P38 questions.!!

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H

H17N DJ

New Member
Posts
65
Location
Milton Keynes
Hello all! i am a new forum member and im looking into buying a P38 HSE to replace my C class Merc just for a change! just looking at common problems, servicing costs and any other costs i guess. economy and fuel tank size would also be helpful. basically any help to help me decide good or bad would be greatly appreciated...! thannks in advance

Hiten
 
the firs and hardest thing to do is find a good one, servicing is no more than most other cars if you doing it yourself. the best i can think of is put where you are up and ask for somebody to look at one with you , they are a nice lot on here sometimes .. lol
 
j the range said:
the firs and hardest thing to do is find a good one, servicing is no more than most other cars if you doing it yourself. the best i can think of is put where you are up and ask for somebody to look at one with you , they are a nice lot on here sometimes .. lol
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Thanks buddy...! I am in Milton Keynes... anything in particular to look out for as ive seen a couple on autotrader which i am thinking about looking at
 
H17N DJ said:
i have seen these... dont know what you guys think?

LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER 4.6 Vogue 4dr Auto Estate- Auto Trader UK

LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER 4.6 HSE 4dr Auto Estate- Auto Trader UK
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As far as you can tell from an advert that looks not a bad one to start with. It's nice of him to give you such a lovely bargaining point as saying that it's got to go this week.

Go have a look. Leave your cheque book at home. Drive it, try EVERYTHING, then go home and think carefully and leave the seller to stew for a while. Any queries you have, ask on here BEFORE you buy it.
 
dogsbody said:
As far as you can tell from an advert that looks not a bad one to start with. It's nice of him to give you such a lovely bargaining point as saying that it's got to go this week.

Go have a look. Leave your cheque book at home. Drive it, try EVERYTHING, then go home and think carefully and leave the seller to stew for a while. Any queries you have, ask on here BEFORE you buy it.
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thank you for your help! well its been on there for over a week now actually and the price has been dropped too! will go check it out then see :)
 
Looks to be in very good condition to me - mine took a lot of work to bring it up to this kind of standard. It could be that the suspension is just set to its low setting for getting in / out. Make sure it raises fully and check the underside for condition of the airbags - make sure they are not worn out. The list is quite long if you are looking for every common fault, but don't let that put you off. I have had a superb time with my 4.6 HSE, despite some repairs. I don't bother with dealer servicing - far too expensive. Its pretty easy to do a good job with DIY servicing, and you KNOW you're using good parts if you do it yourself. You won't regret owning a Rangie. Just get a good one... Good luck.
 
thanks everone for your help

Karl702123 said:
Looks to be in very good condition to me - mine took a lot of work to bring it up to this kind of standard. It could be that the suspension is just set to its low setting for getting in / out. Make sure it raises fully and check the underside for condition of the airbags - make sure they are not worn out. The list is quite long if you are looking for every common fault, but don't let that put you off. I have had a superb time with my 4.6 HSE, despite some repairs. I don't bother with dealer servicing - far too expensive. Its pretty easy to do a good job with DIY servicing, and you KNOW you're using good parts if you do it yourself. You won't regret owning a Rangie. Just get a good one... Good luck.
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how do i kknow what to look for and where to look for regards to the airbags? what do they look like and how do i know they are worn out etc? yeah i thought it was in get out mode! also how would i know if there air suspension is working properly? lights? noises etc? sorry about the questions. im going to see one tonight local to me on a "P" plate so will give it a little test and see how it goes :)!
 
To check the bags themselves it not that easy unless you are able to get underneath & look for cracks etc. but some are just OK so unless you know what to look for dont worry. But you should check that it works from inside the car.
In the middle of the dash there is a rocker switch to raise or lower the car. This should 1. work to change height and 2. display on the little lights next to it the current status (ride height). It should be in Normal height at lower speeds, then when driving at higher speed (about 55mph on mine) after a short while it should lower itself to Motorway level. When you slow down & stop it should come back up to normal height (after a little while, 30secs - 1 minute). Crawler mode (very low, and extra high mode are only achieved using the switch on the dash.
 
nisbeam said:
To check the bags themselves it not that easy unless you are able to get underneath & look for cracks etc. but some are just OK so unless you know what to look for dont worry. But you should check that it works from inside the car.
In the middle of the dash there is a rocker switch to raise or lower the car. This should 1. work to change height and 2. display on the little lights next to it the current status (ride height). It should be in Normal height at lower speeds, then when driving at higher speed (about 55mph on mine) after a short while it should lower itself to Motorway level. When you slow down & stop it should come back up to normal height (after a little while, 30secs - 1 minute). Crawler mode (very low, and extra high mode are only achieved using the switch on the dash.
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Make sure that all doors and the tailgate are closed when testing the suspension as above. It won't move if any of them are open/ajar.
 
Just thought I'd put a pic on here of the airbags so u have a better idea what ur looking at:

DSCF0030.jpg


Airbag right in the middle of the pic, wheel arch liner removed...but if u stick ur head underneath you should be able to see how worn they are.

Another test is to raise it up to extended height before you start taking a good look...open and close one of the doors after ten mins or so to see if it auto-levels, can be a good indication of leaking airbags.
Either way it's a good bet to allow a few hundred quid for new bags.
 
To check airbags and from experience i would either turn up early for your viewing hopefully before he warms the car up or go back a few hours later if you can see the car from the road to see if it has dropped.

From my own recent experience of buying a 2001 vogue i would reinforce the point already made about testing everything electric in the car. The electric seat light might come on but is there any heat in the seat, same with the windscreen etc.

I also vowed that next time i buy a complicated car like this that i would take a multimeter with me to make some basic checks under the bonnet. I thought i was a thorough buyer from other purchases i've made but the P38 is a complicated car IMO. That said when its running sweet its just brilliant.
 
thank you for all your input guys.! went to see one today and the back had dropped from standing a few days but its all going to be sorted! was a "P" reg! 18" hurrican alloys Harmon & Kaddon! the car was ok but i think i will be looking around and was a bit pricey! although offered a straight swap with my merc
 
H17N DJ said:
thanks everone for your help



how do i kknow what to look for and where to look for regards to the airbags? what do they look like and how do i know they are worn out etc? yeah i thought it was in get out mode! also how would i know if there air suspension is working properly? lights? noises etc? sorry about the questions. im going to see one tonight local to me on a "P" plate so will give it a little test and see how it goes :)!
Click to expand...

The airbags are like thick Rubber.. Worn old thick rubber = splits / cracks.. for a quick demo try searching p38 eas (or words similar) on you tube, that may give you quick ideas.
 
also check for pressure in the cooling system. one of the signs of headgasket problems (a very common and expencive bug of the p38)
squeze radiator pipes if solid you got probs. take rad cap off (carefully if hot) and run engine if you see bubbles or it overflowes same again start walking
 
gfromleeds said:
also check for pressure in the cooling system. one of the signs of headgasket problems (a very common and expencive bug of the p38)
squeze radiator pipes if solid you got probs. take rad cap off (carefully if hot) and run engine if you see bubbles or it overflowes same again start walking
Click to expand...
another thing is look at the inside of the rad cap
if it has signs of coppers filings. its had a headgasket sealer put in.
headgasket might be holding but its not a permanant fix. might be an honest water leak but ask some questions about it
 
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