I do know, I do know. Land Rovers are horrible vehicles and no one ought to ever contact one if they’ve any kind of monetary sense. For numerous causes, the British-made SUVs are persistently on the backside of virtually all reliability studies.
I’ve by no means been wealthy sufficient to afford a brand new Land Rover or Vary Rover, however because of the magic of depreciation, I took a leap of religion two years in the past and acquired a used LR3. And ot simply because it was comparatively low-cost, however as a result of the Discovery 3 (because it’s identified in Europe) is possibly the most effective all-rounder on the market. It’s snug, it’s succesful, and if you understand how to maintain it, it gained’t go away you stranded (possibly, probably, don’t take my phrase for it).
Since shopping for it firstly of 2023, my Land Rover has been a improbable household automotive, road-tripping machine, overlander, and generally masquerading as a piece truck. It has achieved every thing I’ve requested of it, after which some.
However my LR3 will not be just like the others. It’s diesel-powered—one thing you wonderful individuals in america by no means acquired. That’s as a result of I reside in Romania, a rustic the place the Discovery 3 was solely ever bought with the famed 2.7-liter TDV-6 diesel. Famed not due to its excellent capabilities and reliability, however due to its means to make web mechanics tirelessly warning everyone that the crank will snap.
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It’s a identified problem amongst homeowners (despite the fact that Land Rover by no means admitted any wrongdoing), even when the vehicles have been new and beneath guarantee, so there was by no means a recall. The later 3.0-liter SDV-6 discovered on the LR4 suffers from the identical probably catastrophic problem. Some say the 5W-30 oil viscosity specified within the service guide is a bit low. Others add the very lengthy oil change intervals into the combination, whereas some say that it’s merely a nasty design and all these engines will ultimately die.
Mine hasn’t but, fortunately. Granted, it solely has a bit over 100,000 miles on the odometer regardless of its age, 25,000 of which have been my very own doing. It’s a 2006 mannequin nevertheless it was manufactured on the finish of 2005, making it an almost 20-year-old automotive. And for what it’s price, it nonetheless drives like new even to at the present time, however not with out some monetary and emotional sacrifice.
Once I purchased it, I shortly came upon from the earlier proprietor that the timing belt had by no means been modified. That was a ticking time bomb, exacerbated by the presence of the unique oil pump. That’s not an enormous problem on most vehicles, however on the TDV-6 LR3, it could result in a lifeless engine as a result of its metallic casing has a thread for a timing belt tensioner. Because it occurs, that a part of the casing on older oil pumps wasn’t bolstered, and there are many horror tales on the market about cracked casings and lifeless engines. That was rectified on later iterations.
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Land Rover Discovery 3 TDV6 physique off
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Land Rover Discovery 3 TDV6 engine with new every thing
Realizing all of this, I took my Land Rover to a specialist some three hours away for all the massive stuff: timing belt, high-pressure gas pump belt, oil pump, chain tensioners, EGR valves, torque converter—the lot. It was a reasonably large job that took about 4 days, together with some suspension work and new fluids throughout. The physique needed to be taken off the body for simpler entry and the full invoice was round $6,000 together with components and labor. That was roughly half of what I paid for the automotive just a few months prior, nevertheless it meant that I had a stable automotive to make use of as a every day driver.
Now The Unhealthy Stuff
I grew up watching Wheeler Sellers and Scrapheap Problem, and I really like engaged on vehicles, however that job was an excessive amount of for me. That stated, it wasn’t too lengthy earlier than my dwelling mechanic expertise could be put to good use as a result of on a scorching summer time day when one of many entrance calipers determined to surrender and warped the rotor, making the steering wheel shake like a rabid canine beneath braking.
I used to be driving with my spouse and two children on the weekend, so I needed to put up with it till we returned dwelling. I put in a brand new set of entrance brake disks and refurbished the unique calipers with new pistons and seals, which appeared to do the job. “Appeared” is the important thing phrase right here. The brand new rotors have been shit and warped after just some hundred miles, so yet one more set, this time from one other model, have been put in.
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On a earlier journey, this damned factor failed, resulting in a transmission fluid leak.
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Getting it mounted concerned dropping the outdated transmission pan.
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The unique design had a plastic pan with an built-in filter. I made a decision to improve to a metallic pan with a separate filter.
That was in 2023. This 12 months, once more whereas on a visit with the household, the identical caliper that failed two years in the past determined it was lastly time to go to heaven. So a brand new set of calipers have been ordered and adjusted in a storage far-off from dwelling—a straightforward job if in case you have the instruments. However the outdated woman wasn’t achieved.
After mending the entrance brakes—hopefully for good this time—we have been able to hit the street and head again dwelling. The baggage have been within the trunk, the spouse and youngsters have been all buckled up and the engine was operating. I used to be saying goodbye to my brother and was nearly to climb inside after I observed one thing leaking on one of many rear wheels.
A brake pipe had ruptured. Oh, pleasure.
Plans have been modified. As luck would have it, I had purchased new brake pipes and hoses some time in the past considering I might change them as soon as summer time introduced hotter temperatures. The issue was that the components have been dwelling, and the spherical journey would take about seven hours. So I left the Discovery, hopped in my brother’s automotive, acquired the components and drove again to repair the Land Rover the next day.
Earlier than and after shopping for my automotive, I’ve seen a justifiable share of Discovery homeowners posting images of their vehicles on flatbed vehicles, and I all the time thought that the roadside help plague would keep away from me. I used to be flawed.
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Final summer time I launched into a roughly 2,000-mile European street journey with my household. It was the primary time we’d drive such an extended distance with the youngsters, however I used to be assured every thing could be alright. I modified the oil and gave the automotive a basic checkup earlier than leaving and hit the street.
Every thing went easily and we reached our vacation spot battling heavy site visitors on the freeway and 104 levels within the shade. After which, whereas driving to our resort from a day journey, I observed the engine temperature dropped to zero regardless of it being 100 levels outdoors. I stated to my spouse: “One thing is flawed.” And certain sufficient, a couple of minutes later the automotive began sputtering and revving up by itself. I pulled over in a fuel station parking zone.
After an engine restart, the jury was in: the automotive had gone insane. With out touching the throttle, the engine would rev to 2,000 rpm after which again to idle time and again.
Here is a high tip for each Land Rover proprietor on the market: Get an OBDII scanner and preserve it within the automotive. You will not want it till you want it. That is what I did and boy was I glad. A fast scan revealed 1,000,000 errors, although most have been attributable to the erratic habits. The perpetrator was the engine oil temperature sensor which conked out and informed the ECU that the lubricant was at -76 levels. In consequence, the digital mind was making an attempt to heat up the engine, nevertheless it was confused as a result of the ambient temperature sensor, transmission temperature sensor, and coolant temperature sensor have been telling it one thing else.
It was undrivable. Due to the fixed throttle blips, the automated transmission was refusing to vary gears and the exhaust was smoking closely. So I needed to name a tow truck.
I used to be in Croatia, a rustic the place I’d seen exactly one different Land Rover Discovery 3 within the week I had been there, so I informed the flatbed truck driver to drop me and my automotive off to a revered spare components retailer on the outskirts of an enormous metropolis. Taking it to a random restore store would not have been very productive in my thoughts, so I got down to repair it by myself. I knew the sensor was on the facet of the oil pan and I had a really primary toolkit available, so I used to be assured that the automotive could be again on the street very quickly.
I used to be flawed. The components retailer stated a brand new oil temperature sensor for my automotive would “by no means” arrive as a result of there have been none in inventory anyplace within the nation. I attempted one other retailer and acquired the identical reply. That was an enormous drawback.
Fortunately, my dad and mom joined us on our journey from the beginning and have been there after I needed to name the tow truck, so the youngsters and spouse acquired a free journey to the resort. I referred to as extra components shops, broadening my search within the surrounding nations, too, however to no avail. I ultimately discovered some in inventory in Spain and the UK, however supply would take too lengthy and wouldn’t get to me in time.
We needed to head dwelling in two days, so I used to be out of luck.
However on the final day, I assumed the sensor that made my life hell was little greater than a resistor. So I unplugged it, however the automotive behaved the identical. The successful ticket got here within the type of an authorized bush repair: a bit of wire bridging the 2 connector pins collectively. The ECU noticed a pretend oil temperature of round 180 levels, which was inside the regular temperature vary and all went again to regular.
We drove again dwelling some 1,200 miles throughout a warmth wave and the automotive did not miss a beat. I ordered a brand new sensor and put in it as soon as I used to be again on the storage. However guess what? It was an inexpensive knockoff and it failed once more in lower than three months, so I needed to order yet one more one—this time an authentic Land Rover half that hasn’t failed since.
Even With These Issues, There’s Nonetheless Lots To Love
The Land Rover LR3 is a perfectly engineered automotive. It rides nearly like a Rolls-Royce, it feels quiet, understated, and unstoppable when you get off the pavement. With a good set of all-terrain or off-road tires, it could go nearly anyplace because of its adjustable air suspension and superior Terrain Response system that eliminates the necessity for mechanical diff lockers.
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It has a cut up tailgate, making it ideally suited for brief snack stops within the nice outside. It has a parking heater to which I connected a distant management module, so on chilly winter mornings I can simply press a button inside the home and heat the coolant with out operating the engine. Once I go to begin the automotive, there’s scorching air blowing by the vents. It additionally has a crotch vent—why did producers cease putting in these?
I paid possibly a bit an excessive amount of for my automotive, however I wished a low-mileage rig with service document. That stated, there are good LR3’s on the market that value lower than $8,000, and you will be hard-pressed to search out one other automotive that is this succesful for therefore little cash.
I used to do silly stuff after I was younger, like taking a beat-up Mitsubishi pickup with road tires within the woods alone and seeing what it might take to get caught. Do not do this, it is silly. Carry a buddy. The purpose is, I took my LR3 with road tires on a number of the trails the place I did get caught within the Mitsubishi and it didn’t miss a beat. It did not battle for traction, it simply stored going ahead. Thoughts you, it is no excessive off-roader, however for most individuals who simply take pleasure in a pleasant journey off the overwhelmed observe, it is excellent. And it could additionally get you dwelling in consolation after you are achieved taking part in within the filth.
As for the engine, it’s a peach. Buttery clean with a Leopard-like sound notice and loads of energy and torque for on a regular basis use. It’s removed from the 300 horsepower of the mighty 4.4-liter V-8 you guys acquired in America, however 195 hp and 320 pound-feet of torque is plentiful round right here. It cruises like a champ at 80 miles per hour and returns round 21-23 miles per gallon.
I did my greatest to keep away from catastrophic failure by altering the oil each 6,000 miles (10,000 km) or so to keep away from gas contamination and I switched from the manufacturer-recommended 5W30 viscosity to a 5W40 oil with A3/B4 spec as a result of my automotive doesn’t have a DPF and a high-shear fee (HTHS) of over 3.5 mPas is crucial. Thus far, it has been straightforward crusing.
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The Land Rover LR3 is getting a bit lengthy within the tooth, admittedly. Ever because it launched in 2004 in Europe, it was thought-about a sophisticated automotive as a result of air suspension system and lots of digital elements scattered all through the automotive. That made it extra susceptible to breakdowns in comparison with your common commuter automotive.
In my thoughts, having a caught brake caliper and a lifeless sensor is not such an enormous deal as a result of I used to be in a position to repair the problems by myself. Different issues have been encountered, too, like a leaking transmission connector which required a brand new gearbox pan and a transmission fluid change. I additionally did that at dwelling.
These are points that may and can doubtless occur to any 20-year-old automotive, and I believe that the Land Rover LR3 does not deserve its fame for dangerous reliability. That stated, in the event you’re out there for one, you both have to work on it your self or discover a competent storage that may do good work for first rate cash. And that is hardly ever the case, sadly.
I’ve seen quite a few posts on Fb teams from American homeowners complaining about restore outlets asking for ludicrous quantities of cash for primary jobs like breaks or coolant hoses. It is no completely different in Europe, both.
Any wannabe purchaser studying these posts would assume that it might be higher to remain away. The LR3 and later LR4 usually are not for everybody. It is advisable to know what you are doing and what you are moving into. For those who soldiered by this whole article, you have seen that my possession expertise has been considerably of a rollercoaster journey however the gist of it’s that I all the time made it dwelling. Might it have been simpler? Certain. There are many homeowners on the market who’ve had a better life–in addition to lots others who won’t ever purchase a Land Rover once more due to the troubles. You simply have to do your analysis earlier than you dive head-first and set your expectations accordingly.
