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Why have we constructed this website?

We have launched Land Rover Hell www.LandRoverHell.com as a result of the consistent problems that we have experienced with our Land Rover Discovery since its purchase, almost 3 years ago. Besides all the problems with the car, what has compounded matters is the bad service and general uninterested and unhelpful attitude of Land Rover Spain, and Land Rover head office in the U.K.
 
The car has been unbelievably unreliable, and on 2 occasions whilst travelling abroad we experienced major problems, resulting on both occasions having to leave the car behind and return in a small hire car, thus leaving the trailer we had taken with us, stranded there too. Consequently this has involved another round-trip of having to collect the trailer, all at our own cost, which on both occasions the mileage has been 975km for each trip, so it wasn’t cheap! We also feel that it should be bought to everybody’s attention that Land Rover do not want to honour their warranty obligations, and fabricate lies to avoid paying out for genuine repairs, (please read the article "Battery & Transmission" for further details).
 
We just feel that potential customers of Land Rover should be aware of the fact that the Land Rover Discovery is not a reliable car, and after the sale care is non existent and is particularly bad from Head Office.  The supplying dealer was a nightmare, (no longer a main Land Rover dealer) However the current servicing dealer Autonautica in Benidorm has been fantastic and always very helpful, the roadside assistance have been terrific too, (invaluable on the Land Rover Discovery) but in the long run it is Head Office that hold the key to providing the long-term solution, and thus it is with them we have the problem.
 
Hopefully, this forum will enlighten customers about our bad experiences, and also let other Land Rover Discover owners list there problems and grievances, so that prospective purchases of Land Rover products can see what they could be letting themselves in for, and subsequently that Land Rover realise the discontent of its customers and thus improve the reliability of the cars they manufacture and the after-car they provide for their customers, without whom, they would be out of business.
 
We feel that the product is fantastic in theory, but the practicalities of owning the car make the purchase of a Land Rover Discover a really bad and costly mistake, please feel free to comment on current articles, and add your own. We have an extensive Search Engine Optimisation and marketing campaigns and plan to make this website the major forum for all Land Rover models, we look forward to your help in achieving this.
 
*Please note all of the comments of this website and blog are of the individual opinions of the authors, and the owners of the website are not responsible for these in any way.
 

Get rid quickly

Thanks for the info, that really helped me a lot, i was in two minds about buying one of these due to a bad previous experience with the old model, so now i know it has to be a Toyota, good luck, I would push Land Rover for a full refund, the product was not of merchantable quality.

Get rid quickly

Thanks for your support, yes I agree a full refund is what is required.

Water

My mate D3 hse has started letting water in the back soaking the carpets and making it smell bad inside.It's in the dearlership as we speak.

Problems galore but I love my Disco.

I love my Series II but it has had major problems such as auto gearbox failing, seats not locking into positions (up or down), tailgate lock jamming (can anyone suggest a fix?), power steering failing, and numerous other bits and pieces falling off, jamming or breaking. We looked long and hard for this model and we have been very disappointed in it's reliability. Yes we were warned, but it remained top of our list. Please LandRover, get your act together!

Top of List Too

Yes I understand, it was top of my list too, it suited all of the need that I had, but the vehicle is plagued with faults and unreliability, I am waiting to finish off a list of all of these which I will publish here shortly (its so long so it is taking quite a while). A few years ago my Friend was a sales manager for a major Land Rover dealership, I was looking to buy a Discovery from him, he in no uncertain terns told me not to buy one, he said they were all breaking down, and his job was so unpleasant dealing with all of the unsatisfied clients, the last thing that he wanted to do was to sell a Land Rover Discovery to a friend, buy Japanese he said. Because of the take over by Ford and the excellent road tests, I thought this had all changed and it was now a quality product, that is why I went ahead and purchased the series 3 model, unfortunately my assumptions were wrong, and the product or its unreliability has not moved on, so prospective purchases please be warned, do not make the same mistake as me, buy a BMW, Audi, Toyota, or something else as long as its not a Land Rover.

Persist for a refund

Your website looks great. I am so sorry you have had problems with your Disco. Do persist with a refund. I´ll stick with the old and battered models .... thank you very much.

Web site

well done on such a fab website, I will link it to mine www.landroverdontbuy.com next time I re do it. Looks really professional pity Landrover cant folloe your lead.

i'm A SHOGUN MAN NOW

I sold my lovely V8 G reg for a nice T reg TD5. the V8 was quite economical at 12 to the gal ..... Or it was when i consider the running cosst of the TD5. Bought at 66k at 3 year old lasted until 72K until a wire broke to the BCU(you will learn these terms if you own one) that repair involved a BCU replacement and new key (note key, not keys as they wanted another 90pounds for the spare) at 2,250pounds, followed by the alarm playing up at 2000 pounds then the head went at 88K 1,200 pounds then the clutch went at 99k 600 pounds. gear box was about to go so it did instead......... Total price of car 14k at 3 years old repairs in general 10k over 3 years sold for 5k at 6 years old cost of 3years motoring = 19k (without diesel, insurance tyres or car tax) i'm A SHOGUN MAN NOW stuff JLR.. Anycase JLR are the only manufactuerer to sell cars in monochrome.

Landroverdontbuy.com

I have read the Landroverdontbuy.com website, this all a while ago would have been a shock, but now i know better its no longer a surprise, good luck in your quest, lets hope that we will both be successfully in gaining a future refund, and subsequently be able to buy a better product.

Buy a Toyota

Loads of LandCruisers about... you can pick a 3.0l Colorado up between 3k-7k depending on preference... Got mine for 6k, 4yrs ago... spent nothing on it (yet!)...it's still worth £3k (with no thanks to Mr Brown) .... 160,000 on the clock...and it'll be good for another 100k.. It'll hit well over 100mph (not that i ever go over the speed limit ) ... I'd never buy a Disco... utter rubbish..

You're right!

Yes, I am thinking of buying a Toyota, on both occasions when my land rover discover broke down I was told by other balloonists there with Toyotas, to buy a Toyota, they never break.

Boy i'm so pleased i sold that car

Oh and whilst we are on the joys of owning a LR i had to ask all my collegues who own one not to visit me at my house once for a period of Two weeks. I couldn't enable or disable the alarm using the keys. Had to use the emergency access code in the drivers door to get in (which had changed due to the replacement BCU and the mechanic not updating the records, another tow up to the main dealer at my cost.) Turns out there was an errant radio signal in the vacinity and only land rovers were affected. Great when most of my friends own a defender and you can imagine the scene when a friend turned up out of the blue. A dash outside with arms waving "Don't turn it off. Go away" "Great" (or at least they did until they realised what issues they were getting with the clutches and the alarms). I had to get Offcom to correct the radio signal before i could set my alarm. Other issues: Radio gave up ACE Ecu had fault light. (Took a new ACE ECU and 5 flushes of the hydraulics to get that back ps £40 per flush) Boy i'm so pleased i sold that car

Buy a Shogun!!!!

Very clever , I'm impressed. Mind you I did tell you to buy a Shogun!!!!

major quality issues

Sorry to hear about all of your Land Rover problems, when I worked with them 1994- 1998 as a Sales Manager, yes there were major quality issues but I thought they had been resolved, not so.

Good luck with the refund.

Yes I can fully appreciate you being more than a little p***ed off with both the car and the manufacturer, Do you think your telling us something we don't already know? Good luck with the refund.

i would be very unhappy if i forked out over £25k

Blimey you really are p!!! with land rover but i can see why While we all love fixing a series or older defender vehicle as its part of the endearment, i would be very unhappy if i forked out over £25k and got your experience I wonder how many folks have gone to the bother of setting up a website about it

why did you not ask for a replacement vehicle?

if you were so unhappy with the product,why did you not ask for a replacement vehicle? Having been through this with a customer i can see both sides last time a chap went this way he had a full page spread in the times news paper as land rover were unhelpful in resolving his problem

Do you know what was the outcome

Do you know what was the outcome of that case? I would consider a replacement vehicle (depending upon what was offered) but they have not offered me that either! As I said before the car suited my purpose, but it can not be relied upon.

sounds like your dealer is at fault

sounds like your dealer is at fault there although with the freelander, defender, rrs why buy the disco

Supplying dealer

Supplying dealer no longer selling Land Rovers!

why in gods name did you not demand a replacement

Got to take issue with you here - It makes purchase and owning of your vehicle the mistake, NOT the D3 in general. Yes they have had some nightmares with them, a god read of the D3 webby will tell you that. Frankly, if you've had that many problems with it, why in gods name did you not demand a replacement vehicle. You are/were/would have been perfectly entitled to ask for one. Whilst I admit my Disco1 was froma used dealer, the first one I purchased had many problem which in some part they must have known about, so I demanded a replacement vehicle which I got.

I completely sympathise.

Seriously - sell the thing, get on with your life or take them to court. Obviously you have a lemon and you haven't been treated very well, so don't buy another one! I completely sympathise.

you have as good a case

You should let your website stand on its own two feet and gain support that way, if you have as good a case and marketing as you claim it will generate its own support

If I spent that much money on something that lets

If I spent that much money on something that lets me down would I be happy? and also it's not legally possible to cancel a warranty because a customer is not happy. Let's face it it's not the only duff Landrover out there is it? My neighbour's one cannot be parked on a slop without the alarm going off, and seems to be permanently in the shop judging by the number of dealer loan cars he's had. The onus is on the manufacturer and dealer to sort it out, if they don't then they should not be upset if the owner wants to share the grief. Having just had my car fail on Christmas Eve leading to returning home instead of going to see friends I can see the point. The RAC fixed my car, but recommended that I return to the dealer for a thorough check as it was likely to happen again. I called to book in and was given a date 3 weeks away, great if it happens again in the meantime. It's 10 months old, and they still can't fix a gearbox that makes everyone who drives it seem like a ham fisted amateur. As the second biggest purchase in most people's lives you have a right to expect it to be up to the job. I also sold my last car simply on the basis of poor dealer service, on the basis that they didn't deserve a penny more from my own earnings. Why should people accept poor service - go to most other countries and you don't see it

The most unreliable car I have ever owned.

The most unreliable car I have ever owned. In 30 months and 20,000 miles it had more than 17 weeks off the road, it had new engine, exhaust, inter-cooler in the first 5,00 miles. 8 months later the turbo fell off melting the weiring loom. a week later the front diff went, three months later the transfer box gave up, had water leaks and a bit of window trim fell off on the motorway. I must have done around 10,000 miles in courtesy cars, I have got rid of it at last before the warranty ran out, God help the poor guy that's bought it now. I now have a BMW X3sd and its brilliant.

This is the most unreliable car I have ever owned

This is the most unreliable car I have ever owned. It has been into the dealers for critical suspension faults four times. The front brakes wore to the metal without the warning light coming on (and Land Rover Assist said the car was safe to drive to the dealers), the rear handbrake shoes disintegrated locking the back wheels while driving. Twice the car has been returned to the dealer on a breakdown truck within hours of being repaired. The transmission has failed once. The rear wiper came off while driving and the sun roof drain pipes block pouring water into the cabin. Land Rover Customer Service don't return calls.

Great car when it works!!!

Great car when it works!!! Large piece of plastic ripped away from windscreen, while on moterway. On board computer warning of low coolant level, told by dealer to ignore (computer fault) Wheels badly out of alignment by 15000 miles (£75) The washer fuse has blown three times. Rear parking sensor does not work, most of the time. Don`t try to change a flat tyre, phone landrover!! Major fuel leak onto engine block (spilt pipe found only on final test drive while under service 35000k FIRE RISK)The car was gone for five days that time. Rear wiper works intermitantly. Driver seat leaver broken and so it goes on. But don`t ask the dealer about faults ( do not want to know)

We were told otherwise!

We purchased a Disco 3 in April. We are very pleased with the vehicle in general terms but there are a few niggles! 1. we had to have a complete nearside headlight replacement. 2. we had an air bag replaced due to a computer fault. 3. the rear access is a poor version of the previous model. You cannot reach the back of the boot space due to the lower tailgate opening downward. it would have been better to have retained the full door opening vertically. 4. there is a sign of transmision noise/clunk when moving forward from slow pace eg when in traffic and accelerating. 5. the mpg is poor - still only 24 average urban despite over 5,000 miles. We were told otherwise!

I can understand your disappointment

I can understand your disappointment with the faults on your vehicle and the poor dealer service; the fact that you have created a web page dedicated to the subject speaks volumes.

Discovery 3

I purchased the Discovery 3 for my retirement and to undertake a major round Australia trip and have to say when I took delivery I thought this is the best car I had ever owned, three years and 50,000 kilometres down the track my experience includes, instrument pack faulty and replaced, air suspension faults, two new front differentials, tie rod replacement, RH front lower ball joint arm and ball joint replaced, second lower ball joint replaced, three wheel alignments, front window not working, loose wiring, indicators not working, loose wires, water leaking from sunroof, (twice), radio not switching off, radio complete fail, an intermittent fault with another window not working and countless stop light globe replacements. The vehicle has never been off road, always garaged. In the case of my previous (and much less expensive) vehicles, a Nissan Pathfinder, a Mitsubishi Pajero and a Toyota Land Cruiser, I never had the need to replace tyres under 80,000 km, (I have now been informed that one tyre is scrubbed out and requires replacement and 3 nearly worn out). In addition, I usually get 70,000 kms on a set of brakes, 31,000 kms and required replacement. I have always purchased new vehicles, and I have never suffered the litany of maintenance difficulties and inconvenience with any other vehicle, save this Discovery 3. I note from some recent advertising that the Discovery 3 TDV6 has won fourth year in succession both the “Best Large Diesel Wagon” and “Best Overall” category. I certainly purchased my vehicle on the basis of the Discovery 3 being awarded the “Best 4 wheel drive of the year award” and am bitterly disappointed. I have lost total confidence in the Discovery 3 and certainly would not contemplate any form of remote travel in the vehicle. Complaining gets you nowhere on the local scene and ended up going direct to the CEO of Tata Motors, who referred back to the UK who referred back to Australia with no effort by Land Rover to negotiate at any point about what has clearly been a poorly built vehicle. I guess next step is to advertise my experience on the back of the TDV6 and go to court.

V8 Discovery

Bought a low mileage V8 and converted it to LPG. Found that Land Rover were not interested in official LPG conversions so no congestion charge reduction. After blown water pump, two broken coil springs, terrible choppy ride, and exploding air spring got rid. Will never buy another Land Rover again. Prefer any Japanese 4x4 to these blinged-up poncemobiles.

Don't buy one

I live in Australia, it is a big country and some places are very remote, land rover is not listening, they have created a land rover which cannot be relied on. The Australian army is soon to give them away after using them since the first series one, about 50 years ago? To me that is indication that they are now rubbish. I haven't heard anything good about the td5 engine, especialy it's computer, it is unreliable, expensive to repair, even has plastic oil bungs of all things, they are not built to last. I heard many expensive horror stories, from computers filling up with oil, even one that decided it had been stolen and wouldn't start, it had to be transported by truck to the nearest dealer about 1000 klm, it was hooked up to the diagnostic computer so it could be reset. At one time I was considering replacing my 1994 200tdi defender with one, not anymore it is very reliable, 300,000 klm;s on the clock, I have seviced it myself since new, it is wiser and so much cheaper to get a old defender with tdi 200 and 300 diesel engine, completly refurbish the whole vehicle it, parts are reasonable, paint it and have some thing you can use. By the way I have owned rovers for 35 years. So land rover I hope you wake up to yourself if you want to be successful in car manufacturing.

A Truly Useless Auto

I have 25 pages (repair invoices) from LR Dealer (Toronto) that validate the extremely problematic vehicle the Land Rover Discovery (2000) truly is. I would never buy another LR product or Ford for that matter. The final blow was a cracked block at 70K. Service was writing up an invoice for $15K for a new engine when I told them to stuff it and their product.

Been Cr*p for years

They been rubbish for years which is a shame when you consider the esteem in which they were once held &remember BMW sold Land Rover for a lousy quid! just to get rid. Obviously they knew something the buying public didn't Personally I think the media must carry some of the blame forever singing it's phrases without any dissent when they must have known all wasna reet at mill. No wonder they always seem to get whisked off to some exotic climes to test these motors. Needless to say I would never buy a vehicle on the basis of what I read in the motoring press

puncture

yesterday we suffered a puncture on the motorway, which of course, could happen to anyone. However, after the wheel had been replaced with its new tyre, could the tyre-centre get the spare back in place? No! was the answer, as the ratchet system which lowered the tyre had broken, and thus could not be wound back to replace the spare in its original position. This is the first time we have used the spare, so surely the mechanism should have a shelf-life to support more than once!!! So the puncture has cost me the tyre fee, plus 46 pounds for a new system to raise the spare tyre back up!!!!!! Wonderful! yours, Not Happy

Land Rover Discovery TDV6 S E

Anyone that has one of these cars GET RID QUICK. They are NOT safe. Whilst driving the car on Sunday there was smoke coming from the rear, we stopped in a layby and as we got out the car to see what was wrong, flames come up the passanger side of the car and from under the bonnet. Within 3 minutes the flames were avery where inside and out. The fire services were at the scene within ten minutes and it took nearly 2 hours to put the flames out. Thankfully the kids stayed home as there would not have been time to get them out. I am thinking of getting on to watchdog to warn everyone about it.

TDV6 HSE

Experts report done, particulars of claim drafted. Summons and Court action next -

D I S C O

Had a Disco 2 TD5 for three years now, only very minor problems so far, keep you posted though!

Thanks guys

Thanks for posting.. I am searching for a SUV for cariyng me and kayaks and bikes and orher stuff arround Europe (in the begining started looking for a van but then realised it would be strange to use a van as a everyday car.. didnn't want to own two cars so i started looking for a SUV more for the space than the offroad but still will be used alor on dirt roads )... I was looking at Volvo XC90 (i live in Sweden) mainly for 1-safety, 2-fuel friendly 3-clean and simple cokpit... then i discovered that some of them have problems with transmision (the ones with the general motor transmision) they eat rubber (25k miles for a set of tires was the average i found) and serviced 6 times untill 67k miles (for me it looks like too often).. then i was into BMW x5.. crap.. eats rubber.. they get 20 k miiles out of a set..not fuel friendly at all so no beemer for me.. The LR was the third.. i am disspaointed , tons of problems.. I guess I'll be still searching.. too bad there is no car that looks outside like a LR, inside like a Beemer , has a volvo safety and a toyota reliability .... Looking towards Toyota, Honda, Subaru amdn maybe Jeep (don't realy fancy the exterior and shore hate the interior... but i am buyng the car to use it , not to look at it.. Personal note.. How a old renault (my parents used to own) could go 110 k km with the same tires (~9 years) and same transmision ?!? Thanks again

Land Rover Rubbish

I have just spent 10 mins reading about your plight. I owned a new Range Rover TD6 in 2005 which I sold 10mths later following a series of problems which never got resolved. I found LR customer sevices arrogant and disinterested. Its funny I found this website whilst reviewing a road test report on the Discovery 4 which I was considering as a next purchase. I currently own a Toyota hilux and new shape BMW X5 and I have to say neither vehicles have been back to the supplying dealership other than for routine servicing - something you tend to take for granted until you read about LR - Thank you for reminding me NOT to buy LR

HELP!

Hi I am currently leaving post on www.preloved.co.uk where we are having a very heated debate over how good Land Rovers are. Why not join in, one contributor Dudkat72 says that you did not have a 3 year warrantee on your Disco? I owned a Freelander, which was a nightmare! Any chance you could contact all other people who might want to voice their opinion of Land Rovers on this website.

WELL DONE

well done on such a fantastic web site I have a disco 3 which as already had two faults and it is only 4 months old.

Never buy a land rover again

Finally got rid of my Land Rover. What a piece of crap! No wonder you do not see that many on the road, they spend most of their time in a garage than on a road. The resale value is only 1/6 of the original value. Guess what! I bought new cars and it is something reliable, a Subaru and a Suzuki (the last Suzuki I had lasts 15+ years with only regular oil changes needed and each oil + filter changes only cost me 40 bucks and no major fixes. Unlike LR which costs me more than a few hundred bucks for each oil change + regular garage visits to get problems fixes).

Never buy a land rover again

Resale value is only one-sixth of the original. Expensive services. Totally unreliable crap. The reason why you do not see that many on the road is because they spend more of their time in a garage. I had a Suzuki sidekick before and boy, it was reliable and took a lot of abuse. Only needed regular oil + filter changes. So, I bought a new car and guess what, it is a Suzuki while I let my wife use the Subaru.

Seat problems

We have a 1 year old Disco 3. After twelve months of wrangling and MULTIPLE returns to main dealer our seats still rock on their rails. I have been told unofficially that there is a known manufacturing fault with all the Disco 3s - LandRover have been appalling, I am now looking into to cancelling the lease and buying a Land Cruiser. Wish we kept our old Disco now.

I will never own a LR

I lived in britian and allways bought british car's, i have had 1 LR90, 1 dosov and 1 rangerover, all 3 cars broke down,for some reason. At the pub i would put excuse after excuse why they broke down so much, "it was the weather" too hot too cold " in the end i ran out of excuses,and realised i was making a fool of my self, never again LR

landrover quality

Have in the distant past,owned a 2a and v8 ist type rangy,reliabilty poor but always got home having bag of tools,but both good towcars and were third vehicles,bought new td5 discovery as prime vehicle, I usually do my own check just make sure a few weeks after delivery found oil seal leak on transfer box,and low oil level in front diff ,no leaks so not filled correctly at factory.sold within 18 months as iit kept stalling and wife did not like it.Wife wanted a new Disco three,bought demonstrator fantastic ride and comfort,superb tower of any trailer,lots of room inside,just before warranty ran out it all went wrong,suspension went funny ,dog would not go near the vehicle,wife carsick after 40 miles ,local agent could not fix to our satisfaction then all warning lights kept coming on,tyres wore out a twenty k.Traded in for top of range Nissan x trail,reliable ,good on fuel but worst towing vehicle I have ever owned,the rides terrible with a ton on the hook.My dilemma now is that wife wants a disco 4 as she liked the comfort and towing abilty,but will it it be another disaster,I am good with the spanners but you can no longer fix modern motors unless you have a laptop I would like a Toyota but the top one with decent engine and hi/low box is close to £60 grand.

Dont but a Discovery 4 see letter from new owner

I would keep well clear see the letter called disco 4, they have had loads of problems.
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