vanmover1 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 hi,can anyone help me,i am thinking of buying a 2.5hse diesel auto,1998.been told they suffer a lot of electric problems,can anyone help with advice please as regards what to look out for,thanks,dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrRob Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Run away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Don't get a diesel P38, and especially not an auto. Get a nice V8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally V8 Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Did they make a nice P38 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Sure, they're a lovely vehicle when they're not acting up too much, and it's a whole lot of car for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poohbear Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Not diesel specific but general things to look out for include: Leaking heater matrix o rings - evident by wet drivers side carpets. Book symbol on hevac display - stuck/busted blend motors - often due to clogged pollen filters. Blocked sunroof drains/air con drains. All sorts of EAS problems - leaky valve blocks and air bags leading to worn compressor -EAS lock out (35mph max warning on dash). Sync issues between keys and becm. Various battery drain problems. People te.d not to service or repair them properly due to the high costs so keep your eyes out for one with as much history as possible. Go for the very best you can afford, and get friendly with your local independant. All problems can be solved, go and have a look at rangerovers.net, it's a mine of information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poohbear Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Main under Bonnet fuse box is another common failure - though I believe this is more to do with V8 running temps. Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 one question... are you mad. now ill be serious. theyre arlight, IF you really arent bothered about gettin anywhere in any form of hurry. they are epicly slow!. the only other problem is they are prone to crack radiators, and the gearboxes seem to have more common faults than the petrol version. although its the same box so maybe all my experiences have been coincidences Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 They are like any other vehicle , you get good and bad ones , the diesels will do mega miles , and are a nice drive , but not fast accelerating , cruising is OK The diesel auto does about 26mpg , if driven reasonably . Look for low owners and history , helps lower the ods of getting a lemon . HTSH ps the l322 was quite an improvement on pace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Roberts Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Our diesel auto did 19mpg until it was super chipped, then it did 23 and no longer had a huge flat spot in the middle. Had trouble with air con, belt tensioners, props shafts - most of the electrical was ok - was COunty spec so manuals seats..... Wouldn't have one without a warranty..... it turned out to be the last Land Rover product we had as a daily driver - after loosing nearly £25K on that and it's predecessor (a Discovery) I jacked in and went Japanese..... the wife is just about ok with the Classic Bobtail as long as I don't go mad with the £sssss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete3000 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Some of this posted in a earlier thread Owning a p38 requires deep pockets and a love of the marque, trying to reason it's good value doesn't add up. But then the enjoyment driving when it is working is nice. Things to look for air spings, condition of and eas working (changes height and holds the height) ABS modulator condition air con working and heater etc 2 keys and making sure car doesn't flatten battery over 2-3 days. rusty tailgate? bottom edge of lower tailgate gearboxes are prone to need doing around 100k miles. autobox needs regular fluid changes. If its not been done at 60,000 walk away diagnostics can be pricey unless you buy a dedicated per vehicle/vin box (not per model) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy2986 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Ive bought a 4.6 HSE P38. I know you were asking about diesels. I Think, for the money it's a cracking car. Mine is only a stop gap car until my disco is fully rebuilt (hopefully mid Jan) It has a few faults, the HEVAC has a fault symbol up but seems to work OK and the central locking doesn't work properly, But none of those things detract from the car in my eyes. It's a great drive, eats up motorway miles and is soooo comfy I haven't done anything to mine save water and oil (oh and petrol.... Lots of petrol !!!) If I were to keep it I would invest in one of the diagnostic thing's from black box ( think thats them) then depending what it says repair and replace as necessary. Andy. Oh P.S When I first got it I took it on a few lanes, just to see how it would do. It did very well didn't get stuck at all we were all very impressed..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rampant range Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Not diesel specific but general things to look out for include:Leaking heater matrix o rings - evident by wet drivers side carpets. Book symbol on hevac display - stuck/busted blend motors - often due to clogged pollen filters. Blocked sunroof drains/air con drains. All sorts of EAS problems - leaky valve blocks and air bags leading to worn compressor -EAS lock out (35mph max warning on dash). Sync issues between keys and becm. Various battery drain problems. People te.d not to service or repair them properly due to the high costs so keep your eyes out for one with as much history as possible. Go for the very best you can afford, and get friendly with your local independant. All problems can be solved, go and have a look at rangerovers.net, it's a mine of information! and I still bought one you are not the owner rather owned by a range rover got to say I do love my P38 deisel even if it does lock me out occasionally but the wife does that and i still put up with her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poohbear Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Love mine to - and to date it's not cost me much more than the tdi 110 it replaced to keep it running. Factor in the cost of a decent diagnostics machine and get stuck in (main stealer wanted £70 just to read codes!). To date I've managed to carry out the following on the drive: Rebuilt valve block Rebuilt air compressor Replaced both lambdas and full exhaust Replaced height sensor Replaced SRS ecu Replaced heater matrix o-rings Replaced blend motors Replaced airspring Repaired various ball joint rubbers Nothing too scary - biggest cost (apart from fuel!) Has been full set of tyres and the nanocom.. Not sure I could live with a diesel though D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lincsoldbird Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Hi thanks folks that was my P38 he was looking at. Its got full service history, a chipped engine so does go, I,m the 3rd owner, new air bags pump and valve block. Does 30 around town and 35 on a run, returned 27 bringing a classic back from Northumberland to lincs. Now sold so can,t be that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poohbear Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Just goes to show that when properly looked after they are a good buy - it's just that they are expensive to keep serviced and that there are an awefull lot of lemons out there. As has been mentioned above, you cannot justify the P38 as a 'sensible' buy, but what the hell, everyone has to live a little! And you can get a hell of a lot of car for not a lot of money - If you're careful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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