I have 2019 model and have never had an issue always and have a new one on order as can’t imagine going back to my previous cars, for me the car has never missed a beat and is always a pleasure to drive, remember most manufacturers have issues and you will always find horror stories if you look for them as fewer people will praise as opposed to the ones that complain, find a good independent LR specialist to maintain and of course only buy with FSH

 

First of all Welcome to the forum, I’ve owned my DS for over five years and it’s been great with only an oil leak as the only real problem encountered but all fixed under the LR extended warranty. I’ve listed a few points below that should be given due consideration before purchasing.

1, quantify how you intend to use the car as diesels really don’t like continuous short journeys (in this case go for petrol)

2, try to find a D240 they seem to have far less DPF & oil dilution problems (due to a different exhaust architecture)

3, buy from a main dealer or at least a car with LR extended warranty (this is transferable & warranty is extendable for up to10 years. It is moderately expensive but I wouldn’t run a Land Rover without one)

4, Full LR service history (& intermediate oil change history if possible is essential in the case of the D180)

5, accept you’re probably going to have an oil change once a year or every 7000 miles approx.

6, much more difficult but try to find one that’s been run on Shell V power or equivalent. ( I havent had a single DPF problem or warning in over five years, others on this forum have also said the same)

7, try to find one with the 10.2” screen, (entertainment pack? but may have been an option separately in 2018?) its a 100% improvement on standard screen especially regarding the satellite navigation as well as making the car more enjoyable to use.

8, don’t be put off by the negative, its a great car and as the saying goes “once a Land Rover owner always a Land Rover owner” ! (& yes I’ve got my new P300e coming in two weeks😁)

 

I’d be wary of older diesels of unknown provenance. I run a diesel and will hold onto it until it is about 4 years old, taking extended warranty for year 4. I’m going to be tempted by a P-300e for my next car, once LR have sorted any glitches out.

 

We had a 2016 DS180, lots of problems initially with the Adblue system that was actually software, three software patches later and it never missed a beat. They do like to corrode rear disks, when they do eventually go (40,000 miles) buy a Brembo replacement for less than half the cost of genuine LR parts and the problem will go away. Apart from that change the oil every year or 10,000 miles whichever is sooner - in fact insist on an oil change as part of the deal, monitor the oil level and if it goes up by 6mm or over maximum change the oil again.
Currently have a D240 - none of the oil dilution issues of the D180, but likes a drink, both of Adblue and fuel, yes I often do 45mpg on a 40 mile run, but it isn't difficult to do 28mpg - the loud pedal really is intoxicating, at that point a petrol isn't more expensive.

 

This is my second Discovery Sport. First one HSE LUX 2017 80,000 miles just two sets of discs and pads and service items.no DPF or EGR problems...

Second one 2020 Discovery Sport R_Dynamic HSE 12500 Miles new DPF due to a manufacturing fault crack in seam apparently a bad batch fixed under warranty....

 

As already mentioned, the main thing to look for is frequent oil changes. If you are looking at a 2018 car, then by this time the oil dilution issues were well known, so there really is no excuse for these cars not to have had more regular oil changes. Stay away from cars that have only been serviced at 21k intervals. Again, expect to change the oil at least once between 21k services. Oil changes can go on the online service history, and are around £150 from a main dealer on cars over 3 years old. The OSH can be checked by anyone with the VIN number online. If you are buying from a dealer, then just look at the VIN on bottom passenger side of the windscreen, and look it up on your phone! Also, if you can pop the bonnet, there's a sticker telling you when the car was actually built, so you can avoid cars that were built early and registered late. Make sure it's built after September 2016 to be a proper 2017 model year car.

I would personally go for HSE Spec, as the SE/SE Tech have woeful halogen headlights and no panoramic roof, this really makes the interior feel more airy, especially if you like the black interiors. However, also bear in mind that HSE spec cars will have been over £40k, and therefore still be costing around £500 in annual road tax, if that's an issue then a 2017 model year HSE would help avoid that and drop to I think £155 for the D180. (If it's under 5 years old, then you pay an extra £355 per year for the first 5 years.) The Landmark models may be an alternative here as they just crept in under £40k (no idea why that happened ) but they won't have any extra options like a tow bar as then they would have been more than the tax threshold. I think the only option you could add was the extra USB ports at about £115. Also you are limited to I think White or Grey and a black interior.

I think looking for pre-facelift cars with the bigger infotainment screen will really limit your choice, it was only available with a very pricey entertainment pack option that included the top spec Meridian sound system as well. Early versions on the first 2017 model year cars were not always upgradeable to have Apple CarPlay and dealers no longer perform the upgrades on these units as it can cause failure. If you are desperate for Apple CarPlay, then there are aftermarket solutions that can do this and keep the existing display and function. I find the SatNav ok on the standard system, but they appear to have stopped updating it now, and charge £90 a time when they do unfortunately.

In terms of maintenance, then what you have to remember is, unlike most of its 'competitors' the DS is a proper 4WD vehicle with all the added complexity that brings, not to mention extra weight. So, it will go through brakes at a higher rate than you may be used to. Tyres I have found last well, or at least the factory fit Pirelli all seasons do, and cost around £125 per tyre on 19 inch wheels. Services are reasonable on the 3+ scheme at a main dealer, but don't forget to factor in the additional oil changes which are vital. Register with My Land Rover online and you will get the option to book direct with dealers at these better prices, some dealers forget when quoting in person. The battery takes a bit of a pounding, so don't be too surprised if it needs replacing around the 6-7 year mark, and I'd highly recommend a CTEK charger to help keep it topped up. I find the D180 runs more smoothly with a well maintained battery. On 2017 onwards models Adblue goes at the rate of around 10L per 6000 miles. (It is half that on 2016 models.)

I don't use the top spec diesel in my car but do use standard Esso fuel and have had zero issues with the DPF over 4 years. I only use supermarket fuel when I have no choice. Also, avoid any high bio fuel content diesel, as bio-diesel has a higher evaporation point than regular diesel making the dilution issue even worse. Not yet an issue in the UK, but be careful if you travel abroad regularly where more bio-content can be found.

Warranties are expensive, but cover most issues. You can pay over 10 months on these with no interest charge, and have the option to maintain Land Rover Assist cover too. They are also fully transferable.

If you buy from a main dealer, I believe you still get a free half day session at a Land Rover Experience centre. Use it!! You'll be amazed at what a DS can actually do.

 

Lots of good advice from Ian. Remember a large proportion of 3 and 4 year old cars will come from owners buying new and not concerning themselves in the least whether their cars have had fuel dilution (someone else’s problem). The biggest negative point with the diesel DS is the crazy 2 year service interval, if it were annually, there would be far fewer damaged cars out there!!

 

Hi
We are new to this forum,
We are looking at getting a 2017/18 sport 2.0l diesel but reading the reviews on them they seem like a horror stories with all thing problems they have !
I just want to here from people that actually have them what they are really like .
Thanks

Hi

I currently have my 2018 HSE Lux for sale (see for sale section), it has never had any of the talked about issues and is as good as new, never had any DPF issues or even a single warning, no rattles, new brakes (disks and pads)....give me a shout if you want any more info