Aragorn Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Given that the P38 replaced the RRC in '94, and they're now getting into the same price range as Disco1's i'm just wondering how they compare in terms of rust? Most D1's are starting to show signs of rot, mainly in the bodywork. I've never heard much about P38's going the same way, so i'm wondering if they're any better in this regard? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q-rover Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Just remove the rear bumper, that should answer your question. Rear lower tailgate can go as well. That's about as far as I have expirienced, and 'rectified' on mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 They are considerably less rusty than Discovery ones, but not immune to it - see q-rover's post above Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie50 Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 My 95 P38 DSE has many issues but rust isnt one of them, almost no rust anywhere despite nearly 2 years in our rather harsh climate the only sign of anything is at the bottom of the tail gate, they do seam to be less troubled than some models Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 Interesting, i wonder if they galvanised the bodyshell? They do seem to be getting rather cheap these days, just dunno if swapping the disco for one would be a good idea or if it would turn into a moneypit. I REALLY hate under-vehicle welding, but general mechanics doesnt really bother me all that much (nor does electrics as long as there are decent wiring diagrams available) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Don't think so - just better designed with a lot fewer water traps and maybe better paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Roberts Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 I had a 2000 County diesel - the skin of the tailgate seperated from the frame - it started bubbling at the bottom and next thing I know the skin had rotted through where it was folded around the frame - the vehicle was just coming up 6 years at the time - not bad for a vehicle that cost £47K new! (not that I paid that for it). For day to day transport I'm afraid I went Japanese. I found that the P38 was just as (if not more) unreliable than the 26 year old Classic 2 door I also had at the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie50 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I have to agree with you Darren, in terms of reliability the older product was better however, there are fewer rust problems with the newer L/R's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_H Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Interesting, i wonder if they galvanised the bodyshell? They do seem to be getting rather cheap these days, just dunno if swapping the disco for one would be a good idea or if it would turn into a moneypit. I REALLY hate under-vehicle welding, but general mechanics doesnt really bother me all that much (nor does electrics as long as there are decent wiring diagrams available) No, they're not galvanised. IIRC there weren't any galv facilities at Solihull back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveturnbull Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I REALLY hate under-vehicle welding, but general mechanics doesnt really bother me all that much (nor does electrics as long as there are decent wiring diagrams available) There's electrics, then there's P38 electrics. Ever seen one with the interior removed? It's a snakes nest of wiring all over the place. Proper big chunky snakes right down to little tiddlers. More to the point, you need £5k's worth of AutoLogic system to be able to diagnose absolutely anything. And most of what does wrong is hidden so deeply underneath the dash that you have to dismantle most of the car to get to it. I'm not afraid of electrickery, but P38's are just brain-ache witchcraft. Pass me the welder any day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 More to the point, you need £5k's worth of AutoLogic system to be able to diagnose absolutely anything. And most of what does wrong is hidden so deeply underneath the dash that you have to dismantle most of the car to get to it. Not true any more - you can get a Blackbox diagnostic kit (locked to a single vehicle - not sure if you can transfer it if you change the car, but I'd hope so ) for about £650. Air suspension can now be handled with free software (you'll still need to buy or make a custom lead, and depending on your computer a serial->USB converter). That's still a fair chunk of money, but at least it's getting down into the realms of possibility for a DIY mechanic. It is, however, enough I haven't dared try and get it past the management yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Hmmm, I've got two chips on mine which are down to bare metal, I know for a fact they've been there for over a year they're still shiny silver, so I don't think the body is standard steel. One chip is next to the rear cluster on the side, and the other is on the bonnet. As for diagnostics, you can change the VIN on the BBS Faultmate but it incurs and admin fee (£50 IIRC) BBS have just announced a new product though which will be launched in January for the p38 which will allow full diagnostic reading and resetting of fault codes for £199+VAT. It's a self contained unit so can be left in the glovebox. It doesn't have all the features of the faultmate but it looks to be good value for money and does most of what the average home mechanic would want to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Hmmm, I've got two chips on mine which are down to bare metal, I know for a fact they've been there for over a year they're still shiny silver, so I don't think the body is standard steel. Outer panels (most of them - not sure about the bonnet!) are aluminium alloy like most land rovers. As for diagnostics, you can change the VIN on the BBS Faultmate but it incurs and admin fee (£50 IIRC) I could live with that - they need some sort of disincentive to avoid abuse, given the only difference from the full version aimed at garages is the single vehicle limit. BBS have just announced a new product though which will be launched in January for the p38 which will allow full diagnostic reading and resetting of fault codes for £199+VAT. It's a self contained unit so can be left in the glovebox. It doesn't have all the features of the faultmate but it looks to be good value for money and does most of what the average home mechanic would want to do. I'm still holding out for the one that lets me tinker with everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted December 11, 2009 Author Share Posted December 11, 2009 Its a shame decent affordable diagnostics arent available for these trucks like they are for some other vehicles. For our A4 I baught a cable from ebay for a tenner and downloaded some free shareware software which allows me to read fault codes on most pre-2001 VAG models, and for around £200 you can buy a licence for the same software and an upgraded lead that will work on any VAG motor from the early 90's to present, and also allow you to alter settings and features in all the different electronic systems, reprogram the immobiliser and suchlike! Although it does sound like the prices are heading in the right direction, i'll have to take a look at these new products. I guess i'll be sticking with the disco for a while longer yet, but when it dies i'll have to have another look. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 Its a shame decent affordable diagnostics arent available for these trucks like they are for some other vehicles. For our A4 I baught a cable from ebay for a tenner and downloaded some free shareware software which allows me to read fault codes on most pre-2001 VAG models, and for around £200 you can buy a licence for the same software and an upgraded lead that will work on any VAG motor from the early 90's to present, and also allow you to alter settings and features in all the different electronic systems, reprogram the immobiliser and suchlike! Although it does sound like the prices are heading in the right direction, i'll have to take a look at these new products. I guess i'll be sticking with the disco for a while longer yet, but when it dies i'll have to have another look. Cheers I've got the same VAG-COM cable for our Ford Galaxy, it's excellent for a tenner and does so much, last time I looked the full version of the software was £85, but the free version does most things needed - it would be good if something similar was released for the p38 though, It does seem to be getting better though - the free EAS software looks good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 The free EAS software is excellent - you need a specially wired serial to OBDCII cable, so it would be worth getting hold of the bits and making one, or buying a ready made one (at least one person sells them online) before you need it. I didn't and had to find someone to borrow one from, which took a few days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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