Evening chaps,

I know this subject comes up time and time again but I am going to look at my work colleagues 4.2 sc 2005 plate this Sunday coming. I have read the diesel check list on here and apart from checking all the obvious stuff. Condition,Paperwork,Tyres,Interior,MOT etc i can honestly say i am petrified of missing something on a check list and coming away feeling stupid.

Its a low mileage example and he has assured me all the electrics and air suspension bits work perfectly. obviously i will go over it all. Are there any obvious ways to tell if air suspension is on its way out ? also what are the most common electrical failures inside the vehicle. Once again i am sorry to come up with another newbie type question but i am desperate for some expert advice

Thanks so much in advance

Dal

The first thing on the idiot list is to post your topic in the correct bit of the forum...

Check that the air suspension will go through the full at least once - so drop it to access height and then select normal and then off road heights. It should manage to do the full change at least once. If it struggles then you might be looking at a new compressor - not unexpected on an older example.

Otherwise, make sure everything works correctly and listen for knocks on the test drive. The suspension is supple and the steering "well weighted" so if it feels crashy/heavy suspect an issue. Suspension bushes are consumable items so it's not unexpected to find some knocking over bumps.

Lift the vehicle to off road height and check for leaks from the active anti roll bar at the rear. The front one is covered by protection plates but the rear one is visible. Likewise the rear differential. Any leaks from either are a possible warning sign although not a deal breaker if minor.

Make sure the electronic park brake works and holds the vehicle. It shouldn't squeal when applied - if it does then that's a sign that it's either not used much or is tired. Either way it could be a sign of a future issue. It can be adjusted, which is the first thing to try. Slightly noisy brakes at low speeds (walking pace) isn't unusual.

Make sure that low range works. Put it in neutral with the engine running and select low range. It takes a couple of seconds to change. With the window/door open you can hear it "click" twice during the change. Put it in rock crawl mode on the Terrain Response dial and hold it on the brakes (needs to be in low range for rock crawl) and you'll probably see the centre diff locking up symbol on the 4x4 display. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

thanks for the reply

About the parking brake, what is the deal with it? ie if i come to a stand and put car into P will the handbrake automatically come on? I ask this because the car in question i had a brief test drive in today and i just had to put it into D after starting ( i didnt touch the parking brake)

The parking brake isn't applied automatically but it will release automatically if you apply throttle to pull away.

Some people don't use the parking brake, they just use the park function on the gearbox. I use the EPB all the time and find it works well. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Ok guys I am going to look at this car this afternoon 05 SC, to be honest i am petrified having never owned such a prestige/problematic car. I have brought loads of used cars before and never had any major problems, ive never spent this much on a car before.
I work with the guy who owns the vehicle and having chatted to a mutual friend yesterday, he informed me that the car was a bag of ! (owners words apparently) I know this could be just banter/wind up/jealousy but are there any things over and above a normal car i should look out for? Having read this back i now sound like an old woman but its a big cash outlay for me and i want it to be right....over to the gurus

Stop worrying you haven't bought it yet . Being an 05 it will have the old style lights and touch screen , apart from that all I can say is give it a go . All parts for these cars are readily avalible on the Internet for a Diy fix or use a specialist / main agent if your not technically minded .
Use we buy any car dot com or similar to give you an idea of what you could move it on quickly for if it does turn out to be a load of rubbish .
Good luck and keep us updated .
Edit . Just looked on auto trader and there are a few 05 models with the newer lights and newer touch screen (6 buttons is the newer one )