Thread: D4 Gearbox rebuild

When i had my trans rebuilt it was $4300 for zf to do the rebuild, then the removal/replace and frieght ontop of that

It seems odd that you get just one message and then told you need a rebuild - normally you get a bit of advance warning with these gearboxes.

I am not saying that the diagnosis you have got is wrong but given the cost I think I would be getting a second opinion.

Garry

Would be of interest to get the fault codes out of the 'box to see what's going on.

For that sort of money, you should also be getting the valve body rebuilt/replaced, this is where the error codes will really help.

I've had the same general fault message and limp mode etc. Turns out the valve body needed servicing, did it myself, cost about 1300 in parts and fluids I replaced all solenoids and put a Sonnax Zip Kit through it.

Hope this helps

Thanks v much, Eric, appreciate the advice. Have confirmed with the mechanic that the price includes a new valve body and mechatronics unit, all covered in the price. Have also asked for the fault codes for my records which I'll share here when I receive them.

Will let you know how it all goes.

Cheers,
Alex

Originally Posted by Eric SDV6SE

Would be of interest to get the fault codes out of the 'box to see what's going on.

For that sort of money, you should also be getting the valve body rebuilt/replaced, this is where the error codes will really help.

I've had the same general fault message and limp mode etc. Turns out the valve body needed servicing, did it myself, cost about 1300 in parts and fluids I replaced all solenoids and put a Sonnax Zip Kit through it.

Hope this helps

Originally Posted by shanegtr

When i had my trans rebuilt it was $4300 for zf to do the rebuild, then the removal/replace and frieght ontop of that

$4,500 for my ZF rebuild a few months ago but that included removal / fitting rebuilt valve body etc.. happy with the results

I’m taking Eric’s lead and doing a valve body refresh before I get any box errors and cause box wear. 260k km. Going to:
- Install Sonnax Zip kit
- New solenoids
- New Mechatronic seals
- 20L of ZF fluid for a complete flush.

The plan is that by doing this it will protect the other elements of the gearbox that get damaged when not effectively controlled by the valve body. It won’t be as effective as a full rebuild but hopefully enough for my needs.

Originally Posted by DiscoJeffster

I’m taking Eric’s lead and doing a valve body refresh before I get any box errors and cause box wear. 260k km.

I suspect that this will be a waste of money if the renowned stator bushes are near the end of their life then the gbox is rebuilt by ZF.

Sorry to hear you've had a failure, good luck with everything.

The Landrover Club in Victoria had a meeting at A&B Automotive in Dandenong Sth, Victoria, in February 2017, which I attended. I called A&B last year about a service for my D4 8 speed, and they said wait until 70k. I also tow an off road van, its GVM is 2.4 tonne - AOR Matrix - typical tow weight is maybe 2.1 t, my tow mileage is maybe only 8k, mostly on bitumen. I was impressed by A&B's ZF "factory only" hardware and also their expertise. They do ZF rebuilds for car makers who use ZF gearboxes, but there is someone else in Australia who also does them I think, which makes sense, but A&B do get interstate gearboxes. But its worth a call to check with them on your options I reckon, just to check on all your angles, a phone call doesn't take long.

I queried my dealer after my service a few weeks ago - my 2014 has 67 k on it now ... they said their cost for a service on the gearbox was $2,300!!! A&B said I think $900 about a year ago, and a discount off too for being a Club member.

I would like to source a metal gearbox base instead of the standard LR 8 speed plastic one too - anyone know the best source to get one? I am intending on servicing the gearbox in the next couple of months. Incidentally the A&B people said the 8 speed super reliable, but gearboxes do need fresh oil many times more than the manufacturers recommend, which really, is quite criminal IMO that LR and BMW etc say after 200k.