Hi Guys.

I am a Brit working on assignment in the US in snowy Upstate New York State for a couple of years and I like the idea of driving a RR. Given that petrol is half the price it is in the UK I might as well take advantage and enjoy myself in a V8. The BMW 4.4 V8 ones seem to be very reasonably priced over here. From reading this site and some buyer's guides I've picked up that there a few problems with the transmission, the front drive shaft and the instrument pack. What I can't find is any indication of how likely these problems are to occur.

I'm trying to understand whether these are five or ten percent probabilities of occurrence, or whether it's a dead-cert by 150,000 miles. Any guidance on these three issues and whether I've missed any other weak points would be greatly appreciated. I'm not too concerned about service items like the front dampers and discs which need regular changes but don't cost half the price of the car to fix.

Richard

With the advent of the new model FF being out then maybe see if the jag-engined (facelifted) models are in your price range? They have a newer gearbox and a smoother engine apparently, which if you factor in the cost of a replacement gearbox it might work out similarly priced? 
07 Supercharged - Still breaking her in!

Boot soundproofing part 1 - http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic15612.html
Custom exhaust - http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic15296.html
18" wheels for Brembo equipped cars - http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic15052.html

Gearboxes seem to pop around every 90K-120K and then every 90K-120K
Front propshaft flange was a free upgrade here in the UK, you would have to check on the state of play in the US


Craig

craig-4.4 v8 gearbox.i thought it was mainly a problem with the td6 gm box not the petrol.is this the case?the reason i ask is i have an 05` plate bmw v8 with 107k miles on the clock.read loads on the forum pre-purchase on what to look for etc and took the plunge about 3 months ago.is it a case of WHEN not IF this box is gonna go?cant tell if box has been done due to lack of some service history but drives fine and no issues so far.  05`V8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY

They both have issues really ( i.e. if its going to go, then it'll most likely be because of ... ).

The diesel GM box seems to have its weakness in its valve body controlling the clutches.
The petrol ZF seems to have weaknesses in the various bearings / shafts running through the gearbox.

Regarding the front drive shaft ... look under the car to see the front propshaft running from the middle of the car forward to meet the diff under the engine.

Where there prop meets the diff, the end of the shaft should look like a flexible CV coupling and not a fixed static end. If its the flexible one, then its had the upgrade. If its a fixed end of the shaft then that cause led to premature wear and stress on the diff, causing the diff to fail. There are some pictures on this forum from days gone by.

Personally: A fluid and filter change can go a long way to pushing out how long the boxes last. Despite what others say on the web. I've had a gearbox which was failing to shift properly change to being completely normal operation after a fluid and filter change ( that being said, I only changed the fluid to get it to drive well enough for a trade in! ) V8 or else ...

Thanks Guys. I'll take a look in more detail.

its worth bearing in mind all of the owners out there that do not come on these forums, and have never had a problem with the gearbox. I bought my L322 v8 with 140k on it and the 'box had lasted for 138k. MY2010 TDV8 Vogue Ipanema Sand
2002 V8 Vogue Oslo Blue - Gone.

have to agree with woodchoppers post above.My 02' v8 has 114k on it and gearbox fine so far and I tow a lot with it.Changed gearbox oil cooler as it blocked up but box still holding up well and I change fluid and filter at regular intervals.this helps to prevent premature gearboxes and torque converters failure in my experience