Re: 96 Auto Tdi Disco Questions?

Hi Pete,

I suspect that the vehicle is probably a 300Tdi if it is truly a '96 model. Easiest way to tell is to look at the air filter. If it is a tube running on the left front wing, it is a 200Tdi, the 300TDI has a square box at the front of the same wing.

We bought a Disco when we moved here to Zimbabwe. I was afraid that it would be too big for the wife to handle, but that's not true - she loves it. We travel long distances here - a trip to South Africa, we'll be in the car for about 9 hours. In the Disco, you feel you could still travel further! I think it's like driving in an armchair!

Can't help you on the corrosion aspects, but we get typically about 9 to 9.5 km per litre. Best consumption we ever had was when we drove 900 km on about 80 litres of fuel. To do this, we kept our speed down to an indicated

All diesels require a little more servicing than petrols, as the combination of high compression ratios and turbo's put a great strain on the oil. My Disco is a "rest of world model", and the servicing interval is 10000km. This service is relatively easy - just requires a oil and oil filter change. Diesel engines like clean fuel and lots of air as well, so the fuel and air filters should be changed every (I think) 20000km. Dirty air filters lead to a rapid drop in performance and smoky exhausts.

Low ratio selectors on Discoveries are very rarely used (don't get much call for them in the shopping centre car park!). There is a knack as well, but if you use the lever, it eases up a lot. Mine moves very easily. The knack is to change the high low lever with the car moving slowly. To go from high to low, engage high one, at idle, and then put your foot on the clutch. As the vehicle slows, push the lever firmly forward. The High - Low box uses square cut gears and if the vehicle is moving very slowly, the gears will turn and slip in easier. Going back to High is very similar - let the car idle in low first, hit the clutch, and pull back firmly. If the lever doesn't come all the way back, let the clutch back in while maintaining the pressure - you may feel the lever move again as the gears all line up. I suspect this is why the vehicle jumped out. Once you've had a bit of practice, you can make the changes on the move quite easily, doing a double declutch on the way. I quite often go from low 3rd to high first on the move.

Good luck Graham Carter Harare Zimbabwe

SG: If it genuinely is a 1996 model then it should have a 300Tdi engine - they replaced ther 200Tdi in 1994. You can quickly tell which it is from the air filter - the 200 has a cylindrical one and the 300 had a square one.

SG: Window rubbers splitting is very common. They're dead easy to replace and if the dealer/vendor is prepared to do it then let them. A lot of Discovery's leak around the sun roofs and alpine light windows

- them little ones mounted high up on the back. Generous amounts of sealant will prevent it and if the vendor is prepared to sort out the corrosion I'd let him.

SG: My 200Tdi used to give 33-35mpg; the 300Tdi just short of 30mpg and the current V8 does about 15 (all UK miles, of course). Your petrol is about what I pay for LPG and in that case I'd pick a V8 everytime ;-)

SG: My handbook says 6000 mile intervals for all engine variants. I don't know if they changed that for "overseas" vehicles.

SG: Getting the transfer box lever to work is a knack. if it's not been used much before then it will certainly be stiff. I get the occasional jump out on mine even though it is well used, so that's not a worry. It just means it didn't engage fully when you moved it back to high.

SG: The Discovery is a excellent vehicle and I can recommend it - I'm on my third and wouldn't drive anything else voluntarily. Happy motoring ;-)

Regards Steve G

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