All You Need to Know about the Land Rover Discovery II

In this video I am going to go over the Land Rover Discovery II series, I will give you my thoughts on the reliability of these cars and any known issues with their engines or transmission or whether I think they are a good choice for an off road vehicle as well.

Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Ratchets and Wrenches, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. Ratchets and Wrenches assumes no liability for any property or personal damage that may arise from doing a repair on your vehicle after watching any of my repair video's. Due to factors beyond the control of Ratchets and Wrenches, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Again Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Ratchets and Wrenches.

[lawy]

I’ve had my Disco almost 20 years now and still love it! You get out what you put into them - these are great vehicles if taken care of properly.

[PETER]

The car that has been turning people into mechanics for 70 yrs xD you killed me with that pun 😂

[johnwylie]

I have a 2000 4.0v8 with 230, 000kms. Meticulous servicing is key. I change the oil and filter every 7k. More about preventative maintenance rather than letting it develop

[pitobear]

I had one for 7 years And apart from routine maintenance and servicing it was bullet proof. Best car I have ever owned but mine was a td5.

[bstortford]

I have a disco 2 and love the thing. Had it for 13 years. Basic maintenance is all that is needed. As said before, I would take a $3500 disco over a 40k Toyota any day of the week. I replaced my front drive shaft as a matter of preventative maintenance. I think it came to less than a couple of months payments on an over priced new 4x4.

[GoCeltics]

actually as long as you aren't a typical car owner and ignore routine upkeep items (as in getting your oil changed at the interval) they run for a long time.

my 04 D2 ran fine with the only non upkeep repair being head gaskets 1x at 95k. Had 162k on it when i swapped it for a LR3. It wasnt babied either. Took it on plenty of trails, mud, water and deep snow

[tuturuism]

I own a Discovery 1 and I never had too much of an issue with it, I don't know why people complain a lot about it

[ahokie]

Ok here comes the whine from another Disco owner. You forgot about the thermostat and cooling system leaks, failure of door actuators, window regulators, valve cover and oil pan leaks, sagging headliners, and frames that rust. I have a 2004 disco 2. I love it but I also do my own mechanical repairs. The key to owning these cars is to do the regular maintenance such as oil changes, transmission fluid changes, greasing of the parts that can be greased, change out all the fluids such as the diffs, transfer cases, brake fluid etc at regular intervals. I have found if you maintain them the known problems do not occur. Driving on the beach or in the mountains off road is amazing. Center locking diff with traction control pretty much blows away any Jeep out there. I've had a few Jeeps and for the time period they do not rate when it comes to the Disco. I did love my Jeeps too. I've owned several Ford F150s and they also cannot be compared as they are too different to compare. Disco 2s are also very cheap to buy and own if you treat them properly. I bought mine for $900 dollars with 119k miles on it that had a leaking head gasket, valve cover leaks, and coolant leaks. I fixed every known problem and upgraded the wheels and suspension, added roof rack and made it a well running overloading vehicle for under $7k. Working on them is pretty simple as well. I have seen maintained Discos with well over 250k miles on them with the original engine and transmission. Or just buy a Toyota or Lexus but just don't look as cool, lol. I also own an LR3 but just not as fun as the Disco that was part of the Camel Trophy races. So many cars out there but too little time to own them all ;-)

[blublum]

I've bought one of these 2 months ago. Looked into all this stuff and replaced it all and some. I spent $900 in parts... These aren't actually money pits if you know what you're doing. Judging by the comment section I would think no one here does.

[niftynegativity]

I bought one of these for a resonable price ($2k) good paint job, immaculate pleather, good engine. I was driving 70 mph down a highway and suddenly the D2 slammed itself into 4L and immediately dropped to 20 mph. After I trailered it to my house, I found out that the transfer case had popped the pin that switches it from H-L. When it slammed itself into 4L, it popped the pins in both differentials. So, I found a dead D2 with 40k on it, bought the transfer case and both diffs off of it. 8 hours of work later I had a brand new-ish drivetrain and I was out $900.

All in all, not a bad deal. Shortly after that the neutral safety sensor went out along with the upstream O2 sensor. The neutral safety switch I just unplugged, as it is not necessary to drive. The O2 will certainly need replacement as it directly affects the fuel/air mix. Also the rear wheel speed sensor went out, which I am going to have to replace as well. And I am bout to have to do a tune up. But other than that...all good. Good buy. Solid truck. Just gotta show it some love. Oh and use Rotella 15w40 oil, due to the zinc content. And the Bosh oil filter.

[PillSharks]

The biggest problem with the Land Rover brand is other 4x4 owners rubbishing them and making stories up, I bet most of the People commenting on here and saying about how rubbish they are haven't even owned one!
They aren't without problems like any vehicle but we have owned ours since new (18 years) and it's been a great vehicle!

[andrem]

If you can fix them, there amazing vehicles. I was driving mine in central Nevada with the surround sound going, heated seats, and the suspension was the best I have seen off road. The Jeep Cherokee that was passing me was bouncing along and everyone was wearing hooded sweatshirts. They also looked fridged.

[milesoroads]

Bought mine with a bad motor, put a 4L in and have not had any issues. Dont let them get hot you won't have any problems. And they go anywhere. Now if the fuel mileage could be fixed.

[joeb]

I've had my 2003 Discovery II since 2006. Love it! Never lets me down. Yes, I have had some mechanical issues but what 15 year old vehicle

[abnercoc]

I have a 2000 Discovery II it's expensive, it's not reliable, it's a crap in gas mileage, but for me that's the beauty of the car, being repair by my self and sometimes repair by a mechanic, the time and attention the car required it's like a scape for me is something that i like and enjoy.

Here is the deal the car sucks but the

¡ just on another level !

[danhopkinson]

I have a 98 discovery 1. 3.9v8i auto.
Its had minor issues with window mechanisms breaking, vac hoses perishing and fluid leaks.
But it was sat in a mechanics yard to be sold for a year or so, so you’d expect some age related problems.
I’ve had it nearly a year now and driven all over Australia, it suffered 3 months in the outback driving on nothing but washingboard dirt roads, its been driven up to double island point which is an 85 mile journey along a beach with water crossings, and has been taken offroad, bogged and filled with water/mud in the footwells ect. And generally not treated with any respect or care.
The thing just goes on. Only problem i had was the serpentine belt stripping because a stick wedged in the pully

[FinallyMe]

You know it needs oil when it stops leaking.

[Canito]

I know they are a pile of shit but I still want one for some reason.

[rockef]

low temp thermostat and 15-40 oil extend lifetime of those discos, love them

[Landa]

Lol yes! I learned how to repair cars by fixing my Discovery.