Member Since: 08 Jan 2009
Location: Maine
Posts: 9
LR3 DIY?
Are there a lot of DIY repairers around here? The reason being I most likely cannot afford an LR3 that is still under warranty and will be attempting a lot of the repairs on my own.
I've been in some forums where there's no DIY help at all, or most are "take it to the dealer" I'm hoping you guys will be as good with LR3's as some of the older forums are with the original discovery. (a lot of the american LR3 forums are kinda sad. Less than 1000 total threads and not a lot of activity, thats why im here )
Recommended repair manual?
And do the LR3's really live up to their bad rep in terms of reliability?Looking for an SUV....
8th Jan 2009 10:39 pm
DG Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50944
Re: LR3 DIY?
boon4376 wrote:
And do the LR3's really live up to their bad rep in terms of reliability?
Oh they're terrible ...I would never buy one 21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
8th Jan 2009 10:45 pm
POINTYED
Member Since: 22 Mar 2008
Location: BURY,LANCS
Posts: 2758
dear boon
we will help and give advice as much as we can
positive comments get positive replies
and in the uk its called a D3
cheers
dunc life is tooooo short.enjoy the moment.dont worry be happy
club BSS
8th Jan 2009 11:20 pm
character
Member Since: 01 Jan 2008
Location: wiltshire
Posts: 5781
as for reliability awful, all 265,000 miles of it
8th Jan 2009 11:22 pm
sideview
Member Since: 02 Dec 2006
Location: in the valley
Posts: 1663
Not to say it's unreliable, but if you can't afford a warranty, you may run into repairs you can't afford either.I'm not so good at giving advice...may I offer you a sarcastic comment instead?
Member Since: 08 Jan 2009
Location: Maine
Posts: 9
sideview wrote:
Not to say it's unreliable, but if you can't afford a warranty, you may run into repairs you can't afford either.
Let me change that to "I cant afford a certified pre-owned". I'm most likely looking at something with over 60,000 miles on it. I can find them with 80k+ for under $15,000, but once you get to the certified area, they all jump up to over $22,000. I have a $20k spending limit and i figure i should just buy, for example, a 2006 with 80k miles on it for ~$15,000 and put the savings in a "repair account".
I'm just hoping i'll be able to do a lot of the repairs myself..
I just want to know, how much you average in repairs per year (a $ amount, or pound amount, i can convert it myself). My saab 9000 averages over $2000 / year so having an unreliable car is nothing new to me.
Will i expect to replace the airbag suspension every 10k miles? Is everything that breaks going to be a fancy electrical prob that only a dealer can diagnose? Or have you guys been able to DIY on a lot of things that the dealer would charge huge sums of money for?Looking for an SUV....
9th Jan 2009 4:35 pm
al cope
Member Since: 08 Nov 2005
Location: Oldbury, WM
Posts: 10299
come on chaps - give this guy some support.
Although, its not a completly easy thing to answer. as with most new stuff, there is an awful lot of electrickery which isnt easy to diagnose without the right tools, but you may be able to use the dealer to diagnose, and then fix the actual problem yourself, after all, most bits bolt together. Trick with this forum is use the search feature, as we've seen "most" faults, and you'll probably find the fixes too. There are one or to common faults (EGR valves on the diesels here in the UK), but I dont think we've seen anything you couldnt fix if your handy with a tool set.
Chaps - feel free to pitch in anytime soon
AlVolvo XC90 B5 Plus Dark
Gone - MY18 D5 HSE - Corris on 22's with Black Pack
Now gone - MY16 D4 SE Tech, Loire Blue, Almond Leather, Privacy, plus some other goodies.
Old - MY12 D4 SDV6 XS Auto - Ipanema Sand with Almond Leather - Plus other niceties, and D4.com sticker
Older - D3 TDV6 XS Auto - Lugano Teal with Almond Leather, 20" Stormers, Shiny Tailpipes, DVD/TV - and obligatory D3 sticker
Ancient - D3 TDV6 S - Tonga with Ebony, 20" Stormers, satnav & DVD
9th Jan 2009 4:47 pm
boon4376
Member Since: 08 Jan 2009
Location: Maine
Posts: 9
Thanks Al, you guys have actually been a lot more helpful that most forums I ask questions on
One more question about technical service bulletins.
Are TSB's fixed by the dealer for free or, just recalls? (out of warranty)
I want one of these beasts so much, but I'm at the same time very nervous
I mean, I'm sure most of the failures that occur don't render the D3 "undrivable" (right?? ), And i'd never be in a huge rush to get things fixed right away. Plenty of time to request help from forums and such. + anything I fix on my own I usually create a very detailed DIY guide with plenty of pictures to help other guys like myself.Looking for an SUV....
9th Jan 2009 5:38 pm
sideview
Member Since: 02 Dec 2006
Location: in the valley
Posts: 1663
Ah I gotcha Now that LR3's have depreciated so much, I'm starting to see more people buying them up without considering they are still expensive to repair...then they complain about it when things go wrong
As Al says, probably a lot of things you could fix yourself if you can get it diagnosed and software updates at a dealer. The problem is, you may not find a ton of support for your repairs yet. Reason being, a lot of D3/LR3's are still under warranty, or just coming out of, so most work has still been carried out by the dealer - my 2005 still has warranty until June. (I'm in the same boat you are deciding $6K for extended warranty is not worth it.) You won't have a big pool of DIYers with years of know-how you'd find with a D1/D2, on this side of the pond anyway.
That being said, there are some extremely knowledgeable and experienced gents on this forum who are sooo helpful. I'm sure you could do it if you are the pioneering type that likes a challenge and have the patience to learn the inner workings of it's computers/sensors.
As far as reliability, not had any major failures with my baby (knock on wood!), and everything that's gone wrong thusfar I could have repaired myself pretty easily. There's no guarantee though obviously, but they are pretty solid machines IMO.I'm not so good at giving advice...may I offer you a sarcastic comment instead?
Member Since: 14 Oct 2005
Location: Somerset
Posts: 1144
Hi,
In the UK the TSB's are not fixed for free out of the warranty period, although don't you have a 10year emission warranty in the US for emission based components?
All the simple stuff can be DIY'ed, the problem is most stuff which bring on warning lights usually need checking out with a dealer tool, or autologic.
The thing is, it will never be like the older vehicles, where eveything could be mended or beaten into submission by a hammer , but it is still a vehicle with lots of renewable parts.
The manual / tsb's etc are on GTR www.landrovertechinfo.com
which is quite inexpensive for one model/short time period.
Boon a CPO is with in your budget. You just need to look for one in a private sale that is still under the CPO Warranty as the warranty is fully transferable.
Thats what I did and I still have about 30k miles left on the warranty and about 2 years.
9th Jan 2009 6:04 pm
evosonicD3
Member Since: 15 Jan 2009
Location: Mobile, Alabama
Posts: 2
boon, I was in the same shoes as yourself - just bought my LR3 last month ('05 HSE w/66k miles)! My advice? DO IT! You will love it. If you're like me you have probably wanted an LR for a long time, and my way of thinking was to buy one low priced and just be prepaired for the repairs that will happen. Spend it now or spend it later. You can spend $30k on a used LR3 (D3) with 10 - 20k miles on it, or spend half that on one with more miles and maybe you have to spend some money on it - but maybe not
As far as the cost of repairs (unless you're talking problems with the air suspension) I think they're going to be about the same as any other 4x4. I just had the front differntial seal replaced on my '04 GMC Sierra Z71 at the dealer and it was $750.00. I had my D3 in the shop yesterday (1st time since I have owned it) and had the thermostat (coolant) replaced and it was $175.00.
I bought my D3 from a guy who is well known at the local LR dealer for meticulously maintaing his LR's (he has 5) and both the service manager and head technician both recommended this vehicle to me. Hope that helps
15th Jan 2009 5:04 pm
Roel
Member Since: 16 Aug 2008
Location: home
Posts: 1215
As with all cars, preowned even more, you can be lucky or not.
I bought a G4 and it's now at the dealer for 2 weeks repairs: gearbox seal, front diff seal and another list with small things.
What I found is that mayor repairs on a D3/LR3 take more time than on an older Discovery. I could change my gearbox on my Camel within 10 hours without special equipment. They quoted 24 hours for changing a seal on the auto gearbox of my D3.Roel
1997 Camel Trophy Disco ex-P101JWK (traded it for a Britains 42101)
1984 90 TD5
2005 G4 Disco 3 BN55WPT
Also member of club MTR
and Club Faultmate
Interested in my 4x4 history see my website: www.mudmachine.webklik.nl
Sorry it's in Dutch and with google translator it gets funny.
15th Jan 2009 5:30 pm
cmyers_uk
Member Since: 10 Apr 2005
Location: Near Bristol, UK
Posts: 433
I would also say spend the £9 and get a days access to GTR and download the complete workshop manual or all the bits that you think you will work on. That helps make sure you do it right. You can also then view the service bulletins etc.
Cheers
Chris
15th Jan 2009 5:37 pm
10forcash
Member Since: 09 Jun 2005
Location: Ubique
Posts: 16534
You can't compare the time to strip & replace a gearbox seal with the time taken to change a gearbox complete
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
)
)
and have the patience to learn the inner workings of it's computers/sensors.
, but it is still a vehicle with lots of renewable parts.
