Hi guys,
I just found my mate a very good bargain. I told him his 91 n13 nissan pulsar was a sh*t heap and he needs a better car and I told him magnas are very good value for money. He just purchased a 2003 TL ES like mine for $3600 with 5 months rego and RWC. However the odometer reading is quite high especially for the age at 286,000 km. He's a little bit worried that something major may go wrong but the auto changes fine, engine runs like a dream all the levels are perfect and the previous owner spent over 2k on it in maintenance. I've heard the TR/S 3.0L engines blow smoke around 200k although is this the same on the 6G74 3.5? And has anyone heard of the 3.5s lasting well over 300ks like you hear about the falcon and commo engines? Thanks

For a 2003 car to have near 300,000kms I presume there would have been alot of highway driving involved. IMO the engine should last alot longer if this is the case and maintainence was kept up. Depending on use it could be just as good in terms of reliability as another TL with 100,000 on it.

As long as it's serviced regularly, checked periodally and preventative maintainace performed, there's no reason why the car won't last.

If its been serviced then it should be ok, on the other end of the scale, look out for old low kms cars that the owners have serviced on a kms base and not on a time base, they could have problems with parts that wear out over time regardless of use that haven't been replaced. Also, timing belt service at 300,000 is coming up.

+ isnt it a bit late to be worried if he already bout it? wouldn't have been better to be worried beforehand and make his decision accordingly.

Seems like a lot of car for the money. If you are convinced that the Timing Belt did get done around the 200K mark, that would be your main concern.
As noted, Timing Belt will be due again at 300K. This is a pricey, but important service item.

Transmission service is advisable, old fluid is "flushed" out rather than just drop some fluid and refill - read up in here about what is involved and even if it's done by mechanic check to make sure its done right - and that correct Trans Fluid is used (Mitsi trans needs the specified fluid, which is not what several other makes get by on).

Otherwise, your mate has got a lot of awesome car for very little money. Tyres, Brakes, Suspension - may all (obviously) be affected by high mileage, a well-serviced engine that has had regular service should be rock-solid, esp if its done long highway miles rather than lots of little short trips.

More important, are you gonna join him up in here, so he gets all the ideas, inspiration, and inside-knowledge!

Sharkie's TL had close to 400000km on it when he traded it a week or so ago and still ran strongly.

As stated above, if the car has had predominately highway running, there is no reason that it wouldn't be still in good condition. IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW IT WAS MAINTAINED. I sold our 1985 TM Magna with 345000 km on it and it was still in good condition. I put new rings in at 230000 (because I was chasing a head gasket problem at the time) but it didn't really need them. Compressions were still good and it wasn't using excessive oil. Nothing changed after fitting the new rings .I had changed the oil every 5000 km, even though most of our running was at highway speeds.

Check the brake pads. If it was a highway car, they may still be the original pads. My TF still has plenty of the original pads left at 225000km. Your mate's car may be getting down by now.

Even if the engine is totally stuffed, it doesn't cost much to get another fitted and he will have a good car.

Thanks for all your responses guys. Well yeah all the brakes are brand new and the previous owners have looked after it pretty well. However, when he picked me up this arv in it a wobble on the left passenger wheel occurred every so often. I tried putting one of the steel wheels that used to be on my car on it but it still does it. I'm guessing a baring or something? Any ideas guys?
Thanks
P.S. I think I will advise him to join the club :)

Wheel wobble - prob needs an expert to look at it... but a few possibilities:
a/ wheel needs balancing, but as you have fitted a steely with no improvement this is less likely.
b/ CV joint. (if you mean a front wheel Have a look at the corrugated rubber boots surroounding the CV joints - check both sides of the car while you are at it. If rubber is cracked or split, esp if there is evidence that grease has been flung out of the CV joint, then repair/recondition/replace is indicated. Its also possible that a drive-shaft or CV joint is worn without the boots being damaged..... just that if boot is damaged it needs attention. You want to keep grease in your CV joint, and dirt and water out of your CV joint.
c/ Drive shaft, possibly hard to detect, but could have had a bash and be bent or somehow out of balance..... I suspect I may have this issue on my KJ, as a niggling thing that developed a short time after I got it (years now). Search in here for related problems or ways of describing it may give you some ideas.
d/ Ball-joint in suspension/steering - again, possibly easiest if some mechanic or wheel-align place checks this over.
e/ Wheel bearings, as you have mentioned.
f/ Could it be wear/slop in steering rack? Probs be more consistent if it was - but certainly look at runbber boots of steering rack and look for evidence of oil leaks. Again, a rack may be worn or need adjusting without oil leaking from rack seals.

Have a look at the PDF workshop manual at www.lisho.net and see if it suggests any other likely causes - suspension and steering chapters for the most part, also wheels n tyres chapters.

Best tip? Search in here will show lots of prior experience and problem-solving, if you can put in the time to read old threads. Try searching for terms that describe your problem, and give lots of thought to how others may have described a similar thing..... the likely causes will be almost identical in all 3rd Gens - TE/TF/TH/TJ/TL/TW and their Verada equivalents.

Wheel wobble - prob needs an expert to look at it... but a few possibilities:
a/ wheel needs balancing, but as you have fitted a steely with no improvement this is less likely.
b/ CV joint. (if you mean a front wheel Have a look at the corrugated rubber boots surroounding the CV joints - check both sides of the car while you are at it. If rubber is cracked or split, esp if there is evidence that grease has been flung out of the CV joint, then repair/recondition/replace is indicated. Its also possible that a drive-shaft or CV joint is worn without the boots being damaged..... just that if boot is damaged it needs attention. You want to keep grease in your CV joint, and dirt and water out of your CV joint.
c/ Drive shaft, possibly hard to detect, but could have had a bash and be bent or somehow out of balance..... I suspect I may have this issue on my KJ, as a niggling thing that developed a short time after I got it (years now). Search in here for related problems or ways of describing it may give you some ideas.
d/ Ball-joint in suspension/steering - again, possibly easiest if some mechanic or wheel-align place checks this over.
e/ Wheel bearings, as you have mentioned.
f/ Could it be wear/slop in steering rack? Probs be more consistent if it was - but certainly look at runbber boots of steering rack and look for evidence of oil leaks. Again, a rack may be worn or need adjusting without oil leaking from rack seals.

Have a look at the PDF workshop manual at www.lisho.net and see if it suggests any other likely causes - suspension and steering chapters for the most part, also wheels n tyres chapters.

Best tip? Search in here will show lots of prior experience and problem-solving, if you can put in the time to read old threads. Try searching for terms that describe your problem, and give lots of thought to how others may have described a similar thing..... the likely causes will be almost identical in all 3rd Gens - TE/TF/TH/TJ/TL/TW and their Verada equivalents.

Thanks man,
I'm pretty certain that it is the bearing as there is a bit of a whurring noise there even at low speed a bit. Like I said with the wobble, it only happens around every 5 minutes or so of driving. I'll put the car on a jack, lift up the whole front end, put it into first on the tippy, idle it and listen for the noise when I get the chance but he should be right driving it round town for a couple of weeks and just putting up with it aye?

TRy just jacking the front of car, or that wheel on its own, chocks and handbrake on back wheels. Transmission in neutral while you play with that wheel. Naturally, you want to do this on level ground, kids and pets away safely etc.

Without engine running, grasp the suspect wheel at the nine o'clock and three o'clock positions and see if you can feel any slop or wobble in the bearing. Also try at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions.

Turn the wheel by hand and see if you hear anything like bearing noise, or feel any "grating" or grabbing sensations from what you think is the bearing. Also, bear in mind you may get a light scuffing noise from the brake pads contacting the disc slightly, try to distinguish that from any noise you think is coming from the hub.

Another simple check may be to have a drive for a while, then feel the hub/centre-cap of the wheels - if a bearing was seriously on the fritz, it may generate heat more than a good bearing on the other wheels. If you can do a drive with gentle and minimal braking that might help you to avoid confusing brake heat from a failing wheel bearing.

I'd urge you to get and read that manual, as it may have other suggestions too.

Yeah, I've already got the manual man. What section would it be under?? Thanks

Here's a pic of his TL. It's the blue one next to mine :D
http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=44238

i had an 05 TW straight LPG with just over 310,000kms, never missed a beat and would use no noticeable about of oil between services

Btw, ended up fixing that wheel wobble by getting an auto trans service and putting the front passenger strut from my TL wreck on it so thanks guys for your responses. He really loves his car (like I love mine) and he's getting nice wheels from bob jane for it this week so it should look really nice. Just the other week I helped him polish it, recondition the headlights and fit his sound system, he just has to get the front and back of it repainted (front his stone chips, boot lid has faded paint and he scraped his rear bumper)