Hi all,

Newbie here, have had a search but couldn't find a Buyer's Guide as such so thought I'd ask instead!

I'm off to look at a 2003 3.0 Td6 tonight, has 60k on the clock, 2 previous owners with FLRSH. It's advertised as a Vogue, can you tell me where that sits in the specification range? I think at that year they had Vogue's, SE's and HSE's, but not sure what order...? It seems highly spec'd - colour Sat Nav (with a TV?), heated rear seats, leather everywhere, etc but 'sensible' size alloys, not 22" monsters!!

Is there anything in particular I should look for when viewing the car and on the test drive? I have been told the front diff and gearboxes can be a weak link - anything to check for here or elsewhere no the car?

Also, any recalls on these earlier L322's that need to be checked? Should have been done with a FLRSH, but you never know.

Cheers guys and gals!  Current fleet:
BMW 330Ci M-Sport coupe - daily driver and long distance cruiser
Range Rover Classic Vogue SE (3.9 V8 on LPG, soft dash model with EAS) - weekend car and generally uneconomical runabout
Suzuki GSX-R750 K6 'Stealth' - trackdays and high speed touring!

Wanted:
Either FF Range Rover Td6 or Range Rover Sport TDV6 - can't decide!

I'm probably going to set the cat amongst the pigeons here, but why a Td6 and not a V8?

Vogue sits near the top, bar Autobiography. SE and HSE are lesser-specced and should be priced accordingly.

The spec you describe is typical Vogue.

Alloys could be either 18", 19" or 20" with that year and engine.

I'm no Td6 expert and will leave the detail to those better versed with this engine and drivetrain.

Buy a good FF and you'll love it.  Si. <This is my name.

I eat rat poison.

A man ain't truly been insulted until he stands buck naked in front of a woman and she didn't even notice. Or care.

Thanks Bellini.

I am avoiding the newer cars because I just cannot stomach the thought of paying £465 road tax to drive on our pothole strewn roads! Given my new daily drive will be 80 miles up and down the sweeping A5, the Td6 should cruise just as well as a TDV8 and, with two less cyilnders, might be a little more economical too. Speaking of which, what sort of MPG do you get from a Td6 on a run?

Pleased to hear the Vogue is a 'top' model, I like the toys! The car will have three main roles to fulfil:

- Daily driver, used for an 80 mile commute twice a week and not a lot else apart from running round locally at weekends
- Annual trip down to the Alps, fully loaded with ski's and snowboards - hence why heated rear seats are desirable for the missus and her mate!
- Trip to and round Morocco this summer, mostly overland across the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara - will have a rooftent mounted up top and A/T tyres underneath and that's about it. This sort of trip will probably be an annual thing, but different location each yeah - the Northern Lights are looking a firm favourite for next year, so it'll have to cope with extreme's of hot and cold!

So, anything else to check specific to L322's and Td6's tonight?

Thanks! Current fleet:
BMW 330Ci M-Sport coupe - daily driver and long distance cruiser
Range Rover Classic Vogue SE (3.9 V8 on LPG, soft dash model with EAS) - weekend car and generally uneconomical runabout
Suzuki GSX-R750 K6 'Stealth' - trackdays and high speed touring!

Wanted:
Either FF Range Rover Td6 or Range Rover Sport TDV6 - can't decide!

I have seen high 20's when slipstreaming lorries on the motorway, going upto 32 when gentle and flat.

My average since i started using fuelly is below but that includes LOTS of town driving which is generaly about 19mpg or less.

I use B100 BioD which i now get for £1/litre and haven't had any issues with, even during the cold snap and have tried the 2 stroke mixing thing and all it did was make the engine a little quieter but not too much

Mines up for grabs if you fancy it

Also see if they have had any gearbox issues and if they have done a lot of towing with it.

being such low milage it should have been serviced every year ideally and will likely be a bit coked up and sooty for a while until you have done enough booting it to clear the exhaust out.

Check the rear arches, lower edge of the upper tailgate and underside for rust. the underside should be good but if its caught anything at any time and chipped the protective waxing/seal off it could let stuff in.

make sure the box is smooth through the gears and when down changing manually, if its not the valve block in the box is likely worn which means a box out job to repair.

See if at 55mph it holds steady and doesn't slip or rev up or down any amount as mine locks up nicely at 35mph and up as long as you don't put too much pressure on the loud pedal, but above 50mph IIRC it nearly totally locks up unless you belt to the floor it. By lock up i mean the torque convertor. Again if this is gone or starting to slip i believe the box has to come off to fix it and the box needs to be flushed as it will no doubt be full of clutch debris and thus may still need replacing as well circa £2.5k i think.

Check that over non smooth roads it doesn't clank or rattle as this means either a drop link or bush is gone somewhere.
If there is a light whirring noise that gets louder with speed and goes when going round a left or right corner then a wheel bearing is likely shot somewhere. £200 from an indy to replace.

Check all the electrics work properly including suspension goes up and down a few times.
Shut the engine off and leave a door open and see if the car maintains FULL height. If one corner sags the airbag may be leaky (circa £250 per bag and guides on here how to do it).

If its due a service soon haggle this into the equation and then if you can DIY as the oil can be be bought for about £45 and the service filters are the same again yet a dealer would likely quote £250+ on a good day

Check that with the bass levels turned all the way up that there is no rattling coming from the sub box in the boot as these have been seen to fail a few times in recent posts i've seen

Check the tyres are worn evenly and not on one side, especially at the back as i think this indicates the rear rose bushes are gone. Again factor another £200 from an indy, maybe a bit more

All TD6's are in the cheaper tax zone upto 2006 cut off which is when the TDV8 came out

if your doing milage then a 4.4 v8 on LPG or an SC may be better for you to save the pennies on the fuel run as you will spend about £140 at normal pumps to fill the tank and it will only get 500miles on a good set of long runs, i find 400 is more usuall with any mix of driving thrown in

also do boot it every now and again to keep the soot from building up in the exhaust and the keep the turbo free by getting it upto temp to shed any carbon deposits on its part  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

You mention recalls and the front diff. I've read that LR stopped doing the recall work as of Jan - don't know if that is true or not. But this is one thing that you def want to make sure was done. If not, call a LR dealer and find out how much it costs to have done and have the price dropped accordingly. If you search you'll find pics of the old and new diff here in the forum. Very easy to see.

The transmission is a weak point as you've already said as well. It's highly unlikely that you'll feel any symptoms during a test drive unless the transmission is really about to die, but beware of a juddering that feels a bit like a tire balance problem and goes away if you shift into neutral and let the car coast. Not easy to make happen, tho. Be sure to ask about the transmission too - not only as a source of info but also as a possible recourse if the transmission should happen to give up shortly after you've purchased.

The motor is relatively robust. It shouldn't diesel too much once warm and there should not be a very noticable turbo whistle.

Make sure the EAS works - familiarize yourself with it's operation ahead of time. Plenty of info here or at LR Topix>owner>manuals.

Check all electrics/electronics. Everything can be repaired but at RR prices... Missing pixels in the cluster display are a very common problem. LR replaces the cluster to fix this - easily around GBP1000. There are numerous repair services that will do the repair for around GBP100 tho. Again, use anything not working to bargain.

Good luck. 
RRC 2Dr, RRC 4Dr,
P38, and 2 L322s
(wife thinks I'm nuts - prob right, too)

Thanks guys, that's quite a list of stuff to check! Bit concerned about the transmission stuff, sounds like its difficult to identify a problem but likely there could be one!

My RRC has EAS and I have replaced all the air springs on that, so fairly familiar with the basics of how it should work.

Will check the corrosion spots mentioned but the car looks very mint/unabused from the pics, so hopefully it will be in real life too.

What was the actual problem with front diffs out of interest?

Anything in particular I can do to test the transmission on the test drive? Bit confused about how I would tell if the torque convertor locks up or not! Current fleet:
BMW 330Ci M-Sport coupe - daily driver and long distance cruiser
Range Rover Classic Vogue SE (3.9 V8 on LPG, soft dash model with EAS) - weekend car and generally uneconomical runabout
Suzuki GSX-R750 K6 'Stealth' - trackdays and high speed touring!

Wanted:
Either FF Range Rover Td6 or Range Rover Sport TDV6 - can't decide!

great info here so i've made a link in the wiki...  ... - .- -.




click link for ,

FORUM WIKI

HOW TO Ǝꓕ∀ꓕOꓤ PICS

workshop manual downloads are in our wiki

.

Matt Stevenson's Purchase Checklist (again)

http://www.myrangerover.co.uk/MyRangeRover...klist.html

Front Diff: it just breaks and leaves you with no drive, can be dangerous if on motorway lane 3 etc.

Gearbox: mine gave no warning, loss of drive then locked up the transmission (£1500 - £2500 so be prepared!)

Check gearbox is happy going from high to low range and back again (test this a few times)

Check HDC (Hill Descent Control) works sound like you may need it where you are heading

Check all fans and blowers work as they should (FSR ££ problems or fan not working £££)

Check all windows go up and down, and that all locks and remotes work OK

If fitted, test FBH (Fuel Burning Heater) works OK (TD6 has one fitted as standard, but not all enabled to provide cabin/engine warm up on timer)

Check if engine has been chipped? ( In case you want to chip it)

Make sure the folding mirrors stay in

"TV" may not work now if analog has been switched off in your area, but there is a bargaining point of £300 - £500 for the dvb tuner replacement, if TV is being used as a selling point. (won't work whilst going along anyway unless you hack this)

Rough test on EAS, at standard road height you should be able to get at least a fist between tyre and wheel rim on level ground.

Check tailgate locks and catches all work OK

Worth checking for towing electrics, its good to have as post fit with OEM is £££

What's in the left hand side of the boot - could be extras or after market goodies in there - DVD player, telephone stuff
Whilst looking in there check for any water ingress, also look in the spare wheel boot space for signs of water (remove wheel if necessary. Make sure jack, tools etc are present.

Check what telephone setup there is / or is possible

Test rear wash and wipe all OK (No leaks to interior of car)

Other than the standard mechanical stuff, this covers most of the topics that come up on the forum .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

EDIT - joe90 just beat me to it......

Hi mate,

Bought my 1 owner 2003 Vogue in November.

As already mentioned, check the rear wheel arches. They are a steel panel and have no protection other than paint. Bit of a bad design.

You can buy the rubber protection strips from a Range Rover Sport, and put on, so you can cover them up and protect them further if they are a bit unsightly.......

http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic9387.html

Check that the heater fan works, many I saw didn't, and neither did the one Ibought. Tends to be the finsal stage resistor, just behind the dash. About £40 I think. Sometimes referred to on here as an FSR.

If the battery is a bit low, it tends to throw up error messages and faults sometimes on the dash, which are not actually a problem. Just be aware.

If you get to, I think it's 55 or 60 mph for a bit, the car should automatically drop to motorway height on the air suspension. The orange light should move near the control knob on the centre console.

Check it engages low range on the gearbox properly.........

There are companies that can fix the LCD display under the speedo, as the cable tends to go brittle and the pixels don't light up properly. About £100 I think, but you have to send them your instrument cluster.

The TV probably won't work as it'll be analogue. You'll need a hybrid unit from a later BMW (£550 + on ebay) or an aftermarket add on.

You can also add Bluetooth by adding a later BMW unit if required......

AND as you turn on the ignition, for a few seconds, the car will display on the odometer, the miles to go before its due a service. If this is a minus figure, it's overdue.

Not a deal breaker I know, but if you want to buy it when you've seen it, check the rear wash wipe. They tend to get all blocked up due to where they are and the pipes need a clear out or a new valve fitting in. Easier to get someone else to do that as you negotiate price.......

It all reads like a complete nightmare, and I understand the gearbox issue is due to GM using softer alloy for the casing, so it wears prematurely.

I had my front diff recall done on 18th Dec 2011, and I don't believe they will do it now.

BMW didn't think they'd be off roaded much, so just had a straight spline into the transfer box. Over time, the splines wear out.

They now fit a later design, with an extra CV type flexible joint in. I'm not an expert, but thats roughly what happens.

I tend to get over 30mpg on the motorway and about 21-22 mpg knocking about. I have a K & N air filter and have removed the EGR system.....

Make sure the compartment in the left of the boot area, (which contains most of the hi-fi and sat nav electronics), does not have water or dampness in it........

Click image to enlarge

with mjdronfield - we both either spend too much time on the forum or can pat ourselves on the back for knowing all the things that can go wrong with an FFRR  .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

I used to wonder why I'm single, but my sister has pointed out that I need wonder no more......!!

 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

Advice- remortgage, ur gonna need a lot of money

Regarding recalls: There will be a VIN number written on the car under the bonnet on the right edge, there should also be one at the bottom of the windscreen.

Call your nearest official land rover dealer and give them this number, they'll tell you if all the recalls have been done.

I recently bought a TD6 Vogue for exactly the same reason as you. I couldn't justify the road tax & it'd stick in my craw giving even more money to the government. Depite reports of the TD6 being slow, perhaps its true if you measure it by TD V8 standards, but I fine mine to be plenty powerful enough & it can certainly hold its own on the road. The biggest downside is that the fuel consumption of a 6 is much higher than the V8.

Whichever way you go you'll be buying an awesome car & you wont regret it, in fact it'd be very difficult to go back to an ordinary car.

The rest of the advice you've been given on here is spot on & its comforting to know that help is on hand when needed, the folks on here are nothing short of brilliant.
Robert The reason women's minds are cleaner than a mans mind is that women change their minds more often!
When women say fine a mans in deep doodoo as fine has so many meanings.

Thanks Robert! I guess I will decide tonight if it is quick enough for me - if I feel the car is too big/slow/lumbering/cumbersome then I'll go for an RR Sport, but I'm imagining it to be like my RR Classic and I am guessing suspension technology has moved on a little bit since then!!

I am surprised you say the Td6 is worst on fuel than the TDV8 - yes it has to work harder to move the vehicle, but with two less cylinders I'd have thought it'd be less thristy, particularly round town and at cruising speeds. Apparently the TDV6 RRS is more economical than the TDV8, for instance? Current fleet:
BMW 330Ci M-Sport coupe - daily driver and long distance cruiser
Range Rover Classic Vogue SE (3.9 V8 on LPG, soft dash model with EAS) - weekend car and generally uneconomical runabout
Suzuki GSX-R750 K6 'Stealth' - trackdays and high speed touring!

Wanted:
Either FF Range Rover Td6 or Range Rover Sport TDV6 - can't decide!