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300TDI buying advise needed

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SWEETY:
Hi guy's I was wondering if you could tell me what to look out for & where on a 300TDI auto please :DI've never owned a landy before so don't really know what to look out for :'(I need to try & get the cleanest one I can as it's got to last me quiet a few years as the family motor & our green laner :roll:

davidjmiller:
Rust, rust and more rust!!

Inside the doors esp the back ones at the lower rear. Around the back bumper. Get that carpet up in the boot there might be loads there. Inner wings are also problematic too!!!

Be careful and hunt around. There are some good bargins out there now.

Good luck,

david

Skibum346:
They main thing is the bodywork...
Look for holes in the sills (bottom face, inner face and if you can get behind the plastic outer face face as well)
Holes in the rear wheel arches and rear door where wheel arch meets it (this check is important as seat belts mount to wheel arch).
Boot floor... get the carpet up and check where the spot welds hold the floor to the support bars and on all four edges.
Inner wings... some end up being completely disconnected from the rest of the bodywork! Don't be fooled by recent paint/underseal. Make sure it's solid under there.
Footwells can rot at the front.

Other than that... look for smoke from the exhaust, expect some in high mileage that have been sitting for a while as long as it's black. Blue/white means trouble.

Second gear can get a bit crunchy as the gearbox gets old... listen for transmission slap on take up of gears... and slowing down using gearbox... could mean excessive wear in transmission somewhere (anywhere from gearbox all way back to diffs).

Hope this helps.

Skibum

SWEETY:
Thanks for the help guy's :PHave seen a few where there is what looks like grease coming out of the axles behind the front brakes is this the swivels gone :?is there any oil leaks that will cause probs in the long run :roll:

Skibum346:
Firstly... a Land Rover doesn't leak.... it just marks it's territory...    :lol:

However... if it's leaking oil/grease from the wiper seal on the chrome ball on the end of the axle case at the front it could just need new wipers seals. However, if it's been left that way for any length of time it COULD mean a complete rebuild of the swivel hub.

If it's behind the breaks it's the hub oil seal. relaively easy but the complexity of the hub can be daunting for a newbie. Part is a couple of quid.

Small leaks from nose of diffs is common but again... if oil levels are not regularly checked could lead to probs. The fix is relatively sxtraightforward. There is a seal behind the drive flanges that can be changed.

All oil leaks can be managed by regular top up's... the issue I guess is 1) are you going to be disciplined enough? 2) how much earache will missus give you for spoiling the drive!

I'd suggest that it's not so much oil leaks that are the problem as they all help to diagnose a problem that can be fixed... it's the abscence of oil leaks... abscence of a leak could just mean there is no oil left....    :shock:

Good luck

Skibum

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