The p38a

[lambert]

Is it as bad as it's wider reputation would have one beleive? I know you get the odd bad car in any model range but they cant all be bad can they? Would it also be fair to say that if one has got this far in life most of it's ill's will be sorted making for a better on- going reliability record?

[Guardian.]

there might be the odd good one out there :o

[v8kenny]

Getting fed up with people slagging the P38 all the time
The trouble is, you only here about the bad ones - if they were that bad why did land rover make so many ?
I have had mine for a year now and the nearest it has come to breaking down is a blown fog lamp bulb - not bad for ANY 11 year old car
I know there were issues when they first came out and this has perpetuated the myth that they are all crap - well guess what, there not !
I reckon they are a great buy now - you get a lot of car for your money


No doubt someone will be along in a minute to tell you that ALL the 4.6 V8's have porous blocks and need rebuilding (nonsense)
Then they will say the air suspension will fail and cost a fortune to sort - another myth, genuine air springs now cost about 60 quid a corner and will last for 10 years or more - expensive ? I don't think so
They are far easier to fit than coil springs too
Compressors can be rebuilt for 20 odd quid too
Loads of spares on ebay and plenty of suppliers in the landy mags selling parts too
With independant garages springing up everywhere with diagnostic equipment then there is no need to go anywhere near a main dealer - that's where the real costs lay

[RCRockCrawler]

I suppose it's the same as all the Freelander myths, that every 1.8 K series is explosive, and is useless off road. The prices are coming down now, and although it's not a 'proper' land rover, it's a very good car.

[lambert]

It was the cheap bit that was interesting me. :D

[barnhill4x4]

Had mine for just over a year, covered 30k+ miles in that time and the car has covered 166kmiles!
  I use it hard pulling trailers and caravans and I take it off road. Only majorish prob was a front wheel bearing! I have changed pads and tyres but they are wear and tear items anyway.
  I love it!

[thermidorthelobster]

Not ALL 4.6s have porous blocks, but a fair few DO have slipping liners.  Take a look at how many on the second hand market have had a new engine at about 95,000 miles.  Not all of them, but a good few.

Similarly, a fair few have problems with the EAS sooner or later.  Air springs might be cheap, but valve blocks aren't so cheap (although now you can recon many of the parts, it's a lot better than it used to be).

I loved my P38a but I found it too much of a headache;  there's a lot that could go wrong, and when it does, it can be rather expensive (although that's getting better now, particularly with the EAS).  I would only have another one if I was confident my bank account could stand it.

In the 6 months I had mine, I probably spent over £2.5K on it - new air springs (not OEM), new EAS compressor, new MAF meter (£350 new, £130 from a breaker), realigned crank sensor;  but the main part was I had to replace the whole LPG system because the injectors were shot.  It also had a new flywheel at a cost of £800 to the dealer who sold it to me (the old one disintegrated the day after I bought it).  This was a 115K car which had had a brand new 4.6 engine at 95K.

When I sold it, the whole thing was working great, but I suspect the ABS accumulator was on its way out, although the garage could never find anything wrong with it.  At that point I decided my bank account couldn't handle the risks.

[v8kenny]

Not ALL 4.6s have porous blocks, but a fair few DO have slipping liners.  Take a look at how many on the second hand market have had a new engine at about 95,000 miles.  Not all of them, but a good few.

Similarly, a fair few have problems with the EAS sooner or later.  Air springs might be cheap, but valve blocks aren't so cheap (although now you can recon many of the parts, it's a lot better than it used to be).

I loved my P38a but I found it too much of a headache;  there's a lot that could go wrong, and when it does, it can be rather expensive (although that's getting better now, particularly with the EAS).  I would only have another one if I was confident my bank account could stand it.

In the 6 months I had mine, I probably spent over £2.5K on it - new air springs (not OEM), new EAS compressor, new MAF meter (£350 new, £130 from a breaker), realigned crank sensor;  but the main part was I had to replace the whole LPG system because the injectors were shot.  It also had a new flywheel at a cost of £800 to the dealer who sold it to me (the old one disintegrated the day after I bought it).  This was a 115K car which had had a brand new 4.6 engine at 95K.

When I sold it, the whole thing was working great, but I suspect the ABS accumulator was on its way out, although the garage could never find anything wrong with it.  At that point I decided my bank account couldn't handle the risks.

I agree there was a liner issue - mainly caused by localised hot spots in the engine caused by the auto box not changing down on hills and making the engine labour a bit IIRC
Service history is vital too - everyone knows how much V8's rely on clean oil
Sounds like you were unfortunate enough to have your suspension probs before parts became cheaper - I picked up a second hand compressor on ebay for £20 plus p&p, put a new teflon seal in for £20 odd and it now sits in my shed, as good as new ready for use if needed
As you know now, valve blocks can be fitted with new o rings etc so I don't reckon air suspension is too bad now
I must admit though If I had to chuck two and half grand at mine in the first six months I would be put off too !  :shock:
Reckon you were just dead unlucky - as I said you really only hear about the bad 'uns
I must say that in my personal experience the rangie is head and shoulders above the TD5 Disco it replaced

[thermidorthelobster]

I must say that in my personal experience the rangie is head and shoulders above the TD5 Disco it replaced

'sfunny - I went the opposite route and I'm happiest with the Disco.  Mine has hardly been problem-free but it just suits me better.

[v8kenny]

I must say that in my personal experience the rangie is head and shoulders above the TD5 Disco it replaced

'sfunny - I went the opposite route and I'm happiest with the Disco.  Mine has hardly been problem-free but it just suits me better.

Well there you go then - what do I know !  :lol:

Don't ask me why I don't like Disco's - I just don't and can't put my finger on why
Had a 200 series V8 for a few months as well and didn't like that either !

[Lee_D]

OK, maybe better to ask in the http://rangerovers.net/forum/
to see if any one has one that has been trouble free.

I completely jumped the p38 because of it's reputation.

Everyone I know with one has had trouble over and above what I would deem acceptible for a car of such high purchase cost in the first place.

[thermidorthelobster]

I must say that in my personal experience the rangie is head and shoulders above the TD5 Disco it replaced

'sfunny - I went the opposite route and I'm happiest with the Disco.  Mine has hardly been problem-free but it just suits me better.

Well there you go then - what do I know !  :lol:

To be fair, the P38a was lovely to drive.  You could burn up BMW 320s, waft along on the motorways in luxury, and still drive Sarn Helen.  It did put a smile on my face, but then I lived in constant fear of the next thing that was going to go wrong  :(

[TDi90]

but then I lived in constant fear of the next thing that was going to go wrong  :(

bit like every land rover ?!  :roll:

[L90OOK]

Don't ask me why I don't like Disco's - I just don't and can't put my finger on why...

Same here :-s
The P38 is a lovely drive...armchair offroading at it's best :lol:

[Jake]

The biggest problem i've seen with P38's is the air suspension.
Its not that dear to change them to coils though.
And the conversion really sorts out the ride.
No more whalloing into the corners  
 :D

[v8kenny]

The biggest problem i've seen with P38's is the air suspension.
Its not that dear to change them to coils though.
And the conversion really sorts out the ride.
No more whalloing into the corners  
 :D

Hate to disagree with you Jake - air suspension rocks
As for wallowing into corners, mine doesn't ?

[thermidorthelobster]

I liked the EAS on mine - lovely ride most of the time - but I did sometimes find it a bit wallowy.  I suspect the shocks (115,000 miles) might not have been doing their job properly.  I wasn't tempted to replace the air with metal springs, even at the price;  had I kept it I'd have replaced the shocks and seen if that made a difference.

Kenny, now you're making me want another one  :lol:

[L90OOK]

Kenny, now you're making me want another one  :lol:

It's about time you sold your Disco having sorted all the problems on it  :roll:  :lol:

[v8kenny]

Kenny, now you're making me want another one  :lol:

Go on....................................................................you know you want to !  :lol:

[Jake]

Hate to disagree with you Jake - air suspension rocks
As for wallowing into corners, mine doesn't ?

Thats fine
I've never owned a P38 and therfore have no first hand experience with them
I've seen our workshop working on loads of P38's with air problems, hence why i said.
We've done quite a few coil conversions now too
I still like them though, i nearly brought one instead of my current disco
 8)

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

I have never owned one, but used to drive a v8 4.0 regularly at work that was loaded with comms equipment and I found it very pleasant to drive.
A friend of mine had a 2.5 straight 6 diesel manual which ended cracking the block due to the cooling system silting up at the back end of the block. According to LR they needed regular flushing out as the common mistake was to refil with tap water and anti freeze. Apparently is distilled water is used, there is no build up of crud in the cooling system, which solves the problem.
And yes, it was very comfortable to drive off road and very capable.
Mind you, when I took the Plod one off road, the traffic boys got most upset as I got mud all over it!  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[andycwb]

Mine was wallowy when I first got it - a set of Koni shocks sorted that out straight away! If you think the genuine shocks are about £40 each, and the Konis are more like £100 each, you get the idea!

In the grand scheme of things, mine was probably about average - I had a couple of 4 figure bills in the 6 1/2 years I owned mine, though I was starting to suspect a few more down the road which is one of the reasons I sold it earlier this year.   I think in five years time (so when they're all 10+ years old) they'll be something of a rarity: it was LRs first foray into a "serious" electronically controlled car and they didn't have all the design issues solved.

I'd wanted a Range Rover since I was about 11 years old - someone drove past me in a "denim blue" classic and I told my mother "that's what I'm going to drive when I'm older".

"Don't be daft", she said, "you'll never be able to afford to run one of them".

To this day I can't figure out if that's the least encouraging thing she ever said to me, or a superb example of reverse psychology.  But I had a HUGE grin on my face when I parked it outside her house!!!

I told her the only reason I hadn't sold her into slavery to pay for an L322 was that they wouldn't give me enough for her!  
 :D