Anglo-Frenchman Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 Hi, I can usually be found in the Defender forum so this is unfamiliar territory! I am being offered a 2004 Disco 55th Anniversary model from a private French seller with about 108000miles on the clock for the equivalent of 9,000GBP. What's the general opinion of this vehicle in terms of usual faults etc as well as an opinion on price. Comes with FSH from LR france. thanks, Ged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 Never heard of a 55th anniversary model and anyway 2003 would have been the 55th anniversary not 2004! I should check the price guides for your area for a normal model and certainly not pay over the odds for it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSG Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 May have been a French dealer special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Frenchman Posted November 2, 2007 Author Share Posted November 2, 2007 Yes, i think it must be French thing because there a couple of others on French Ebay but going for about €4,000 more which I guess is due to the lower kms. I don't think that the 55th Anniversary is a big thing, perhaps slightly different finish inside but the main thing that concerns me are the mechanics . I've had a 200tdi Disco and a 300 but never the Td5. Any major differences and maintenance issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q-rover Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 It´s got an extra cylinder, 2 oil filters and a timing chain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 and costs you an arm and a leg when it goes wrong (not if) I should like them because we get money in the garage but they are also a pain to work on and diagnose even if you have the correct computer equipment as we do. As I say to people with banana-shaped exhaust manifods - they say 'how do we fix it?' and I tell them to buy a different vehicle. OK we do our best and skim the things and fit helicoils but it is all a waste of time. The Tdi manifold is in three bits with 10mm studs. The TD5 manifold is long, in one piece and has 8mm studs Enough said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Frenchman Posted November 3, 2007 Author Share Posted November 3, 2007 Hmmmmm doesn't sound like many of you are fans of the Td5. Presumably this is the same lump thats in the Td5 Defender then? Ged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 Very slight difference. The Disco one has a pressure switch on the turbo and that's all the differences I can think of. They are a nice engine until something goes wrong, often fixing them is a bit of a lottery. There's a garage down the road with a Defender TD5 that has been there over a year. It won't start unless you use aerosol cold start on it. Everything has been changed or swopped out. We had one where the engine would occasionally misfire and sometimes stop altogether. We sort of fixed it but eventually had to give up and return it to it's owner. And Disco autos are a bit of a menace, very slow pullaway unless 'chipped' and eat gearboxes if used to tow heavy stuff like horseboxes. ABS problems, air springs that don't etc, though these last are no fault of the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Frenchman Posted November 3, 2007 Author Share Posted November 3, 2007 Yes, I can see that there are issues over the merits of technology versus ease of reparation. I love my Def 200tdi but with regular daily trips for work of 600km I find that its a bit on the painful side in terms of speed and noise/comfort. I figured that the Td5 would be a reasonable compromise however reading the comments given thus far, perhaps not. Ged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 There's a garage down the road with a Defender TD5 that has been there over a year. It won't start unless you use aerosol cold start on it. Everything has been changed or swopped out. Have they tried changing the starter motor on it? Don't ask why (I don't know why) I just know that it works on some vehicles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdF Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 I think you've simply found someone with a bad experience of TD5's.. I'm currently running my 6th TD5 powered vehicle and have never had any problems. Once looked at one which belonged to a friend as she had been told my her mechanic to 'get rid quick as the turbo was going' because there was a noise from the turbo area on accelerating. It simply had a nut missing from the far end of the exhaust manifold. I read somewhere that a 'fix' for the manifold if it's problematical is to remove it and grind out the webs between the 'tubes'. This allows it to flex more.. Some people are fixated on 200/300TDis, some on TD5's. Land Rover Owner magazine recently stated that the Defender TD5 was THE Landy to own. Good enough for me, I have one.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Frenchman Posted November 4, 2007 Author Share Posted November 4, 2007 Thanks for presenting the other side of the coin! Out of interest, how hard is it for the home mechanic to do the the oil changes and general servicing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynall Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Had my 2001 disco for nearly 3 years now been good car, needed less work than all my previous TDI models, but as said has warped the manifold it is chipped but they also do this std! got manifold of e-bay and old one machined flat ready for next time Maybe its how you drive them, broke down twice once starter contacts packed up £25 to fix and fuel pump in tank gave up £200 plus all the usual maintenance stuff. Transmission same as TDI to service, engine also easy enough to work on ie oil and filters simple id do all my own work and only once did it lose power and needed the computer, but i asked on the DOC site and replace the iat sensor and it was businesss as normal so my car has never seen a computer in my ownership. DOC site is a mine of info. Fuel pressure regulator a weak spot on right side of engine £80 and 1 hr to fit. Drives much nicer than TDI have a go and see. Lynall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Frenchman Posted November 4, 2007 Author Share Posted November 4, 2007 Thanks a lot. Would you consider that 180,000km is a high milage for a Td5. Any weak points other than those you have covered? Do you have a link for the DOC site please? Ged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Have they tried changing the starter motor on it?Don't ask why (I don't know why) I just know that it works on some vehicles... I'll ask. As far as I know they have changed everything known to man and it still won't start normally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason2 Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Hi,I can usually be found in the Defender forum so this is unfamiliar territory! I am being offered a 2004 Disco 55th Anniversary model from a private French seller with about 108000miles on the clock for the equivalent of 9,000GBP. What's the general opinion of this vehicle in terms of usual faults etc as well as an opinion on price. Comes with FSH from LR france. thanks, Ged Hi Ged What spec/options has it got, 7 seater? All the usual TD5 problems (oil down wiring loom,bolt not loctited on oil pump etc....) should have been sorted by 2004, if it's got rear air suspension make sure it works and is not leaking, check for warning lights. I would go for it as for comfort alone your going to love it and know loads of people that swear by them. I have been toying with the idea of a 7 seater TD5 for some time and one thing that is for sure here is that they dont sell well!! I know of vehicles that have been for sale since February (2001 with 200k km's) bit rough but got them down from 11000 to 9000euro's at a garage near Poitiers, unfortunatly 5 seater or I would have had it. From all the ones that I have seen so far : mint condition, 2001 or 2002,100k km's with all the bit's to play with are around the 12000 euro's, problem is that they are all at the 4 extreme corners of France and I dont want to do 800 clicks just to look at a motor if I can help it. Just remember that the French "DREAM" when it comes to selling cars (or anything for that matter) have the space & patience but if they realy want to sell the price has to come down in the end. Bon chance! Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Frenchman Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 Thanks Jason. Yes, I totally agree with you on that score. Its hard to find something that's 5 mins down the road and it does make hunting for new vehicles quite a pain. The size of France is one of the reasons I am looking to change the 110, its just becoming a bit like hardwork slogging up and down the countryside for 7 hours at a time often 2 or three times a week. For example next Monday I am working south of Perigeux in the Lot which is a heck of a way from where I live and at the end of the day the 110 is nearly 15 years old and I'd prefer to sell it when I can rather than when I have to (old RAF Regt motto!). The Disco in question is only the 5 seater but thats not an issue for me. The 110 is empty about 95% of the time so I guess it makes more sense to get something smaller. I've got to get the 110 CT'd next week (French MOT) becasue in France one cannot sell any vehicle without renewing the CT after 6 months has expired. The good news is that its valid for 2 years. By the way, has anyone else noticed that as soon as you start thinking about selling you car it starts playing up? I'm sure it knows......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason2 Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 By the way, has anyone else noticed that as soon as you start thinking about selling you car it starts playing up? I'm sure it knows......... [/quote] Tell me about it! I went to the Land Rover garage in Niort last August to look at a Disco and my gearbox blew up on the way home! Is your 110 a station wagon & how many seats? Left or right hand drive? Pm me details if you come to sell it as I might be interested if it's not silly money. Jason PS.When I moved to France the C.T did'nt exist!!! Sounds good but you should have seen some of the wrecks on the road, with the back end full of goats! Scary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellow Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 I figured that the Td5 would be a reasonable compromise however reading the comments given thus far, perhaps not.Ged Remember that forum entries usually deal with the bad sides of the subject. I have yet to see a forum where the product is laureated to bits, and has no reported issues... I believe that for every broken bit, there are 100 that are not, otherwise the manufacturer would have gone bust already. For what it's worth, I believe that should you want a more reasonable vehicle, buy the Disco. Most of what you drive is stress-free, little start-and-stop, which is hardest on any engine. My old TD5 Defender loved sitting at 130 km/h on my weekly drives from Clermont Ferrand to Belgium and back. Change the oil, and fill 'er up. Did 100.000 kms with the standard factory fitted tyres as well... If the price is right, comparatively speaking, then I would go for it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 My dad has got a '51 TD5 disco, only problem we have had was one of the suspension airbags. Great car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Servicing the TD5 isn't too bad - the two oil filters are in a stupid place, and the lower one is tucked under the turbo and is difficult to get any leverage on if it's too tight to undo by hand. The rotor filter is directly above it in a recess and has a cast alloy cover on it retained by two M6 bolts. Oil will drain out of the sump without splashing all over a crossmember first. The fuel filter is in the drivers side rear wheel arch and is usually plastered with road dirt. I don't know why Land Rover didn't put some kind of shield over the filter - if you have a blow out it can wreck the filter, housing, and pipes. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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