Member Since: 18 Aug 2012
Location: Bolton
Posts: 673
D3 My First and Last Landrover? D4 Really Any Better ?
So my Jan 06 (55 plate) TDV6 S auto with 114000 miles on it is my first Land Rover. I much prefer bikes so cars will always be second best but I have liked the D3 since it was launcher in 2004. So 2012 I bought my first one with 84000 miles on it.
I was expecting a level of unreliability but I wasn't expecting to get almost every fault in the book.
Alternator
Suspension Compressor
Door Lock
Wheel Bearing
Early gearbox oil change and Dr Tranny to "cure" vibration.
Intercooler Hose Split
Disintegrated hand brake shoes
and now Rear Diff failure
I've paid out £1500 to Warrantywise and have claimed £177 for wheel bearing, £250 for alternator and now £1400 for rear diff and still have warranty until Aug-15.
I normally run cars to 200000 miles plus run 2 bikes and a car for the wife. Since 1981 I have only had 2 major mechanical failures, gearbox on a 1983 Escort and Electronic Distributor on a Rover 216GTi.
And of the bikes all the Jap ones have been great but the MV Agusta was crap for reliability.
So I would love a 2012/2013 D4 with the 8 speed in about 3 to 6 years time.
But given the D4 is an evolution of the D3 what would the guys who have had both D3 then D4 think of my following thoughts.
Suspension Compressor
AMK on later D4s - unlikely to be better than D3.
Alternator
Unlikely to be better than D3.
Wheel Bearings
Unlikely to be better than D3.
Front Brakes
Should last longer due to bigger discs.
Gearbox cooling through radiator leaks
Same as D3?
Gearbox
Greater torque capacity for 8 speed and earlier oil changes better than D3?
Diffs
Unlikely to be better than D3.
Door Locks
Unlikely to be better than D3.
Tailgate Actuator
Unlikely to be better than D3.
Handbrake
Unlikely to be better than D3.
EGRs
Unlikely to be better than D3.
Oil Pump casing
Better on 3.0 than 2.7?
Suspension Arms
Unlikely to be better than D3.
If my D3's reliability keeping going on this trend then I'll end up in a BMW X5 or VW Touareg before a D4 ever gets a chance. I don't expect an older car to be perfect but given all the different makes I have had and the miles/issues Land Rover are taking the Michael.
26th Oct 2014 1:27 pm
gensetsteve
Member Since: 01 Jan 2014
Location: hampshire
Posts: 340
I think you have answered your own question with that list. The d4 is basically the same car as the d3 except you are pumping a fair bit more power through a less than perfect drive train my d4 is a great drive but I hate shelling out hundreds every month and rolling around in oil. My land cruiser may be dated but it's rock solid even after 15 years faultless.D4
26th Oct 2014 1:41 pm
Disco_Mikey
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 20811
So far, the AMK is proving to be much better and much more reliable than the Hitachi unit
Alternator is a smart charging item, so not under load all the time
Wheel bearings are the same
Brakes are bigger, last around the same mileage before replacement
Gearboxes if flushed early enough, should never have issues. Only with the higher mile D3s are we seeing issues, and knowing how to prevent these issues
Gearbox cooler is a completely different design compared to D3. Should go for ever without issues
Handbrake was modified for very late D3/D4. Still jams if not looked after, but easy enough to unjam
Door locks/diffs/tailgate actuator are the same. Hopefully improved with parts superseded
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50977
The D4 has been around since 2009 so your best comparator is to look at the D4 forum sections ..what you will see is that D4 is far less susceptible to the issues that often plagued the D3 21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
26th Oct 2014 2:03 pm
Russell
Member Since: 24 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
I can agree with what Mick has said. My D4 is just coming up to 3 years old. It has just had an alternator failure but I was put in a bran new Land Cruiser. The LC was noisy, rolled all over the road, sat nav was very very poor and it drove like a tractor.
I have had one D3 and two D4's all used for towing a TA caravan about 5000 miles a year, the D3 was good but a manual, the first D4 was much better than the D3 and the second D4 was a huge step up on the first D4 (8 speed).
They are big heavy cars that will wear things out especially if abused and not looked after. However look after them and they will be good to you. There will always be things that go wrong (my alternator) but any car can suffer from component failure. A friend has a new E class merc that he has had huge issues with and component failure on regular occasions.MY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
MY15 D4 HSE Kaikoura Stone
MY12 D4 HSE Nara Bronze Sold and gone
MY11 D4 HSE Stornaway Grey Sold and gone
D3 S spec Silver Sold and gone
Tow bar, full length roof bars, side steps, tow bar storage unit, surround camers.
D4 camera club
26th Oct 2014 2:06 pm
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
After the launch of 250k pre-production vehicles that completed over 6 years of in-field testing the D4 is much improved.
Some of the issues with pre-production vehicles were due to poor servicing or repair regimes - the air suspension, gearbox and EPB are good examples.
Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948
Last edited by Robbie on 26th Oct 2014 2:20 pm. Edited 1 time in total
26th Oct 2014 2:16 pm
Numpty
Member Since: 18 Aug 2012
Location: Bolton
Posts: 673
Cheers guys.
Lets see how the next 3 years or so goes and how D4 reliability tracks through these forums.
26th Oct 2014 2:16 pm
wizz
Member Since: 29 Jan 2009
Location: somerset
Posts: 94
I I was in the market for a new 4 x 4 ( but sadly I can't afford one ) as much as I like our d3 I'd be very tempted by a x5 looked at one the other day and couldn't believe the mpg quoted 47.9 mpg and tax was 130 quid I think compared about 500 quid on a d4 and about 35mpg so the pocket would certainly point me at the x5. Anyway it's all academic for me cos I can't afford either but when the new x5 is three years old maybe also I see there is a 2 wheel dive two litre x5 that's about 43k with a load of standard kit like leather auto and sat nav so not bad value if you don't need four wheel drive like me. Once upon a time I would of thought 2 litre in a big four wheel drive that must be rubbish but probably no any more I have got a new 5 series 2 litre desiel and it goes like the clappers. Now back to see how my d3 carpets are drying (with the assistance) of the wife's hair dryer) out oh the joys of diaco ownership2005 HSE TDV6 in Bonatti Grey
26th Oct 2014 2:20 pm
Numpty
Member Since: 18 Aug 2012
Location: Bolton
Posts: 673
When my rear diff pinion bearing started to fail I looked at the page below on the Warrantywise website
I looked at D3/D4, BMW X5 and VW Touareg to do some comparisons.
Number currently licenced according to DVLC D3/D4 55800, BMW X5 73652 and VW Touareg 25445
Average cost of repairs D3/D4 £372 (but more repairs), BMW X5 £545.06 and VW Touareg £661.49
Interesting chart
Click image to enlarge
26th Oct 2014 4:18 pm
DigitalJunior
Member Since: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Cumbria
Posts: 4401
Following the Gaydon engineering visit last week I am personally convinced that the D4 is a superior vehicle in almost every respect but not affordable as yet for us poor folk.
26th Oct 2014 5:54 pm
Disco_Mikey
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 20811
Superior in every way, apart from now having the HPFP timed to the engine My D3 Build Thread
Member Since: 01 Jan 2014
Location: hampshire
Posts: 340
Russell wrote:
I can agree with what Mick has said. My D4 is just coming up to 3 years old. It has just had an alternator failure but I was put in a bran new Land Cruiser. The LC was noisy, rolled all over the road, sat nav was very very poor and it drove like a tractor.
I have had one D3 and two D4's all used for towing a TA caravan about 5000 miles a year, the D3 was good but a manual, the first D4 was much better than the D3 and the second D4 was a huge step up on the first D4 (8 speed).
They are big heavy cars that will wear things out especially if abused and not looked after. However look after them and they will be good to you. There will always be things that go wrong (my alternator) but any car can suffer from component failure. A friend has a new E class merc that he has had huge issues with and component failure on regular occasions.
When you say land cruiser are we talking a proper v8 one or the lc4 replacement for the Colorado. I love the way my disco 4 drives but I cannot justify the things that break fail or fall off on a weekly basis. I am a time served Hgv mechanic with 30 years experience and have never experienced or owned such a money pit of a car. I did own a newish rover sd1 for few months and that was a similar experience drove nice built from crap.D4
26th Oct 2014 7:11 pm
grahamk
Member Since: 28 Feb 2010
Location: Dumgoyne
Posts: 1473
Disco_Mikey wrote:
Superior in every way, apart from now having the HPFP timed to the engine
All the old trusty Bosch VP37 fuel pumps on elderly diesels were timed to the engine.3 Flash Indicators
Clock on Dash
GVIF & Reverse Camera
D4 Bluetooth
EGR's Blanked
26th Oct 2014 8:06 pm
Disco_Mikey
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 20811
The 3.0 engine is still a common rail system, but is now timed for whatever reason
Spoken to the service managers of both my nearest dealers (I know them both ), and they both say it's probably going to be a body off job...My D3 Build Thread
Member Since: 24 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
gensetsteve wrote:
Russell wrote:
I can agree with what Mick has said. My D4 is just coming up to 3 years old. It has just had an alternator failure but I was put in a bran new Land Cruiser. The LC was noisy, rolled all over the road, sat nav was very very poor and it drove like a tractor.
I have had one D3 and two D4's all used for towing a TA caravan about 5000 miles a year, the D3 was good but a manual, the first D4 was much better than the D3 and the second D4 was a huge step up on the first D4 (8 speed).
They are big heavy cars that will wear things out especially if abused and not looked after. However look after them and they will be good to you. There will always be things that go wrong (my alternator) but any car can suffer from component failure. A friend has a new E class merc that he has had huge issues with and component failure on regular occasions.
When you say land cruiser are we talking a proper v8 one or the lc4 replacement for the Colorado. I love the way my disco 4 drives but I cannot justify the things that break fail or fall off on a weekly basis. I am a time served Hgv mechanic with 30 years experience and have never experienced or owned such a money pit of a car. I did own a newish rover sd1 for few months and that was a similar experience drove nice built from crap.
It was a 3.0l D4D and was bloody awful, seats were hard and not comfy, it was one of the worst cars I have driven in a long time.MY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
MY15 D4 HSE Kaikoura Stone
MY12 D4 HSE Nara Bronze Sold and gone
MY11 D4 HSE Stornaway Grey Sold and gone
D3 S spec Silver Sold and gone
Tow bar, full length roof bars, side steps, tow bar storage unit, surround camers.
D4 camera club
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
my d4 is a great drive but I hate shelling out hundreds every month and rolling around in oil. My land cruiser may be dated but it's rock solid even after 15 years faultless.
but I was put in a bran new Land Cruiser. The LC was noisy, rolled all over the road, sat nav was very very poor and it drove like a tractor.
), and they both say it's probably going to be a body off job...
