Does the P in P38 stand for Paranoia?

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martynv8

martynv8

Well-Known Member
Posts
2,258
Location
Sheffield
Hi there,

Having recently acquired my P38 4.6V8 i'm loving it...but one thing has struck me. The other day, 150 miles into my journey i realized i hadn't turned my stereo on (& it's a great sounding HK system & i love my music). Reason being i was to pre-occupied with listening for any sounds, bumps & general pre warning 'grumbles' from mr rangie. So am i the only P38 owner who spends most their time worrying / waiting for something to go wrong or is it just the plight of our ownership??:violin:
 
why do you think they have such a good sound system,turn it up loud,
you won't hear any worrying noises then.
 
I have just bought the same model, with the same stereo in it too.

Your post resonates with me, I'm sit there trying to decipher the noises but I expect as the miles increase the worry will abate, providing it doesn't break down of course.

The problem is that you can read loads on the net about how many problems they can have, and the expense of correcting them at the LR dealers you're almost expecting to bankrupt yourself in a year before you've even bought one.

I've read a lot of stories about owner misery, but I've read a lot of stories about people who never had a problem and don't know one end of a spanner from the other, just entrusting it to the local village mechanic.

You could look at it this way, there will be very little depreciation to go on these cars now, prices are very low for the amount of car you get. If you'd spent your money on a newish estate Mondeo, you'll be loosing as much as you'll spend on repairs on depreciation. Add to that flat rate road tax (if pre 2000) reasonable insurance premiums, simple enough mechanicals to work on yourself, plenty of used spares about at reasonable prices and they suddenly don't look like such a bad buy.

If you spend a bit to improve things you may even see an increase in value.

Mine looks in good mechanical order, but there are a few cosmetic things like sagging sunroof lining, and a sticky electric window. Made it much harder for the guy to sell, but they are an easy fix to anybody with the inclination to do so, and will make it a better (and more valuable) car for the sake of a weekend's work.

At the end of the day, we've taken the plunge now, so we may as well enjoy it.

I'll be studying RAVE if you need me
 
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Hi Gorsky,

Very True, i guess we all read horror stories about the P38 but nobody posts anything saying 'well, i've had the rangie for a year & no probs'. So i guess we do expect the worst. So far though i'm just enjoying the bits i'm confident in doing : Replaced door speaker, colour coded front grill & headlight sills, new gas strut on cubby box, a good clean of the cream leather etc. And above all i'm proud to be driving around in luxury that was over 50k new. It beats my last car (company car - 09 Touareg ) hands down on all counts.
If i get the confidence to tackle any mechanical problems that appear it still represents fantastic value with only the cost of parts to consider.
 
Hello Martyn,

I have been what I call a bottom feeder with cars for years.

I've had all sorts of things that cost £100, with the thought that if anything went wrong I'd just throw it away and buy another banger.

Thing is they almost never went wrong, providing I changed the oil and stuff. Also as it's an "old car" you tend not to spend money on fixing things you might have done if it had £10,000 of your money tied up in it.

A few years ago I spent the monumental sum (to me) of £2000 on a 1995 Jag XJ6. I'd always liked them and thought sod it, if anything goes wrong I'll scrap it and take the hit. It's run like clockwork since I got it, never let me down, and drives like you'd expect a Jag to. I loved it.

I'm only selling it because I've got a growing family and the boot isn't big enough for bikes and stuff, and so as I now have a taste for leather and walnut I went for a P38!

I love the fact that you can have a £50,000 car for less than a 10th now-a-days. And if you buy carefully they should be fine. Massive engines aren't likely to be scared off by high milage, and although some people think LR quality control is a bit suspect, you should compare the quality of my RR interior to a Fiat Punto I once had. No contest!
 
martynv8 said:
Hi Gorsky,

Very True, i guess we all read horror stories about the P38 but nobody posts anything saying 'well, i've had the rangie for a year & no probs'. So i guess we do expect the worst. So far though i'm just enjoying the bits i'm confident in doing : Replaced door speaker, colour coded front grill & headlight sills, new gas strut on cubby box, a good clean of the cream leather etc. And above all i'm proud to be driving around in luxury that was over 50k new. It beats my last car (company car - 09 Touareg ) hands down on all counts.
If i get the confidence to tackle any mechanical problems that appear it still represents fantastic value with only the cost of parts to consider.
Click to expand...

Not so, a few have posted that the car is going OK, I've had mine for 3 years now, it's had plenty of niggles, I have a long list to deal with when I service it next, but it as never let me down. Definately not Jap turn the key and go reliability though.
 
O.K. I'll stick my head over the parapet. I've had my Rangie for just over two years now. It's never me and has happily taken me from Bristol to Scotland many times. In fact if you ignore the air-con (I do) I've not even had a warning light. One seized rear caliper but that was my fault being a little sloppy replacing pads hurriedly in a rain storm.

I have replaced; thermostat, fan, compressor, drier, bags, discs and pads but thanks to this forum I did all of these before they caused me any major issues so I class all of these as servicing.

So do I waft along in a self satisfied smug manner with the stereo playing away? Not a bloody chance. Every squeak, groan, click or squeal keeps me on edge.
 
dogsbody said:
O.K. I'll stick my head over the parapet. I've had my Rangie for just over two years now. It's never me and has happily taken me from Bristol to Scotland many times. In fact if you ignore the air-con (I do) I've not even had a warning light. One seized rear caliper but that was my fault being a little sloppy replacing pads hurriedly in a rain storm.

I have replaced; thermostat, fan, compressor, drier, bags, discs and pads but thanks to this forum I did all of these before they caused me any major issues so I class all of these as servicing.

So do I waft along in a self satisfied smug manner with the stereo playing away? Not a bloody chance. Every squeak, groan, click or squeal keeps me on edge.
Click to expand...
Me too, thats part of Range Rover ownsership, get used to the 'normal' smells and noises, vibrations and grumbles....then you can spot the 'abnormal' ones....

Many times I have been sitting at a set of lights, window down, head out sniffing like a hound dog at the air and listening for noises will gentle revving the engine....much to the other traffic's amusement....!!:D
 
Glad its not just me then, to add insult to injury last friday hit a speed bump at the wrong angle and it took the rear tyre off the rim - never had that happen before, serious brown trouser moment.
Then the plug on my trailer wriggled out and blew fuse 17, so I got ABS and traction control error messages.
I was nervous wreck when I got home, only went to pick up a new RF receiver because the battery kept going flat and I was worried about burning out door locks .................... doesn't happen with the wife's bloody Fiat Panda.
 
Ive had mine two days and already had to sort leaks from coolant,atf fluid and pas fluid.
have disconnected RF reciever aeriel too......

Had an error message saying ABS fault earlier but went off after ten minutes and has stayed that way since thank christ...

Not enjoying driving it at the moment as im constantly checking the temp gauge and wondering how hard to accelerate up hills etc.....
 
Wow, glad to hear some on here also have a trouble free ownership! I guess i'll leave the stereo off for a while longer & really get to know the rangies many foibles. Mind you tis a great soundtrack when i do a kick down (when i dare)!
 
Paranoia is fine. I don't sit with the window open tho cos the smell of unburnt fuel make me feel sick! Just enjoy the lovely noise of the V8
 
martyn

like you when I got mine (june 2011) I was expecting all sorts of problems but I've wanted a rangie for years. I don't care much for the shape of the L322 and, as it is my daily driver (approx 1000/month) a classic was just too old. I also wanted the big V8 but not LPG converted as they are loads cheaper to buy and get converted yourself.

Took me nearly 2 years to find mine and in teh 10 months I've owned her, she's gone from 80,000 miles to 96,000 & not missed a beat. Uses no oil or water but there have been jobs:

- replaced front airbags - they were the originals but the rears had already been done (£165.00 fitted by local indy garage)
- new bulbs in HEVAC unit ((9.99 from ebay)
- new gas strut in glovebox & cubby box (£24.99 the pair, island 4x4)
- replaced frayed drivers seat belt (£19.99 ebay)
- BRC LPG system (£2300.00, local indy)
- changed front sidelights to LED (£14.00 ebay)
- full set of fluids & filters changed (oil, petrol, gearbox, brakes)

Jobs for 2012

- 2 new rear tyres
- keep it clean

couldn't be happier but for the first few months like you, I listened out and worried about every little noise etc. but not now, I keep it maintained/serviced & replace/repair whatever needs doing before it becomes a problem

I used t orun Shogun's & Landcruisers before and even tho' they rightly have a reputation of just "turn key & go" they had no soul, unlike the RR.

Wouldn't go back, enjoy yours
 
Cheers Hawaii,

Ive only had mine for the best part of 2 months so hope mines as trouble free. I guess the key with these complex beasts is keeping on top of servicing & sorting out issues before they become major problems. I saw so many neglected rangies in my quest its no surprise they get a reputation. Luckily for me i work from home so i don't run the car as an everyday commute, i think if i did then i would have been put off the P38 when i researched them. I do find any excuse to take him out for a spin though. Having said that i do have to go to london every couple of weeks & on a full tank of LPG it gets me there & back (just). No going back for me now.
 
They say paranoia is the best form of defence . I still listen and check once in a while. But when you do finally learn to relax and enjoy. its a darn good feeling so relax And enjoy .
Ps don't read the thread about the burnt out one or maybe you should but that will give you more to look out for .
 
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