L322 buying - checklist what do you think?

• Check for coolant leaks, check reservoir in front right of engine bay, and with engine running, check all coolant hoses are not hard/brittle

• Check large cooling pipe off of top of radiator to engine isn’t rock hard or brittle
  
  
• Check all fluid levels over and over again!! (I checked the levels on mine before i went for a test drive then checked them on return from the test drive
  
  

• All the electric windows should go all the way up and all the way down with no sticking or stopping (except the rears which stop about 10cm before the bottom of the window)

• If the car has power fold mirrors when you press the button on the drivers door to fold the mirrors they should fold all the way in and unfold all the way out. If the mirror jumps or clicks you may need a mirror replacement.

• Put the auto box in reverse and if equipped the passenger side mirror should dip to show you the kerb and should go back to normal when taken out of reverse (this only works when the passenger mirror is selected on the drivers side door switch)

• Instrument pack work, all pixel on display working? (£250 to fix)

• Is the battery charged or does it keep draining? Look to see if the First Stage Resistor in the HVAC system has been changed, as a faulty one can cause battery drain

• The electric memory seats need to be able to move on all axises and be able to remember your position.

• Check all heated seats they have two temperature modes make sure they both work. (if its a vogue like mine it has rear heated seats to these have the same two temp modes)

• Drivers side arm rest in good condition and not sagging?
  
  

• it should go up and down and in and out with out sticking it should also remember your saved position when you put your key in and should slide away when you take the key out) these steering wheel have been known to have problems with the up down and in out motors

• The heated steering wheel can be a bit of an issue when i got mine i pressed the button to switch it on and the red light would not stay on, it had to be repaired.

• All the steering wheel controls whould work (take the car on a motorway to test the cruise control it should speed up and slow down by the + and - buttons on the wheel)

• Service Action for 2002-2006MY L322. Steering column tilt mechanism upgrade - A028V3

• Trip computer - average MPG - if its really low (10 or under IMO) then either there is something wrong or the last owner has ragged it everywhere.

• Check that the air con goes all the way up and all the way down it should be ice cold if it is working correctly.

• Check all functions of the sat nav/radio/tv/cd etc and correct location... (sat nav/tv only on vogue not HSE)
  
  

• The air compressor is in the spare wheel well you cant really see much but these are a common faulty issue, according to my cars service record it had to have a new one after only 4 years! So making sure the air suspension system is working correctly is a must!
  
  
• When you go over 60mph (i think thats the speed) the car should 'squat' in to high speed mode, basically this means the car lowers the air suspension to make handling better at high speeds. But remember what goes down must go back up again. When you slow down after a few minutes the car should rise to the standard ride height again.

• Check air suspension car should rise and lower to all levels and be able to hold that height without falling (i went back the next day to check the car had held its height without falling overnight) failing can some times mean a leak in the air system.

• you can see the bottom of the front air bags if you raise the car to off road setting and the rear ones can only be seen from underneath the vehicle. You need to look out for cracking or wear of the rubber when the car is in it's off roading mode as the constant folding of the rubber when lowering and raising car wears out and cracks the rubber this is a common leak area on the air bags.

• Check for un-even brake disc wear and sticking calipers

• Check the tailgate, the buttons are electric and should open first time everytime.
  
  
• Check for leaks and signs of rust around the bottom of the tailgate area.

• Towbar fitted? Much use?

• Check spare wheel compartment for water

• Check for water damage in passenger cabin especially around the door seals, also check for water damage in the boot and ESPECIALLY in the computer compartment (left hand side) this is known place to leak, just where you don’t want it to leak where the computers and audio stuff is.
  
  
• Check wipers and headlight washers etc... (rear washer can take a few seconds to pump the wiper fluid to the rear window)

• Check for condensation in rear lamps, does it clear after 10 minutes with lights on?
  
  

• Do the front CV joints rattle at low speed?

• Has the front diff been replaced? Factory recall so should have been done OQ41

• Steering vibration - if you can take it for a test drive and then hold it at about 60mph (approx 2000 RPM if cruising), if there is vibration then it often seems to be at about this speed. Might just need wheels balancing but could be something worse.

exuptoy said:

Nice check list.:clap2:

If there is a full history on a TD6, check the bills for the oil change service and ensure there are bills there for the vortex oil filter change inside the rocker cover. Not sure on the frequency of this but if neglected, can lead to turbo oil starvation. Only costs about £20 so why scrimp and possible cause an early bath for your pride and joy.

The gearbox comes in for stick on these vehicles due to their possible early demise (around 70-80k miles) but as they are "filled for life" it may be cheap insurance to get it drained and refilled once or twice during it's life. The oil isn't cheap but it's WAY cheaper than a gearbox.

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LifetimeLandy said:

Ha Ha, Doh.... did not check the date. Well never mind, I'd be interested to know though if they did get one with the lifting straps. It's still possible to rig one up yourself using an old seat belt. Wander if anyone has.

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