two months into looking for a good solid disco we went to look at one tonight which on first appearances looked very good,that was until I opened the rear doors and found bubbling rust at the top of the wheel arch, looking underneath the arch on one side I found a small hole on the other side I could not see where the wet was getting in. up to now nearly every one we have looked at has had this problem to varying degrees , is this an easy repair or is it best to walk away.
Paul
On or around Fri, 20 May 2005 21:34:14 +0100, "Paul" enlightened us thusly:
is this in the corner of the rear door aperture, near the lock striker?
Did mine one side last yer for the MOT, and it'll be done the other side this year for the MOT that I'm going to put on it afore I sell it.
It's a fiddly job 'cos of all the angles, but the rot doesn't seem to spread too far, so local patching serves to fix it. I think it's a water trap from crud thrown up by the rear wheel.
If it's anything like on Alfie (Range Rover Classic) then the Arch actually runs under the C pillar and the C Pillar if left unattended to will also begin to rot from the bottom upwards. I sorted Alfie cutting back any rot on the C pillar and fabricating a repair. I wouldn't like to have to replace a C Pillar as the other end is welded to the roof frame.
Also the arch has a couple of bolt holes which secure the front of the rear
1/4 wing to the arch. Once this rots through the Wing will flap it's self until it tears eventually and self destruct.As always....
Lee D
Thanks for the replies so far. its a 1996 model, had a good look underneath and the rest of it looked solid enough, pity about the rear arches, he wants 6.5K for it. its got 87K on the clock and has had a recon gearbox, i think for that much i would expect one that is as near to mint as possible, certainly one that needs no welding. i guess this is one i walk away from then. back to the search!
If anyone knows where to get a good one from, around the 6 to 6.5 K price range i would be interested.
Paul
sounds v.expensive for a '96. try '
so Paul was, like...
I don't know where in the world you are, but James at
Ibought an Isuz Trooper from Car Equality in Bradford. It as a Jap import & in mint condition. They have loads of Discos in stock that have NO rust at all & are in fantastic condition.
Some are expensive, some are OK priced, all are in superb condition.
Nige
-- Subaru WRX (Annabel)
Landrover 110 County Station Wagon (Tyson)
'"They called him Jimmy the gent"
so Nige was, like...
I've done quite a lot of looking at Series I Discos lately, and decided against Car Equality in the end. No service history (I'm afraid that "But the Japanese always service their cars properly, Sir" isn't good enough for me), and all the ones I looked at on their website were WAY overpriced* compared to the equivalent UK models. The condition would have to be outstanding to justify that - and I would expect main dealer FSH at those prices too. I haven't visited them, so they may be excellent cars and worth the money, but I had enough doubts not to go further, despite the excellent price they offered for the Range Rover on my emailed description only..
That's nearly 40 % more. I'd want it gold plated, with a 12-month warranty, and serviced by the Queen's own mechanic for that. For an import with no history - no thanks.
Something else - they advertise a lot of them with "Ltd slip differential". Is this normal spec for Japan (and if so, why was it never offered over here?), or are they confusing it with the viscous centre diff? If so, that suggests a level of ignorance that would worry me too.
condition would have to be
I have first hand experience of them & they are 1/2 mile form my house. The service book for the Isuzu was there, stamped & filled in (in Japanese!) You could tell it wasn't faked. The car was pristine, as are all the cars I have seen there. One of the blokes who owns the place is a Land Rover nut with a well sorted Disco with roof tent & the lot. You say you would want it in the best condition? You would not believe the condition these cars are in, you could eat your dinner off the (untreated) chassis. I suppose not all cars have service history,but like you, I wouldn't buy one either! Age is not really relevant, condition is. They are expensive though, that I do agree. I got a cracking buy with the Isuzu as I haggled & they met my price. They have been going a good while too & the customer service was MILES better than any i have received form ANY main dealer!
Nige
-- Subaru WRX (Annabel)
Landrover 110 County Station Wagon (Tyson)
'"They called him Jimmy the gent"
Paul,
Its because there is a small seam and a gully which collects mud and cr+p behind the wheel arch ... This then starts the rot from behind the sill and wheel arch which shows along the outer seam.. I have this now on my Disco.
If you feel behind the wheel arch at the top you will fel what I mean. And if you carefully run your finger along the inside edge of the arch you will feel how much crud collects, even after a good jet wash!
I regulary hose out the offending area, its suprising how much crud collects there. This has stopped-slowed down any further probs.
Its worth checking on most 200-300TDi's, not sure on the TD5's though..
l
That's very expensive unless it is a pristine ES diesel with full history and everything working.
Also check the TOP of the pillars (particularly the B pillar), around the alpine lights, under the rear light cluster, inside the front wings (rot under the battery tray and/or air intake).
Private sales can be a lottery, but if you know what you are looking at then you can get much more for your money as dealers seem to mark them up to silly money.
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