Hi guys.. in the process of buying a 2006 2.7 td with 90000miles fsh just wondering what advice you can offer into what i should look out for or what work should have been done for its age ie gearbox etc.. excuse my ignorance but reading various posts should i be scared of buying

Cheers Steve

No need to be scared of buying if you go in with your eyes wide open, remember that anything that looks too good to be true usually is.............. And don't be swayed by body kitted, jazzed up, chipped, modified cars. RRS is a complex car and repair prices are often high, there are lots out there and many have been abused so do plenty of research.

Ask here if you see something you fancy as there are plenty of members who will give you advice about a potential buy. Service history and sheaves of paperwork are essential! If you can, buy from a Land Rover specialist, although not all are familiar with RRS's and are more familiar with Defenders, Freelanders and early Discoveries. There are good and loved ones out there and you shouldn't forget to take a look at the For Sale and Wanted section on the forum as there are some great cars offered there by people who have generally looked after their cars. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Ive been trying to find out various things etc.. dont suppose you know which type of gearbox would be in an 06 model or is that something id find out on the logbook?

All pre 2010MY RRS have a 6 speed Auto, there is no such thing as a manual Sport! All have a low ratio transfer box too so ALWAYS change that the transfer system between high and low boxes is working smoothly and almost silently. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Have a look at the buyers guide on the following link from forum member 'Paddi'.

http://www.rrsport.co.uk/gallery/albums/us...uide~0.pdf

Ammended with full link. I'm in the shed, I'll be back in the real world in a minute.

Last edited by Russben on Fri May 06 2016 2:13pm. Edited 1 time in total

Can you fix the link? It seems to have been shortened and now doesn't work!

The gearbox in a 2006 is a ZF 6HP26 6-speed automatic. It almost certainly will not have had anything done to it unless it broke in some way earlier in its life. LR state that the gearbox oil is good for 150k miles. This is rubbish. If the gearbox on the one you are looking at shifts smoothly and behaves as one would expect, then budget £250+ for a gearbox oil change as soon as you get it home. This is for a "mega flush" oil change, not the LR method and is more effective.

Check the gearbox by going up a steep hill in 3 or 4 gear and accelerate. Any juddering is likely a tired torque converter. That's several hundred pounds to sort and needs to be done soon to prevent damage elsewhere in the 'box.

Harsh changes, especially the down change from 2 to 1 are likely a symptom of a tired mechatronics unit. This is the gearbox's brains and is several hundred pounds for a recon unit. The valves can be replaced individually but there's still going to be a big bill associated with that.

Check the transfer box (the bit that gives low and high range gearing). This should be almost silent when changing between ratios. With the door open you should just hear two clicks with a no more than a slight whirring sound between them. Any obvious noises are a worry. Many vehicles will not have had low range selected/used by owners so make sure it all works - it's part of the service schedule to select low ratio to keep it all moving but who knows whether garages bother.

Having said all of the above, the gearbox and transfer box are pretty robust and reliable. You're more likely to find issues where the vehicle has done lots of heavy towing. High miles will also edge you towards work being required but that is always the way with all cars. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Have cambelts been changed should of been done at 7 years or 105000 miles which ever sooner obviously age in this case.. Good luck.. 2008 G4 RRSport TDV8 current
2009 TDCi 90 current
2018 Discovery 5 HSE lux current
1994 Dakar current

http://www.rrsport.co.uk/gallery/albums/us...uide~0.pdf
Link to Buyer's Guide.
It's basic but should give you a start. 2008 MY Java Black TDV8 HSE

RRSTDV8 wrote:

The gearbox in a 2006 is a ZF 6HP26 6-speed automatic. It almost certainly will not have had anything done to it unless it broke in some way earlier in its life. LR state that the gearbox oil is good for 150k miles. This is rubbish. If the gearbox on the one you are looking at shifts smoothly and behaves as one would expect, then budget £250+ for a gearbox oil change as soon as you get it home. This is for a "mega flush" oil change, not the LR method and is more effective.

Check the gearbox by going up a steep hill in 3 or 4 gear and accelerate. Any juddering is likely a tired torque converter. That's several hundred pounds to sort and needs to be done soon to prevent damage elsewhere in the 'box.

Harsh changes, especially the down change from 2 to 1 are likely a symptom of a tired mechatronics unit. This is the gearbox's brains and is several hundred pounds for a recon unit. The valves can be replaced individually but there's still going to be a big bill associated with that.

Check the transfer box (the bit that gives low and high range gearing). This should be almost silent when changing between ratios. With the door open you should just hear two clicks with a no more than a slight whirring sound between them. Any obvious noises are a worry. Many vehicles will not have had low range selected/used by owners so make sure it all works - it's part of the service schedule to select low ratio to keep it all moving but who knows whether garages bother.

Having said all of the above, the gearbox and transfer box are pretty robust and reliable. You're more likely to find issues where the vehicle has done lots of heavy towing. High miles will also edge you towards work being required but that is always the way with all cars.

Thanks for that RRSTDV8

Camelrock wrote:

Have cambelts been changed should of been done at 7 years or 105000 miles which ever sooner obviously age in this case.. Good luck..

The Garage is doing the belts if they havn'nt been done.. i still need to get a look at all paperwork for it after testdrive tonight

It's worth looking at the wiki on disco3.co.uk. The RRS shares many of its issues with the Disco 3 as they are basically identical below the body. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Thanks Paddi. Don't know what happened to the link I tried to post. I'm in the shed, I'll be back in the real world in a minute.

Thanks for all the info guys the search continues

What happened on the test drive that put you off? I'm in the shed, I'll be back in the real world in a minute.