Buying a used Land Rover Discovery 3, 4 - LR3, LR4 (L319) 2004-2016 Buying guide with common issues

The Land Rover Discovery 3 and 4 shares the same platform with the first-generation Range Rover Sport, so they share the electronics, some of the engines, the suspension layout, most of the used materials and also most of the common issues. However, there are also some differences between these two technically similar cars. The Discovery is a bigger, more practical car. It has a split tailgate, a more practical interior with bigger headroom, plus it can be also equipped with additional third-row seats in the trunk. And of course, there is absolutely no doubt that it is a very capable vehicle, off the road, so finding a similar car which would tick all these boxes is not very easy. The reliability you say? Of course, of course I know. But first, let's start with the interior which is spacious and practical. There are numerous storage areas, four cupholders in the front, and because of the traditional narrow boxy shape of the body, there is a huge amount of headroom. Plus, even the space in the optional third-row seats is not bad at all, mainly because of that generous headroom. As expected, the visibility from the interior is great, and the seating position is too damn high, so if you need these characteristics in a car, then you will be definitely satisfied. On the other side, I don't think that you would be satisfied with the cracked plastic dashboard, the strangely deformed steering wheel airbag cover, and the sagging headliner which are pretty common and pretty bad looking signs of the age and of the not properly choosed materials in the Discovery 3 models. But if you are not a big fan of plastic or cracked dashboards, then you can choose the Discovery 4 models made from 2009 since they have a completely updated interior without cracked dashboards, with better build quality, less plastic, and with more high-quality materials. This Land Rover is not famous for big rust issues. However, cars used on winter salty roads will have some surface rust on the undercarriage. This is not the end of the world and don't worry, it will not like fall apart in the near future. But of course, you can remove this rust and there are many different ways how to protect the frame. You can find some links about this on my website. On the other side, what is more important to check on these cars used in winter are the brake pipes which can rust through. And this, on the other hand, can be dangerous. Moving on to the more common issues. Yes, there are a couple of them, but those various rumors about the constant catastrophic electronic gremlins are not like completely true. Although, if you have low battery voltage, if you have water leaks in the interior, or if the alternator is on its last legs, then of course, the electronics can provide an impressive free shitshow. So, it's really important to have the battery in a good condition and be prepared that the alternator can fail more often. The random electronic warning messages can be also resolved with a software update or with keeping the interior bone dry. Then I would highly recommend to check for fault codes with an OBD scanner before buying and of course test all the electronic features as well. Be mentally prepared that the central locking, the door locks, the window regulators or the parking sensors can fail more often. There is also that infamous electronic parking brake which can seize up. This is mostly caused by the badly adjusted parking brake shoes or because of the seized mechanism of the shoes which will result in seized parking brake actuator and in seized car. So before buying, test the electronic parking brake and listen for strange louder screeching or grinding sounds from it which can be the sign of the incorrectly adjusted parking brake or a partly seized mechanism which will sooner or later seize completely. After this, there is the tailgate releasing cable which can break or it can become loose and you won't be able to open the tailgate regularly like a human. This means that you will have to climb into the trunk like an animal, remove the tailgate trim like an animal and release the cable manually like an animal. Besides this, the actuator itself or the microswitch in the upper tailgate can fail as well. Problems with the incorrect reading of the fuel gauge can occur too and if you are buying a car which is equipped with the 3-part sunroof which actually consists of 2 parts, then it's good to check the rear sunroof panel for cracks which can be the result of the off-road adventures or the signature of the owners themselves. And of course, let's not forget the front sunroof, so check it if it opens and closes without any issues. And while we are looking at the front sunroof, it's time to mention the common water leaks into the interior since there are a couple of them. First, a very common water leak is caused by the sunroof drains of the front sunroof. There are 4 of them in total, but mainly the front drains can be either clogged or there is an issue with the ending of these drain hoses, exactly like in the Range Rover Sport. The rubber ending of these drain hoses can disintegrate and let the water into the interior. To access the right front drain hose ending, you have to remove the plastic air intake and some random shit which is behind this intake. After this, you get access to the drain ending, so this is pretty easy. However, on the left side only the newer Discovery 4 has the identical plastic trim, which means that there is no air intake on the Discovery 3 models on this side. But of course, the drain ending is still on the same place, it's just completely hidden behind the fender. But time is money, so you can find more details how to fix these drains and some useful links on my website. The next water leak can be caused by the windshield plastic cover. This upper part can be warped up, interestingly, right above the cabin air inlet. In this case, it will obviously let the water to leak into the cabin air inlet and into the interior. Replacing this plastic panel is not hard, and you can do it even yourself. Plus, some of the owners have also put some sealant under the edge of this covel. Lastly, there are the plastic exterior A-pillar covers, which are attached to the body by these plastic clips. And these great clips can, again, as you guessed, let the water inside through the holes which are in the A-pillars. This Land Rover Discovery is built on the same platform as the Range Rover Sport, so it has that integrated body frame solution, which means that it has a separate frame which can be separated from the body. And it actually has to be separated if you want to replace certain parts. But moving on to the suspension itself. These cars can be equipped with the standard coilover setup, or with the self-leveling height-adjustable air suspension. As usual, there is nothing interesting about the standard shock absorbers, so let's discuss the air suspension which has its own share of issues, which are usually accompanied with a suspension warning light or a suspension fault message. First thing first, be prepared that the air compressor failures are pretty usual. Then there are the air struts which will sooner or later leak as they are getting older. In this case, you can buy a new genuine or an aftermarket strut, or there are also coilover conversion kits available. And the last issue is related to the height sensors, which can fail and sometimes the wiring to the sensors can be damaged as well. Lastly, test the air suspension before buying by raising and lowering it at least a couple of times and keep in mind that the car itself has to stay perfectly in level on a even ground. Next, you should pay attention to all those whining, growling and humming noises from the front and rear of the car which can indicate worn internal parts of the front or rear differentials. This can be an issue mainly on the early cars from the first 2 or 3 years of production, but it's of course good to listen for these noises in the newer cars as well. After this, it's definitely good to check the transfer box as well. Put the gearbox into neutral and push the LO button to engage the low range mode. It has to engage and disengage without any issues. As usual, pay attention to all those clunking, rattling or knocking noises from the suspension on bad quality roads. If you hear a knocking sound while going over road imperfections or when applying the brakes sharply from low speeds, then most probably the front lower control arm bushings are gone. They often wear out even after 60k miles. But if you want to replace them, then be prepared that the rear bolt on these control arms can be like properly rusted and seized up, which means that in this case, you will have to cut into the control arm and cut out the bolt as well. Of course, the ball joints can be worn as well, but that's nothing new. Other than this, the sway bar links can be worn, making a light metallic rattle on bad roads. The tie rods can wear out as well, in this case you will feel a wiggle, shake or a bigger play in the steering. And believe it or not, there are more and more cases of worn rear suspension parts as well, which you can mostly detect by the uneven wear of the rear tires. Lastly, keep in mind that this is not a Fiat Panda, so be prepared to change the brakes and tires more often and keep that extra money for the suspension components. There are not many issues with the petrol engines, but when it comes to reliability, then the engines in the older Discovery 3 models are definitely better. So at the end, doesn't matter if you choose the 4.4L V8 or the smaller 4.0L V6. Both of these engines are reliable, so just check them for leaks and keep in mind that they have to run smoothly all the time. The newer Discovery 4 models are equipped with either the smaller 3.0L supercharged V6 or with the powerful 5.0L V8. Both of these engines are equipped with direct injection, so generally the faulty injectors or carbon buildup should be shining bright in the common problems list of these engines. But actually, in this case the carbon buildup on the intake valves is usually not major even in cars with 100,000 miles, and interestingly, there are not many issues with the injectors either. However, there is a very real possible problem with the timing chain in the early 5.0L V8 engines made to 2012. Specifically, the timing chain guides can fail, sometimes even after 50,000 miles. In this case, the timing chain tensioner will make a hole into this weak timing chain guide, which will cause that the chain is going to have reduced tension. This will result in a rattle or a louder clicking noise on cold start and sometimes constantly at idle from the front of the engine. Later you will get some fault codes as well, or the car will go into limp mode, and in the worst case the chain can skip, which can transform your engine into a big heavy pile of shit, I mean scrap metal. It seems like in Land Rover they realized the problem, so they redesigned the tensioners and guides during production, which means that cars made from 2013 do have the updated guides. Leaking water pumps can occur as well, but more often on the newer Discovery 4 models. So keep this in mind and check occasionally that them couldn't level or replace the pump preventively. Whatever you want. The situation with the diesel engines is, I would say, not that positive. First of all, there is the 2.7L V6 in the Discovery 3 models. This is a very interesting engine because it can withstand 300 000 km without major problems, but on the other hand, it has two serious weak points which can kill the engine. The first issue can be with the seized crankshaft. Some say that the crankshaft itself is the problem, some say that the crankshaft bearings are causing this, some say that the low oil pressure or the long oil change intervals, or it can be also caused by the improper assembly, they say. But long story short, this will destroy your engine. The only good thing is that this is not like very common, and it usually happens only at around 300 000 km or after this mileage point. This kind of a knocking, tapping sound from the engine can be the early symptom of this issue. But the crankshaft can destroy itself suddenly as well, without any kind of very early knocking, plus in some cases, you get a hole in the cylinder block as well. But interestingly, the crankshaft failure is not the only thing which can kill the 2.7L V6 engines. Because in cars made from 2007 to 2008, the oil pump casing is not strong enough, which means that the timing belt tensioner, which is bolted onto the casing, can simply break off with the part of the casing, causing the belt to jump off and destroying the engine basically. But there is no need to worry, since Land Rover made a couple of revisions of this casing, so if you are replacing the timing belt, then it's good to replace the oil pump housing with the newest revision as well. But I'm not finished yet, because it's also good to check the rubber intercooler hose on the left for cracks. And it's actually good to replace it preventively. Yes, I'm finished with this engine. But saying that the newer 3.0L V6 in the Discovery 4 is much more reliable than the older 2.7L is like saying that you can build a nuclear power plant out of LEGO. Now, I'm not saying that it's unreliable, but interestingly, even this newer engine can have issues with the already mentioned crankshaft failure. But keep in mind that these newer engines are more complicated than the older 2.7L and they have two turbochargers instead of one. Most of the engines are equipped with timing chain, which is usually OK even in high mileage cars. Except in the 5.0L V8 engines, of course. So check for the unusual rattling sounds at startup or at idle. The 2.7L and the 3.0L V6 diesel engines have timing belt and it's good to replace it a little earlier than the original interval. By the way, except the usual timing belt, these engines also have a separate belt for the high pressure fuel pump only, which is in the back side of the engine. So it's good to replace also this belt if you have a high mileage car. This Land Rover can be equipped with the 6-speed manual, or with the older 6-speed and the newer 8-speed automatic gearboxes. The manual gearbox is mated only to the 2.7L V6 and in this case, the business is as usual, so check the clutch properly before buying. Then there is the older 6-speed automatic gearbox, which doesn't have major problems. However, it can have worn torque converter, usually after 100 000 miles. So check for vibrations or shuddering at acceleration, excessive slipping, hesitation or fluctuating revs. The newer 8-speed transmission is more durable than the 6-speed, so just check it properly before buying. Plus of course, change the oil in both of the automatic transmissions regularly. Lastly, it's also worth checking the power steering fluid level, because the steering rack and all the power steering hoses can leak in both of the Discovery models. To summarize things up, the most reliable engine is the 4.4L V8 or the 4.0L V6 in the Discovery 3. Then buy only a car with a proper maintenance history. Definitely find a good independent mechanic, because if you can't fix the things yourself, then you are gonna need it. Change all the fluids in time and keep at least 5000 euros for the possible repairs. As usual, if you have personal experience with this car or more information about it, then you can write it into comments. Thanks for watching.