Discovery 3 & 4

Front Suspension Arms

One of the most common repairs we perform in our workshop is replacing the front lower suspension arms. Often an MOT fail sheet will refer to the lower suspension bush but it is much easier to replace the complete arm that it is part of as it is very difficult to remove the worn bush and press in a new one perfectly straight. Once new arms have been fitted it is important to have your vehicle 4 wheel aligned (checking both toe and camber) otherwise you will find your Discovery 3 or 4 pulling to one side and uneven wear on your tyres lowering their lifespan significantly.

The symptom is a clonking/knocking sound from the front suspension, mostly noticeable at low speed, a quick test is to drive the vehicle forward and in reverse at slow speed applying the foot brake. If you hear a clonk as soon as the brakes are applied then it is very likely to be the lower suspension arm bushes.

Replace front lower suspension arm (using OEM parts) – £310 inc. VAT and FREE 4 Wheel Alignment

Front Anti Roll Bar Bushes

Anti roll bars help keep a vehicle level when cornering, they have two rubber bushes around them which are held by a clamp bolted to the chassis. The bushes wear over time and your steering will start to feel ‘woolly’ and less responsive.

A sign of wear is a clunk when cornering. Also feeling the vehicle move or jump further over opposite to the direction you are cornering is a sign that the anti-roll bar bushes are worn and need replacing.

The cost to replace both anti-roll bar bushes using Genuine Land Rover® Parts is £157 inc. VAT and fitting

Front Suspension Tie Bars

Also known as drop links, these small rods with a ball joint on either end connect the upper suspension arm to the anti-roll bar and help keep the vehicle stable. A light metal rattle when travelling over speed bumps or potholes is generally an indication of worn drop link bushes. Often the bolts are in poor condition when it comes to replacing them and will spin on themselves making them very difficult to remove.

Replace suspension drop link (using OEM part) price per side £105 inc. VAT

Front Hub and Bearing

Another common problem is a grinding or rumbling noise that gets worse when turning and louder the faster you travel, this often indicates a worn wheel bearing. To check, jack up the wheel and feel for play by rocking the wheel from top to bottom. If you can feel movement then the complete hub needs to be replaced.

Replace complete hub and bearing (using Timken parts) – Costs £345 inc. VAT

Front Differential

A drone or whining noise most noticeable at constant speeds can be caused by dry bearings in the differential. To check, remove the diff drain plug and drop a small amount of oil into a clear jug, look for silver filings (similar to glitter) in the oil, if it is present then the gears are wearing and the diff needs replacing. It is important to make sure your vehicle is serviced properly and regularly (every 12k miles or 12 months whichever comes first) to avoid the more expensive repairs.

Dependant on age and model of vehicle to replace the complete differential (with OEM units) – Prices start from £1185 inc. VAT fitted.

Discovery 3 & 4 Air Suspension Faults

While offering superior ride quality and excellent off road ability the introduction of all round air suspension to the Discovery has helped set it apart from its rivals. However, there are a lot of components in the system and faults are commonplace.

Most air suspension faults have the same symptoms, the warning is a yellow light in the shape of a car with an arrow over the top of it and will show on the dashboard alert panel along with various typed messages warning that selecting different height options is unavailable and the vehicle may lower or vehicle has restricted performance (the dreaded limp home mode).

Symptoms can be one or more corners will not raise, the vehicle will be slow to raise and only go to standard ride height, will not go in off road or access mode. The same symptoms and warnings can be caused by any of the following issues priced below. We would always advise a full diagnostic check to narrow down the cause before changing any parts.

Replace Air suspension compressor pump (OEM) – £560 inc. VAT
Replace Suspension compressor with upgrade kit (Genuine LR) – £950 inc VAT
Replace Air suspension height sensor (each OEM) from £155 inc. VAT
Replace Air suspension valve front (Genuine LR) – £230 inc. VAT
Replace Air suspension valve rear (Genuine LR) – £205 inc. VAT
Replace Air suspension reservoir tank (OEM) – £235 inc. VAT

Suspension Strut And Air Bag

If the vehicle suspension will not raise over one wheel and height sensors, valves and all the other faults listed above have been ruled out then it is likely to be a split or leak in the suspension air bag. These cannot be repaired and the complete unit will need to be replaced.

Replace Front suspension strut and air bag (each OEM) – £395 inc. VAT
Replace Rear suspension strut and air bag (each OEM) – £395 inc. VAT

Loss Of Power | Discovery 3

Loss of power on the Discovery 3 can be caused by a number of issues. Most will require the vehicle plugging into diagnostic equipment to find the exact cause however the most common faults are EGR valves or a split in the main intercooler hose. This means that the air boost pressure is lost so the air and fuel mixture is incorrect leading to poor performance and generally black smoke from the exhaust. Most instances will put the car into restricted performance mode but not always.

Inspect the large hose on the left of the engine that runs down to the bottom of the intercooler, look for evidence of oil on the outside of the hose or a split will show if you squeeze it.

To Replace Main Intercooler Hose 2.7 TDV6 – Fitted Price £100 inc. VAT

EGR Valves

Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valves are fitted to most modern vehicles to reduce CO2 emissions. The EGR takes the gases from the exhaust manifold and puts it back into the cylinders at lower temperatures which produces less of the harmful nitrogen oxide gas. However, this process creates more soot which can eventually build up and prevent the valves from operating properly.

Symptoms of faulty valves can be; heavy black smoke, loss of power, poor running and high fuel consumption. If you suspect the valves are faulty we have the latest Land Rover^® diagnostic equipment to run a complete check to confirm if there is a problem. Unfortunately there are two of them on the Discovery 3 and 4. We will replace only one of them if you insist but please be aware that they normally fail within a few hundred miles of each other.

New Valeo OEM Replacement EGR Valve (LH or RH) From £365 inc. VAT

Hand Brake Screeching Or Failing To Release Properly

A loud screeching or the handbrake not releasing fully can be caused by the handbrake shoes collapsing, meaning either the contact material has come away from the metal shoe and jammed or one of the mechanisms has broken causing them to lock up. Occasionally this can cause damage to the discs if so then they will also need to be replaced.

Handbrake shoe replacement (both sides using OEM parts) – £255 inc. VAT
Handbrake shoes, drums, discs and pads replacement (both sides using OEM parts) – £395 inc. VAT

Hand Brake Screeching And Rear Wheels Locked

This is a very common problem. If the handbrake has locked and the rear wheels and will not release then it is most likely that the actuator has seized. Most times it can be released using the emergency release cable under the handbrake button (you will need some heavy gauge pliers and a really good yank to free it). If the actuator does need replacing then the shoes and discs will also have to be replaced for the system to work properly and validate the warranty on the part.

New Genuine Land Rover® Handbrake Actuator with new cables, drums, shoes, discs and pads – fitted, adjusted & programmed to ECU – £1385 inc. VAT

Brake Discs And Pads

Land Rover Discovery vehicles are well known for using up brake discs and pads due their high power and weight. If low pads are spotted early before any damage is caused to the disc then just the pads can be changed. If brake pads have worn low and scored the discs then it is advisable to change both for optimum performance.

The average life of brake discs is around 32,000 miles after this they are considered too thin and will have a lip around the edge where just fitting new pads will take too long to bed in and most likely cause a squealing sound each time you apply the brakes. Generally once the warning light has come on it is too late and discs will need to be changed.

Front brake pads replacement (both sides using OEM parts) – £134 inc. VAT
Front brake discs and pads replacement (Both sides) – £239 inc. VAT
Rear brake pads replacement (both sides using OEM parts) – £124 inc. VAT
Rear brake discs and pads replacement (Both sides) – £240 inc. VAT

Brake Pipe Corrosion

We are starting to find that brake pipe corrosion is becoming one of the most common MOT failures. Along with the amount of salt being spread on the roads nowadays there is also the poor design where the pipes are attached to the chassis and dirt gathers in the clips and sits around the pipe slowly eating away at the metal causing it to swell and worst case burst, losing fluid and all braking functionality.

Brake pipe replacement (dependant on which pipes need replacing) – prices start from £29 inc. VAT

Rear Wheel Hub And Bearing

A grinding or rumbling noise that gets worse the faster you travel often indicates a worn wheel bearing. To check, jack up the wheel and feel for play by rocking the wheel from top to bottom. If there is any excess movement then the complete hub needs to be replaced.

Replace complete hub and bearing (Timken) – £405 inc. VAT fitted.

Rear Upper Suspension Arms

We are now seeing a lot of worn upper suspension arm bushes in our workshop, and they seem to be a favourite with MOT testers. Telltale signs are tyres scrubbed on the inside and the rear of the vehicle will sometimes feel insecure when cornering or driving over potholes or uneven road surfaces. Check properly by jacking the car up holding the wheel top and bottom and rocking it feeling for excessive movement.

Replacing the arm is a particularly difficult job, on nearly all of the ones we have replaced the bolts are completely seized and due to the limited access for any spanners it leaves the long and careful task of cutting the arms out. When new ones are fitted it is important to have your vehicle 4 wheel aligned (checking both toe and camber) otherwise you will find your Discovery 3 does not drive as it should and you will be scrubbing your tyres lowering their lifespan significantly.

Rear upper suspension arm (OEM part) – £360 inc. VAT (also includes FREE 4 Wheel Alignment)

Rear Anti Roll Bar Bushes

Anti roll bars help keep a vehicle level when cornering, they have two rubber bushes around them which are held by a clamp which is bolted to the chassis. The bushes wear over time and the rear of the vehicle will start to feel a little vague when cornering.

A sign of wear is a clunk when cornering. Also feeling the vehicle move or jump further over opposite to the direction you are cornering is a sign that the anti-roll bar bushes are worn and need replacing.

The cost to replace both anti-roll bar bushes using Genuine Land Rover® parts is £300 inc. VAT

Rear Suspension Spindle Connecting Rod

This is a common fault that is not always noticeable to the driver. You will sometimes feel a little extra movement from the rear of the vehicle when cornering over rough ground. The biggest telltale sign is that the rear tyres will be wearing unevenly, generally scrubbing the inside of the tyre. Again when new ones are fitted it is important to have your vehicle 4 wheel aligned (checking both toe and camber) to prevent further wear of your tyres.

Replace rear spindle connecting rod (using OEM part) – £85 inc. VAT per side.

Rear Suspension Tie Bars

Also known as drop links, these small rods with a ball joint on either end connect the upper suspension arm to the anti-roll bar and help keep the vehicle stable. A light metal rattle when travelling over speed bumps or potholes is generally an indication of worn drop link bushes. Often the bolts are in poor condition when it comes to replacing them and will spin on themselves making them very difficult to remove.

Replace suspension drop link (using OEM part) – price per side £81 inc. VAT and fitting.

Rear Differential

A drone, whine or humming noise most noticeable at constant speeds can be caused by dry bearings in the differential. To check, remove the diff drain plug and drop a small amount of oil into a clear jug, look for silver filings (similar to glitter) in the oil, if it is present then the gears are wearing and the diff will need replacing. It is important to make sure your Discovery 3 or Discovery 4 is serviced properly and regularly (every 12k miles or 12 months whichever comes first) to avoid the more expensive repairs.

Dependant on age and model of vehicle to replace the complete differential (with OEM units) prices start from £1095 inc. VAT fitted.