L322 buying - checklist what do you think?

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glenbat

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35
Been compiling a list of things to check/look out for on L322's, most come from on here anyway, can you guys have a loo kover it see if I've missed anything off it (thanks for your posts that I've used, hope you didnt mind)




HPI check


Full Land Rover service history




Engine bay


  • 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


Windows and mirrors

  • 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


Memory seats

  • 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?

Memory steering wheel

  • 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)




Air suspension

  • 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


Bodywork

  • 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?


Driving

  • 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.

Hill decent (put the car in N select low range and switch on hill descent, car should now creep down the hill on its own without you having to touch the brake or accelerator)
 
Great guide! This is certainly helping me check over the used L322s I'm looking at here in Germany (I've lived in Germany for 12 years and had to get my license here not having gotten around to it in the UK so I won't have to get used to LHD vehicles...).
 
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.
 
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.

Oil is pretty cheap if you get it from the right place - not from the stealers lol
I paid £60 for 20 litres

So I can flush it through a couple of times ;)
 
Maybe checking the VIN and engine numbers against the paperwork is worth a mention. Might be obvious to some people but it's easy to forget when you get engrossed in checking all the features in the vehicle, especially if a dealer has stored the paperwork somewhere other than in the car.
 
If you are buying an early one, try to get one with the nylon webbing straps under the spare wheel. They hooked onto the top of the tailboard and when you lower the tailboard the straps lift the wheel out of the well. ( after unscrewing the threaded rod that holds the wheel in the well of course ). Without these straps you have to kneel on the tailboard and man handle the wheel out which I've done on many L322's and I can assure you it's a real ball ache to do. Later models had the straps deleted as a cost saver.
 
Holy necropost Batman! I think as they posted in 2010, and the last answer was 2012 ,they may have bought it by now :rolleyes:
 
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.
 
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.
We all do it at some point. The webbing thing isn't something I've ever thought about. Never checked and honestly never want to.
 
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