Landrovers...are they realy that bad?

Submitted: Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00
ThreadID: 1012 Views:2386 Replies:6 FollowUps:4
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My only experience with Landrovers is with my 98 defender, and the problems i had with it are:broken axle front LS 20.000km,rear diff spider gears 24.000km.,power stearing pump 30.000km ,seized gearbox 52.000km,turbo fairlure at 60.000 and rear RS axle at 61.000.Local dealer was at the total loss as why this is happening.
I did not wait for another fairlure.I sold it back to the dealership at the huge loss and just got new 78 Troopie.Are the Landrovers that bad?
Have a look at the mechanical fairlures above and draw your own conclusions.To hell with anyone trying to silence the truth.Dont buy yourself a headache.
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Reply By: Bob - Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00

Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00
Is it possible that with a complete change of management, construction facility, influence of BMW and Ford that things might have changed? Lets face it, the current releases are, apart from the badge, totally different vehicles.
I don't think anyone is trying to silence the truth, but rather filter legitmate contributions like yours from the emotive third hand misinformation characterising most contributions on this thread so far.
I wonder if anyone with dud Nissans/Toyotas will relate their experiences? (Don't pretend they don't exist too)
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Follow Up By: Bill - Thursday, Apr 25, 2002 at 00:00

Thursday, Apr 25, 2002 at 00:00
No ..nothing's changed Bob. A mate had a landrover in the early 60s. Used to overheat, break axles, gearbox troubles, poor ride, leaked dust. Just the sort of shortcomings you'll hear of today. (Friend and Disco owner spoke to TWO Disco owners in Alice last June who had $15,000.00 ish engine repair bills - both from overheating - boy did he ever watch his temp guage from then on!! I think he drove straight past Uluru without seeing it because he couldn't take his eyes of the dam guage.)In those days they were practically the only 4wd around and they built a reputation by having their off road capabilities compared to such vehicles as Holden utes and Volkswagens. Some people still cling to those sentimental memories. Most have moved on to the far superior vehicles being produced by other manufacturers. Similar comparisons exist between Minis and Morris 1100/1500 and such vehicles as Honda Civic. I understand the feelings people have towards Landrovers and other British makes but Britain is no longer a leader in automotive technology. I'll look at an MG, a mini, an Austin, a Landrover and have pleasant memories of a time long gone, but to have a modern reliable vehicle, I own a different brand .... and I'm King Off The Road LOL
A Disco that blew the diesel return lines off and was fixed by a country servo who immediately recognised the "common problem" and drilled a fine hole in the fuel cap to relieve tank pressure, reminded me of a Morris 1500 in 1969 which used to stop if it rained because the distributor was directly inside the grill. What's the common thread? Unreliability because of poor research and development!!
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Reply By: Kevin Phillips - Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00

Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00
I had a 95 300Tdi Discovery for nearly 7 years and 226,000 trouble free kilometres. Travelled the Simpson Desert twice, Gunbarrel Highway, Canning Stock Route, Tanami Track and many more. Took an off-road Trak Shak camper through the Kimberley and up to Kalumburu last year - again no problems. My secret to its longevity is simple - a common sense approach to loading and driving it coupled with meticulous maintenance, a philosophy I will continue with my new Nissan Patrol 4.2TD. And why did I change from Landrover? - purely because I am not convinced that electronics are reliable enough yet for the type of travel I like to do to remote areas, and that also ruled out the Nissan Patrol 3.0 TD and any petrol EFI vehicle.

During my travels I have helped many broken vehicles, including Landrovers, Patrols, and Landcruisers and most often their problems were caused by overloading and/or excessive haste with little regard for the condition of the roads they were travelling over.

So are Landrovers really that bad - I don't think they are any better or worse than any other vehicle if looked after properly.

Cheers
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Follow Up By: Bill Church - Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00

Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00
Well Done Kevin, a sensible informative reply. Thank you. Bill
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Follow Up By: Rob - Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00

Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00
Kevin, I agree wholeheartedly with your conclusions. I too have just purchased a 4.2TD Nissan Patrol for exactly the reasons you state,
having sold a '92 EFI V8 auto Disco after 5 years.
However the one thing that stands out for me is the lack of FUN in driving the Nissan. It is a very reliable truck with plenty of load carrying capacity, and it does all that is asked of it, but the FUN element is just not there.
On the subject of LR reliability, I have been a member of the local LR club for about 4 years, and
I can honestly state that I have never seen a LR
break down on any club run.
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Reply By: Goran - Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00

Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00
Guys, i dont know what the answer is but i just towed broken down Disco Td5 from Broome.Seized turbo after 42000 km. Bob is right however,there are lemons in Toyota and Nissan line up as well.For instance i just had a breakdown with my Cruiser,first one after 120.000km.Got a flat tyre..:-) Sorry Bob,but one just has to count the number of Landcruisers and patrols in the bush comparing to Landrovers to conclude what was said in the Trevors question.Have a look recent post here on the forum about landrovers.I think you have got good vehicle there,you seem to be happy but that looks to be the isolated case rathe than a rule.I rest my case.
Oh, i do expect more of your racial and ethnic remarks.You dont seem to be able to post anything constructive.
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Reply By: Bill Church - Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00

Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 at 00:00
Ok, to add to the litany here... '99 TD5 auto with ACE, no SLS. Bought new from MLR in Melb. 15/09/2000. Currently with 67500 kms. Problems as follows: Dust ingress, fixed under warranty. Unexplained surging, finally fixed for free outside warranty period. Broken bonnet cable, fixed for free outside warranty period. Frozen rear door lock, fixed under warranty. Water leakage into left hand footwell, fixed under warranty. Advantages as follows: EXCELLENT diesel economy, 17 mpg (about 17 l/100kms) when towing a 3500kg caravan at an average speed of 85km/h from Melb to Canberra on the Hume highway, and 27 mpg around Canberra. Very good offroad useability, once again with excellent economy. I have not used other vehicles offroad, so cannot compare ability. EXCELLENT onroad handling provided by ACE. In general I am very happy with the vehicle. I am sure that other vehicles have problems also, but they probably have not received the "attention" that Land Rover has on this forum recently. And yes, if the vehicle in Question was a Toy/Nis/Mits/Hol... ad infinitum, I would still put forth both sides of the story without partiality if I owned any other brand. Bill
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Reply By: Bill - Thursday, Apr 25, 2002 at 00:00

Thursday, Apr 25, 2002 at 00:00
I have noticed a common pattern in comments praising Landrovers thus ... praise for the vehicle followed by justification for changing to a Toyota. G'day Bob ... familiar pattern isn't it?
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Reply By: Bob - Friday, Apr 26, 2002 at 00:00

Friday, Apr 26, 2002 at 00:00
I am sure the Series II discovery is more refined than the series I, but the article in 4 X 4 Australia on 2nd hand Discovery's doesn't portray the vehicle in as bad a light as some on this list would like. The reference to the head gasket at 200,000 km makes me wonder if the Alice Springs story was based on vehicles in that category?
I wonder what Trevor did to the vehicle he started this thread with? It will be interesting to see if his 78 Troopie stands up to his driving style?
Nice to see you trying to be polite now Goran Pity you couldn't have started off that way.
Still deafening silence from Toyota/Nissan drivers with problems. Can't blame them really. Probably think they'll be flamed by the fanatics on this list. There was a comment from a 100 series driver who said it took 4 yrs to sort the vehicle out but he didn't elaborate. At least my Discovery came with decent tyres. The side walls on the Grandtreks on my Tojo were made from a recycled Ansell product and lasted about 5 minutes.
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Follow Up By: Goran - Friday, Apr 26, 2002 at 00:00

Friday, Apr 26, 2002 at 00:00
Bob,i did start polite enough but you had to call me stupid just for expressing my oppinion.As for Toyota and Nissan problems, maybe there are not many of them after all.Ever think of that?
My Grandtracks AT1 are now 3 years old 40.000km over Pilbara and Kimberley without fairlure.
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