Thread: Upgrading. 201,000= run in or past use by date?

Hi all,

So I'm staring down the barrel of having to upgrade from my Td5 D2 and looking at a D3 TDV6 SE. This one has 201k on the clock, just wondering what issues I need to look for as well as looking as to what modifications you would fit to a D3. I do medium level off road tracks requiring some clearance and towing up to Exmouth once a year.

Thanks, Ben.

That was Character's on the UK forum.


It ended up having a rocker arm failure (roller rocker fell apart) with needle bearings going through the engine and ruining it, from what I remember.


There was a guy on here about a year ago claiming this was the most common TDV6 failure, but I frequent all of the TDV6 club sites and Character's was the only one I've seen of that type.


On early models there was an occasional issue with the engines spinning main bearings, but not common at all on 07+. As others touched on, the oil pump is the main failure - not the pump mechanism but the pump body casting, where the timing belt tensioner is mounted. It can crack and break, with expensive ramifications... Good idea to replace it with an updated design when the timing belt is done.


Other than that (and the infamous Denso alternator frying itself) as long as all maintenance is kept up to date, these are very reliable cars. 201K on mine - drives like a new car. My mates are always fascinated by it, and how could they not be? It a) convincingly outguns all of their jap 4x4's, b) uses about 60% of the fuel and does that while c) towing a 2t camper behind it and d) looking better. Also worth mentioning is the fantastic interior, air con and stereo, which are all leagues ahead of anything out of Japan (or Thailand) and of course the fantastic offroad ability of these cars.


Obviously being true-blue Jap 4x4 fanboys, they are all biding their time waiting for something to go majorly wrong with the RRS, so they can say "I told you so", but 60K after I've bought it, they're still waiting...