p38 reliability

having just bought my 1st p38 iam very happy with it 1997 4.0 lpg and love it. i was planning on holding on to it , however iam reading a lot of horror storys on here about reliability, was woundering what age and mileage some of your rangies are causing problems at.

Any age any mileage... its a rangie :doh:

just enjoy it while its still working..

P38 and Reliability simply do not mix, other than you can Rely on it to fek-up sometime, somewhere, somehow!

If it's working now, enjoy...........tears and wallet hugging are not toooo far away!

Ridesafe said:

P38 and Reliability simply do not mix, other than you can Rely on it to fek-up sometime, somewhere, somehow!

If it's working now, enjoy...........tears and wallet hugging are not toooo far away!

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hmm putting me right off now lads

samp5679 said:

hmm putting me right off now lads

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True to life......truth hurts!

You did ask afterall!

I have only had mine a few months, lots of heart ache, off the road for a coupld of months. Today SRS light came on.

Just don't worry about it.

It's like looking on the internet when you have a headache.. and convincing yourself you have a brain tumour!!

Many P38s are completely reliable and they tend to be the ones that are very well looked after. No £60k car will be cheap to run, especially with the added problem of age etc. Sure, there's some very problematic ones out there.. but don't forget, most people only come on internet forums when there's a problem.

Unless you've bought a smoky old dog that rattles, shows every warning light and has nothing electrical working enjoy it. It's running just now, look after it and at least someone here will advise what to do if things go wrong. There are quirky things to look out for as well as faults and things. One thing I would advise right away, make sure the battery is good and never leave the key in it with the doors shut. A random signal from something electronic or even a faulty door lock could leave you locked out with the key peering at you from inside. If you have the second key it's not such a problem unless you're away from home at the time. Get the EKA code as well in case you need it.

The problem is that most think they can spend 3-5k buying a 10 year old car and it will all work forever the reality is that these care depreciated by about a grand a month in the first 3 years and in the first 3 years there were minimal faults. So buy one sort out the problems be prepared to spend a grand a year on running it maintenance wise and after a couple of years you will have a motor that you know and also know what has been done - remember things wear out. I used mine daily and I go to Europe a lot Berlin mostly the problems I have are niggles not problems and once they are sorted it is usually a long term fix so as has been said enjoy it and everyone here will assist as niggles arrive alternatively go and spend 60k and get one with a big fat warranty the p38 gives a great return for the cost also look on any bmw or merc site full of people bitching about how unreliable they are - good luck

sandyt said:

The problem is that most think they can spend 3-5k buying a 10 year old car and it will all work forever

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with a lot of cars though that is true with routine servicing a lot of stuff will just soldier on til the body gives out. I think people fail to remember that a rangie, like any specialist or performance car needs a bit more tlc than the average eurobox due to it's nature. Plus the build quality and standard of some components isn't exactly infallible in these beasts, but it's what makes them unique and adds character too. As long as you go into ownership eyes wide open there shouldn't be any surprises.

I was told a long time ago that you will own it for a year ........ or you will own it for life .....
Thats just about it.
Either the unreliability will kill you off, or you will master it - you will rise above slipped liners, blend motor gremlins, wet floor wells etc ..... and stand triumphant above it all ......

I have on several occaisions had words with mine along the lines of .... "........ you will never beat me do you hear........ never !!!!! whatever you throw at me I will fix ...... oh yes ......... (and then in a louder voice) ..... I shall decide if I get home at night, not you ..... "

But don't under estimate the joys of ownership ....... no other road user could understand the sheer joy you feel when you press the button on the key fob and it decides to let you in ....... no other person could explain the stomach clenching excitement felt when you turn the key and the engine actually turns over. The euphoric grin than spreads across your face when youb select gear and it moves forward ........ oh yes .........
P38 ownership is unique, its is like nothing else, it is a state of being that can not accuratly be described in words ......


I hope this helps with the reliability question thing .............

I am the proud owner of my fifth R.R. three of them P38. They do go wrong, they can be a nightmare BUT I have found that this site has always been very helpful. Try to find yourself a 'Man that does' they can be difficult to find, we had one here in Sunny Norfolk but he retired.
One thing I would say is 'Always keep at least 1/4 a tank of petrol as well as LPG as condensation can wreak havoc.
When you are driving along looking over the hedges(cuz you can) , look at other 4x4's and think, they all want to be a R.R they can copy but you have an original.
Nothing better to tow with, even the 'New' shape can't Bundu bash across a field as well, mine towed 2 large horses off many a mudbath this winter. ENJOY it. ; )

Hi,
I am on my 4th P38 and have now got a 1999 4.6 HSE running on LPG. I still get the same buzz now as I did the first time I drove one.Yes like any car it can have it's faults but no more than any car.You are bound to read the negatives on this site as it's the nature of the beast with any forum.I can only speak from my own experience, but if you change the oil regularly, check all levels particularly coolant,and generally look after it, they are unbeatable.You won't find any other vehicle that gives you the Range Rover high.Trust me, if you get rid you will have a sinking feeling everytime you see one, and think I used to have one of those.

My P38 Rangie was a diamond - owned her for 6+ years, maintained her very carefully, yes, expesnive things did happen - blend motors, compressor / air bags, the odd electrical thing, but overall reliability in my case was fantastic - just didn't let me down. Sold her, still in excellent condition for her age, just before Xmas and still miss her.....
Echo the above opinion - the Rangie was expensive to buy new, it is a luxury motor and needs careful maintenance. It won't run on the sniff of an oil rag, or at least not for long.
Enjoy your Rangie, look after him/her well and you will be rewarded with miles of smiles.....

I wanted a Range Rover the day they first came on the scene back in the 70’s. Then I was a school kid and I thought it was the perfect car, and some day I’d have one. Then 2 years ago I bought my Range Rover. One boyhood dream realised and one adult reality check about to start.
My Rover is a 2001 4.6 Vogue.
Sure I love to drive it, and in the last 24 months I’ve put 20,000 miles on the odometer. For the most part it’s been reliable. Certainly no less reliable than my previous bought from new Vauxhall Zafira Sri which I got rid of as soon as the warranty expired as it had a problem Vauxhall were unable or unwilling to fully fix.
All machines have faults from time to time and some have common faults that can be listed. You may from time to time have faults from the list as well as faults not on the list. From my ownership and from what I’ve read about the RR P38 the list goes something like this:
• Door lock faults, central locking bouncing.
• A/C Condensers leak
• Heater matrix “O” rings leak
• Pollen filter covers let in rainwater
• Heated seat elements fail
• Poor battery condition causes erroneous fault messages
• V8’s suffer a number of expensive issues from time to time e.g. slipped liners, head gaskets etc.
• EAS problems such as airbag replacement, compressor failure, valve block and height sensor issues. Air leaks.
• HEVAC issues such as blend motors and A/C leaks. The book symbol.
• Centre console gas strut failure.
• Engine looses sync with management system.
• Emergency EKA sometimes required for no obvious reason.
• Sensitive to rutted roads, can wander. Causes can be wrong wheel size tyre combination, steering damper, suspension bushes.

The list is not complete I’m sure, just from the top of my head. Own a RR for long enough and you will have this list in your own head too.

Still with all these things we have to deal with from time to time I cannot think of any other car I’d like to drive. So I find out how to fix it myself and beat the fault out of the car with a bag of money. Sometimes it's cheap as chips and at other times it's as cheap as 3Kg of Beluga Caviar.

That’s all it takes to run one of these wonderful cars.

my p38 is a 1994 v8 4.6l with 107000 miles on clock i have had it for a year no problems exsept battery drain after 4 days no use but are tracking down prob will fix off road great on snow just kept going we had a lot in the orkneys north east scotland islands if you didnt know just look after her survice change oil regulal and remember haw cheep and haw mutch you get compaired to same year defender leather air con elec windows the lot put good all terane tyres on and have fun

Hello, yep that is what is happening, and I can't lock it manually either as I push each one down, go to shut the driver door, they all pop up, on the fob it all lights up but they do not go down and lock. New battery £160 in dec. So am stuffed, as have to leave it unlocked.
any ideas please.

yorkie123 said:

Hello, yep that is what is happening, and I can't lock it manually either as I push each one down, go to shut the driver door, they all pop up, on the fob it all lights up but they do not go down and lock. New battery £160 in dec. So am stuffed, as have to leave it unlocked.
any ideas please.

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Closing drivers door will open all other doors - prevents lock-out, Does C/L work with key in drivers door?

No it won't put the knobs down, just makes the car do the clicks, and side lights flash. thank you for your help, only I have a tiny dog I take with me, and so am having to carry her or leave her at home where she gets so distressed.