Range Rover P38 - 3 year / 15,000 mile costs and issues review

[@fmortazavi38]

Hi Ed, Thank you for sharing your journey about your p38. Funny thing is I bought a 2000 model two years ago to fix up as a COVID project. I can somewhat relate to your frustrations on working on this car as there was no shortage of things to fix. However, as things got fixed and it worked better and better I got more encouraged to keep going. I agree with you on the suspension bushings. Changing them made the ride dramatically better. Even one Land Rover mechanic who fixed an oil leak for me said “this car rides like a dream.” We hardly have any p38 on the roads around here in Los Angeles suburbs. One day a valet guy who was probably younger than the age of this car brought the car back and said with enthusiasm: ”this is cool …” Sorry to hear you are selling yours! Fred

[@namibgtv6]

Rangie looks lovely. The reason a lot of owners do not replace the intake scuttle foam filter under the windshield is mainly because the plastic panels, as well as the plastic clips are 20 something years old now, and break very very easily. (A quick google search will bring up quite a few posts warning about the fragile nature of the panels and clips) Also, as in my case, if you live in a very sandy/dusty environment, those foam pads become absolutely stuffed with dirt, and nearly impossible to clean, and ends up making the car look tatty. Regarding your experience with running cost, unfortunately these cars (and mostly all other older luxury cars) are not really practically affordable to run, unless you do mostly all the maintenance and repairs yourself. I can appreciate that this is not possible, or practical for many owners, and unfortunately that’s where these cars become expensive, and ultimately gain a bad reputation, especially because they can be had for less money than a 10 year old base model hatchback.., yet you will still be maintaining a complicated luxury vehicle. For the record, a well sorted P38 not only rides better than so many new SUV’s and cars (mainly because of this senseless obsession with low profile wheels, and racing bucket seats in all modern cars..) , but in the right hands will shame any new 4wd in harsh terrain. They do not make cars this way. The last REAL Rangie, with body on frame design, and live axles..

[@Land_Raver]

Very well said.

[@project9320]

220,000 miles 4.6 here.....still going strong!

[@andrewarcher2773]

Good Advice to which I would add join one of the UK or Australian forums. Most things are readily fixable - even when your BECM completely dies as mine did.

[@benfel9403]

Great video. Think you are correct about the brakes, I always knock my p38 into N when stationary and over 100,000 miles never had the warped brake issue.

[@samuelbackes4897]

I'll definitely be using the term 'Faffage Factor'

[@romanrob]

Nice vid, slightly painful bills. How much did you get for the car in the end?

[@classiced1416]

It made £5600 at auction, I was hoping for around £6k, so not too bad. For the right private buyer, £7k might have been possible, but if you hold out for longer, something can go wrong with the car in the meantime and wipe out any price advantage you might gain from not sending it to auction or setting a more realistic price in the first place.

[@chrisgreenwood271]

Good idea not to sit on the foot brake at lights etc. Head lining was a bargain one job I still need to do on mine.

[@carrickaidan]

You spent a total €10k on a 30 year car by going to a Land Rover specialist???

[@anthonyscolyer8094]

You've just scared the living daylights out of me! I've just bought my first Rangie-a 97 Autobiography here in South Aus. And your $9,000 pounds is about $15,000 Aus. Gulp. Just had it in for its first service/checkover and came out with a small list of things to do. But no aircon working. Been in the aircon specialty shop now a week and a half waiting for parts and still no end in sight. Its done 293,000 kms so I hope as you said any early faults have been fixed!! Mine seems to have an aftermarket exhaust as seems a bit throatier than yours. What fuel consumption are you getting as I haven't had a chance to hardly drive it yet but dash shows 26 litres per hundred kms from previous owner or 10.86 mpg in your figures. Horrors! Being an Autobiography I also have 18" rims and 55 profile tyres and Bilstein shocks but find mine rides very hard which surprised me as I was expecting a far more compliant ride. Any thoughts?

[@classiced1416]

So bear in mind that bill probably could have been cut by about a third if just minimum spend had been done, it would still be safe and legal, just wouldn’t drive as well. So maybe not so bad and I’d take a well looked after high miler over a garage queen every time. The P38’s ride divides opinion, it can be a fidget on the wrong road because like all the chassis Land Rovers, the front beam axle doesn’t ride asymmetric bumps very well compared to an independent set up. Should feel a bit better than Defender or Disco 1/2 because the air springs should insulate the body better. I wouldn’t say it is harsh, the springs should feel quite pliant, even if the body does rock on them. Haven’t tried the bilstein shocks, some people say they improve the body control, others say they ruin the ride! Personally I’d always go OEM and live with the wallow as LR intended! Re MPG, I get about 17 (imperial) mpg on the computer, mixed driving but not much heavy town.

[@anthonyscolyer8094]

@@classiced1416 At this stage with the Bilsteins I'd say they are ruining the ride!! I'd much prefer the wallow. As for the aircon I got rang up today. Will be a 2 month wait for parts now they have diagnosed the problem. Parts coming from U.K, U.S.A. AND Germany! Oh and its going to cost a cool $7000!!!!! Only paid $8700 for it. The minister of finance isn't going to see that A/c.😵‍💫

[@classiced1416]

@@anthonyscolyer8094 you have my sympathy re the aircon, it’s a big job to do the whole thing, but it’s very good when working!

[@romanrob]

Monroe shocks...esp front ( I think oem fronts are hard to come by anyway)

[@anthonyscolyer8094]

@@romanrob Thanks for that, just got some rears from Sydney made by Bearmach as I have one leaking so see how I fare with them for starters

[@pawpawbandit3871]

the background noise makes this long video - which would probably be really helpful, unbearable to pay close attention to

[@christophertownley6734]

Terrible background noise. Bye.

[@simon811]

Scrap it would have been better 😅