Hey guys Im looking at a 2004 TL VRX and it doesnt have much service history after 70k

The car is clean and so is the engine bay but they dont know when the timing belt has been done.

It's done 133k and at 133k I think the belt should have been changed already.

What do you guys think?

It is an expensive job, so if it has been done, the owner will have a receipt for it.

No receipt = not done. It is that simple.

If you care to look, the original belt is a Nito - pale blue writing. Aftermarket belts usually have white writing.

I bought a TL at 136,000 km. No records, had original belt. I bought it with the knowledge the belt would need doing, but in your case you could use this as a bargaining point to < $1K off the price.

No receipt = not done. It is that simple.



Exactly

Check for a sticker under the hood or even get a Racq check

It's done 133k and at 133k I think the belt should have been changed already.


Forgot to mention - by rights, the 2004 car should have had it's belt changed in 2009, and now in 2014, ie it should, in theory, be due for it's third belt.
Manual states 5 years or 100,000 km, whichever is FIRST (NOT last, not whichever is more convenient)
Strange though, it is not included in any service schedule at around 5years/100,000 km, so an owner who blindly gets his car serviced by the service schedule would need to ask for it. Strange, that.

Anyhow, still buy the car if the price is right, but be prepared for the cam belt, ancillary belts, rocker cover gaskets, spark plugs, tube seals that need doing on a neglected Magna at that km.
Possibly engine oil and filter change, and gearbox too.

Check for a sticker under the hood or even get a Racq check

A clued up RACQ mechanic would lift the rear cam belt cover and look for writing. Blue = original, white = fresh.

What is the asking price on the 2004 TL VRX?

If you have any writing on the belt chances are it is fairly recent.

Okay well my mate and I are gonna go have a look at it again soon, we'll ask to check the belt for blue or white writing.

As for rocker covers etc, it looks to be really clean. I've checked under the car and on top as well, no signs of oil leaks what so ever. It's definitely not a neglected car at all the paint and interior has been looked after very well and the engine bay has too. As far as service history goes. The car was bought in SA and had it's first 1,500km service in QLD and has been in QLD ever since, had it's last service history logged in the book in 2008 at 70k and i'm guessing the warranty would of been on its way out by then and whoever owned it was mechanically minded and serviced it himself.

Asking price is 6k with 6 months rego, 133k, from a dealer.

That's just what I think could of happened, but obviously I can't rely on that without checking it out myself.

a dealer wont budge much on the price but by all means go for it if not walk away it will make them think twice and either offer you a deal or not and as they say one door opens another closes

As for rocker covers etc, it looks to be really clean. I've checked under the car and on top as well, no signs of oil leaks what so ever.
Asking price is 6k with 6 months rego, 133k, from a dealer.


The car is spotless because the dealer cleaned it. Give it 100 km in your possession, and any oil leaks will become apparent. Mine did. lol
Reasonable price though.


a dealer wont budge much on the price

I got $1K off the price for my 2004 TL wagon because I waived the warranty. Had to fill in a stat dec.
Why? Car was sound mechanically on inspection, and any problems that cropped up would be better fixed by me. I've seen what dealer mechanics do to cars that come in for warranty work *shudder*, plus the arguments you get into just to get warranty work done. A previous owner neglecting to do the cam belt at the right time would not be covered by warranty.

As it turned out, the TL I bought needed new rocker cover gaskets, tube seals and a fresh cam belt. No problems have shown up in 30,000 km since buying it. Still on the same battery that came with the car, but disc pads and tyres have needed changing in that time.

Anyway, go buy the car, knock him down as much as you can, then drive it and fix whatever you find needs fixing. Workshop manual available from this forum, if you are inclined to do things yourself.

Thanks madmax.

Yeah i figured that they probably cleaned it, i'll have to wait and see for any problems i guess. But the dealer has been using the car for his personal use to run.around and buy cars, since then the car has clocked an extra 1000kms more than the ad odo.
They actually drove it to my house for me to inspect and take it for a test drive cause my car is dead.

But yeah I thought the price was pretty good for the condition it's in and I wouldnt mind spending the extra considering it is a good price