Brand new Discovery owner with car problems...

[ShannonG]

Hi all! I'm Shannon from Phoenix. I bought a used 2003 Discovery (base model) with 54,000 miles last week. It's really beautiful and I *was* in love with it and thrilled....note the word I used 'WAS' thrilled.

Since I've owned it the following issues have cropped up on me:

1. The driver's seat stopped moving forwards or backwards. I spent $165 to have it fixed at a LR mechanic and it worked for a whole hour and then stopped again...
2. The brakes started squeeking a few days ago and today the brakes 'stuttered' on me as I was gently breaking in a fast food drive-thru line and the ABS light and a TT light both came on. Now the brakes are squeeking worse than ever...
3. The Service Engine Soon light came on the other morning and hasn't gone out since.

The LR mechanic I took it too to inspect it for me, change the oil and fix the seat switch last week said it was a clean little car needing very little in the way of work except for a new septentive belt... but ALL this has happened to me since... Can anyone please advise me?

I have an appointment with the same LR shop tomorrow to re-examine the seat switch that worked for one whole hour and to replace that old serpentine belt but I'm afraid they are either imcompetent mechanics, because they may have missed these other items, OR they are gonna try to soak me for a bunch of flim-flam repairs and charges... I'm a girl and I'm relatively well versed in engines and repairs (just not nearly enough to work on them myself) and I'm also 8 months pregnant so I can't afford to pay this shop for silly charges like turn signal fluid and right hand bolts. (Babies are expensive )

So all my self-pitying whining aside, can anyone please advise me or offer me any thoughts on these issues? Does it sound like the shop was wrong and I just bought a lemon? Or are the issues that I just mentioned simple fixes that I (unluckilly) had come on all at once?

THANKS IN ADVANCE for anyone who can advise me. I have to commute home in this car tonight and I don't want to be standing by the side of the freeway at 5 PM today in 95 degree heat as an angry motorist screams at me for rear-ending them because my brakes were on the fritz...

Plus I'm a little bit afraid that I'm going to get home tonight and hear the "I told you so" line from my sweetie who wasn't too keen on my choice of a used car and wanted me in a Japanese luxury car like a Lexus... puke

 

[joey]

First the brake (ABS) giving you the shudder on hard brakeing is normal... no issue.

The lights coming on, could be anything from brake pads are heavily warn to an ABS sensor needing cleaned or adjusted.

the seat switch is probably bad... easy fix is to swap with passenger seat switch and see if this fixes things (for the driver )

since it is a 2003, it should still be in good shape.

 

[pete2528ca]

Welcome to the wonderful world of owning a Land Rover. Congratulations on your purchase. This site is AMAZING for help on just about everything.

One suggestion, do yourself a favour and go to a parts store (napa, etc) and get yourself an OBD 2 code reader. Up here in Canada, everytime you go to get a check engine light shut off it costs $75. At about $150 for a code reader it will pay for itself fast.

Pietro

 

[LisaB]

Hi Shannon, I'm Lisa from Apache Jct. Your Landy is no worse than any other make of the same year, so stick with it. My ABS/TC/Hill Decent light also came on, when it needed a brake job, but this P1590 code is a common gremlin of the Disco, so I have learned to live with the lights and the brakes work fine. Speaking of codes, I agree with Pietro, get a code reader. I got the Actron 9125 for about $70 from Auto Zone which is helping me solve my Service Engine Soon light issues.
Worth the money! Speaking of help solving issues, this website IS your best friend. Meanwhile, go to a speed shop like Lopers and get a can of BG44 and put it in your fuel tank. I believe our poor fuel quality here in the valley is what is exacerbating my problems.

 

[ShannonG]

Wow, thanks for all the replies! Thank you Lisa for the advice about the fuel additive.


As a follow up question (which may prove to be a stupid question ) does the code reader only tell me why the Service Engine Soon light is on? Or does it also turn it off after giving me the repair code?

Thanks again. I'm SO glad I found this place.

 

[joey]

It will tell you what turned it on and will also reset it.

 

[Jaak]

Shannon ... I have an 03 SE-7 and it is still under FULL FACTORY Warranty!!! Check to see if yours is ... up here in Canada it's 4 years and 80,000 KM/s ... don't know down south's warranty. If it is ... should be covered under it.


Service engine light can come on if the gas cap is not fully screwed on or one of the vacuum hoses has fallen off. Mine by the PCV valve did and I just reinstalled it. Located at the rear of the intake hose on the drivers side.

As for the other faults ... code reader should help.

 

[roverman]

Jaak,
she's got 54,000. US warranty is 48000 miles - a little less than yours.

 

[ShannonG]

Great. Thanks SO much for all the great info! I will definately get the code reader so I can at least tell the mechanic what needs to be fixed instead of them deciding what they want to tell me needs to be fixed. (If you catch my drift...) Also, I did check my gas cap but I may also pop the hood and see if an obvious vacuum hose has come off before I take it into them. Every penny counts!

Thanks all!!

Now does anyone know where I can a 6 disk CD cartridge for my passenger seat mounted CD changer since the guy who sold it to me didn't give me one?

 

[LisaB]

eBay, about $25 Buy it Now. Type in Land Rover Discovery II CD Changer.