Thread: Longevity of P38A HSE

(try a search on slipped liners and flex plates,,not trying to put you off,,,)

we do have a few P38 RR's running around here,,

I'm sure someone will enlighten you.


edit:
after reading daves post,
I will add, that in 2000 that would have been a VERY expensive car.
and quite possibly the best production 4wd in the world.

you would be getting an AWFULL(sorry) lot of car cheaply, no matter what you pay.


and I still think they look great,

Thanks for that - I will continue my searching!

I'm no P38 expert (Ron will be long soon to comment I'm sure) but from talking to my LR mechanic I gather the 4.6 engines are not the pinnacle of Land Rover engineering.

Where abouts are you? (you need to fill in your location in the User Control Panel). If you are in SA I can give you someone to call to chat about these engines, and how they fare long term.

Allow me to wade in here....

Whilst an unfortunate possibility, I do not think that every 4.6 motor is going to develop slipped liners or cracked flex plates.

It does seem to be the first thing out of people's mouths though. That or some comment about the air suspension.

The P38 is a beautiful vehicle to drive, and if understood and well looked after can provide years of family fun. I am not going to say "trouble free" - that would be unrealistic. It's a risk vs reward thing.

I have one and my Dad has 2. I was driving one of his on the weekend with 300,000 km's on the clock and it is as smooth as silk.

And just quietly, they #$&^% all over Jeeps on every count.

Dave

Originally Posted by spudboy

I'm no P38 expert (Ron will be long soon to comment I'm sure) but from talking to my LR mechanic I gather the 4.6 engines are not the pinnacle of Land Rover engineering.

No, but it comes in a close second to the door seals on a Defender

While some of the 4.6 engines have liner problems, I have to say that I can't remember it being an issue on the later P38 Range Rovers.
I know we changed a few of the 95-97 RR engines but no later ones IIRC.

The 2000 RR will have the Bosch injection & is a nice drive (much nicer than a Jeep ).

Re 38A.
The engine problems are probably not the killer as far as operating cost of a 38A.
Having considered at length buying one and consulting with Graeme Cooper, and having a close friend with one , I offer the following.
The 38A has many other potential expensive problems that cannot be fixed with cheap aftermarket parts.
1 The body is controlled by the BECM. Even the instrument's brightness . If this goes wrong you have little option but to replace it.
Similarly the aircon is controlled by a microprocessor, and has 2 "blend motors" That go wrong and a very expensive.
The heater matrix has O rings that fail and it is a long job in labour to fix them.
The central locking actuators are unique and cannot be replaced by generic cheap ones.
The suspension control depends on a number of micro switches in each door and tailgate. If one goes wrong then the car will not rise. While some enthusiasts can fix them , the normal person seeking service will have to pay for new locks.
The alarm is very problematic, according to Graeme and is expensive to track down faults and fix.
The alternator is unique and VERY expensive if it completely fails. Try $1700 for a late model. My mate's went a few weeks ago. Luckily only bearings.
The front wheel bearings are a unitary hub design , so you have to buy a new hub if the bearings go.
The air suspension needs repair /replacement at times. I have heard of bills for $5000-7000 for this, at a dealer ( who see a sucker coming). The pump is over $1000 .

Now I know there are some "work arounds" done by enthusiasts,but here we have a lady who I assume is not qualified to do these fixes, and will rely on a dealer or specialist. Most are not willing to fiddle around with fixes and in fact paying $80 an hour, it may cost more than replacing.
IMHO, although they are lovely cars, the potential ruinous maintenance costs mean that you have to be pretty wealthy or very handy to risk owning one.
That is why they are worth nothing. No dealer will risk the warranty costs , as many have been bitten.
Regards Philip A

G'day Yenoirb

May I humbly suggest a late model Clasic Range Rover (first Series) and a top of range model,(Leather) there are many people on here that will be able to guide you in your choice of vehicle, I would gather that you want a good reliable vehicle with long engine life, most of the Rover V8's will give 250,000-350,000Klms with proper maintainance also don't discount the Series 1 Discovery, as they use the tried and proven Classic Range Rover's Chassis & Suspension.
All of the earlier V8 motors, Carb & Injected will convert readily to LPG

cheers