Buying a d40??

[Shaun2492]

Hey all,
I am currently deciding weather to sell my patrol which is built for mainly off road use and buying A d40 navara. I don't go 4wding out in the bush no more and simply want a car that can tow my 1.5-2t boat and take me up the beach camping etc.

I found a 2011 d40 6sp manual with 109xxxkm on the clock and with a good service history, and as I don't no much about these cars was wondering what to expect and what things I should be looking for before I purchase this car. Also if this car is going to have any issues towing my boat 4+ hours up north to do fishing trips. Also may consider doing a cape trip down the track.

Any help would be much appreciated
Cheers Shaun.

 

[fatman]

If it was me I would keep the patrol, how olds the patrol? What engine does it have?

A D40 can do everything your saying quite comfortably, but they aren't as good a vehicle as a gu in my opinion, the yd25 Diesel engine needs to have the timing chain replaced with dual timing chains, and you need to change the clutch and flywheel on the d40 to a single mass one, then the d40 is pretty reliable, It will be out of warranty fairly quick if you buy the one you are looking at.

 

[Shaun2492]

I do love my patrol, it's a 2003 4.2td but it's to thirsty for my liking and also can't hold more then two people and more often then not that means taking two cars to wherever we are going. I have heard about the timing chains and have a family member who is a mechanic and said he would do it labour wise very cheap, do you no what the kit is worth. I have also heard the first of the d40s ran clutches out very quick do the later model ones also have this issue?
Thanks for your response

 

[benchrisfennell]

The chain is a hit and miss it might last it might not. I have the same car as the one you are looking at and its always been serviced on time and looked after by me and i have done 100000 in it and it has been fantastic. Reliable so far. They are a bit low but a lift kit will fix that other than that a good car. But if i was towing i may look at a auto food for thought pal...

Also funny how d22 owners go straight to negatives about d40s

 

[VillageSTX550]

We have had both d22 and d40(now have both). On our old d40 with the yd25 we didn't have the issue with the timing chain, but the clutch rooted pretty quick and they replaced it under warranty.
Have a look with a dealer to see if you can add on an extended warranty to a 2nd hand/dealership d40.
If you were towing I would get a better clutch sorted out if you got a manual, or an auto, manual is just a pain in the arse on hill starts, boat ramps etc.
D22 is indesctibule, but the d40 has tonnes more room, power, creature features, and handles better onroad because of the independent double wishbone front suspension. The d40 also doesn't make noises everywhere....
If you have the money for a d40, get one. If you have the money for the 550 engine, get it too

 

[justo]

Hey mate I had a 2010 Navara manual and did 156000 + ks when I traded it in for a new Titanium and the only issue I really had was the clutch and I got over 100000ks from memory before I replaced it. I did tow a 5m fibreglass boat aswell. The only other thing that comes to mind is the standard suspension is very average but after a lift from Zordo it was all good. I would buy one mate I love the D40's

Cheers Justo

 

[fatman]

Shaun mate I would hunt down a 4.2td GU wagon If I were you. Especially if you have a mechanic in the family. All the Thai built Utes of every make and model are a bit hit and miss with quality and reliability, get the d40 if you really like it, just make sure you get the chain and clutch sorted as soon as the warranty runs out, Cheers mate, good luck.

 

[Shaun2492]

The d40 I'm looking at is already lifted three inches so shouldn't have an issue with clearance. I think I'm willing to take the risk on timing chain. And I always expect to do a clutch eventually. You say all the Thai built d40s what do you mean and is that something I should look for?

 

[subz123]

Go for the 140kw motor i know therr much quiter and better on fuel amd if you need to tow your house it will be ready for the job also a 550 will be even better

 

[VillageSTX550]

Three inches, is that just suspension lift or something else? At 3" i'd be worried about front cv's. The thai factories aren't the most consistent, there can be variances between same vehicles from different batches.

 

[fatman]

The d40 I'm looking at is already lifted three inches so shouldn't have an issue with clearance. I think I'm willing to take the risk on timing chain. And I always expect to do a clutch eventually. You say all the Thai built d40s what do you mean and is that something I should look for?

All the new utes from every brand have had build quality issues, the d40 used to be built in Spain which were probably even worse than the Thai ones...I wouldnt get one with a 3 inch suspension lift mate you'll break cv joints constantly off road, I'd say that would be the reason someone sold it at just over 100,000, he probably sold it and bought a gu. You can only really do a 2 inch suspension lift on i.f.s. 4wds, the clutch system on the manual d40 uses a dual mass flywheel and is particularly weak, it can be remedied though.

 

[fatman]

Just go have a look through the d40 section and you'll get a rough idea of what can go wrong, if the truck your looking at has a body lift the cvs won't be a problem.

 

[user 10312]

G'day Shaun and welcome to the forum.

I believe the lift or engine power are not an issue but what is- is the manual transmission, not so much for the clutch but manual D40's are not particularly suitable for towing. The poor off idle performance will have it struggling on the boat ramp or even on a slight incline take off. Which in turn will wear the clutch. There is plenty of threads on this forum that relate to this and I can testify this myself as I own a Thai built D40. I never brought it tow anything and wouldn't attempt to although plenty probably do. One thing tho, after about August 2011 Thai built D40's did go to a single mass flywheel set up. Which does help but doesn't get around the poor off idle performance.

For some reason and nobody seems to know why but Thai built Auto's have bad fuel consumption. If your set on a Navara and they are nice to drive, perhaps have look around for a Spain built auto.

 

[Shaun2492]

Yeah it is just suspension the cv angle is something I wanna look at. Have anyone dropped there diffs before to get better angles I no you can do it in the hilux. And which model comes with the 140kw motor?. The reason I'm keen on this one is I'll be swapping my current ute for it. So no hassle of not having a car.

 

[Shaun2492]

How do I no the difference Spain and Thai built? I figured on boat ramps I'll just put it into 4wd. Would any performance mods make it better on take off whilst towing

 

[VillageSTX550]

chip + snorkel + 3" exhaust would do the trick, plus a windbooster would give a better feeling

 

[fatman]

How do I no the difference Spain and Thai built? I figured on boat ramps I'll just put it into 4wd. Would any performance mods make it better on take off whilst towing

Thai built will have an M at the start of the vin, Spanish will have VSK

 

[justo]

I always put my nav in 4x4 low to come out of the water with my boat. Not sure on the Thai autos as mine was a manual but my new nav which is a Spain built auto does 8.5 l/100

 

[fatman]

Yeah it is just suspension the cv angle is something I wanna look at. Have anyone dropped there diffs before to get better angles I no you can do it in the hilux. And which model comes with the 140kw motor?. The reason I'm keen on this one is I'll be swapping my current ute for it. So no hassle of not having a car.

Are you swapping with a mate, a private seller, or a car yard? General rule of thumb is never to buy a lifted truck as there is probably a lot of wear and tear on the driveline, and the d40 driveline is weakly engineered to begin with...
If your not going bush anymore why would you want a 3 inch lift anyway?
I had a mate sell his GQ and buy a new hilux then while hunting the front suspension completely collapsed...the new Utes just aren't built for serious shit at all. He eventually sold the hilux at a decent loss and bought a GU.

 

[Shaun2492]

chip + snorkel + 3" exhaust would do the trick, plus a windbooster would give a better feeling

What is a windbooster? And have you heard about upgrading pedal boxes to get a better response I no 200 series cruiser you can, not sure about the d40s
The one I'm
Looking at already has a snorkel and exhaust.
Cheers mate