Thread: 300 Tdi at 185000 - what should I be saving for?

My 95 has done 230ks and has had no major repairs or break downs in the time ive owned it

Sorry to say but it cracks me up when people ask questions as you have , as if you are expecting the worst $$$$$ , No two cars are the same and will suffer different problems at times depending on service and the owner , Its a car it will cost you no matter what they dont last for ever
End of rant

fuel for your next holiday!

mine has 310000+ on it and it just did brisbane-cooma-brisbane hauling a 1 tonne plus camper just fine, apart from a couple of blowouts. i even passed the odd v8 :P

Originally Posted by incisor

fuel for your next holiday!
i even passed the odd v8 :P

.... as you drove past them filling up at the servo....

Originally Posted by 29dinosaur

.... as you drove past them filling up at the servo....

as i drove by them up inclines, thanks muchly!

even had uncleho agast when he was on watch...

not gunna talk about fuel stops .... painful memories abound there

you get them in the sweet spot at the bottom of the hill they tow pretty well while you can keep them in there... drive em like a v8 and they fade on you.....

ask achmed the produce driver.. he was impressed NOT!

how long is a piece of string...

What I mean by that is that the variability between different vehicles of the same year/model is huge depending on how it was when it left the factory and its subsequent life. You can be lucky and have a 200Tdi that does 450,000 kays with little more than new timing belts, a water pump and a new set of injectors (I know one of these, and it was interesting to read JC say that he thought most 200Tdis would need a new head gasket around the 250K k mark - I know he wasn't suggesting this is a universal law) or you can be one of the unlucky buggers that has a head gasket go on them at 50,000km - although I think maintenance has a lot to do with this (e.g. you can't blame a vehicle if you drive through mud and then don't clean the radiator fins).

Unfortunately, I think there is greater inherent variability in how LRs leave the factory than with many other makes - i.e. it's not just about maintenance!

Thanks for the replies. It was a "piece of string" question. I spose I was looking for comments along the lines of "you're lucky you have got that far without a new water pump" or "any slap at all in a drive train means a gazillion dollar bill is just over the horizon, start a heavy load of overtime immediately or buy lotto tickets"

I guess I'll wait and see how it pans out, the posts from owners say their vehicle is going strong after X kays are encouraging.

"Sorry to say but it cracks me up when people ask questions as you have , as if you are expecting the worst $$$$$ "

Umm, yes. This is a Landy tech forum isn't it? it is easy to expect the worst reading posts on the maintenance activities of others who know much more than I. I book mine in twice a year for a fluid &filter change and replace the odd hose & belt as required and you get to thinking the whole thing is going collapse in a pile of bits in tick of the clock due to neglect.

In some strange way, I also thought that coming here and posting a question like this might in some way be an offering to appease the Gods who may have thought I'd not had enough bad luck.

I've still got the black expansion tank too. That alone keeps me awake at night.

OK, this is a list of things that have broken/failed (and you've already swapped a few of these)

1. 90* turbo hose (became oil soaked and really soft)
2. lift pump (still worked but started to leak)
3. tensioner/idler pulley bearings failed on both sets of belts
4. valve stem caps. (the case hardening fails, pretty common)
5. LHS engine mount (typical of any engine, RHS tend to live forever unless oil soaked)
6. clutch fork failed @ 220,000km (pressure plate, etc was on its way out on inspection)
7. water pump belt tensioner assembly (centre nylon bush had become worn)
8. a couple of head welsch plugs at various times
9. alternator front bearing two weeks ago @ nearly 240,000km (and serviced the rear one at the same time)


this is a list of things changed/serviced 'just in case'...

1. rear needle roller on alternator (twice now. the synthetic high temp grease I've used has lasted very well)
2. expansion tank (started to separate along seam)
3. all radiator/coolant hoses (keep old ones as spares)
4. t/stat
5. timing belt twice (and tensioner pulleys at last change, 178,800km. The bearings had started to fail at this distance) also swapped out the timing case pulley/fan bearing JIC.
6. front and rear main seals when opened up.
7. fan viscous clutch (bearings don't last forever)
8. sump seal when I bought it, and need to do it again.
9. a couple of sets of belts.

Still the original water pump, power steering pump, etc. Radiator has been serviced a couple of times. Did a combustion gas test twelve months ago and everything checked OK.

As long as maintainance is kept up and you are vigilent in regards to coolant temp and fluid levels, i wouldnt panic over how many k's its done. My disco has 226k on the clock and to me it drives like new.