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Thread: I finally did it. New MY02 Vogue owner

  1. #1
    4X4V8 Guest

    I finally did it. New MY02 Vogue owner

    For those of you who've been on this forum for some time, you'll know that I have peered over the fence at P38A ownership and even sat on the fence a few times, but never actually took the jump into the garden (or is that cesspool?) and actually bought one.

    Well finally (finally!) I bought an ex-NZ (private import) MY02 Vogue today.

    It needs some work in the usual places: book symbol on HVAC (although blend motors appeared to do their job), sitting a little high on airbags up front and EAS compressor seems to cut in a bit much (although the suspension seems to rise and drop okay) and driver's window reg is playing up. It's a bit untidy here and there cosmetically but has good bones. No hesitation or misfire on cold start suggesting a slipped liner, nothing unusual about engine oil or coolant.

    It was funny to go see it, with some background knowledge (albeit no practical repair knowledge) of what to look for in a P38A after the many, many times I have. I was a bit wierd for me to go look at a P38A for sale and actually buy it

    I am more confident about working on the tools than I was six years ago, and the buy-in now is far less that it was then. This time it feels like 'what have I got to lose' if it all goes to hell where as last time the $ investment was such (to me, anyway) that I already had the answer -- a lot!

    Anyway I'm really looking forward to having a play with my new RR when I pick it up next week. So much actual hands-on repairs etc to get stuck into and RR-(LR) specific things to learn. Torx head you say? Isn't that a Swedish rock band?

    I will refrain from asking questions about maintenance etc unless I can't find it in a search. There has been so much written about the P38A, the fixes etc here that I shouldn't really need to ask. Some things that I just don't get or where it isn't going to plan, I will be asking... I hope there are enough of you knowledgeable types on the forum left to answer!

    The first step after getting it home is to do a full service (oils, filters, maybe brake fluid and anything else that doesn't look like it has been replaced recently like radiator hoses, checking vacuum hoses - eg one I saw at the CC diaphram is cracked). The car has been sitting for about three months and has done about 40,000km only in the last 9 years. Odo is on 139,000km - fairly low.

    The temptation is to go nuts and just replace everything that moves but I want keep my priorities right. First get some fresh oils and filters into it, inspect it carefully and drive it some and work out priorities from there.

    Then the bigger jobs: buying an appropriate scanning tool and working out what is going on with the EAS and the HVAC. Also will need new tyres very soon... am a bit shocked to see how expensive decent 18in A/T rubber is... oh well.

    Anyway, thanks for having me back!

  2. #2
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    Photo's! we must have photos of all new toys :-)

  3. #3
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    Congrats on the new beast!
    I have an 01 model myself, have had it for 10 years now, hard to believe it's 10 years already.
    I've done a lot of the typical jobs (o rings, blend motors, EAS, etc) for a third time now, which does make it much easier as you know exaclty what you are doing.
    If I can make a couple of suggestions, if it were me, I'd just drive it as it is for a week or two, to get a mental baseline on how it sounds, behaves etc.
    That way when you do start changing oils and fluids and other things, you will have a good handle on any changes you have made.
    Yes definitley get a diagnostic tool of some type, that is a must, specially with a new (to you) P38.
    I'd be arranging that as a first step now, as well as a rave manual if you don't have one already.
    When you do a fault code read, take notes of any faults and then clear the fault codes, as they could be historical faults no longer present.
    Then give it a drive and read the codes again to see what pops up, then you know what to start looking for.
    Brake fluid is quite a process on the P38, so tackle that one when you have plenty of time to spare!
    They are so great to drive, you will love it, hard to drive anything else after a P38, unless you go to a L322!
    They do require maintenance, but if you keep on top of that, I have found mine to be very reliable generally speaking.
    Good luck with the new one, hope you enjoy the P38 experience!

  4. #4
    4X4V8 Guest
    Thanks guys, it feels good to have finally taken the plunge.

    No pics yet -- I pick it up in a few days.

    Peter H -- thanks very much for the advice. I have been trying to gain perspective on how to tackle this 'project' and I think you nailed it.

    There was (I think?) a very good guide, maybe on rangeroversnet that walked you through the process of new P38A ownership -- ie what the priorities are, whay you should buy. Things like an EAS emergency valve block (I am not describing that well at all. It's to isolate or by-pass airlines so you don't have to drive home on bump stops if there's a fault) I can't find any of that now.

    I usually want my 'new' cars better than new the day before yesterday, so this time I am really trying to be patient.

    I have a diagnostic tool lined up (either a used Hawkeye or I'll go for the EAS Unlock V4).

    Tyres are barely legal so that will be no 1 thing to do, esp with current rotten wet weather (rotton for driving or working on cars). The problem is that a lot of paint has lifted off the Hurricane alloys so I have to decide whether to buy a set of used Comets (my fave P38A alloy) that have some decent tyres that'll do for now or just get new cheap H/T tyres for the Hurricanes now and repaint the wheels later. I don't want to jump in the first week of ownership with a set of new $1200 A/Ts, but neither do I want to be slipping and sliding on the old tyres on now. Decisions, decisions...

    Next is to degrease the engine bay and underneath and give it a good clean inside and out.

    I've noticed the spares landscape in Sydney has changed a bit since 2015 (last time I looked into P38A ownership).

    My plan is to go through everything and have a close to standard tidy P38A that I can tow a caravan anywhere with as required.

  5. #5
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    [QUOTE=4X4V8;2972186]
    The temptation is to go nuts and just replace everything that moves but I want keep my priorities right. First get some fresh oils and filters into it, inspect it carefully and drive it some and work out priorities from there.

    [/QUOTE
    I like your choice of Rangie.

    As a priority I'd be looking for the proper operation of the radiator cooling fan viscous hub and fitting a new water pump. Either of these two things failing will be terminal for a P38 engine.

  6. #6
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    Yes, tyres and a wheel alignment sound like the most sensible first step.
    It's really up to how much you want to spend, but if the current rims are looking a bit worse for wear and you really like the comets, you could certainly put your stamp on the vehicle. If you put new tyres on the current rims you will want to get the value out of them, so they would be staying on for a while.
    If it were me, I'd probably do the following jobs:
    1/ Pollen filters, they are very easy to do and are often neglected.
    2/ Have a look at the plennum filter too, between the windsceen and the bonnet, that is often perished and needs replacing.
    3/ Next up I'd do the oil and filter change, which is pretty straight forward.
    4/ Then I'd change the diff oil front and rear, again, pretty straight forward, you just need a hand pump to get the new oil up and into the diff.
    5/ Next I'd probably do a transmission service, so drain the fluid, take off the casing, new filter, new fluid.
    6/ While under there anyway I'd also change the transfer case fluid.
    7/ Grease the drive line uni joints
    8/ Replace the power steering fluid
    9/ Coolant flush and replace, give the radiator a flush out, possibly a new thermostat as well if you don't know how old the current one is.
    10/ Check brake pads and rotors for wear and repace if needed
    11/ Brake fluid bleed, (a bit time consuming on a P38)

    There you go, that will keep you busy for a while!
    It's nice to know everything has been done.
    Others might add to this list, but that's certainly a good start!
    Hope that is of some help.

  7. #7
    4X4V8 Guest
    Thanks again Peter -- I'm actually going to cut/paste your list and stick it in a word doc and print it out. I'll tick off as I go. Gives the work to be done a sense of order.

    One area I don't want to leave for very long is the cooling system. Parts are cheap enough to replace just about everything in the system, and most of it is simple to do (heater core? Hmm, except that). Thanks Grumbles for reminding me how much I don't want the cooling system to let go.

    I''m going to get RAVE too, but looking at if I can run it on a Macbook. If not I have an old Windows XP laptop to run it on.

    I did notice the plenum filter was falling apart. Lots of leaves around the edges of the bonnet and in the lower front guards and no doubt the pollen filters are shot. It might be why it has the book icon.

    Actually once I get the car the first thing I'll do is get diagnostics software so that I can capture/clear codes.

    So much DIY P38A stuff on YouTube. The missing pixels on the HVAC screen I now know how to fix. I have done auto trans fluid/filter changes on other vehicles but the P38A procedure looks easier.

    There were some videos on dual exhaust systems. I didn't know there was an OEM set-up. Did Aus ever get it? I like the idea of a subtle dual system... but I am getting ahead of myself.

  8. #8
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    Over time I have replaced all the coolant hoses, water pump, radiator (twice), expansion tank (twice), thermostat (twice).
    There is a thin black hose that runs from the top of the radiator, around the battery and into the expansion tank, you may want to replace that too, they become brittle over time and can break easily when you try to remove them.
    I haven't read much about the heater core needing to be replaced, they seem to be pretty hardy, although having said that, I did have one fail on me once.
    One thing you might want to get is a proper hose clamp tool for the spring clamps, they make life so much easier when replacing hoses.

    I guess a good way to look at it, is eveything you replace, is taking potential worn points out of the system, the theory being you will have much less chance of breaking down at some very inconvenient moment!
    P38's do respond very well to a bit of TLC, there is also some confidence in the vehicle that comes with having everything in good shape.
    I also get a real sense of satisfaction having done it all myself, you know it's done and done properly.
    When it's your own vehicle, you are naturally going to make sure it's all properly done.

    Don't let all this info overwhelm you, just do one thing at a time and most importantly enjoy the superb ride!
    I live in Melbourne, so I tend to do most of the work during the warmer months, so it's all good through winter.
    Not much fun crawling under cars when it's freezing cold.

  9. #9
    4X4V8 Guest
    Peter I used to own an XJ Cherokee that like the P38 has a bad rep for reliability. Like the P38 I’m buying it had low Kay’s but was a bit neglected. I went through everything, replaced almost all the cooling system, the sensors known for playing up etc and went on to tow with it, did a lot of big trips towing a caravan, maybe 15,000km in total and never a single problem. Service parts for the P38 are mostly cheap, so I see it as preventative maintenance to replace parts that appear to have some life left in them. That’s my only worry - making sure what I buy does the job. Lots of cheap radiators around for example.

  10. #10
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    roverlord off road spares on the forum is the go to for quality, price and extremely good service. Mario and Heather, couldnt find more helpful suppliers
    cheers
    blaze

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