Hi all

I'm close to buying a 2005 Vogue. The only thing putting me off is that it has 96,000 on the clock.

It has service history (LR & indi) but I have read that many of the auto boxes fail at around the 90,000 mark. Is there any truth in this or is a Range Rover urban legend?

Jim

Which engine ?

The 3.0 TD6.

Jim

Very true I'm afraid. The GM540LE TD6 gearbox is made of meringue.

The TD6 has a bullet proof engine though so if the gearbox was done, say with a sonnax kit, I would go for it.

If there is no evidence of the gearbox being done I would put £2500 into a savings account for when it goes pop.

It's not the most refined engine but has been used in loads of applications. 2006 4.2 SC
2019 Renault Zoe Dynamique Nav

No, no sonnax valve kit fitted.......best to leave it alone?

at that age you are into 120k average milage territory in any case so finding one with 96k could be classed as "low milage" for its year. If the gearbox is worrying you but the rest of the car is OK then budget for a replacement in the price £2k-2.5k. Otherwise buy a petrol, they had ZF boxes and are much more robust. Either the 4.4 BMW engined version or the 4.4 Jag engined version have better boxes, with the Jag version having the 6 sp ZF box out from the TDV8 and SC.

It is a known weak spot of that model, that said many have soldiered on for many more miles without problems, however it would be amiss to say everything will be fine just buy it. If its not had a new box theres a good chance it will need one within a year or so. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
Fiat 500x 1.4 multiair Lounge 2015
2010 LR D4 Commercial 2.7 TDV6

Where is it, Jim? Is it also for sale in Beds? 2006 4.2 SC
2019 Renault Zoe Dynamique Nav

I think the older 5 speed ZF gearboxes could also completely fail (although not all do).

They were also fitted to same-era 7 Series BMWs and the first Audi S8s (which I had) and the 'box was a recognised weakspot and has killed a lot of them off.

Not all TD6 GM g'boxes are crap. Mine old 2002 is still going strong on original gearbox at over 138,000 miles. It's coming up for sale if someone fancies it (not by me but by the latest owner - a mate of mine in south Wilts.)

Anyone interested let me know. Have no details but last saw her 8 months ago (the car not my mate!) and she was still going strong.

I was told once that it wasn't the gear boxes, Zf or GM that where the actually weakness, it was the torque convertors that failed and thus beggared up the boxes.

Want to go and look at a 2006 TD6 with 56 thou on it. From the pics the vehicle is immaculate . Only the gearbox repair holding me back as it seems from the masses I've read on here about the subject, that it is a case of when rather than if the tc goes and wrecks the box.

in the GM box it is the TC and the valve block which wear out. Which is why folks seem to like the improved Sonnax version. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
Fiat 500x 1.4 multiair Lounge 2015
2010 LR D4 Commercial 2.7 TDV6

The problem is not the above items wearing per se.

The clutch packs and TC wear in any gearbox, what happens is he soft alloy used in the valve block is more susceptible to the fine metal in the oil as it gets older or more worn which then causes more slip and were to occur as the valve block slowly can't hold the same pressure it did when new.

If the fluid and filter are changed often enough boxes should go on for a long time, I think Craig has a customer or two with high miles on original boxes that have been serviced properly.
Ideally the fluid should be changed at say 3years with the filter or at least the fluid itself.

Iirc dex6 fluid is quite cheap and much better than what was available when the box was first designed in the 90's so should help a lot more as I've recently had this fluid and a new filter put into the FF I use by doin a change of fluid, then drain, change filter and refil fluid again as a lot of fluid sits in the torque converter you can never fully drain it without either spinning the engine over a little(!) or taking it out...

Also driving style as well. If they are low miles vehicles that tootle to the local shop a few miles up the road and back every few days the clutches and TC are going to be well worn. If it's used to go to the otherside of the country for work or holidays mostly then the box should still be good enough. FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

I had a brand new 2005 and the box blew up at 4K miles! If it's managed to get to nearly 100k it's done well and may have been replaced in the past. 10k per year miles is pretty good. 2005 L322 Vogue Gold gone
2006 L322 Vogue Black gone
2011 L322 Vogue Silver gone
2011 L322 Autobiography Black gone
2015 L405 Autobiography LWB Black gone
2019 L405 P400e Range Rover Autobiography LWB Eiger grey / black roof gone
2001 P38a 30th Anniversary Wimbledon Green gone
2019 L405 P525 Autobiography LWB British Racing Green

All this doom and gloom about the boxes, mine has now done 180000 and has its original box, maybe its the way people drive/look after there cars.