Diary of Faults

This is the initial list of warranty repairs to our Land Rover Discovery 3, leading to what we estimate to around 6 months off of the road:

03-04-2006	Suspension fault with parts replaced under warranty
10-10-2006	10 Parts Replaced under warranty
02-11-2006	Drive shaft broke in Portugal, stranding us there with no suitable replacement vehicle, leaving the car out of service again for another month.
23-11-2006	Horn stopped working, gear leaver broke, with both parts having to be replaced.
24-10-2007	2 Parts Replaced under warranty
14-11-2007	Replaced steering wheel (it started to disintergrate) and further parts also replaced
18-04-2008	Rear boot release stoped working, replace horn again!
19-09-2008	Problem with vibration through transmission when accelerating and cruising on the motorway. Dealer in the U.K. could not diagnose the problem in time available, so we had to travel back 2,000km with the fault present hoping that the car would not breakdown.
31-10-2008	Vibration though the car has go progressively worse and it took the dealer around 3 weeks to diagnose and repair the fault.
10-11-2008	Car broke down in Portugal, the battery exploded, and when eventually the battery was replaced it was in time found that a gearbox module was in need of replacement too, thus leaving the car stuck in low ratio.
11-11-2008	Received car back after a month off of the road, with Land Rover eventually agreeing to cover the repairs under the cars existing warranty!
13-11-2008	Car electrical system shut down, forcing immediate stop at night on the motorway in poring rain, had to wait 10 minutes before we could start car and restart journey.
18-12-2008	Same fault as above, but this time only breaking down twice!
20-12-2008	Vibration in transmission is starting to return, after I was assured that it have been rectified.
03-02-2008	Car lack power, thick black smoke emits from exaust virtually under any load.

Comments:

BMW stay out of the dealerships

That’s disgraceful, I have had my BMW X5 for over 4 years and apart from servicing that’s the only time it has been in the dealership, is this common for Land Rover? I definitely will not be buying one of these when I change my X5 next year.

I wish I had bought a X5 too

Yes it’s all true, I can’t believe it also, when I leave the house I never know what car I will return in! With Land Rovers mobile phones are essential.

I'd be mightily p&&sed off if I'd spent £30K plus

I actually love the idea of a website as consumer power. I think most of us go into our purchases of older vehicles knowing what to expect but I'd be mightily p&&sed off if I'd spent £30K plus on a vehicle that spent most of its life in a garage.

so fragile and unreliable

No problem, I am pushing for a refund because most of the time the car is off of the road and on two occasions has left me stranded, my campaign is going to grow see the link below, I have loads of ideas and i will not let the matter drop, you are right this is a lot of money to spend on a car which is so fragile and unreliable. http://www.landroverhell.com/article/2272/land-rover-hell-campaign

You should have got a Series

You should have got a Series - at least you expect them to have some faults! Sounds like you got a bit of a lemon there - hopefully it settles down as it's a bit excessive. Our newish 110 has only had one fault under warranty but I did notice that they change a leaking oil seal on the rear diff during a service which was a surprise. Good luck with it.

Too much to go wrong

Some real horor stories here, none of which I have ever heard of, even though I read the 'problem pages' in Land Rover Owner' every month. My 110 TD5 Defender is ultra reliable and, at the end of the day, I will be able to fix it with little more than basic workshop tools if it does ever break down. Far too much electronics on Discos...however, I could still never bring myself to buy a BMW Chav5 !!! Best of luck.

The disco can stay put.

Well, finally I've had enough of this discovery. Starting issue now resolved, but I'm now stuck again in Limp home mode as something "clicked" on the way to work on Friday and the M & S lights are back on. So, if i get any hassle from the garage on weather the repair they did a few months ago is under warranty or not, this car has got to go. SWMBO will not allow any more money to be spent on the "pit" as she calls it. The disco can stay put.

that does not take the Discovery out of my bad boo

Well, I spoke to Land Rover in Dublin and the garage informed me that I had the repair done in Dec 07 and to ensure the current issue was the same they would have to diagnose the issue and charge me the hourly rate of 98 plus vat, they can't take it in till Christmas week. In the meantime if i wanted to leave it in the yard, they might be able to get to it. HMMM, I'm not happy. So, I spoke to a mechanic friend who happens to have a diag's computer, he plugged in and cleared the fault, so happy days, no flashing lights, but that does not take the Discovery out of my bad books, not by a long shot. I'm now driving her but waiting for the next thing to happen. So it's off to the auctions next week and see what happens.

The Sat-Nav is very unreliable

I own the HSE Disco 3. The electric handbrake disintegrated locking the back wheels while driving and sometime making strange noises therefore making electronic handbrake is unreliable and unstable. The Steering wheel is too sensitive and the manual adjustment positioning is not in any good position whilst adjusted. The Brake is dangerously slow to stop at times. It is very sluggish and heavy when taking off. Overtaking a car can be dangerous. However, it looks great by design and interior. The Sat-Nav is very unreliable and has many bugs and glitches and jumps out to different countries an example was that we were told that we were in Belgium heading to England...The wife always gets lost with it routes, in France it goes haywire. A policeman once told me that the force had to hand over many disco 3s to the dealer. My kids think it's great. The car is fitted with lots of technology which they like very much. As for space very roomy for the passengers and driver, but the boot is a midget's pit unless you take down the rear seats. The chairs are very un-comfortable. I've owned a Range Rover and in comparison some things on the Range Rover is far better. HSE Disco 3 It's very safe for the family. I won't say that this car is awful but, it might need more fine adjustments, upgrades, space and a better taste to its style. I can't wait to bring it back... The alpine TV that is fitted into the car is installed very poorly and very appallingly.

Transmission warnings

I regularly get a warning that I have a tranmission fault. Turning the car off and back on clears it. The dealer tells me that is because the battery may be slightly flat!! I use the car most days so suspect the dealer is talking rubbish. Anyone else suffer the same issues?

Same problem everytime I start the car

Yes it happens every time I start the car, the software is very suspect, and the battery explanation is rubbish because I have a new battery because the old one exploded!

most unreliable vehicles that you could buy for ma

Actually, I think LandRoverHell has a right to complain as much as he likes. Land Rovers - but curiously not Jaguars - have been consistently among the least developed, most unreliable vehicles that you could buy for many, many years. And before some of you all leap indignantly to the defence of Solihull's most dismal, just look at the JD Power results. The only puzzling thing about LRH is that there aren't more web sites like his. He spent more than £30K on a lemon and has been treated like a turd. I know one RR owner, who I warned in advance actually, whose car has proven so unsuccessful as daily transport that the principal at the supplying dealership actually bought him an overseas holiday because he was so embarrassed. Go figure.

Thanks for your support, you understand my positio

Thanks for your support, you understand my position entirely, I bought this car to use off road and to do a lot of towing, uses that it is designed for! It comes down to spending all of this money on a car that keeps breaking down, cannot be relied upon to tackle any distance, and until Land Rover can offer me a solution I have a car that is useless and not fit for the purpose that I bought it.

They really are. They're very poor indeed.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings/dependability-ratings-by-brand I think similar Land Rover reliability threads have popped up on this forum a few times, and the main thrust of the defence is that they are no worse than many other manufacturers. But they are. They really are. They're very poor indeed. If I'm reading this link correctly, Land Rover are joint bottom with Kia as the least dependable cars that you can buy. Now, Kias are just a tad cheaper than Land Rovers and are also not marketed as machines that can get you into the depths of the Amazon basin and back by tomorrow. Also, of course, Land Rover's warranty is two years shorter than Kias. So I know who I think should be ranked absolute bottom.

DiscoveryHell

We have a 2003 Discovery S and what a piece of junk. Nothing but problems from radiator water leaks and that has been fixed twice, the stuttering when we brake or accelerate, its inability to change gears (it's automatic and we have to work with the gears manually), now this morning it wouldn't accept my key (both keys) so i had to drive my ford to work. I never thought a Ford would be the most reliable car in my life. It's too bad it's a terrible liability now. We may have to purchase a 3rd car to make sure we have something that works.

DIscovery 3 V8 what a useless car!

I bought a used 05 HSE V8 disco 3 from matford Land Rover 6 months ago. It is my second Disco 3 HSE my first was new on an 07 plate had minor trim problems like seat belt buckles wrongly assembled! This one is just the most unreliable dangerous peace of junk going. It finally crashed in the recent snow fall into a tractor when the terrain response did not respond the brakes locked and pitched the car hard right into the bucket of a large tractor. Air bags did not deploy either! This was after Land Rover assist sending the AA to a system fault only 5 days before when all the lights in the dash came on (again) while driving. We have had alternator fail as well hand brake is on the blink again drivers seat is bloody uncomfy! Just a piece of crap I have sent it back as unfit for purpose under sale of goods act. I am disabled and dealer and land rover have left me car less and stranded for two weeks house bound in rural wales. No chance I will have another Land Rover. i want my money back!! and my life!

Discovery td5

We have had trouble with the dash lights, the turbo blow up and now we have diesil getting into the oil, the injectors have been done so what else could it be! This vehicle has to go. It has cost a fortune and we have only had it for 6mths.

my sat nav, side mirrors folding

I have had so many of the same problems with my car only after having the car for les than six months.

Disco 3

I have so many of the same problems - minor ones started at first - my right brake light has been replaced 3 times the left twice, then the window wipers stopped working, then the squealing from the hand brake started -that saw my car go in to the dealer 3 times to be told ''we can't find a fault or replicate the problem'' then losing control several times whilst crawling along in the snow to be told it was my fault (I drive for a living) and finally my car is now disabled due to a transmission fault and landrover have told me its general wear and tear and driver error!!! My car has just come out of the warranty and has done 27k miles - 23k are mine and I have driven an auto for the last 13 years. so I KNOW its not drivers error. These vehicles are sturdy off road beasts - 27k miles - I don't think so...looks like I'm going to battle with landrover now - I am mad!

Just rejected mine!

I have just rejected my second disco 3 HSE this was an 05 V8 petrol BN05OMW rember that no it is back up for sale as a used approved LR car. Biggest peace of junk going and i finally sent it back after a full system fail of the electrics which caused a head on crash into a tractor. This was the last straw. I am done with LR it has taken 5 months of driving a Audi A3 and reams of paper and phone calls to get shot of this useless piece of junk. It is for sale at Matford Land Rover DO NOT BUY IT. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Land Rover Discovery brake grinding noise

I have a Landrover discovery TDV6 SE. Recently it has been making a loud grinding noise every time the hand break is applied. I was wondering if anybody else has experienced this and what the cause is.

Discovery 3 TDV6

We purchased our third landrover, a Discovery3, in October 2007. We have had nothing but problems with the park brake screeching - it is currently going to be repaired again - the fourth time !! The first repair was paid for after a fight as the warranty had just run out. The radio stopped working, was repaired, but is not working again now. The suspension error code came on and it was nearly impossible to drive and the dealer could not fit us in for nearly two weeks! After been repaired by a local garage i read these blogs and thought it would probably have to go back in, which it did , one week later for a new Compressor - so far, so good. We ordered a new key, paying £95 as we ordered it and were then charged £34 when it came in stock for it to be programmed!! Plus the journeys back and forth to the dealer! We have had 6 new tyres- so since buying what we thought was going to be a reliable car, we have spent far too much money and time with it in the garage! I am not happy and making official complaints firstly via the dealer. Any recommendations on a new car for me? We like the 7 seats which is what stopped us going for the new limited edition freelander.

2010 Range Rover SC-Service Campaign Nightmare

I finally received 2010 Rover, without all of the previous problems of the 2006 RRSC it replaced, only for the dealership to do a service campaign "upload" recreating the (almost) exact issues for getting rid of the 2006 RRSC i.e.: vibration in steering wheel, seat, gas pedal, and brake pedal, excessive cabin noise, dynamic response gone= rough ride, rough idle, grinding brake noise, gear ratio change which i'm not happy about, loss of power; mind you I drove the car 2500 miles before the "assurance campaign", so I did get to know the car, so other than a stereo that makes our ears bleed because of poor quality..... everything was fine until the upload. Our family has owned two other Rovers and two Disco's simply for the off-road quality, we are now at our wit's end simply because the dealership plug's the car in and report's back, nothing found or telling us they all do this, it's beyond frustrating.

most expensive handbrake repair i have ever heard

I also have a dodgy landrover 3 on a 55 plate S version. Its handbrake was making a strange screeching noise everynow and then over the last month. I went to it monday morning and the electronic handbrake had stuck on. I had to get it recovered to the rip off main dealer who has decided the motor for the electric handbrake requires replacement at a grand sum of £600 and something plus vat I can't remember the total sum because I was in shock after the initial 600. They obviously give the figure plus Vat so it sounds lower because they are so embarrassed. Their fitter had the nerve to explain it happens on most of them !. I rang landrover and complained that they should not fit an electronic handbrake if it would fail after less than five years and explained that the fitter explained that it happens to most of them. They couldn't give a SH**. I explained that I am only 34 years old and will be making many future car purchases and as a good will gesture would they provide the part and I would pay for the labour. It was a flat no chance. So its going on e bay to the highest bidder and im off to KIA for a seven year warrany. Cheers mark

Air suspension compressor failure

05 TDV6 S Air suspensions explodes with a crescendo of plastic ball bearings…………..and a £700 bill !! To be fair apart from Service and MOT I have not had to spend a penny on my Land Rover until now!! While driving along a nice quite country lane I heard a pop from under my vehicle and one of those little yellow lights flashed up on the dash indicating a suspension fault!! The light was yellow and a warning popped saying Normal Height selected. Checking the service book it said safe to use and drive if yellow and consult dealer immediately if turns red and not safe to use !!!! By the time I got home (about 2 miles) the vehicle bouncing down the road on its bump stops the light was still yellow but it was quite clear the vehicle was not safe to drive….. Once home I turned the vehicle of, started it again only to hear the suspension compressor going mad under the rear near side of the vehicle, I went to have a look what was going on and saw 100’s of little plastic balls been blown out of the drain holes that houses the compressor…….which when under foot make you move with the grace and elegance of Michael Flatly………. Vehicle recovered by the AA to Land Rover who say we have never seen one fail like that before….That’s £700 please……One wonders if anyone else has had the same experience ??

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