Help from the Disco experts.

[taz223]

First off, I am apologizing in advance for the newbie post here, but I've got a few questions and looking for a little bit of advice, and I know absolutely zero about Land Rovers.

Long story short, I'm looking at purchasing a pretty much built Disco II. The owner has been very forth-coming with information and helpful with everything, but I have several questions for the board.

First off, is it pretty common for a DII to only get about 10MPG? Its currently running 285s with 4.11 gears, but I had figured it would get a little bit better than that. Not that 10MPG is a deal breaker, but would definitely have to pack some extra fuel for long trips.

Second, the dreaded 3 Amigos. Owner says he recently had a brake job done at Just Brakes, and since then the 3 Amigos have been on. He says it is from the pads that they used, and from my understanding of the system, this is possible. If this is the case, is it really a big deal that the lights are on? What, if any effects will this have on the actual day to day operation of the vehicle?

Third, what else do I need to look out for on this purchase?

And lastly, would anyone mind taking a look at the Disco and telling me if in their honest opinion it is worth the asking price? Below is the vehicle as described to me. The basic deal is $7700 for the Disco as it is setup, along with about $1800 (retail) worth of accessories (seat covers, sand ladders, recovery gear, etc.)

2000 Land Rovery Discovery - Auto, 105,000 miles.

UP FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IS A 2000 DISCOVERY II WITH 105,000 MILES. THIS TRUCK IS A 4X4 DREAM MACHINE. IT HAS EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER WANT TO ADD TO A DISCO II. IN ADDITION TO THE LIST OF INSTALLED ACCESSORIES BELOW I HAD THE BRAKES DONE WITH ALL FOUR CALIAPERS REBUILT ON 8/2009, A REBUILT TRANSMISSION PUT IN LAST MONTH, AND BRAND NEW MAF AND O2 SENSORS LAST WEEK. THERE IS ONE MECHANICAL ISSUE WITH THE TRUCK AND THAT IS THAT SENSE THE BRAKES WERE DONE AT JUST BRAKES THE THREE AMIGO (TRACTION, HILL, ABS) LIGHTS ARE ON. I BELIVE IT IS JUST THE TYPE OF PADS THEY USED CREATING THE ISSUE BUT I CANNOT SAY FOR SURE. IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A FUN TRUCK TO PLAY AROUND IN THIS IS IT. I'LL GIVE THE WINNER ALL THE RECIPTS I HAVE ON FILE SO YOU KNOW THE PARTS ARE ACTUALLY SOLD AS I LISTED BELOW. THE TRUCK ALSO HAS SOME HAIL DAMAGE (AROUND 50 DINGS) NOT TO MENTION OTHER SMALL DEFECTS AS IT HAS BEEN OFF ROAD SOME. THE HOOD LATCH CABLE IS BROKEN, SO YOU HAVE TO RUN THE HOOD MANUALY FROM THE OUTSIDE. THE HEAD LINER IS STARTING TO FALL. DRIVER SEAT HAS A HOLE IN IT (SEE PICS) AND THE SEAT HEATER HAS BEEN DISCONECTED ON THE SAME SEAT. TRUCK IS SOLD AS IS WHERE IS. QUESTIONS ARE WELCOMED.

PART SUPPLIER COST
Custom Front Bumper Rovertym
Custom Rear Bumper Rovertym
T-Max Competition Series 9k Winch w/ Synthetic Line 4x4 Riders
Roof Rack Ladder - Steel Atlantic British
Rear Tail Light Guards - Steel Atlantic British
Raised Air Intake / Metal Snorkel Rovers North
ARB OME Steering Damper Atlantic British
Front Axle Galvanized Skid Plate / Guard Atlantic British
Steering Galvanized Skid Plate / guard Atlantic British
Rear Differential Galvanized Skid Plate / Guard Atlantic British
Spare tire Adapter Plate Rovertym
Slick Rock Fabrication HD Front Sway Bar Disconnects Expedition Exchange
Miscelanios battery and audio supplies Audio Trix
2" Coil spring lift kit with OME Shocks Rovertym
Rock Slider Side Bars Rovertym
3M Hood Blackout Vigg Designs
Spare Key Land Rover North Point
Hitch Tow Kit Land Rover North Point
Serpentine Belt Land Rover North Point
Got Mud Decal 2 each Vigg Designs
Steel Wheels / Rims 16X7 5 each Atlantic British
Lug Nuts for Steel Wheels 25 each Atlantic British
Center Caps for Steel Wheels 5 each Atlantic British
Tires Maxis BigHorn MT 285/75/16 Big 10 Tires
Hannibal Aluminum Roof Rack Atlantic British
Hannibal Aluminum Double Jerry Can Holder Atlantic British
Hannibal Stainless Steel Shovel Holder Atlantic British
Land Rover Special Vehicle Decal Atlantic British
Dual Battery Kit Hellroaring Tech
Optima Red Tops 2 each Audio Pro
Magnetic Drain Plug Expedition Exchange
K&N High Flow Air Filter Expedition Exchange
CB Unit and Accessories Clays Radio Shop
Pioneer DEH-P3900MP Head Unit Pioneer Dealer
Pioneer TS-SW2541D Low Space 10" Sub Woofer Pioneer Dealer
Pioneer GM-6300F 600 Watt 4 Channel Amp Pioneer Dealer
Pioneer GM-5300T 760 Watt 2 Chanel Amp Pioneer Dealer
Pioneer TS-C160R 6.5" Component Speakers - 6 each Pioneer Dealer
Sound Mat for All but the Roof Ebay
Front Diff with 4:11 Gear & Detroit TrueTrac LS Great Basin Rovers
Rear Diff with 4:11 Gear & Detroit True Trac LS Great Basin Rovers
U-Joint style Heavy Duity Rear Driveshaft Great Basin Rovers
Transfer Case Locker ROVER LAND PARTS
Gas Tank Steel Skid Plate Rovertym
Borla Premium Power Exaust Atlantic British
CPU Adjustment to turn off air Suspension Land Rover North Point

Any help is tremendously appreciated! Thanks!

Matt Green
wbcfire@yahoo.com

 

[Storz]

My bone stock DII gets 14-15mpg so 10 for a built truck with 4.11 gears sounds about right.

 

[RonL]

Sounds like a good trail/weekend Rover.
What are you planning on using it for?

I don't know much about D2, but pads alone should not cause the "three amigos"

Do you have pictures?

 

[bobtail4x4]

The most common cause of the 3 amigos is wheel bearings, and bigger tyres (tires) wont help,

can you get it plugged into a diagnostic machine? it wont be the new pads.

 

[Antichrist]

I got a chuckle out of the special vehicles decal listed.

If you get it two things to do ASAP, throw the K&N filter in the bin. It's probably the reason he needed a new MAF.
Nothing is mentioned about the front propshaft which commonly grenade and take out the gearbox. If it's an OEM, rebuild it and maintain it religiously, or replace it with one from GBR and maintain it religiously.

It makes no sense to me that a brake shop would screw up his Rover and he'd not have them make good on it.

Mileage sounds about right for 4.11 gears with 32-33" tires. IMO that's to high a ratio.

 

[Paladin]

It makes not sense to me that he would a brake shop screw up his Rover and not have them make good on it.

You must deal with more honest mechanics than I have.

I don't know much about D2, but pads alone should not cause the "three amigos"

I've seen lots of reports that it can.

What, if any effects will this have on the actual day to day operation of the vehicle?

No ABS brakes. No traction control. No hill-decent.

10MPG sounds crazy to me, but I'm only 245's.

 

[Antichrist]

You must deal with more honest mechanics than I have.

I do all my own work, so I've no one to blame but myself if it's screwed up.
However, honest or not, if they screw it up I'd see to it they made good on it.

10MPG sounds crazy to me, but I'm only 245's.

But are you also running 4.11's?

 

[Paladin]

I do all my own work, so I've no one to blame but myself if it's screwed up.
However, honest or not, if they screw it up I'd see to it they made good on it.

But are you also running 4.11's?

Nope, 3.54's.

I never go to mechanics either, but I've seen plenty of family members get screwed.

 

[Christophe Noel]

The Three Amigos can be wheel bearings, wheel speed sensors or the result of a really loudly squealing brake. Those are fixes in the $100-300 range. Or, as was the case with my DII, and many others, the ABS modulator is in need of a rebuild. That's $3000.

By the way, when the Three Amigos are on, your traction control and ABS as well has Hill Decent are not functionable.

Honestly, as a DII owner myself, I'd pass it up. However, if you just have to have to have to own a DII, buy it knowing it will very likely take you for a couple grand sooner than later.

 

[taz223]

Thanks everyone for the input so far. As I mentioned, I know jack diddly about Rovers and that was my biggest concern about committing to buying something that is 900 miles away.

As far as the 3 Amigos issue goes, that was my major concern, as I'd read in the little research I'd done that loudly squealing brakes could make them go off, but for craps sake, if the brakes are squealing that loudly after a fresh brake job I'd be taking it back to the shop to have them make it right. I don't necessarily worry that much about not having ABS, but I guess I don't fully understand what it is exactly that the traction control and hill descent systems do.

Anyone care to educate?

Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[silvElise]

Here may be a useful thread on the three amigos:

http://texasrovers.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?24169

 

[jeff_wright]

Could be a cool truck and sounds like a pretty decent price with all the add-ons.

As mentioned before the front drive shaft along with headgaskets would be key. If the three amigos became more persistent after the brake job than I would lean towards it being brake pad/wheel sensor/wheel bearing related rather than the ABS pump. Our mechanic quoted just above $1000 for rebuilding the pump...$3000 seems high.

The three amigos involves the system controlling ABS, hill descent control, and traction control. If the Disco hadn't had the center diff-lock installed it would be stuck to 2wd without the system working properly. I don't care much about ABS, and while you don't need hill descent or traction control to use the truck offroad, they definitely make it more capable.

I live in Alpharetta and use to have my Disco serviced at North Point so I may be able to take a look if it's close by. Shoot me a message.

 

[taz223]

Jeff - you've got a PM.

 

[bmxer06pa]

First 10 mpg is not too far off. I have a 2000 d2 with 265/75 r16 and an sd rack and some other heavy and gas eating mods and I get about 10 mpg's.
Second, correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like you are paying about 9500 dollars for the truck. An 11 year old d2 is worth about 3-4 thousand dollars, depending on the condition. That means you are paying about 5 thousand for the accessories.
I would be worried about the abuse this truck has been through. Those mods are are not the kind you put on a mall crawler, they are purpose built and may indicate that the truck has been used and abused.

 

[taz223]

bmxer:

Nope, as I mentioned in the first post, the price on the truck is $7750, which includes about $2000 worth of recovery gear (pull-pal, sand ladders, etc.) It will cost me approx. $500 to fly there and drive it home should I choose to buy it. And believe me, I've considered the possibility that its been used and abused, hence the reason I am asking some of the questions, but also, the reason I'm considering buying it is because its been purpose built for an application, tremendously reducing the investment I will have to make and the time to get it to where I want it to be.