P38 ?

[John T]

Are they really as bad as people say ?

I was thinking of getting one to replace sprinter van (bit more comfort and style :D   )

Would be pulling a tow-a-van type trailer every day, and MUST be reliable. I've read so many horror stories that I don't know if I dare buy one or not. (or do you just hear of the bad ones)

Would need to be diesel or lpg for the miles it would cover, but the advantage would be I would be able to use it as a car at weekends (can't really do that with a sprinter :roll: )

I understand the diesel would be slower, but does it make up on reliability?
Any comments please..........

[thermidorthelobster]

Diesel's a bit of a barge unless you get it tuned/chipped, in which case it can be pretty good.

I had a lot of breakdowns on my 4.6 and would NOT call it reliable, until I managed to nail about 3 different obscure problems, at which point it was great.

Having said that, I also had problems with my gearbox twice, and the air suspension a bit too.

Personally, although I love the P38 and I sometimes miss mine, I'd say if you want a guaranteed reliable car, don't get one.  You might be lucky and get a great vehicle which will last forever, but you probably won't TBH.

[andycwb]

There are certainly some Friday afternoon P38A's out there.

For my money, get the best 4.0 you can afford.  They seem less prone to the  problems of the 4.6, and the 2.5DSE has it's own set of problems.  You can always put in an LPG conversion to keep the mileage down.

The golden rule with them is service, service, service.

www.p38a.co.uk has a page on what to look for when buying one.

[Grant]

For my money, get the best 4.0 you can afford.  They seem less prone to the  problems of the 4.6

Funnily enough, i used to have a 4.0 and it had a slipped liner, my 4.6 doesnt use a drop of coolant!

They have the same block so i assume the extra failures are because the 4.6 sometimes doesnt drop a gear in D on v.steep hills & slogs up at about 2000rpm. Sport mode or changing down manually solves it

I prefer the 4.6, has so much more oomph (and uses no more petrol) but i wouldnt turn down a nice 4.0

After buying i'd change the rad, hoses, stat and inspect other coolant parts. It was a clogged rad that killed my 4.0 block and it gave no warning until it was too late

Both my P38's have been very reliable but i maintain them religiously, think thats the key

[craig]

Hello there ive had my 4.6 p38 just over 5 years & its never broken down, it has covered 100.000 miles , i think it just depends on wether its had a good service history if you go looking for one , there are plenty of them out there that run on gas & when put against a deisel its more powerfull with about the same cost. The other big factor is there's nothing like riding on air !!!

  Craig \:D/

[thermidorthelobster]

The other big factor is there's nothing like riding on air !!!

That's funny, I found my P38 a bit wallowy - sort of like riding on blancmange.  Maybe Koni shocks might have helped.  I prefer the ride on my TD5 Disco, which has steel at the front and air at the back.

[G]

I don't know much about them but I was going to get one a couple of years ago (bought an L200 though). The only bit of advice that sticks in my head is that you should look for a late one if possible, something to do with the ECU's being more reliable than the earlier ones.

A close friend of mine gave up on his 4.6 and bought a vw golf when he was constantly being recovered after the immobiliser was being tripped by mobile phone masts. G

[Grant]

A close friend of mine gave up on his 4.6 and bought a vw golf when he was constantly being recovered after the immobiliser was being tripped by mobile phone masts. G

All he needed was a new remote receiver! Early ones can suffer from interferance

[Guardian.]

my mate loves them, he spends every day repairing them, and theres no shortage of em at his place that have loads of very expensive problems.
having said that im sure if you get a good one its a pleasure.

[richard_sephton]

get a 2001 4.6 p38 because they have a better engine different management more power better economy and they dont suffer from the porus cylinder walls

[Grant]

get a 2001 4.6 p38 because they have a better engine different management more power better economy and they dont suffer from the porus cylinder walls

they can all get a slipped liner, the blocks never changed. Some say the '99- boschs are better (running lean stuff) but they fail as well

99% are caused by overheating... the coolant system needs to be regularly maintained, many lr garages dont even bother

[murph]

I love my P38, 98 model 4.6 HSE..

Loads of power and mines been chipped  :lol:

It was a bit wallowy on corners but fitted Koni shocks on the rear, still got he fronts ot do but a definate improvement.

Yes they do go wrong but find an independant specialist rather than main dealer.

Get the best for your money hunt around.

[Grant]

I love my P38, 98 model 4.6 HSE..

Loads of power and mines been chipped  :lol:

Whats it like with the chips?  

Been thinking of getting them myself but they're bloody expensive

[murph]

The Gems upgrades from RPi are supposed to give more MPG, I get approx 16mpg on average, can be as much as 22 on long run.

I just like the power and no lag or flat spots and lots more mid range and suppoosed to help with cooling although I'm not sure how, down side is the price.