[Sbom]

If the heater isn't working then double make sure that head gasket is covered in the warranty!!

[scarlettoara]

collect early next week once all the work is done (ie little bits like a door won't open properly, the electric windows need sorting and the heater is bust) 

it sounds exactly like mine    lol
congrats, welcome to the world of discos   

[plumseverywhere]

   thank you!   children excited about sitting 'in the boot' with the dog....oh good....

[stufe35]

Best join the AA

[plumseverywhere]

Been driving a VW camper for 4 years Stufe - the AA and I are well aquainted 

[hughesy]

Re the heater. Yes be aware that it could be a sign of head gasket problems. Might well not be though. The tdi engines are sometimes difficult to get all the air out of the cooling system if it's been drained for any reason and you'll find the heater works fine once this air has been bled out.

[OhLaLa]

Yay! I'm pleased for you.
 
 
What year is the vehicle? Head gaskets cost pennies, we've got a new one still in it's wrapper just laying there in the garage.
And you can always ask the seller when it was last changed and what he did to repair the heater. Then you know.
 
 

[plumseverywhere]

its on  P plate Ohlala so pretty old     I will ask what he did to mend the heater.   they are about 100 metres from our house in a little leafy business park (that joins onto my sheep paddock!) and are soooo into their landrovers (mainly discos but defenders too) and have said that any work, they will be happy to undertake and as they are disco enthusiasts that kind of fills me with some relief! not just "yeah, we'll do it..." kerching! but actually they enjoy the vehicles.  will pick it up next week. They are at a Landrover convention today...

[hughesy]

I ought to add that all this talk of head gaskets and gearbox problems is not something to worry about. Generally the LR tdi engines are really reliable and pretty bulletproof. There used to be a thing with gearboxes crunching when you changed down into 2nd but that isn't a sign of imminent failure they go on for years like that and you just get used to it.  You'll love your new disco without a doubt. We're currently on the lookout for another one to replace ours that has terminal body rot.

[VSS]

We are on disco no. three. They are hard to beat as family vehicle that will also tow a big stock box and that also has a big load space. Double cab pick ups seem to be all the rage around here, but you can't fit three kids in them, particularly not on a long trip.

Yes, they have their faults, but so does any type of vehicle. Forewarned is forearmed. The first of ours, the engine died at 170K, the second, the head went at 160K, but had the block skimmed and managed to get a good trade in on it as it essentially had a new engine and the current one, we have had trouble with the suspension, but if yours is a P reg, it won't have the air suspension, so no worries on that score.

Don't rely on them being watertight - every one we have had has leaked.

[plumseverywhere]

We are on disco no. three. They are hard to beat as family vehicle that will also tow a big stock box and that also has a big load space. Double cab pick ups seem to be all the rage around here, but you can't fit three kids in them, particularly not on a long trip.

Yes, they have their faults, but so does any type of vehicle. Forewarned is forearmed. The first of ours, the engine died at 170K, the second, the head went at 160K, but had the block skimmed and managed to get a good trade in on it as it essentially had a new engine and the current one, we have had trouble with the suspension, but if yours is a P reg, it won't have the air suspension, so no worries on that score.

Don't rely on them being watertight - every one we have had has leaked.

   Thanks Dot.

We were warned about the leaking issue by the sales man - he said same as you.

[Womble]

We were warned about the leaking issue by the sales man - he said same as you.

Landies:  Water in, oil out  . 
 
I managed to fix the water leak on my Defender though - drilled a hole in the floor pan so it can drain out again! 

[Roxy]

We always had Landrovers.Then we had a green disco - think that was a P reg.  Back door was rusty, which was quite the norm for that model.  Went back to a Landrover, then  got one of the newer disco;s - S reg.  Now that was great, loved to go in that one, so comfy.  Only thing was the electics we had trouble with a few times, but nothing major.  Sold  to a friend, who still has it, and I have been known to forget its not ours when we visit, and go and get in to come home, much to his amusement!!!
 
We bought a big Shogun for towing the wedding carriage, but we now have someone wanting to buy that (he has 4  kids to transport!), so we are now looking for another Disco.  I have never felt the Shogun as comfy as the disco, but its never broken down.
 
I am sure you will be happy with your Discovery ....like I said we had no major issues with ours.

[TheCaptain]

if you've got 4 kids and want space, 4x4, no rot, an engine that will go on forever and very cheap to fix I would recommend the Mitsubishi Delica L400. We're on our second one (first one written off after a rear-end shunt that ended extrememly badly for a Renault Clio), it has a 2.8TD engine (same as the Shogun and L200) mainly with auto boxes (manuals are pretty rare) and has the advantage of having a proper boot *with* 7 seats as opposed to putting your kids in the rear crumple zone. Loads of mobile mechanics out there that don't charge the earth to come and fix if you're not handy with spanners and you can pick up a decent one for £1K-£2K...


Just sayin'.... 

[90driver]

All good advice so far ... The biggest killer of Tdi discos is rot, it even works its way into the cleanest examples. Re heater not working, as mentioned before, head gasket..... But also thermostat stuck open could render the heater pretty useless. Also check that the heater matrix has not been bypassed under the bonnet to hide an expensive dash out water leak. My last Tdi disco covered 250,000 miles with no major mechanical problems... Just the rot killed it !! Such a shame.