Bought my 2006 E51 in April 2026 with only 70k miles for £15k from tokyo kampers in Durham and looking like new all over underneath and in engine bay i was the first uk owner had a couple of months driving to work with no real issues, it was camper converted when we bought it replacing my fairly reliable 1992 vw t4 , the first big trip at beginning of August was 200 miles to dorset from doncaster all was fine until 20 miles from the campsite and the gearbox started playing up got to the site after alot of revving , it was fine on short trips around Dorset but anything longer the issue popped up which spoilt the holiday, then on returning home having done around 700 miles in total i checked the engine oil out of curiosity ( it was full before holiday) and it has used from max mark to minimum in less than 10 days it is now parked up and battery disconnected with what i suspect are 2 major issues and i am considering going back to my vw t4 which i still have reading all the threads on this site they seem to be quite an unreliable vehicle or am i wrong.
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Are all E51’s this unreliable or is mine a lemon…
- Thread starter Petrolhuntere51
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Yep - all of them are ticking time bombs….
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Not with the front Cats sorted
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I'd say your wrong mine has been the opposite, 3 years as my daily driver. 30k miles completed never let me down. Don't get me wrong it's had minor issues but apart from a wheel bearing the only things that have cost me have been upgrading and preventative maintenance.
The engine is well known for burning oil but the VQ engines are generally very reliable
They will always appear worse on owners forum etc as most people are only here sorting issues out not telling you how they've took them around Europe without issues etc.
What are the 2 major issues you suspect?
The engine is well known for burning oil but the VQ engines are generally very reliable
They will always appear worse on owners forum etc as most people are only here sorting issues out not telling you how they've took them around Europe without issues etc.
What are the 2 major issues you suspect?
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…depends.
Age and maintenance habits can easily affect 15 yrs+ vehicles.
There’s plenty of areas when neglected, given their origins and projected lifespan will cause issues ie. CATS ..ruber hoses “plastics” or paint…
I have a Ford from 2015 that was in way worse condition than 2008 Elgrand.
However that doesn’t change the fact that technically I bought a lemon with Power steering pump revived with a little bit of break fluid, that rendered my alternator Fcked too a year down the line…and I replaced a lot of things since I got it, flushes, rebuilt the intake with new gaskets, making sure all mechanical aspects are addressed.
Truth is, this cars are not for everyone, I would be slightly inclined to recommend them to people that are either good in wrenching or have the money to pay good garages.
My first Elgrand was a bot of a mess, but surprisingly it was sound, caused no issues. It was the S1, despite the uncoated floor and suspension rusted to F it was going well and given that I did a lot of maintenance am sure it’s still around somewhere as a camper.
They’re bit like french cars, some people buy them and swear by them and some people will absolutely avoid them, given their experience.
Age and maintenance habits can easily affect 15 yrs+ vehicles.
There’s plenty of areas when neglected, given their origins and projected lifespan will cause issues ie. CATS ..ruber hoses “plastics” or paint…
I have a Ford from 2015 that was in way worse condition than 2008 Elgrand.
However that doesn’t change the fact that technically I bought a lemon with Power steering pump revived with a little bit of break fluid, that rendered my alternator Fcked too a year down the line…and I replaced a lot of things since I got it, flushes, rebuilt the intake with new gaskets, making sure all mechanical aspects are addressed.
Truth is, this cars are not for everyone, I would be slightly inclined to recommend them to people that are either good in wrenching or have the money to pay good garages.
My first Elgrand was a bot of a mess, but surprisingly it was sound, caused no issues. It was the S1, despite the uncoated floor and suspension rusted to F it was going well and given that I did a lot of maintenance am sure it’s still around somewhere as a camper.
They’re bit like french cars, some people buy them and swear by them and some people will absolutely avoid them, given their experience.
thanks for replying, well the first is the excess oil consumption a litre in 700 miles and the second is the gearbox dropping below 2k revs in first few gears in steady driving when hot and unless i press gas pedal over half way it keeps dropping then bounces back up , fine at 70mph in top gear though….
im handy with a spanner i will be having a go at changing pcv valve and spark plugs etc i have a 1992 toyota camry i work on i just expected it to not go as wrong after only 4 months…depends.
Age and maintenance habits can easily affect 15 yrs+ vehicles.
There’s plenty of areas when neglected, given their origins and projected lifespan will cause issues ie. CATS ..ruber hoses “plastics” or paint…
I have a Ford from 2015 that was in way worse condition than 2008 Elgrand.
However that doesn’t change the fact that technically I bought a lemon with Power steering pump revived with a little bit of break fluid, that rendered my alternator Fcked too a year down the line…and I replaced a lot of things since I got it, flushes, rebuilt the intake with new gaskets, making sure all mechanical aspects are addressed.
Truth is, this cars are not for everyone, I would be slightly inclined to recommend them to people that are either good in wrenching or have the money to pay good garages.
My first Elgrand was a bot of a mess, but surprisingly it was sound, caused no issues. It was the S1, despite the uncoated floor and suspension rusted to F it was going well and given that I did a lot of maintenance am sure it’s still around somewhere as a camper.
They’re bit like french cars, some people buy them and swear by them and some people will absolutely avoid them, given their experience.
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Worth checking compressions values. Valve seals and pcv valve too.
Oh can see you mentioned it.
The engine is easy to work, just takes time, moving stuff that is in the way, but you will get used to it.
Oh can see you mentioned it.
The engine is easy to work, just takes time, moving stuff that is in the way, but you will get used to it.
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First thing to check with transmission problems is level and condition of the fluid if you haven’t already , then maybe check for throttle body or even MAF problems ( checking for fault codes would be a good idea)
As for the oil usage go with what’s been suggested but it has been said that some of these buses can use oil.
I’m currently eight plus years into ownership and no major faults yet — mine doesn’t use oil either
As for the oil usage go with what’s been suggested but it has been said that some of these buses can use oil.
I’m currently eight plus years into ownership and no major faults yet — mine doesn’t use oil either
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It kind of depends on how it has been maintained previous to your purchase and whether the dealer who imported it has at least carried out the rear cat removal which is essential. Unfortunately not all dealers are that thorough. Certainly worth giving it a full service and check there's no ceramic debris in the old oil.
If it seems ok when you've checked all the previously mentioned items then try going to 5W40 oil if it still uses more than you're happy with. Also check for leaky cam cover gaskets. Apparent gearbox problems can be caused by other engine issues as the ECU will go into self protection mode and limit the power and revs available.
I've owned mine since 2018 and never had any issues, just regular maintenance and wear and tear items which you'd expect to replace on any car.
If it seems ok when you've checked all the previously mentioned items then try going to 5W40 oil if it still uses more than you're happy with. Also check for leaky cam cover gaskets. Apparent gearbox problems can be caused by other engine issues as the ECU will go into self protection mode and limit the power and revs available.
I've owned mine since 2018 and never had any issues, just regular maintenance and wear and tear items which you'd expect to replace on any car.
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but once you get it fixed. Nothing is more rewarding than hearing that beautiful tick of v6.
Sometimes I just put my head in the engine bay while the car is idling, I do get funny looks and people asking if I’m alright after not moving for more than 5 mins though.
Sometimes I just put my head in the engine bay while the car is idling, I do get funny looks and people asking if I’m alright after not moving for more than 5 mins though.