Looking at an '08 LR3 - questions

[kcabpilot]

First off I'm not new at this, I've owned a 2001 D2 for the past 8 years and I've been reading up on the LR3 and know about most of the common issues but still have a couple questions.

Is there a Rave manual or equivalent available for it?

Will I need any special diagnostic tool beyond something like Torque Pro for normal OBD stuff?

The one I'm looking at is an '08 SE V8 with 60k on it. Did those have rear diff lock?

Up until now I didn't have a great amount of interest in them but this one has kind of reached out and grabbed me. I love my D2 but it's getting up there in mileage and will eventually need an engine rebuild. I can do that but I need to weigh my options so I'm seriously considering this.

 

[jafir]

Is there a Rave manual or equivalent available for it?

There is a pdf that someone printed off of topix or something a long time ago. It's out of date and has a lot of errors, but has most of what you need. You could always ask one of the guys here that work at the dealer if you get stuck, and you can alway get a month long topix subscription if you want to try it alone.

Will I need any special diagnostic tool beyond something like Torque Pro for normal OBD stuff?

Yes. You'll want IIDTool from lucky8 or a nanocom from blackbox.

The one I'm looking at is an '08 SE V8 with 60k on it. Did those have rear diff lock?

No way to know without running the VIN or looking under it for the motor that actuates it.

 

[kcabpilot]

Thanks for the info. I drove the truck this morning. It's very clean, 67,000 miles. The original owner just traded it in on a new Porsche Cayenne so it has been warranty maintained since new at the LR dealer next door and I can get all of the maintenance records. It doesn't appear as though it's ever been off road but it has an electric trailer brake gizmo so it has been used to tow something big. Horse trailer would be my guess but could have been a boat. Seems to run well, no knocks or clunks that I could hear.

I like it but still haven't made up my mind if I really want to do this. The salesman tried to lead me to believe the thing won't last through the day sitting on the lot but I have a feeling I've got plenty of time to do more research and mull it over.

 

[jymmiejamz]

I would get a pre purchase inspection from the Land Rover dealer next door, assuming they aren't owned by the same people.

 

[discostew]

Read the threads in this section about what to look for. We have all covered it a few times. I'm with Jymmie on the inspection. If it's owned by the same dealer group get someone else to inspect it for you. The service info is stored on the Land Rover website called TOPIX. Electrical schematics are easy to come by and tech support can be found right here on this board and questions will always be answered pretty quickly. I think your on the right path looking at an 08 as a lot of issues have been worked out by the 08 model year.
The LR3 and LR4 section is still small enough that all the posts about what to look for before buying should be easy to dig out. Looks like you have been around here for a while so you know how it works.

 

[kcabpilot]

I guess the salesman wasn't lying, the truck sold yesterday right after I looked at it. I honestly didn't know there was that much interest in them. For me it was too much of an impulse. I had just thought about it for the first time the other night, looked on CL, saw this one nearby and decided to get up early next morning and go look at it. But I really need to think about it more.

For one thing although my Disco has 134,000 miles on it it's still in really good condition. I did the heads a couple of years ago along with water pump, hoses, belts, ignition harnesses. Kind of wish now I had done the timing chain too but didn't. So it's still got a few good years left, maybe I'll just wait and start looking for an LR4 then.

At least I got a taste of it. I was surprised how much bigger the LR3 seemed. My Disco feels like a much smaller, simpler, easier to maintain truck now. I really liked the sound of that Jag engine though and the LR would be a real dream for a long road trip, like to Alaska and back.

My other problem is it would be real hard, probably impossible to give the Disco up because of memories. I'd end up with an even higher vehicle count than I do now - which is already ridiculous LoL !!

Thanks again for the responses, tips and advice. This is a great board.

 

[stu454]

The cargo space is huge. Being able to easily sleep in the truck when camping is a big selling point. And the wife would like to have something that seats seven. I'm like you, in the soft market for one.

 

[Tugela]

I think the universe was trying to tell you something. Your D2 is young enough to last a good while, by which point the used market will have a better selection of LR4s at lower prices. The LR3 is a great vehicle in many ways (although not simplicity), but you may find in the long run that waiting for an LR4 was a better choice.

 

[jymmiejamz]

I still miss my DII. An LR3 is a way better vehicle than a DII, but if you've got a clean DII that you have kept up with repairs on, I'd say keep it.

 

[Devildog01]

Jimmie, that pabst blue ribbon is rotting your brain. Tell me why a LR3 is better than a D2.

 

[jymmiejamz]

Jimmie, that pabst blue ribbon is rotting your brain. Tell me why a LR3 is better than a D2.

It rides better, it drives better, and its more reliable. The Discovery is a better platform for modification for an off road vehicle, but that's about the only advantage I can think of.

 

[discostew]

Jimmie, that pabst blue ribbon is rotting your brain. Tell me why a LR3 is better than a D2.

A LR3 is better than a Disco2 because BMW didn't get the're dick skinners on the LR3. Disco 2 is what happens when some fucking German dude thinks he can make an English truck better. Ends up he can't.

 

[kcabpilot]

You have to wonder if BMW didn't purposely disable the Disco's center diff lock just so it wouldn't be better than an X5?

 

[Devildog01]

I see your point but that whole canbus thing just always scared me. Like Bill Cosby wants to have a drink with you scary.

 

[discostew]

You have to wonder if BMW didn't purposely disable the Disco's center diff lock just so it wouldn't be better than an X5?

I have argued for decades that BMW bought Land Rover for a technology grab. They wanted Hill Decent Control and other stuff. While they owned the company it was in there best interest to downgrade the product in a way that wouldn't really become evident until after they sold it to Ford.
One example of this is the Front diff recall. The L322 drive train is very similar to the X5 but they had a warehouse full of front prop shafts they decided or discovered had a problem. So they used them up in The Range Rovers.Not one went into an X5, Not 1, while both trucks were in production at the same time.
Another is the cooling system in the Disco2 not being robust enough and destined to make the truck die a slow death. One that they would not be around for.
And of course the locking diff being taken from us. And not returned until Ford was willing to put it back. All the internals of the diff lock are still in the t case. Just took away the shift lever. That fight was huge with Rover engineers and BMW corporate ass hats.

BMW had an interest in downgrading this product since selling it was part of the plan after buying the rights to the systems they wanted.

I asked people not to get me started on this shit. I firmly believe this and have argued it with anyone willing to listen.I will argue this point till the day I die.

 

[discostew]

I see your point but that whole canbus thing just always scared me. Like Bill Cosby wants to have a drink with you scary.

Don't be scared of the CAN Bus. I could sit and explain it to you in a way that would make you love the Can network. The Disco2 was the first vehicle in the Land Rover product line to bring the Can Bus to the diagnostic connector.

 

[Blueboy]

BMW had an interest in downgrading this product since selling it was part of the plan after buying the rights to the systems they wanted.

Yep, couldn't agree more. And as you point out, it is pretty obvious what took place.

 

[Tugela]

Another is the cooling system in the Disco2 not being robust enough and destined to make the truck die a slow death.

What do you mean slow death? Overheating can cause an abrupt death. It's like a guy who dies from a heart attack after his arteries have clogged up over the years. The buildup may be slow but the actual death can be sudden.

I'm still intimidated by the electrical and mechanical complexity of the post-2003 trucks. Part of me wants to stick with the devil I know (D1), part of me is drawn to the challenge of learning to work on a more complicated vehicle. The decider is my bank account.

 

[jymmiejamz]

I'm still intimidated by the electrical and mechanical complexity of the post-2003 trucks. Part of me wants to stick with the devil I know (D1), part of me is drawn to the challenge of learning to work on a more complicated vehicle. The decider is my bank account.

LR3's are a lot simpler to work on IMO. The systems are more complex which makes diagnosing them more difficult, but the actual repairs are easier. If you have a solid D1, keep it.

 

[discostew]

What do you mean slow death? Overheating can cause an abrupt death. It's like a guy who dies from a heart attack after his arteries have clogged up over the years. The buildup may be slow but the actual death can be sudden.

I'm still intimidated by the electrical and mechanical complexity of the post-2003 trucks. Part of me wants to stick with the devil I know (D1), part of me is drawn to the challenge of learning to work on a more complicated vehicle. The decider is my bank account.

I mean that the trucks lived for a while but they always ran hot. Early on we noticed that you could not keep coolant in a Disco2. They would always find some way to leak out of a new spot. Cause the pressures got too high because they live there life just barely not boiling over. The Disco2 was designed to make it thru the warranty period and then become a piece of shit. It's a slow death, like smoking a pack a day.