Discovery 2017

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  • TeaforTwo
    Member Since: 05 Nov 2020
    Location: UK
    Posts: 38
    United Kingdom 

    Yes or No to D5

    Just joined having read a lot of the helpful info on the forum. Need to buy a new car. Husband and I test drove D5, XC90 and X5 last week. XC90 is a def no, X5 very nice to drive but boot space small compared to D5 and XC90. We have 2 dogs. Test drove SD6 3L and liked a lot about it. So it seems the obvious choice for our needs, however this is the but and the question. Have owned a Range Rover from new and intially was very nice, reliable and everything we needed. Hindsight is a wonderful things, we should have sold it whilst it was good. It has come to the point where I feel we have rebuilt it with the amount of new parts and problems it has had. One final problem has led us to the decision to move on to something else.

    So as I said the D5 fits our needs, we are very worried about reliability and LR customer service. Of course forums are full of all the problems people have had, we understand that but still we are hesitant. The current madness of coronavirus is not helping. This week we were meant to have both the D5 and the X5 for a day each for an extended test drive but of course is not happening now.

    If purchasing would hope to get a pre registered 2020 model with low mileage as seems pointless paying a premium for new.

    So a very long winded way of asking the question (piece of string I know) of should we give LR another chance? The DPF issues are still worrying, we would do a mixture of short and long journeys, no more than 10k a year max. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
  • John C
    Member Since: 06 Oct 2018
    Location: East Yorkshire
    Posts: 91
    United Kingdom 

    My heart said D5. My head said X5 Hybrid as I could have run if from electric most of the time!

    Went with my heart. Genuinely preferred it to the Volvo. X5s seem to be 10 a penny. The only really serious contender I had that wasn't JLR was the Cayenne Hybrid, which I thought was superb.

    2024 Defender 130 Outbound Dynamic HSE, Carpathian Grey
    2020 SDV6 D5 HSE, Carpathian Grey, 2005 TDV6 D3, Cairns Blue 290K miler.
  • TeaforTwo
    Member Since: 05 Nov 2020
    Location: UK
    Posts: 38
    United Kingdom 

    Thank you, interesting comparison about head v heart. I would say we are the opposite way round, heart for X5 head D5. If the reliability issue wasn't the elephant in the room the decision would be made for the D5 as it does fit our needs.

    I wish we didn't have so much time to think as it actually making the decision more difficult!

    So to add more questions to which opinions would be great, diesel v petrol, and what size engine?

    We drove both diesel 3l for both the LR and the BMW.
  • Chopsy
    Member Since: 05 Jul 2018
    Location: Warwickshire
    Posts: 179
    United Kingdom 
    2019 Discovery SDV6 HSE Lux Carpathian Grey

    I feel for you. Sometimes, having more time to think about it just makes the decision more difficult. There are so many factors, not just with the vehicle make / model itself, but as you say, the fuel types now.
    I currently run a HSE LUX in SDV6 diesel format. I purchased a new one 3 years ago, which failed after a few months, so LR kindly replaced it without any issue. The new one I have had now for almost exactly 2 years, and I have to say it has been a pleasure, and seemingly faultless. I think it is possible to get good ones, and sometimes being on forums such as this (helpful and informative as they are) can make you think that it is all bad all of the time.
    The reason I understand your dilema is that I too may be changing, but only because I have a relative who works for a competitor and can currently obtain such a significant discount that it makes it a no brainer to swap, plus take advantage of the move to hybrid, as a stepping stone to full electric - if it is ever perfected. It may remove some of the uncertainty about residual values on diesels as they are becoming unfairly blamed for the demise of the environment. I will be sad to see mine go.
    I think the 3L SDV6 is a superb engine (having tried the TDV6 and 2L too) and I can't fault it. If you are doing too many short journeys tho, you are correct in factoring in the possible DPF issues. Could you stand the additional fuel cost of a petrol version - the fewer the miles you are doing, I suppose the more it makes sense, but only if 3L I guess (noting some 2L engines are starting to have issues). Also, if you have more than one vehicle in your household, have one petrol and one diesel, and use them for appropriate journeys - that's what I did.
    I'm sure others will have opinions to help (or confuse you more too!) and it is pretty impossible to advise, as it is all so personal to likes and circumstances, but good luck with whatever you choose.
  • TeaforTwo
    Member Since: 05 Nov 2020
    Location: UK
    Posts: 38
    United Kingdom 

    Thank you Chopsy for the reply and for understanding the dilemma. The car will predominantly be driven by me. We live very rurally and I am by myself quite a bit, husband just wants to make sure when he is away, I have a car which is reliable. The Range Rover, as I said, was perfect for the first few years but then started to have many issues, some of which LR were interested in, others they were not. Thankfully we found a very good indie garage. The latest problem it has really is not cost effective to fix and to be honest we have lost total faith in it. This may be clouding our judgement I admit.

    It was interesting to hear it was the SDV6 you had problems with. Have there been changes to the SDV6 on the later models?

    Your comments on the petrol v diesel is where I am beginning to move too, and that would apply to any purchase even if not the D5. The other car we have is petrol though!

    I know at some point we will have to make a decision, but making a wrong expensive decision is not something either of us want to do.

    Thanks again.
  • Chopsy
    Member Since: 05 Jul 2018
    Location: Warwickshire
    Posts: 179
    United Kingdom 
    2019 Discovery SDV6 HSE Lux Carpathian Grey

    Hi. To clarify, it was a TDV6 in identical spec that I bought originally, and it failed due to an electrical issue / component failure, that couldn't be rectified easily. I was fortunate that it was replaced with an SDV6, as the TDV6 was phased out, so I benefitted from a better (and more expensive engine) at no additional cost.

    If it helps, we too are rural. I have only covered 8500 miles in total across the last 2 years, partly because of covid, and partly because I have a small patrol car for shopping etc. The Disco has only been used for longer, more suited trips for a diesel, the shortest of which I would say are 20 mile round trips on mixed roads.

    It will be a difficult choice on paper I know, but if you can hang on, I would certainly try the extended test drive option and try to decide on how you feel about the car in real terms - you may find something good or bad about one the just tips you one way. If you still can't decide, try to find one of each brand you are interested in, and play the dealers off against each other to offer the best financial deal to get your business. Again, it may encourage you to go one way.
  • TeaforTwo
    Member Since: 05 Nov 2020
    Location: UK
    Posts: 38
    United Kingdom 

    Apologies Chopsy, you did say SDV6 you were driving now.

    You are right, sticking to the original plan of the extended test drives will help and hopefully assist with the decision, its just so damn annoying we have no idea when that will be!
  • Chopsy
    Member Since: 05 Jul 2018
    Location: Warwickshire
    Posts: 179
    United Kingdom 
    2019 Discovery SDV6 HSE Lux Carpathian Grey

    Not sure about any pre-reg deals that Land Rover may offer, but just for info, my wife recently bought a BMW vehicle pre-registered by them with zero mileage, and got a 47k car for 29k. Ridiculous.
  • gavinadams
    Member Since: 25 Nov 2018
    Location: Sydney
    Posts: 103
    Australia 
    2019 Discovery Sd4 (240) HSE Loire Blue

    Love my D5
    Had a couple of warranty issues but being on this forum and Facebook group I’m aware of most issues before they become major. Haven’t had any issues with having warranty issues fixed by LR.

    The D5 owners are a passionate community and it helps everybody.

    I think the D5 is one of the best touring and off-road vehicles out there.
    It’s a pleasure to drive especially when I have a 9 hour drive to my father in laws.

    I was in an accident last weekend and now likely to be without my D5 for 3 months and feeling quite depressed about that.

    D5 MY19 HSE SD4 Loire Blue - Ebony seats / Ebony headlining - Dark Satin brushed aluminium trim - 7 seats - Heated and cooled front seats - Privacy glass - Black roof rails - 360 cameras - Capability plus pack
  • TeaforTwo
    Member Since: 05 Nov 2020
    Location: UK
    Posts: 38
    United Kingdom 

    Chopsy wrote:
    Not sure about any pre-reg deals that Land Rover may offer, but just for info, my wife recently bought a BMW vehicle pre-registered by them with zero mileage, and got a 47k car for 29k. Ridiculous.


    Of course both the BMW and LR garages are telling us there is not much stock available currently so we had best purchase now.

    Gavinadams, I read your other thread, sorry there was an accident but pleased everyone ok. Can imagine you feeling blue, in fact the colour of your D5 is one of my favourites.
  • Qwertyd5x
    Member Since: 25 Aug 2018
    Location: Highland
    Posts: 65
    United Kingdom 
    2018 Discovery Td6 HSE Corris Grey

    A fully working D5 is fabulous. But Russian roulette if you get a good or bad one. So long as you live near your supplying dealer and you can live without the car now and again, go for it. You have 3yr warranty to backstop the worst. Otherwise don’t risk the misery of an unreliable Disco. A real problem is that the dealers don’t know how to fix even the slightest issues with them.
  • DieselRanger
    Member Since: 12 Oct 2017
    Location: God's Country, Colorado
    Posts: 752
    United States 
    2017 Discovery Td6 HSE Silicon Silver

    My 2017 D5 HSE Td6 has been fairly rock solid for 40K+ miles including some pretty hard off-roading and high-altitude mountain driving.

    My list of problems, all addressed under warranty with no hassle:
    - Incorrect DEF quality false reading at ~800 miles, fixed by the dealer with a software flash in less than a day. Well-known problem with early D5's, almost always happened on first DEF tank, doesn't seem to occur on new Land Rover diesels much any more if at all.
    - TSB recall to replace air suspension valves that could fail. Mine didn't, was done during a normal service, didn't extend the time of the service at all. This should by now have been addressed in production.
    - Bad windscreen seal - just had a drip or two. This is a TSB for certain model years of D5, this should not be a problem on MY20 or 21 D5s. Hardest thing about this was waiting for the windscreen to be shipped across the pond. First one broke during shipment, had to wait almost a month in total. Dealer sent techs to my work to fix the windscreen. But windscreens are consumable items here in Colorado so this would have been fixed eventually whether the leak manifested itself or not.
    - Failed security RF module. Could only lock/unlock with the Activity Key. Replacement took 2 hours - I had to dig around my house for the code that came with my Activity Key so they could recode it - that took longer than the repair.
    - The Td6 engine has a chronic "problem" where it over-estimates fuel-in-oil contamination resulting in an early service request by the vehicle. This appears to have been addressed with the SDV6 engine, but on the Td6, oil tests on mine have shown this is not really a problem other than the wasted cost of an unnecessarily early oil change, should you choose to obey it. My dealer has basically said I can ignore that and just change the oil on 10K mile intervals if I want to. So that's what I do.

    I'm blessed in that my dealer service shop is fantastic and work hard to keep a good reputation, as they are the only dealer in a relatively small market with the next nearest dealer over 60 miles away. "Your mileage may vary" as they say.

    The key with modern turbodiesels is that they need to be driven a fair bit. If you're just puttering around town, or let them sit a long time they will protest. DEF injectors get clogged, DPFs don't get scorched clean, turbo bearings wear more rapidly because the oil drains out of them, high pressure fuel pump lines get gummed with paraffin or the valves that keep them pressurized when the engine is off wear out.

    Before my D5 Td6, I had a Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 TDI - another supposedly unreliable vehicle, which was my daily driver. Went 6+ years and 100K+ miles with nothing more than a bad EGR under warranty at about 75K, and an interior door handle that fell off literally as I was turning it for buyback under Dieselgate.
  • TeaforTwo
    Member Since: 05 Nov 2020
    Location: UK
    Posts: 38
    United Kingdom 

    Thank you Qwertyd5x and Dieselranger for your comments. You both make important points about the quality and location of the dealer in order to deal with any problems.

    All the information everyone has provided is proving very useful and although we really do need something to replace the Range Rover, we are pretty clear now to not be pushed into spending a not small amount of money by the dealers without driving both cars for much longer. So hopefully once December comes this will be possible and in the meantime any research will continue. Anymore comments on this thread will also no doubt prove useful.

    Qwertyd5x your comments about russian roulette actually sums the situation up fully, I find it quite sad that a car we drove for a short time and made a good impression can be so hit and miss as to if it will be reliable. We drove all three cars from different dealers but from the same group in the same town for convenience. The Volvo dealership were by far the best to deal with and we would have been happy to deal with them, it was a shame the XC90 is not for us. The LR dealers really did not seem interested and BMW were even worse than that. All 3 cars had been booked in advance and each dealer knew we were driving them all. The BMW dealers were so bad my husband asked if I would return the keys back to them as he was sure he would say something to them!
  • harrythespider
    Member Since: 19 Jul 2018
    Location: cumbria
    Posts: 404
    United Kingdom 
    2017 Discovery TDV6 HSE Aintree Green

    TeaforTwo.. as good as the D5 site is, it seems to be human nature to post negative rather than positive comments and with the D5 being relatively new, owners become very frustrated with JLR when issues are not resolved quickly and vent their frustration accordingly. I do not think JLR are blameless.
    If you could find out how many D5's were sold and compare it to the number of complaints voiced and I suspect you would be looking at very low percentages.
    Prior to me purchasing my D5, I too read the numerous posts regarding fuel in oil and DPF regeneration and quite frankly was willing to to dismiss purchasing it. Time however proved my fears wrong and there are very few if any complaints on the site regarding the 2 issues.
    I suppose I am lucky that my local dealer appears to be switched on regarding all aspects of the D5 and any issues have been remedied in a timely and professional manner. It is always in the back of my mind that the D5, and particularly my highly spec'd example, ( just like any car manufacturers) could experience serious mechanical/electrical/other problems, with the possibility of astronomical repairs cost. Consequently when my JLR warranty expires I shall be renewing it, allowing me to enjoy many more years and miles of luxury motoring. I like to think my purchase was made with both head and heart.

    3.0 HSE. climate HUD active diff. elec towbar. FBH and timed climate.Capability plus pack.split TV. surround sound. Intelligent seating. adaptive lights, wade sensing. 360 cameras.pro pack.cooler.advanced tow, auto park,activity key+ more!!!!
  • TeaforTwo
    Member Since: 05 Nov 2020
    Location: UK
    Posts: 38
    United Kingdom 

    Thanks Harry, you comments are spot on, you are right forums tend to be a place where faults are discussed which tend to show cars as maybe worse than they are.

    My posts probably make us sound very indecisive, we are not, maybe just realistic! I certainly agree with the positive comments many have made here about the D5, I preferred it to the X5 but most probably because of the space for the dogs! I think my husband just doesn't want the phone calls when he is away of me telling him my car has got a problem again, as we experienced frequently with the Range Rover!

    As I have said before everyone's replies have been very helpful, they are very much appreciated and given us a better insight into the negatives and postives. The one thing which we have decided from reading the replies is looking at how long we plan to keep a car probably changing it at the end of the warrenty period or extended warrenty length rather than longer. That wouldn't stop any issued occuring but at least would mean they would be dealt with by the dealers (hopefully!).

    Harry, I see you are in Cumbria would you be happy to say which, if any, of the Cumbrian LR dealers you use? Not a problem if you would rather not.
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