The nearest resort was Les Carroz, we were in La Frasse a few miles away.

The vibration was caused by a knocking o/s track rod end, which required a whole new assembly as it was seized into the adjuster and adjuster seized into the main rod. It appears to have solved the issue. I'd also noticed a wet passenger footwell mat, and the it turned out the aircon drain tubes were blocked, so they have been cleared. The pollen housing is all fine, so I'll just have to keep an eye on it - fingers crossed that's fixed it. The old girl will have a rest now, 16mpg and current fuel prices aren't a great combo!

Just had a small service and a new steering damper fitted, noticeable improvement. It is the only spend since the last service.

Now need to have the front windscreen rebonded as it’s leaking. It also makes sense to replace the finishing fixings all around at the same time.

Happy Christmas and all that.....the passenger door won't open. I need a nimble fingered vandal to break the latch.. It also means I've got to use the D5 for shooting over Christmas. .

I had a spare door latch in stock and Dave at 4x4 Development had the requisite knowledge and brute force to get the old one out. The door had superlocked which was handy....

That fix was quickly followed by an MoT failure for passenger side upper and lower ball joints, and emissions due in part to a rotten t piece where the exhaust splits out. So new ball joints and a new rear exhaust section. Booked in for mid Feb.

Nothing like a quick fix. Dave at 4x4 Development is in demand, so it has taken an age to get it booked in for the ball joint and rear exhaust. It does appear to have 4.6 axles and 4 pin diff, so that's a plus. Once these jobs are done it can have an MoT and then go for the windscreen to be re-bonded.

I'm also looking forward to next month as my son has completed his GCSE DT project which is a gun draw / storage box / dog bed made to fit in the P38. I've seen pics of it and it might well survive a nuclear blast, but it looks great. Just need a forklift to move it

She passed the MoT on Thursday (advisories were indicator bulbs not being orange enough and an oil leak). I had a crawl around underneath and there was no sign of the oil leak, so after quite a few months stood idle it was great to take the P38 down to Pembrokeshire at the weekend, along the back roads via Leominster, Brecon and Llandeilo.

A few niggles to address.....

1. Steering is very vague despite new ball joints, track rod ends and damper. It is in the garage today for that to be investigated. My thought is that the steering box might need a bit of tlc.
2. Aircon is warm. Booked in on Friday for a leak test / fix / regas
3. Windscreen leak....a company in Redditch can remove and reseal for about £120, so just need to get it booked in.
4. Sinking feeling....despite new bags (the old ones were perished) she is sinking a little at times. Could be a sensor playing up as it isn't consistent.

Once all that is fixed the plan is to take her to Cheltenham for a chassis clean / dry / Dinitrol before the winter.

Well.....patience and ££ are a virtue, even if in short supply at times.

Steering is now spot. Ball joints and track rod ends had already ben replaced along with the steering damper. However, the 'bit' that connects the steering box to the steering rod / bar was failing. In fact both joint and bar were replaced as rust had eaten away at the union. Tracking checked and adjusted afterwards and she now drives better than at any time in the 6 or so years I've had her.

Aircon is cold. A pressure test was fine so she was re-gassed. All good.

That's where the good news ends. Two leaks have materialised, one from the thin metal ps pipes next to the rad, they look very corroded. I'm told getting oem is very hard but that the quality of non oem is poor. The other leak is atf from the torque converter. Gearbox and transfer box out, refurb whilst out, new main seal whilst out.....booked in for late August.

Hard to love at times, but at 23 years old some surgery is to be expected.

Just had the windscreen removed and refitted. The bond had failed. The guy doing it said he was surprised it hadn't fallen out.....which would account for the water ingress. Anyway, £140 all done.

The PS pipes have been replaced but there is a graunching sound sometimes when moving at slow speeds. Perhaps the pump was nipped when the fluid dropped completely. The leak from the gearbox is very minor, half a cup in two years, so it will wait.

I sprayed the grille and the strips under the eyes. The best match was a Mercedes colour.

At the weekend I managed to get 425 miles from a tank, which felt like a win, although still only about 20mpg….the vacuum based cruise control isn’t as efficient as a right foot, but better than no cruise.

She's being parked up for a while having chewed through 2.5l of coolant. I've not worked out where the coolant is going yet and haven't got the time right now so I'm going to stick her in a barn and get another something to run around in, probably a D4.

Huttopia wrote:

Just had the windscreen removed and refitted. The bond had failed. The guy doing it said he was surprised it hadn't fallen out.....which would account for the water ingress. Anyway, £140 all done.

The PS pipes have been replaced but there is a graunching sound sometimes when moving at slow speeds. Perhaps the pump was nipped when the fluid dropped completely. The leak from the gearbox is very minor, half a cup in two years, so it will wait.

I sprayed the grille and the strips under the eyes. The best match was a Mercedes colour.

Sure, the code on the can is 7350. I went to a paint shop in Redditch who came out with a few cards and mixed it up. I'm pretty happy with it. Obviously tempered with a potentially terminal coolant issue. I think Turner will be about £6k to rebuild and line the engine if the block is cracked.......just waiting for confirmation now.

I dropped the D5 in for a service this morning and the chap there was telling me there is a field of 4.4 engined RRs which LR have had to buy back from customers because they can't get parts - something to do with a factory in Mexico? News to me.

Anyway, assuming the block is cracked I've got to find a replacement vehicle that I can use for shooting and general running around but won't cost a fortune. I've been offered a RRS with the 2.7 engine, one owner, low miles, impeccable service record for £5k, or a Puma 110XS in silver with 60k on for £20k. I'm not sure I miss my Defenders enough to have another one. The RRS might be a bit tight in the boot for the dogs. Need to go and see.

Hi Huttopia,

Thanks very much for providing the info for the paint!

Fingers crossed it is not a block issue! I am reluctant to part with my p38 for many reasons, one being it has a Mitchell Cotts engine in it. So that should hopefully not happen. 2011 Range Rover Vogue 4.4 TDV8
2003 VW Golf V6 4motion
2001 Range Rover Vogue 4.6
1982 Range Rover in VOGUE
1990 Range Rover Vogue SE
2007 Audi A6 Avant Le Mans Quattro S-Line 3.0 TDI
2007 Skoda Ovtavia 2.0 TDI L&K
2007 GSX-R 750 K7