Just a thought:
When I got my Disco I, the spare wheel carrier had one of the studs missing. I got a s/h carrier from Niamh (4x4 Cymru) and that had all three, but one was obviously welded in after a previous failure. When I got my Disco II, that had a stud broken - sheared clean off at the base of the bolt. When I took the wheel off to get new tyres fitted (and the best back as the spare), one of the remaining two studs came off in my hand - failed weld between stud and carrier.
Is this a common thing? Are they just badly put together at the factory, or is there something else, like water collecting in the weld when it rains?
To be honest, seeing the stud sheared off gave me the cold sweats. I mean, that's all there is keeping the wheels and the car together. It's a lot harder to over-tighten the nuts at waist level, rather than near the floor where you can out your weight on it. Or do they use inferior metal for the carrier studs compared to the real ones on the hubs?
Anyone?