Auto Parts: British Land Rover model number vs US model numbers, land rover discovery, land rover model

Question
QUESTION: I am a US Diplomat serving in South Africa, and bought a British 1997 Land
Rover Discovery V8i Automatic.   Automotive parts prices here are double US
prices, but I can buy parts from the USA and the State Department will ship
them to me free, and avoiding customs.  This saves me a lot of money over
the cost of buying local.  My problem is that this model Land Rover does not
exist in the US, so my question is - what US model should I quote when
asking for a part?  Is it the Discovery II?  My VIN number is
SALLJGMM3VA709092.  Thanks in advance for any advise!



ANSWER: Hi Peter,

My VIN decoder claims the number you gave me is invalid, it states one or more of the digits between 1 and 11 are incorrect. Please check it and get back to me. If it is correct, then maybe my VIN decoder doesn't work on foreign-built, non-US sale vehicles.

Thanks for the question
Fred
Kb

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: That's what I was afraid of, since I have tried several US Land Rover parts
dealers and they also can not confirm which Rover I have by the VIN number.  
I just checked, and I do have it correct.  It' a UK model, so you must be be
correct that your decoder does not work with the UK versions.

Any idea how I can verify that a US 97' Discovery II V8 part will work on the
UK version?

Peter

Answer
Hi Peter,

I guess at this point your best course of action is to take a picture of the part as well as the casting numbers or whatever identifying marks are on it and match them up with the correct part needed before purchasing it. I can offer you a VIN breakdown, but I'm not sure what good it will do for you.

SAL     Land Rover

LJ   Discovery

G   100" Discovery

M   4-door station wagon

M   3.9L EFI gasoline V8 -OR- 4.0L EFI gasoline V8

3   automatic; right hand drive

V       1997

A   Solihull, England

709092  

----------------------------------------------------

Character #1,  length 3 of the VIN number is the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) the first character is the country, the next 1 or 2 designates the manufacturer.
Character #4,  length 2 of the VIN number is the body style or features.
Character #6,  length 1 of the VIN number is the vehicle wheel-base in inches.
Character #7,  length 1 of the VIN number is the finished body style.
Character #8,  length 1 of the VIN number is the installed engine configuration.
Character #9,  length 1 of the VIN number is a check digit, which helps programs verify that the VIN has been entered accurately. Land Rover also uses this digit to display driveline configuration.
Character #10, length 1 of the VIN number is the model year.
Character #11, length 1 of the VIN number identifies the assembly plant
Character #12, length 6 of the VIN number is the manufacturer sequence number.

I may also be of assistance to you in locating your part or parts that you need. Let me know what they are and I'll take a look.

Thanks for the question.
Fred
www.knucklebusters.us
570-453-0910