How Bad Are P38's ?

Been tempted by a couple on ebay recently, running a V8 D2 at present.

Assuming post-2000 car, how much of a problem child can they be?

Peter

Bad !

All range rovers are high maintenance beasts !

But when you drive them and their working they are brilliant !

What's your budget ?

If you have to ask, you can't afford it!

It'll leak electricty and air over your driveway, frustrate you if/when it goes wrong.

I wouldnt have any other 4x4

listerdiesel said:

Been tempted by a couple on ebay recently, running a V8 D2 at present.

Assuming post-2000 car, how much of a problem child can they be?

Peter

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It's not just a case of whether or not you can afford it. A car that constantly let's you down is just a right royal pain in the ass or worse if you actually depend on your car.
I had 2 P38's both were well maintained but little things going wrong took much of the fun out of driving them. I also had a jeep Cherokee which acted as a rescue vehicle and a back up - it was used frequently.
I can't see me spending the cash again on one.

^ Heretic !

listerdiesel said:

Been tempted by a couple on ebay recently, running a V8 D2 at present.

Assuming post-2000 car, how much of a problem child can they be?

Peter

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Ever taken a bad girl out?? lots of fun but can cost!

If you can afford fun - buy !! the secret is maintenance.

stopover said:

Ever taken a bad girl out?? lots of fun but can cost!

If you can afford fun - buy !! the secret is maintenance.

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+1, have you ever had a car that never let you down? And if you really want to put your hand in your pocket, go for a L322.

Ever taken a bad girl out?? lots of fun but can cost!

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Best kind.. and always the ones that stick in your memory.


In all seriousness, the P38 isn't really that bad at all. Like anything mechanical, things wear and fail. Preventative maintenance is the best kind, if you know its on the way out then deal with it.

In the 3 years i have had the blue P38, i've changed all the airbags (one started to fail so all 4 done together), overhauled the EAS valve block, and compressor, replaced the fuse box all of which were on the way out so changed them prior to failure as well as few niggly things, here and there.

The only unexpected failures were a waterpump and a center silencer on the exhaust.


The silver P38 in the 4 years had a new gearbox shortly after purchase, new wheel bearing and that has been the only failures, one airbag started to fail so changed all 4.

Both get routine maintenance and i keep on top of anything that needs doing as with all the cars.

The P38 is very easy to work on, the big scare story is the EAS, which is not as problematic as is made out. generally one airbag leaks, the compressor works overtime to compensate, owner changes one air bag, for another to go, compreesor works overtime again, by the time all 4 have been done the compressor is shot. The airbags deteriorate at the the same rate so if one goes, you know all four will around the same time so deal with it.

Like anything mechanical, you look after it, it will look after you and just put some thought into routine maintenance and keep an eye on things if it looks like its going to go, it will probably will so deal with it in your time.

Its also a very capable off road vehicle, its not an SUV so dont expect sporty performance, It can tow a house. What more could you want.. leather electric seats A/C, good audio system, some with built in sat nav.. it's got it as standard.

Just remember that when you buy, consider what you are going to have to spend to get it where *you* want it.

Right now, they are a lot of car for the money and P38 values are starting to firm up.

The P38 for me is still the best RR, comfort, ride & value just can't be beaten. I recently looked at an L322 but just couldn't see what extra i was getting for alot more money & a much higher maintenance cost.
I've been fortunate to have some very nice 4x4's as company cars in the past but my 12 year old P38 is still the best so far for me, & the gadgets in a late Vogue SE stand up to most modern cars.
The 4.6 thor just feels right for this RR. Lots of torque, smooth power delivery. Runs well on LPG.
Petrol or diesel though, definately go for a post 2000 model.
Mine has been 100% reliable (never left me stranded) in my ownership & 50k miles. As adamwest has said, preventaive maintenance is key, mine gives me plenty of notice when something isn't happy & there's always something on the list to sort.
PS, be wary of very cheap P38 V8's for sale, you generally get what you pay for & a dodgy V8 can be empty a healthy bank account in no time.

A well maintained Range Rovers are reliable.

These vehicles need preventive maintenance to keep them in order, but as they get cheaper to buy, people buy them who really shouldn't.
If you follow the service spec then you'd have no problems at all, like replacing the fuse box every 5 years, replacing the seals at the bottom of the windows & such. Silicon spraying all rubber seals around doors, bonnet & boot.

If you start cutting corners then you're opening yourself up to problems.

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated.

No fixed budget, either buy a cheapish one and get it up to scratch, or lay out more but still have issues?

We bought the D2 with a cr*p engine, fitted a new short engine and got the rest sorted, it's a good reliable runner now.

EAS seems to get replaced by coils on many?

Peter

Rick-the-Pick said:

A well maintained Range Rovers are reliable.

These vehicles need preventive maintenance to keep them in order, but as they get cheaper to buy, people buy them who really shouldn't.
If you follow the service spec then you'd have no problems at all, like replacing the fuse box every 5 years, replacing the seals at the bottom of the windows & such. Silicon spraying all rubber seals around doors, bonnet & boot.

If you start cutting corners then you're opening yourself up to problems.

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Exactly, because they are comparatively cheap people buy them who cannot afford to maintain them properly, then they start on the slippery slope of make do and mend. You cannot hope to maintain a £50,000.00 plus car for the same price as an Escort.

listerdiesel said:

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated.

No fixed budget, either buy a cheapish one and get it up to scratch, or lay out more but still have issues?

We bought the D2 with a cr*p engine, fitted a new short engine and got the rest sorted, it's a good reliable runner now.

EAS seems to get replaced by coils on many?

Peter

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If you find one on coils treat it like the plague it has been maintained by a monkey.

wammers said:

If you find one on coils treat it like the plague it has been maintained by a monkey.

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Go and look at it by all means then shoot the owner.

tomcat59alan said:

Go and look at it by all means then shoot the owner.

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It amazes me that something so simple to repair defeats so many people. Ok it can cost a few bob but maybe not as much as the coil conversion, once done is pretty reliable.

wammers said:

It amazes me that something so simple to repair defeats so many people. Ok it can cost a few bob but maybe not as much as the coil conversion, once done is pretty reliable.

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I cannot agree more, a friend of mine had his put on coils some years ago, by a Main Stealer!!!!! they said it was the cheaper option because they would have to replace everything to fix it. God help us

tomcat59alan said:

I cannot agree more, a friend of mine had his put on coils some years ago, by a Main Stealer!!!!! they said it was the cheaper option because they would have to replace everything to fix it. God help us

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In other words they didn't have a bloody clue what was wrong with it.

wammers said:

In other words they didn't have a bloody clue what was wrong with it.

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Exactly, moral of the story is don't take your car to Chester. The service manager could have needed the parts for his own use of course or am I being cynical

So apart from airbags, what else goes wrong with the EAS, and what about BCEM problems?

We have Hawkeye BTW.

Peter