just how good is the td 5

marcus. if you care to look in the handbook your vehicle came with it will give you the specifications of the recommended lubricants. (not necessarily the brand). If you are happy with the vehicle, I suggest you should be happy with what the manufacturer reccomends you put in it.
When the defender first came out many had the gearbox refilled with 90 gear oil.(I know 2 who did it) They reckoned manual boxes cant run on ATF, what a sad mistake. And there was a lot of anguish over knocked back warranty claims!
Stick with the book (I do with my disco) and you should be looking at 1/2 mill. easy.
cheers haze

That's the 64 dollar question isn't it? The runs are not yet on the board for the TD5, longevity is still being put to the test. All you can do is stick with the recomended service program,lubricants and the rest is luck. Subtract a margin of 20% extra fuel for towing, moving weight costs money.

Good motor - especially re economy. Not so great for power though - but I guess it's hard to have it both ways. Watch out for alternator troubles not much after 100,000kms. Actually there's not much you can watch for - just don't be too surprised if it fails.

Hello Marcus,
I've clocked up 210,000 kms now in my 1998 and I agree with you that it's sensational. It's very economical and a dream to drive. It's been virtually trouble free except for alternator failure at 135,000 and clutch failure at 170,000. It has several relatively small oil leaks now but oils cheap compared to the cost of repairing them! I'm on my second engine now and am looking forward to just as many kms as the first one. Cheers

yep, I meant why so few kays; not why so few engines!