For those who saw GGDR's post last week in the "eBay & Bargain Spots" section on what might be the cheapest L405 in the country, I am now its owner, and was asked to post the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Here's the first findings...

It was a "trade" sale with some paintwork issues on both bumpers, some paintwork superficial scratches and one tyre near the legal limit. It also needed a service. The MOT history was mixed, with some failures for tyres, worn brakes and most worryingly a fractured 22" wheel.

The dealer - a smart upper class dealer in leafy Cheshire, near Wilmslow - said the reason for the trade sale was it was high mileage for them (104k) and they were moving site in March and had to reduce stock levels. They advertised it for £20k and the phone rang off the hook after it was listed over the weekend. I was first there on Monday morning.

I'm "lucky" enough to work an occasional day (about once every 2-weeks) in a small independent Land Rover garage near Crewe, and was there yesterday - so on the ramp it went for a first assessment.

THE GOOD:
- It's a £20k L405 Vogue with the 4.4 engine.
- The paintwork is much better than I expected. Very superficial scratches, and even the bumpers you'd need to look carefully to see where it needs paint.
- Interior is almost unmarked - it is a 6 and a bit year old car and some tiny scuffs here and there is probably normal.
- There is some surface rust underneath, but not much. The pipework for the anti-roll motors will clean up and be coated to prevent it getting worse.
- It drives really nicely.

THE BAD:
- Not sure aircon is working properly.
- Some of the silver has come off the Range Rover letters on the front and a small patch on the corner of the bonnet panel.
- A few faults came up on the code reader. They've been cleared and now waiting to see what re-appears. A few "Unused Fault Code" came up and P040D-00 EGR temperature sensor A circuit high came straight back (plus the fault code in the Ugly section).

THE UGLY:
- The oil level reading just says no reading available. At first I thought this was because I was not doing it as it specifies in the handbook. Sadly, fault P250A-37 "Engine Oil Level Sensor - Circuit - Signal Frequency Too High" came up on the reader. I've drained the oil and refilled so I know it's got the right amount in. I've just started searching for possible reasons for the sensor. Worst case is the sump has to come off to change the £90 sensor, which is a major job as so much is in the way. I've found a couple of posts on this forum talking about fuses, but not tried anything yet.
- The cracked wheel has been welded - so I might go for a 2nd hand set of 20" or 21".


I'll post more as I find out more. I'll be posting a for sale for the 2004 L322 4.4 with LPG sometime soon if anyone's interested, and any help on the oil level reading problem in the meantime would be very, very gratefully received.




 Current:
- 2017 L405 3.0 V6 Autobiography
- 2013 L405 4.4 TDV8 Vogue [For Sale]
Sold:
- 2004 L322 4.4 Vogue (BRC LPG)
- 2002 L322 4.4 HSE (having fixed timing chain guides)
- 2000 P38 4.6 Vogue (BRC LPG)
- 1981 2-door In-Vogue
- 1980 Ex-Army SIII LWB
- 1976 SIII LWB
- 1968 SIIA
Stripped for parts:
- 2003 L322 4.4 Vogue

i can see this being a very interesting story...well done on your purchase..  ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
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Looks good for the money that Zebedee, look forward to hearing how you get on with the niggles.

well done Zebedee and tanks for the full briefing!

glad it's worked out, albeit one or two sensors.

for the P040D-00 EGR you may have already seen my post(s) on that.

for the oil level sensor, I have read at least one post here about somebody with the same issue.

I can imagine the sump does need to come off. if it does, suggest you do the turbo drain mod while you're at it, assuming it doesn't already have it.

best of luck!

. Cheers, Greg
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2011 Vogue SE 4.4 with lots of toys in Stornaway

Looking good! Greg is your man for that P040D error code. As you probably know, it's a duff exhaust sensor that doesn't impact anything too much. Mine was changed out for the revised design when I has having some other work done at Rovertune. It has now gone off the list when I read codes once in a while.
Keep us posted on developments  Gone to a good home: 2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Buckingham Blue with Ivory and clear glass = "Rory"
2025MY Defender D350 90 in Silicon Silver on coils
1974 Series 3 Lightweight = "Millie"
Many, many other Landies over the years
My preferred specialist: www.glenrands.co.uk
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An L405 for L322 money....👍

Had the same problem with the oil level sensor on my 3.0 D4. Luckily it came with RAC warranty who authorised the repair Took it to JAS land rovers. £70 for part and 10 hours labour to swap (not a nice job apparently) now all good  Paul

2014 Range Rover vogue se 4.4sdv8 Loire Blue
1992 Range Rover Vogue LSE 4.2 Ardennes green

that is an excellent purchase at 20k. Let us know how you get on

A fantastic buy. In this photo it looks great. I’m very interested to hear how your journey goes with this full fat grandma Also need some more pics and details of any options and such to get the full feel, if poss please. L405 P400e Autobiography (MY2020)... Silicon Silver / Espresso

Update:

THE GOOD:
- Working on improving the paintwork. A MOP polish worked wonders on the paintwork. A 2nd hand rear bumper in perfect condition has replaced the original one (£100), and Buz1500's black door and rear trims have replaced the silver scratched ones (£40). And his rear load liner is now in place. Just a small amount of lacquer peeling on the front bumper to address that and the paintwork will be in pretty perfect condition.
- Anti-roll bar pipework underneath has been coated with a light oil to protect it from further rust.

THE BAD:
- A new aircon condenser and recharge today has solved the aircon problem (£225). I'll do a write up of how to replace the aircon condenser at some point, but picture shows how it looked earlier today (now all back in one piece, thankfully).
- Replacement letters for the bonnet and rear tailgate (£32)
- Not had a look at the EGR fault yet.

THE UGLY:
- Looking at alternatives for replacing the oil level sensor. I've got the sensor kit (£94), but not feeling like tackling the 10-hours needed to replace it. Current thought is to manufacture a canister that sits next to the engine that houses the sensor.
- New take-off 20" wheels & tyres (£740) to replace the 22" ones. I'm hoping that selling the 22" ones will pay for the 20" ones.

Total expenditure to date on repairs has been £1,231 and it's nearly in perfect condition, and still got the 22" wheels/tyres to sell.


 Current:
- 2017 L405 3.0 V6 Autobiography
- 2013 L405 4.4 TDV8 Vogue [For Sale]
Sold:
- 2004 L322 4.4 Vogue (BRC LPG)
- 2002 L322 4.4 HSE (having fixed timing chain guides)
- 2000 P38 4.6 Vogue (BRC LPG)
- 1981 2-door In-Vogue
- 1980 Ex-Army SIII LWB
- 1976 SIII LWB
- 1968 SIIA
Stripped for parts:
- 2003 L322 4.4 Vogue

well done and thanks for sharing, these are becoming an attractive buy for sure, keep us updated on the progress its always good to see the progress and insight on the repairs and alternative fixes.

Great work and goes to show if you know which end of a spanner to hold even a ff can be a bargain

That's a lot of dismantling. Well done you.

A quick thought for you Zebadee, do you own an IID? If so, will that allow you to read the oil level through diagnostics? If it will? That would maybe be enough for you for future use?