Hi LR community!

I've long been a fan of the brand but never owned one. Looking to potentially buy my first this week, a 2006 LR3 4.4 HSE with 142,xxx miles. It looks like it's in really good shape, no visible signs of any issues, interior looks great. However, the seller says it has the "three amigos": traction control, suspension, and brake light on. seller said he replaced the brake light switch and ride height sensor but that the air suspension won't leave the normal ride height. I've read that it could need an alignment, as an out-of-spec alignment could trip the three amigos sensor, thus throwing a ride height fault. He also says the rear A/C lines leak.

However, he also says it runs and drives perfectly and has a ton of other service records. I'm a decent wrencher, so I will likely fix most of it myself, so I only need to worry about parts. He's asking $5,000. Is that reasonable for the issues that are present? Or should I run from it?

Thanks everyone, I hope to join this community soon!

 

Welcome. You really need to determine what the issue is with the EAS. If it's in normal height it's not the brake light switch or the sensor (those would put you into Access Height when the fault triggers). It may be a compressor. I wouldn't call that a show-stopper though, not for that price and mileage. You also will want to ensure that the control arm bushings are not worn or else that's another expense. Overall, if it's well sorted, $5k for an HSE with 142k miles sounds like a great deal to me.

 

Thanks! This is helpful info. He says the compressor and air struts are in good condition and that it can drive around in normal ride height just fine. I'm not sure how I'd check that during a pre-purchase check. He says it's software related and seems fairly knowledgable and like a decent guy. Do you know what else aside from those sensors, brake light switch, and an alignment would throw those three codes but allow the ride to stay at its normal height?

 

Everything is "software related" in the air suspension system So, that's not really saying much.
Software controls all the hardware. And... software can make the hardware go bad (the compressor at least, if it has the wrong configuration file, leading to it running to much, overheating etc). Anyways, it could be a number of things. We wouldn't be able to tell you without codes etc.
It could need a calibration, or a compressor, or a software update, or an alignment, or a steering angle calibration, or...
But it's actually not as complicated as it seems at first, once you learn the system.
To work on it yourself, you'll need a capable bi directional scanner. Most people here will tell you to get the IID Tool from GAP Diagnostics - that one can also reprogram the EAS system to match which type of compressor is installed, and it makes suspension calibrations easy.
Others will also work, Autel AP200 and ones from Thinkdiag are two capable cheaper options that will read full system codes and calibrate the suspension. They won't, last I tried, program modules though.

 

Prices will depend very much on your local area, but in mine, the discount for one with suspension faults would usually make a 140k+ mile LR3 a bit less than 5k.

 

Ok that's interesting lol! I'm not sure a bi-directional tool is in the budget right now. There's no way to figure out wha could be wrong with an LR3 without one?

 

An Icarsoft i930 is not too expensive and will read and clear many system codes.

 

For reference, I paid about 9k about 3 years ago for a 2008 SE with 139k miles on it. It didn't have any software/sensor issues, however, it did have (unbeknownst to me at the time) water leaks. This is in the PNW and, generally speaking, car prices tend to be higher here in Oregon than many other parts in the US. 5k seems like a pretty solid deal and it was in otherwise good condition and ran well I'd be inclined to go for it. Depending on where you are you might be able to get a PPI, or find someone here local with a GAP tool if you're willing to invest the $80 or so for a vin unlock to have it scanned.

 

I think this comment probably answers your primary question of whether to buy the vehicle as a GAP IID tool will be the among the smallest investments you make in the first 12 months after vehicle purchase and will provide an avenue for saving a lot on the work to he done, assuming you plan to do things yourself.

$5k doesn't sound bad. I bought an 07 with similar mileage about a year ago for $5,500 - clean exterior and interior, charging light on (turned out to need an alternator) but otherwise no obvious electronic faults, pre-purchase inspection at an indie also revealed needs for brakes and rotors all around plus one wheel bearing and water pump & thermostat needing replacement. It was also due for transmission pan/filter/fluid change and spark plugs. Since then I had 1 airbag go bad and the AC compressor give out. I also chose recently to replace the front diff with a refurbished one to address noise from the pinion bearing - that one could have waited until it got worse or went out, but I wanted piece of mind when trailering. IMO, none of these should be unexpected in a 15+ yo, 100k+ mile vehicle (except maybe the diff) - these are things you should expect to do in the next few years if they haven't (recently) been done. At a dealership, if they'll even do it, all that is likely well over $10-12k. At a good indie, probably $7-8k or more. Half that or less if you do it yourself, but you'll need a GAP IID tool (or similar).

Bottom line (in my opinion), if you're planning to have someone do the work you can save the GAP IID tool cost - but you better be ready to spend a minimum of $7-8k over the next couple of years unless you get really lucky or the vehicle has already had these things addressed (probably not at a $5k price).

 

Yes, all that makes a good point about ongoing maintenance costs. Even if you buy an LR3 with no current faults, there is extensive maintenance that needs doing to keep them on the road.

Budget a few thousand+ a year if you won't be doing it all yourself, 1-2 thousand in parts if you do it all yourself. More in the first year, as I've found that few of these are actually well maintained by owners, even if they've been dealer serviced.

Can you limp by and do less? For sure - usually, until you can't