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D4 Buying Advice
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MattC3156
 


Member Since: 15 Mar 2019
Location: Lee-on-the-Solent
Posts: 28

United Kingdom 2015 LR4 3.0 SDV6 HSE Lux Auto Zambezi SilverLR4
D4 Buying Advice

Hello all - newbie here and am looking for some advice.

We are looking to change from our 5 series BMW to a D4 - mainly for towing our twin axle caravan.

Looking at 2014 onwards and obviously looking for lowest mileage we can within budget. Servicing I realise is a must (dealer or indy) but I am getting concerned with increasing amount of the threads about total engine failures and associated costs. Phoning round local indys in the area suggest that it is an issue but not as widespread as I fear!?

I was looking at buying from a dealer and getting something with the LR warranty but have since found out it's just a rebranded warranty and doesn't seem worth the premium. Searching on here appears Warranty Direct should cover any crank issues or it'll be relying on any goodwill from LR?

Any advice appreciated or should I can the idea and look at an X5/Touareg or similar?

Thanks!
  
Post #203734215th Mar 2019 9:59 pm
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Peakwayfarer
 


Member Since: 25 Apr 2016
Location: Uk
Posts: 434

England 

My 2016 D4 landmark engine failed catastrophically at just over 20k miles and two and a half years old, LR replaced the engine under manufactures warranty, but discussions with LR customer services confirmed warranty would end in six months on new engine at same time as disco, and even with LR own extended warranty one would have to rely on LR goodwill as the engine not covered as a known fault!
Looked at warranty direct but it appears they are now using re manufactured engines.

Say lost confidence in the product, so part exchanged it for an X5, which I am very pleased with, it also tows our caravan very well.
Nothing like the same capability off road, but not really a concern for me.
Plus its more fuel efficient.

Having said that the D4 was a great car but the potential loss of money due to cost of having to replace the engine, was too big a gamble for me.
  
Post #203734715th Mar 2019 10:25 pm
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Red Merle
 


Member Since: 30 Aug 2014
Location: Liskeard
Posts: 7438

United Kingdom 

This sort of thing is not unique to LR and LR’s way of dealing with issues is better than many. While LR is not perfect, neither is BMW:



It’s just worth keeping a little perspective Thumbs Up
 2011 - 2015: 3 x FL2
2015 - 2017: 2 x D4
2017 to date: FFRR SDV8
2023 to date: FL2 as a second car

2021 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200
2022 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200 & sidecar!
(One of only two known to exist in the world!) 
 
Post #203734915th Mar 2019 10:46 pm
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Peakwayfarer
 


Member Since: 25 Apr 2016
Location: Uk
Posts: 434

England 

Agreed well partially at least

With cars you akways pays your money and takes your pick and hope for the best.

However BMW have fixed the problem and more importantly cover their engines under extended warranty! The cam chain issue is Not an issue on newer BMW engines
 

Last edited by Peakwayfarer on 16th Mar 2019 7:58 am. Edited 1 time in total 
Post #203735115th Mar 2019 11:03 pm
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craigc
 


Member Since: 26 Feb 2010
Location: swansea
Posts: 143

Wales 2016 Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 Landmark LE Auto Waitomo GreyDiscovery 4

Mine is out of warranty end of the month and have been wondering what to do? Change or keep? Originally bought to keep long term, But also worried about Crank failure. Had Landrover Extended Warranty on my D3. Found out the hard way that it was not really Landrover Warranty and run by third party😳. Spoken to WD. About Crank issue and about using recon engine replacement,

Hello Craig,

Thank you for your time today, as requested i have gave a quick breakdown of what we had discussed over the phone.

I can confirm the information you had been given previously is correct and the crank shaft is covered on a valid claim within our warranty.

Also after discussing with my manager in regards to the parts that will be used, we do reserve the right to choose where the parts are sourced from but it does depend what garage you choose to use, what engine is available to source at the time of the claim ect. As i said on the phone the main dealer do not tend to use reconditioned parts however it will just depend what they have available.

I have attached a policy document below, i hope this will clear up any further queries you may have.

Kindest Regards,
Jessica Lake
Sales Executive

Spoken to them today in regards to Who are the approved repairer in my area, and was told My Local Dealer, So as stated in there reply above, that Landrover would only Use New Genuine Parts and that as approved repairer I would not have to pay and claim back cost of repair Should be Ok???
Hope this helps
  
Post #203735215th Mar 2019 11:19 pm
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DIY Ace
 


Member Since: 06 Feb 2019
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 853

United Kingdom 2005 Discovery 3 TDV6 HSE Auto Bonatti GreyDiscovery 3

Perspective is important. Browse the forums of most car makes and you’ll find reasons not to commit, each seems to have its own recurring issue. In reality most drivers will have very little issue.

Having recently decided to change from my Freelander 2 (which has been ultra reliable over the 110,000 miles I’ve had her) I went through the same consideration process. Faced with the prospect of financing a newer D4 at about £350 pcm, or leasing something at about £400 pcm, instead I opted to outright purchase a modest priced D3 and put the money aside.

I’ve picked up a £4000 D3 that should have by now gone through the threat of any manufacturing issues (it’s done 130,000 miles) and am spending a few grand refreshing things. Now I can put £300 aside each month which should more than cover any repairs. I can’t see me spending more than that on average over the next 3 years, by which time I’ll probably change again.

I really struggle with the idea of leasing (why pay all that money over three years and have nothing to show for it at the end?) and rather than finance £20k+ I chose to buy a D3 that will suffer very little depreciation and spend some cash maintaining it properly. It’s also fun to do a bit of DIY on the car, but that’s a different motivation altogether...!

In my experience (18 cars and counting...) you should buy new or buy old - it’s the middle ground that can be dangerously expensive. New has all the fullest protection when things go wrong, old generally reliable and cheaper to repair.
 2022 BMW i4 M50. Bought Oct 2022. 10,200 miles and counting...
2014 BMW 435d convertible. Bought July 2021. 58,000 miles and counting...
2005 Discovery 3 HSE Auto. Bought Feb 2019. 169,000 miles and counting...
2009 Freelander 2 XS Manual. Bought Sep 2013. SOLD Aug 2021 (already regretted!)

https://youtube.com/channel/UCO_u_0D45x9KGfiNstzLJnw 
 
Post #203735816th Mar 2019 4:53 am
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Red Merle
 


Member Since: 30 Aug 2014
Location: Liskeard
Posts: 7438

United Kingdom 

Just thinking about the original question again, the problem with crank failure reports is that they are all anecdotal. For every sad story of failure there are many that have been run without any issue and some stratospheric mileages achieved* but, despite looking over several years, there’s no hard data on which to work out the chance of failure over a year.

If I were in your situation, I’d buy a nice low mileage car** with a quality, non LR, warranty and relax on the basis that the unknown chance of crank failure is not your problem Thumbs Up


* https://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/max-miles-109883-465.html

** The cost and availability of aftermarket warranties seems to be in direct proportion to current mileage, even though it seems to have little relation to crank failure.
 2011 - 2015: 3 x FL2
2015 - 2017: 2 x D4
2017 to date: FFRR SDV8
2023 to date: FL2 as a second car

2021 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200
2022 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200 & sidecar!
(One of only two known to exist in the world!) 
 
Post #203735916th Mar 2019 5:33 am
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Peakwayfarer
 


Member Since: 25 Apr 2016
Location: Uk
Posts: 434

England 

That’s what I did bought it with 12 miles (yes 12) on the clock and a month old, new engine fitted under manufacturer warranty at just over twenty thousand miles and two and a half years old.

Wish I’d kept the Freelander I had previously.

It’s a pity the statistics of failure are not available, before mine failed my view was similar to yours, in that it’s very rare and won’t /is unlikely to happen to me as many do huge miles without issue.

However after the failure the potential of having an almost worthless car or a very big bill and having to rely on a third party insurance warranty, not to mention the month it took LR to replace it was to much of a risk for me.

Having said that buying an older well looked one with much lower financial risk is possibly the way to go, that way if the worst happens you aren’t potentially 20k plus out of pocket, although from what I understand the new engines are cheaper now, and one day someone will hopefully be able to repair them successfully.

Good luck with your quest to find a good one, I still miss my Disco a lot, is was one of the most practical cars I have ever owned, and I might even consider buying an older well maintained Disco in the future, which is one of the reasons I still follow the forum, and they are a great bunch of knowledgeable helpful people.
  
Post #203736416th Mar 2019 8:14 am
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craigc
 


Member Since: 26 Feb 2010
Location: swansea
Posts: 143

Wales 2016 Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 Landmark LE Auto Waitomo GreyDiscovery 4

I did same as you, mine had 10 miles and month old. I had 2006 se with only 55k on the clock, Best car we’ve had, did everything we needed, So decided to replace with D4 long term. Now coming up to 3years old And only 15k on clock Can’t decide which way to go? Very happy with our D4, we also to 2000kg caravan, best tow car I’ve had. So hard decision to make at the moment.
  
Post #203737616th Mar 2019 8:44 am
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Iguana
 


Member Since: 14 Oct 2013
Location: 'Sunny' Zomerset
Posts: 9402

Ukraine 

Keep the 5 series and get yourself a cheap D3 for towing, I have a 2014 525d with 60k miles on it. This is used for 90% of driving.

I then got myself a 2005 D3 S model for around £3k with 129k miles on it, which is used for towing my very heavy camping trailer and ifor Williams - also used as a 'dog' car for transporting the boys to beach etc.

The Disco was also used recently to drive to Scotland for a week, we stayed at a 4x4 only accessible cottage. 7hrs up and 9 back (traffic) in utter comfort.

Just another option for you to consider Thumbs Up
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 Iggy/Ieuan

Current LR =
2015 RR Sport Autobiography
&
1992 Land Rover Defender Camper

- Gone but not forgotten:
MY10 D4 GS
MY05 Disco 3 'S'
MY14 FL2 HSE manual in Blue
MY15 Disco 4 HSE Lux in Santorini Black
MY08 Disco 3 SE manual in Buck Blue
1960 Series 2 88" (No idea why I sold it!) 
 
Post #203738016th Mar 2019 8:55 am
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Peakwayfarer
 


Member Since: 25 Apr 2016
Location: Uk
Posts: 434

England 

Think that what I will do if I get another, and although the x5 is a super car, I dont feel inclined to put bricks and bags of building material etc in the back as I did with the Disco.
  
Post #203738716th Mar 2019 9:40 am
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lynalldiscovery
 


Member Since: 22 Dec 2009
Location: Maidstone
Posts: 7274

United Kingdom 2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 Metropolis LE Auto Bonatti GreyDiscovery 3

Red Merle wrote:
This sort of thing is not unique to LR and LR’s way of dealing with issues is better than many. While LR is not perfect, neither is BMW:



It’s just worth keeping a little perspective Thumbs Up




According to that video it effects engines built between 2007 and 2009 whereas land rovers time wndow is much much larger and with the d5 still open ended!
  
Post #203739116th Mar 2019 10:06 am
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NJSS
 


Member Since: 06 May 2009
Location: Catherington, Hampshire.
Posts: 10463

United Kingdom 2016 Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 Landmark LE Auto Waitomo GreyDiscovery 4

Welcome MattC3156

I lived in LoS for 40+ years, until I moved inland 10 years ago. PM me if you need local advice.

I would suggest buying otherwise than from a LR Franchisee, generally they are expensive. Having said that I have bought my last two Discos, a very late brand new D3, and a 12 month old Landmark from dealers, but not in Hampshire.

I got an £8k discount on the D3 below "list", and £4k off the "ticket price" of the D4.

Look at cars advertised here would be my advice. Go for a WD warrantee.

Good luck, keep us posted.

NJSS
 Am I Gammon or Woke ? - I neither know nor care.

2016 Discovery 4 Landmark
2011 Mercedes Benz SL350 (R230)
1973 MG B GT V8 - 3.9L John Eales engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, since 1975.
1959 MGA roadster - 1.9L Peter Burgess Engine - 5 speed gearbox
Past LRs - Multiple FFRs, Discos & a Series I - some petrol, some diesel,
none Electric or H2 fuel cell - yet.
There are 10 types of people in this world: Those who understand binary, and those who don’t. 
 
Post #203739216th Mar 2019 10:11 am
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MattC3156
 


Member Since: 15 Mar 2019
Location: Lee-on-the-Solent
Posts: 28

United Kingdom 2015 LR4 3.0 SDV6 HSE Lux Auto Zambezi SilverLR4

Hi all

Wow, thanks for all the replies. Have been busy at work all day so only just had a chance to catch up.

I take the point that all cars have their "issues" and no car is perfect. I guess it's about getting the right protection in case it all goes wrong. As already said, my research (!) which has included calling up a number of indy garages shows there does not appear to be any hard and fast rule as to when/why they go wrong.

We're looking at 2014 onwards (for cheaper tax) and trying to get the lowest miles possible for our budget. I'm prepared to travel for the right car and we are looking at px'ing the BMW so it's a balance of getting the best deal. The "saved" list on Autotrader is ever changing but I'm sure we will find something that fits the bill.

NJSS I appreciate the offer and once we're sorted I'll PM you for advice - fairly sure there's a decent indy in Waltham Chase?

Thanks again - will keep updated!

Cheers
  
Post #203764016th Mar 2019 11:15 pm
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Red Merle
 


Member Since: 30 Aug 2014
Location: Liskeard
Posts: 7438

United Kingdom 

lynalldiscovery wrote:
Red Merle wrote:
This sort of thing is not unique to LR and LR’s way of dealing with issues is better than many. While LR is not perfect, neither is BMW:



It’s just worth keeping a little perspective Thumbs Up




According to that video it effects engines built between 2007 and 2009 whereas land rovers time wndow is much much larger and with the d5 still open ended!


The same problem destroyed the engine in a colleague’s then 4 year old (2011) 520d M Sport back in 2015. BMW’s response was dire. It was sold, as a non working car, to a dealer specialising in “problem cars” for less than £5,000 Shocked

He’s been driving a 2.2 diesel XF ever since and has been very happy with it
 2011 - 2015: 3 x FL2
2015 - 2017: 2 x D4
2017 to date: FFRR SDV8
2023 to date: FL2 as a second car

2021 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200
2022 to date: Hinckley built ‘14 Triumph Trophy 1200 & sidecar!
(One of only two known to exist in the world!) 
 
Post #203782517th Mar 2019 8:03 pm
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