Hey all, possibly purchasing a 2016 LR4 HSE with 114,200 miles at an auto auction for $5,900.

I pulled the Carfax and the Monroney Label and everything seems to check out, and it has been meticulously maintained with a two recent services totaling $12,000 including full brake pads and rotors, a new diff, battery replacement, spark plugs, alternator, lower control arms, transfer case/diff fluid change, among other things from a local independent LR specialist... One thing that has not been completed that does need to be done is the fuel injector... I contacted the shop on the Carfax because an item popped up "Cylinder Head Gasket(s) replaced" from another recent service to verify that the vehicle hadn't overheated and they mentioned the head gasket was not replaced, it was in-fact an error by Carfax and instead was 1 of the injectors was bad and was leaking fuel pretty badly. I have a couple of questions:

1. How leery would you be of purchasing a car knowing that it has had a leaking fuel injector? Anything I should look for there? They said they quoted to do the work to replace the 1 for ~$1,000 or all 6 for ~$4,000.
2. If I were to purchase and had that shop do the work (assuming the price is decent), would you recommend doing 1 or all since they will be in there already? How difficult is it to replace fuel injectors?
3. Would you even consider this purchase?

Talk me off the ledge before LR fever gets its grips around me...

 

Speaking frankly…. Injectors over time do wear. When they do, you either rebuild or replace them.
And basing the decision to purchase on strictly the age of the injectors or the fact one had failed seems ridiculous.
Of course, how long was the injector leaking and what was the effect on the catalytic converter??

It is peculiar that immediately following a repair bill at $11000, we find it at auction for $5000…

In looking at your signature block, you know this already…
Don’t be swayed by the cheap price. There are many components/systems to these vehicles and to repair them can cost significant $$$.
The vehicle needs a proper inspection. The fact a few components were recently replaced means little.

My .02 worth.

 

$1,000 for one doesn’t seem too bad considering all the work it takes to get to the injectors. But $4k for all 6 is steep. The incremental labor to go from 1 to 6 shouldn’t be more than a few hours (on the conservative side). Unless there are including something else in that estimate?

And if you’re going that far into the engine, you might as well change the spark plugs and ignition coils too. Those are around $120/ea for cost.


For comparison, I’m getting ready to do my coolant pipes, and while I’m already that far into the engine I’ve decided to go ahead and replace the fuel injectors, spark plugs, ignition coils, both HPFP, all fuel lines, fan clutch, associated gaskets, all belts and hoses and all tensioners and pulleys. My cost for all LR parts is just under $4k.

I realize it will take me a few days to do myself, but $4k should go a lot further than just the injectors.

 

@guy Only reason I had asked specifics on the injectors is because 114,000 miles seems early for one to already go out on the system and I am more familiar with the woes of the 5.0L than the 3.0L LR4... Wondering if it is indicative of any larger problems. I appreciate the insights into getting an inspection, need to gather more information from the auction house to see if I can bring someone with me to inspect as taking it off-site is likely not an option. The vehicle was taken to this auction because the previous owner had traded it in for a new Land Cruiser. I am not swayed by the cheap price, I know that can mean a heap of trouble, simply putting all of the facts into the thread for other forum users as I gather everything on my end. Per the shop that has worked on this vehicle it is in very good condition outside of the fuel injector. It was last serviced 10/1/24. Oil change intervals between 5,000-10,000 miles at either Land Rover or this independent shop. It has only had 1-owner, clean title.

@Touchdown83 Thanks for the help! I also thought the $4K was steep since the parts are very inexpensive. Need to gather more specifics on the estimate. Please throw in any Topix pages or shop manuals if you end up taking on the work! Major kudos.

This vehicle is located in Chicago and I am located in Kentucky. Could purchase now, get the injector fixed and drive it back at Christmas time since we will be up there. Or tow it home and tackle the work myself. Thanks for the help and insights!

 

Well, I’ve had to replace an injectors a few times. I don’t bother replacing them all, just the failed ones. I can’t recall but I don’t think I paid $1000, last time.