Hey guys
Brand new owner of a used magna here, picked the car up friday last week, and I've stumbled across this forum searching the net for answers to some questions that has come up.
To start off with the car I bought is a 2003 Magna Advance TJ Series 2 and in it's 2 year lifespan it's gone a wooping 75 000km's. The explanation to that is quite easy...the former owners were the NSW police and the car has most likely been used as a unmarked patroll car. The reason I suspect this is the amount of screw holes you can find inside the car from where extra gear was mounted, like holes on driverside and front passenger side doors where baton mounts used to be.
So now I'm wondering...is there any easy way for me to find out if they installed anything non stock underneath the bonnet, in the suspension or the brakes? Can't say I'm all to mechanicly adept so taking stuff apart majorly just to find out is out of the question.

A second question is about the ACC:
Seems to run fine for a while after it's been started just to with a quite audible thud switch over to feeding hot air into the car. Doesn't seem like the computer system realises that it's blowing in hot air though as the fan speed starts increasing, probably "thinking" that it's still feeding cold air in and the hightened temperature in the cabin needs to be fixed by higher fan speeds...in other words it gets stuck in a bad circle. :nuts:
Could this be as simple as it just needing to be re-gassed as a Verada owning workmate suspects or a sign of something worse?

Thanks in advance
Snow

A second question is about the ACC:
Seems to run fine for a while after it's been started just to with a quite audible thud switch over to feeding hot air into the car. Doesn't seem like the computer system realises that it's blowing in hot air though as the fan speed starts increasing, probably "thinking" that it's still feeding cold air in and the hightened temperature in the cabin needs to be fixed by higher fan speeds...in other words it gets stuck in a bad circle. :nuts:
Could this be as simple as it just needing to be re-gassed as a Verada owning workmate suspects or a sign of something worse?

Thanks in advance
Snow

I'd definately get the aircon looked at. I've just had my compressor replaced under warranty and just before it died it would blow nice cold air at me then suddenly switch to feeding air in straight from the outside.

True, mine went from fully working to completely cactus in about 300km during a long highway trip, but it doesn't sound good.

An aircon needing regassing will probably either not work at all, or just take a really long time to cool down (and probably not be as cold as it should be) - it shouldn't cut in and out intermittently.

It might be as simple as a bung thermostat though.

I remember seeing in a police journal a reference to the modifications made to magnas. Mainly different brake pads and a larger alternator/battery to run ancilleries as well as additional wiring. I would get it serviced to see what else is wrong with it as it would most likely have had a very hard life.

Hey guys
Brand new owner of a used magna here, picked the car up friday last week, and I've stumbled across this forum searching the net for answers to some questions that has come up.
To start off with the car I bought is a 2003 Magna Advance TJ Series 2 and in it's 2 year lifespan it's gone a wooping 75 000km's. The explanation to that is quite easy...the former owners were the NSW police and the car has most likely been used as a unmarked patroll car. The reason I suspect this is the amount of screw holes you can find inside the car from where extra gear was mounted, like holes on driverside and front passenger side doors where baton mounts used to be.
So now I'm wondering...is there any easy way for me to find out if they installed anything non stock underneath the bonnet, in the suspension or the brakes? Can't say I'm all to mechanicly adept so taking stuff apart majorly just to find out is out of the question.

A second question is about the ACC:
Seems to run fine for a while after it's been started just to with a quite audible thud switch over to feeding hot air into the car. Doesn't seem like the computer system realises that it's blowing in hot air though as the fan speed starts increasing, probably "thinking" that it's still feeding cold air in and the hightened temperature in the cabin needs to be fixed by higher fan speeds...in other words it gets stuck in a bad circle. :nuts:
Could this be as simple as it just needing to be re-gassed as a Verada owning workmate suspects or a sign of something worse?

Thanks in advance
Snow

how much did you pay for it, i hop eit was discounted heavily for the high k's, although iv a got a mate averaging 40,000kms a yr from all his trips away

jaz

@cthulhu: Doesn't seem to be the thermostat as the AC is doing the same even if I run it manually. Tried it again today and it behaved fine for about 10 minutes getting the car nice and cold just to once again switch over to hot air. And I'm talking HOT here, it's the heater that kicks in.

@greenmatt: Fair enough mate. Shame they didn't put in anything aftermarket to soup up the engine aswell, guess I can't be that lucky though. Good advice about the service too...I'll make sure to give it one as soon as I can.

@97_verada: Dealer wanted $16,500 for it but let the car go for $16,200. Did look at 2 other 2003 Advance's before getting this one and they were both up inbetween $19,990 - $21,990...both lower k's ofcource but had more external cosmetic damage than what this one has. Apart from 2 small scratches, all the screw holes from cop gear (that hardly is visible at all unless you look for it), the ACC problem and a missing bolt to hold the spare wheel in place everything else looks new from the factory. By the looks of it the missing bolt has been cut flush at the weld with an anglegrinder. :shock:

shoudlnt you tell the dealer your prob? as the car is still under warrnaty they hsould fix it, or find whatever the problem is.

where in nsw are you snow?

Originally posted by greenmatt :
I remember seeing in a police journal a reference to the modifications made to magnas. Mainly different brake pads and a larger alternator/battery to run ancilleries as well as additional wiring. I would get it serviced to see what else is wrong with it as it would most likely have had a very hard life.


I have a mate thats a cop and I remember back in 2000 they had an unmarked magna at their station and he said it had been chipped too as well as suspension mods for harder cornering. Can anyone else clarify this???

@TFBoy: I'll be giving the dealer a ring later on today. So far work has gotten in the way from me ringing.

@Monjunior: I'm in the Penrith area mate.