Hey there! Sure you will have a nice time here! :-)

Spot on! Especially for calipers ... what a commercial mess!

Oh well, back on the subject ... I bought couple back boxes from here, but haven't fit them yet. Hope I did not make a mistake ...https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/regisexhausts

George those downpipes+cats look great! Can you point me out to where to find them? I plan to replace my cats as I believe after 270K km it came time, plus I need to change the exhaust anyway .... thanks! Triple S search on the net gives nothing ...

You guys are so lucky. That's a steal considering the condition of the leather only ...

sorry it went off ...

..and we ended up repainting it whole, full engine rebuild from new liners! new upholstery headliner seats door panels, insulation all around, suspension brakes new tires rims, rebuild headlights and rear lights, windscreen, 6-sp g-box .... a nightmarish work because the car was 20+ austrian so a mess of rust, and being a '95 A6 2.5 diesel (not quattro) not worth the investment. But it was his roll so ....

I think if you want to finish "your" P38 you will spend so much time and money on parts and getting them around and to work you might be better off buying a donor for parts. If not just to have everything at hand. But, you might also consider yours a donor and thus search off for a RR with a desirable look, trim and extras, and build that up, and salvage whatever you have new/made on your actual one, and sell/donate/junk the rest.
At the end of the day, this might be something you get to do once or twice in lift, might as well do it starting with the best possible platform, and aiming at the most sought after goal.
Now, I shrink again and disappear before you will start questioning me about _what am I doing _on my stuff ... :-)

Aragon son of Arathorn thanks for being so open and frank. I will respond with equal openness, as I take delight in debating these matters, being in a very (very) messy swamp myself, with too many toys to deal with, and will benefit from some advice as well!

No mention to the LEAF or the A4 as they seem to be the normal "runners" you have. In particular, the A4 B5 is a nice package and brilliant when everything is in order. I work on those regularly, and once you sort out the known stuff there is nothing that can really go wrong. We can debate more elsewhere not to distract too much from the topic.

TT - fix it and unless you want a summer runner, get rid of it. These cars are becoming quickly "demode'" and have a very specific target ... unless you can make it on the cheap and can be competitive market-wise, you could be stuck with it a long time ... I wouldn't like to be stuck with a car I don't like :-)

Honestly, your P38 sounds like a basket case. Unless you have a powerful motivator (emotional attachment or else), I am not sure you have the best base for a project car - I mean, always a second hand car becomes a project!
You basically have a good running EAS, some decent seat trim, good steering and brakes, probably a good transmission, and perhaps a good chassis (you did not dwell on that).
The rest is knackered, or needs replacement ... you got an engine to rebuild, axles to rebuild, A/C/coolers, electrics, HeVAC, PAS, BeCM and fobs, various interior plastic trims, various outside trim, a few panels, plus paint afterwards ....
And go on to consider the additional stuff: if you do engine, aren't you going to do water pump thermostat change hoses and radiator? Make the cooler oil trans as well. Make the BeCM rebuild electrical connections HeVAC fobs?
The interior plastics are a nightmare, second hand nice condition parts are not easy to find, and expensive as well.
If you can paint ok, but if you need a guy for that ... and now if you take out the handles to repaint, aren't you going to rebuild them? And then why not the door latches - you're there! Make the headliner you need to drop it which means also half of the interior go stripped ... might as well remove seats and do the carpets and ... where do you draw the line?

Mind you, the above might seem unrealistically insane, but it is actually very close to the reality of almost every "a to z" project I see and I ended up entangled with, both personally and in my job. I've had a customer bringing me in a car "just traded for a debt, can you tidy it up for a quick sale?"

For whatever is worth, the P38 with a system in good condition brakes very well, surprisingly well for a 4x4 designed in the 90s and able to fit 16" AT/MT options as well! Other vehicles of similar years don't fare equally good ....

In mine I fitted a new accumulator, rebuilt ALL calipers and replaced ALL hoses (except that dreadful 90 degree corner), emptied and cleaned ALL the pumps, including the reservoir, brand new Terrafirma discs and Ferodo pads, new quality fluid and proper bleeding, and in almost 30K km the entire system has not given one reason for negative comment. Do it once, and (try to) do it well - especially brakes.

You can ask the breaker to take the glass off and ship it without - if yours is fine, of course, but the problem of the large, heavy and awkward size remains. I have the same problem, you be better off searching high and low locally, and then get your hands very (very) wrapped around a repair/rebuild kit.

Bring up this one ... I haven't done anything to it in days, but Marty has :-)
Waiting for BeCM ...

Add myself to the list :-)

Be wary when messing around the fan, mine "disintegrated" and left me with quite a mess ...

This is a good idea, lately I've had a couple of A8s in the shop and the gears that move the display in and out tend to strip teeth every few years. If you can get the size right, I think is a good idea for those whose motors are still alive!

Welcome!
You've got most of your questions sorted out ... if you can differentiate between an electronic or a pneumatic issue with the EAS, is a good start. If it stays "up" with electronics disconnected, you already have a number of culprits ...
I recommend your find and download the workshop manual and the electronic troubleshoot manual (which holds diagrams and connections), and give them a "pan" read just to get acquainted with the various sections and with the systems in the car, layout and location of major components, and so on.
Will make your life easier and also easier to pinpoint areas of possible trouble.
Get a lot of clips! If you come across a breaker with parts and get a lock, you can send it to marty and have it refurbished as reserve.

Inevitably, to keep alive any vehicle you must have faced the inevitable dreadful news of no longer available parts ...
Can we use this topic to list stuff becoming unavailable for the P38s and eventual alternatives or options, even makeshift ones?
Not talking about any uber-rare Autobiography stuff or unicorn accessories, but most basic things sooner or later we all might need.

For example, I've been made aware that temp sensor by the heater core, STC3256, is NLA (Valeo). I am happy I got mine recently, but I am not sure how to rig something when it will go south.

OEM heater core Valeo is also out of catalogue, still can be found (I got one as NOS - New Old Stock in UK, incidentally). Alternatives are available (Nissens, Britpart), but not sure I'd swear by those.

Keep going ...

I got too much to list, but then much of it is stuff I've gathered over the years to refurb it, eventually use it, but knowing if it has to go, will not lose much of its value.
The RR stays, as well as the '95 S6 C4 20vt (to finish interior and bodywork), and the '83 280ZX (must undergo full resto, someday). The ones to go, somehow, are the '97 A6 C4 2.8 30v which is a current runabout, the S6 Plus that is almost complete, and the HZJ which I never managed to travel the world with :-(
The woman has a '04 Micra K12 1.2 auto which in spite of everything known and said has been utterly reliable, and which she never plans to part with, but now is nagging me to search for a nice Lexus CT200h for non-city use (she don't really like my stuff and don't drive except in long trips when I need to rest).
Don't have photos uploaded at the moment ...

Taking off from this phrase from Gilbertd on the 'EAS height' topic ....
It was designed the way it was for a reason so quite why people seem to think they know better than the man who designed it is beyond me.....
... without wanting to sound like flaming, I always find a lot of issues (sometimes idiotic) with the design of the vehicles I own, maintain, repair, and modify. Often said modifications are to address shortcomings or flaws in the original design, due to constrains or requirements set by the manufacturer (which I do not necessarily need to abide to), outdated/obsolete components (normal, nothing to complain about), and so on, but other times, are something completely out if any reasonable thinking .... now, without getting into the obvious of the P38s design shortcomings (say, the RF), what curious quirks or strange things of the P38 call your attention?

One of my most mind-boiling ones is the decision to throw the driveshafts and output of the BW TF on the left side, opposite to any other LR since 1948, needing a separate arrangement for everything, and obviously negating the possibility to share components with the rest of the vehicle range. I have not come across a sensible justification for such decision. The Taylor claims it was done to improve comfort for the driver (in RHD vehicles) having more legroom, but there is not really a noticeable difference ....

About the EAS, while I understand locking the operation while brake is on and/or door(s) is(are) open, don't see really the reason for it to 'wake up' and settle/level the vehicle. You might object is in order to avoid excessive leaning, but honestly even if you deflate fully one bag only, it does not really go that much out of normal ... it seems designed to just waste air - and drain battery. Am I missing something?

Mind you, I love the RRP38 as a whole, this is just for ....pub talk ;-)

Contrast for me as well ... other one is too blingly.
Plus, at the end of the day is a 4x4 off-road capable vehicle, and bumpers "must" be black! :-)

Good call, I did that couple years ago and it was a good improvement!

This is a good tip I did not thought of that ... no issues with welding alloy, got a guy close to me that I use to re-make AC lines he is exactly what needed :-)
Pity now I got a brand new (made only 5-6K km) bripart (more about this I promise in the cock-up area), but will put it in the list of future gear ...

When I started looking at P38s, I started also looking at forum to see the various stories and issues, and solutions.
Most of the info is very old in most cases, in some places which go back many years.
When I browse around in English, I've found aulro.com to be very informative and balanced, and pleasant. I went through ALL the pages of their P38 section .... (this is something I usually do with every vehicle I own!)
When I went to landyzone or rr.net I've noticed a distinct different vibe ... I actually went through a few pages and never bother with the rest. Bad attitude ... some guys in LZ would not even want to meet :-/
For rr.net, nevermind (with all due respect) US-based forum have next to nil usefulness to anyone living outside their world, for various reasons.
I don't recall the site, but the French have a very complete and well-behaved forum. Only in French (of course!) and you need to go through a translator through it.

But the pub ... this is the most cozy place I have ever been, and I've been in forums for +15 years and easily maybe over 30K posts.
Amazing vibes in here, no trolling, no flaming, and especially when dealing with a vehicle 99% of the motoring world (knowledgeable and not) considers utter crap, and a lost cause.

It was a delight to read this story!
Maybe is a phase of my life, but I also think a car like this - except for parts or because you really really really really want it - is not worth getting.
More than being put up for sale - or auction, is the same - it looks like "dumped" or "thrown". There is always a reason .... better not to find out.
I bought a number of vehicles (both personal and in my business) in various derelict stages, and it proved to be always a labor of love more than anything else, and in case of a vehicle to sell for a profit ... uufgh not always a good affair.
Like a hole in the head ... eh eh I like that :-)