[SMDAIRCON]

Hello, I'm new to this, I have at the moment a 4 door classic and a 2 door classic which I'm selling. Iam going to look at a 1999 p38 which I'm interested in, its a diesel, the seller says the passenger air bag and the instrument panel lights don't work, is this something i should be worried about, could it be a big job to fix ?
I'm okay with classics but a p38 is something new to me.
Stuart.

 

[Richard_G]

If either of your Classics was a V8 then a diesel P38 will feel absolutely gutless in comparison. If none of the instrument panel lights work that may well be a failure in the cluster itself so not easily repairable and as the mileage information is stored in the cluster swapping another isn't as simple as you might think. Airbag not working is an instant MoT fail too. You'd be better off looking for a better one, preferably a V8 on LPG (assuming in the UK as diesels aren't that common anywhere else), similar running costs to a diesel without the downsides.

 

[chris no 10]

I agree with Richard, I’ve only owned 1 dse, but plenty of v8s, the dse in comparison is a 1.6 escort vs a 325 bmw, I would say test drive both then make your mind up for yourself.
with lpg it’s no more to run.

 

[Gordo51]

If the message center is showing an Airbag Fault it could be that someone took out the instrument cluster to investigate the non-working lights and turned on the ignition while doing this. That will set the error message. Need an LR code reader to reset.

 

[Bolt]

If the message center is showing an Airbag Fault it could be that someone took out the instrument cluster to investigate the non-working lights and turned on the ignition while doing this. That will set the error message. Need an LR code reader to reset.

I believe that on 1999- 2002 the SRS will self clear faults like that when they are gone.
If that is the case, then it could be a real fault. From my own experience, this is a system that can take a lot of time to get through. You will need at least a Nano to read faults.
If you can get it to a specialist with proper gear, have it read and see what comes up, then make the decision to buy or pass.
If you will not be doing all your own work, definitely look for one that is in good shape to start with.
Paying someone to work on a P-38 is a quick way to make a small fortune out of a large one:dance: