I spoke to a couple of people today, including my local LR Indy who has served me well over the years, and was warned about gearboxes on the 4.4 pre 2006. Apparently he has seen a good number go between 80k and 100k miles.

This potentially narrows my search if I am looking at 70k or less miles, or for one with a replaced gearbox. I guess towing will always reduce life but I know that the 5 speed does not have the best reputation...

Any views? 4.2 Supercharged Vogue SE

2002 vogue 4.4. Gearbox refurb at 78k.

MC

Never really heard this is a big issue (unlike the TD6 box). Just hit 160,000 miles on original box on my 2004 autobiography. Had its 3rd gearbox oil change last week. all good. running smooth as ever.

100k miles and still going strong (02 4.4). I replaced the fluid and oil cooler soon after I got it at 92k miles for peace of mind.

The issue is LR say it's a sealed for life gearbox and ZF say change the fluid every 60k miles. If someone has bothered to change the fluid on it and it drives OK I wouldn't be put off by a higher mileage car.

I think that if you replace oil and filters before the 70k mark, then that goes along way to prolonging the life of the box. Mine went at 70k V8 or else ...

Zf boxes generally more robust than the gm box in the td6, i know on the later 6hp26 in the jag engined petrol and tdv8 zf recommend a service at 100,000 or 60,000 if towing, but that will obviously depend on the type of miles the car has done. Motorway milage will be kinder to the box as it is pretty much constantly in top gear with a lot less clutch slippage and nice warm fluid, whereas a car used on mainly short runs round town will be mostly run with a cold box and in a state where the luc doesnt lock, more wear.

Personally i would change the oil as a matter of course in whatever i got, bdget for it as it isnt a really cheap job as the fluid is quite pricey, allow say £3-400 for the swap. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
KIA E-Niro 4+
2010 LR D4 Commercial 2.7 TDV6

Really good advice thanks guys, I am hoping that I have found one with under 70k now and will immediately have all fluids changed and a power flush to the gearbox completed  4.2 Supercharged Vogue SE

Good plan, and is exactly what I would do myself when buying another RR. V8 or else ...

Chauch, I have a 2004 TD6 that lives its life towing a horsebox with 1.5T of horses. It has done that, every 2 weeks, for 8 years and has 120K miles on the clock, no issues and never had a gearbox service, maybe tempting fate, however we don't hear of the good ones

Just to correct what I said earlier.
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere in a ZF manual that 60k miles was the change point of the oil but having just looked in the ZF repair manual:

"Important:
The transmission is filled with life-time oil.
The oil does not have to be changed until it has been in use for ten years."

Mind you the manual is dated as 1998 so it may have been updated since. Perhaps 60k was the hard use/towing change point.
Anyway I stand corrected until I remember where I read it!

if the manual is 1998.... that's pre "full fat"

do the p38,s have the same box ? free use of "RSW" all comms to anyone nearby

The box was first produced in '97.
The 'same' box is used in BMW 540, 740, 840, X5, and Jaguar XK8, XJ8.
(I say same but they have variations between each model, e.g. input and output configurations).

Seems to validate an oil and filter change being needed then if I go for this one as it is just turning 10 - would help explain a few going pop now with higher mileage at 12 years old as well if not changed… Many thanks  4.2 Supercharged Vogue SE

Time isn't the only factor though to the oil. There is a lot of information to show that high temperatures can seriously degrade the oil as well. Which is why it's important for the cooling system of the engine to be kept in good order as that's what regulates the gearbox oil temp.

To say the zf box has issues I think is a bit unfair. Just more that they seem to fail in a common manner. Likewise the gm box has the common fail of the valve block being soft metal causing issues. V8 or else ...

The problem with the box on the 4.4 isn't actually the box at all - it's the Torque Converter Lock-up Clutch (LUC).

The 4.4 doesn't have a torsional vibration damper (like the little springs you see on clutch friction plates), so the computer allows the LUC to slip by a small amount - 3% I believe. Eventually it wears out the pad material on the LUC - and as I understand it, in the final stages of the life of the LUC the pads start getting seriously ripped. This is the stage where the 'cattle grid' effect can be first felt.

If you ignore (or don't notice) it in the very first stages, the pad material gets distributed by the oil thoughout the gearbox, clogs important arteries and destroys the box.

When mine went (at 140k) I took it to Midland Automatic Transmissions (as I'd used them in the past) and they replaced the TC - and flushed the box, but were impressed I'd noticed anything as although the TC was worn, it wasn't ripping itself to bits. I'd have been happy (well, perhaps not happy) to replace the box as well - but they told me it really wasn't required and saved me a decent wedge.

So if you know your car as you should, and listen and feel what it's telling you, you can save a couple of grand when the TC is on the way out by getting it sorted before it lunches the gearbox.

Sadly, many people ignore it until they are stranded, and then have to pay out for a box as well as a TC.