The attached list of my experience is somewhat long, but briefly:
My 2 year old Discovery has been very unreliable.
In many cases the dealer finds no fault code and returns the car to me unfixed.
One ongoing problem is failure to start. The car went to a dealer recently and again there was no fault code. So I have an ongoing intermittant failure to start which can't be fixed. LR customer services response:
"If the dealer can't reproduce the problem they can't fix it and we can't help"
Great!
Basically, LR refuse to take "ownership" of the problem. The "fault code" method of diagnosis is not adequate and they won't properly investigate the problem.
I have had enough. I will reluctantly trade the car for something Japanese.
So far as I'm concerned, Land Rover is a prime example of a company that deserves to fail.
The full story:
This is the story of a UK supplied Discovery costing approx £30, 000. It has covered 34, 000 miles of mainly motorway driving over 20 months.
The first problem was reduced engine power. The supplying dealer took the car in and returned it as “fixed”. There were no fault codes stored. The car was returned still with the fault. I measured the 0-60 acceleration time at 26 seconds to give a more objective measure of the problem. I passed the information to the supplying dealer and re-booked the car. The supplying dealer took the car in and returned it as “fixed”. There were no fault codes stored. The car was returned still with the fault. I booked the car in to another dealer who corrected the fault. The overall time to correct this problem was many weeks, partly because the dealers booking slots were on long lead times.
Problem with poorly fitting rear door. The door latch and striker were poorly aligned. If I parked on a modest slope (offside wheels lower than nearside) the door could not be closed at all. It seemed the body was suffering distortion. the supplying dealer were most unhelpful, suggesting I had somehow abused the door. They suggested I must have perhaps had the door open over a low wall while the car was jacked up and then lowered the jack! It took many, many months to resolve this problem. Damage to the door frame caused by the this problem was not dealt with.
Intermittent problem with starting. The engine fires and stops immediately, and then won’t restart. The glow plug light fails to illuminate. If left for 10 minutes the car starts normally. I’ve reported this to dealers on different occasions but had the usual “no fault codes stored” response. This is an unresolved problem.
Persistent problem with the auto transmission. Accelerating from rest, the change from 1st to second was accompanied by a “bang” or “shudder”. This was rather like driving over a speed control hump too fast. As usual there were “no fault codes stored”. After several visits to the dealership the problem vanished although I’m not aware a specific fault was ever found.
Several problems where the S and M warning lights are displayed. We have been advised not to drive the car with the lights showing but to turn the ignition on and off until the fault clears. This can be very inconvenient. I’ve reported this to dealers on different occasions but had the usual “no fault codes stored” response. This is an unresolved problem.
As part of one of the attempts to fix the problem with the rear door, all the door seals were replaced with thicker ones. I don’t understand the logic! However none of the doors shut easily any more. I was told this would ease with use but it hasn’t and I regard this as an unresolved problem.
Traction control failure. The electronic traction control failed on very unchallenging conditions in a meadow. I became stranded with the front wheels spinning and the rear wheels stationary. Again there were “no fault codes stored”. This is an unresolved problem. Picture follows of the vehicle being towed out by a Jeep Cherokee.
The remote control locking transmitter is hair-trigger sensitive. It is forever unlocking the car without my knowledge when my bunch of keys is in my pocket – even when I am in the house and the car is on the driveway. Leaving the car unlocked invalidates my insurance, and I have no reliable way of preventing the button from being operated. This problem has never occurred with similar devices on SAAB, Volvo and Vauxhall, so I consider it to be a fault. Dealers have been unable to help – they say it is a design issue. This is a non-trivial matter, because I may suffer an uninsured loss and that is unacceptable.
Brake pedal feels spongy. Travels too far for even moderate braking. Car sometimes weaves alarmingly under heavier braking. Loan Discoveries I have driven seem to have much sharper braking. I have reported this but nothing found wrong. This is an unresolved problem.
Steering shake when braking. This has happened before and was diagnosed as warped disks. I was asked to pay for new pads even though only part worn and replacement required solely due to faulty or poorly designed disks. This looks to be a recurring problem (twice in 34,000 miles)
Power surge. Especially but not solely on uphill stretches, the engine power varies rhythmically without altering throttle pressure. Accompanied by visible change of about 200rpm on the tacho. Cycle time of about 1 – 2 seconds.
Intermittant appearance of ACE (cornering stability control) amber light showed while driving
SRS warning light - airbags inoperative
This is only a selection of the problems I have experienced.
Many of the service difficulties are caused by the dealer finding “no fault codes stored”. It seems that if no fault codes are stored, then the dealer can confidently assume the reported problem is a figment of the customers imagination!