels for the rear sunroof that can also block but I don't know where the water from these ends up. Rear footwell close to B pillar would be my guess.

My dad is a bit of an old granddad when it comes to driving, but he's managed just over 31mpg (measured, not OBC) from his. OBC reports more like 33 I think. His is a HSE on the 20" wheels.

I'd agree on the infotainment..."dated" is being kind really. The software was updated with Disco 4 but the functionality & performance of it is way off the mark for a vehicle of its price point these days.

Personally I think they are fantastic cars, very capable both on and off road, and absolutely cavernous. They are one of the few vehicles with a pop-up third row of seats that can comfortably seat 7 adults.
 
Certainly more food for thought there.

The model i'm looking at is highly specced, including the surround cameras. Are these just a gimmick from anyone who's had them?
 
I had them on a Quashqai I hired recently. Wished I had them on my 5 series. The Nissan thing didn't have a very high res screen, but it was pretty useful for guaging where you were when parking and stuff. Better than a rear view camera anyway. If I was going for a decently new big motor like a Disco, I'd be wanting that feature for sure.
 
I had a 2011 Range Rover Sport TDV6 3.0 for 3 years, which I only had one large bill for where the inlet manifold cracked on one side. The part was around £200 but it is a 10 hour job. It is starting to become a common issue on the 3.0 TDV/SDV6 engine and there is a technical bulletin out for it where it is noted that the original part isn't fit for purpose. It affects the new models too, up to 2015 I think it is. The suspension developed a creaking sound too but I sold it before I looked into it further.
 
My sister had a 15plate Disco from new, numerous breakdowns and repeated cracking of the panoramic roof resulted in a replacement 16plate which was no better.

The X5 M50d that replaced it has (thus far) been faultless....
 
Those cameras also cover the Wade sensing feature which I think was standard on HSE from 2013 or 14. I've never bothered, don't particularly miss it, but I know the disco will outwade the Q7 by some margin. Adjustable ride height is great. Leave it running and open the tailgate and it lowers the car.

I've got a few things I definitely would like on the D5, but the HSE's seem very well spec'd.
 
So It seems a real mixed bag then, 50/50 almost. Not sure i want to take a chance on a car with over 225 Technical Service Bulletins! (saying that, have no idea how many the current car has!)
 
I guess it's a tough decision to make, I get that, but the same can easily be said of any large car. Remember this is technically a Ford engine backed by German input built by India using British Steel. No two Disco's are the same. I think on that, most can agree. I wasn't put off by any of the possible things that could go wrong, and haven't regretted it. You could ask the same questions about a 3 Series and find people with mixed similar stories.
 
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