1996 Land Rover Discovery SE7 4.0

Summary:

Stay on the road

Faults:

Both drivers and passenger seats seams have separated and began to sag. The rear seats and jump seat's leather is still in good condition.

Both front seats have 8 way power seats; in each of them, one direction blew, and randomly directions won't work until you restart the truck.

The rear sunroof first began rattling, then eventually flew off on the highway. Replaced with plexiglass.

The clips on the sunroof shades snapped, so they are screwed in closed.

Front sunroof sometimes gets stuck in vent mode.

Cruise control didn't work when I purchased it.

Wipers squeak and rear wiper fluid nozzle fell out.

Front headlight washers never worked.

Blows headlight bulbs every few months.

Front fog lights turn off and on, depending on the weather; no input from button.

Rust hole in rear driver's door frame, rust at bottom of passenger door (aluminum body).

Radio antenna flew off on highway, stereo control button to raise volume barely works, and the display itself flickers.

Power outlet has to be wiggled to work.

Sometimes the door locks don't close correctly.

Alarm key fob doesn't work any more.

ABS light was flashing, and now stays on.

SRS light on after the battery died, and only a dealer can turn it off.

Muffler and piping rusted and fell off.

First, the passenger window motor blew, then the solder on the window lift ECU separated, so both rear windows aren't working.

One of the plugs came loose, and it was running on 7 cylinders for a while; fixed now.

Coolant leaks from the overflow tank when the outside temp reaches over 90 degrees.

Oil leaks from valve cover.

Gas leaks from cracked line next to tank.

Transmission fluid leaking from bolt.

A/C was working until both buttons for A/C and recirculate decided to stop working.

Fan blower only works on speeds "2" and "3".

Transmission shifts hard.

Headliner falling down.

General Comments:

I like my Discovery. It is big and comfortable, and can drive anywhere, until something goes wrong.

I off-road my truck regularly, and that has contributed to its downfall.

The interior is roomy, and everything is power, so everything has the option to not work when abused.

The truck always starts and runs great, when all the fluid levels are maintained properly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st October, 2011

15th Apr 2015, 20:19

Do you have any information or tips on how you replaced the sunroof with plexiglass?

mail.voelker@gmail.com

20th Jan 2016, 05:16

Yup, it's a Land Rover. I have two, a 95 and a 96. I love them and hate them. Yup, when they run you can't beat them. I'd love to fix them; would you like to buy mine? Enjoy the ride when you can. I've spent a small fortune on them, and they are in worse shape than when I started.

1996 Land Rover Discovery SE7 4.0L V8

Summary:

Big, heavy, guzzles gas, love it

Faults:

Drivers door lock actuator was dirty on the inside causing the remote lock/unlock to stop working, a quick spray of carburetor cleaner on the inside fixed that right up!

The plastic panels that hold the power seat controls would no longer clip into the center console, bought a new pair for $45.

When you step out of the car it's really easy to kick the door storage bins, so mine have now almost fallen off. Why they used super tiny screws to hold them in is beyond me.

Spark plug wires only last ~50,000 miles, so I bought a set of 8mm Magnecor race wires to fix that problem. Gave me 15hp extra as well when I paired them with some Bosch Platinum +4s.

Both lights under the gear selector went out, $5 for two new LED bulbs.

General Comments:

Handles very well for a car that is 6'5 an weighs 5,500lbs.

No finicky computers controlling the 4WD system, just big hunks of metal spinning together to get the job done.

I would NEVER have this as my only car. While yes it is very comfortable and has tons of storage space, the gas mileage is horrible. At times I am getting 7mpg, but I typically get ~15mpg. But then again it does have a 4.0L V8 and weighs as much as a large church.

If you want a comfortable offroader with a few luxury items and don't want to deal with maintenance of a full on LR Range Rover, a LR Discovery is perfect.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st February, 2009