I'm now considering a 2007 Sport V8 diesel 3.6lite with 111K on the clock.
Can Any of you who have this model let me know of the typical problems you've had with these?
I'm hoping to see the vehicle next week but the big problem is I can't test drive it as its an auction sale with a guide price of about £3K.
It's had a recent gearbox and starter motor still under warranty with good history.
The only problems mentioned are some of the headlining is slightly sagging at the front but not that bad, so is this a big fix and how is it done?
Also on the top of the dashboard there are two cracks on top of where the passenger airbag is, so is this a potential problem and MOT failure? Its MOTd til December

ppl love them, the main worry with them I believe are the twin turbos.

When they need replacing its a body off job, and will cost over a 1/3 of the cars value. So either factor that risk in, or don't buy blind

I’ve done about 80k on my tdv8, it’s now close to 195k. Overall I love the thing, it’s a real Swiss Army knife, fits four people comfortably, tows absurdly well (easy to forget the trailer is on there). It does about 23mpg day to day on short journeys, up to 28/30 on a run to the alps. Apart from the aforementioned crappy ride quality, it’s great,it handles well enough you can press on down an A/B road or alpine pass.

The tdv8 specific issues are turbos, they typically fail by 120k, so if it is approaching that mileage and doesn’t have a recipt for turbos, expect to change them soon. It isn’t a body of job, you can do it through keyhole surgery from the wheel arches, but it’s still a pita job. The internet tells me that the turbo issue is because people thrash them then turn them off hot, rather than letting them run for a minute after you park to circulate the oil. My pet theory is it’s the 15000 mile oil change interval, I’ve never bothered letting mine run on but change the oil at 7.5k/annually and tend not to thrash it then turn it off, got 80k on the turbos now with no sign they are going to fail. Tdv8 exhaust manifolds warp causing a blow/whistle.

Most of the other stuff that fails on the tdv8 also applies to the tdv6/sdv6 - inlet manifolds crack and cause limp/overboost codes around 100-150k, they’re ~£600 each by the time you’ve replaced the injector pipes, boost pipes split but are quick and easy to change. EGRs fail but can just be blanked, the oil cooler housing gasket on mine failed causing an oil leak. My alternator recently caught fire, apparently this is common so given the hassle of being stranded for 10hrs waiting on the RAC, I’d just change the alternator as a precaution if I bought another. My injectors are starting to fail, apparently this is normal around 200k, but it is crazy expensive to replace them.

Otherwise it’s standard RRS stuff, active arbs (ace) and pipes leak, brake pedal switches fail causing all the electrics to themselves (I keep a spare switch in the glove box), compressors fail, prop center bearings fail, handbrake modules apparently are fragile but mine has been fine, they are heavy on front brakes if you drive them hard, generally get through suspension ball joints. Mine is surprisingly cheap on tyres, I get over 30k out of a set, but it is sensitive to wheel alignment. They are very sensitive to low battery voltage, spend £180 on a agm battery and most electrical issues will go away, I get about 4 years out of a battery and have never needed to keep it on a charger like many advise.

Cracked dash shouldn’t be a mot fail, mine has been cracked and the passenger airbag for years and tester hasn’t commented. Get underneath it with a torch and see if you can spot any leaks from the diffs, front or rear arbs. It shouldn’t be sat on the bump stops of it hasn’t run for a while, should stay at the height you left it at indefinitely, so if it’s dropped there is an air leak. ‘Good history’ needs to be an inch thick pile of invoices not just a stamped up service book for me to buy one without test driving it.

Thanks for your replies which are very helpful. What's the best way of fixing a sagging headlining what's the cost to get it replaced professionally?