Test drive Land Rover Discovery 2002 - 2004 SUV

Land Rover Discovery (years of release - 1994-1998)

The British claim that this car is so durable that it is inherited from his grandfather to the grandson. In order not to blush before offspring, treat Discovery with respect
The Land Rover Discovery appeared in 1989 as a compromise version between the Spartan Land Rover Defender and the luxurious Range Rover. As often happens with compromise fruits, Discovery is all woven from contradictions - amazing off -road qualities and comfort are combined with obvious constructive miscalculations. It is curious that many, even the most obvious shortcomings were not eliminated in 1998, when the discovery of the second series appeared. Therefore, almost everything that the author managed to find out can safely be attributed to the Discovery II Series model. The own sores of the third modification have not yet been identified - the new Discovery has begun to sell only six months ago, and the corresponding experience on the services has not yet been accumulated.
In the secondary market of British SUVs, today the most popular are the first Land Rover Discovery, released between 1994 and 1998. Diesel and gasoline models are represented approximately in an equal proportion. Mostly there are 5-door bodies, although, if you try, you can find a rather rare 3-door Discovery model we have. Very rarely there are gasoline 3-doors discovery, intended for the American market. They differ from Europeans by a higher roof over the second row of seats.
Mom washed the frame. From his ancestor, famous Land Rover Defender, the machine almost completely inherited the mechanical part. The layout and most of the nodes are very similar and differ only in the geometric sizes of parts. If anyone can see Discovery with the body removed, he will be amazed at how much the car is reminiscent of the truck. This is not just a similarity - the same applies to the reserve of strength laid down in the design. They did this not in vain, because Discovery is one of the few cars in its class, which has a complete set of attributes to overcome off -road. The driver’s service has both a handout with a reduced nearby and a set of locks of everything that can be blocked. All this off -road arsenal is covered with an extremely comfortable body, so that the virgin lands can be stormed with great comfort. As the experience of real exploitation shows, according to your off -road characteristics, Discovery can be compared not only with your grandfather, Land Rover Defender, but also with our UAZ.
 
Pick up snot. The bought Discovery has two ways - you can repair the car all your life, monthly leaving the salary of two mechanics on the service or take a philosophically, investing in the car to a reasonable minimum. The funny thing is that the result in both cases is the same - Discovery will still ride.
A feature of Disco is its snotty. The oil gradually flows everywhere, and if it doesn’t flow from somewhere-it means that there it has already flowed out and it must be added. Do not be alarmed, as computer scientists say, this is not a bug, this is a feature. Seeing an oil sneak on some unit, you can leave a lot of money on the service to eliminate it, and after a month or two ... Discover the spot in the same place. So, already with a run of about 60 thousand km, the seal reducer seals begin to flow. There are remoteks for this, and one of the Moscow firms offers the technology for restoration of the shaft by spraying metal. Alas, this is not enough for a long time. But if you feel sorry for $ 600 for a new part, then throw out this problem from your head and just add the oil regularly.
Another favorite place in the leaks are rotary balls of the front wheels. If the steering wheel begins to tear out of the hands, it is necessary to make a complete audit of both the steering and the chassis. Perhaps you just need to adjust the moment of pulling the bearing of the rotary balls. Maybe the time has come to change the trim of steering, good, it costs inexpensively (about $ 60), and only a couple of bolts are attached. And perhaps the time has come to replace the elastic bands in the suspension, which is also not difficult, and the spare parts are cheap-from $ 4 per elastic band of the jet lever up to $ 15 for the silent block of the longitudinal lever. By the way, with all the abundance of oil subtexts, Discovery has one place where they are chronically forgotten to put all these years at the factory chronically. This is a mysterious place - a bearing of the right rear wheel. It is worth looking there right away, since the jamming of the wheel on the go at best will result in the replacement of the hub ($ 102).
 
Pandora box. The only node that does not cause complaints on the service is the Automatic Box of the German company ZF. If you are not going to go to Discovery to all kinds of trophy, it is better to choose it. Because the mechanical transmission is fraught with a whole bouquet of surprises - it begins to pour at best to 100 thousand km of run, and in the worst - half earlier. For example, a clutch fork is very often broken or synchronizers fail, the fifth gear or reverse stroke ceases to turn on.
With the distribution, the box is joined by a slotted connection, and if the transmission has serious loads, the teeth of the slots are painted. A virtue sign is a sonorous knock when switching gear. And if a strong dull blow is heard during the discharge of gas, the matter is very bad - the center differential died. Unfortunately, the original spare parts for the box and the handout are extremely expensive, and non -original ones are not found in nature. Therefore, the solution to the transmission problem begins with a minimum amount of $ 700 and can easily result in several thousand dollars.
HOT GUYS. Both diesel and gasoline engines quite easily digest domestic fuel, but do not like our frosts at all. The first to graze the gasoline - the problems begin at minus 15. If the motor did not start on the first attempt, then it is better to immediately change the candles to dry, since these are already flooded. The diesel holds a little better, but at minus 20 it grazes.
Both types of engines have their characteristic drawbacks. So, in a diesel engine, when replacing the timing belt, it is necessary to change the parasitic videos that he promises. From the old dangling rollers, a new belt gradually slides, begins to cling to the lid, breaks and spreads everything around. In addition, with a run close to 100 thousand km, it is necessary to check how tightly the front pulley sits on the crankshaft. Due to the vibration load characteristic of the diesel engine, he begins to unscrew, breakting, and then cutting the veneer on which he sits. If this moment is missed, the amount of repairs will be close to the cost of the overhaul of the engine.
In a gasoline engine from our fuel, the fuel ramp is overgrown with dirt and rust. It is prescribed to change it with a run of 130 thousand km, but it is better to do it before. Thus, you will save nozzles, each of which costs $ 170.
THE EASIEST? And the last myth is an aluminum body. He is by no means eternal, as it seems to many. Maybe in a dry, hot climate it will last 100 years, but with our salty winters, corrosion in places where aluminum parts are in contact with steel begins quite quickly. The weakest place is the fifth door in the area of \u200b\u200bthe loops. It is impossible to completely avoid chemical reactions, but inevitable repair can be delayed if you treat the hidden cavities of the body at least once a year with an anticorus.
If all this does not scare you, now the prices for the Discovery of the first series start at $ 5 thousand. For bringing into the relative order of the not completely killed copy, it will take more than $ 1 thousand at a minimum. And then go one of two ways described at the beginning of the article . If you are lucky, you can really bequeath the car with your grandchildren. At least the frame from him.
Text Alexei Khresin, photo Alexey Ilyin, drawing Alexander Krasnov

Land Rover Discovery 3.9 V8 2.5 Turbodiesel
Length/width/height (mm) 4520/1810/1970
Working volume (cubic meter) 3947 2494
Power (L.S.) 182 113
Equipped mass (kg) 1920 1935
Maximum speed (fur./Auth., Km/h) 170/169 148/146
Acceleration to 100 km/h (fur./Auth., Sec.) 11.5/12.6 18.5/18.6
Fuel consumption average (l/100 km) 13.8 10.2

The cost of spare parts and consumables
 
Oil (4 liters) $ 42
Spend of the ignition $ 2.5
Air filter $ 15
Fuel filter $ 22
Oil filter $ 17
Front pads (set) $ 100
Rear pads (set) $ 98
Gas pump $ 340
Ignition coil $ 40
Timing belt (diesel) $ 60
Turning balls $ 230
Wheel bearings $ 30
Lungol of the ignition distributor $ 12
ABS sensors (pair) $ 300
Stove motor $ 730

 

Source: "Autopilot"