Member Since: 27 Dec 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 951
My 2004 Tonga Green D3
Discovery number 3
I was actually looking for another D2 after my Buckingham blue D3 kicked the bucket. BUT, for the same money as good condition but high mileaged D2, This little beauty came up cheap. 104000 miles, Full service history, new clutch (manual), belts done, oil pump done, but cheap for a reason. EPB doesn't work and someone has pulled the emergency release. It just makes a noise like a DJ scratching vinyl and the cross over pipe is busted completely. So drove it one way home. But broke financially until the blue one sells as my V8 Range Rover that I still have after 4 years and will keep longer (Superb vehicle) that I got in swap for my 05 Zambezi Silver Manual Discovery 4 years ago, is about to cost me £500 as the 18 year old alternator gave up the ghost. Thank for breakdown repair cover
So my Tonga Green D3 is parked up for the minute. MOT until May, SE spec, has a few other niggly problems, but nothing major. Actually paid £450 more for this one than I did the other one as the guy was accumulating parking tickets in it in London And that reminds me, forgot to tax the car Doing that next lol.
But the crossover pipe is near the top of my list to get done asap. And definitely before I use it.
The faults I discovered actually are:
Intermittent exhaust fault on the suspension compressor.
EPB not working.
Drivers sidestep brackets rotted apart.
Cross over pipe completely blown.
CD Player has 3 CD's stuck in it and the standard eject and master eject procedures don't work.
Someone has tried to steal the detachable towbar and now I need to work out how to remove it without any part of the lock present. This is a problem as this car is specifically for towing up to 3.5 tons.
And chip in the windscreen.
Drivers seat leather started to discolour and go blotchy.
Pictures will be added later or another day as my main wifi is down and I am on Hotspot tethered data from my phone. So pictures uploading is slow
I admit, I hate green cars, and even worse, brown / gold cars, but this one I kind of like.
3rd Sep 2020 9:03 pm
MikeHe
Member Since: 14 Aug 2020
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 58
Best of luck with this one
4th Sep 2020 7:52 am
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Good luck
Look forward to seeing the pics and progress on getting it back to fighting fitness Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
4th Sep 2020 12:00 pm
discovery3ski
Member Since: 25 Dec 2012
Location: leicester
Posts: 735
Tonga green looks good when polished. Never wanted my Tonga coloured car but it was available and cheap when I needed one. It’s grown on me though. Look best with the black interior.Discovery 3 tdv6 HSE 2007
Alfa GTV CUP
Alfa 156 JTS
Alfa Spider TS
Alfa GT Cloverleaf
Volvo XC70
4th Sep 2020 3:16 pm
disco-nut
Member Since: 27 Dec 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 951
Well.... quite a lot has happened with this little beast.
Turns out, the previous owner wasn't honest with me about the history of the car. After putting a post up about it on Facebook, another owner previous to the one I bought it from told me a little bit of history to the car. Including the fact that it had actually been written off as a CAT N in 2019!
I checked the V5 but didn't bother with a HPi before buying the car as the write off status's used to be declared on the logbooks. Little did I know, DVSA have since stopped this!
I am not bothered by the fact it was a write off and repaired, just hacked off that I wasn't told!
Still not a fan of the colour, but I love driving it.
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
And sadly, some cnut decided to try and steal the detachable towbar, and left it in this state:
And I need to get this out ASAP so I can fit the fixed towbar.
(Accident damage photo was from a previous owners post on Facebook).
7th Sep 2020 8:39 pm
disco-nut
Member Since: 27 Dec 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 951
Nearly forgot to add, this one has another fault that I discovered today. Faulty microswitch in the upper tailgate so it randomly opens when I am driving along
7th Sep 2020 9:00 pm
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23822
Probably my favourite D3 colour. Good luck getting it sorted. 2006 D3 HSE (Original & still the best)-GONE
2010 D4 HSE (A bit bling)-GONE
2014 D4 HSE (Almost too bling)-GONE
2015 D4 HSE (A heated what?)-GONE
2016 D4 Landmark (Written Off)-GONE
2016 D4 Landmark (Surely the last!) PD1881 rims-GONE
2017 FFRR SDV8 Autobiography (now semi-retired)
7th Sep 2020 9:22 pm
disco-nut
Member Since: 27 Dec 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 951
First little upgrade bought from the Disco3 shop, The sat nav Fakra to video lead, so I can connect a reverse camera to my screen.
Also ordered a club sticker, but this will be going on my tool chest and not the car
8th Sep 2020 10:06 am
disco-nut
Member Since: 27 Dec 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 951
List of faults to sort:
Stabbed Tyre.
Faulty CD Radio.
Possibly a Wheel Bearing.
Electric Parking Brake.
Blowing Exhaust (Crossover Pipe).
Remove Detachable Towbar.
Refurbish Genuine Fixed Towbar.
Fit Replacement Drivers Sidestep Brackets and Sidestep.
Hoping to get the wheels swapped over maybe at the weekend. But wedding anniversary is top priority this weekend.
10th Sep 2020 8:52 pm
disco-nut
Member Since: 27 Dec 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 951
Decided to start tackling this beast. Today I removed the broken side step with the rot brackets. Had to cut them down for now, will need to put a whole day aside to investigate further as I suspect I may have rotted sills under the covers as well as the leftover rotted sidestep brackets. A new step and refurbished set of brackets are ready to go on though. Also took the old wheels off and fitted the new wheels. Was horrified to find that all the nuts and locking nuts were finger tight on all 4 wheels!
I am now warming to the green. Also had the pleasure of a short distance towing task yesterday and the car didn't even notice the trailer was attached
Click image to enlarge
16th Sep 2020 4:13 pm
disco-nut
Member Since: 27 Dec 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 951
Ok, I have been naughty. I have ordered a Discovery 4 facelift style grill to fit the Discovery 3. My current grill is broken anyway. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it
16th Sep 2020 5:34 pm
Moo D3 Decade
Member Since: 13 Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 14383
I'd have gone for some D4 wheels. Not convinced by the new ones but each to their own.New Defender L663 110 SE (known as Noddy!)
Sold Volvo XC90 R-Design (known as Basil)
Sold - D4 HSE (Known as Gerty)
No longer the Old Buses original owner
231,000 miles and counting
05 S manual owned from March 2005
D4 Face lifted
Still original injectors and turbo
V8 Front brakes
BAS Remap, Allisport Intercooler and deCat
EGRs blanked
T-Max split charge
Hanibal Expeedition rack
Prospeed ladder
Duratrac tyres
IID BT
BAS FBH control
16th Sep 2020 7:17 pm
disco-nut
Member Since: 27 Dec 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 951
Decided to blank the EGR's off today. Didn't quite go to plan. Lost one of the blanks down the left side of the engine. Couldn't find it for Did discover that I have an oil leak and that the intercooler is dying
So long story short, 1 side is blanked, the other is not, I had to contact the guy who makes them and although he offered to let me get just 1, I bought another pair in case another blanking plate suffers the same fate. And despite no faults showing up and only 1 being blanked off, made a difference already.
Also changed the tailgate handle out for a brand new one. Fault not resolved, so the wiring itself must be the fault and the nut just spins on the handle. So guess I have a job for another day.
17th Sep 2020 12:32 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14120
Hiya
Know the feeling ref the blanks , I used some exhaust sealant to stick it to the engine block first , then used a thin screwdriver to put it through the hole so the plate didn’t move , then once the sealant went off abit put the pipe over the blank then put the screwdriver again thought the pipe hole into the blank while putting a bolt in one side
Plus on the drivers side I removed the side of the battery tray / air filter box and my aux battery
How did u get on removing the butterfly valve and then getting the pin back in , I also cleaned my Map sensor at the same time
Found it easier removing the entire Y section to also give that a good clean , used some silicone grease on the large O rings
Wonder it the lost blank has ended up on ur engine sump guard
Apologises , if I asked before but where abouts in Kent are u plse, if u ever need a hand , or need a gap iid plugging in to read codes , am always happy to help where I can
17th Sep 2020 1:15 pm
disco-nut
Member Since: 27 Dec 2013
Location: Kent
Posts: 951
I am in Tunbridge Wells, I haven't removed the butterfly from the EGR though, but didn't have to remove the battery tray to put the blanking plate on that side. The other side is left to do. My 1st D3 had the EGR blanked but the butterfly from memory wasn't touched. Might have been, but don't think it was. I couldn't find much information on blanking the EGR's, last one was done by a guy in Edenbridge who does or did diagnostics and repairs. But 1. I can't remember his name. 2. Despite thinking we were ok, I upset him when I chased him up for a date book my car in a few times when I didn't know some personal stuff in his life were going on at the time although I did apologise afterwards. He was actually brilliant with the work he did to my car.
Where in Kent are you from?
I have diagnostics for Full Fat Range Rovers and All Main Discovery's as well, I have the Lynx Evo though, but help would be appreciated if you are up for it. Would compensate of course. And I am happy to help also where I can.
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and the cross over pipe is busted completely. So drove it one way home. But broke financially until the blue one sells as my V8 Range Rover that I still have after 4 years and will keep longer (Superb vehicle) that I got in swap for my 05 Zambezi Silver Manual Discovery 4 years ago, is about to cost me £500 as the 18 year old alternator gave up the ghost. Thank 
for breakdown repair cover 
Doing that next lol.
